Hidden Shadow – CH 153

Chapter One-Hundred-Fifty-Three: Journey

“You saw most of what happened that day, right?”

Lu Danzhi called Cui Yichen his nephew, but when he saw his face, he was very surprised, as if he did not recognize him at all.

“Yes,” Chu Dingjiang said, “I can guess what happened.”

An Jiu nodded.

Chu Dingjiang thought for a moment, “Decades ago, the Cui family was just an ordinary clan in the Konghe Army. Later, a martial arts prodigy, Cui Huling, emerged, and the Cui family’s strength began to grow, even once replacing the Li family among the four great families. Cui Huling’s sons did not produce any outstanding talents, but his grandson, Cui Yichen, was, so the family had a successor. Unfortunately, Cui Yichen was obsessed with martial arts and ignored worldly affairs, causing the Cui family to decline.”

“Obsessed with martial arts?” An Jiu could not see any trace of “obsession” in the seemingly cunning Cui Yichen; on the contrary, he seemed like a madman…

A smile appeared in Chu Dingjiang’s eyes. “I think the same as you; I suspect Cui Yichen has gone mad.”

“So, the Cui family is not a traitor?” An Jiu vaguely understood that this was another conspiracy, just like the ones targeting the Lou and Mei families.

“Hmm. Whether it is destroying the Mei and Lou families or labeling the Cui family as traitors, the target is always those members of these families within the Konghe Army.”

Chu Dingjiang was very interested in this person; her ruthlessness surpassed even his own back then.

If, as others speculated, the mastermind was Yelu Huangwu of Liao, then this girl was truly remarkable. A young woman possessing such methods and ruthlessness.

The shadow of the Konghe families was not eradicated. Eventually, both the Emperor and the families realized it was a setup and a misunderstanding. However, the Emperor’s initial attitude in handling these matters blatantly revealed his distrust and disregard for these families.

An intractable knot had formed between the Emperor and the Konghe families. Suspicion had grown in the Emperor’s heart, and the ministers’ hearts wavered; the sharp blade had dulled.

The root cause of this situation was the Emperor’s utter incompetence. He was born the Crown Prince. This was not his fault, but having ascended to that position, even without the talent to wield absolute power, he should not have acted recklessly! He occupied the position without doing his job, yet constantly suspected others of coveting it. If Chu Dingjiang had a short temper, he would have already attempted the assassination of the Prince of Qin, like Jing Ke.

“The Cui family has been infiltrated by the Liao Kingdom at some point. They are no longer the same Cui family. The Emperor ordered all the Cui family’s spies imprisoned, and several died under torture,” Chu Dingjiang sneered. “Since he did this, he should have compounded his mistake by killing everyone in the Cui family, making the other families believe that the Cui family had indeed rebelled. But he actually released them.”

Innocent people died under torture; how could the Cui family members be at peace? Seeing the Emperor so indiscriminately and arbitrarily treat them like this, the other families could only grow more disloyal.

Chu Dingjiang was certain that the Liao Kingdom’s next target was the Imperial Konghe Academy.

Was Wei Yuzhi’s imprisonment in the Imperial Konghe Academy truly a coincidence?

Chu Dingjiang, in any case, did not believe it. He could not be sure. He planned to seize the initiative and steer the situation in his desired direction—to bring Wei Yuzhi out of the Konghe Academy and kill him.

Unfortunately, before he could act, Wei Yuzhi slipped away.

Chu Dingjiang’s original plan was simply to do something significant that would reach the Emperor’s ears, and this significant event was not necessarily an attack on the Piaomiao Mountain mansion. However, the opportunity presented itself, and he seized it.

On the other hand, it was also to protect An Jiu.

Wei Yuzhi possessed powerful mental strength; he could simply stand in the Konghe Academy and know how many people were inside and their distribution. If the Piaomiao Mountain mansion’s next target was indeed the Konghe Academy, then An Jiu, who had captured him, would likely be treated as a spy.

An Jiu had also considered this, which was why she was somewhat agitated after hearing that Wei Yuzhi had escaped. Now, upon careful consideration, she realized it was indeed necessary to personally attack the Piaomiao Mountain mansion.

After reviewing the information, the two returned to their residence to pack and prepare for departure.

Before leaving, An Jiu went to visit her neighbor next door.

Chu Dingjiang waited outside. She had barely gone in when Mo Sigui roared, “You want all that to eat?!”

“…”

Mo Sigui rummaged through the bottles and jars, picking out about ten and placing them on the table. “Here, that’s all. I am a physician who heals the sick, not a poison king.”

“Just one bottle of Jade Tears Clothes?” An Jiu picked up a small jade gourd.

Mo Sigui fanned himself, his hair flying. “Jade Tears Clothes is very expensive. Some of the ingredients are hard to find; even the container is expensive. I consider money dirt, so money considers me dirt too. Where would I get the money to buy these things?”

An Jiu completely ignored him, asking about the toxicity and usage of all the poisons, then put them away. “Goodbye.”

“Hey, do you have any last words?” Mo Sigui teased her.

An Jiu thought about it seriously for a moment: “Be obsessed with medicine, but do not forget humanity.”

Mo Sigui opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally replied with two words, “Get lost!”

He just could not understand why everyone who held a place in his heart had to advise him like this. Elder Qi at least said, “Do not betray affection,” but good heavens, An Jiu’s words became “Do not forget humanity.” Did he, Mo Sigui, really look that despicable?!

An Jiu turned to the door and saw a small basket behind it. Two tiger cubs were huddled together in their den, their wet eyes anxiously staring at her.

“You raided the tiger’s den?” An Jiu turned to look at Mo Sigui. “What are you doing?”

Mo Sigui’s butterfly had died while tracking, and he had suffered countless hardships on his journey to find An Jiu. He had always wanted to use tigers and wolves as the medicinal ingredient for the tracking incense, but he did not want to explain this to her so clearly.

He clicked his tongue, sighing wistfully and helplessly. “I am so lonely!”

An Jiu reached out and scratched the heads of the two tiger cubs, then opened the door and went out.

Mo Sigui ran over and smoothed the ruffled fur, saying with disdain, “You just handled poison.”

These two tigers would be fed with his specially concocted poison for a year, during which time they could not come into contact with anything else containing medicinal properties.

At Dawn.

The city gates had just opened, and Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu slowly made their way out of the city in a queue.

An Jiu wore a human skin mask, still the ordinary-looking young man, dressed neatly and cleanly. Chu Dingjiang also wore a mask, his face covered with a full beard, making his features almost unrecognizable. He wore a coarse cloth outfit that accentuated his muscular physique, and a long sword wrapped in thick deerskin was slung over his back; at first glance, he looked like a bandit hero.

The imperial court had certain regulations on carrying swords, and the government would keep a close eye on people like Chu Dingjiang. As long as they were not wanted criminals, they would turn a blind eye and let them go.