Hidden Shadow – CH 125

Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Five: Whose Food Tastes Better?

The Funiu Mountains stretch for over 800 li, forming the watershed between the Huai and Han Rivers. The training ground for the Konghe Army was located in Baiyun Mountain, deep within the Funiu Mountains, about 700 li from Kaifeng. While there were many official roads along the way, the sections near the Funiu Mountains were rugged, taking six or seven days even with a fast horse.

In sunny, flat conditions, a person could only ride a horse for three hours straight before reaching their limit. The Konghe Army, however, needed to march continuously for four hours. By the time they reached the post station to rest, even the horses were frothing at the mouth.

An Jiu’s body was still too weak. She forced herself to reach the post station, then collapsed in her room to rest without even eating.

An Jiu was in a daze but remained alert. She sensed someone entering and tried to see who it was, but could not even lift her eyelids.

The person sat down beside the bed, and An Jiu smelled a strong ginseng scent.

“Open your mouth,” Chu Dingjiang said softly. An Jiu’s tightly pursed lips finally relaxed.

The distinctive bitterness of ginseng spread between her lips and teeth. Chu Dingjiang fed her slowly, but she swallowed easily.

After drinking a small bowl of ginseng soup, An Jiu fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, she saw someone standing by the window. Just as she was about to call out “Chu Dingjiang,” she heard a gentle voice, “Are you very familiar with Lord Chu?”

It was Gu Jinghong.

An Jiu sat up from the couch, rubbed her temples, and frowned. “What does the Deputy Envoy mean?”

“You are now under my command, and I must understand the situation clearly. Do not worry, I will not reveal this matter.” Gu Jinghong saw through the wariness and unease behind her question.

An Jiu stared into his clear eyes, saying each word carefully, “Who asked you to choose me as your subordinate? If you think I have secrets and am unsuitable for the Dragon Martial Guard, you can simply discard me.”

Most people would be angry upon hearing such barbed words, but Gu Jinghong actually smiled. “A fragile child.” When An Jiu did not know how to answer or when protecting herself, she would use this kind of rhetorical question or aggressive tone. Gu Jinghong saw through her facade at a glance.

Too terrifying! That was An Jiu’s current assessment of him. She remembered Lou Mingyue saying that mind-reading and mind-bewitching were interconnected. Now it seemed that Gu Jinghong not only possessed mind-bewitching skills, but his mind-reading skills were also superior to those of Xu Zhi of the Konghe Academy.

That was right, one must understand people’s hearts to bewitch them.

“You slept for a day and a night. The others set off first. Can you walk now?” Gu Jinghong lightly brushed aside the question.

An Jiu stood up. Thinking of a crucial question, she realized, “I have not eaten yet.”

Gu Jinghong remained silent, turning and leaving. A moment later, he returned with a bowl of noodles, topped with a few sparse vegetable leaves, devoid of any oil.

There was no table in the room, so he shoved the bowl into An Jiu’s hands. “Eat.”

An Jiu stared at the noodles in her hand, hesitating for a moment before picking up chopsticks and shoveling food into her mouth.

After a few bites, she asked with a strange expression, “Did you cook this?”

Gu Jinghong, standing by the window with his back to her, turned his head upon hearing this. “Hmm?” Sunlight filtered through his black cloak, casting dappled shadows on his delicate profile.

An Jiu said, “Nothing much. The taste is quite unique.”

Gu Jinghong chuckled. “That does not sound like a compliment at all.”

An Jiu hastily shoveled the bowl of noodles down her throat, frowning. “That’s because you know your place.”

Chu Dingjiang’s cooking was far superior, the thought suddenly popped into An Jiu’s mind.

“Let’s rest for a couple of quarters of an hour before setting off again.” Gu Jinghong stepped out of the house, stood in the courtyard, looked up at the morning light, and closed his eyes to enjoy this moment of tranquility.

They were approaching the Funiu Mountains. The sun had just broken through the morning mist, and the spring sunshine was exceptionally warm. Everywhere they looked was vibrant with life, a sight to behold.

An Jiu got up to stretch her limbs. Her aches and pains were even more pronounced, but they were not as heavy anymore.

Based on experience, she knew she absolutely could not stop to rest for too long after this. Otherwise, it would take ten days or half a month to recover, and the aches and pains would return the next time she moved. She just had to grit his teeth and get through this period; it would gradually get better.

Two quarters of an hour later, the two mounted their horses on time and headed for Baiyun Mountain.

The Funiu Mountains were notoriously rainy, and morning dew and evening rain were common occurrences. Chu Dingjiang, who was leading the way, happened to encounter a downpour, so he led the group to a mountain cave for shelter.

As the group entered the cave, a delicate female voice complained, “We are all soaked! Why did it have to rain like this?”

Besides An Jiu and Lou Mingyue, another woman was in the group, named Sun Dixian. Her martial arts were only at the fourth level, yet many at the fifth or sixth level had died in the last trial, while she had survived.

Often, martial prowess was not the absolute factor determining life or death.

Sun Dixian hurriedly dried her clothes. Looking up, she saw Chu Dingjiang, dressed in a black cloak, tying his horse outside the cave. The torrential rain was blocked by his aura, forming a white mist around him. As he approached, his imposing presence was like a mountain; even without seeing his face, Sun Dixian’s heart pounded.

Chu Dingjiang entered the cave, completely dry.

Sun Dixian hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer and asked, “My Lord, how much longer until we arrive?”

Her boldness was not without reason. The post stations they passed through were small. Even with Chu Dingjiang’s extraordinary martial arts skills, it was impossible for him to feed An Jiu ginseng soup discreetly. Through this incident, Sun Dixian realized that this seemingly cold and aloof Lord Chu was actually gentler and kinder than Lord Gu.

No one answered.

Just when everyone thought Sun Dixian was about to embarrass herself, Chu Dingjiang finally said, “Seven days.”

Early spring was not like midsummer; the vegetation was not lush enough to hold the soil. Such heavy rain, if it continued for too long, might cause mudslides, and the mountain paths were also muddy and difficult to traverse. Seven days was an optimistic estimate.

“So long? Was it not said to be only a six or seven-day journey?” Sun Dixian knew why; she simply wanted to talk to Chu Dingjiang.

Chu Dingjiang did not dislike scheming women; in fact, he admired them. However, he looked down on such clumsy attempts to strike up a conversation without any apparent reason.

Despite his disdain, he still gave the girl some face, turning around as if his gaze swept over everyone. “The mountain path is difficult; take this opportunity to rest; otherwise, the next few days will be tough.”

He did not embarrass Sun Dixian.

The others responded with a “yes” and sat down against the rock wall, closing their eyes to rest.

Sun Dixian finally regained some composure, realizing she had truly been blinded by greed. How could she have so recklessly rushed in like that! She feared she would be looked down upon. She glanced at Chu Dingjiang, then quickly sat down and closed her eyes to rest.

Chu Dingjiang stood with his arms crossed in front of the cave entrance, his entire body almost completely obscuring the small opening.

An hour later, Sun Dixian secretly peeked again and found that he was still in the same position, seemingly motionless, while the sky outside was almost completely dark.

Lou Mingyue got up, went to the cave entrance, and saw that the rain had almost stopped.

“We will wait for Deputy Envoy Gu for one night, then leave at dawn,” Chu Dingjiang said.

The torrential rain had lasted for a full hour, and with night falling, they did not know how many miles they could travel in a single night. Everyone agreed with this decision.

“My Lord, what kind of trial are we going to face this time?” a man asked cautiously in the darkness.

“A trial?” Chu Dingjiang’s voice held a hint of amusement. “If you treat this as a trial, you will undoubtedly die young.”

Chu Dingjiang was clearly more at ease talking to the men, his entire demeanor different, like an older brother joking with them. His relaxed attitude made him very approachable, and the young men present began bombarding him with questions.

Chu Dingjiang answered what he could and glossed over what he could not with a joke.

Everyone knew he was bluffing, but they did not mind at all. After all, the Konghe Army had strict rules, and some things could not be said carelessly. They felt that Chu Dingjiang was principled, yet not bound by the rules.

At first, they were merely gathering information to survive. But as they talked, they were inspired by Chu Dingjiang’s bold and unrestrained spirit, and some of the youthful vigor that had gradually faded from their days soaked in blood slowly returned.

The group of men chatted enthusiastically, with Sun Dixian occasionally chiming in. Lou Mingyue leaned against the rock wall, gazing at the rain outside, lost in thought.

“You must have been in the Konghe Army for quite some time now, My Lord. Are the people in the Konghe Army all terrifying?” Sun Dixian asked.

The group fell silent, all looking at Chu Dingjiang, clearly eager for an answer.

“No different from any other army.” This was not a secret, so Chu Dingjiang did not hide it. “In battle, a soldier who does not have blood on his hands is not a good soldier. Our fighting style is nothing special. It is just that, as a hidden weapon of the Song Dynasty, we cannot be used openly most of the time.”

Lou Mingyue’s gaze sharpened slightly upon hearing this.

“Now that you mention it, My Lord, I understand everything,” Qiu Yuntong sighed. He spoke from the bottom of his heart. He had previously felt like a rat, listless and lethargic all day, but now he was filled with fervor.

Chu Dingjiang said, “This trial was supposed to be a two-person operation, but I will be clear with you all.” Everyone listened intently; even Lou Mingyue turned around.

He continued, “The rule of the Konghe Army is to complete the mission regardless of the cost. As long as the mission is successfully completed, whoever survives is a hero. Would the Konghe Army kill anyone who is not there? If you all cooperate and survive, I guarantee no one will harm a single hair on your heads.”

“Then Lord Gu is lying to us…” Sun Dixian said.

“No, not at all,” Chu Dingjiang said calmly. “It’s just a test, a test of whether you can cooperate to successfully complete the mission when your lives are in danger.”

One person said, “My Lord, is this not…”

Was this not revealing a secret? He stopped speaking, afraid of being too blunt and angering Chu Dingjiang.

“Everyone has selfish desires and a will to survive. If there’s no reason, why should we sacrifice everything to complete a mission?” Chu Dingjiang said dismissively. “Such sacrifices are unnecessary. If you were asked to go to the front lines to fight the enemy and protect your country, would you be willing to risk your lives?” He smiled. “No need to answer me. You all have your own judgment.”