Hidden Shadow – CH 206

Chapter Two-Hundred-Six: Whose Wedding?

Leaving the narrow alley, An Jiu headed straight for the imperial road.

Just now, while surrounded by many martial arts masters within the Konghe Army, An Jiu had a vague feeling that something was amiss. Only after leaving the Konghe Army’s territory did she realize that four people had indeed been following her.

Those four were all at the seventh level. An Jiu thought it over; she had just joined the Konghe Army and had not offended anyone. It was impossible for someone to want to kill her right away!

“Miss Mei.” A woman’s voice came from the dark alley behind her.

An Jiu stopped.

The woman said, “Lord Chu has sent four of us to carry out your mission. He also has a message for you.”

An Jiu, making sure no one else was around, asked, “What is it?”

“Lord Chu said your injuries have not healed yet. Until he returns, you only need to accept missions within seven days. We will complete all the missions for you.” The woman finished speaking and added, “My subordinate is He Cai, the sergeant of the Xuan Squad in the Divine Martial Team.”

The squads in the Konghe Army also had a ranking system ordered according to the Thousand Character Classic: “Heaven, Earth, Xuan, Huang.” He Cai was the third-ranked figure in the Divine Martial Team. The others were all squad leaders. Together, unless someone at the Transcendent Realm, like Chu Dingjiang, was capable of defeating them, no one could harm them.

An Jiu, however, was unaware of this. She only thought that since He Cai knew her situation, he must indeed have been dispatched by Chu Dingjiang.

“Thank you,” An Jiu said.

She currently felt nothing unusual about herself, but since Mo Sigui seemed so concerned, it must be something serious. It was best not to be reckless.

Seeing that she agreed, He Cai continued, “You can find a place to rest near the Imperial Road for a few days and then return to the Konghe Army after the mission.”

“Alright,” An Jiu agreed.

He Cai watched her leave from the dark alley. Three more people emerged from behind, one of them saying, “I could not sense a trace of internal energy in this woman. Why would Lord Chu choose her as his partner?”

He Cai said, “How many people in this world can detect that we are following her?”

“She noticed?” the man asked, slightly surprised.

“I reckon she noticed from the beginning,” He Cai said, glancing at the faintly brightening horizon. “Hurry up and prepare.”

…

The east was just beginning to lighten, the weak light illuminating the snow, a vast expanse of greyish white.

The trees along the road were covered in ice crystals, which shimmered more brilliantly as the light grew brighter.

An Jiu found a private inn to stay in. After disguising herself, she went out for a stroll, visiting a teahouse to see if she could hear about any recent weddings. Although this mission had been handed over to someone else, she still wanted to know at least a little bit about the situation.

The teahouse gradually filled up, the main hall bustling with people coming for morning tea. Because there were more people than seats, An Jiu had to share a table with others.

An Jiu looked around and walked to a table, asking the two scholars, “May I sit here?”

One of them looked up at An Jiu and smiled, “Please, go ahead.”

An Jiu sat down. She ordered a pot of tea and some snacks.

When the tea and food arrived, An Jiu said to the two men, “Let’s eat together.”

She rarely interacted with strangers. But she knew very well that to get information from others, she had to show them goodwill.

“Then we will not stand on ceremony,” said the same scholar from before. “Please, make yourself at home, young man.”

He pushed his tea and snacks towards the center.

After sitting for a while, An Jiu felt her choice was somewhat flawed. These two men were indeed quite talkative, but their discussion revolved entirely around the Liao invasion. However, a table next to them mentioned something—the Hua family’s wedding.

Unfortunately, they only exchanged a few words before changing the subject.

An Jiu waited for the two men at his table to rest, then asked, “May I ask if it is true that the Hua family is marrying a new bride?”

The amiable scholar replied, “Young man, have you just arrived in the capital? His Majesty bestowed a marriage upon the eldest son of the Hua family two months ago; it is the Tenth Sister of the Mei family.”

The Tenth Sister of the Mei family?

An Jiu asked, “Which Mei family?”

“Near Bianjing, which Mei family could possibly have His Majesty’s approval?” the other man, who had not spoken to An Jiu, said. “Not long ago, the Mei family was wiped out, almost completely exterminated! I heard that the current head of the Mei family offered a large sum of money to the court in exchange for a marriage alliance with the Hua family.”

The Tenth Sister of the Mei family… Mei Ruhan… An Jiu vaguely remembered her; she was close to Mei Ruyan, but was she not dead?

An Jiu clearly remembered that Chu Dingjiang had not mentioned her among the survivors.

“Speaking of the Mei family tragedy, it reminds me of the Lou family,” sighed the kind-looking student. “The Lou family, a group of women, held up their household; it was not easy for them. Who knew they would be wiped out by plague? Heaven is blind!”

A man at the next table interjected, “Young man, you may not know, but two members of the Lou family survived, though their whereabouts are unknown.”

“It’s all thanks to Physician Mo!” someone said.

This man’s voice was quite loud, and mentioning Mo Sigui seemed to infect the entire teahouse, with everyone starting to talk about rumors surrounding him.

One person spoke with a particularly loud voice, and what he said, unfamiliar to the others, quickly attracted most of the attention. Everyone fell silent and listened quietly. He said, “I heard that Physician Mo risked his life alone because he admired a woman from the Lou family. I personally witnessed him with a woman from the Lou family on the street. That woman was slender and graceful; even through her veil, one could vaguely discern her stunning beauty. Her almond-shaped eyes were like autumn water, and every smile and frown was captivating.”

An Jiu thought, Lou Mingyue did not have almond-shaped eyes. Could it be Lou Xiaowu? That girl was far from being considered exceptionally beautiful… Even at a speed of a hundred li per hour, it would take her several years to reach that level.

“At that time, the Lou family had already contracted the plague. The woman looked sorrowful, and Physician Mo, with his chivalrous heart, went to her alone without hesitation…”

The man’s story was roughly like this: Mo Sigui had already made a name for himself, and the Lou woman, having nowhere else to turn, begged him for help. Mo Sigui, skilled in medicine and compassionate, risked his life to go to the Lou family alone to save her. Later, he accidentally saw the face of the Lou woman and recognized her as his childhood sweetheart. His love for her rekindled, but the Lou clan was almost entirely wiped out. The Lou woman, refusing worldly desires, insisted on becoming a female Taoist priest…

What a poignant and moving love story! What a devoted physician!

An Jiu could not bear to listen any longer. She paid for her tea and left.

However, she was still somewhat surprised. The man’s fabrication was surprisingly accurate; if he had not mistaken the person, she would have believed he had witnessed it all.

But what concerned her most right now was not this but the matter of the Hua family’s eldest son marrying Young Lady Mei.

An Jiu had met Hua Rongtian once. The man resembled Chu Dingjiang; he was tall, with a handsome face that rarely showed emotion—a truly composed man.

“Mei Ruhan…” An Jiu murmured.

Upon hearing the news of the Mei family, An Jiu suddenly remembered something. She reached into her bosom and pulled out the jade pendant that the Mei family head had given her before his death.

There seemed to be many mysteries surrounding the Mei family.