The little one in the swaddling clothes had only just opened his eyes, and it was still uncertain whether he could see clearly. Yet, the tiny fellow seemed quite curious about An Jiu, his dark, round eyes fixed on her hands.
"He likes you," An Jiu grinned.
Mei Jiu hadn't held much hope in this regard to begin with, but seeing An Jiu's delight, she happily accepted the gesture on her son's behalf.
It was past noon but not yet time for dinner, so the two sat down for tea and casual conversation. Mei Jiu gently patted the child as she asked, "An Jiu, what do you think of my second brother?"
An Jiu kept her eyes on the baby and replied offhandedly, "He's alright."
"He used to be a bit of a troublemaker, but I think he has a good heart. Nowadays, he doesn’t go to those unsavory places anymore. Marrying Mei Ru Yan was forced upon him by circumstances, and the Hua Clan never allowed her name on the family register." As if afraid An Jiu wouldn’t believe her, Mei Jiu leaned in and whispered, "On the surface, we were all girls without family backing. Back then, even if the Hua Clan refused to register us, no one stood up for us. It was only after the change of reign that I got the chance to have a child and be added to the register..."
An Jiu found the conversation increasingly odd. "What are you getting at?"
Mei Jiu coughed lightly, embarrassed. "If you think Second Brother is decent, how about becoming sisters-in-law?"
"Is this your idea or Hua Rongjian's?" An Jiu asked.
"It's mine, but I did ask Second Brother—he likes you very much." Knowing An Jiu well, Mei Jiu quickly added when she sensed displeasure, "I’m just asking. If you’re not interested, forget it. I... just think that Mr. Chu isn’t the right man for you. You want a normal life, but with him, that might not be possible unless he’s willing to serve in office."
Mei Jiu knew Chu Dingjiang had helped the current Emperor seize the throne. In these times when the nation urgently needed talent, if he chose to serve and submit to the Emperor’s control, all would be well. Otherwise, his only fate would be death! Even if he managed temporary safety, once the empire stabilized and the Emperor had the leisure to deal with him, there would be no mercy.
"Can you imagine me at home, applying makeup, managing household chores, bearing and raising children?" An Jiu hadn’t expected Mei Jiu to think so far ahead for her, and she felt a slight stir in her heart. She elaborated, "I can’t. Even if I were with Hua Rongjian, that’s all he could offer me. The freedom I want is the freedom here."
She pointed to Mei Jiu’s chest.
If the heart is at ease, there is freedom—it has no absolute relation to the kind of life one leads.
"I’m slowly finding myself again. You don’t need to worry about me." An Jiu curved her lips into a smile.
Mei Jiu had never seen An Jiu like this before—her smile serene, no longer tinged with the old irritability. Upon reflection, Mei Jiu couldn’t picture someone like An Jiu staying home, tending to husband and children.
After all, the Hua Clan was a prominent family. Even if forced by circumstances to avoid marriages with powerful clans, they would still insist on a refined, virtuous bride from a scholarly family for Hua Rongjian—not someone like An Jiu.
This topic, Mei Jiu decided, would not be brought up again.
After dinner, An Jiu left the Hua residence. She stopped by Zhu Pianxian’s shop, changed into black attire, and by midnight, headed straight for the Bounty Board.
It was the same wall. At its most prominent spot hung a black notice—no name listed, but the description unmistakably pointed to An Jiu.The targets on the Black Bounty Board were all extremely dangerous individuals, and only those with ninth-tier strength could even consider taking on such missions. Thus, despite her bounty being posted for over half a year, no one had dared to claim it.
Once the night watchman passed, the hidden figures in black surged forward to snatch the bounty notices.
An Jiu had been crouching on the wall, watching silently. Only after the scramble ended and the Bounty Board's representatives arrived to confirm the claims did she leap down.
The man, seeing her arrive belatedly, said, "The other bounties have all been confirmed. There's still one left on the board."
He was curious—could this petite, frail-looking person really be here to claim a Black Bounty?
The assassins who had been preparing to leave all halted in their tracks.
An Jiu untied the Human-faced Pendant from her waist and tossed it to him.
At the sight of the pendant, the man's demeanor immediately turned respectful. "May I ask what task the esteemed one wishes the Bounty Board to undertake?"
Human-faced Pendants were already rare, and after centuries of changing hands, many had been lost. Now, only the chief steward still possessed such an item.
An Jiu said nothing. She tore off the Black Bounty, tucked it into her robe, and turned to leave.
Exchanging a Human-faced Pendant for a single Black Bounty was a poor trade. In the Bounty Board's history, there had been those who used such pendants to command the board's assistance in usurping thrones. Many families within the current Crane Control Army had originally been Bounty Board assassins.
The moment the pendant appeared, many began to stir with greed. If they could seize it, endless riches and power would follow—no need to keep scrambling for bounties!
Sensing the shifting atmosphere, the man tightened his grip on the pendant.
Tension hung thick in the air, like a sword poised to strike.
Then came the rustling of fabric, distinct in the quiet night.
From the sound alone, it was clear there were at least a hundred people.
Dozens of masked figures in black arrived first, landing before the Bounty Board and fanning out in a semicircle to protect the holder of the Human-faced Pendant.
Soon, a larger group of masked individuals arrived.
Seeing this, the surrounding assassins knew there was no chance of seizing the pendant today. They hurried away, lest they overhear too many secrets and be silenced by the Bounty Board.
The pendant holder spotted a figure in a black robe and wide-brimmed hat emerging from the shadows of the side wall and immediately dropped to one knee, presenting the pendant with both hands. "Chief Steward."
Many among the accompanying crowd found it strange. The Bounty Board's new chief steward was only a fifth-tier martial artist, relying solely on the Human-faced Pendant and vast wealth to command the entire organization. He rarely made appearances—how had he learned of the pendant's emergence so quickly and rushed here in such haste?
Hua Rongjian reached out, took the pendant, and tucked it into his robe.
"Chief Steward, what brings you here with such a grand display?" an elderly voice inquired from nearby.
Hua Rongjian's gaze darkened beneath the shadow of his hat, his artificially high-pitched voice dripping with malice. "To reclaim what rightfully belongs to me, of course."
Since he took over the Bounty Board, many elders had been discontent. Without the pendant's binding power, they would have rebelled long ago, unwilling to tolerate a mere fifth-tier martial arts master as chief steward—an unprecedented disgrace for an organization built on martial prowess and assassination.
"Playing these childish games under our noses, hmph," the old man sneered. "Do you truly think the Bounty Board's decline has turned it into a plaything for a brat like you?"Hua Rongjian said coldly, "I can step down at any time. But without my financial resources and connections, the current Bounty Board would be nothing more than a rat's nest. So, the elders should think carefully before speaking."
He knew these old fools could easily push him out if they truly wanted to. The only reasons they hadn't acted yet were the constraints of the human-faced pendant and the fact that everything he brought to the Bounty Board had restored its former glory. They wouldn't kick him out until they'd squeezed every last drop of his usefulness. (To be continued...)
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