Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened, while those on the opposite bank of the river remained completely unaware of the ambush.
"Madam, let's go back!" With no one else in the room, Yao Ye no longer concealed her address.
Mei Jiu's heart was in turmoil. Hearing Yao Ye suggest a way out, she nodded repeatedly.
The guards closed the windows, sheathed their swords, and escorted Mei Jiu out of the elegant retreat.
The group boarded the carriage and returned to the estate without encountering any further ambushes along the way.
"Madam, with Lou Shi suddenly falling ill and someone attacking us, could it be they mistook you for the young master?" Yao Ye could only think of this possibility. Otherwise, even if someone intended harm to Mei Shi, they would have acted in Plum Blossom Village, not ambushed a young girl in broad daylight.
Perhaps they aimed to stop Mo Sigui from saving Lou Shi, and Mei Jiu's male attire led to the mistaken identity?
The more Yao Ye thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. When she turned her attention back to Mei Jiu, she noticed her slight trembling and asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Having endured such brutal trials, she couldn't possibly be frightened by a couple of arrows.
"N-nothing." Mei Jiu forced herself to calm down. Having witnessed so many scenes of slaughter and influenced by An Jiu's mental strength, she had developed some immunity and wouldn't faint at the slightest scare.
Yet, even so, her fear of this precarious life remained unchanged. She had avoided it for so long, but now she had to face it.
"Yao Ye." Mei Jiu lowered her eyes, her voice soft. "Should I join the Crane Control Army to save my mother, or find a way to leave Mei Shi?"
Seeing Mei Jiu's gentle and serene demeanor again felt like a lifetime ago to Yao Ye. Suppressing her confusion, she comforted, "Yan Niangzi has already arranged a safe path for you. Elder Zhi has promised to protect you. You only need to master your martial arts, and you can stay in Mei Shi. Marry a husband and live a peaceful life! I don't mean to discourage you, but once you join the Crane Control Army, no one can save anyone. Madam, you should abandon this thought early, lest you waste Yan Niangzi's efforts."
"That's what I thought too." Mei Jiu admitted her own timidity and cowardice. Had she not personally experienced the brutal rules of survival during the trials, she might have obediently followed the path Mei Yanran had laid out. But, "Thinking of my mother living that life every day, I can't rest easy!"
In the future, while she slept in a comfortable bed, her mother would be fighting in the dark. While she enjoyed exquisite meals, her mother might go days without food... How could she enjoy a peaceful life with such a conscience?
"I can't." Mei Jiu murmured.
She was afraid, she wanted to retreat, but she couldn't pretend her mother's sacrifices didn't exist.
An Jiu was inwardly shaken, wondering how Mei Jiu would react if she knew her meridians were already destroyed...
"Madam, are you alright?" Yao Ye asked.
"I'm fine." Mei Jiu had gradually calmed down. She asked An Jiu, "Why did we come to Bianjing?"
When they set out, Mei Jiu hadn't yet awakened, so she wasn't clear.
An Jiu replied succinctly, "Play."
With the answer, Mei Jiu reassured Yao Ye, "Let's go back.""Madam, we came out with the manor's New Year shopping convoy. If we return early, we won't be able to take many guards with us. Why not wait until the day after tomorrow to go back?" Yao Ye observed her mistress's unusually serene demeanor—so different from just two days prior—but couldn't make sense of it.
The switching between Mei Jiu and An Jiu confused Yao Ye. Still, that was all there was to it. Fortunately, neither had caused any trouble, saving her much worry.
Mei Jiu valued her life dearly, so she didn't insist on leaving early.
After the earlier ambush, she didn't dare wander outside. After lunch, she hugged a hand warmer and sat in the pavilion to read. Bathed in the warm sunlight, thoughts of Mei Yanran suffering somewhere unknown inevitably brought melancholy.
An Jiu had no desire to comment on Mei Jiu's sentimental nature, but since Mei Jiu's emotions could affect her, she felt compelled to offer some comfort. "I remember a story."
An Jiu initiating conversation left Mei Jiu pleasantly surprised. "What story?"
"I think it's called Dream of the Red Chamber . It's about a beautiful girl who stays at her cousin's house. She falls in love with him, but later he gets tired of her constant crying and marries another cousin. The key point is—she dies from excessive grief, coughing up blood." An Jiu earnestly warned Mei Jiu, "Just like you. You'll definitely die young."
Mei Jiu was instantly annoyed, but after a moment's thought, she understood An Jiu's meaning and found it both exasperating and amusing. "This isn't concern—it's a curse! And your story isn't even interesting!"
After spending so much time together, Mei Jiu had come to understand An Jiu a little. She was just sharp-tongued, without malice. Considering this, Mei Jiu realized how rare it was for An Jiu to comfort her, and her own ingratitude seemed somewhat unkind. Softening her tone, she said, "How about you tell another one? That story was too sad."
An Jiu didn't take it personally and obliged. "Then I'll tell Water Margin . It's about a leader gathering a bunch of underlings to start a rebellion. After much turmoil, the court bribes the leader with benefits, and the underlings disband."
"..."
"One more." Sensing Mei Jiu's disdain, An Jiu refused to believe it—these were all classics in their time. "This one's about an ugly man who loves a beauty but can't have her. The beauty falls for a hypocrite and later gets hanged. The ugly man, unable to have her, goes mad and jumps off a bell tower with her corpse."
"Your stories are all... special." Mei Jiu couldn't think of any praise.
"Hypocrite." An Jiu was displeased.
The stories were bizarre, yet Mei Jiu could sense the change in An Jiu compared to before. In the past, she would have disdained to comfort her at all. Realizing this, warmth spread in Mei Jiu's heart. "Thank you."
Two souls that had initially despised and rejected each other now inexplicably felt a sense of mutual dependence.
An Jiu had never been so deeply connected to anyone before. She disliked Mei Jiu, yet during the time Mei Jiu had disappeared, the absence of her voice had left An Jiu feeling strangely lonely.
The air stirred faintly.
"Someone's here!" An Jiu's mind sharpened as she tried to take control of their body, but it was too late—a cloth soaked in Medicine was already pressed over their mouth.
A pungent odor rushed into their nostrils. An Jiu lost consciousness instantly, and Mei Jiu, automatically taking over, fainted as well.After an unknown amount of time, someone shoved a medicinal pill into her mouth. The pill dissolved instantly upon contact, its spicy flavor burning her entire esophagus with a searing pain.
Mei Jiu opened her eyes to find herself in a dilapidated temple, where a black-clad figure sat atop the altar, staring down at her with a cold gaze.
The sharp intensity of that look made Mei Jiu instinctively shrink back.
The black-clad man frowned. "Are you Mei Shisi?"
"I..." Mei Jiu swallowed hard, too afraid to admit it.
A long sword was unsheathed and pressed against her neck. "Answer me—are you or not?!"
"I am," Mei Jiu sobbed.
"Good." The black-clad man withdrew his sword. "How were your meridians destroyed?"
An Jiu was speechless. She had hoped to keep it hidden for a few days, yet the truth was exposed on the very same day.
Mei Jiu froze. After a long pause, just as the black-clad man was growing impatient, she finally spoke in a pitiful voice, "I... I don’t know."
"Could it have been when you borrowed Chu Dingjiang’s Inner Force?" The black-clad man suddenly laughed with malicious glee. "Looks like the Madman’s hopes are dashed. Ah, why does this make me so happy?"
Chu Dingjiang—that was the name of the Divine Martial Commander of the Crane Control Army.
"What did you say?!" A thunderous roar shook the temple, sending dust cascading from the rafters. A towering figure burst into the room with an overwhelming surge of force.
Dead leaves swirled in with the gust of wind, settling as his long, unbound gray hair draped over his broad shoulders. A longbow was strapped to his back.
Half of his face was concealed behind a silver mask, revealing only a pair of cold, stern, upturned eyes.
"You’re Mei Shisi!" In an instant, he flashed forward, gripping Mei Jiu’s slender shoulders with iron-like hands. "You’re the one who fired Startling String! Quick! Quick! Shoot another arrow!"
He practically dragged Mei Jiu out of the temple to a clearing, thrusting the longbow into her hands and pointing at a tree a hundred yards away. "Shoot that tree."
Mei Jiu clutched the bow, silently pleading to An Jiu, What do I do? You take over?
"Madman," the black-clad man called from where he leaned against the temple door, arms crossed, his voice dripping with amusement. "Check her meridians first."
The "Madman" paused, then seized Mei Jiu’s delicate wrist.
A single touch was all it took—the fervor in his eyes instantly cooled.
The black-clad man continued with mock sympathy, "Ruined meridians are one thing, but look at how frail this girl is. She doesn’t even have the Mental Strength to activate Startling String. Are you sure you didn’t mistake her for someone else?"
"Impossible!" the Madman bellowed, descending into a frenzied rage. "My eyes have never been wrong!"
He shook Mei Jiu violently by the shoulders. "Fire Startling String! Now!" (To be continued...)
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