Hidden Shadow – CH 073

Chapter Seventy-Three: Many Doubts

“There are quite a few, but those above the Transcendent Realm are extremely rare. In the entire world, only three can be named.” Mo Sigui then asked in confusion, “Why are you asking this?”

An Jiu still did not answer, “Which three people?”

Mo Sigui said, “Besides Elder Zhi, there’s Wei Yunshan, the former master of Piaomiao Mountain Mansion, and Cui Huling of the Cui Clan, but Cui Huling passed away three years ago.”

“What kind of place is Piaomiao Mountain Mansion?” An Jiu asked.

“Master Wei is a man of the martial world, seventy years old this year, a reclusive sage. He never married and had no children, but adopted two sons thirty years ago: Wei Chuzhi and Wei Yuzhi. Piaomiao Mansion was founded by the eldest son, who honors Wei Yunshan as its patriarch. This Piaomiao Mansion is a place that raises assassins; people pay them to do things,” Mo Sigui finished speaking, then said with dissatisfaction, “That’s not fair! I’ve said so much, but you have not revealed anything! It is not fair!”

“Wait a minute,” An Jiu continued. “Was Master Wei as obsessed with archery as Elder Zhi?”

Mo Sigui shook his head. “No, Master Wei’s weapon is an ancient zither.”

He leaned back against the carriage wall, smiling. “It’s said that the zither was a keepsake from his fiancée, and he’s never parted with it for decades.”

Cui Huling was dead, so that did not count. Then, could Wei Yunshan be that archery master? An Jiu did not know how the guqin was used as a weapon, but since it was made of strings like a bow, it was somewhat suspicious.

“Could there be a hidden master of the Transcendent Realm?” An Jiu asked.

Mo Sigui lowered his gaze, playing with the two round jade seeds, each the size of a quail egg, beneath the jade pendant. Hearing her question, he looked up and said, “Do you know why martial arts ranks are divided into two levels? Because after reaching the ninth level, you encounter a barrier. This is where your mental strength is most tested; if your mental state is not high enough, you cannot break through. The world is full of things that can influence and tempt people, and very few can comprehend them. Therefore, there are many ninth-level martial artists in this world, but few at the Transcendent Realm. The gap between the two is vast, and if even one appears, it is impossible to hide it.”

He moved closer to An Jiu. “Are you done asking? Hurry up and tell me what happened; I am really suffocating!”

An Jiu did not hesitate and simply explained the reason: “During the trial, I was ambushed by a group of mysterious people. I encountered a Transcendent Realm archery master. His internal energy, once solidified, was exactly the same as Elder Zhi’s.”

Mo Sigui sat up straight. “That’s strange!”

An Jiu would not joke about something like this. Mo Sigui had a bad feeling, as if he remembered something but could not quite grasp the key point.

“This is not something I can interfere with,” Mo Sigui said, stopping himself from thinking about it. “After the Lantern Festival, Elder Qi and I will travel far and wide to find a highly skilled master to separate your soul. Elder Qi will take you with him then.”

This was also one of the key reasons why Elder Qi agreed to help conceal An Jiu’s destroyed meridians.

Mo Sigui blinked, her expression sly. “Since Elder Qi has already helped conceal it, he’s very likely to agree to take you with him. After all, if he leaves you in the Mei family, he might be exposed in a few days. How will he face Elder Zhi then? How will he face the family?”

Elder Qi was determined to take this opportunity to take Mo Sigui away and pass on all his skills to him. If the family knew that An Jiu’s meridians were destroyed, they would never allow Elder Qi to go through the trouble of finding someone to help her separate her two souls. Elder Qi’s plan would then fall through.

An Jiu stared at Mo Sigui, remaining silent. She was surprisingly unaccustomed to someone being so kind to her.

Mo Sigui kicked her a few times. “Hey, hey, you cannot even say thank you. Why are you looking at me like that?”

An Jiu said sternly, “Because I hate you.”

“Why?” Mo Sigui knew An Jiu had always disliked him, but had they not gotten along well these past few days?

“Do you not look in the mirror?” An Jiu closed her eyes.

Mo Sigui paused, then said, crossing his legs, “Yes, I do. My handsome appearance would eclipse the heavens and earth, and my aura and charm would be awe-inspiring, making it impossible to look directly at me.”

“Hmm,” An Jiu mumbled. “Beauty and intelligence—it is true that you cannot have your cake and eat it too.”

Was this a roundabout way of saying he was stupid?

“I am telling you…” Mo Sigui gritted his teeth and glared at her, “Do you dare say something nice?!”

An Jiu’s breathing was even, as if she had fallen asleep!

An Jiu’s meridians had gradually recovered, but she was still taking medication. Because Mei Jiu would cry incessantly from the pain after she fell asleep, preventing her body from resting and aiding in her recovery, Mo Sigui added a strong sedative to her medicine.

However, despite his anger, Mo Sigui had not expected An Jiu to maintain such a sharp and alert mind just before falling into unconsciousness. Her quick reflexes were something most people could not keep up with, even when fully awake.

Her earlier comment, “Do you not look in the mirror?” was clearly meant to imply that he was ugly and repulsive, which was why he had deliberately replied with such a long string of words to shut her up, but he still ended up being mocked.

“Fine, that’s all the fun you have. I will let you off this time,” Mo Sigui muttered.

He flicked open his folding fan, looking at the delicate, red apricot blossoms peeking out from behind the wall in the light. A faint smile slowly spread across his lips, and a rare tenderness appeared in his eyes.

“Ningyu, I am here.” Mo Sigui’s fingers lightly traced the surface of the fan.

“Who is Ningyu?” An Jiu suddenly asked. Mo Sigui was startled. “You were not asleep!”

“Ningyu is your sweetheart?” An Jiu asked.

“Looks like I will have to increase the dosage of the calming medicine next time,” Mo Sigui muttered, then continued, “Her name is Qiu Ningyu, and we were betrothed since childhood. Hey? I will not scold you for being such a nosy person!”

An Jiu was not interested in other people’s private affairs; she was just curious what kind of person could make such a carefree guy so affectionate.

This was not exactly a secret for Mo Sigui, and he wanted to confide in someone. “Ningyu’s father and my father were close friends and served in the same court…”

Mo Sigui’s father, whose given name was Qing and courtesy name was Dengxian, had served as a supervisor in the Imperial Medical Bureau. Qiu Ningyu’s father, Qiu Jian, worked in the Imperial Guard; although his rank was not high, he had frequent access to the Emperor, making it a very desirable position.

After three years of marriage without children, the Qiu couple asked Mo Sigui’s father to treat them. Six months later, Madam Qiu became pregnant, just as Madam Mo had given birth to a son.

When the two ladies were eight months pregnant, Mo Dengxian determined the sex of the unborn child, and the Qiu couple decided to arrange a marriage.

Qiu Jian was handsome and dashing, and Madam Qiu was one of the most beautiful women in Bianjing in her youth. Even if their daughter inherited all their flaws, she would not be too bad-looking. Furthermore, the two families had known each other for many years and were very familiar with each other. Mo Dengxian happily arranged the marriage.

Mo Sigui said, “Ningyu is different from ordinary young ladies from wealthy families. She has a cheerful personality and has dressed as a boy to play with me since she was little.” Qiu Jian had finally gotten a daughter and doted on her, never scolding or disciplining her. He let the two children play together freely until Qiu Ningyu was thirteen years old before Madam Qiu confined her at home to learn needlework.

“She’s a year younger than you; that’s not young,” An Jiu interjected after a while. She knew to some extent that women here married young, some even as young as eleven or twelve.

Mo Sigui was almost twenty. Could that girl really wait this long?

“Uncle Qiu passed away when Ningyu was fifteen, and she drowned three months later.” Mo Sigui’s eyes reddened. “But we searched everywhere and could not find her body. I just cannot believe she’s dead.” An Jiu turned her head to look at Mo Sigui. He tilted his head back for a moment, forcing back his tears, and smiled, saying, “I really wanted to propose as promised, but my entire family was wiped out; the ancestral hall was destroyed. If I married her, it would only make her a rootless, lonely soul. It is better to leave it as it is.”

“I feel like I’ve been reborn. The world is no longer the same,” An Jiu said absentmindedly.

“What do you mean?” Mo Sigui asked.

An Jiu said, “When I came back from the trial, everything had changed. Even the rogue had become a devoted lover.” The kind and caring Elder Zhi had suddenly become cold and ruthless. Mei Jiu had disappeared, as if she had never existed. And the always carefree Mo Sigui…

She roughly understood the changes in human relationships, but found them difficult to comprehend.

Mo Sigui was immersed in the sadness of his memories when he heard An Jiu say this, and she could not help but feel a little angry. “I knew you could not expect anything good to come out of a dog’s mouth!”