Hidden Shadow – CH 196

Chapter One-Hundred-Ninety-Six: Dream Lover

The feeling of her heart pounding uncontrollably.

When An Jiu was with Mei Jiu, she often felt it; when Mei Jiu was fearful and tense, her heart seemed to leap out of her throat.

She too had moments of fear, when she witnessed her mother’s death, when she accidentally killed her father, when she was trained in the organization to repeatedly exchange the blood of others for her own life…

This tension forced her to recall those unbearable past events, so she resisted.

But the panic she felt when kissing Chu Dingjiang just now was like nervousness and fear, yet something else entirely…

“Ah Jiu,” Chu Dingjiang called softly.

An Jiu sensed Chu Dingjiang’s approach and shrank back, avoiding his gaze. “Let’s go back.”

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Even if Chu Dingjiang was wise, he could not guess the reason for An Jiu’s hesitation and assumed she was rejecting him.

“Let’s go.” Chu Dingjiang did not use his lightness skill but followed An Jiu slowly.

He expected to be emotional; after all, he had never experienced such a rejection before, yet he remained surprisingly calm.

Chu Dingjiang had never focused his attention on matters of love. Long ago, he had had women, more than one, but they were all fleeting, their faces long forgotten. Only two remained vividly in his memory—Zhao Zhangji and Song Huaijin.

These two women were completely different. Zhao Zhangji was the woman of the King of Zhao; her beauty alone was enough to drive men across the land mad. He had seen Zhao Zhangji when he was a child; she sat in a magnificent carriage, surrounded by draped gauze. When the wind blew, her breathtaking face was etched deeply into his mind. A few years later, the King of Zhao died, and Zhao Zhangji committed suicide out of love. Later, he gradually became more cunning and understood that Zhao Zhangji’s suicide was not out of love, but rather for a purpose. He admired her even more; how rare it was for a woman to possess intelligence beyond mere beauty! If he had ever truly loved any woman, it was only Zhao Zhangji. As for Song Huaijin, there was no question of admiration, not even a hint of affection. The only reason he remembered her was that this woman had risen to become a powerful figure in the Qin state through her own abilities; her extraordinary talent surpassed that of countless men, truly a rare find.

But his feelings for An Jiu were different from his infatuation with Zhao Zhangji.

Zhao Zhangji was a dream. Even though he always knew she was the king’s woman, Chu Dingjiang never felt jealous. An Jiu, however, was real. Her fierce demeanor, her smile, the warmth in her hands—if one day…

Chu Dingjiang suddenly remembered Gu Jinghong’s words not long ago about offering An Jiu to the Emperor as a sacrifice. His heart skipped a beat. Was he destined to only gaze upon the king’s woman from afar?

“Ah Jiu,” Chu Dingjiang stepped forward, wanting to take her hand.

An Jiu, lost in thought, heard his voice and immediately turned to grasp his hand. Touching the familiar warmth, she felt a sense of peace.

She stopped in her tracks. She said to him, “It’s cold.”

Chu Dingjiang smiled and wrapped his cloak around her, saying helplessly, “You really treat me like your mother.”

An Jiu remained silent.

The two walked slowly, taking a stroll after dinner.

“Ah Jiu, have you ever been in love with any man?” Chu Dingjiang did not really want to know, but he needed to be sure if this child was like everyone else in this regard.

“In love?” An Jiu thought for a long time. When they were almost at the post station, she said, “I do not know, maybe.”

Chu Dingjiang’s breath hitched. He wanted to tell her she did not need to continue, but for some reason, he hesitated to speak.

“The commander in the organization,” An Jiu said, “He gives me missions, and every time I complete one, he comes to pick me up. He always rolls the car window down halfway, smokes while looking out, and when he sees me, he flicks away his cigarette, smiles, and gives me a thumbs-up. Those were my happiest moments.”

Some of the words were unfamiliar, but Chu Dingjiang understood the gist. “This person is clearly using you.”

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“I know, but only in that moment did I feel like I had a home, that there was always someone waiting for me there,” An Jiu said.

Chu Dingjiang hugged her tighter.

Back at the inn.

Chu Dingjiang went to find Mo Sigui alone.

As expected, he received another “enthusiastic” welcome, with even more poisonous creatures attacking than before, and the two little tigers thrashing about more vigorously.

Mo Sigui squatted in the corner, stirring a medicine jar with a bamboo stick, and said coldly, “What are you doing here again?”

“Has An Jiu fully recovered her senses?” Chu Dingjiang asked.

“Guess if I will tell you?” Mo Sigui emerged from the shadows, looking at him with resentment.

“Yes,” Chu Dingjiang said calmly. “You’ve only just begun your medical journey. It would be such a pity if you died young, would you not say?”

“Chu Dingjiang!” Mo Sigui slammed the medicine jar on the table. “Do not think I am afraid of you! I will not fall for that! Go ahead and kill me if you dare!”

“I’ve already experienced the spirit of the Divine Physician Mo,” Chu Dingjiang said indifferently, pulling a paper package from his pocket and placing it on the table. “I’ve collected quite a few things like this. I think you will be interested.”

“Do not dream about it, I…” Mo Sigui’s threat was cut short as he sniffed the air twice, silently leaning over to open the package. “Seven-leaf clover!” This herb grew on cliffs by the sea, said to be nourished by dragon’s saliva, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, and possessing longevity-promoting effects. If included in a good prescription, it could even bring the dead back to life! Mo Sigui immediately wrapped the herbs and stuffed them into his pocket. “Do you have any other herbs?”

“Yes, I used quite a few when I broke through to the Transcendent Realm. I do not have many left now, only a few dozen kinds!” Chu Dingjiang said.

Mo Sigui immediately dropped his resentful expression and seriously discussed An Jiu’s condition. “After I administered acupuncture once, Ah Jiu can now control her emotions. To fully recover, she needs a few more acupuncture sessions. However, based on what she said, I judge that her madness is showing signs of improvement.”

An Jiu had not shown any signs of madness in the past few days. Chu Dingjiang suspected she was a little abnormal because he knew An Jiu as a very wary person who would not easily allow anyone to get close. There was no reason for such a person to suddenly become an innocent little girl because of a complete stranger like Zhu Pianxian.

“What do you mean by her body being damaged by her own mental power?” Chu Dingjiang asked.

Mo Sigui leaned forward and sniffed. “How about we trade Blood Spirit Mushrooms for this problem?”

Chu Dingjiang took out a small cloth bag and tossed it to him.

“Tsk tsk, it is such a waste to have such a good thing in your hands, just casually putting it in this rag.” Mo Sigui took out a dark jar from his medicine box and put the dark red Blood Spirit Mushroom inside.

“It’s a pity there’s only this much left.” Chu Dingjiang did not urge him, patiently waiting for him.

“Ah Jiu’s body is showing varying degrees of damage. I have not found the cause. She said Wei Yuzhi’s mental power can control external objects to kill people, so I guessed that the damage to her body was caused by her mental power, but I need to confirm it.” Mo Sigui glanced at him. “Is there anything else you need to ask?”