Hidden Shadow – CH 262

Chapter Two-Hundred-Sixty-Two: An Jiu’s Excitement

The phrase “let’s discuss it further” left An Jiu speechless. She wondered if she should try to kidnap Mei Yanran.

But then she thought better of it. Had she not been hunted down enough in her past life? She did not need to completely avoid repeating the same mistakes in this life, but at least she should not needlessly incur hatred!

After thinking it over, An Jiu glanced at Mei Yanran and noticed a fleeting hint of wariness and distance in her eyes. She was slightly hurt but quickly recovered. For a wandering ghost who had somehow possessed her daughter’s body, not killing her was already showing mercy.

Mei Yanran saw her smile and did not know what to say next, because no matter what she said, she would not completely believe it.

After standing there for a few moments, Mei Yanran slipped out of the house.

An Jiu poured water but stopped just before it reached her lips. She emptied the kettle and went to the kitchen to boil water again.

Her mother was good, but unfortunately, she was not her own!

Mei Yanran’s reaction was something she had to be wary of.

An Jiu boiled water while thinking. So many changes had occurred around her in such a short time. Everyone else had made their own choices, but she had not. She drifted along; wherever fate pushed her, she floated there, never finding a direction, never even considering the meaning of her existence.

Even Mei Jiu knew she was aiming for marriage and children, while An Jiu was just a killing machine. She obeyed orders; everything she thought and did was related to her mission. It was not that she lacked intelligence, but she had long forgotten how to think and choose for herself.

An Jiu had never thought of pursuing her ambitions, much less marrying and having children…

So, where was her path?

An Jiu’s face was reflected in the warm glow of the fire in the stove, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on her face. She was a rat that only knew how to follow the swarm of rats, occasionally looking down on those who passed by—you foolish humans!

Actually, the most pathetic and laughable one was herself.

The water in the pot was boiling. An Jiu scooped some out with a ladle and carried it to the courtyard, intending to drink it directly from the ladle.

The moonlight was like water as she stood beside the vegetable garden that Sui Yuntong had cultivated. She saw that the recently sown seeds had already sprouted tender green shoots.

“You cannot water them with hot water!” Sui Yuntong saw her carrying a ladle of hot water to the edge of the garden and staring at the seedlings, so he rushed out of the house to stop her.

An Jiu, one hand on her hip and the other holding the hot water, calmly turned to look at Sui Yuntong rushing towards her and said, “Do you have a dream?”

Sui Yuntong’s movements suddenly stopped. He shook his hand, which was numb from the force of the impact, and looked at her strangely, thinking, “Is she having another episode?” So he carefully answered, afraid of saying anything that might offend her, “Yes.”

“What kind of dream?” An Jiu asked with interest.

Sui Yuntong glanced at the hot water in her hand, worried she might spill it on the ground or onto him. His muscles tensed slightly. “Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely gaze at the southern mountains. I want to find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, marry a simple, honest girl, and live a peaceful life.”

At this moment, he felt no sense of leisure or ease.

“Hmm,” An Jiu thought for a moment. “I do know a simple, honest girl.” Sui Yuntong was half nervous, half puzzled.

“She’s already married, but unfortunately, her marriage is not ideal. How about I introduce her to you?” The simple, honest girl in An Jiu’s mind was Mei Jiu.

Sui Yuntong did not respond to that. He could not help but ask, “What are you doing with that hot water?”

“Drinking!” An Jiu looked at him with an expression of utter disbelief.

“Oh, is that so?” Sui Yuntong relaxed, then continued his sentence. “I am still not in control of my own life; how could I possibly have the fortune to marry?”

“Whether it is fortune or not is hard to say. She just loves to cry.” An Jiu brought the water ladle to her lips. She took a sip. “Do you like this type?”

Sui Yuntong was speechless. Was this some kind of matchmaker? Not only was she mentioning a married woman, but she was also picking on the worst aspects.

Seeing An Jiu waiting earnestly for an answer, Sui Yuntong could only chuckle. “I like the feistier kind.”

Upon hearing this, An Jiu gave up. Mei Jiu rarely uttered harsh words, but she remembered Sui Yuntong’s words.

Sui Yuntong was completely unaware that his words today would lead to his “tragedy” for the rest of his life; he simply thought it was just flattering a lunatic.

“I am going back to my room,” Sui Yuntong said.

An Jiu hummed in agreement, then fell into deep thought. Her conversation with Sui Yuntong had suddenly sparked an idea. Since she could not find a direction, she might as well help others! Helping others fulfill their dreams was a good path! It could also be considered making amends for the killings she had committed.

An Jiu was a woman of action; she did what she thought of. After finishing her drink, she went to Li Qingzhi’s room.

Li Qingzhi was practicing his martial arts upside down from the roof beam when he saw An Jiu enter and jumped down.

In the dark room, he could vaguely see a glint in An Jiu’s eyes. “Do you have a dream?”

Li Qingzhi was taken aback. His first reaction was the same as Sui Yuntong’s: this girl had gone mad again.

“Sit down,” Li Qingzhi said outwardly and thought to himself. “I really cannot let this madness happen outside. This is the palace; you could lose your head at any moment.” So, with a sense of responsibility, he decided to try to keep her occupied with conversation. “Yes, I admire General Ling. A man with ability should protect his country. Sigh, what kind of world is this now?”

An Jiu nodded repeatedly. “Your idea is good.”

Li Qingzhi was even more puzzled. When did she start saying such nice things? It was practically unheard of! He could not help but want to drag Sui Yuntong over to listen.

“It’s alright; you continue practicing.” An Jiu waved her hand and strode out of the room, using her momentum to find Gao Dazhuang and give him the medicine Mo Sigui had brought.

Li Qingzhi hurried to Sui Yuntong’s room. “Can we just not follow her? Last time at the border, all that commotion was handled by Lord Chu, but he’s not here this time!”

Sui Yuntong hesitated. “Her mental strength is high; if we follow her, we will definitely be discovered.”

“If things escalate, we will both be punished,” Li Qingzhi said.

Sui Yuntong nodded. “Alright, we will follow from a distance.”

The two of them flashed off, chasing after the direction An Jiu had left, but they had already lost her presence.

The key areas of the palace were guarded by the Dragon Martial Guards. They were not familiar with the other teams, and wandering around would cause unnecessary trouble.

Sui Yuntong pondered for a moment. “Go inform Lord Gao.” By sheer luck, when the two of them arrived, they bumped into An Jiu and Gao Dazhuang talking.

Of course, she asked the same question.

Normally, Gao Dazhuang’s piercing gaze would have been enough to kill her, but having received Mo Sigui’s generous gift, he was in an exceptionally good mood. So he merely rolled his eyes and grumbled, “You woke Grandpa up in the middle of the night just for this? Do you not know how busy Grandpa is usually? You are so inconsiderate!”

Gao Dazhuang’s good mood was not just for today; he was not one to suffer in silence. A few days ago, fueled by pent-up anger, he had taken advantage of the dark of night to catch several eunuchs who often caused him trouble and give them a sound beating. Only then had his anger subsided somewhat.

An Jiu, her blood boiling with excitement, completely oblivious to the cold shoulder, eagerly guessed, “If you dream of your little penis growing back, that’s a bit difficult. I wonder if Mo Sigui can make it happen.”

Gao Dazhuang’s face turned green. He took off his shoes and started hitting An Jiu, yelling, “You little dwarf, you little blockhead, you lunatic! You have time to worry about my little penis? Why not call Physician Mo to cure your ailment!”

An Jiu dodged incredibly fast, disappearing in a flash.

Sui Yuntong and Li Qingzhi, fearing collateral damage, quickly and quietly retreated.

Although An Jiu suffered a setback, her mood remained high. Regardless of whether her approach was correct, at least she had figured out a non-lethal objective.

Suddenly, she felt fulfilled; this feeling was wonderful!

Sui Yuntong and Li Qingzhi crept into their respective rooms, pretending they had not gone out all night.

The next day, when it was her turn to be on duty, Sui Yuntong specifically pulled An Jiu outside to stand guard with him so that An Jiu would not be alone in the room and might run off to ask the Crown Prince if he had any dreams.

An Jiu was still immersed in joy when Li Qingzhi, who had been personally protecting the Crown Prince four times, became depressed.

Judging from his expression, An Jiu knew he must have witnessed the Crown Prince’s dissolute behavior! In the past two weeks, during her shifts, the Crown Prince had only missed two days without seeking out women, which meant he was probably “exercising” at least twenty-five days a month. It was not surprising that Li Qingzhi had caught him four times.

The Crown Prince… was even more promiscuous than his father in this regard! The Emperor, being a Taoist, usually paid more attention to health and would not seek out someone for dual cultivation every day.

“Looking at this Crown Prince, I really have no desire to serve him at all,” Li Qingzhi muttered, squatting by Sui Yuntong’s field ridge.

While weeding, Sui Yuntong said, “Be careful what you say.”

An Jiu said, “There’s no one else within ten zhang.”

“How about we pledge allegiance to another master?” Li Qingzhi asked.

Sui Yuntong considered the feasibility of this suggestion, then suddenly thought of something strange and lowered his voice, “I remember seeing in the records of the Konghe Army that the Dragon Martial Guards used to have a rule about taking poison. Why do we not have that?”

“That team does,” An Jiu said, pointing to the neighboring courtyard.

All three fell silent.

After a while, Sui Yuntong beckoned to the two.

Li Qingzhi and An Jiu leaned closer, and he whispered, “Could it be that Lord Gao withheld it…?”

It was indeed possible!

The Emperor trusted Gao Dazhuang greatly, and his unwavering loyalty had likely left a deep impression on the commander of the Konghe Army. The poison was most likely withheld before it reached him; otherwise, there was no reason why everyone else had taken it while they remained unharmed.

If this were the case, then Gao Dazhuang must have ulterior motives! Sui Yuntong glanced at Li Qingzhi. “You cannot say such discouraging things anymore, lest you cause unnecessary trouble.”

The Konghe Army members were people who never saw the light of day. Aside from missions, they usually minded their own business. But wherever there were people, there was conflict, and this place was no exception. There would always be those who crave power and engage in open and covert struggles.

“I will go ask him once Lord Gao’s anger has subsided in the next few days,” Sui Yuntong said.

An Jiu said, “What if it is not him?”