Hidden Shadow – CH 124

Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Four: Encounter

Gu Jinghong? An Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the other assassin. Could that figure be Chu Dingjiang?

Gu Jinghong seemed to read An Jiu’s mind, tilting his head slightly and asking, “Brother Chu has no objections, right?”

“No.” That single word made him appear exceptionally cold and taciturn.

The two assassins blatantly ignored the instructor’s words, taking it upon themselves to divide An Jiu’s group first, and the instructor did not dare ask a question.

The next twelve people were divided up quickly, one by one, with Gu Jinghong picking one and Chu Dingjiang picking the next. Lou Mingyue was, unsurprisingly, chosen by Gu Jinghong.

This selection was very unfair. Chu Dingjiang had not researched the dozen or so people beforehand, and Gu Jinghong always picked first, leaving him basically to deal with what was left.

“Please follow me,” Gu Jinghong said.

“Yes!” the seven responded in unison.

Over there, Chu Dingjiang stood like a black monument on the training platform, silent, his face obscured by a cloak, as mysterious and composed as ever.

An Jiu, at the very back, took a few steps and could not help but glance back.

Just as she turned, Chu Dingjiang spoke, “Let’s go.”

As he turned, he glanced in their direction, seemingly casually, leaving it unclear who he was referring to with that “Let’s go.”

An Jiu lowered her head and followed closely behind the group.

Entering a spacious room, Gu Jinghong said, “All of you possess martial arts skills and have passed the two-month selection process at the Konghe Academy. What follows is a life-or-death trial. The two who survive will join the Konghe Army.”

Lou Mingyue hesitated, as if about to speak.

Gu Jinghong turned his head. “Any questions?”

But it was not Lou Mingyue who answered, but a man. “Why so harsh? I remember the instructor said there are eight of us who can enter the Konghe Academy.”

Gu Jinghong paused, then said calmly, “Is there a big difference between dying in the trial and dying on a mission?”

A single, indifferent statement, yet so real and cruel, was laid bare before everyone.

“Fourteenth Young Lady only joined the Konghe Army yesterday and has not undergone any selection.” Lou Mingyue knew An Jiu lacked internal energy, and the lowest level here was fourth rank; facing it with pure external cultivation was practically a death sentence.

“She has passed my selection,” Gu Jinghong explained patiently.

An Jiu’s brow twitched. She had a gut feeling that the person who attacked her last night might not have been the instructor but someone Gu Jinghong had sent to test her abilities!

From the moment Gu Jinghong said “we will meet again” in the plum blossom area, he had probably already begun observing and testing her. The thought that someone had secretly discovered everything about her immediately made An Jiu consider Gu Jinghong an extremely dangerous person.

Lou Mingyue saw that Gu Jinghong, seemingly gentle, was actually quite difficult to talk to. Such people were often the most stubborn at heart, and once they had made up their minds, they would not easily change it because of a few words from others. Therefore, she remained silent.

“Tomorrow will be the first trial. The mission is to assassinate the target hiding in the jungle. Tonight, Headmaster Sheng will distribute ample supplies to everyone. You can go to the armory now to choose a suitable weapon.”

They had just survived a brush with death, and now they were about to be plunged into another desperate situation?

As soon as Gu Jinghong finished speaking, the room fell silent. After a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat restless, but they were all specially trained individuals and did not react excessively.

Someone asked, “May I ask, My Lord, who is the target? Where is he?”

“We will tell you in due course. The only thing I can tell you now is that this is a team operation, not an individual trial,” Gu Jinghong said. “You may all disperse.”

Gu Jinghong gave the impression of a warm spring breeze, but his actions were quite the opposite, leaving people feeling rather disappointed. An Jiu felt nothing, not because she had witnessed Gu Jinghong’s ruthlessness, but because she had never placed any hope in anyone.

“Yes!” the seven answered in unison, though their thoughts differed.

The news of forming a team was both good and bad. “Many hands make light work” was an undeniable fact, but in their past training, they could not trust anyone, only fighting alone, thus developing a habit of self-preservation. Could they really unite now?

An Jiu thought it was possible, but it depended on the rules.

An official was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing the group emerge, he said, “Please follow me to the armory.” The moonlight was cold and chilling, like frost seeping into their hearts. The group felt no joy at seeing the light, only a chill running through them.

The weapons in the Konghe Academy were diverse. Although none were particularly rare, they were of superior quality. Each weapon had undergone rigorous inspection, so there was little to choose from; they could simply select the type they preferred.

An Jiu first picked up a soft sword, then hesitated between a bow and a crossbow, ultimately choosing the bow. Elder Zhi had said that crossbows lacked the spirituality of bows, and after some testing, An Jiu found this quite reasonable.

Back in her dark dwelling, An Jiu found more supplies on the table: dry rations, various common medicines, and a set of tight-fitting clothes of unknown material. The clothes were cleverly designed, with various hidden pockets to hold many odds and ends.

An Jiu removed the cloak, put it on, and began placing the items on the table one by one into the pockets. To her surprise, except for some of the dry rations, everything else had been stuffed inside the clothes!

This made things much easier, but the weight had increased to a staggering thirty pounds.

“You are quite eager,” a deep voice said, tinged with a hint of amusement.

The uninvited guest displeased An Jiu. She held the bow in her hand, raised it, and with a hum, a swift and precise mental energy shot out.

After a moment of silence, Chu Dingjiang let out a soft “Huh?” and lightly landed from the roof beam, accurately catching An Jiu’s bow in the darkness.

“So you even had a trump card hidden, tsk tsk,” An Jiu said, remaining silent, then spun around and kicked Chu Dingjiang hard in the waist.

He did not dodge, nor did he use his inner energy to protect himself, taking the blow head-on.

“What are you doing here?” An Jiu asked, her emotions calming down after her outburst.

“Scouting the enemy’s situation.” Chu Dingjiang released her hand, lifted his cloak, and sat down on a stool. “Tomorrow’s trial is actually between Deputy Envoy Gu and me, leading two groups. You have an extra person, plus an eighth-level martial artist, giving you a huge advantage. So I planned to kill one or two.”

“You are telling me you want me to commit suicide?” An Jiu retorted sarcastically.

“You are such a smart aleck,” Chu Dingjiang said, speaking in a tone that sounded like he was lecturing a minor. “Killing you would be as easy as lifting a finger. Why waste my breath arguing with you? Besides, if I were to kill someone, it would be the neighbor’s turn. Why kill a piece of trash like you?”

An Jiu scoffed, “You pretended to let Gu Jinghong choose first, and when he picked too few or too bad ones, you did this behind his back. Hypocrite, despicable!”

When An Jiu first met Chu Dingjiang, she thought he was a man in a pathetic situation but very resilient. Later, she gradually discovered he was a generous and genuine man. Now, looking back, she realized he was never a good person from the start.

“That was not my wish either.” Chu Dingjiang, harboring resentment, could not hold back any longer. “Gu Jinghong is the Emperor’s special envoy, while I was ostracized and exiled by the Divine Martial Team. He’s half a rank higher than me; how can our statuses be equal?”

Gu Jinghong was invincible, renowned throughout the Konghe Army. Those capable of challenging him in trials feared the humiliation of defeat, and ordinary people were no match for him. Therefore, the choice remained undecided. The newly appointed commander of the Divine Martial Team, meticulously plotting to oust Chu Dingjiang, naturally would not let this golden opportunity slip by. When he proposed Chu Dingjiang, it was almost unanimously approved internally, without suspense, effortlessly squeezing out his thorn in the side from the Konghe Army.

An Jiu, instead of offering comfort, sneered, “You were once the Divine Martial Commander and envoy.”

Her subtext was, “Why could a mere deputy envoy become the Emperor’s confidant while you’ve fallen to this state?” Clearly, your character was flawed.

“Haha,” Chu Dingjiang laughed but did not refute.

He advanced to the Transcendent Realm with the help of external forces; his talent was inferior to Gu Jinghong’s, a fact he never denied.

Yet, like everyone else, he climbed his way to the top step by step, over mountains of corpses. From Divine Martial Token to Divine Martial Commander, it seemed like a meteoric rise, but the planning and hardship behind it were untold to outsiders. Yet, he was ousted from his high position so quickly. This would have stirred resentment and bitterness in most people, but not in him.

Victory and defeat were common in war. As long as one was alive, there would always be a day to rise again!

“Alright, I will not tease you anymore. I have things to do.” Chu Dingjiang stood up, wanting to touch An Jiu’s face, but his hand merely grazed her cheek.

An Jiu sensed he had something to say, but in the end, she only saw a blur before he disappeared into the darkness.

An Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. She wondered if he had really killed Lou Mingyue! She walked to the wall and knocked three times.

After a moment, there was a response.

An Jiu fell into deep thought. She wondered, why had Chu Dingjiang come all this way?

After resting for two hours, a distant signal whistle sounded.

The group immediately rushed towards it.

On the training ground stood two tall, imposing black-clad men, riding horses alongside thirteen fine steeds. The horses’ hooves had been modified to minimize noise.

The participants in the trial arrived one after another.

“Mount up!” Chu Dingjiang commanded.

Once everyone was mounted, Chu Dingjiang and Gu Jinghong led the way, driving out of the Konghe Academy through a side gate.

In the darkest hour before dawn, the group galloped along the main road like a whirlwind, their movements muffled and heavy.

Only when they reached the city gate did the guards see a group of mysterious figures in black cloaks galloping towards them. Just as they were about to question them, one of the leaders raised his hand, and in an instant, a bamboo skewer was driven into the stone wall of the city.

The garrison commander took a closer look, turned around, and shouted, “Let them through!” His men dared not delay.

The side gate creaked open, and a group of people arrived, disappearing before the city gate could fully open. The soldier holding the gate paused, peered outside for a moment, and then remembered to close the gate.