An Jiu silently scooped a bowl of noodles. Since there were no chairs in the room, she simply sat cross-legged on the floor.
During past missions, lying in wait at a location for half a month was commonplace—back then, where would she have gotten such steaming hot food?
The others remained motionless, and the only sound in the room was her eating the noodles.
Mei Tingyuan stepped forward, raising her hand to knock the bowl out of An Jiu’s grasp, but An Jiu easily dodged.
“How can you still eat?!” Mei Tingyuan’s tears spilled down her cheeks.
Seeing that she was about to harass An Jiu further, Mei Tingzhu pulled her back. “A-Yuan.”
Mei Tingyuan crouched on the ground, wailing loudly.
Next door, the Crane Control Army paused at the sound of crying.
How long had it been since they last heard such grief?
When they weren’t on missions, they would laugh and joke together, and when lonely, they could always find someone to keep them company. Everything seemed normal, yet something always felt missing. They had once thought it was the absence of sunlight, but in truth, the more lives they took, the colder and harder their hearts became. Without emotion, the world lost its color—everything turned dull and flavorless.
“Young lady, you mustn’t cry,” an old woman said, helping Mei Tingyuan up. “It’s the rules.”
The neighbors here were all ordinary folk, and any unusual commotion would surely arouse suspicion. Thus, loud noise was strictly forbidden in their base.
“What stupid ru—”
Mei Tingzhu quickly covered her mouth, then took out a handkerchief laced with knockout medicine and pressed it over her face.
Moments later, Mei Tingyuan’s body gradually went limp.
The room had no beds—only a table, a few low stools, and a small brazier in the center.
Everyone simply leaned against the walls, sitting in their clothes.
Outside, the snow fell all night, rustling softly. By the time dawn neared, a group from next door had left.
Mei Tingzhu guessed they had gone to collect the corpses. Others might still have some limbs left, but what about her own brother?
The memory of that scene—flesh and blood splattering everywhere—sent such agony through her heart that she could barely breathe. She buried her face against Mei Tingyuan’s neck, tears falling silently.
An Jiu leaned by the window, peering through a crack at the silvery-gray light reflected off the snow outside.
The brutality of this battle was no less than the most savage wars she had experienced. She had never imagined that in a place where advanced weaponry was still scarce, such devastation could be wrought.
It seemed she would have to reassess this world…
After a while, another old woman came to deliver breakfast—the same noodles as the night before, with not even the portion size changed.
At first, An Jiu was still the only one eating. But eventually, a few others, their stomachs growling with hunger, couldn’t resist serving themselves a bowl after seeing her eat so heartily. Yet for those accustomed to refined cuisine, the noodles were barely palatable.
Just as everyone was forcing themselves to swallow, the door opened, and several neatly dressed Crane Control Army soldiers entered.
The one at the front was tall and slender, with striking eyes. Mei Tingchun found him oddly familiar.
Mei Tingzhu lifted her head, pausing for a moment before murmuring, “Deputy Commander.”
Gu Jinghong raised a brow slightly. “Four survivors—both expected and unexpected.”
He had anticipated that, given the Mei family’s reputation and strength, at least three or four would survive this trial. But he hadn’t expected them to endure an attack on the trial site and still have four survivors. Even more unexpected was that the only one who died was Mei Tingjun.
The group remained silent.
Gu Jinghong said, “Come with me.”"Where are we going?" Mei Tingchun asked cautiously.
"Taking you home," Gu Jinghong replied.
All the surviving trial participants in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
In the silence, the sound of An Jiu eating noodles was particularly noticeable. Everyone in the room turned to look.
Gu Jinghong glanced at An Jiu, who was eating as if no one else was present, and felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest. The people around him were all like this—when focused on a task, they would completely ignore their surroundings unless interrupted.
Such people were like emotionless weapons.
Gu Jinghong couldn't understand why a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl would resemble veteran assassins who had been in the Crane Control Army for over a decade.
"Mei Shisi!" Gu Jinghong called.
An Jiu paused for a moment before realizing he was addressing her. She set down her bowl and chopsticks, standing quietly to await orders.
Gu Jinghong scrutinized her from head to toe several times, growing increasingly puzzled. Though her reaction had been slightly delayed, the way she naturally shifted into standby mode didn't seem like someone who had just joined the Crane Control Army.
"Follow me immediately," Gu Jinghong said, turning to leave.
Mei Tingzhu carried Mei Tingyuan on his back and followed.
An Jiu realized Gu Jinghong was testing her. Recalling her mechanical response, she felt a subtle unease.
"Let's go quickly," Mei Tingchun whispered.
An Jiu gave a quiet "Mm" and hurried after them.
They left the camp under cover of darkness, reaching the outskirts just before the city gates opened.
On the endless snowy plain, the group sprinted like eagles.
Noticing An Jiu's almost complete lack of Inner Force, Gu Jinghong deliberately slowed his pace.
Only after boarding the Mei family's carriage waiting in the woods outside the city did he finally speak. "Aren't you sad about your cousin's death?"
The carriage fell silent. The only one who could refer to Mei Tingjun as "cousin" was Mei Jiu, making the question clearly directed at her.
"Sad?" An Jiu murmured the word.
Truthfully, An Jiu felt nothing about Mei Tingjun's death. But remembering Mei Tingyuan and Mei Tingzhu's heartbroken expressions brought back that fleeting moment of emotion she'd experienced.
"Perhaps," she said.
Fortunately, Mei Tingyuan remained unconscious, or she might have attacked An Jiu for such a detached response.
Mei Tingchun was too absorbed in his mix of grief and post-survival relief to dwell on An Jiu's words. Mei Tingzhu, more composed, though pained by his brother's death, understood that this "younger sister" had only recently returned home and had little interaction with them—lack of emotion was to be expected.
Gu Jinghong seemed to recall this too and abandoned the question. Instead, he asked, "How did you feel experiencing such combat for the first time?"
"You don't strike me as someone who'd ask such trivial questions," An Jiu bluntly cut through his probing. "If you have something to say, say it directly."
Gu Jinghong pondered before responding, "You're too different from the others to ignore. With the Divine Martial branch of the Crane Control Army severely damaged this time, I can't help suspecting there might be a traitor among them or the trial participants."
"You're underestimating me," An Jiu said without directly defending herself.
"How so?" Gu Jinghong asked.
An Jiu replied, "As if I'd stoop to being an informant for those incompetents!"Gu Jinghong pondered and found it quite reasonable. The enemy had Transcendence Realm archers, so many ninth-rank experts, and even possessed powerful crossbows with explosive force, yet the Crane Control Army and trial participants had survived in such numbers. From the enemy's perspective, this couldn't be considered a successful ambush. The mastermind behind it must be furious enough to spit blood.
"It must be due to the Divine Martial Commander's excellent coordination," Gu Jinghong said. (To be continued...)
PS: Had things to do during the day, and had to sleep by 8 PM. Only managed to write a few hundred words after dinner. Had to wait until my parents were asleep before sneaking up to type. When will these days ever end
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