Hidden Shadow – CH 122

Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Two: Farewell, Beauty

“Thank you,” An Jiu said.

Lou Mingyue left, closing the door behind her.

Through the door, An Jiu heard a soft sigh from outside.

An Jiu could understand Lou Mingyue’s repression and anguish. She, too, had witnessed her mother’s death, and since then, her heart had been filled with hatred. She seemed to have a premonition that Lou Mingyue was treading the same path she had walked. However, the difference was that An Jiu was a relatively mature person, and having witnessed life and death since childhood, her resilience was a hundred times stronger than that of ordinary people.

She should be able to handle it better than An Jiu…

An Jiu stood there for a long time before finally locking the door, turning off the light, and pulling a chair against the wall. She tucked the dagger into her sleeves and closed her eyes.

In a daze, she seemed to hear that weak voice again saying, “An Jiu, go to bed and sleep.”

Back in the Mei family, An Jiu felt that the Konghe Army was no different from before, but compared to now, it was far better. At least she could see the sunlight anytime; at least she had luxurious clothes and food, and the protection of her family. Before, with two souls sharing one body, she always held an “it’s either you or me” mentality. But now, with Mei Jiu truly gone, she had fallen into endless loneliness once more.

When the plum blossoms were stained with blood, An Jiu felt nothing. But now, finally sitting in the darkness like in her past life, she inexplicably remembered the stumbling Headmaster Zhao, Master Qingming and his sheep, the cunning and fiery Mei Ruyan, and, like a jasmine flower, Mei Jiu…

Those images exploded chaotically in her mind, giving her a splitting headache.

An Jiu slowly opened her eyes, her pupils brimming with tears in the darkness.

After a long while, she thought to herself, “Mei Jiu, this is no longer the Mei family.”

She sat there for two hours before An Jiu heard movement around her. Without using her mental power, she judged by her hearing that about ten people were approaching; presumably, the group that had participated in the selection was returning.

“It’s almost the end of the hour of Xu¹. Assemble at the drill ground at quarter past the hour of Hai² tomorrow night!” The voice boomed like a deep bell.

From the hour of Xu today to the hour of Hai tomorrow. That meant spending a full day and night in darkness.

An Jiu’s hand pressed against the smooth, jade-like sheath of her dagger, her index finger twitching slightly with her heartbeat.

After a rustling sound outside, everything was once again swallowed by the silent darkness.

Time stretched on endlessly.

The surroundings grew darker and darker, truly pitch black; there was no difference between having your eyes open and closed.

Snap.

A slight sound woke An Jiu instantly from her slumber, her head silently turning slightly towards the direction of the sound.

However, apart from that faint sound, there was no other noise. An Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. To prevent the other party from poisoning her, she immediately held her breath.

A moment later, a soft, unexpected scraping sound was heard.

An Jiu’s brow twitched slightly, and she tightened her grip on the dagger.

The newcomer made no further sound, but An Jiu instinctively knew he was heading towards the bed. Her first thought was that this uninvited guest was Qiu Yuntong.

However, his next action made An Jiu waver on this idea, because a soft, rapid scraping sound filled the air, followed by a cracking sound as the bed frame snapped.

The situation was clear. He had swung his weapon at the bed, clearly intending to kill her.

Hearing the unusual sound, the man did not hesitate for a moment, darting away.

Meanwhile, sounds of fighting came from next door at Lou Mingyue’s room, but it subsided quickly.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on the wall at Lou Mingyue’s place. An Jiu listened but did not respond.

Three more knocks came from the other side.

An Jiu still did not respond.

After a while, Lou Mingyue called from outside, “Fourteenth Young Lady, are you alright?”

“Yes,” An Jiu replied.

A moment later, two more knocks came from next door.

An Jiu knew this was Lou Mingyue informing her that she had sent the signal, so she raised her hand and tapped the wall twice in response, then got up and opened the window for ventilation.

After sitting back down, An Jiu thought about what had just happened and guessed that this was part of the Konghe Academy’s training.

However, both Chu Dingjiang and Lou Mingyue had told An Jiu that the first two months in the Konghe Academy were safe, but the attacker had not held back! That blow had broken the bed in two; if she were truly inexperienced, she would be as lifeless as the bed frame by now.

Considering all this, An Jiu suspected that someone was deliberately targeting her.

All four instructors—Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang—were possibilities, but An Jiu most suspected the “dead eunuch” instructor of the Earth branch.

She did not understand the Konghe Academy, and the more she thought about it, the more confused she became, unable to make sense of anything for a long time.

An hour later, there were two more thuds on the wall next door. An Jiu did not know what they meant, so she used her mental sense to perceive them and found Lou Mingyue leaving the room. She got up and followed her out.

Visibility outside was slightly better than inside; at least with An Jiu’s eyesight, she could vaguely see figures moving about.

“Let’s go get something to eat,” Lou Mingyue whispered.

An Jiu responded and followed her through the darkness.

Lou Mingyue noticed that An Jiu’s steps were still very heavy, even slower than in the ancient temple. She wondered, “It’s one thing to not improve for so long, but how could she have regressed?” However, she did not ask but instead released her inner energy.

While others were hiding and concealing themselves, they walked so boldly, each step leaving a clear trail. Lou Mingyue, always a free-spirited and unrestrained person, felt a secret sense of satisfaction at this moment, relaxing a little.

An Jiu, however, was thinking that this could not continue. She did not want to expose her mental power too early, but without it, she would not be able to move easily in the dark without her light-footed skills.

Turning a corner, Lou Mingyue suddenly stopped, spun around, and shot a hidden weapon at the rooftop on her right.

Whoosh! The person on the rooftop flicked their cloak, deflecting the weapon.

“Second Young Lady Lou, Fourteenth Young Lady,” a gentle voice, like a ray of moonlight shining into the darkness, soft and clear.

The cloak fell, outlining a slender figure.

A pair of stunning eyes flashed through An Jiu’s mind: “Deputy Envoy of the Divine Strategy.”

“I said we’d meet again,” Gu Jinghong said.

This statement remained a mystery. An Jiu wondered why he was always so certain. “Why?”

“I’ve been ordered to select new Dragon Martial Guards, and you two are among the candidates.” Gu Jinghong tossed two objects over. “Catch them.” Lou Mingyue and An Jiu, who had initially instinctively tried to dodge, froze upon hearing his calm tone, inexplicably reaching out to catch the objects.

They felt cool and smooth to the touch, like jade.

“Farewell.” Gu Jinghong’s figure vanished into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

“Mind-Bewitching Technique!”

“Dragon Martial Guards?” Lou Mingyue and An Jiu exclaimed simultaneously.

An Jiu paused slightly. “You mean it was because of the Mind-Bewitching Technique?”

“It should be. The Mind-Bewitching Technique and the Mind-Reading Technique are related, and both require extremely high innate talent,” Lou Mingyue pondered. “It’s said that people with superior talent are born with seven orifices of spiritual insight, possessing wisdom beyond ordinary people. Mentioning the Deputy Envoy of the Divine Strategy Team reminds me. There’s a Deputy Envoy in the Divine Strategy Team named Gu Jinghong, who is exceptionally gifted. That person just now must have been him, right?”

“Yes,” An Jiu nodded, then asked, “What is the Dragon Martial Guards?”

She remembered clearly: among the Konghe Army were the Imperial Guards, Divine Strategy, Divine Martial, and Dangerous Moon. Where did this Dragon Martial Guards come from?