Hidden Shadow – CH 107

Chapter One-Hundred-Seven: From Here

Mo Sigui, his slender fingers swiftly inserting silver needles into more than ten acupoints, first protecting vital points, then finding a secluded spot to analyze the toxicity.

Based on his own reaction to the medicine, he could roughly determine the type of poison. As for the exact prescription, he would need to perform bloodletting and experiment with various methods.

After most of the day had passed, Mo Sigui collapsed, exhausted, onto a pile of withered grass. Watching the golden crow about to fall, he suddenly thought of An Jiu. She had once, to keep her promise to him, endured the danger of damaging her meridians and forced herself to release Startling the String. He thought of the scene of her flying to save him that day, and then of his own difficult choice to help Elder Qi…

He did not regret it. If he had to do it all over again, the result would be the same, but he felt a deep unease.

Aside from his mentor-like and fatherly relationship with Elder Qi, he had always been the one doing favors for others. This was the first time he felt so indebted to someone.

The mountain was shrouded in mist.

Lights flickered on in the courtyard, and An Jiu sat on the threshold watching Chu Dingjiang cook. His cooking skills were limited, but everything he made tasted decent, enough to satisfy someone like An Jiu, who absolutely did not care for the taste in food.

A soft crackling sound came from the stove, and the orange light cast a warm glow on Chu Dingjiang’s cold mask. “Where do you plan to go after you recover?”

Before An Jiu could answer, he continued, “Let me make it clear beforehand: I am not responsible for protecting you.”

“Protecting you…it’s been over a decade since I’ve been ‘protected,'” An Jiu thought to herself. Actually, Mei Jiu had protected her at the last moment, had she not? She gave a self-deprecating smile. Despite being an experienced assassin, she always needed such a frail person to shield her at crucial moments.

Once it was her mother, and then it was Mei Jiu.

“I want to join the Konghe Army,” An Jiu decided to find Mei Yanran. Ultimately, she did not want to owe Mei Jiu a lifetime of debt.

“I want to remind you: with your meridians destroyed, purely external cultivation will be a disadvantage,” Chu Dingjiang said without further ado.

“Hmm.” She had only herself to blame for this whole affair. There was nothing to complain about.

Back then, she had so desperately wanted to separate from Mei Jiu. Mei Jiu was like a shackle, constantly binding and tormenting her; every second spent with her was agony. But now that they were finally separated, she felt an emptiness in her heart.

Death came so suddenly, without any warning.

“What are you thinking about?” Chu Dingjiang had somehow appeared beside her, tapping the ground lightly with his fire poker.

An Jiu was startled. Her mental strength was strong, and her alertness was extremely high; she had actually been distracted just now—something that had never happened before!

“Nothing,” An Jiu said.

“I will return to the Konghe Army the day after tomorrow evening to report for duty.” Chu Dingjiang took a token from his robes and placed it in her hand. “This is the Divine Martial Token. Take it to the Bianjing Prefectural yamen, and someone will escort you to the Konghe Army.”

“Thank you,” An Jiu said.

In the twilight, her features were delicate, her skin pale. A pair of dark eyes stared at him without flinching.

Chu Dingjiang turned his face away. “The work at the Konghe Academy is no easier than missions. Usually, we are divided into groups of ten, trained by a single master. Every two weeks, we draw lots for a sparring match. At first, it is just a simple duel, a point-to-point contest to determine a winner. Two months later, we are regrouped. Subsequent battles are life-or-death. The survivors have the option to choose between the Imperial Guards Team, the Divine Martial Team, the Divine Strategy Team, or the Dangerous Moon Team.”

“You said you did not want to protect me; I thought you meant you did not care about me.”

But he said these things.

“Oh, then you misunderstood.” Chu Dingjiang did not consider himself a good person. But as a man, he could not just abandon a girl he’d just seen. He was currently too busy, but this was a small favor, and he’d done it. “My honest advice is, do not join the Imperial Guards Team.”

“Why?” An Jiu asked, puzzled.

Chu Dingjiang leaned closer to her, smiling, and said, “His Majesty believes in Taoism and believes that dual cultivation can improve one’s cultivation, especially for women who know martial arts. The Imperial Guards are responsible for protecting His Majesty closely for twelve hours a day… therefore… the women in the Imperial Guards also have this duty.”

An Jiu nodded. “I understand.” Such a secret could not elicit the slightest reaction from her; Chu Dingjiang was very curious about what could possibly break her composure.

“How high is the rank of the Divine Martial Commander of the Imperial Guards?” An Jiu asked.

“A fourth-rank military officer.” Chu Dingjiang casually drew a simple diagram on the ground with a fire poker. “The headquarters of the Konghe Army is called the Konghe Bureau, headed by the Dark Commander, a principal second-rank official. Below him are two deputies, secondary second-rank officials, called Dark Deputy Commanders. Below them are four Dark Guards, principal third-rank officials. Below the Dark Guards are eight Dark Assistants, secondary third-rank officials. These people are the backbone of the Konghe Army…”

The Konghe Army was divided into four branches: Imperial Guards, Divine Martial, Divine Strategy, and Dangerous Moon. The titles of the leaders were basically the same as those of the Konghe Army, except that they were prefixed with the names of their respective branches. They only had the authority to command troops, but not the authority to deploy troops or make decisions, and they did not receive the treatment that ordinary military officers should have. Therefore, Chu Dingjiang, as a fourth-rank official, was neither particularly low nor particularly high in status.

“There is also a Supervisory Commission, headed by two Konghe Army Supervisory Censors, with subordinates being the Imperial Guards Commander, Divine Martial Commander, Divine Strategy Commander, and Dangerous Moon Commander,” Chu Dingjiang said.

An Jiu suddenly realized, “So you were from the Supervisory Commission.”

Being transferred from the Censorate was like releasing an eagle among a flock of cranes. Who would not be trembling with fear, worried about being pecked blind? It seemed Chu Dingjiang had actually managed to find allies among a group of outcasts—truly remarkable.

“That’s right.”

“Where have you been demoted to now?” An Jiu asked.

Chu Dingjiang replied nonchalantly, “Divine Martial Commander, fifth rank.”

It was a two-rank demotion, even lower than that of the Deputy Commander of the Divine Strategy Team. Thinking of that person, An Jiu recalled that fleeting glimpse of him, then remembered what he had said, and frowned. “Who is the Deputy Commander of the Divine Strategy Team?”

“Gu Jinghong?” The Divine Strategy Team had two deputy commanders, but Chu Dingjiang had only guessed that An Jiu was referring to Gu Jinghong because he had previously served under the Mei family for a few days. “Not familiar, just a capable fellow.”

Chu Dingjiang admired Gu Jinghong. He himself had become the Commander of the Divine Martial Army through six parts planning, two parts luck, and two parts skill, while Gu Jinghong had distinguished himself among the many members of the Konghe Army through meritorious service in carrying out missions, gradually rising to his current position.

Chu Dingjiang sighed. “A steady and methodical approach is certainly good, but not everyone is a martial arts prodigy. Life is short, only a few decades; to achieve great things, one cannot afford to waste a moment.”

“Assassinate those old men in the Konghe Army.” To repay Chu Dingjiang for saving her life, An Jiu sincerely offered this suggestion.