Hidden Shadow – CH 144

Chapter One-Hundred-Forty-Four: Fighting in the Dark Alley (2)

The old man was also a seasoned expert, only one step away from the Transcendent Realm. Although his mental strength was suppressed and his movements were somewhat restricted, he used all his internal energy in every counterattack.

After a few exchanges, both of them were injured.

An Jiu’s injuries were to her internal organs, not external wounds. The old man’s body was covered in cuts from the sharp blades, his clothes were tattered, and he looked extremely disheveled.

She used her mental strength to cover the entire dark alley, concealing their presence and preventing anyone from finding them.

After slightly adjusting her breathing, she attacked again with her twin blades.

Most experts would first find their opponent’s weak point before making a move, but An Jiu was different. She always sought opportunities during the fight.

Clang!

An Jiu’s sword, which was aimed at the old man’s throat, was blocked. Her other sword pierced his abdomen.

The old man felt a slight chill in his abdomen, his eyes sharpened, and he suddenly pinched the sword between his two fingers. An Jiu remained unmoved. Instead of engaging the old man in a physical struggle, she twisted her wrist, changing the sword’s edge from vertical to horizontal. With a snap, the sword broke, and the old man’s finger was severed, exposing the bone.

Discarding the broken sword, An Jiu drew another from her back and plunged it viciously into his ribs. This entire sequence of actions took less than a breath.

The old man used his inner strength to shake her off violently.

An Jiu’s body flew like a kite with a broken string, but she did not slam against the wall as the old man had expected. Instead, she threw away her sword, braced herself against the wall with both hands, and pushed off with her feet, springing back sharply.

Four zhang away, she regained her balance the moment her feet touched the ground, and almost without hesitation, she charged forward, drawing her longsword from her back with her right hand and deflecting the soft sword from her waist with her left. Taking advantage of the brief moment, the old man clutched his wound while drawing his sword; she launched another fierce attack.

The old man quickly retreated two steps, raising his cane to block the sword’s attack. His long, withered fingers, covered in nails, suddenly turned a dark purple, clawing straight for her throat.

Whether it was an illusion or not, An Jiu felt his arm seemed much longer than before.

She immediately withdrew her sword, leaning back to avoid the attack, and kicked him in the lower abdomen.

The old man swiftly pulled back, grabbing her ankle and dragging her backward.

An Jiu’s other leg was now unable to bear the weight, so she used her right hand, holding the longsword, to support herself, kicking his arm.

The old man let out a sinister laugh, pulling her along as they suddenly began to run at high speed.

The longsword scraped against the stone slabs with a piercing, sharp sound, sparks flying.

The old man’s long nails dug into An Jiu’s ankle; she frowned. Her lips pressed tightly together, her mind racing, calculating the situation.

The fingernails were clearly poisonous. If she did not escape her current situation quickly, the poison would take effect soon, and there would be no turning back! However, the opportunity was fleeting. An Jiu made up her mind, discarding her longsword, her only support, and as she fell, she pulled the trigger on her sleeve.

At such close range, the arrow pierced the old man’s forearm in the blink of an eye, and the laughter stopped abruptly.

At the same time, An Jiu tried her best to lift her head, her shoulder hitting the ground heavily with a muffled thud. She felt her internal organs shake violently, as if she could vomit her heart out; her mouth was instantly filled with a metallic taste.

Ignoring everything else, she reached into the antidote she had placed in her leg pocket and immediately swallowed it.

The old man seemed to value his left hand particularly. Upon seeing his arm injured, he roared. The chaotic internal force caused the high walls on both sides to collapse with a deafening crash.

The antidote dissolved into a fragrant liquid that slid down An Jiu’s throat, bringing a slight sense of relief. She looked up and saw the old man charging towards her.

An Jiu’s legs were momentarily numb. Seeing the approaching killing intent, she drew her Dragon-Subduing Bow, focusing her mental energy at her fingertips.

The Dragon-Subduing Bow could still be drawn a few inches. The arrows it fired might not be very powerful, but they were enough for such a short distance with her mental energy.

Closer!

An Jiu released her fingers, and the bowstring hummed softly.

In an instant, the wind in the alley picked up, whipping the old man’s clothes and hair. An Jiu gritted her teeth, drew her dagger, and leaped forward, flying like a sharp arrow after the bowstring had been drawn.

The bow attack arrived first. The old man’s mind went blank for a moment.

When he regained his senses, he looked down and saw a pair of pale hands holding a dagger, firmly embedded in his heart.

“Ah—!” the old man howled, gripping An Jiu’s shoulder tightly. Knowing he had no hope of survival, he unleashed his inner force, determined to drag An Jiu down with him.

An Jiu twirled her dagger, carving a bloody hole. The blade flashed like lightning, slicing across his neck.

The leaking inner force stopped abruptly. An Jiu spat out a mouthful of blood, pulled the old man’s fingers from her shoulder, pushed him away, and with a grim face, stabbed him several more times in the dantian before staggering away, carrying the Dragon-Subduing Bow on her back.

The loud crash of the collapsing wall startled the patrons in Pan Tower and the patrolling soldiers.

When they arrived, they saw a chaotic alley, a still-warm corpse lying on the ground, a bloody hole in its chest, and blood gushing out.

The constables examined the body; it was emaciated, its eyes wide open, as if terrified or bewildered. The weapon that had pierced the chest was unclear—whether it was a sword or a dagger. The fingernails were sharp, covered in blood and flesh, and a dark purple color; it was unclear whether it was poison or a claw wound, but the crowd leaned towards the latter.

The old man had a fierce face, his aura radiating malevolence; he was clearly not a kind person. Therefore, many watched the spectacle, but only a few commented on the murderer’s brutality.

The dark alley was bustling with noise. An Jiu concealed her presence, enduring excruciating pain as she hurried back to the Konghe Courtyard.

Upon reaching the Imperial Road, she suddenly sensed an eighth-rank figure rapidly approaching from behind. She immediately spun around and fired a hidden arrow.

The figure dodged, recognizing the Dragon-Subduing Bow on An Jiu’s back. “It’s me!”

It was Lou Mingyue.

Once she steadied herself, An Jiu saw that Lou Mingyue was disheveled, having just survived a fierce battle.

“Hurry!” Lou Mingyue said. “When I went back to find you, I was stopped by a ninth-rank cultivator. I barely managed to escape with all my might.”

“Mm.” An Jiu nodded. The sharp pain in her ankle proved that her senses had fully returned. Having experienced the pain of rebuilding her body, this pain was almost negligible.

She wrapped her ankle in a strip of cloth and hurried along with Lou Mingyue.

Lou Mingyue also suffered severe internal injuries and could not muster any internal energy, so her pace was not very fast.

It took them almost the time it takes to drink two cups of tea to get from the Imperial Road to the Konghe Academy.

Mo Sigui had taken a basket of top-grade medicinal herbs from the pharmacy. He had just stepped outside when he smelled a strong stench of blood. Smelling blood was commonplace in a place like the Konghe Academy, and he had not paid much attention at first. However, he noticed the smell persisted all the way to his residence and quickened his pace.

Upon entering the courtyard, a heavy stench of blood filled the darkness.

Mo Sigui threw down the basket of herbs and rushed into his room following the scent.

“You are back,” An Jiu said hoarsely.

Mo Sigui fumbled for a flint and lit a lamp, seeing two bloodied figures sitting back-to-back on the ground.

Lou Mingyue was injured by sword energy, suffering not only superficial wounds but also internal organ damage. An Jiu, on the other hand, mostly suffered internal injuries; more than half the blood on her was from the old man.

“She’s unconscious. You should help her first,” An Jiu said.

Mo Sigui grabbed their wrists. “You underestimate me!” After checking their pulses for a while, he got up and rummaged through a pile of bottles and jars in the corner, pulling out two pills. He gave one to each of them, then carried Lou Mingyue to the bed. “Lie down on the couch.”

An Jiu silently got up and lay down.

This was the difference between love and hate. In a man’s eyes, even if his lover was stronger than ten men tied together, she was still a woman who needed his care. But to his friends, he saw little difference between a tough woman and a tough man.

An Jiu could not fathom the “mystery” behind it all, but fortunately, she harbored no resentment. She simply felt the two had a deep bond, and it was perfectly normal for Mo Sigui to take care of Lou Mingyue.

Mo Sigui busied himself preparing things.

“I can do it myself,” An Jiu said, opening her eyes.

“Alright.” Mo Sigui put the things down and explained, “The poison in your body is temporarily suppressed by the Hundred Poisons Antidote. I will come back in a couple of cups of tea’s time to release the poison. As for the internal organ injuries, you only need a few days of rest. You are an external cultivator; I will ensure any physical injury is perfectly healed. Ningyu’s injuries, if not treated properly, might cause a drop in her cultivation.”

An Jiu loosened her clothes, saying indifferently, “Instead of wasting time on nonsense, you could get many things done.”

“…”

Mo Sigui returned to the bedside, first using his internal energy to help Lou Mingyue repair her dantian and stabilize her qi sea before cutting open her clothes, cleaning her thoroughly, and stitching up several large wounds.

After finishing everything, he returned to release the poison from An Jiu.

Finally, two tubs of medicinal bath were prepared, and the two of them were stuffed inside.

“I am exhausted!” Mo Sigui leaned against the table, panting heavily as he fanned himself. “You two are really cowards. You’ve only been out for less than a night, and you are already in this state. What kind of assassins are you? Go home and weave, cook, and take care of the kids.”

Lou Mingyue was still unconscious, so these words were naturally meant for An Jiu.

An Jiu was silent for a while, deeply considering the deeper meaning behind his words, and finally said sincerely, “Regarding your message, I will convey it to her truthfully once she wakes up.”

“Get lost!” Mo Sigui snapped his folding fan shut, nervously saying, “Do not say it!”

An Jiu nodded obediently.

“What sins have I committed?” Mo Sigui sighed. “When I was little, I thought that since Ningyu was mischievous, I had to learn medicine. Damn it, do you think Heaven misunderstood me? I was thinking of minor squabbles! Not this!”

An Jiu found his thinking bizarre. “Why not think about mastering martial arts to protect her and prevent her from getting hurt again?”

“Even if it is an excuse…” Mo Sigui lowered his eyes, his folding fan slowly opening and closing repeatedly. “That’s because I understand her. She always fought on her own, even if she got hurt. If I intervened, she would get angry with me.”

“She’s always been strong-willed,” Mo Sigui looked at Lou Mingyue, his peach blossom eyes like a clear pool rippling gently. “Strong-willed people have heavy responsibilities. An Jiu, if you meet a man you love, listen to me: be weak when you need to be.”

An Jiu gave a muffled hum, pursed her lips, and submerged herself in the water.