Hidden Shadow – CH 013

Chapter Thirteen: A Life Destined to Be Extraordinary

“I lived with my mother in Yangzhou since I was little. She was skilled in the Six Arts and made a living teaching merchant women of marriageable age. We lived quite well, and she even bought a maid to take care of me. Until the fourth month of this year, my mother suddenly sold the house and took me north by boat…”

Images flooded her mind; An Jiu saw that memory.

Mei Yanran was traveling by water with Mei Jiu when their boat was ambushed. Bandits boarded and killed everyone they saw. Mei Yanran jumped off the boat with Mei Jiu in her arms. Two bandits, seeing the beautiful faces of the mother and daughter, gave chase.

An Jiu saw only the undulating water and did not see Mei Yanran swim, but the fact that two men could not keep up with her while she was carrying someone showed that she was no weak woman.

After Mei Jiu reached the shore, she fainted. She could not remember how she separated from Mei Yanran, only that she woke up in a cave with a money pouch in her arms containing all their belongings from Yangzhou.

Mei Jiu thought her mother would return soon, so she waited in the cave with the money pouch until she was on the verge of starvation and was taken in by a hunter.

The hunter was an honest and kind man, and even seeing such a beautiful girl as Mei Jiu, he did not have any improper thoughts.

The hunter took her home to treat her. His family was kind, but the hunter’s wife felt that such a beautiful girl would be a problem in their household sooner or later. So, while the hunter was away, she took Mei Jiu to a nearby town, letting her find her own family.

What happened next was predictable. Mei Jiu, a pure and innocent girl who never left her home, was swindled out of her money and sold to a slave trader within two hours.

After learning about this experience, An Jiu gained a deeper understanding of Mei Jiu’s naiveté. “You’re incredibly stupid!” she exclaimed.

Mei Jiu replied, “I’ve never left home. My neighbors are all good people. How would I know that people outside are so wicked?”

An Jiu seized the opportunity, saying, “You admit you are ignorant. From now on, whatever I teach you, you’d better do it obediently. No questioning allowed!”

“You are a woman, too. How much knowledge can you possibly have?” Mei Jiu thought to herself. “What if An Jiu asks me to do something evil?”

An Jiu did not want to hear either her words or her thoughts. “Even traversing a thousand years does not count as having knowledge. What does it mean to have knowledge?”

“Traversing a thousand years? You… were you a lady from a wealthy family a thousand years ago?” Mei Jiu was used to An Jiu’s presence and, far from being afraid of this topic, was quite curious.

“A wealthy family?” An Jiu sneered.

Mei Jiu suddenly remembered An Jiu’s act of killing her own father and could not help but shudder. However, she also felt deep sympathy for An Jiu. Who would willingly harm their own father unless forced into it?

Recalling the past, An Jiu was momentarily lost in thought, the days of gunfire flashing through her mind. The most vivid memory was of participating in a war between two countries. Their organization, as mercenaries, fought for Country B, a small but wealthy nation. The enemy was a superpower. The organization consisted of fifty-seven people, and their objective was to destroy the enemy’s signal station on the border.

Their operation went smoothly until the very last moment when thirty-five men were surrounded by over three thousand enemy soldiers deep within the enemy camp. Fortunately, the enemy had not had time to deploy heavy firepower. The scene was one of carnage and severed limbs.

This battle became An Jiu’s claim to fame. She ambushed from the outside, single-handedly taking down three hundred and sixty-four enemy soldiers and a helicopter. In that relatively peaceful era, many of the world’s top ten snipers could not match her total kill count throughout their careers.

However, none of their thirty-five surrounded people survived, and even she, on the outer perimeter, nearly perished.

In an instant, she lost thirty-five close friends. That moment felt like the pain of killing her own father years ago—an unbearable, suffocating agony, an inescapable loneliness.

Mei Jiu asked in a trembling voice, “What…what was that?”

An Jiu snapped back to reality, her voice as cold as a blade. “You saw it?”

Mei Jiu hurriedly got up and ran to the spittoon to vomit. The images that had just flashed through her mind were filled with blood, corpses, and the flames of war, surrounded by death, devoid of any life—like purgatory.

An Jiu then realized that whenever she remembered a particular event, Mei Jiu could also access her memories, though Mei Jiu was used to hiding them deeply and disliked recalling the past.

It seemed fate was fair. She possessed strong self-control, able to protect herself from being absorbed and merged, but Mei Jiu was the original owner of this body, and her control over it was innate.

An Jiu did not despair. Even innate abilities had their limits; otherwise, why would there be people in a vegetative state?

An Jiu’s memories were filled with the smoke of battle, the images not particularly clear. Those who had not truly experienced that kind of despair would not have a deep understanding.

Mei Jiu rested for a long time before regaining her senses.

“That’s a place I used to live in,” An Jiu said calmly.

“Is it the eighteen levels of hell?” Mei Jiu’s face was pale, tears welling up. “I have not done anything evil; why would I see hell?”

An Jiu had only controlled Mei Jiu’s body twice, yet she had easily offended two people. Mei Jiu was terrified, thinking An Jiu was too unrestrained. But now she understood why An Jiu was not afraid of offending people—why would someone who killed like mowing grass care about offending a few people?

Mei Jiu realized she had misspoken. This person was not indifferent to others’ feelings; she was indifferent to everything.

“It’s my hometown,” An Jiu said, ignoring her thoughts and lost in her own contemplation.

An Jiu had never complained about her misfortune, but she had never pondered why. Today, however, she suddenly understood. “My hometown is peaceful and beautiful. Most people live their lives in peace. Some live on the edge, courting death, like me.”

She murmured, “If I had the chance in this life, I’d want to live a peaceful life.”

At least she was somewhat normal! But given her past history, Mei Jiu, with a heavy heart, cautiously asked, “What if your husband takes many concubines and indulges in debauchery… what will you do?”

An Jiu told herself that violence could not solve problems! She could not kill! She could not act impulsively!

An Jiu ruled out her usual simple and brutal solutions and thought seriously for a moment, “I will castrate him and then bring all the women he likes home!”

“An Jiu,” Mei Jiu sighed, “your life is destined to be extraordinary.”

“Young Lady,” Wen-Cui said, knocking on the door.

Mei Jiu hurriedly went to the dressing mirror to tidy her appearance, trying to make herself look less disheveled. “Come in.”

Wen-Cui pushed open the door and entered, bowing slightly. “Madam, all the boats at the ferry crossing are occupied by the Shayun Residence. The people there are refusing to let us use them. Besides, it’s getting late. Perhaps you should go another day? There’s no need to argue with the Second Old Madam.” Mei Jiu’s heart tightened. An Jiu’s words had indeed come true.

She was inexperienced, but not truly foolish. After An Jiu’s analysis, no matter how perfect Wen-Cui’s excuse might seem, she would not readily believe it.