Hidden Shadow – CH 083

Chapter Eighty-Three: Who is She?

He should not have had any hope for Fourteenth Young Lady; what good could she possibly say?

“Brother Mo is not annoying!” Lou Xiaowu muttered discontentedly. “I am not annoying either.”

These words struck a chord with Mo Sigui. With the Fourteenth Young Lady’s character, who would she not find annoying?

Mo Sigui said he liked his gentle and delicate cousin Mei Jiu, but in reality, the people he truly wanted to befriend were the complete opposite.

Qiu Ningyu was a ray of sunshine in his gloomy childhood, so bright that no amount of beautiful women could compare. Therefore, he felt from the bottom of his heart that women should be as straightforward as Qiu Ningyu.

The mountain wind, carrying heavy snow, lashed against them. Even through their thick clothing, they could feel its force. Their faces were already numb with cold, and neither of them spoke again.

Lou Xiaowu led Mo Sigui into the mansion. After sending Nanny Ling back to her room to rest, she went to the council hall to find the survivors.

The mansion was shrouded in the pitch-black snowy night. Apart from the howling wind, there was no other sound. Lou Xiaowu’s lantern swayed precariously in the wind, almost going out.

The council hall was built almost atop the mountain, towering over the entire mansion. Although the mountain appeared steep, it was not very high; focusing her inner strength, she quickly reached the entrance.

The six wooden doors were undecorated, with a plaque above them bearing the powerful characters “Loyalty and Righteousness.”

The two reached the corridor. Lou Xiaowu, brushing snow off her cloak, said, “The clan leader said before that those with mild illnesses should gather in the council hall because there’s a large ice cellar beneath it. Anyone whose condition becomes uncontrollable should enter the ice cellar.”

Mo Sigui asked curiously, “Why is the ice cellar built beneath the council hall?”

Lou Xiaowu pushed hard against the heavy wooden door, the hinges creaking and scraping. “Rocky mountains are hot in summer and cold in winter, unsuitable for habitation, but this mountain is different. I heard that our Lou clan chose this location because our great-grandfather discovered that the rocks contained Mystic Ice. Mystic Ice is a treasure of our Lou clan, with calming and intellect-nourishing effects. The reason our great-grandfather built the council hall here is self-evident.”

In medicine, there was a concept of “stone medicine,” referring to mineral-based drugs with potent effects. Mystic Ice, also known as “ice soul” in medicine, was yin in nature and often beneficial to women. Martial artists used it to temper their internal energy.

Mystic Ice would take at least a thousand years to form and was broadly divided into two types: Ancient Mystic Ice, perhaps because it was easier to form in ancient times. However, due to its domineering nature, it was difficult for ordinary people to withstand, so it must be used with extreme caution, whether for martial arts or medicinal purposes; the other type was Thousand-Year Mystic Ice, whose medicinal properties were relatively easier to control, making it more sought after.

The hall door opened, and Mo Sigui followed inside. The moment he stepped in, he felt a razor-sharp chill assail him, and despite his internal energy protecting him, he could not help but shiver. “Are there naturally formed ice caves in the mountains?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never been inside.” Lou Xiaowu removed the lampshade and lit the lamps in the palace one by one.

The orange light made the room feel slightly warmer. It also illuminated the worry in Lou Xiaowu’s almond-shaped eyes: “There’s no one here. Could it be that everyone except Nanny Ling is terminally ill and has entered the ice cave?”

Mo Sigui sighed softly. “The Lou family has been in this business for years; how come they have no precautions against poison?”

Lou Xiaowu pouted, her face full of displeasure. “Our family has never had a physician, and this poison disappeared more than ten years ago. We did not expect it to suddenly reappear.”

Mo Sigui frowned, looking at her chubby cheeks, faintly visible beneath her veil. He suddenly felt that saving the Lou family with a child was truly difficult, and thinking about the marriage issue they had just discussed, he suddenly felt incredibly pathetic.

Mo Sigui took out a folding fan and lightly tapped his thigh, casting aside his random thoughts, and got down to business. “The Mystic Ice in Xiaoyan Mountain not only does not melt, but it also forms ice caves, which means it is Ancient Mystic Ice. Going inside will quickly freeze you into an ice statue.”

“Do not worry.” Lou Xiaowu held up a lamp, opened a hidden compartment behind the wall, and took out two long sable cloaks.

Mo Sigui’s eyes lit up, and he tucked the folding fan into his sleeve. “This is a good thing!”

A coat made of sable fur would make one sweat even in winter after just a short while. Lou Xiaowu then retrieved hand guards, a face mask, and other warm clothing from a hidden compartment. The two of them, bundled up tightly, made their way to the back hall.

Lou Xiaowu moved the stone slab under the table. Despite the harsh winter outside, a wisp of cold air could be seen escaping from the entrance.

The Lou family had no adult men; all the cloaks were women’s, but fortunately, they were quite large, and Mo Sigui did not find them too small. He had just been inwardly disgusted by these women’s garments, but now, seeing this, he wished the fur were his own.

“Let’s go,” Lou Xiaowu said, her ignorance gone, and went down first.

Mo Sigui felt he could not let a young girl venture out alone and did not hesitate.

The steps were initially very steep, but after about thirty steps, they gradually became much gentler. The two women, wrapped in thick mink coats, were slightly sweaty after walking for a while.

The narrow passageway seemed endlessly dark; even breathing felt like a knife cutting through their noses and throats. Mo Sigui suddenly felt a deep admiration for the women of the Lou family; they dared to enter such a place in ordinary clothes. The character of the Lou family’s daughters was evident.

After walking for an unknown distance, the lantern’s light suddenly found a faint blue glow in the distance.

Lou Xiaowu hurriedly grabbed the lantern and rushed towards it. Mo Sigui sighed inwardly, wondering if this was foolishness or bravery.

Mo Sigui subtly moved his arm, gripped his folding fan, and hurried over.

Lou Xiaowu, lantern in hand, peered at the faint light for a long time, then suddenly cried out, “Second Sister!”

Mo Sigui arrived and saw a woman standing with her hand on a sword, a fluorescent stone hanging from the tassel of her sword. Her eyes were closed, her lips tightly pressed together, a layer of frost covering her beautiful face, yet a hint of heroic spirit still shone through her brows.

“Second Sister!” Lou Xiaowu anxiously circled the ice statue. “Brother Mo, you must think of something…”

She looked up and saw Mo Sigui staring blankly at Lou Mingyue’s face, her anxiety growing. “Is she beyond saving?”

“No.” Mo Sigui snapped out of his daze and pressed, “She’s your second sister? She grew up in the Lou family? What’s her name?”

Lou Xiaowu looked at Mo Sigui with tear-filled eyes. “My second sister’s name is Lou Mingyue. If you want to marry her, you have to save her first!”

She remembered the promise she had made earlier.

“Lou Mingyue,” Mo Sigui murmured, crouching down and opening his fur coat to cover Lou Mingyue’s feet, pulling off his gloves to warm them.

Lou Xiaowu stared blankly at him, lantern in hand. After a long pause, she muttered to herself, “He’s so good to Second Sister even before they are married; he must really like her.”

“Bring the lantern closer,” Mo Sigui said, looking up.

Lou Xiaowu then realized that her Second Sister was frozen to the ground. To rescue her, they first needed to separate her from the ground.

Lou Xiaowu squatted down and brought the lantern closer. “Should I go upstairs and get a torch now?”

“No,” Mo Sigui said in a low voice. “If we use a quick flame to thaw her legs, they will probably be ruined.” The two of them squatted around her legs, and the process of thawing them with just their hands was extremely long. Lou Xiaowu, impatient with the silence, spoke up, “Brother Mo, the way you look at my second sister is quite different. Could it be that you know her from before?”

“Her features resemble an old friend,” Mo Sigui said again. “Did she really grow up in the Lou mansion all this time?”

“Well… I cannot say for sure,” Lou Xiaowu said, holding her lantern, her eyes glowing with warmth. “My mother had an accident while pregnant with me, and I was born prematurely, congenitally weak. Lou Mansion was too cold, and the elders, fearing I would not survive, sent me away. I returned to the mansion after five years when I was eight. My second sister has always been here.”

Mo Sigui’s heart pounded. “How old is your sister?”

A woman’s birthdate should not be revealed, but Lou Xiaowu felt that Mo Sigui was a great benefactor, so knowing would not hurt. “Eighteen.”

“If Ningyu were alive, she would be about this age,” Mo Sigui said softly.

Lou Xiaowu asked curiously, “Who is Ningyu? Is she related to my second sister?”

She did not receive a definite answer. Mo Sigui was not certain either, but if what Lou Xiaowu said was true, Lou Mingyue could indeed be Qiu Ningyu.

Mo Sigui’s desire to save her grew even stronger; he’d get the answer when she woke up!

“Brother Mo values ​​Ningyu highly,” Lou Xiaowu concluded, then gave him a reproachful look. “It’s understandable that he wants us to marry my second sister to you to repay your life-saving grace, but it hurts me to make my sister a substitute for someone else.”

Lou Mingyue was so proud.

“What nonsense are you thinking!” Mo Sigui could not help but slap her head, then put his hand to his mouth and breathed hard through his mask for a while.

Lou Xiaowu could not see his expression at that moment, but she could see the determination and focus in his eyes.

On the other side of the night.

Mei Jiu was already asleep, but An Jiu was not sleepy. She lay stiffly on the bed, gripping a dagger, memories flashing through her mind like a revolving lantern, making her dizzy.

As dawn broke, she closed her eyes and rested for a while.

There was a slight noise in the corridor. An Jiu suddenly opened her eyes and gripped her dagger tightly.

A faint shadow flashed before her eyes. An Jiu abruptly rolled out of bed and swung the dagger.

Chu Dingjiang blocked it with his bare hands. The dagger sliced ​​through his protective aura, leaving a shallow cut on his palm. He pulled a black cloth from his pocket and wrapped it around the wound. “Your reaction is still good, but the force is much weaker than last time.”

It was not hard to tell from his tone that he was pleased.

An Jiu could not understand what was so good about his current situation.

“Your internal energy is insufficient, but this dagger can sever true qi. If you use it skillfully, even a fifth-level martial artist might not survive you.” Chu Dingjiang was satisfied with An Jiu and did not want her to take any risks.

“Elder Zhi of the Mei Clan is imprisoned, and the Mei Clan head is not decisive enough. If the Mei Clan suffers misfortune, the outcome might be like the Lou Clan. You can choose to return to the Mei Clan now or join the Konghe Army directly.”

As the highest-ranking officer of the Divine Martial Army, he had the exceptional authority to recruit talent.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture upright, a full one-and-a-half heads taller than An Jiu. An Jiu could only look up, and she was somewhat dissatisfied with this upward gaze.

“I will return to Mei Mansion.” An Jiu actually thought that joining the Konghe Army would be safer now, but after discussing it briefly with Mei Jiu, she followed her opinion; after all, it was Mei Jiu’s path to walk.

“Good,” Chu Dingjiang did not say much, directly saying, “Someone.”

A shadow guard entered, standing in the outer room and bowing, saying, “Commander.”

“Send her back to the Mei Clan,” Chu Dingjiang said.