Hidden Shadow – CH 102

Chapter One-Hundred-Two: A Choice

“An Jiu,” Mo Sigui helped An Jiu up, fed her a pill of an antidote, then used acupressure to stop the bleeding. He anxiously looked up to see the battle situation on Elder Qi’s side.

Mo Sigui’s internal organs were injured, and he did not have the strength to carry An Jiu.

“Give her to me.” Cui Yichen appeared before them unnoticed.

Thinking of An Jiu’s selfless rescue, Mo Sigui would rather die than hand her over. But he could not fight him head-on, so he had to buy time to think of a solution. “You have a grudge against her?”

“Yes.” Cui Yichen had always been the pride of his family and rarely suffered setbacks. Last time, he had fallen into Chu Dingjiang’s trap because of kidnapping An Jiu, suffering heavy losses, and being severely punished by his master. He was always vengeful and would seek revenge on Chu Dingjiang sooner or later; An Jiu was just an afterthought.

Mo Sigui never imagined that Cui Yichen would want to kill An Jiu over such a trivial matter.

Cui Yichen glanced around. “If you delay any longer, the Mei family will be finished.”

Mo Sigui and An Jiu were to the north, upwind. The wind was not strong, but it was enough to deliver a little poison! He discreetly uncorked a bottle with the hand supporting An Jiu, speaking to distract Cui Yichen. “When a person dies, the light goes out. She’s so young; what irreconcilable hatred could you possibly have to want to torture a corpse?”

“Mo Sigui.” Cui Yichen recognized him and suddenly smiled. “You should worry about yourself.”

Cui Yichen waved his hand lightly, and a dozen black-clad men surrounded him. He said calmly, “Take him alive.”

If they could not protect Elder Qi, capturing Mo Sigui would be just as good. In fact, the Lord might be even happier. After all, according to the information obtained earlier, Elder Qi’s passion for medicine had waned in recent years, and he was quite sentimental. The Lord had tried several times to capture his son, who had joined the Konghe Army, but had failed. Someone like Mo Sigui should be easier to control.

A refreshing fragrance of plum blossoms slowly filled the air.

Those black-clad men, those with lower martial arts levels, began to feel weak all over. Their swords clattered to the ground.

Cui Yichen also sensed something amiss. Where did the plum blossom fragrance come from amidst the blood and flames? He stepped back a short distance, raising his hand to cover his mouth and nose.

The madman’s voice came from not far away: “Old man! Surrender obediently, and I will not hurt you!”

Mo Sigui quickly glanced, a sharp pain shooting through his heart—Elder Qi was badly injured, almost soaked in blood, his white beard turned red, and his face was deathly pale.

“I know you want to capture Elder Qi.” Mo Sigui’s eyes always seemed to carry a hint of flirtatiousness. “I will go with you. My medical skills are now no less than his, on the condition that Elder Qi leaves with her body.”

“Your suggestion is good, but unfortunately, your behavior is not very friendly.” Cui Yichen glanced at the black-clad men who were falling one after another around him.

Mo Sigui slightly raised his hand, and Cui Yichen immediately took a few steps back. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was just a porcelain bottle that had rolled to his feet.

Mo Sigui’s lips curled into a smile, seemingly lazy yet mocking. “The antidote. Dare to try?”

“Why would I not?” Cui Yichen raised an eyebrow. He bent down, picked up the antidote, and tossed it to one of the poisoned individuals.

The person secretly thought, “Of course I dare! It is not me who’s poisoned!”

Though he thought this, his actions were without hesitation. He took the antidote, pulled up his mask, poured out a pill, and swallowed it.

Before he could observe the effects, a cold light flashed. The surrounding poisoned individuals offered no resistance.

Master Mo easily broke through the encirclement and picked up Mo Sigui.

“Take her with you.” Mo Sigui held An Jiu tightly.

Master Mo glanced down at the curtain and scooped An Jiu up in one swift motion.

“Sound Killer!” Cui Yichen was extremely wary of this intruder. He only dared to verbally advise, “You have no connection with the Mei family, why meddle in their business?”

How could there be no connection? When no other place dared to take him in, the Mei family did, and he no longer needed to risk his life on missions or live a life of hiding.

“An army is raised for a thousand days, used for one.” If not now, when?

Headmaster Zhao and the others might be ruthless killers, but they all had a bottom line: “loyalty and righteousness.” If it were not for this virtue, the Mei family would not have gone to such lengths to recruit a few unrelated people.

“A good dog does not block the way.” Master Mo turned his head, coldly glancing at Cui Yichen. Meeting the anger in his eyes, he said sarcastically, “Do not force me to act.”

Cui Yichen gripped his sword hilt tightly, his teeth almost grinding to powder, but ultimately dared not make a move.

“Sound Killer” was renowned for his prowess. Even as a novice with only sixth-tier strength, he could kill an eighth-tier expert. Later, he repeatedly took on all sorts of unbelievable jobs; Cui Yichen was no match for him, not even worth a flick of his sword.

“My Lord,” Mei Ruyan rushed over.

Master Mo handed An Jiu to her and then summoned a member of the Mei Clan’s shadow. “The enemy’s numbers are increasing. I will fight my way out of Mei Mansion. Take the Mei Clan’s token and enter Bianjing tonight.”

The Mei Clan, serving the royal family, naturally enjoyed certain privileges. As founding heroes with a mission to protect the Emperor, during the reign of the founding Emperor, the Mei Clan, with their tokens, had the authority to bring a thousand troops into the city at any time. Later emperors felt this power was too great and considered revoking it, which provoked protests from various powerful Konghe families. After three Emperors, the matter was finally resolved. To appease the various families, this privilege was retained, but limited to a maximum of ten people.

“Elder Qi has given me the token!” Mei Ruyan said.

Mo Sigui stopped. An Jiu was on the verge of death and needed his help, while Elder Qi was being besieged and seemed on the verge of collapse… His mentor and his savior—how could he choose?

Seeing Mo Sigui’s hesitation, Elder Qi roared, “Get lost!”

Mo Sigui’s eyes welled up with tears, blurring his vision. He closed his eyes, turned, and followed Mei Ruyan away.

After a few steps, he stopped again. “Fifteenth, take Fourteenth away first. I will catch up shortly!”

Mei Ruyan nodded. “Alright.”

Mo Sigui removed all the Jade Tears on Clothes that he was keeping, turned, and ran back. Elder Qi treated him like a son; he could not bear to watch his mentor and father figure be left alone in dire straits.

Mo Sigui silently vowed, “I will do everything in my power to survive and save you, but, Fourteenth Young Lady Mei, I am sorry; I cannot choose you at this moment!” The siege had lasted nearly an hour, and the enemy’s numbers continued to grow. These men charged relentlessly, seemingly endless, until Master Mo’s plain white robes were finally stained with blood, like blooming red plum blossoms in the snow.

They charged all the way to a small canyon at the exit of Mei Mansion. Seeing the increasing number of pursuers behind them, Master Mo said, “I will hold them off. You go first.”

Dozens of pursuers remained, each a one-against-one threat, a near-certain death.

“I will not go!” Mei Ruyan grabbed his sleeve, her gaze resolute. “We will die together!”

“Live.” Master Mo turned his face away, slashing his sleeve with his sword. “If I live, we can meet again. If I die, avenge me.”

Was this an acknowledgment of their feelings?

Tears welled up in Mei Ruyan’s eyes. She reached out and hugged him. “Alright.”