Everything returned to calm as if nothing had happened. People on the other side of the river remained oblivious to the assassination attempt.
“Young lady, let’s go back!” With no outsiders present, Yao Ye dropped the formal address.
Mei Jiu, feeling panicked, nodded repeatedly at Yao Ye’s suggestion.
The guards closed the windows, sheathed their swords, and escorted Mei Jiu slowly out of the teahouse.
The group boarded the carriage and hurried back to the residence, encountering no ambushes along the way.
“Young lady, with the Lou family’s sudden trouble and this attack on us, I wonder if these people mistook you for the young master?” Yao Ye could only think of this possibility. Otherwise, even if someone wanted to harm the Mei family, they should have acted in Meihua Village, not ambushing a young girl in broad daylight.
Were they trying to stop Mo Sigui from saving the Lou family, and mistook Mei Jiu in men’s clothing for him?
The more Yao Ye thought about it, the more likely it seemed. When she looked back at Mei Jiu, she noticed her trembling slightly and asked with concern, “What’s wrong, young lady?”
She had survived the brutal trial; surely these few arrows couldn’t have frightened her so badly.
“It’s… it’s nothing,” Mei Jiu forced herself to calm down. Having experienced so many scenes of killing, and being influenced by An Jiu’s mental strength, she had developed some immunity to such situations and wouldn’t faint at the slightest provocation.
However, this didn’t change her fear of living such a precarious life. She had avoided it for so long, but now she had to face it.
“Yao Ye,” Mei Jiu lowered her eyes, her voice soft, “Should I join the Controlling Crane Army to save my mother, or find a way to leave the Mei family?”
Seeing Mei Jiu’s gentle and graceful demeanor again, Yao Ye felt as if a lifetime had passed. Suppressing her doubts, she comforted her, “Lady Yan has already arranged a way out for you. Elder Zhi has promised to protect you. You only need to practice your martial arts well, and then you can stay with the Mei family. Find a husband and live a peaceful life! I don’t mean to discourage you, but once you join the Controlling Crane Army, no one can save anyone. You’d better give up that idea early, so as not to waste Lady Yan’s efforts.”
“I originally thought the same,” Mei Jiu admitted her cowardice. If she hadn’t personally experienced those cruel survival rules during the trial, she might have obediently followed the path Mei Yanran had laid out for her. But, “Thinking of my mother living that kind of life every day, I can’t be at peace!”
How could she sleep comfortably in bed knowing her mother might be fighting for her life in the dark? How could she enjoy delicate meals when her mother might go days without food? How could she enjoy a peaceful life with a clear conscience?
“I can’t,” Mei Jiu murmured.
She might be afraid and want to retreat, but she couldn’t ignore her mother’s sacrifice.
An Jiu was moved, wondering how Mei Jiu would feel if she knew her meridians were already destroyed…
“Are you alright, young lady?” Yao Ye asked.
“I’m fine,” Mei Jiu had gradually calmed down. She asked An Jiu, “Why did we come to Bianjing?”
Mei Jiu hadn’t been awake when they set out, so she didn’t know.
An Jiu replied concisely, “To play.”
Satisfied with the answer, Mei Jiu turned to Yao Ye, “Let’s go back.”
“Young lady, we came with the household’s New Year’s shopping caravan. If we return early, we can’t take many guards. Why don’t we wait until the day after tomorrow to go back?” Yao Ye observed Mei Jiu’s demeanor, so different from the past two days, unable to make sense of it.
The transitions between Mei Jiu and An Jiu confused Yao Ye. But that was all; fortunately, neither of them had caused any trouble, saving her a lot of worry.
Mei Jiu valued her life, so she didn’t insist.
Due to the assassination attempt, she didn’t dare to go out. After lunch, she sat in the pavilion reading, holding a hand warmer. Basking in the warm sunlight, she couldn’t help but feel sad thinking about Mei Yanran suffering somewhere unknown.
An Jiu didn’t want to comment on Mei Jiu’s melancholic nature, but since Mei Jiu’s emotions could affect her, she had to offer some comfort, “I remember a story.”
An Jiu’s initiative surprised Mei Jiu, “What story?”
“I think it’s called ‘Dream of the Red Chamber,’ about a beautiful girl staying at her cousin’s house. She falls in love with her cousin, but later he doesn’t like her constant crying, so he marries another cousin. The point is, she dies from excessive grief and coughing up blood,” An Jiu seriously warned Mei Jiu, “If you keep acting like this, you’ll die early.”
Mei Jiu was annoyed at first but soon understood An Jiu’s intention. She couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “This isn’t a concern, it’s more like a curse. Besides, your story isn’t interesting!”
After spending so much time together, Mei Jiu understood An Jiu to some extent. She just had a sharp tongue but no ill intentions. Thinking this way, Mei Jiu felt that An Jiu was rarely trying to comfort her, and she was being ungrateful. So she said gently, “Why don’t you tell another one? This story is too sad.”
An Jiu didn’t take offense and obliged with another story, “Then let me tell you about ‘Water Margin.’ It’s a story about a leader and his gang of rebels causing trouble. After much turmoil, the government bribes the leader, and the gang disperses.”
“…”
“Let me tell you another one,” feeling Mei Jiu’s disdain, An Jiu was determined to prove herself. These were all stories once considered classics. “This is a story about an ugly man who loves a beautiful woman but can’t have her. The beauty falls for a hypocritical man and later gets hanged. The ugly man, unable to get the beauty, goes crazy and jumps from a bell tower holding her corpse.”
“Your stories are all so… unique,” Mei Jiu couldn’t think of any words of praise.
“Hypocrite,” An Jiu said, displeased.
Though the stories were bizarre, Mei Jiu could sense An Jiu’s change compared to before. In the past, she probably wouldn’t have bothered to comfort her. Realizing this, Mei Jiu felt a warmth in her heart, “Thank you.”
The two souls, initially repulsed by each other, now felt a sense of mutual dependence.
An Jiu had never been so close to anyone before. She disliked Mei Jiu, but when Mei Jiu disappeared and they couldn’t talk, she felt very lonely.
The air rippled slightly.
“Someone’s here!” An Jiu’s mind snapped to attention, trying to control the body, but it was too late. A cloth soaked in a sedative was pressed against her mouth.
A choking smell rushed into her nostrils, and An Jiu instantly lost consciousness. Mei Jiu automatically filled in, also fainting at the same time.
After an unknown period, someone put a pill in her mouth. The pill dissolved upon contact, its spicy taste burning her entire esophagus.
Mei Jiu opened her eyes to find herself in a dilapidated temple. A person in black sat on the altar, looking down at her.
The sharp gaze made Mei Jiu instinctively shrink back.
The black-clad person frowned, “Are you Mei Fourteen?”
“I…” Mei Jiu swallowed, afraid to admit it.
A sword was unsheathed and pressed against Mei Jiu’s neck, “Are you or not!”
“I am,” Mei Jiu cried.
“Very good.” The black-clad person withdrew the sword, “Why are your meridians destroyed?”
An Jiu was speechless. She had hoped to keep it secret for a few days, but it was exposed on the very same day.
Mei Jiu was stunned. After a while, when the black-clad person was about to lose patience, she said pitifully, “I… I don’t know.”
“Could it be from when you borrowed Chu Dingjiang’s internal energy that day?” The black-clad person suddenly laughed gleefully, “In that case, the madman’s expectations will be disappointed. Oh, why am I so happy about this!”
Chu Dingjiang was the name of the Controlling Crane Army’s Divine Martial Commander.
“What did you say!” A roar like thunder shook dust from the rafters. With a great burst of energy, a tall figure rushed into the room.
Dry leaves swirled in with the force, and his loose gray-white hair slowly settled on his broad shoulders. He carried a long bow on his back.
He wore a half-silver mask, revealing only a pair of cold, stern eyes with upturned corners.
“You are Mei Fourteen!” He instantly flashed over, gripping Mei Jiu’s thin shoulders with iron-like hands, “You’re the one who shot the Startling String! Quick! Shoot another arrow!”
He half-dragged, half-carried Mei Jiu to an open space outside the temple, took off his long bow, and thrust it into her hands, pointing at a large tree a hundred paces away, “Shoot that tree.”
Mei Jiu held the bow, silently asking An Jiu, “What should we do? You take over?”
“Madman,” the black-clad person from earlier leaned against the temple door, eyes curved in amusement, voice filled with pleasure, “Why don’t you check her meridians?”
The “madman” paused for a moment, then gripped Mei Jiu’s slender wrist.
In an instant, his intense enthusiasm suddenly cooled.
The black-clad person commented sarcastically, “The destroyed meridians are secondary. I see this little girl is so weak, without the strong spiritual power to drive the Startling String. Are you sure you haven’t mistaken her for someone else?”
“Impossible!” The madman roared, falling into a state of frenzy, “My eyes have never been wrong!”
He gripped Mei Jiu’s shoulders tightly, shaking her violently, “Shoot the Startling String! Quick!”