Hidden Shadow – CH 357

Chapter Three-Hundred-Fifty-Seven: A Long Future Awaits

Wei Yuzhi usually slept very little, but his sleep quality was excellent, and he rarely dreamed. Tonight, however, he unexpectedly fell into a beautiful dream.

After a light rain, the thick layer of fallen leaves in the woods reflected a beautiful face.

Wei Yuzhi had never seen a woman like this before, a woman embodying both innocence and aloofness. Before that moment, he had always believed himself to be almost heartless, never capable of falling for any woman.

Life was unpredictable; his suddenly flustered heart caught him off guard.

Wei Yuzhi was always adept at seizing opportunities. At that time, he had not even figured out why he liked An Jiu, yet he immediately proposed.

He had never been engaged, nor had he ever had a romantic relationship with a woman. He did not know how to pursue someone, so he simply expressed his feelings immediately.

However, what happened afterward was also beyond Wei Yuzhi’s expectations. They were on opposing sides, and although they had many opportunities to spend time together, none of them were pleasant memories.

During An Jiu’s imprisonment, Wei Yuzhi said he “once liked her,” and he truly felt that way. He thought of her less and less each day, so why did he later sacrifice his mental power to save her during the Baohua Gate incident?

On the bed, Wei Yuzhi opened his eyes. Darkness still surrounded him, yet he stared intently.

The most complex people yearned for simplicity. Wei Yuzhi liked living in spotless places, wearing clean and simple clothes, and needing no unnecessary accessories. He thought that the woman he could not forget, besides her beauty, was also because of her unchanging simplicity.

The human heart was so complex; it was truly rare for An Jiu to maintain such purity, even if that simplicity was not exactly beautiful.

Wei Yuzhi got up, put on his cloak, and went out through the back window.

His solitary figure crossed the open fields, entering the heavily guarded city of Bianjing as if it were empty.

Upon arriving at the Hua Mansion, Wei Yuzhi was covered in a thick layer of snow. The icy air made him cough twice.

“Master Wei,” a deep, resonant voice seemed to whisper in his ear.

Wei Yuzhi looked up and saw a man standing against the wall, untouched by the snow, like a tombstone.

“Master Chu,” Wei Yuzhi recognized the man.

Chu Dingjiang approached. “Master Wei, you’ve arrived earlier than I expected.”

Wei Yuzhi did not reply.

“Please,” Chu Dingjiang gestured.

The two entered the courtyard one after the other. It was pitch black inside, but after passing the second gate, it suddenly lit up. Wei Yuzhi saw several rooms brightly lit. To his left, wisps of smoke were seeping from the window cracks of a building, suggesting a fire.

Chu Dingjiang led him to that room and knocked on the door.

A lazy voice came from inside, “The door’s unlocked.”

Chu Dingjiang pushed the door open and went in.

A face with an ethereal air peeked out from the thick smoke, a lazy gaze passing over Chu Dingjiang and landing directly on Wei Yuzhi. The light in his peach blossom eyes suddenly sharpened. “Ah, this must be Master Wei.” Mo Sigui, pipe in hand, strode forward, his excitement barely concealed.

Wei Yuzhi remained calm, cupping his hands in greeting. “Greetings, Divine Physician Mo.”

“Oh dear, no need for such formalities.” Mo Sigui picked up his pipe, grabbed Wei Yuzhi’s wrist, and forcefully dragged him into the inner room.

Wherever Mo Sigui was, he always had piles of medicinal herbs. He lived in the Hua residence, and since An Jiu was ill, Hua Rongjian and Chu Dingjiang would gather a large quantity of rare herbs and send them over every two days. Hua Rongtian had also sent many herbs on behalf of the Hua family. Therefore, although he had only been there a short time, his room was already overflowing with medicine, leaving only a small space for sleeping; the room was now filled with bottles and jars.

“Please, sit wherever you like,” Mo Sigui said warmly.

Wei Yuzhi did not sit down. “I received news that Fourteenth Young Lady is critically ill.”

Mo Sigui smiled and said, “Yes, but if you are willing to give a few drops of blood, she will not be critically ill anymore.”

Even though Wei Yuzhi had taken many lives, seeing Mo Sigui’s excited smile still made him feel a little uneasy. “I want to see her.”

“That is no problem,” Mo Sigui agreed without consulting him.

Chu Dingjiang did not refuse either. “Master Wei, please come with me.”

Wei Yuzhi nodded.

For the first time, Wei Yuzhi saw An Jiu so quiet and peaceful, like an infant untouched by the world.

Da Jiu, lying by the bedside, saw a strange man enter and immediately bared its teeth in a threatening manner.

Wei Yuzhi acted as if he had not seen him, but his mental power swept over him like a tidal wave. Da Jiu’s eyes widened, and it stood frozen for a long time. When Wei Yuzhi approached, it came over like a cat and nudged his sleeve in a gesture of friendliness.

Mo Sigui leaned over and tapped its head with her pipe. “You are such a wimp! Ah Jiu’s only redeeming quality is its fierceness, and you have not even learned that, yet you’ve got all those flaws. I despise you!”

Da Jiu twitched its ears, its face blank, indicating it had not understood a word.

“Fourteenth Young Lady.” Wei Yuzhi bent down, took her hand, and closed his eyes.

Chu Dingjiang frowned, about to step forward, but Mo Sigui stopped him, saying softly, “Bear with it, bear with it. Touching a little hand is nothing. I’m…um, I mean, it would not hurt to let him use his mental power to probe.”

Chu Dingjiang narrowed his eyes, making a mental note. Mo Sigui had only said half of what he meant, but he could guess three or five parts of it. Now was not the right time to settle scores; there would be plenty of time later.