Hidden Shadow – CH 176

Chapter One-Hundred-Seventy-Six: Gale (2)

“Yes!” everyone shouted in unison.

Gu Jinghong then proceeded to deploy the ambush plan.

Chu Dingjiang had stirred the blood of the group, but only temporarily. After all, this mission was tantamount to suicide for them. Thinking about it calmly, they still felt apprehensive. Fortunately, Gu Jinghong’s plan gave them a little more confidence.

Furthermore, this time Chu Dingjiang was leading the team. He was like a mountain; those who had previously interacted with him seemed to have found their backbone. Although they still had to fight to the death, they inexplicably felt at ease.

Mo Sigui understood the whole situation, silently went back to pack his things, and volunteered to participate.

He was a key protected individual of the entire Konghe Institute, so Gu Jinghong and Chu Dingjiang naturally refused outright.

Mo Sigui then requested to go out and purchase medicine, preparing to stock up on extra supplies for this mission.

Gu Jinghong did not object and sent two experts stationed at the ambush point to accompany and protect him.

The room was dimly lit.

An Jiu laid out all the hidden weapons she carried, applying poison to them.

“Ah Jiu.” Chu Dingjiang silently descended from the roof beam, settling steadily beside her.

An Jiu sensed a change in his aura compared to the past few days and swiftly slashed with her longsword.

The blade was stopped three inches from his black cloak by a powerful force, and visible cracks appeared on the blade. As she moved it aside, two fragments fell onto the table.

“Your power has recovered,” An Jiu said. Chu Dingjiang’s protective aura was even more formidable than when she first met him, clearly indicating that it was more than just a return to normalcy.

Chu Dingjiang said, “Eh, did I not say that my power being sealed was intentional?”

“No,” An Jiu said.

Chu Dingjiang’s voice held a hint of amusement. “It was my fault; I forgot.”

This was not forgetting; it was clearly intentional! An Jiu dropped the sword, picked up a dagger, wiped it with a cloth, and then applied poison. She said calmly, “You do not need to blame yourself. You are getting old; forgetfulness is common; it is understandable. However, given that you saved my life, I must responsibly remind you that your symptoms could indicate Alzheimer’s.”

Chu Dingjiang did not know what “Alzheimer’s” meant, but he understood the general idea. Far from being angry, he nodded in agreement, “You are right. So, while I am still healthy, I want to marry a woman, have a child, and pass on my intelligence to my children and grandchildren.”

An Jiu finished wiping her dagger and changed her sleeve dart, ignoring him.

Chu Dingjiang coughed, somewhat awkwardly, and said, “When are you free? Let’s discuss a time?”

An Jiu was concentrating on wiping her sleeve dart and only reacted after a while. She stopped, put down her things, and turned to look at him. “I am very busy; I do not have time.”

“Then we will discuss it when you are free.” Chu Dingjiang knew what she meant but deliberately misinterpreted it.

An Jiu only saw him get up, and then her vision was filled with only a blurry image.

An Jiu paused, then silently continued what she was doing, wiping for a while. Suddenly, she stopped, her brows furrowing slightly as she muttered to herself: “Could I have been teased…?”

She pondered for a long time. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.

“This matter…” An Jiu murmured, staring at the rag in her hand, “is a bit regretful.”

What was she thinking about just now, missing something so interesting?

“By the way,” Chu Dingjiang reappeared before her, his hand emerging from his cloak, placing a handful of arrows in front of her. “The arrowheads of these arrows have been specially forged, and like your dagger, they can penetrate protective qi. Save them to deal with experts of eighth or ninth level, or even Transcendent Realm. The assassins from Piaomiao Mountain Mansion have drugs to enhance their power; last time the drugs had flaws; this time it might not be so.”

An Jiu ignored these things and instead asked him, “How many do you think will come back alive?”

Chu Dingjiang was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “If only two can survive, it will definitely be you and me. If I am here, you will be here.”

Before An Jiu could reply, he left.

An Jiu stared blankly at the spot where he stood.

Chu Dingjiang was actually fleeing.

He spoke calmly, but his heart was in turmoil. It was not shyness; after all, he had lived for many years and was no longer a novice in matters of love. His feelings were simply complex. Before, he had seen women merely as objects for procreation and satisfying lust, insignificant. Now, even the matter of procreation was viewed indifferently. He himself could not explain his feelings for An Jiu.

When Chu Dingjiang was still a descendant of the Hua family, he never dreamed he would one day treat a woman this way.

The wind was cold, the moon bright, and the frost silvery.

Chu Dingjiang exhaled and disappeared into the darkness.

Nine days later, a conflict erupted between the Yu family and the Piaomiao Mountain Mansion.

The cause was that the Piaomiao Mountain Mansion’s pursuit of Zhu Pianxian failed, and as agreed, they paid a large sum of money in compensation. Chu Dingjiang secretly had this money deposited in installments into the Yu family’s bank.

The manager of Piaomiao Mountain Mansion, considering Zhu Pianxian’s relationship with the Yu family and the Yu family’s recent strange behavior, speculated that Yu Pianfei wanted to force Zhu Pianxian back to the Yu family. Therefore, he devised this two-birds-with-one-stone scheme: earning double the compensation while getting Zhu Pianxian to obediently return.

Piaomiao Mountain Mansion was willing to honor its promise and pay compensation, and it was not that it could not afford the failure of the mission, but being tricked for no reason was intolerable!

The manager dared not report this shameful matter to his superiors, deciding to resolve the issue first and then apologize. He ordered the pursuit and killing of Yu Pianfei and Zhu Pianxian, deploying over a dozen assassins.

The Yu family had dominated Yangzhou for many years and were not simple characters. These dozen or so assassins could not defeat them immediately, but the relentless pursuit by Piaomiao Mountain Mansion made Yu Pianfei suffer greatly. He knew that he had tricked Chu Dingjiang some time ago; this was Chu Dingjiang’s warning, forcing the Yu family to join forces against Piaomiao Mountain Mansion rather than remain indifferent.

With his escape route cut off, Yu Pianfei was not the type to cower and take the beating. He decided to go all out and actively hunt down the assassins from Piaomiao Mountain Mansion.

This was unprecedented! It immediately caused a huge sensation in the martial arts world!

Just as Piaomiao Mountain Mansion’s attention was being drawn away, trouble struck back in Bianjing. The Konghe Army had wiped out four of their hidden strongholds.

The mansion’s leader suspected that the Yu family was also part of the Konghe Army. Was the Konghe Army planning to sacrifice the Yu family to wipe out their Bianjing forces, or was it trying to use a diversionary tactic to weaken them and then attack the mansion itself? Unable to make a decision, the mansion leader immediately released a large number of carrier pigeons to seek advice from the elusive Wei Yuzhi.

Meanwhile, Chu Dingjiang led twenty-six men to stealthily infiltrate the northernmost part of Piaomiao Mountain Mansion. This location was furthest from the docks, preventing them from being easily caught in a pincer movement.

However, even so, this was still the most lopsided battle.

Everyone fought with the resolve to die.

The objective of this battle was slaughter.

The greatest victory in this battle was to escape unscathed.