Hidden Shadow – CH 120

Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty: Acquaintances

Xuan Ren meant the ninth of the Xuan characters.

An Jiu inwardly scoffed. What was all this about Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang, and the title “Instructor”? It sounded like some kind of Eastern cult.

Headmaster Sheng locked up An Jiu’s file and said to Xu Zhi, “Take her there.”

According to the rules, Xu Zhi should not be taking An Jiu, but Headmaster Sheng had worked with Xu Zhi for many years and had never encountered someone whose heart he could not read. Therefore, he deliberately let him interact with her a little longer to see if there was any progress.

Xu Zhi was more than happy to agree and readily accepted, leading An Jiu to the Chief Instructor. Along the way, he introduced An Jiu to the situation of the Konghe Academy, inevitably testing her along the way.

The chief official of the Konghe Academy was the Academy Director, the deputy was the Academy Envoy, and below them were the Deputy Envoys. There were also many other civil officials of varying ranks. However, the one who actually managed the specific affairs of the Konghe Academy was the Chief Instructor, and below the Chief Instructor were the Instructors of the four branches of Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang.

Newcomers like An Jiu were not qualified to meet everyone; a glance from Xuan Instructor was sufficient.

Xu Zhi led her to the training ground. “Xuan Instructor is not usually there, but these past few days have been the new recruits’ grouping, and several instructors have been selecting people. Now that you are in the Xuan Branch, you are considered part of the Divine Martial Team. But if your aptitude is not up to par, and Xuan Instructor does not accept you…”

Xu Zhi deliberately left her hanging, but An Jiu was not buying it and showed no interest in asking. Frustrated, he could only mutter, “If Xuan Instructor does not accept you, you might be assigned to another branch.”

An Jiu hummed in agreement.

This nonchalant demeanor infuriated Xu Zhi. He steeled himself and asked directly, “I heard that most of the people who attacked the Mei family were eighth or ninth-level experts. Escaping death must be terrifying, right?”

An Jiu replied calmly, “Terrifying.”

“Do you not feel sad now?” Xu Zhi was nearly driven mad because he still had not noticed An Jiu’s emotional fluctuations!

An Jiu paused. She still did not reply. She knew her words had not been pleasant to hear; having just entered the Konghe Academy, she knew it was best to say less to avoid making mistakes.

At this moment, Xu Zhi finally sensed An Jiu’s thoughts. He felt she was naturally wary and cautious, so he did not press the matter further. After calming down, he recalled his earlier question and felt an urge to bury himself alive! That level of skill was truly an insult to the title “mind reading”!

An Jiu followed behind Xu Zhi, her eyes fixed straight ahead, but her peripheral vision was constantly observing the layout of the Konghe Academy.

The entire path was lined with cold, impersonal buildings. They resembled some of the training grounds An Jiu had previously attended. The area near the training ground was relatively open, but it was surrounded by three-zhang-high walls, and the buildings were cleverly designed to block out the light, with the longest hours of sunlight each day not exceeding two hours.

“The training ground is just ahead,” Xu Zhi said, gesturing with his chin towards the tightly closed black iron gate ahead, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

The black iron gate was about nine zhang high, unadorned, without even a door knocker, a solid black expanse that looked very heavy.

“Master Xu,” the guard on the gate tower greeted Xu Zhi with a bow.

Mind-reading was a very rare ability, mastered entirely by innate talent. Therefore, although Xu Zhi worked on the periphery, without rank or authority to interfere in internal affairs, his status within the Konghe Academy was not low. Most people still addressed him politely as “Master.”

“This is Xuan Ren, a new recruit recommended by the Divine Martial Team. Headmaster Sheng asked me to bring him here for Xuan Instructor to examine,” Xu Zhi said.

Hearing this, the guard dared not delay and relayed a message for the person inside to open the gate.

The heavy iron gate emitted a dull thud, occasionally punctuated by sharp scraping sounds. It slowly opened a crack wide enough for one person to pass through. Inside, it was pitch black, a cold wind whistled, and the faint sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance.

“I can only take you this far,” Xu Zhi said.

An Jiu thanked him and walked inside without looking back.

Xu Zhi was somewhat surprised. He had thought this girl was naturally aloof and clueless about social niceties, but he had not expected to hear a “thank you” from her! He immediately realized he had misunderstood her. Just as he was about to say a few more words to her, the iron gate slowly closed.

A heavy thud, like the low growl of a wild beast, cut An Jiu off from the normal world.

An Jiu followed the guide through a long corridor. Ahead, intermittent sounds of fighting could be heard, except for the sound of her own footsteps, as if a living person had entered hell.

At the end of the corridor, another wooden door opened, and blinding light suddenly flooded in. An Jiu squinted her slightly sore eyes.

After a moment, An Jiu could see two people locked in combat not far away. Dark red blood was splattered everywhere, and yellow sand, carrying a heavy stench of blood, billowed in the air with their movements, filling the scene with a thick, pungent smell.

The area was a circular space, not very large. Sunlight streamed brightly into the center, while the surrounding canopies cast deep shadows, making it possible to see those standing in the center clearly while obscuring those below.

Even An Jiu could only make out a vague outline. Under the canopy to the south sat four black-clad men, each flanked by a person. Directly opposite her, about twenty people sat in the open air. An Jiu glanced around and recognized some of them!

The moment the wooden door opened, everyone opposite looked over. Lou Mingyue, sitting there, immediately recognized An Jiu and nodded slightly.

“Follow me,” the guide said softly.

An Jiu withdrew her gaze and followed him to the canopy, where the four black-clad men were. She quickly surveyed them: three men and one woman, all wearing large cloaks, their faces completely hidden under the hoods, making their features impossible to discern.

“Four instructors, another newcomer has arrived,” The man bowed and reported. “She was recommended by the Divine Martial Team. Headmaster Sheng has already placed her in the Xuan branch, with the title Xuan Ren.”

The four almost simultaneously looked at An Jiu, their gazes carrying a palpable pressure of mental energy.

Seeing An Jiu’s head slightly lowered, remaining unmoved, the four were surprised. Such strength was enough to directly enter the Konghe Army; why go through the motions at the Konghe Academy?

“Who recommended you?”

The second person from An Jiu’s side spoke; judging from the voice, he was at least sixty years old.

An Jiu guessed this must be Xuan Instructor.

Headmaster Sheng already knew it was Chu Dingjiang who recommended her, so it was already exposed. Chu Dingjiang, this powerful figure, seemed to be in dire straits himself, but was he not once the Divine Martial Commander? The legendary Emperor’s man—surely he would not fall so easily? Moreover, her current situation was not optimistic.

After a moment’s thought, An Jiu said, “Chu Dingjiang, the former Divine Martial Commander of the Konghe Army.”

“Chu Dingjiang…” Xuan Instructor was not very familiar with the affairs of the Konghe Army, but he had heard of the major news of the commander’s replacement, especially since that person was considered his superior.

“You’ve come at the perfect time. Let’s arrange the next move,” an elderly female voice said.

The speaker was the person furthest from An Jiu. Based on the order of “Heaven, Earth, Xuan, Huang,” An Jiu guessed she should be the instructor of the Heaven group.

“The Divine Martial Commander has been demoted, but he’s still the Divine Martial Commander-in-Chief. He personally recommended her, so I think we should skip it,” Xuan Instructor said.

An Jiu had not expected Chu Dingjiang to still have prestige within the Konghe Academy. Even after being demoted, there were still people willing to respect him.

“We did not say she could not join the Xuan branch; it is just that this is the first time such a high-ranking official has personally recommended someone, so we are putting her out there to practice and broaden our horizons.” The Earth branch instructor’s words carried a faint smile, which sounded quite sarcastic in this context.

The Earth Instructor’s voice was somewhat effeminate. An Jiu could not judge his age from his voice, but he was clearly much younger than the others, probably under forty.

The Heaven and Huang Instructors agreed.

The Xuan Instructor chuckled, “Since she’s entered the Konghe Academy, you will see her sooner or later. What’s the rush? Since Headmaster Sheng has named her Xuan Ren, she’s my student. If I say she does not need to participate, she does not need to! Anyone who disagrees can go and argue with Headmaster Sheng!”

Because Headmaster Sheng looked like Headmaster Zhao of the Mei Clan Academy but was fairer-skinned, An Jiu silently nicknamed him “White Fox.”

An Jiu noticed his perfunctory attitude; he simply wrote “to be investigated” whenever he could not find out the details. She had not initially realized that this White Fox wielded considerable power.

“That’s true,” the Earth Instructor chuckled, smoothing a stray strand of hair behind his ear with his delicate fingers. “Three months is more than enough time; they need to plan carefully for this newcomer.”

A blatant threat! There was a major life-or-death trial in three months, and he was openly planning to make things difficult for An Jiu.

The Xuan Instructor snorted coldly, remaining silent.

After hearing this conversation, An Jiu could roughly guess that the situation within the Konghe Academy was quite complicated. She initially thought the Xuan Instructor was upright, the Heaven Instructor was fearless, and the usually quiet Huang Instructor was likely cautious. As for her strongest impression of the Earth Instructor, An Jiu summarized it with a euphemistic word—effeminate! If she had to add an adjective to those two words, it would be—a foul-mouthed effeminate man! If she had to use a more apt term, An Jiu would say: a dead eunuch!

“Go sit over there,” said Xuan Instructor.

An Jiu cupped her hands in salute and turned to go to Lou Mingyue and the others.

The four instructors, observing An Jiu’s composed demeanor, each had their own thoughts.

Since the seats on either side of Lou Mingyue were occupied, An Jiu sat down in an empty seat not far behind her.

The focus of attention in the training ground returned to the two people fighting in the center.

An Jiu was watching the fight when she suddenly noticed someone spying on her. She turned her head and saw an unfamiliar face.

The person had a long, thin face, devoid of color, with brown eyes, and even his eyebrows had a faint brownish-yellow tinge, giving him a rather unremarkable appearance. He was sitting next to Lou Mingyue, caught off guard, and paused for a moment before smiling broadly at An Jiu.

An Jiu vaguely felt that this person was familiar, but who was he?