Hidden Shadow – CH 113
by MTL TranslationChapter One-Hundred-Thirteen: A Toast
“Ha, I was going to ask if you wanted to ride back together, but now it seems unnecessary,” Hua Rongjian chuckled.
An Jiu paused, turned, and leaped onto the carriage, grabbing Hua Rongjian by the collar and throwing him out.
The situation changed so quickly that it caught everyone off guard.
Hua Rongjian was, after all, a fourth-level martial artist; he would not be so easily abandoned. He strode into the carriage, saying, “I have more than one thing to tell you. Your cousin has spread the word in the city that whoever can tell him of your whereabouts, and that the information is true, he will heal that person for life.”
Mo Sigui was very indifferent to personal relationships. He had lived in the Mei family for so many years, claiming to have the best relationship with Mei Tingjun, yet when he learned of Mei Tingjun’s death, he showed no grief whatsoever. His actions surprised An Jiu. But thinking about it, he was probably interested in her destroyed meridians.
However, Hua Rongjian’s words refuted An Jiu’s thoughts. “You do not know the magnitude of the responsibility he’s taken. The most well-informed people in the entire Song Dynasty are the Konghe Army and the Piaomiao Mountain mansion. They’ve been watching physician Mo for a long time, and now that the opportunity has arrived, who would not seize it?”
Neither of these places was easy to deal with.
Those who licked blood from the edge of a knife must be willing to risk their lives, but training a skilled assassin not only consumed financial and human resources but also took at least seven or eight years. The death of even one was a huge loss. If a divine physician were by one’s side, the losses could be significantly reduced. Therefore, the Konghe Army and the Piaomiao Mountain mansion were determined to obtain Mo Sigui.
“The news has only spread for half an hour, and I’ve already sent someone to inform him,” Hua Rongjian said.
An Jiu did not thank him, her gaze probing.
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From what others had heard, Hua Rongjian was all bad: a womanizer, cockfighting, dog racing, and keeping courtesans. His usual carefree demeanor certainly suggested this, yet at times, he could be incredibly shrewd. “You have the same thoughts, too.”
“Of course!” Hua Rongjian said self-deprecatingly. “Someone like me who frequents prostitutes, having a divine physician by my side to regulate my body—what’s wrong with that?”
An Jiu did not refute, indicating understanding, but she did not take his words seriously.
An Jiu stared intently at Hua Rongjian’s face, a sense of doubt creeping in. The more people she interacted with, the stranger it seemed. Initially, she disliked Mo Sigui, hating his incessant chatter and his profession, but later, for some reason, that aversion faded. Recalling her first encounter with Hua Rongjian, he was unconscious. At that time, An Jiu found him quite pleasing to the eye, but the subsequent times she saw him awake, she wanted to beat him up.
While she disliked Hua Rongjian, she had never eliminated him. She knew perfectly well that all the reasons she had given for not killing Hua Rongjian were actually because she did not want to do it at all. If she truly had the will to kill, not even the King of Heaven could stop her.
Hua Rongjian, far from feeling embarrassed by her staring, actually felt quite pleased with himself, adopting what he considered his most dashing pose. His starry eyes gleamed as he looked back.
He leaned casually against the table, one hand supporting his head, his hair, disheveled from the earlier scuffle, cascading from his fingertips and mingling with his black fox-fur coat. Upon closer inspection, his lips were quite interesting; the center line drooped slightly at the sides, but the corners curled up, as if always holding a mocking smile. This added a touch of cold nobility to his overall demeanor, completely unlike his usual unpleasant way of speaking.
He was indeed very attractive like this.
An Jiu, knowing how to appreciate, did not hold back her words, “You really have a lot of experience selling smiles; just lying there like that is worth a lot of money.”
Hua Rongjian’s expression stiffened, silently reassuring himself: “Second Young Master Hua, this woman’s mouth is just so sharp. As a cultured person, I must—be! calm!”
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and gritted his teeth, saying, “I will tolerate it because you are passable-looking.”
An Jiu also gave him positive affirmation: “You have a lot of professional ethics, but I will not give you money, nor will I sleep with you. It is pointless to tolerate it.”
What was professional ethics? Hua Rongjian had never heard of it, but he understood the second half perfectly. For some reason, a fire suddenly ignited within him, and he slammed his hand on the small table in front of him, shattering it. “Fourteenth Young Lady, are you even a woman? How can you say such things?!”
“What kind of things?” An Jiu asked.
“What kind of talk are you saying?” Hua Rongjian was so angry his blood rushed from his feet to his head, but he froze after asking the question. He was not angry that she was mocking him, but that her words were so blunt.
Why was he getting so angry? Hua Rongjian muttered, “She’s really got nothing better to do.”
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Hua Rongjian used to get angry as if it were a joke, but An Jiu could sense that he was truly enraged this time, so she did not say anything more.
The journey was quiet.
As they approached the city, Hua Rongjian broke the silence, “I used to think you were an ice Empress, but I did not expect you to be such a chatterbox. And not only that, every word you say is so venomous!”
His words made An Jiu realize that she was not as closed off as before; at least she could communicate with people.
This was all because of Mei Jiu, was it not?
An Jiu’s expression darkened.
Come to think of it, this guy was completely different from Mei Jiu. Why did she even think of chatting with him? An Jiu thought and thought, realizing it was because she was used to having people to talk to; Mei Jiu’s death had left her lonely.
“Hey! Hey!” Hua Rongjian, seeing that she was not angry but rather her eyes showed sadness, felt he had spoken too harshly and quickly sat down beside her. “I was wrong; I was too talkative.”
He patted his chest, adopting a heroic expression. “Hit me all you want; I will not fight back.”
An Jiu was always more responsive to gentleness than force, and besides, no one had ever comforted her like this before. Looking at him like this, she could not help but smile.
Her appearance was already gentle, but coupled with the resilience emanating from her soul, this faint smile was like a flower blooming from a crack in a rock—not dazzling, but possessing a unique and captivating beauty.
Hua Rongjian froze, then realized he had forgotten what he was going to say.
She was no longer upset and started rambling again. “You are such a hypocrite, only allowing yourself to do what you do not want others to do. Your words are harsh, and you cannot stand hearing what others say.”
The sound of horses’ hooves quickened on the road.
A familiar voice called out urgently, “Second Young Master Hua!”
Hua Rongjian had not expected him to arrive so quickly and slightly opened the window. “Little Divine Physician Mo.”
“Where’s Fourteenth Young Lady?” Mo Sigui asked anxiously.
“Her…” Hua Rongjian was considering whether to tease him when An Jiu pulled him away.
She leaned out of the carriage window and was surprised to see Mo Sigui on horseback.
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