Hidden Shadow – CH 036

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Art of Concealment

Mei Jiu mumbled, “Mei Jiu.”

Mo Sigui continued, “Have you been in a bad mood lately? Have you encountered anything that frightens you?”

Mei Jiu’s mind began to replay the scene of being chased, and the three saw fear on her face.

Mo Sigui was secretly delighted; the Dream Locking Technique was starting to work!

An Jiu was not hypnotized, but Mei Jiu was already deeply hypnotized. At this rate, she would most likely be exposed.

The Dream Locking Technique was actually a form of hypnosis, requiring someone to guide the subject’s imagination with words.

An Jiu spoke slowly, “Do not run, do not be afraid; this is Mei Mansion. You are safe, and Mother is here too.” An Jiu’s voice came from Mei Jiu’s heart, reaching her soul, far surpassing Mo Sigui’s whispered seduction.

Mei Jiu suddenly lost track of Mo Sigui’s voice. Her memory, following An Jiu’s words, returned to the Mei Clan Ancestral Hall: “When you came out of the ancestral hall and opened your eyes, you saw Mo Sigui with a ferocious expression, about to assault you!”

Seeing Mei Jiu’s rapid breathing and increasingly frightened expression, Mo Sigui felt confident he could succeed and guided her even more vigorously.

“You scoundrel!” Mei Jiu screamed, abruptly opening her eyes to find herself facing Mo Sigui. Terrified, she screamed repeatedly and staggered away.

Mei Ruyan quickly got up to support her, not daring to make a sound, and called out in a low voice, “Sister!”

Unexpectedly, Mei Jiu struggled violently. “Let me go! Let me go!”

“Mother is here.” Mei Yanran stepped forward and gently patted her back, speaking softly, “Mother is here.”

Mei Jiu calmed down, turned around, and indeed saw Mei Yanran. She immediately threw herself into her arms, crying, “Mother, my cousin tried to assault me!”

Mei Yanran gently comforted Mei Jiu, but her eyes darkened.

He had really shot himself in the foot!

Mo Sigui’s mouth gaped open. He was utterly speechless. He’d guessed Mei Jiu had suffered from madness before coming to Mei Mansion, so her most terrifying memory should have been the cause of her illness. How could this be? Where had things gone wrong?

“Jiu’er has been frightened. You should go back now,” Mei Yanran said, glancing at Mo Sigui indifferently.

At this point, even with his thick skin, he dared not stay. “I will come back another day to apologize to my cousin.” He ran off without a moment’s delay.

An Jiu was somewhat disappointed.

She had not understood the “Dream Locking Technique” at first, but it sounded quite sophisticated. Anyway, the situation was already terrible; what could have gotten any worse? It would just mean her soul dissipated! She wanted to change the situation of sharing a body with Mei Jiu as soon as possible, which was why she had Mei Jiu accept the Dream Locking Technique. Who knew it would be so unreliable?

An Jiu was extremely unhappy, completely forgetting who had disrupted the “Dream Locking Technique.”

After this commotion, Mei Yanran and Mei Ruyan became even more convinced that Mei Jiu had suffered too much trauma recently.

Mei Yanran had no choice but to ask for leave from the clan school on Mei Jiu’s behalf again. Mei Ruyan rested for two days before returning to school.

In just two days, white hairs appeared at Mei Yanran’s temples.

She racked her brains but could not think of a good way to help Mei Jiu avoid learning martial arts from the Grand Madam. Escape was impossible; ten years ago, she had secretly prepared for two years before barely managing to escape. Now, she herself was under partial confinement and could not even leave, so how could she take Mei Jiu away? Feigning madness was even more impossible; the mansion had the legendary physician Elder Qi, who could bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded—how could she deceive him…?

On the third day, Mei Jiu returned to the clan school.

That morning, Headmaster Zhao was giving a lecture. Mei Jiu enjoyed listening; he made even the dry classics interesting and engaging.

Throughout the entire classroom, only Mei Jiu and Mei Ruyan were listening. Unfortunately, Headmaster Zhao’s field of vision was less than three feet, so he could not see who was daydreaming or paying attention; he himself sat there, engrossed in his lecture.

Half an hour later, during a short break, Mei Ruyan came to Mei Jiu with her book, seeking clarification.

“Did Master Mo give you any trouble yesterday?” Mei Jiu asked.

Mei Ruyan, initially resentful, had come to understand. “What trouble? He was just urging me to learn my skills properly.” It was a thousand times better than being a kitchen maid in a brothel. Back then, others beat her with sticks to force her to work day and night; Master Mo was pushing her to hone her skills.

Mei Ruyan not only did not complain, but she worked even harder.

Mei Jiu stopped asking questions, took the book, and asked her what she did not understand.

“No matter how much you study, you are still useless!” Mei Tingyuan scoffed. “There are only four days left until the end of the month. You should be thinking about how to avoid getting beaten up!”

Mei Jiu did not want to cause trouble, and Mei Ruyan did not want to waste time arguing either.

Many people were watching the spectacle. Seeing that neither of them paid any attention, Mei Tingyuan felt humiliated and angrily grabbed a book and threw it.

Mei Ruyan raised her hand, caught the book steadily, and said with a smile, “Thank you for the book, Seventh Sister.”

Mei Tingyuan was astonished. She had poured fifty percent of her inner strength into that throw, yet someone had caught it steadily!

“Silence.” Headmaster Zhao groped his way in from the doorway, his lifeless eyes giving a perfunctory look around.

It was not time for the next class yet, right? Although everyone was puzzled, they all returned to their seats and quieted down. Mei Tingyuan glared at Mei Ruyan, then turned and went back to her seat.

Headmaster Zhao did not sit down. “Today, the Dark School is here to select people.”

The expressions on everyone’s faces varied; some were excited, some frowned, some were worried…

Headmaster Zhao did not say much, simply stating, “Everyone, assemble in the courtyard.”

“So soon.” Mei Ruyan could not help but feel nervous. She had just caught the book Mei Tingyuan threw at her, and only then did she realize the vast difference in skill. Although she had managed to catch it, her entire arm was numb at the time, and only now was her palm starting to ache, as if her bones were about to crack.

Mei Yanran had told them about the Dark School.

The clan school taught academic subjects and martial arts, a wide variety of subjects, but the Dark School only taught one thing: killing.

“Even with just a few days of hard work, you cannot catch up to someone who has practiced martial arts since childhood,” Mei Ruyan sighed almost inaudibly.

Mei Jiu was bewildered. She was even worse than Mei Ruyan; she could only perform a set of fist techniques like dancing, let alone kill. Fortunately, there was still An Jiu…

Thinking this, Mei Jiu felt a surge of shame. Just a few days ago, she had entertained the thought of eliminating An Jiu, and now she actually had the nerve to rely on her protection? When had she become so despicable?

The group stood in the courtyard, their feelings varying.

Headmaster Zhao finally emerged from the house, squinting for a while to make sure everyone was ready. Then, he pulled a piece of silk from his sleeve and buried his face in it, studying it for a long time.

“A few of you are here because you specifically requested to join the Dark School. After I finish reading your names, the rest of you can choose whether to stay or leave. Those who want to join the Dark School can stay in the courtyard; the rest of you should return to your dormitories.” Headmaster Zhao coughed lightly, handing the silk to his disciple, and whispered, “The writing is too small.”

The disciple took the silk, silently rolling his eyes. He could not see it, yet he looked at it for so long!

The disciple read it once and then recited aloud, “Mei Tingjun, Mei Tingzhu, Mei Tingchun, Mei Ruxue, Mei Rujian.” Everyone thought for a moment before realizing that Mei Ruxue was the newcomer—the timid and weak Fourteenth Young Lady.