Hidden Shadow – CH 033
by MTL TranslationChapter Thirty-Three: An Extremely Fierce Life
“Grandmother!” Mei Yanran pulled Mei Jiu to kneel, urgently saying, “Jiu’er, quickly kowtow to your Great-Grandmother.”
Mei Jiu had never seen her mother so distraught since she could remember—no, she had never seen her mother so terrified. She dared not disobey and hurriedly kowtowed as instructed.
When had An Jiu ever knelt before anyone?! Moreover, the old woman’s omnipresent chilling aura made An Jiu extremely wary.
This was the aura of someone who had killed many.
An Jiu tried to control her body, but a thought flashed through her mind, and she gave up, letting Mei Jiu perform this action that she found utterly humiliating.
The old matriarch ignored Mei Jiu’s actions, only looking at Mei Yanran and saying, “You are naturally intelligent; you should be able to guess my purpose in coming today.”
“Grandmother!” Although Mei Yanran was terrified, her tone was unwavering. “As long as Jiu’er is spared, I am willing to pay any price.”
Mei Jiu suddenly raised her head, calling out uneasily, “Mother.”
The old matriarch’s finger twitched slightly, and after a long silence, she suddenly chuckled twice. “Clearly afraid, yet daring to resist! Yanran, you always seem timid, but in reality, no one in the entire Mei family is bolder than you!”
“Grandmother, Jiu’er does not know martial arts,” Mei Yanran pleaded weakly. “I only beg Grandmother to spare her.”
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“Silly child,” the old matriarch’s voice suddenly softened. Like an ordinary old woman, her presence in this scene seemed utterly bizarre. “You’ve been intent on making her weak. In this world, the weak are like drifting duckweed. Without you, her future will not be any better than it was with me.”
“With blood on my hands, my heart will never be at peace.” Mei Yanran had killed people, and more than one or two. “I never dare show my true face in public. I always sleep with one eye open. I do not want Jiu’er to live that kind of life.”
“Hahaha!” The Grand Madam laughed as if she’d heard the funniest joke, her voice growing even hoarser. “You are very clever, but your memory is poor! Or… you simply do not understand your own daughter?”
She was referring to Mei Jiu’s killing of the martial arts master; Mei Jiu’s hands were already stained with blood.
“It’s different!” Mei Yanran retorted. “Killing to survive and killing for a living are completely different!”
“We all kill to survive!” The Grand Madam’s aura suddenly hardened. “If the heart is unbreakable, one can find peace even under the sword; if the heart is lost and adrift, even the calmest place can breed fear. I am speaking out today out of respect for our relationship as grandmother and granddaughter. Since you, her mother, cannot teach her to be fearless, from tomorrow onwards, this old woman will teach her!”
Since the Grand Madam had come in person, there was no turning back. The situation had suddenly escalated beyond Mei Yanran’s expectations. She had given up struggling and only wanted to understand the reason. “Why did the clan suddenly make this decision?”
“The situation in the court is unfavorable. The clan has decided to send another batch of people to the Konghe Academy in two years,” the Grand Madam said without concealment. She slightly turned her head, seemingly focusing her gaze on Mei Jiu. “An ignorant child entering that place is destined for death. Elder Zhi sent me here out of deep hope. I will not force you; it’s up to you.”
Elder Zhi had dedicated his life to pursuing the pinnacle of archery. If he had held onto hope for Mei Jiu, he would not have allowed her to be sent to the Konghe Academy halfway through her training. Even a few more years would have been better than sending her to her death in two years.
The Grand Madam’s meaning was clear: Elder Zhi valued Mei Jiu’s talent in archery but also felt she was inherently too weak. That was why he asked the Grand Madam to help teach Mei Jiu and strengthen her mind.
“I understand,” Mei Yanran quickly calmed down and said earnestly. “Please grant me a few more days, Grandmother, so I can prepare.”
“Such a spoiled brat!” the Grand Madam scolded, already leaping onto the roof beam like a ghost.
Mei Yanran felt as if all her strength had been drained, collapsing to the ground.
Mei Jiu reached out to support her, anxious and worried. “Mother, what’s wrong?” Ignorance bred fearlessness. Mei Jiu only saw the old matriarch’s strange attire, not her cruelty, so she was only intimidated by the invisible aura, her fear far less than Mei Yanran’s.
After a long pause, Mei Yanran said hoarsely, “It’s nothing.”
However, as she spoke, her eyes instantly welled up with tears, which fell without warning. She covered her face, fiercely wiping away the tears, and slowly exhaled.
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“Mother,” Mei Jiu helped her to her feet.
“Jiu’er, I am useless,” Mei Yanran murmured.
When she escaped from Mei Mansion with Mei Jiu, they were pursued relentlessly. She hid in the deep mountains and forests for a year, enduring hardship and displacement, before finally settling in Yangzhou, not far from Bianjing. Due to the pursuit, she was forced to live a secluded life, with very few opportunities for a livelihood. Yet, she relied on her intelligence and hard work to carve out a living for Mei Jiu. Although life was incredibly difficult then, she felt full of energy. Now, however, she truly felt despair.
Mei Jiu poured her a glass of water and handed it to her. “Mother, do not say such things. I know how hard it was for you to raise me all by yourself.”
Mei Yanran took the tea and sipped it, feeling some relief in her dry throat. “The Grand Madam was my grandmother, and she also taught me.”
“Then…” Mei Jiu hesitated, unsure whether to ask.
“You want to ask why I am so afraid of her?” Mei Yanran put down her cup and smoothed her hair. “She’s the daughter of the Lou family. She married your great-grandfather at fourteen and bore him three sons. Just three months after the birth of her third child, your great-grandfather joined the Konghe Army. At that time, Emperor Taizong was plotting to usurp the throne. He ascended the throne, but your great-grandfather disappeared, plunging the entire Mei family into dire straits.”
Only Mei Zhongyuan held a high-ranking position in the Konghe Army at that time. With his death, the number of deaths among the lower-ranking members of the Mei family inexplicably surged. Lady Lou abandoned their infant son, who was still crying for food, and joined the Konghe Army alone, single-handedly turning the tide and saving the crumbling empire.
“It took Lady Lou seven years to rise to the position of ‘Deputy Commander of the Dark Army,'” Mei Yanran said softly, careful not to frighten Mei Jiu. “Only the Emperor and the ‘Dark Commander’ hold this position. Promotion in the Konghe Army is based on the number of missions completed and the number of people killed. Just imagine how many people she had to kill in seven years to become the commander of the Konghe Army.”
Promotion was never easy, no matter where you were. How many people did Lady Lou have to kill in those seven years, and how many missions did she have to complete flawlessly to stand out among so many cold-blooded assassins?
“With her in power in the Konghe Army, the Mei family has not perished,” Mei Yanran said.
Lady Lou commanded the Konghe Army for twelve years, promoting many members of the Mei and Lou families.
Normally, someone who reached that level in the Konghe Army, knowing many secrets that could not be revealed to outsiders, should never leave the Konghe Army unless they were reduced to ashes. Yet Lady Lou could. She devised a plan: setting fire to the Loyalty Tower, trapping herself in the flames, and creating the illusion that she had burned to death.
“She was ruthless to others, and she was ruthless to herself. That fire burned half her skin, yet she still returned alive to Mei Mansion.”
This was an extremely fierce old matriarch.
Mei Yanran’s words ignited An Jiu’s violent side. Her blood boiled; she was excited, eager to test the limits of her killing!
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