Hidden Shadow – CH 103

Chapter One-Hundred-Three: Highway Robbery

“Go!” Master Mo used his inner strength to propel the two of them two zhang away.

Mei Ruyan glanced back. Master Mo, covered in blood, stood like a monument at the narrow valley entrance, sword in hand, facing dozens of black-clad men. The sharp sword light guarded the exit impenetrably, creating an aura of one man holding off ten thousand!

Mei Ruyan felt both proud and heartbroken. “From the highest heavens to the deepest hell, if you do not come looking for me, I will come looking for you!”

She mobilized all her inner strength, carrying An Jiu on her back, and ran wildly.

“Fifteenth Young Lady Mei!” Someone chased after her.

Mei Ruyan recognized the voice, but she dared not stop. “Who is it?”

“Ling-Xi,” the person announced.

When Mei Zhengjing confronted the First Old Madam with his sword, Mei Ruyan had already fainted and was unaware of their betrayal. Mei Yanran had repeatedly warned her not to get close to the First Old Madam before leaving, but these were extraordinary times, and she could not worry about that now. Her only thought was to entrust An Jiu to someone else’s care before returning to find Master Mo.

Mei Ruyan stopped. Ling-Xi, looking disheveled, said, “Come with me.”

“Where to?” Mei Ruyan hesitated.

“To see someone who can save us.” Ling-Xi felt slightly relieved that there were no pursuers for the time being. “The First Old Madam is seriously injured. I need someone to help. I will guarantee your life and a life of wealth and honor for the rest of your days.”

Mei Ruyan, quick-witted, immediately understood Ling-Xi’s meaning. She was with an unconscious person; if she chose to help, she would have to abandon An Jiu.

Seeing that Ling-Xi was preoccupied with her own problems and that entrusting An Jiu to her was impossible, she said, “Nanny Ling-Xi, the pursuers are close behind. It is best to leave quickly!”

She immediately continued walking. Ling-Xi was stunned. She had been monitoring Mei Ruyan throughout her time in the Mei family. She knew Mei Ruyan very well and what kind of person she was, and she never expected to be refused!

“Fifteenth Young Lady Mei! If you agree, once reinforcements arrive, we might be able to save Master Mo’s life!” Ling-Xi’s voice came from afar.

Mei Ruyan abruptly stopped.

“We are the Emperor’s spies planted in the Mei family. Reinforcements will arrive in no time. You just need to help me get through this moment, and I promise to send someone to rescue Master Mo.” Ling-Xi was certain that she would not refuse this time.

Mei Ruyan paused for a few moments, then said coldly, “We cannot afford such wealth. Do not follow me anymore. No matter what you say, I will not agree! Nanny Ling-Xi, do not waste time; escaping is the priority.”

She was not unmoved, but then she thought, if she got involved in this mess, she’d be controlled by the Mei family, her life and death in someone else’s hands, just like Master Mo was at Piaomiao Mansion. If Master Mo enjoyed this life of constant danger, he would not have hidden his elegance and secluded himself as a tutor at the Mei family’s school.

She did not want to do what he disliked.

Besides, Ling-Xi was just a maid. How high could her status be in the Konghe Army? Did she really believe whatever Ling-Xi said?

No one would believe that! Mei Ruyan did not want to get entangled with Ling-Xi any longer. After adjusting her breathing, she quickly left.

Ling-Xi was asking for help, and Mei Ruyan refused even at the cost of her life, so there was nothing she could do. Now she did not even have time to kill someone to vent her anger.

Mei Ruyan started practicing martial arts late, and even with her exceptional diligence, she was only at the third level. She had run for less than half an hour carrying An Jiu before her inner strength was completely exhausted.

She saw a patch of waist-high grass by the roadside, went over, and put An Jiu down. An Jiu lay beside her, panting heavily. Puffs of smoke escaped from her mouth and nose, then dissipated.

The night was deep, the wilderness silent.

Mei Ruyan sighed. “After all this time, it is you and me running away together again. Mei Jiu, I wonder if I owed you something in my past life or if you owed me something!”

Unlike last time, Mei Ruyan genuinely wanted to save her this time.

Mei Ruyan was a selfish and calculating person, but she also had a strong sense of gratitude and resentment. Mei Jiu, with her honest heart, was truly good to her. Besides, if she had not been taken in by the Mei family, she would not have met Master Mo. In a way, Mei Jiu had done her a favor.

After resting briefly in the grass, Mei Ruyan stood up, looked around at the vast wilderness, and her nose tingled and her eyes suddenly blurred.

Master Mo was a man who never showed any tenderness or compassion, yet being by his side brought a sense of security. Having grown accustomed to that feeling, now alone, Mei Ruyan felt utterly helpless.

Mei Ruyan raised her hand and fiercely wiped her face, her cheeks burning from the silk. She told herself, “You are Ah Shun; you grew up in a lowly place like a brothel. How did you become a delicate woman?”

Mei Ruyan used to hate this past, but now she was grateful for it. In the brothel, she learned the wickedness of human nature early on and learned how to navigate social situations, which allowed her to survive to this day.

A gust of wind rustled through the dry, frosty grass.

Mei Ruyan felt a chill run down her spine. She stiffened, then slowly turned her head.

A figure cloaked in black stood silently in the grass. The withered grass swayed in the wind, but he remained motionless, like a statue, not even a wisp of his clothing fluttering.

“Fourteenth Young Lady?” His deep voice came from beneath the cloak.

Without even revealing his face, his imposing, dignified presence was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

“Who are you?” Mei Ruyan heard her own voice tremble slightly.

The man moved swiftly. Mei Ruyan did not see his movements clearly; she only saw a blur before An Jiu was in his arms.

“Stop!” Seeing him turn to leave, Mei Ruyan quickly chased after him. “Are you friend or foe? Why did you take my sister away?”

“Friend, not foe,” He calmly stated his name, “Chu Dingjiang.”

The grass rustled, and Chu Dingjiang leaped up like a predatory eagle, disappearing into the night in a few bounds.

Mei Ruyan frowned. Regardless of whether Chu Dingjiang’s words were true or false, she was powerless to resist. She had done her best to the utmost.

Freed from her burdens, Mei Ruyan sat cross-legged and began to focus intently on regulating her inner energy.

Half an hour later, she set off back to Mei Mansion.

A few snowflakes drifted in the north wind, pattering softly against the withered grass.

Mei Mansion had become a sea of ​​fire; the ambush had finally come to an end.

In the cellar beneath the medicine hut, Mo Sigui clutched the bloody hole in Elder Qi’s chest with one hand, while the other frantically searched through his medicine chest.

“Sigui, listen quietly to me for a few minutes,” Elder Qi said.

A warm trickle of fluid seeped from between Mo Sigui’s fingers as he stubbornly searched for a hemostatic agent.

“You brat! You want me to die with my eyes wide open in disbelief!” Elder Qi’s anger caused the blood in his wound to gush even more fiercely.

Mo Sigui was also furious. “Speak your mind! I am listening! Do not delay me!” After his outburst, he slumped down and listened obediently to Elder Qi.

“Beneath the outhouse at the northernmost part of the medicine furnace lies a medicine jar, containing twenty scrolls of books—my life’s work,” Elder Qi said, coughing twice. “I was preparing for today.”

Mo Sigui’s forehead veins throbbed. “Could you not have hidden it somewhere else?”

“Sigui…” Elder Qi looked at him, his cloudy eyes unfocused. “Your understanding of medicine far surpasses mine. Given time, you will surely become a legendary physician. I have nothing to say, only a word of advice: do not be too obsessed, and do not betray the word ‘love.'” Family, love, friendship—Elder Qi had missed too much. He did not want Mo Sigui to repeat his mistakes.

“I’ve remembered,” Mo Sigui agreed, his mind preoccupied with the thought of abandoning An Jiu.

“Hmm.” Elder Qi sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

Mo Sigui’s tears fell uncontrollably.

Elder Qi suddenly opened his eyes again, saying with concern, “Swear an oath.”

“You, you…” Mo Sigui was startled, but seeing the expectation on his face, he did not waste any words and obediently clasped his hands. “I, Mo Ran, swear to heaven that I will never betray love or be unfaithful again. If I break this oath, may I die a horrible death!”

Elder Qi’s mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but his breathing stopped, and his pupils became unfocused.

Mo Sigui reached out and covered his eyes, then found a clean cloth and silently wiped the bloodstains from his face.

He was already overwhelmed with grief, but Elder Qi’s words had startled him, and now he could not describe his feelings.

After everything was tidied up, Mo Sigui knelt beside Elder Qi, remained silent for a long time, and murmured in a hoarse voice, “Elder, I have done a small act of kindness.” Mo Sigui used the dagger he carried to dig a pit, buried Elder Qi, kowtowed nine times, picked up his medicine box, got up, and hurriedly left the cellar.