Hidden Shadow – CH 130

Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty: The Deception (1)

An Jiu was hiding halfway up a mountain. While it seemed close to the Piaomiao Mountain mansion, it was actually at least six or seven li away—a real distance.

Having found no trace of Lou Mingyue, she rested on the mountain, observing the situation.

In the valley was a rather ordinary courtyard, with green tiles and black walls, half-hidden among the trees. The courtyard was not very large; the main house had three rooms, with side rooms on each side, and a stable on the right. From halfway up the mountain, she could see two people moving around in the courtyard.

An Jiu guessed that there were not many people in the shadows, probably only about ten.

There were thirteen people currently participating in the trial, which was considered evenly matched, so there should not be any major problems… She had no confidence in the Konghe Army.

In fact, this Shadow Army had indeed declined.

When the Konghe Army was first formed, the Shadow Army’s strength was not particularly high, but their fighting spirit and killing intent were invincible, and their combat power was extremely formidable. It could silently destroy a nation and secretly support a prince’s usurpation. However, with each generation of rulers weakening, they constantly worried that their hidden sword would be used by those with ulterior motives. Therefore, they tried every means to overhaul the army, bringing it completely under their control, resulting in the Konghe Army’s strength declining further.

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Trying to sharpen a sword so it would not harm the user may mean it could no longer harm the enemy.

When the previous Emperor was on the throne, the Konghe Army was barely passable; in this generation, it was utterly absurd.

Back then, the Dragon Martial Guards were the most formidable force in the Konghe Army. A single Dragon Martial Guard could single-handedly slay an enemy general. When the Emperor personally led an expedition, nine Dragon Martial Guards protected him during a Song army defeat, allowing him to escape an ambush. Now, the Dragon Martial Guards were merely a vessel for the Emperor’s pursuit of immortality.

But how many people were in the Dragon Martial Guards? Only twenty! Most of them were men, and the few women were all over twenty-five, their bodies roughened by martial arts training. What Emperor would want to consummate a relationship with such women? They needed more men for the “furnace¹“; hence, the addition of the Imperial Guards of the Konghe Army.

These secrets were unknown to outsiders, including An Jiu. She had only witnessed the events of the past few days and concluded that the Konghe Army’s strength was nothing special.

If she had not thought this way, she would not have rashly entered the Konghe Academy.

An Jiu ate some dry rations and began gathering grass to cover herself for camouflage. Her survival and camouflage skills in the wild far surpassed those of ordinary Shadows. After preparing herself, she moved to a more concealed location.

After waiting for two hours, An Jiu again used her mental power to probe.

This time, she finally detected the presence of six people, less than five li away. She felt slightly relieved.

The six people slowly ascended the mountain.

An Jiu did not intend to meet them. She would wait until they launched their ambush, then assist them from the sidelines—that would be considered participation.

However, instead of finding a suitable spot to observe the enemy’s movements, the six people were simply wandering around the mountain, which immediately aroused An Jiu’s suspicion!

She immediately withdrew her detection and did her best to conceal herself.

As night fell, she faintly heard voices. An Jiu listened intently.

“Senior Brother, we’ve searched almost the entire mountain, but we have not found a single person!” a young voice said.

Another person replied, “Listen to the Master; you cannot go wrong.”

The young man said angrily, “The Mei family are definitely members of the Konghe Army! I do not know what the Master is trying to do; is this not just inviting trouble?”

“The master set a trap. If he said he could capture them, he definitely could. Stop with the nonsense! Hurry up and search!”

An Jiu’s palms suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. These people wanted to capture her! Everyone believed that mental power could see things thousands of li away, but An Jiu knew it could only determine the number of people and their skill level. Wei Yuzhi also knew this, and he specifically chose six people to deceive her…

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But what about the dozen or so members of the Konghe Army? Could they have been wiped out so quickly and silently? A jumble of questions flashed through her mind. An Jiu gripped the dagger hilt tightly, the cool touch of the jade smoothing the turmoil in her heart.

The voice grew closer.