Hidden Shadow – CH 291

Chapter Two-Hundred-Ninety-One: Parting Words

“Very good,” An Jiu commented objectively.

Lou Xiaowu’s eyes immediately crinkled with laughter.

After the initial excitement, fatigue set in. Lou Xiaowu rubbed her eyes and nestled into Mei Yanran’s arms, falling asleep.

Li Qingzhi sighed, “With such a fine weapon, how can we not drive the Liao people out of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?”

An Jiu sat on a large rock by the stream, watching Mei Yanran carefully wipe Lou Xiaowu’s smudged face with a damp handkerchief.

Mo Sigui sat down beside her. “Envious?”

An Jiu looked away, ignoring him.

“The third medicinal bath is in five years. Remember to come find me.” Mo Sigui took a medicine bottle from his pocket and placed it in her hand. “These are the remaining pills. The heart’s blood medicine is extremely effective, especially after an injury. You absolutely cannot use too much, otherwise it will do more harm than good.”

“Alright.” An Jiu carefully put the medicine away.

Gu Jinghong streaked across the night sky like a shooting star, dazzlingly bright, and vanished without a trace. An Jiu was not particularly grateful to him, but she felt a strange sense of shared misfortune.

“After we part, I do not know when we will see each other again. Is there anything you want to say to me?” Mo Sigui was unusually sentimental.

An Jiu hesitated, then said earnestly, “After I leave, do not bully Da Jiu.”

“Get as far away as you can! I do not know you!” Mo Sigui shoved her.

An Jiu grinned.

“Silly.” Mo Sigui put down his cigarette, picked up the holder, and mumbled, “How can I argue with a fool?”

“Mo Sigui, I am indeed a little worried about you,” An Jiu said.

Mo Sigui was inevitably touched, pausing to look at her.

An Jiu asked cautiously, “Your insomnia is so severe. Will you not live more than five years?”

“What the hell!” Mo Sigui jumped up, pointing the cigarette at her nose. “You are insulting my medical skills!” The tense atmosphere, ready to explode at any moment, made one worry that their friendship was over.

However, Mo Sigui and An Jiu locked eyes for a moment but ultimately could not bring themselves to lash out. He could only angrily turn and leave, muttering as he went, “I am going to write to Chu Dingjiang and get this bastard out of here as soon as possible. Every extra moment makes my life unbearable…”

An Jiu got up and followed him back to their lodgings.

Lou Mingyue was carrying a bundle of firewood, placing it under the eaves of the kitchen.

The two stopped simultaneously. Lou Mingyue nodded to her.

An Jiu clasped her hands in a respectful bow.

Silence fell between them. After a few moments, An Jiu silently turned and left. She and Lou Mingyue were on different paths, and although they walked the same road, she still yearned for light and hoped to one day live a normal life. Therefore, she felt some resistance towards Lou Mingyue, who had plunged headlong into a dead end.

Lou Mingyue was quite self-aware and no longer yearned for friends or shared her deep-seated hatred. One person, buried deep in her heart, was enough to sustain her through the rest of her life.

The next day.

Before dawn, Lou Mingyue, as usual, chopped a bundle of firewood and placed it in the kitchen, then boiled a pot of water.

The firelight illuminated her increasingly full face. The water in the pot boiled, steam rising, and she extinguished the fire in the stove. She took her sword and went out.

The doors and windows of the main hall were tightly closed, but Lou Mingyue noticed Mo Sigui’s unusual behavior. She stopped and looked over, her gaze softening. It was as if she could see his face through the latticed window.

Mo Sigui saw Lou Mingyue’s figure through the crack in the door and raised his hand to the latch, hesitant.

The two stood separated by the door for a long time until there was movement from Mei Yanran’s room, and then Lou Mingyue turned and quickly left.

Mo Sigui sighed softly, his hand falling to his side, and murmured, “Mo Ran, Mo Ran, you do not even dare to see her off gracefully!”

Hearing this, and seeing the steam rising from the kitchen, Mei Yanran guessed that Lou Mingyue had left and could not help but sigh as well, “Life is so difficult; a temporary farewell is nothing!”

Mo Sigui paused for a moment, then turned to the medicine storeroom to select the herbs he needed for the day.

He had recorded many difficult and complicated cases during his medical practice, and now he had almost solved most of them. Studying medicine in isolation was not advisable; in a while, he would travel around, searching for various cases and rare herbs, so he spent most of his time practicing his martial arts during this period.

Those with wind meridians were truly blessed; their internal energy cultivation was ten or a hundred times easier than that of others. But the world was often fair; those born with wind meridians were susceptible to evil influences. The so-called “evil energy” did not refer to ghosts or spirits but rather was a medical term meaning someone was more susceptible to external influences and prone to illness than the average person.

Furthermore, Mo Sigui always used himself as a guinea pig for medicine, so ordinary drugs were no longer effective against him. If he were to contract a serious illness, it might be incurable, so An Jiu’s concerns were not unfounded.

For him personally, prevention was key.

Life on the island returned to its leisurely and peaceful state, while the outside world was in turmoil due to the Ling Ziyue case.

Many scholars concerned with current affairs jointly petitioned the court to thoroughly investigate the case, given Ling Ziyue’s crucial importance to the Song Dynasty. However, these requests were all rejected. The court’s reply was that the case was clear-cut, the evidence conclusive, and there was no need to waste time reinvestigating.

As the year drew to a close, despite the gravity of Ling Ziyue’s life-or-death situation, it did not stop families from preparing for the New Year. As long as the sky did not collapse, life had to go on.

Amidst the turmoil, the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month arrived quickly.

That day, snow fell in Bianjing.

The heavy snow poured down, seemingly burying the heavens and earth.

Those sentenced to beheading were all scheduled for autumn and winter. Firstly, autumn and winter had a somber, deathly atmosphere; secondly, the autumn harvest was over, allowing the people to gather and witness the executions, serving as a deterrent to crime; and thirdly, the colder weather in autumn and winter made corpses easier to dispose of, preventing outbreaks of plague.

Ling Ziyue happened to be “caught” at this time. For such a serious crime, the Emperor could not possibly postpone his punishment until next year.

The execution ground was already packed with people, and An Jiu and her group were already lying in ambush in various places.

Wearing a human skin mask, she sat in a private room of a teahouse twenty chi away, observing from the window.

It was still early, and the site was heavily guarded. The executioner had not arrived yet, and the prisoner had not been brought in, but An Jiu could already sense the undercurrents. There were over two hundred martial artists of ranks four to nine around her! And their numbers seemed to be increasing!

“The Second Prince would not be so extravagant, would he?” An Jiu wondered.

At the end of the day, soldiers began clearing the road, followed by the executioner and the prison cart.

Unlike ordinary executions, straw mats were hung around the execution platform, and even the prison cart was covered with a straw curtain.

This was to prevent any attempt to break in. Those who attempted to intercept the prisoner would not dare reveal their whereabouts easily, thus buying time for the execution.

The prison cart stopped before the execution platform. Just as two soldiers were about to lift the straw curtain, a feathered arrow suddenly pierced the snow, approaching with a sharp sound—its target was Ling Ziyue inside the cart!