Mei Jiu returned to Jade Serenity Residence and immediately grew restless. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how impulsive she had been. But words once spoken could not be taken back—she could only wait for An Jiu to wake up before discussing it further.
Yao Ye noticed Mei Jiu’s unease and tried to probe subtly a few times, but when she got no answers, she stopped pressing.
After dinner.
When An Jiu awoke, she saw a spring orchid embroidered on the frame, Mei Jiu’s slender fingers fluttering like butterflies—a breathtaking sight.
The scene left her momentarily dazed. "Why are we back?"
Mei Jiu paused her movements. "Because..."
Well, whether she faced it head-on or hid, the outcome would be the same. Mei Jiu steeled herself and said, "We both fell unconscious, but for some reason, the antidote only revived me. I... told them the truth. I don’t want to die..."
After hearing this, An Jiu replied indifferently, "I always knew you were an idiot."
An Jiu was certain Elder Zhi would keep the strong and discard the weak, which was why she felt she had leverage to gamble. Revealing the truth would actually benefit her more.
"Elder Zhi wants to keep you. If I didn’t tell the truth, I’d be left with no choice but death. Now that Elder Qi also knows, I might still have a sliver of hope." Mei Jiu’s hands trembled slightly as she clutched the silk thread. "There was a time when I thought about ending it all, but now I want to live."
She knew she was weak—An Jiu was far more suited to survive in Mei Shi. "My life was given to me by my mother. She sacrificed everything for me. I won’t just hand it over to someone else."
Not only did she want to live, but she also wanted to grow stronger.
So even a fool could be forced up a tree. An Jiu fell silent. Perhaps due to her formidable mental strength, the longer she stayed within Mei Jiu’s body, the more control she gained over it. Given time, she would undoubtedly become a better match for this body than Mei Jiu herself.
Truthfully, if there were another way, An Jiu wouldn’t necessarily insist on taking Mei Jiu’s body. But she had a vague sense that there was no other path for her.
The two had coexisted in the same body for so long that, aside from Mei Jiu’s initial resistance and fear, their relationship had been relatively harmonious. Mei Jiu was compassionate. Upon learning of An Jiu’s dark past, she willingly let her stay without considering the deeper implications. But after Mei Yanran left, Mei Jiu’s mindset about life and death had begun to shift.
An Jiu realized this was both an opportunity and a calamity. The true battle between her and Mei Jiu for control had only just begun.
A shadowy figure landed silently in the courtyard.
Noticing this, Yao Ye turned and gently knocked on the door to alert her. "Young Mistress. Someone from Shadow Academy is here."
Mei Jiu snapped out of her thoughts and realized her hands had gone numb from the cold.
"Alright." She stood and smoothed her dress before retreating to her chamber to change.
Yao Ye entered to assist her. "You’ve been sitting still all afternoon—you must be freezing?"
Mei Jiu shook her head with a smile, deflecting the concern. "What has Shishi Niang been up to lately?"
As she helped Mei Jiu into her padded jacket, Yao Ye replied, "Mister Mo is quite strict. Shishi Niang is constantly covered in new and old injuries, but she seems to enjoy it."
"I’ll talk to her tomorrow." Mei Jiu finally had the chance to act the part of an elder sister, though she couldn’t help but admire, "She endures hardships far better than I do."
They were girls of similar age—why could Mei Ru Yan handle it, but she couldn’t?Yao Ye noticed Mei Jiu's unusual demeanor and felt happy as well. "If my lady can smile from the heart, this servant can rest easy. My parents once received great kindness from Yan Niangzi, and when I came here, they earnestly instructed me to take good care of you."
"You have family?" Mei Jiu had never heard her mention it before.
Yao Ye replied, "Not just me—Dan Yue also has family."
"At your age, you should already be betrothed, right?" Mei Jiu asked.
"Yan Niangzi's great kindness is such that even if my entire family served you for life, it would still be insufficient to repay it. I long ago resolved never to marry and to serve you all my life. Dan Yue feels the same." Yao Ye fetched a fur coat and helped her put it on.
Yao Ye had actually been betrothed long ago—to a childhood sweetheart who worked as a steward for a merchant house in Bianjing. She was marrying above her station, and the wedding was originally planned for late next spring, but it was postponed when Yao Ye had to enter the Mei household.
When she first entered the Mei residence, Yao Ye had still held onto a sliver of hope, so when her betrothed said he would wait two years for her, she didn’t refuse. Now, it seemed that hope was fading into the distance. She thought she should find time to tell him not to wait any longer.
Shaking off her thoughts, Yao Ye noticed Mei Jiu seemed about to say something else and urged, "My lady, let’s hurry. We mustn’t keep the shadow unit waiting."
Mei Jiu swallowed the words on her lips, silently tightened the fur coat around herself, and followed the shadow unit out the door, with Mu Qianshan trailing far behind.
The gathering place was once again the charity cemetery.
As Mei Jiu stepped through the gates, she silently reminded herself that no matter what she saw or encountered, she must not faint again. Without her mother, she had to learn to survive on her own.
"Good to see you again." The same ethereal voice of Gu Jinghong echoed in the corpse-filled room. "This time, we’ve only managed to acquire two bodies. You can’t waste them like last time. I won’t repeat myself—begin."
Mei Tingzhu was the first to take the dagger and plunged it in forcefully. Her lips trembled imperceptibly, but she was far calmer than the first time.
The dagger passed from hand to hand. Even Mei Tingyuan, who had fled in panic last time, gritted her teeth and completed the task. There was no turning back now—no one’s life mattered more than their own. If they had to fight a living person, they would, let alone a corpse.
Soon, the bloodied dagger reached Mei Jiu’s hands. She was already petrified, her face deathly pale, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she gripped the dagger. The chattering of her teeth was unnervingly loud in the silent room.
The others looked at her in confusion.
Even Gu Jinghong was puzzled. Last time, she had acted swiftly and decisively. Now, when everyone else had improved, why was she faltering?
"Are you unwell?" Gu Jinghong could only offer this weak excuse.
Mei Jiu seemed not to hear him. Clutching the dagger with both hands, her eyes unfocused as she stared toward the corpse, she couldn’t even turn to flee.
Sticky blood dripped from the hilt onto her pale fingers. She snapped back to reality, tightened her grip on the dagger, and took two steps forward before freezing again.
Mei Jiu desperately wanted to take this step, but the others might not have the patience to wait for her to overcome her fear.
"The rest of you, continue practicing with these two corpses," Gu Jinghong said, then added, "It’s not mandatory. If you don’t wish to practice, you may leave now."
Mei Tingyuan’s face lit up with joy, but Mei Tingchun sensed something amiss. Gu Jinghong, so cold and ruthless, suddenly showing mercy? He didn’t buy it. "Will we train on this tomorrow as well?"
"No." Gu Jinghong didn’t hide the truth. "Tomorrow, it’s live combat.""What are the rules?" Mei Tingjun's heart suddenly tightened.
Gu Jinghong paused, his voice tinged with amusement. "You are the hunters—and at the same time, the hunted."
"It can't be the Crane Control Army, can it?" Mei Tingchun's voice rose sharply, nearly cracking. If it were the Crane Control Army, how could they possibly survive?
"Your opponents are the heirs of other noble families," Gu Jinghong said, his clear gaze sweeping over them. "But you'd best take this seriously. From what I know, each family has sent five participants, and your strength is far from reassuring."
"The deputy instructor only trained us for a few days," Mei Tingchun muttered.
Gu Jinghong, of course, didn’t miss it. "All of you have trained in martial arts since childhood. Killing is merely something you need to get used to. Let’s hope you’re still standing before me after tomorrow’s trial." (To be continued...)
PS: Double update yesterday, but none today. Will strive for a double update tomorrow.
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