Hidden Shadow

The blade shadows formed an impenetrable curtain around An Jiu.

Once again, An Jiu drew her bow and aimed at the fat man, silently calculating his burst strength—this would determine his dodging speed. This time, the opponent was prepared, and mere aim wouldn’t guarantee a hit. She had to predict his next movement and shoot the arrow precisely to that spot—not too fast, not too slow.

Her highly concentrated mental strength made it easier for her to lock onto the target than before, and she could even sense the flow of his inner force.

Through the flashes of blades and swords, An Jiu kept her eyes fixed on the target.

The fat man’s gaze was terrifying—intelligent, yet utterly inhuman, as if he were a blade wielded by the Death God himself.

Suddenly, the target’s muscles tensed, his body leaning slightly to the right—a movement so swift and minute it was barely perceptible.

Now!

An Jiu released her fingers, sending the arrow half a foot to his right.

As the arrow closed in, the fat man’s eyes sharpened. He abruptly halted, but his momentum still carried him forward slightly. The arrow, cutting through the wind, buried itself deep into his chest.

"An Jiu!" Blood Fiend was barely holding on. Though an exceptional assassin, even he couldn’t withstand the frenzied attacks of over a dozen martial arts masters.

Seeing her shot land, An Jiu immediately drew the soft sword hidden at her waist and joined Blood Fiend in the fight, urgently whispering, "Find a chance to escape!"

Without their leader, the enemies’ attacks and defenses gradually lost coordination. An Jiu and Blood Fiend carved a path through the chaos and once again sprinted down the main road.

An Jiu had assumed these mindless pursuers would keep chasing them, but to her surprise, they all stopped in their tracks the moment the fat man was struck.

Still, the two didn’t dare pause, running nonstop for over ten miles before finally stopping to catch their breath.

"I’ve never—never run this far in one go!" Blood Fiend gasped between breaths.

"I see the city gates. Let’s get inside first," An Jiu said.

Blood Fiend took a deep breath and followed her in a mad dash to the base of the city wall.

Hexi County’s defenses were practically nonexistent. The two easily scaled the wall and slipped into the city, heading straight for the county office.

The darkest hour comes just before dawn. The darkness was so thick one could barely see their own hand. To save oil, Hexi County kept only a single lantern lit—hanging in Mo Sigui’s courtyard. Exhausted and covered in wounds, the two instinctively made their way there.

The lantern swayed in the wind, its flickering yellow light mingling with the drifting medicated smoke.

Mo Sigui sat on the veranda, leisurely puffing on his pipe, when suddenly he heard rustling from the bushes by the wall. Turning, he was startled to see two blood-soaked figures, their ghastly appearances in the swaying light making them look like demons freshly crawled out of hell. His hand twitched, nearly throwing his folding fan at them.

"It’s me!" An Jiu called out.

Mo Sigui paused, smacking his lips. "What mischief are you two up to, running around in the dead of night?"

"We just got back from Zhending Prefecture," An Jiu sighed in relief.

Mo Sigui’s peach-blossom eyes narrowed. "How’d you end up looking like this?"

"Ran into a group of assassins," An Jiu wiped her face and sat on a nearby stone stool. "They attacked us without a word."

Blood Fiend added, "They seemed mindless, only knowing how to kill. But strangely, one fat man was able to command them."

He then recounted the entire encounter before asking, "Could it be the Feng and Li families?"Some time ago, there was a major case. Hundreds of people from two families were killed. Among the deceased of both surnames, apart from the children and elderly who succumbed to poisoning, all the servants had their throats slit with a single sword stroke. Meanwhile, the able-bodied adults of both families had gone missing.

To those unaware of the truth, it seemed terrifying and bizarre, but those in the know could easily imagine what had happened—after the poison within the two families was activated, they turned on each other in their own homes, slaughtering one another, while the elderly and weak couldn’t withstand the toxic transformation and died.

"Most likely. I heard the head of the Feng family, Feng Fang, was a fat man. If that’s really the case, we must capture a couple alive to examine!" Mo Sigui’s eyes gleamed with excitement, the little sleepiness he had managed to accumulate vanishing instantly. But he didn’t care at all, turning toward the tightly shut doors and windows to ask, "What do you think?"

Inside the room was Wei Yuzhi.

He was highly alert and had noticed An Jiu and Blood Fiend the moment they arrived outside the county office. However, to avoid meeting An Jiu, he had stayed inside. Even when Mo Sigui asked, he continued pretending to be asleep and didn’t respond.

Mo Sigui chuckled. "I also have Mei blood running through my veins. If I die, how long do you think you’ll last?"

"I don’t know what’s written in the Secret Records of the Crane Control , but I can guess that whoever has it either lacks Mei Shi’s method to activate the poison or is keeping you alive for some other purpose. Sooner or later, they’ll come for you." Wei Yuzhi sat up, wrapped in his blanket, and looked toward the closed door. "Since they want something from you, there’s no need to be overly anxious."

Noticing Wei Yuzhi referred to the person as "he," Mo Sigui asked, "Do you know who obtained the Secret Records ?"

"It’s just a guess," Wei Yuzhi replied.

"For most people who get their hands on this, the best option would be to threaten the two families into serving them. Even if the families have fallen from power, they’re still more useful than a pile of corpses. But the mastermind quickly activated the poison, and those inhuman killers traveled all the way to the border. Such a long journey couldn’t have been accidental—they must have been summoned. A mere twenty-some killers wouldn’t do much damage to border defenses, so someone must be planning to use them. I’ve considered everyone in Hebei Road with the power to obtain the Secret Records of the Crane Control and activate the poison, but none of them have a motive to act this way. My guess is they were passing through, heading for the Liao Kingdom." Wei Yuzhi paused to catch his breath before continuing, "There’s only one person in Liao who would act like this—Yelü Jinglie."

The three people in the courtyard were stunned.

"Why must it be Yelü Jinglie?" Mo Sigui asked.

After a brief silence, Wei Yuzhi answered, "I understand them. Yelü Huangwu already has the Shadow Wraiths—she doesn’t need these extra hands. It would be more useful to leave them in the Song Kingdom to work for her. The same goes for Yelü Quancang. The other factions in Liao are solely focused on seizing power. Only Yelü Jinglie acts recklessly, regardless of cost. I don’t know what grudge he holds against Yelü Quancang and his sister, but I have a vague sense his actions aren’t purely for usurping the throne. His haste and disregard for consequences suggest he’s in a hurry to accomplish something major. If—"

Wei Yuzhi sighed. "For someone like you, why did Yelü Quancang spare your life?"

"My time is nearly up. He didn’t mind doing me a favor." Wei Yuzhi spoke indifferently.His formidable mental strength harmed others and wounded himself even more deeply. As long as he lived and could think, this torment would never cease. Even with a Miracle Doctor like Mo Sigui by his side, it was merely a matter of patching things up—ultimately, he had only a few years left to live.

A few years—how could that possibly be enough to scheme for this vast land?

Wei Yuzhi raised his hand to rub his temples and slowly lay down.

For a moment, silence enveloped both inside and outside the room.

After a long while, Wei Yuzhi slowly opened his eyes. As if speaking to himself or making a prophecy, he murmured, "Yelü Jinglie will not succeed."

All these years, it had been him running about outside, while Yelü Quancang had never shown any remarkable abilities. Yet simply observing how effortlessly he shifted between identities—how not a single person noticed anything amiss despite countless eyes upon him—and how he had hidden for years within Mei Shi, an organization teeming with assassins, under the guise of Yin Sha without ever being exposed—was enough to prove he was no ordinary man.

Moreover, when had he even begun working for him? Only now, idly reflecting on the past, did Wei Yuzhi realize Yelü Quancang’s methods.

He prided himself on his intelligence. But Yelü Quancang had seen right through him—squeezing every ounce of his usefulness when he could be exploited, and discarding him without hesitation when he was no longer of value.

In all these years, the only mercy Yelü Quancang had shown him was not killing him in the end.

Yelü Quancang’s way of controlling his subordinates lay in silently compelling them to act according to his will. Looking back now, Wei Yuzhi understood that half the reason he had chosen this path was due to Yelü Quancang’s influence.

He had been setting up schemes all along, completely unaware that he himself was a pawn in someone else’s game.

For Wei Yuzhi, realizing this at any time was better than never—at least it was preferable to dying in ignorance.

The sky was faintly brightening.

An Jiu finished bathing and returned to her room.

The moment she stepped inside, she sensed something amiss. There was no killing intent, but she felt a presence behind her. She whirled around abruptly.

In the dim light, a familiar, towering figure suddenly filled her vision.

A moment of silence passed.

Then Chu Dingjiang’s deep voice broke the stillness, "Too happy to speak?"

Only then did An Jiu snap out of her daze. With an excited cry, she threw herself at him. "Chu Dingjiang! You’re here!"

Her voice brimmed with unrestrained joy.

Hearing it, Chu Dingjiang couldn’t help but smile as he caught her in a tight embrace.

They held each other quietly, no words necessary—this sense of solidity was enough.

After a long while, they finally parted. An Jiu lit a lamp and began, "You’re earlier than expected. I thought you’d be tied up by Mei Shi and the emperor for at least half a year before you could break free."

"If I want to leave, nothing can hold me," Chu Dingjiang replied, scanning the room carefully. "There’s another batch of things outside. I’ll have them brought in at daybreak."

"Things for me?" An Jiu asked.

Chu Dingjiang nodded. "Some of your favorite foods."

"Wonderful!" An Jiu sat down and immediately launched into recounting her time in Hexi County. "There are so few people here—not even enough to form a proper police force, let alone an army. Luckily, Mei Shi arrived, so we can make do for now. Oh, and I’ve taken on my first subordinate—Blood Fiend. Seems like he used to be one of yours!"

"I only have one person who’s truly mine," Chu Dingjiang said.

An Jiu didn’t think much of it and casually asked, "Who?"

Chu Dingjiang looked at her, grinning. "Guess."

An Jiu instantly grasped his meaning and retorted, "No, you’re mine ."An expected reaction. Chu Dingjiang's eyes curved pleasantly as he listened. "Mm."

Only then did An Jiu realize he was teasing her in a roundabout way. She pursed her lips. "I won't stoop to your level. By the way, let me tell you about tonight's events."

The moment she entered, Chu Dingjiang had caught the scent of blood. Since she brought it up herself, it saved him the trouble of asking. He assumed an attentive expression.

An Jiu recounted the night's events from beginning to end.

"Mm." Chu Dingjiang poured her a cup of water. "Go attend to your own matters. Don't overthink it. Aren't I just idling away in retirement? Since I'm free and bored, leave it to me."

"Alright." An Jiu stared at his smiling face, leaned in, and planted a kiss.

Chu Dingjiang remained still, so she simply dragged a stool over, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him again.

"A Jiu." Chu Dingjiang's voice was slightly hoarse. "I missed you."

The softest part of An Jiu's heart felt as if it had been gently squeezed, a faint ache spreading. Her eyes grew warm involuntarily, and before she knew it, warm tears trailed down her cheeks.

It was the first time Chu Dingjiang had seen her with teary eyes. Unlike other women who appeared delicate and touching when crying, her bewildered expression only made his heart soften further.

The iron-willed woman who bled without shedding tears was still baffled by how a single sentence could make her cry. Suddenly, Chu Dingjiang scooped her up and laid her on the bed.

An Jiu snapped back to reality. The moment their gazes met, it was like igniting something explosive.

...

Liao Imperial Palace.

Yelü Quancang stood holding a lamp, surrounded by over a dozen towering bookshelves filled to the brim with volumes.

"You've come." A voice spoke from the darkness ahead.

"State Preceptor." Yelü Quancang placed the lamp on the table and stepped into the shadows. "Has the Light Crossbow been successfully improved?"

The man countered with a question instead. "Have you found the person I asked you to investigate?"

"Mei Shisi, codename Xuan Ren, also known as An Jiu." Yelü Quancang retrieved a sheet of paper from his sleeve and handed it over. "This is her detailed profile."

A gloved white hand emerged from the darkness to accept the letter, though it seemed in no hurry to read it. The man sighed. "To accurately hit a moving target across a wind-whipped cliff... truly... intriguing."

Yelü Quancang sensed that wasn't what he had originally intended to say. If genuine curiosity had driven him, he would have acted long ago. Yet for the past two years, he had merely observed her from the shadows.

"An Jiu." He murmured under his breath. (To be continued...)