Hidden Shadow – CH 101

Chapter One-Hundred-One: Farewell

An Jiu did indeed shut up, but her cold laugh drove the madman madder than any vicious word.

The madman, enraged, loosened his bowstring, unleashing a torrent of internal energy. Having witnessed Elder Zhi’s unfocused, explosive bowstrings, An Jiu did not hesitate for a moment, leaping through the window into the house.

Boom!

The roof tiles were violently torn off, shattering into tiny fragments that rained down.

Mo Sigui, standing below, was caught off guard and struck, his face covered in dust.

Perhaps because the madman had been constantly firing arrows, his internal energy was somewhat depleted; this attack was weaker than An Jiu had anticipated.

A dark figure landed beside the madman, pointing at Mo Sigui and shouting, “Shoot him!”

The madman was used to acting without thinking, but he was not stupid. He noticed An Jiu cared about the boy, and upon hearing Cui Yichen’s words, he immediately realized their validity. He drew his bow empty-handed and aimed at Mo Sigui. An Jiu, peering through the broken window, saw the madman’s actions and her heart skipped a beat.

“An Jiu, save my cousin!” In Mei Jiu’s heart, An Jiu was a ghost, and ghosts were more powerful than humans.

An Jiu seemed not to hear her words, her mind still racing, yet she had already rushed out.

Out of the corner of her eye, An Jiu saw the madman’s bow fully drawn, sensing he was about to release an arrow, and without a second thought, she leaped forward!

The madman, still hoping to test his martial arts skills against An Jiu, did not intend to kill her yet. Seeing An Jiu’s movement, he shifted his position slightly.

His finger loosened.

A clear crane’s cry rang out, a burst of blue light erupted, and a powerful gust of wind cleaved through the flames, seemingly carrying a world-destroying force as it hurtled towards Mo Sigui.

An Jiu lunged at Mo Sigui, the arrow grazing her back. She felt a sharp pain, her chest churning, and a metallic, sweet liquid gushing from her throat.

The Madman’s arrow, not yet fully focused or practiced, carried immense force, even causing Mo Sigui to cough up blood.

The arrow pierced through two black-clad men, disappearing into the banquet hall behind them. A moment of silence followed, then a deafening roar as the entire grand hall collapsed, the ground trembling as if an earthquake had struck.

Everyone was stunned by this sight, almost forgetting the battle.

The Madman, feeling incredibly powerful, was overjoyed. “Ha! Hahaha!”

Cui Yichen had planned this all along, and having suffered a great loss at Chu Dingjiang’s hands because of An Jiu, he would not let this golden opportunity slip by! Taking advantage of the Madman’s elation, he flicked his wrist and launched a poisoned hidden weapon.

An Jiu, severely shaken, struggled to concentrate, only sensing the approaching weapon but unable to move.

Mei Jiu, hiding behind An Jiu’s mental energy, was also affected, but her situation was relatively better. Through An Jiu’s spiritual power, she truly sensed the approaching danger, but An Jiu was unconscious.

She steeled her resolve and took control of her body.

Just like in the past decade or so, so naturally, her sudden burst of spiritual power was more than ten times stronger than usual, but unfortunately, her severely injured body could not move freely.

Mei Jiu gritted her teeth and crawled forward a few inches. Suddenly, she felt a chill on her back; something had pierced her.

An Jiu had taken the brunt of the excruciating pain, leaving only numbness; Mei Jiu did not even feel the pain. Only her consciousness was slowly fading.

Mei Jiu had a clear feeling that she was going to die.

On the rooftop, the madman noticed Cui Yichen’s subtle movements, his initial elation turning to rage. He grabbed Cui Yichen by the collar. “How could you kill her?!”

“She’s not dead!” Cui Yichen lied. “I was afraid she’d run away again, so I knocked her unconscious first!”

“Is that so?” The madman released his grip, half-believing.

…Mei Jiu collapsed onto the snow, her cheek pressed against the cold ground, fear gripping her heart. “An Jiu, An Jiu… I… I do not want to die…”

Even in the perilous Mei family, even knowing she could not adapt to this life of slaughter, even in her cowardice, she had never considered giving up her life so easily.

An Jiu’s spiritual power slowly gathered. “Idiot! Who told you to be such a hero! Do you not know that whoever controls the body will be injured!”

Mei Jiu knew, but at the time, she did not know what she was thinking; she just did it.

She felt An Jiu about to take over her body and quickly said, “No! We will both die… I beg you to do one thing for me; you cannot die.”

“Speak.” An Jiu had witnessed countless deaths; she thought she was already numb, but now a strange sadness began to well up inside her.

“An Jiu…” Mei Jiu’s voice was weak. “Leave the Mei family, find a village to settle down in, raise a flock of sheep, plant a few acres of grapes, and then… marry… marry… a… good family.”

An Jiu was stunned. She thought Mei Jiu would say, “An Jiu, join the Konghe Army and help me rescue my mother,” but this idiot actually told her to live?

“Bullshit! Do those things yourself!” An Jiu grabbed control of her body without a word.

“When you used to curse me like that, it hurt me,” Mei Jiu’s voice was tinged with laughter, “but now it makes me happy.”

An Jiu glanced at the still delirious Mo Sigui and forced herself to sit up. “Nonsense! I have no interest in playing the tragic card with you. Hold on, Elder Qi is over there!”

“I do not want to die, but I know in my heart that without you, I would have died long ago. A coward like me cannot live like this…” Mei Jiu’s rambling voice grew weaker and weaker until it disappeared.

An Jiu froze.

She could not describe the feeling, but she knew Mei Jiu was truly gone.

She was dead, in this chaotic night, unknown to anyone, not even leaving a body.

In the initial physical struggle with Mei Jiu, An Jiu had been filled with unwavering confidence, but later lost the will to live. From beginning to end, she was the one in control.

An Jiu had never considered defeat, much less anticipated this outcome.

It seemed the hidden weapon was at work; An Jiu suddenly felt a tearing pain in her heart. She clutched her chest, stunned, her body losing its mental support, and collapsed.

Mo Sigui regained consciousness and saw An Jiu fall. Suddenly remembering the moment An Jiu had rushed towards him, his heart clenched. “An Jiu!”

All of this happened in an instant.

Realizing Fourteenth Young Lady was dead, the madman turned to confront Cui Yichen, yelling, “Did you not say you knocked her out?! How did she die?!”

“I misjudged!” Cui Yichen said. “Do not worry, grab Elder Qi! He can bring the dead back to life!”

The madman’s anger turned to delight. He released Cui Yichen, patting him on the shoulder. “That’s right! Haha, Little Chen, you are so clever!”

He turned and headed towards Elder Qi.

Mo Sigui overheard their conversation, his heart filled with shock and anger. This was clearly a trap. Cui Yichen knew the madman valued An Jiu, so he attacked her first, then tricked the madman into capturing Elder Qi alive!