Hidden Shadow – CH 031

Chapter Thirty-One: Meet Again Soon

He hung upside down from a branch, his dark hair cascading down, smooth and lustrous like black satin. An Jiu saw his fair, jade-like forehead and handsome features, but the lower half of his face was covered by a black cloth mask.

His long, narrow eyes seemed to hold a smile, clearly reflecting her image.

An Jiu seized the opportunity to leap down from the tree, retreating three zhang away.

When she first attacked, she intended to kill him with a single blow, as was her habit, but she knew she was no match for this man. He had not shown any malice, and provoking him would be disastrous, so she changed her mind and removed his mask.

An Jiu had not been interested in his true face, but this man’s features were truly handsome, and this time she really wanted to rip off the cloth mask as well.

The man followed her, leaping down from the tree and bending down to pick up the mask that had fallen to the grass. His long hair slid down from his shoulders with the movement, yet remained perfectly in place.

An Jiu thought, “Indeed, the most natural is the healthiest.”

“As expected of Elder Zhi’s chosen one, you can learn just by reading.” He stood under the shade of a tree, carefully observing An Jiu, his clear voice gentle. “I believe we will meet again soon.”

His words trailed off, but he had already vanished.

An Jiu’s exceptional eyesight only caught a fleeting glimpse of a shadow disappearing into the bamboo grove.

“That… I saw him in the ancestral hall…” Mei Jiu had just recovered from her shock.

An Jiu did not answer, returning to the tree to pick up the basic martial arts manual.

An Jiu did not know the man’s identity or purpose, but this brief encounter had utterly shocked her. The man had just said, “You can learn just by reading,” meaning he had definitely been monitoring her for some time, and she had not noticed at all! She could not even sense how close he got!

On one hand, she had not yet achieved complete harmony with this body; on the other hand, it proved that the martial arts here were many times more advanced than what she had practiced before! Even she, in her previous life, might not have been able to contend with that masked man.

In other words, all her skills were of no advantage here. Even with her past experience of killing, she could probably only deal with someone like Mei Tingyuan at best. And that was not all; what was even more infuriating was that she did not even have her own body!

Thinking about it this way, her current situation was far from optimistic!

The only saving grace was that she possessed a certain foundation and seemed to have a good aptitude for these skills.

After some thought, An Jiu’s gaze towards the basic martial arts manual in her hand changed—she needed to learn. No matter where she was, only with sufficient ability could she have the right to choose her future path.

An Jiu opened the manual and began to seriously practice the human figures depicted. Just as she began her stance, she heard footsteps and immediately stopped.

Mei Tingyuan, being punished, dared not stop to cause trouble. Seeing An Jiu, she snorted coldly and quickly ran away.

An Jiu continued practicing.

Mei Jiu could sense An Jiu’s mindset and did not stop her. She figured she could not expect any results in a short time anyway, and she would not disobey her mother’s instructions. But things took a completely unexpected turn! By evening, An Jiu was already able to smoothly perform the entire set of martial arts techniques from beginning to end.

Mei Jiu did not know how well she was doing, but she could feel the power in her body, so it was clear she was not just going through the motions. Mei Jiu did not know what to say.

That evening.

An Jiu herded the sheep back into the pen and then returned the body to Mei Jiu.

“Fourteenth Young Lady,” Lu Qingming stood outside the sheep pen.

Mei Jiu bowed. “Master.”

“Have you gained any insight?” Lu Qingming asked.

While An Jiu was reading, she had inevitably read along. The movements were simple, and she had a good memory; even now, if asked to imitate them, she could do it perfectly. But she knew in her heart that it was not the same. She had used this body for over ten years, and she had never been able to generate the same power as An Jiu when she practiced martial arts.

“I can imitate a few moves, but I have not gained any insight,” Mei Jiu answered truthfully.

The short timeframe was to be expected, so Lu Qingming nodded. “Alright, then you can spar a bit.” Besides her, only Lu Qingming was present. Mei Jiu gritted her teeth, deciding to go all out.

Lu Qingming was satisfied with Mei Jiu’s attitude. He understood Mei Yanran’s thoughts, knowing that Mei Jiu had been raised as an ordinary young lady. Even if she did not adhere to the strict traditional virtues of obedience and submission like other women, she was at least a refined and elegant lady.

It was quite remarkable that this girl could let go of her deeply ingrained beliefs.

Thinking this, Lu Qingming nodded to her, indicating that they could begin.

Mei Jiu recalled the movements she had seen earlier: a step, a raised hand, a spin, a punch… The setting sun’s rays outlined the girl’s beautiful figure; every movement was like a graceful crane, breathtakingly beautiful.

Lu Qingming stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his old face contorting with increasing ugliness as he looked down.

This was truly an eye-opener! In all his years, he had never seen anyone turn a vigorous martial art into a boneless dance!

It was practically a desecration of the art!

“Stop!” Lu Qingming roared.

Mei Jiu stumbled in fright, quickly stopping her movements and looking at him anxiously.

Seeing her like a frightened rabbit, Lu Qingming became even more displeased. He took several deep breaths to control his emotions and tried to speak calmly. “Good memory, and quite beautiful, but you must understand, martial arts are for beating people! You think tickling someone is too mild?”

“Yes, student understands.” Mei Jiu’s eyes reddened.

Lu Qingming sighed helplessly, “Go back and think carefully about what I said. I will teach you again tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Mei Jiu bowed and took her leave.

Lu Qingming sighed again, watching Mei Jiu’s frail, willow-like gait. She had mastered the entire set of martial arts techniques in less than two hours, demonstrating her excellent memory. However, Lu Qingming would have preferred her punches to be more powerful, even if she could only execute one or two moves.

“Forgive me, forgive me, I’ve broken the precept against anger again today.” Lu Qingming decided to return to copying the scriptures.

Mei Jiu reached the path leading down the mountain, where Mei Ruyan was already waiting.

Mei Jiu noticed a bruise near her eye, and her hands were covered in blood from afar. She quickly walked over. “How did you get like this?”

“Sister,” Mei Ruyan’s voice was weary. She raised her hand, her smile as usual. “I injured myself practicing the zither.”

Mei Ruyan had long, beautiful hands, white as jade, with slender, thin fingers, almost boneless, like the hands of a Buddha holding a flower. Now, her sharp fingertips were covered in blisters, a shocking sight.

These blisters were not from accidental cuts but from overexertion while practicing the zither. Mei Jiu looked at her with heartache. “And what about your face? Master Mo looks like an immortal; would he really hit someone?”

“Him?” Mentioning Master Mo, Mei Ruyan’s expression turned strange. “He would not dare lay a finger with those noble hands! If he wanted to punish me, he could just use his words; why would he need to lay a hand on me?”

“Why do we not just find another teacher? Master Qingming is very good. Perhaps you could tell Headmaster Zhao, and we could keep each other company in the future,” Mei Jiu suggested.

Mei Ruyan was speechless, turning her face away and saying softly, “He’s just arrogant and infuriating, not particularly bad. It’s just that I do not know enough.”