"It's not safe for my cousin to go out alone," Mo Sigui said.
Elder Zhi seemed not to understand his words. "I will assign guards to you. Qianshan—"
He paused mid-sentence, glaring displeasedly at Mo Sigui. "Where is Qianshan?"
Mu Qianshan was a seventh-rank martial arts master, skilled in hidden weapons. It was impossible for an ordinary person to incapacitate him without a sound—unless medicine was involved.
In Plum Blossom Village, only Elder Qi and Mo Sigui had such capability. Elder Qi obviously wouldn’t stoop to harassing a shadow unit member out of boredom.
Mo Sigui hunched his shoulders and stammered, "I-I thought he looked exhausted crouching on the beam..."
Elder Zhi wasn’t particularly hot-tempered, but among everyone in Plum Blossom Village, Mo Sigui feared him the most. His sharp intellect, piercing gaze that seemed to see through everything, and his tendency to act without emotional restraint—such wisdom was truly terrifying.
Elder Zhi didn’t press further, letting the matter drop lightly. Instead, he turned to An Jiu. "After Tingjun is buried, come to me for the entry token."
"Alright," An Jiu replied.
A brief silence followed before An Jiu spoke again. "Elder, let Mo Sigui go out with me."
"Weren’t the two of you at odds?" Elder Zhi’s expression remained unreadable, as if he were merely making casual conversation.
Mo Sigui chuckled. "We’re family—no grudges last overnight. A small misunderstanding, already cleared up."
"That’s good," Elder Zhi said, rising to leave.
Mo Sigui called out, "Elder—"
"Oh, right." Elder Zhi cut him off, instructing An Jiu, "Starting tomorrow, come to me for training. No need to attend Clan School."
With that, he strode away.
Mo Sigui frantically signaled An Jiu with his eyes, nearly straining them.
An Jiu spoke unhurriedly, "I can shoot Startling String."
Elder Zhi halted abruptly, turning back to scrutinize An Jiu before suddenly grinning. "Perhaps you don’t realize—I despise blatant lies the most."
"What do you think I used to overpower a Transformation Realm Master?" An Jiu stood up. "I have no Inner Force, but others do."
Elder Zhi’s eyes widened slightly. "Truly?"
"If I dare say it, it’s true," An Jiu replied.
Though Elder Zhi appeared composed, his voice trembled uncontrollably. "Come with me."
"Agree to let Mo Sigui and me go out together, and I’ll explain the trick to you," An Jiu said, unmoving.
Elder Zhi’s expression darkened. "You’re blackmailing me."
"It’s a trade," An Jiu corrected.
To reveal the secret of Startling String for such a small request—Elder Zhi disapproved of An Jiu’s ruthless pragmatism, but he wasn’t about to pass up an advantage. "If you can successfully shoot Startling String, I’ll agree."
"Deal," An Jiu said.
"Then let’s go." Elder Zhi turned and walked out.
Mo Sigui stood frozen for a long moment before processing what An Jiu had just said. He scrambled to his feet. Elder Zhi and An Jiu were already heading toward the outdoor archery range. Gathering his Inner Force, he leaped after them.
The visibility today was excellent, and the wind was light.
Elder Zhi ordered someone to fetch a bow and arrows. An Jiu casually shot a few arrows at the target to familiarize herself with the bow.
"Shoot a few more," Elder Zhi said, eyes fixed on the distant bullseye.
An Jiu complied, drawing the bowstring.She was quiet and focused in her preparatory stance, every muscle in her body tensed, yet the moment she released, it seemed effortless and casual.
Elder Zhi remained silent in thought for a moment before raising his hand to press against An Jiu’s back.
An Jiu felt a trickle of icy Inner Force seep into her, her Meridians instantly feeling as if pierced by an ice pick. Soon, the pain turned numb.
Elder Zhi’s Inner Force clashed with that of the Divine Martial Commander like fire and ice. An Jiu’s Meridians had already been damaged from being forcibly expanded before, making this even more unbearable than last time.
Mo Sigui noticed her instantly pale complexion and reached out to take her pulse.
“Elder, stop now!” Mo Sigui exclaimed in alarm. “If this continues, her Meridians will be ruined.”
Elder Zhi’s gaze darkened, a fleeting hesitation crossing his face, but he did not stop.
Elder Zhi was a man of cold resolve. His special regard for An Jiu stemmed solely from his fervor for Archery. Having pursued the pinnacle of Archery for decades, how could he let slip the chance to witness Startling String in his lifetime? His disregard for An Jiu’s life was also born of this same fervor.
An Jiu had already abandoned all thoughts of survival—what did ruining one Meridian matter?
“Hey!” Mo Sigui released her wrist, trying to persuade her. “If your Meridians are ruined, what will Shi Si do?”
“Too late.” An Jiu’s Meridians were already saturated with Inner Force.
She raised her bow, fingers drawing the empty string.
Mo Sigui’s shoulders slumped as he watched An Jiu’s delicate profile. Her skin was translucent under the snow’s glow, her eyes reflecting the light like black glass, her entire being serene yet cold.
Between her slender fingers, a blue light slowly formed, just like that Transformation Realm Master on the cliff.
A Crane Cry.
The blue arrow vanished three zhang after release, and the target twenty zhang away swayed slightly.
The world fell silent once more.
Elder Zhi released her and flashed to the target, lifting a trembling hand to touch the arrow hole. But the moment his fingertip made contact, the entire target crumbled into dust. He immediately moved to inspect the large tree behind it.
“Ha!” Elder Zhi suddenly burst into laughter. “Hahaha!”
The target had been too small to withstand the formidable Inner Force, leaving residual power embedded in the tree and turning its entire trunk into powder. Elder Zhi struck it with his palm, sending wood shards flying.
Blood slowly seeped from An Jiu’s nose and mouth.
Mo Sigui grabbed her wrist again.
An Jiu pulled away, using her bow as a crutch to steady herself, wiping the blood haphazardly.
“It’s not your body, so you don’t care, is that it?!” Mo Sigui seized her pulse once more.
This time, An Jiu didn’t resist, letting him take her pulse.
“Stay put! I’ll fetch needles from the Medicine room—be right back!” Mo Sigui lifted his robe and hurried off.
An Jiu felt as if her entire body was being torn apart and stitched back together, every inch wracked with excruciating pain.
“How did you do it?” Elder Zhi had returned unnoticed.
This was the true Startling String—no earth-shaking spectacle, but lethality beyond measure. The pure Inner Force arrow would explode within its target upon impact! If that had been a person instead of a tree, one could imagine the devastation to their organs.
“Mental strength.” Blood gushed from An Jiu’s mouth as she spoke. She wiped it with her sleeve. “Using Mental strength to split or condense Inner Force.”Elder Zhi was somewhat disappointed. He had realized this truth over a decade ago, yet had never been able to achieve it.
Just as he was about to examine An Jiu's injuries, a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Perhaps it follows the same principle as Elder Qi's True Energy pulse diagnosis?" (To be continued...)
PS: Damn it, from nine in the morning until now, I've only written this little? I must be courting death—someone come and slap me!!!!
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