To protect the homeland and defend the nation. For the peace of a region, sacrifices must always be made.
Yet, everyone has selfish desires and an instinct for survival. After the fervor of the first generation who fought to establish the territory faded, thoughts of retreat gradually emerged. Among the four great families, the Lou Clan was the most loyal and selfless, which is why they withered the fastest.
"Such an ending," Lou Mingyue sighed, looking up. "Heaven is truly unfair!"
"If it was voluntary, don’t blame Heaven," An Jiu, who had been silently listening, spoke words that stung. Fortunately, she was considerate enough of Lou Mingyue’s feelings to add, "I... know someone who could have chosen a peaceful life but became a villain for certain reasons and died young. The path was her own choice. The world wouldn’t be destroyed without the Lou Clan or the Mei Clan."
Since they had chosen to be ready to sacrifice their lives at any moment, they shouldn’t blame the emperor or Heaven when death came.
Lou Mingyue fell silent for a long while before suddenly smiling. "Is this your way of comforting someone?"
Wasn’t it? Apart from Mo Sigui and Mei Jiu, this was the first time An Jiu had taken the initiative to communicate with someone. At the very least, her intention was to offer comfort.
"I’m surprised you can say such things," Lou Mingyue remarked. She had only interacted with An Jiu once but could already tell that her actions lacked direction, as if driven solely by momentary emotions.
An Jiu stared at Lou Mingyue’s face—pale as if it might shutter at a touch, yet the faint smile lingering at her lips made her seem indomitable.
"Do you have any plans for the future?" Lou Mingyue walked to the railing, brushed off the snow, and sat down. "Elder Zhi likely won’t be free for a while."
An Jiu had always been accustomed to following orders. Now, in an unfamiliar place with no one to command her, she possessed the formidable ability to survive even the harshest conditions. Yet she didn’t know how to live, nor did she have any compelling reason to keep going.
This was why she had given up.
Lou Mingyue didn’t wait for An Jiu’s answer. Gripping the railing tightly, she declared, "I swear I will not shed this mourning attire until I’ve avenged this wrong!"
"Mm," An Jiu responded, signaling her approval.
The mountain wind carried snowflakes as the two fell silent, one sitting and one standing like monuments, remaining so until the first light of dawn touched the horizon. Their hair was thick with frost, as if they had aged overnight.
In the dim morning light, Lou Xiaowu rushed out from the manor. "Second Sister, Younger Brother has woken up."
Lou Mingyue stood abruptly and dashed down the mountain without a word, leaving only a fleeting shadow behind in the blink of an eye.
Lou Xiaowu turned to An Jiu. "Shi Si, come with me to gather firewood and cook. We haven’t eaten in a day and a night."
The Lou Clan had stored two rooms full of dry firewood, but all of it had been used to cremate the dead.
Since An Jiu was staying at Lou Manor, it was only right that she contribute some effort. Besides, she didn’t have a bad impression of the Lou Clan, so she followed Lou Xiaowu down the mountain without hesitation.
From the mountain, Lou Manor had seemed stifling and oppressive, but at least Mo Sigui had taken charge of handling matters. Only upon descending did they truly witness what hell on earth looked like. Corpses littered the roadside, and after circling the village, they didn’t encounter a single living soul.
If these bodies weren’t dealt with promptly, an even more terrifying disaster could erupt. Lou Xiaowu gathered firewood from an abandoned farmhouse, and the two quickly returned to the manor to inform everyone.
"What should we do?" Lou Xiaowu asked."If this matter isn't handled properly, it might incite riots. The court will send officials to deal with it—we can only do what's within our capabilities," Lou Mingyue said calmly.
The dead deserved respect. If word got out about burning corpses without sufficient military force to suppress villagers' resistance, Lou Mingyue's prediction could very well become reality. This wasn't alarmism or indifference on her part.
"Only thinking about damage control isn't a solution," An Jiu finally voiced her opinion. "Mo Sigui, you only know prevention but not cure? What kind of 'Miraculous Doctor Mo' is that?"
The room fell silent. Lou Xin suddenly felt a weight lift from his chest, and his gloomy expression eased slightly.
Mo Sigui had been itching to take action, but he retorted, "Others have spent years—even decades—preparing this. And you expect me to concoct an antidote in just a few days?"
"Excuses," An Jiu said coldly.
How could one know death was certain without giving it their all in a desperate situation?
Geniuses often had pride. Mo Sigui slammed his fan onto the table. "I'll wager this fan—I'll produce an antidote within three days!"
Lou Xin's eye twitched as he mocked, "How heroic!"
The crisis had erupted too suddenly and violently. Mo Sigui had only managed passive responses so far, with no time to consider an antidote. An Jiu's words stoked his fury—not because she'd stripped him of dignity, but because someone had pushed him to such limits in The Way of Medicine!
Mo Sigui thought bitterly: First, I'll make the antidote. Once I catch the culprit, I'll force-feed him half a pound of my own Poison Pills!
An Jiu picked up the fan and tucked it into her sleeve.
Having gone a day without food, everyone was starving. After a simple breakfast in the meeting hall, they dispersed to rest.
True to his word, Mo Sigui locked himself in his room without stepping out once. Even the meals delivered to him were returned untouched.
At first, Ling Gu thought he was just sulking. But by the second day, she grew worried. Peering through the door crack during mealtime, she saw Mo Sigui sitting blankly on the floor.
The next day, he remained in the same spot.
Alarmed, Ling Gu hurried to Lou Mingyue's study to report.
Lou Mingyue was immersed in gathering intelligence on Yelü Huangwu and paid no heed. Lou Xin had taken Lou Xiaowu into seclusion for martial training after breakfast—they wouldn't emerge for ten days to half a month.
Ling Gu sought out An Jiu, finding her perched on the veranda railing, reading. Her slender frame was clad in a black close-fitting outfit with a fox-fur overcoat, her dark hair tied simply with a ribbon. Her features were like ice sculpture.
Ling Gu stared momentarily before curtsying. "This servant Hong Ling greets Fourteen Lady."
An Jiu looked up.
Her pitch-black eyes reflected the snowy light, chilling to the bone. Her intense gaze gave the unsettling impression of being targeted by a hunter. Ling Gu's spine tingled as she hunched slightly and explained, "Miraculous Doctor Mo has locked himself in his room without eating or drinking. He'll ruin his health at this rate. If the lady has time, could you check on him?"
An Jiu frowned. Her father had been the same—shutting himself in the lab for days, sometimes weeks. Disturbances during those times always provoked his worst temper.
"If he wants to kill himself, no one can stop him. Why bother?" An Jiu said coldly.Ling Gu saw her lower her head and continue reading, showing no intention of engaging further. After standing there awkwardly for a while, she had no choice but to leave.
An Jiu focused intently on studying the book Elder Zhi had left behind.
This book taught how to use mental strength in combat, which was quite useful for her current situation. Since she had nothing else to do, it was better to occupy herself than to idle away.
Following her usual habit, An Jiu first skimmed through the book to grasp its general content before delving into a detailed reading.
Whether cultivating inner force or external techniques, a solid foundation was essential—rushing for quick results was ill-advised. For an ordinary person, reading this way would be extremely dangerous. But An Jiu’s control over her body and mental strength had reached a level comparable to a machine’s precision, making this approach actually easier for her to master the methods of controlling mental strength.
According to Elder Zhi, pure mental strength could also unleash a Startling String. However, the difference was that such an attack had almost no lethal effect on martial arts masters whose mental strength had reached the sixth tier or higher. Even if the archer’s mental strength had attained the Transformation Realm, it still couldn’t kill them. On the other hand, it worked well on those with weaker mental strength, leaving no visible wounds on the corpses.
This was a technique Elder Zhi had pondered over for many years. With nothing else to do, An Jiu found a bow and began practicing.
Only then did An Jiu understand why Elder Zhi always held his bow drawn for so long without releasing an arrow whenever she went to see him.
After practicing for most of the day, Mei Jiu said worriedly, “It doesn’t seem to be working.”
An Jiu had been practicing nonstop, as if she didn’t know exhaustion, but Mei Jiu could already feel her body on the verge of breaking down.
“We’ll only know if we test it on someone,” An Jiu said.
Unlike inner force, mental strength had no effect on inanimate objects.
Mei Jiu panicked. “No, don’t kill anyone else.”
Thinking back on the events of the past few days, she felt as if the sky were about to collapse. In the decade she had spent traveling with her mother, every place they visited had left her with an impression of peace and harmony. She had never imagined the world could be so dark and cruel.
“Even though you still say things like this, you’ve already changed,” An Jiu could sense it.
The current Mei Jiu no longer panicked at the sight of death or cowered in fear. Though An Jiu considered this change minor, Mei Jiu was indeed different from before.
Mei Jiu’s emotions were complicated. Hesitantly, she asked, “Do you think I can join the Crane Control Army?”
She was still terrified of living a life constantly on the edge of danger.
An Jiu’s personal goal was self-destruction. As for other matters, she herself was lost—how could she offer advice to others?
The three-day agreement with Mo Sigui passed.
An Jiu took the folding fan and waited outside his door.
She didn’t know Mo Sigui well, but she sensed he wasn’t the type to make empty threats. Even though the bet was merely over a folding fan named “Red Apricot Over the Wall,” what he had truly wagered was his pride and dignity.
After lunch, An Jiu stood beneath the corridor, drawing her bow to practice the Startling String.
Mental strength was an elusive thing—invisible and intangible. After practicing for so long, she wouldn’t know whether it worked unless she tested it.
By evening, Mo Sigui kicked his door open with a bang and stepped out, looking refreshed.
Noticing him from the corner of her eye, An Jiu turned and aimed her bow at him. She released her fingers, unleashing the gathered mental strength.
The bowstring hummed softly."Ha—" Mo Sigui's laughter cut off abruptly, his entire body stiffening as his face paled momentarily.
An Jiu didn't know what rank Mo Sigui was among martial arts masters, but he was definitely beyond the sixth rank. Even if she had truly formed a Startling String with her mental strength, she couldn't have killed him.
"How does it feel?" An Jiu leaned in to interview the victim.
After a long pause, Mo Sigui finally regained movement. Rubbing his temples, he glared angrily at An Jiu, "Mei Shisi! What did you do?"
Ling Gu had seen everything clearly—Mei Niangzi was standing far away, and the bowstring was empty. "You must be overworked, having only eaten two bowls of porridge in three days."
"Is that so?" Mo Sigui asked suspiciously. (To be continued...)
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