Chu Dingjiang's Internal Energy far surpassed Hua Rongjian's, but he refused to take advantage of this. Hua Rongjian, knowing he was no match, also deliberately refrained from using Inner Force. The two relied purely on physical strength in their stalemate.
The intense pain in his wrist caused beads of sweat to instantly form on Hua Rongjian's forehead.
Yet Chu Dingjiang remained utterly composed. "I once thought to have both fish and bear's paw," he said. "Now I've abandoned the fish. If anyone dares touch my bear's paw, they'll have to kill me first."
"Is that so?" Hua Rongjian's veins bulged on his forehead, but his tone remained as flippant as ever. "Rather than make me give up, why don't you kill me first?"
"I won't kill you." With a slight wave of his arm, Chu Dingjiang used his Inner Force to send Hua Rongjian flying half a zhang away. "If I unfortunately die young in this lifetime, it certainly won't be by your hand. You're too weak."
Whether in schemes or martial prowess, Hua Rongjian was on an entirely different level from Chu Dingjiang. Even as he grew rapidly, he couldn't compare to Chu Dingjiang, who had lived two lifetimes.
"Feelings are unpredictable," Hua Rongjian laughed. Having spent much of this time reflecting on life, he was no longer as easily provoked as before.
Chu Dingjiang didn't truly look down on him as his words suggested. Though Hua Rongjian might be inferior in every aspect, there were two things Chu could never regain:
—Youth, and passion.
Because of his youth and lack of worldly tempering, Hua Rongjian possessed abundant emotions—love and hatred both vivid and intense.
Such emotions were truly captivating. In comparison, what Chu could offer was plain and weathered. His love would never lose its composure—there was nothing exciting about it.
"A Jiu, would you like such feelings?" Chu Dingjiang asked her.
An Jiu couldn't answer.
So Uncle Chu sat alone by the window, torn between hope and fear.
When he came to his senses, Chu Dingjiang couldn't help but smile. So this was how every lovestruck person became sentimental.
Dwelling on such matters was pointless. It was better to spend time thinking of what he could do for An Jiu.
Now that all his subordinates had been dismissed except for a few loyalists, Chu Dingjiang refused to sit idle. When Mei Yanran came to visit An Jiu, he went out to have people search for items that could aid Mental strength—such as Heavenly Book Fragments and those jade boxes.
Under Chu Dingjiang's direction, Zhu Pianxian began purchasing such items.
Yet truly good things were hard to come by. The exorbitantly priced items they acquired weren't very effective. Fortunately, Lou Xiaowu contributed an Ice Soul Pillow.
This object could concentrate Mental strength. The Lou clan's ancestral mountain had such items, which was why all Lou women were exceptionally sharp-witted and strong-willed, greatly benefiting Mental strength cultivation.
An Jiu rested her head on the Ice Soul Pillow while Mei Jiu came daily to talk with her. Yet her body continued to waste away, her once-plump cheeks beginning to hollow.
Chu Dingjiang watched all this with perfect calm. But strands of frost began appearing at his temples.
Mei Jiu sometimes thought he resembled a stone tablet standing in the wilderness—year after year, weathered by wind and frost, appearing especially desolate and lonely. Yet he remained so distant and resolute that one felt unable to comfort him, only watching helplessly as he accumulated more weariness.
Chu Dingjiang paid no heed to anyone's gaze, simply doing everything within his power.He had originally wanted nothing more to do with the Hua Clan. Yet now, the items provided by the Hua Clan and those privately sent by Hua Rongjian were all placed around An Jiu. As long as they could be of the slightest use, even if he resented the Hua Clan deeply, he couldn’t refuse.
This attachment ran so deep that when he looked back, he couldn’t even pinpoint when or how it had begun.
Lost in thought, Chu Dingjiang heard Mei Yanran’s footsteps approaching.
“Someone from the Mei Clan is here. Will you see them?” Mei Yanran asked.
“The Mei Clan.” Chu Dingjiang recalled that the Mei Clan hadn’t been completely wiped out—Mei Zhengjing had survived with a few juniors, holed up in the capital. They had been silent for so long, almost as if they had vanished. “With the new emperor ascending the throne, they’ve become active again.”
“The new emperor is in desperate need of strength,” Mei Yanran remarked.
The internal affairs were in shambles, and external threats loomed large. Faced with such a mess, the emperor naturally needed power. Zhao Huo urgently needed to cultivate his own forces, and the weakened yet experienced Mei and Lou Clans were undoubtedly good choices—at least they could be controlled in the short term, and their power wouldn’t slip from his grasp.
“Did the Mei Clan come to see me or An Jiu?” Chu Dingjiang asked.
Mei Yanran studied the white streaks at his temples. “You.”
Chu Dingjiang was silent for a moment. “Tell them that if they want anything from me, they must be prepared to pay a heavy price—and have a convincing reason. Otherwise, they’re wasting their time.”
His tone didn’t offend Mei Yanran in the slightest. Sometimes she wondered how, despite being much younger than her, Chu Dingjiang could speak with the authority of an elder so naturally. When conversing with him, she often forgot his age altogether.
Mei Yanran quickly dismissed the thought. “I think Mei Liu understands that well.”
She had left home early and didn’t know Mei Zhengjing very well, but she knew her cousin was clever and knew how to read the situation.
“Then bring them in,” Chu Dingjiang said.
Mei Yanran acknowledged and went to fetch them.
This courtyard was within the Hua estate, but it had a side gate leading directly outside. The Hua Clan was vast in both property and rules, and Mei Yanran preferred not to enter through the main gate, so she treated this side gate as her own front door.
Soon, the sound of rustling footsteps filled the courtyard.
Not wanting to disturb An Jiu, Mei Yanran led the Mei Clan visitors to a side room.
Only after Mei Yanran returned to tend to An Jiu did Chu Dingjiang rise to meet them.
Mei Zhengjing sat in the side hall, lost in thought, when he noticed the light in the room dimming. He looked up to see a tall, burly man with a thick beard enter. His steps were so light they didn’t stir a single speck of dust, yet his presence was solid and unshakable. His sharp eyes were restrained, and though he deliberately suppressed his aura, he still exuded an overwhelming pressure.
“This junior, Mei Zhengjing, pays his respects to the elder,” Mei Zhengjing said, rising to bow.
Behind him, Mei Tingzhu and Mei Tingyuan followed suit.
Mei Yanran had never mentioned Chu Dingjiang’s age to them.
“Sit,” Chu Dingjiang said, taking the main seat without preamble. “What brings you here?”
“This junior knows of your esteemed reputation in the Crane Control Army. Your contributions were instrumental in His Majesty’s ascension to the throne. The Mei Clan is determined to rise again, but we no longer wish to engage in assassination,” Mei Zhengjing replied, matching his directness. “We seek your guidance—do you know where the Crane Control Secret Records are kept?”"The Control Crane Secret Records contained information about the Shadow Guards and methods to control them. The new emperor had ascended the throne through a coup and lacked the former emperor’s inheritance, so he certainly wouldn’t know the whereabouts of the Control Crane Secret Records . They had to destroy it before the emperor found it—only then would the Mei Clan avoid falling into a passive position and repeating past mistakes. This was their only chance.
The Secret Records were crucial. No matter how well hidden, they would eventually be discovered, posing a constant threat to the Mei Clan.
Chu Dingjiang had anticipated the Mei Clan’s request. What surprised him was Mei Zhengjing’s repeated use of "senior," which reminded him of An Jiu’s words—she had once said that despite being around the same age as Hua Rongjian, Chu Dingjiang looked like Hua Rongjian’s uncle.
Mei Zhengjing sensed that this stern and aloof man seemed to be in a somewhat better mood and seized the opportunity. "Senior, if there is anything the Mei Clan can do for you, we will not refuse."
"Do you know that the Mei Clan and I have a grudge?" Chu Dingjiang murmured.
Mei Zhengjing’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t witnessed the Baohua Gate incident, but Elder Zhi had likely sided with the Crown Prince. Apart from him, Mei Zhengjing couldn’t think of anyone else capable of offending this man. "Senior, are you referring to Elder Zhi? He is now a witless man—living is more humiliating than death for him."
Once a brilliant strategist, Elder Zhi had suffered severe damage to his mental strength, reducing his intellect to that of a three-year-old. Death would be a mercy compared to his current state.
"Does he still enjoy archery?" Chu Dingjiang asked indifferently.
Some people were indeed extraordinarily intelligent, capable of manipulating others with ease. But in Chu Dingjiang’s eyes, Elder Zhi was no strategist—his obsession with archery was so intense that it drove him to recklessness.
A true strategist should never be too fixated or fanatical.
For Elder Zhi, the hardest thing to let go of wasn’t his intellect—it was archery.
As long as he could still hold a bow, he wasn’t truly broken.
Mei Zhengjing understood Chu Dingjiang’s implication but hesitated to respond. He wanted to keep Elder Zhi alive—setting aside familial ties, despite his shattered mental strength, Elder Zhi still possessed profound inner force, which remained valuable to the Mei Clan.
"Unless this man is destroyed, my hatred will not be appeased," Chu Dingjiang stood. "If you haven’t made up your mind, don’t waste my time."
Mei Zhengjing steeled himself. "This junior will hand him over to you."
If sacrificing Elder Zhi could secure the Mei Clan’s freedom, it was worth it. Strategists were nearly heartless—Elder Zhi had contributed greatly to the Mei Clan, but he had never been close to its members. Though reluctant, as the clan head, Mei Zhengjing had to weigh the pros and cons and make this ruthless decision.
Backlit, Chu Dingjiang’s face appeared shadowed and enigmatic, his faintly curved lips exuding cruelty. "Even if your Mei Clan refused, killing him would be effortless for me. Why would I need your permission?"
The three Mei Clan members paled.
Mei Tingzhu spoke up, "You mean… you want us to kill him ourselves?"
Elder Zhi had devoted his life to the Mei Clan, obsessed only with archery—only to be executed by his own kin in the end. All three found Chu Dingjiang’s demand utterly merciless.
Yet, Chu Dingjiang was far more ruthless than they imagined.
"Kill him?" Chu Dingjiang shook his head and tossed a small vial to Mei Zhengjing. "Not only will I spare his life, I’ll even help restore his memories—on the condition that he loses both hands."The medicine in the small vial was obtained at great expense, specifically for treating the aftereffects of mental strength trauma. However, An Jiu had lost even her mental strength, let alone suffered any aftereffects, so the medicine naturally had no effect. Chu Dingjiang was also unwilling to administer random medicine to An Jiu and instead nurtured her with various items beneficial to mental strength recovery. He had received news from Sui Yunzhu that Mo Sigui was already on his way back. Only after a proper diagnosis could the right medicine be prescribed.
"I took the time these past few days to retrieve the Control Crane Secret Records . You have one month to exchange Elder Zhi's hands for it," Chu Dingjiang said.
Mei Zhengjing pressed his lips together, nearly crushing the porcelain vial in his hand.
Mei Tingzhu asked, "If we don't make the exchange, what do you plan to do with the Secret Records ?"
"I didn’t want to make the threat too blatant, but since you asked, I’ll tell you—good things never lack buyers." Before his words had even faded, Chu Dingjiang had already vanished.
Only the people left in the room remained, feeling as if they had been plunged into an icy abyss. (To be continued…)
PS: Sometimes I feel like what I write is nonsensical, so I simply don’t write it, to avoid wasting readers’ money and time. I might not be understood, or some might think it’s disrespectful to readers. But I want to say that relentless writing isn’t the only form of respect—one must also stay true to their conscience. If even I can’t stand what I write, I really shouldn’t show it to others. However, the breaks have been too frequent, and I don’t want to keep issuing excuses. When I’m sick, I can find some justification, but when I’m not, posting excuses feels shameless. I can’t bring myself to lie to readers, yet telling the truth feels overly dramatic.
Summing up my recent performance, aside from the reasons above, it’s mainly a matter of character. Poor character—no explanation needed.
Starting today, updates will resume. Given my shattered credibility, I doubt anything I say holds much weight. In any case, I owe everyone an apology, especially those still waiting in this pit. I’ve let you down, and I have no shame. (Covers head.)
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