Hidden Shadow – CH 149

Chapter One-Hundred-Forty-Nine: Assassination

Three Startling the String arrows absorbed the white powder, transforming into translucent arrows!

The powder seemed propelled by some airflow, flowing like compounds within the arrows, as if ready to explode at any moment.

An Jiu released her fingers, and the three arrows flew out simultaneously, weaving through the rainy night without any resistance.

She immediately changed position and fired several more arrows.

The drug prepared by Mo Sigui was extremely potent; contact with it would cause unconsciousness within two breaths.

Seeing the men swaying precariously, An Jiu flashed across the corridor. A guard saw her, and before he could even utter a shout, a dagger grazed his neck, and then she gently laid his limp body to the ground.

The surrounding guards fell one after another.

Madam Li, who was serving Li Ting as he washed up inside, heard the commotion and called out, “What happened?”

The doors and windows suddenly burst open, the night wind and rain rushing in, extinguishing the candles.

In the instant the fire went out, An Jiu darted in, confirming that the person sleeping unconscious on the bed was indeed Li Ting.

The room plunged into darkness. Like a ghost of the night, she moved with lightning speed, swiftly and precisely locating Li Ting. With a swift, deadly slit, she severed his throat with a dagger, then quickly leaped out of the front window.

All her movements were fluid and seamless, happening in the blink of an eye. Madam Li could never have imagined that her living husband had become a corpse the moment the light went out. She smelled the heavy stench of blood and felt the warmth on her hands, realizing what had happened. She threw away the handkerchief in her hand and screamed shrilly, “Help! Help!”

“My husband…” An Jiu heard Madam Li’s desperate cries as she climbed over the wall.

She gritted her teeth and strode away.

Chaos erupted within the Li residence.

She ran along the imperial road, the rainy night desolate.

Suddenly, a chill ran down An Jiu’s spine. She felt as if someone was watching her, but even with her mental power, the sensation was blurry!

“Haha, Fourteenth Young Lady, I’ve finally caught you.” A figure appeared ten chi in front of her, drawing his bow without a word. “Come and test your archery skills against me.”

It was that madman again.

Between life and death, An Jiu calmly looked at him. “I am afraid not. My internal energy is destroyed; I cannot fire a single arrow.”

“You are lying!” The madman lowered his bow and rushed in front of her, his fingers gripping her pulse. Wisps of icy energy coursed through her damaged meridians, causing a sudden cold sweat to break out on her forehead.

“Haha!” The madman released his grip, laughing wildly. “Then I am the best in the world!”

An Jiu was stunned by his low, powerful voice. When she came to her senses, she felt a murderous aura approaching from behind. She tried to dodge, but the madman gripped her wrist tightly, the force almost crushing her wrist bones.

“Since this woman is no longer destined for Startling the String, then she’s useless,” Cui Yichen’s voice was icy. “Kill her.”

The Madman obediently raised his palm, but An Jiu remained fearless. “Even if you kill me, you will always be second.” The hand, about to strike her head, paused.

Cui Yichen was anxious. “When a person dies, they return to dust. If you do not kill her, there will always be people stronger than you in this world!”

The Madman was conflicted. Should he kill her or not? He was born for martial arts; that was what he valued most.

An Jiu quietly gripped the hilt of her dagger. While he was lost in thought, she slashed his wrist.

The Madman possessed protective qi and had not been injured in a long time. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain and jerked his hand back.

An Jiu turned and rushed towards Cui Yichen.

She had already decided to go all in when she made her move. The Madman was at the Transcendent Realm, and Cui Yichen was at the seventh or eighth level. Under their combined attack, she had no chance of escape. It was better to risk everything and pick one she could control.

Under the crushing pressure of her powerful mental energy, Cui Yichen indeed froze.

An Jiu grabbed his collar and dragged him in front of her. “If you do not want to die, tell him to get at least a hundred chi away immediately.”

Cui Yichen’s eyes flickered. He could not let the Madman leave. This woman exuded a chilling killing intent, like a death squad member raised by the Piaomiao Mountain mansion. Once she was out of danger, she would most likely not let him go.

“Speak!” An Jiu’s dagger was already embedded in his flesh.

“Kill me, and you will not escape either. How about we trade our lives?” At the height of tension, he actually relaxed.

An Jiu sneered, “You think I would not dare!”

With that, she suddenly exerted force, blood spurting out. An Jiu’s slash was perfectly timed: deep enough, but not enough to kill him immediately.

“Little Chenzi!” The madman, seeing Cui Yichen bleeding so much, instantly flew into a rage. His strength, like a raging storm, condensed in his palm, turning the surrounding rain into icy pellets that stung the faces of those he held captive.

“Spare him!” A loud shout came from afar.

In the rain, a man, an umbrella, and a lamp appeared. The man wore tattered robes, had a full beard, and was barefoot in clogs, his footsteps clattering on the cobblestones as he ran towards them. “Release my nephew!”

An Jiu had not seen many people with such a personality, so he easily recognized him—a friend of Hua Rongjian, the mask maker.

“Huh?” Lu Danzhi, seeing the man An Jiu was holding hostage, paused. “Is he Cui Yichen?”

Lu Danzhi had learned from Hua Rongjian that Cui Huling’s death was suspicious, so he had begun investigating everything that had happened to the Cui family in recent years. A few days ago, he received news that Cui Yichen had appeared in Bianjing, and he had been wandering the streets and alleys every night. He knew Cui Yichen was involved in assassinations for someone and would definitely be out at night. Sure enough, he’d run into him today. But this kid was clearly not his elder brother’s son!

Lu Danzhi shone a lantern on Cui Yichen’s face. “My elder brother was incredibly handsome in his youth, the most handsome man in the martial world. My sister-in-law was also a renowned beauty. How could they have given birth to such a thing?”

An Jiu pulled Cui Yichen back a few steps.

Lu Danzhi was puzzled. He’d seen Cui Yichen by chance two or three years ago. Even if he changed, he could not possibly become someone else. This young man, being held hostage, only shared the same name; his appearance and build were completely different.

“What’s going on…” He felt this could not be a coincidence.

Lu Danzhi’s appearance broke the tense atmosphere. An Jiu shoved Cui Yichen towards the madman and turned to run.

She had not run far when a dark figure fell from the roof of a nearby house. An Jiu recognized it as Chu Dingjiang and let him carry her away.

An Jiu’s damaged meridians were injured again, giving her a sensation of blood rushing to her head, threatening to burst through her skull. However, upon contact with Chu Dingjiang’s body temperature, the discomfort subsided.

Noticing An Jiu’s subtle change, Chu Dingjiang immediately used his true qi to heal her upon returning to the Konghe Courtyard.

A warm current flowed slowly along her meridians, which, like parched land receiving rain, absorbed the energy continuously.

Within the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, Chu Dingjiang’s true qi was almost completely depleted. Fortunately, the nails suppressing his cultivation were still in place, preserving some of his true qi—a blessing in disguise.

“Chu Dingjiang? Are my meridians also of the Fire element?” An Jiu felt her strength abundant, her spirit more closely integrated with her body. She believed she could now leap two or three zhang without difficulty.

“Yes.” Chu Dingjiang sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

An Jiu did not disturb him, lost in thought. The events of tonight had been too sudden, and why had the madman happened to block her way?