Hidden Shadow – CH 067

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Mei Jiu, I’ve Decided to Leave

Gu Jinghong smiled and remained silent.

He found An Jiu’s behavior strange, but he did not truly suspect she was a traitor.

“Deputy Envoy, who do you think is the mastermind behind this?” Mei Tingzhu asked.

Gu Jinghong remained silent for a long time before saying, “There are too many suspicious people. Even within the Konghe Army, quite a few want to eliminate the Divine Martial Commander.”

“Why?” Mei Tingzhu frowned. “With so many people working together, eliminating the Commander would not be difficult.”

“Do you know how high a position the Divine Martial Commander holds within the Konghe Army?” Gu Jinghong always had a gentle demeanor, even when it came to killing.

The official ranks within the Konghe Army were classified; even the four great families could not know all the positions, but some key officers did. “Is he not the supreme commander of the Divine Martial Army?”

“Yes,” Gu Jinghong replied. “The Divine Martial Army has always been controlled by the Cui family. This new commander comes from the Konghe Academy and has no family background. The two most obvious possibilities are: either the Cui family orchestrated this assassination to eliminate the commander, or the commander is the Emperor’s man, ordered to ‘steal from his post’ and eliminate the various families.”

Mei Tingzhu was stunned for a moment. “I thought you would not be so direct.”

“We are all men whose lives are tied to our belts; what’s there to be shy about?” Gu Jinghong said.

Mei Tingzhu glanced at him. The light illuminated his delicate profile behind the veil. Gu Jinghong’s eyelashes were slightly lowered, his eyes reflecting a serene light. Mei Tingzhu felt a strange unease. Even normally, such a kind and gentle gentleman was rare. At this moment, she could not imagine what he was thinking as he wielded his sword to kill.

“I do not recall ever hearing of a family with the surname ‘Gu’ in the Konghe Army,” Mei Tingzhu said.

Gu Jinghong seemed not to hear.

Before dawn, the world was exceptionally quiet.

Back in the Mei Mansion, the group returned to their respective residences, while Gu Jinghong went to pay his respects to the head of the Mei family.

The morning light gilded the thick, dark clouds with a layer of gold. At Yuwei Residence, red plum blossoms bloomed fiercely in the snow.

“Young lady?” Yao-Ye stood under the eaves, looking at An Jiu with astonishment.

Her cloak was already tattered, revealing her tight-fitting black clothes and the crossbows strapped to her arms and legs; in the morning light, her entire body faintly glowed with a dark red hue.

An Jiu pulled off her mask, her face a patchwork of black and red, looking quite disheveled.

“Young lady!” Yao-Ye rushed down to support her, her eyes red-rimmed. “Please come inside. I will prepare a bath for you.”

“Mm.” An Jiu stepped into the main hall.

Yao-Ye instructed the other maids to boil water, then brought over a basin of clean water to wipe An Jiu’s hands and face.

“I thought it would be another two days before you could return,” Yao-Ye said, remembering that the trials usually took at least two days. “Thank goodness Heaven has eyes; it’s only fair that the young lady returned safely, lest Yan Niangzi’s love for her daughter be in vain.”

An Jiu listened to Yao-Ye’s rambling, watching her remove the protective bandages from her hands, a moment of daze washing over her.

This short experience made her feel as if she had returned to her past life. For a brief moment, she had forgotten Mei Jiu. Forgot the Mei family, forgot everything she had experienced in the plum blossom garden, and rediscovered the loneliness of being all alone in the world…

“Sister, sister!” Urgent footsteps sounded outside.

Yao-Ye stopped. Turning to open the door.

Mei Ruyan rushed in, saw An Jiu covered in blood, and hugged her tightly, choking back tears. “You are finally back!”

Mei Ruyan cried for a while, then, finding An Jiu unresponsive, released her and examined her closely. “Sister, you must be terrified?”

“Since the young lady left, Fifteenth Young Lady has not slept a wink.” Yao-Ye knelt and continued wiping An Jiu’s hands.

An Jiu glanced at Mei Ruyan, noticing the faint dark circles under her eyes. “Go back to sleep.” Her tone was harsh, unlike Mei Jiu’s usual style. Yao-Ye paused, looking up at her.

“Everyone out,” An Jiu said.

Mei Ruyan softly called out, “Sister,” and seeing no sign of changing her mind, said, “Sister, rest well. I will come see you after school.”

Yao-Ye put down the handkerchief, bowed, and left.

An Jiu sat quietly for a while, hastily wiping her cheeks with the handkerchief. Outside, Yao-Ye asked if she wanted to bathe.

An Jiu agreed.

In the steamy bathing room, she removed her sticky black robes and submerged herself in the water, blood spreading in the pool.

Yao-Ye was shocked by the sight. “Madam, are you injured?”

How could she not be injured? However, her injuries were all minor, and most of the blood belonged to others, perhaps even Mei Tingjun’s.

“Minor injuries,” An Jiu said.

“But you cannot be careless. So much blood mixed will soil the wounds…” Yao-Ye said, increasingly sensing something was off about the Fourteenth Young Lady before her. Her aloofness and coldness, emanating from her very bones, did not seem like she was frightened.

“You can leave,” An Jiu said. She was not afraid of being seen, but she was not comfortable with someone beside her while bathing.

Yao-Ye withdrew.

An Jiu leaned back against the pool wall, closed her eyes, and the image of “Jingxian” replayed in her mind again and again, interspersed with Mei Tingyuan’s hysterical weeping and Mei Yanran’s smile.

She woke up with a start, submerging her entire body in the water. The warm water enveloped her, and she curled up, hugging her knees, feeling warm and safe like in the womb.

After bathing, it was already broad daylight outside.

An Jiu was not sleepy at all. Returning to her room, she put on a fur coat and leaned against the window, watching the snow.

Yao-Ye came in several times, each time seeing An Jiu in the same motionless position, so quiet she seemed like a mere decoration. If it were not for the mist from her breath and the occasional blink of her eyes, she would have gone up to check on her.

After almost an hour, Yao-Ye finally could not help but ask, “My Young Lady, shall we have breakfast?”

An Jiu moved her limbs and stood up.

Yao-Ye quickly pulled out a stool from under the table.

An Jiu sat down at the table, picked up her bowl, and ate silently.

The Yuwei Residence, now unusually somber due to Mei Jiu’s absence, had returned to its most “normal” state, mirroring Mei Jiu’s usual atmosphere.

“Do not hide anymore,” An Jiu thought to herself as she ate. “Mei Jiu, I’ve decided to leave.” Sitting by the window just now, An Jiu had thought a lot. Reliving her past life, she suddenly felt incredibly weary.

This emotion arose from nowhere and erupted instantly. Besides, the only thing that could truly move An Jiu in this world was Mei Yanran’s selfless maternal love for her; she did not want to destroy it for the sake of her own meaningless existence.

“Elder Qi means that within the same body, the stronger the spiritual power, the easier it is to destroy.” An Jiu swallowed the last mouthful of porridge, pulled her cloak tighter, and left the bedroom.

“Where is my young lady going?” Yao-Ye asked.

“To find Elder Qi,” An Jiu said.

Having been reborn, she was fortunate enough to experience “Startling the String” and fortunate enough to meet Mei Yanran; that was enough.