Hidden Shadow – CH 194

Chapter One-Hundred-Ninety-Four: To Fight or Not to Fight

Not far away, Zhu Pianxian blocked Sheng Changying’s path.

“Um… just now… just now…” Her mind was a mess, and she did not know what she was thinking. The last thoughtless question slipped out, “Does it hurt?”

Sheng Changying took a small step back. He had never been so close to a woman in his life.

“It’s alright,” He said, covering his face and turning away from her, hurriedly fleeing.

Zhu Pianxian had been with the caravan all day, staying in the carriage. She had not seen many people, but she knew these people were probably from the Konghe Academy, all ruthless individuals. Therefore, she had been cautious the whole way. Having been in the underworld, she had considerable experience and some ability to judge people. Just now, upon meeting that fox-eyed man, she felt he was different from the others; he did not have any murderous aura.

As Zhu Pianxian was thinking this, she saw Sheng Changying encounter a black-robed man wearing a ghost-face mask not far away. The two exchanged a brief greeting and then went their separate ways.

Immediately afterward, the black-robed man approached. Zhu Pianxian stepped aside, secretly glancing up as he passed.

That single glance stunned her. The ghostly mask concealed his face, but his eyes were like a deep autumn pool, his long, thick black eyelashes casting varying shades of shadow on them, as if the sky were vast and the water clear and cold.

Only after the man disappeared from sight did Zhu Pianxian come to her senses. Her first thought was that the men of the Konghe Academy were all of good quality. Secondly, Chu Dingjiang seemed to hold a high position here, and the black-robed man, dressed similarly to Chu Dingjiang, was clearly also of high status. And he had just greeted that fox-eyed man so politely!

What did this mean?!

Zhu Pianxian let out a cry and ran after Sheng Changying. “My Lord, please listen to me!”

Meanwhile, Chu Dingjiang was still on the rooftop debating whether or not to look when he sensed Gu Jinghong’s presence nearby. Because the post station was not very large… Chu Dingjiang initially paid no attention until Gu Jinghong appeared on the roof.

Chu Dingjiang gently pressed down on a tile, stood up, and asked, “What is it?”

“Let’s talk somewhere else,” Gu Jinghong said.

Chu Dingjiang nodded and followed him, leaping to the withered tree outside the courtyard.

“Lord Chu, I have a request,” Gu Jinghong said bluntly.

“Please speak,” Chu Dingjiang said.

“I’ve rebuilt the Dragon Martial Guards within the Konghe Army,” Gu Jinghong said, looking at Chu Dingjiang, unable to discern his emotions. “It’s not the Dragon Martial Guards used for alchemy, nor is it the one His Majesty permitted to rebuild. This secret guard is one I secretly established. It currently only has twenty men, but each one is capable of taking on a hundred. I want to entrust it to Lord Chu.”

Chu Dingjiang crossed his arms, looking at him calmly. “Why?”

“I’ve been observing Lord Chu for some time now, and I believe you can definitely lead an invincible Dragon Martial Guards.”

A gust of wind rose, stirring up dust and scattering his words.

At this moment, Chu Dingjiang was thinking that he finally understood why An Jiu disliked Gu Jinghong! Gu Jinghong was not old, but he exuded a desolate air of impending death. Chu Dingjiang thought he had to show him a positive side!

Realizing his thoughts, Chu Dingjiang was startled.

He coughed lightly. Back to the main point, “You want me to lead this secret guard to help the prince rebel?”

“No.” Gu Jinghong’s eyes held a faint smile. He had noticed what Chu Dingjiang had been thinking when he was distracted, but he did not expose him. He simply said calmly, “I do not know what to do either, but I do not have much time left. I do not want all my efforts to be in vain.”

Gu Jinghong took out a small notebook from his sleeve and handed it to Chu Dingjiang. “This is the roster.”

Seeing that Chu Dingjiang did not take it, he maintained the gesture and continued, “Lord Chu, this battle was a great victory. Even the Emperor was shaken. You will surely return with a high office and great rewards. I entrust the Dragon Martial Guards to you, My Lord, to help you realize your ambitions.”

“Where are you going?” Chu Dingjiang took the notebook, unfolded it, and looked it over. When he looked up again, Gu Jinghong was gone.

Chu Dingjiang suddenly unleashed a burst of force, shattering the notebook into dust, which fell to the ground.

He was not a suspicious person, but Gu Jinghong’s sudden action made him somewhat wary. Gu Jinghong said that “his days are numbered.” Could it be that he had been poisoned or was ill?

Chu Dingjiang felt this was unlikely. There was a renowned physician right in front of him, yet he’d never seen him go to examine him.

Chu Dingjiang did not know Gu Jinghong very well, so these baseless speculations would not lead to anything. He simply put it aside for the time being; after all, there were more pressing matters at hand!

With a flash, his tall figure reappeared in front of Mo Sigui’s door.

Standing in the darkness for a moment, Chu Dingjiang poked a hole in the window paper, letting in a beam of pale yellow light.

This was not the first time he’d infiltrated to observe a target, but for some reason, he felt this time his actions were rather sleazy.

Through the small hole, Chu Dingjiang saw An Jiu rise from the bed, her clothes disheveled, revealing a patch of white skin on her chest, the shape of her breasts vaguely visible. Her hair was loosely styled, and a few strands of black hair had fallen, making her face appear even smaller, giving her a pitiful look.

The sight ignited a fire in Chu Dingjiang’s heart.

Mo Sigui washed his hands in the basin, saying, “After you go back, you need to rebuild yourself as soon as possible. Tell me honestly, what happened to you? Was your body damaged?”

Chu Dingjiang could only see An Jiu’s profile from the outside, but his intuition told him she had already recovered.

Sure enough, An Jiu’s icy voice came from inside, “Was it damaged by mental energy?”

“This…” Mo Sigui paused in wiping his hands. “Logically speaking, it is impossible, but…”

“Nothing is impossible,” An Jiu interrupted him, saying, “Wei Yuzhi’s mental energy can kill; he can manipulate external objects with his mental energy.”

“What?!” Mo Sigui was startled but quickly regained his composure. What mattered to him most was her illness. “Your injuries were not caused by external forces. If what you say is true, I suspect your injuries were caused by your own mental energy.” Initially, only minor cracks appeared in her body, but as she continued to use her mental energy, the wounds inside her body would grow larger.

After a pause, Mo Sigui slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, “Your meridians are already damaged; do not be reckless! From now on, you cannot use your mental energy to use the Startling the String without my permission! You cannot use your mental energy!”

Chu Dingjiang was immediately enraged. What kind of attitude was this? What a brat!

“I understand.” An Jiu straightened her clothes, glanced at the sweet potatoes he had placed on the stove, and got up to leave.

Chu Dingjiang immediately leaped into the courtyard, hands behind his back, gazing at the sky.

The door creaked open, and he slowly turned around, saying in a deep voice, “All done?”

“Yes,” An Jiu replied indifferently. She still remembered her foolishness from a few days ago and felt a little embarrassed facing Chu Dingjiang, so she could only hide it with indifference.

Chu Dingjiang nodded. “If there’s nothing else, go back and rest. I have some things to discuss with the Divine Physician.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Sigui slammed the door shut with his sleeve, shouting from inside, “I have nothing to discuss with you!”

An Jiu took a few steps, then turned back and said, “Do not hit him.”

“Do not worry, I am not an unreasonable person.” Chu Dingjiang strode towards Mo Sigui’s room, ultimately not deciding whether to hit him or not.

An Jiu pondered for a moment, then strode back into the house and sat in the darkness, her eyes shining as she stared at the doorway.

A moment later, Chu Dingjiang appeared silently in her room.

An Jiu looked around, sniffing the air. “You did not bring sweet potatoes?”

“Disappointed?” Chu Dingjiang smiled, stepping forward to take her hand.

An Jiu tried to pull away, but he said, “I bought a fresh leg of lamb and some sweet potatoes from a village along the way. Do you like lamb?”

Chu Dingjiang noticed she had stopped, his smile deepening. “Let’s go.”

The two slipped out of the inn and stopped by a nearby stream. It was deserted, a fire had been set up, and a large bamboo basket sat nearby.

An Jiu peeked over and exclaimed, “What’s this?”

“Chestnuts.” Chu Dingjiang took off his cloak and tossed it beside the fire, started a flame, and knelt to prepare the lamb leg.

An Jiu had seen chestnuts before, but these spiky things looked a little different from what she remembered. She picked one up and curiously poked at it.

Chu Dingjiang would occasionally look up to see how she was having fun, a smile in his eyes.