Hidden Shadow – CH 022

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Clan School (2)

Each class lasted one hour, with two breaks in between.

After the class, a servant boy came to lead them to their respective teachers. As they walked, he explained, “Headmaster Zhao is the headmaster. He usually only teaches basic subjects, but he oversees the entire clan school. Students spend less time in Headmaster Zhao’s classes and more time with their respective teachers. Fourteenth Young Lady will see Master Qingming, who is well-versed in Zen Buddhism and has a magnanimous character. Fifteenth Young Lady will see Teacher Mo, who was a romantic and talented young man, arrogant and proud. Twelve years ago, he became Tanhua¹, but in a fit of anger, he left the capital to travel.”

“Why was he angry about becoming a Tanhua? Did someone cheat?” Mei Ruyan asked.

The servant boy smiled. “No, it’s Headmaster Zhao who felt ashamed.”

It was truly infuriating to compare oneself to others! How many people spent their entire lives studying and still could not even pass the provincial examinations, yet this one became a Tanhua and still felt shame.

…As the three talked, they unknowingly arrived at a bamboo hut. The melodious sound of a zither accompanied the babbling of a stream; the wind rustled through the trees, scattering bamboo leaves like rain.

On the veranda sat a man in simple white robes, a zither resting on his lap. His eyes were closed, and his movements were elegant and graceful.

The three stared blankly until the music ended. The servant boy then came to his senses. “Master Mo,” he said, “the headmaster has chosen a disciple for you.”

Master Mo opened his eyes, looked at Mei Jiu and Mei Ruyan, and after a long pause said, “Come here.”

Seeing Mei Ruyan still lost in thought, the servant boy whispered, “Fifteenth Young Lady, hurry over. Master Mo’s temper is a bit strange.”

“Thank you for reminding me,” Mei Ruyan said softly, her face slightly flushed. “Sister, I’m going.”

“Alright,” Mei Jiu said.

An Jiu clicked her tongue. “The men of the Mei family are generally more presentable.”

Mei Jiu agreed. In just a few days, she had encountered three handsome men, though their character was negligible, especially that of Mo Sigui.

“Sigh!” the servant sighed. “I really don’t know if Fifteenth Young Lady can stay for seven days.”

Mei Jiu asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”

“Master Mo has a bad temper. People have studied under him before, but they were all kicked out within seven days,” the servant said.

Mei Jiu pressed anxiously, “What are the consequences of being kicked out?” Seeing her tense expression, the servant quickly replied, “It’s alright; the headmaster will simply choose another teacher for the Fifteenth Young Lady.”

Mei Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

“Let’s go; I’ll take you to see Master Qingming,” the servant said with a smile. “Master Qingming is very kind; everyone likes to go to him. He has eleven students; if you go, there will be twelve.”

Master Qingming’s residence was quite a distance from here, about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea to walk south from the fork in the road. Mei Jiu dragged her aching legs, feeling the journey was extremely long.

Suddenly, bursts of laughter came from the woods, from both men and women. Mei Jiu glanced at the servant in surprise.

The servant said, “We’re almost there.”

As the road turned a corner, the view suddenly opened up. A large open space was surrounded by a fence, and many fruit trees were planted in the courtyard. A dozen or so people were chatting and laughing as they picked oranges.

The moment Mei Jiu appeared in the courtyard, all sound ceased. Gazes directed at her included inquiry, mockery, and provocation.

“Hey!” A boy perched on an orange tree looked down at her. “Are you the Fourteenth Young Lady who shot and killed two martial arts masters with a bamboo bow?”

So the news had spread far and wide!

Mei Jiu lowered her head in embarrassment, unsure how to respond. She didn’t want to admit to killing in front of everyone, but she couldn’t deny it.

A girl in a purple dress looked at Mei Jiu from below the tree, her eyes filled with undisguised jealousy and disdain. “Tch! It must have been Lady Yan who killed the martial arts masters. Look at her, she probably needs a maid to help her even peel an orange!”

Seeing Mei Jiu on the verge of tears, the servant boy immediately intervened to help her out. “Young Master, Young Lady, is Master Qingming not here?”

Although the servant boy was young, he was still someone close to the headmaster, so they would give him some face. The boy on the tree replied, “He went to herd sheep. We don’t know when he’ll return.”

Mei Jiu thought she had misheard. Herd sheep?

An Jiu suddenly blurted out, “Truly multi-talented.”

The girl in purple walked to the door and chuckled, “Since we’re just killing time anyway, how about a match?”

“What kind of match?” At such close range, Mei Jiu couldn’t pretend she hadn’t heard.

“Archery,” the girl in purple said provocatively, “The one you’re best at!”

“An Jiu…” Mei Jiu called out to her in her heart.

“Childish, no interest.” An Jiu decided to hide herself, trying to make Mei Jiu appear normal to outsiders. Otherwise, what if she really was treated as a madwoman?

If this were an ordinary large family, being crazy wouldn’t be a problem. However, as she learned more about the Mei family, An Jiu speculated that the assassins hadn’t killed her to silence her, perhaps because she shot those two martial artists. If that were the case, would she be killed once she was no longer of any use?

Mei Jiu weakly said, “I won’t compete with you.”

“Ha!” The girl in purple laughed, turning to the crowd in the courtyard. “I heard that Lady Yan could fight a hundred men single-handedly back then, yet she gave birth to such a coward!”

Mei Jiu was both shocked and angry, her pretty face flushed red. “You’ve studied the Four Books and Five Classics; how can your words be so crude?”

An Jiu couldn’t stand it anymore. “Scolding someone so gently, how sophisticated!”

“Then how should I say it?” Mei Jiu knew she was at a loss for words, so she humbly asked for advice.

“I never argue with anyone,” An Jiu said.

Mei Jiu didn’t believe it. With that mouth of hers, she was always so rude; anyone with a temper could argue with her!

However, in fact, An Jiu had never argued with anyone in her previous life. Aside from taking on missions, she rarely interacted with people and rarely spoke.

“Help me think of something!” Mei Jiu pleaded. She hated it most when people insulted her and dragged her mother into it.

“I remember once arguing with the organization’s commander. We only exchanged three sentences before a fight broke out, and we both ended up in the hospital for a month,” An Jiu said smugly. “But he broke three ribs, while I only broke one.”

Mei Jiu’s endurance had clearly improved. After hearing this, she said, “I’ll… I’ll do it myself…”

The girl in purple, noticing Mei Jiu’s distraction, angrily shoved her.

Mei Jiu, caught off guard, fell to the ground.

“Hmph, what a frail skeleton,” the girl in purple said, increasingly indignant. “I really don’t know what Elder Zhi thinks is good about you! Besides your face, you’re utterly useless!”

Mei Jiu was a little confused. How could they say she couldn’t do anything? She was well-read and skilled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music—why did everyone say she was incompetent?

An Jiu felt a slight tremor in the ground and immediately said, “Get up!” Before she finished speaking, a strong stench of mutton assaulted her senses.

Mei Jiu scrambled to her feet in a panic, only to be knocked around by a swarm of sheep rushing towards her.

Through her swaying vision, An Jiu saw an old man with white hair and a dirty body trotting over, waving at her. “Come and lend a hand!”