An Jiu truly fell silent, but her cold laugh infuriated the Madman more than any venomous words could.
Enraged, the Madman released his bowstring, sending a scattered burst of internal energy. An Jiu, familiar with Elder Zhi’s unfocused Spirit Arrow, didn’t hesitate to leap through the window into the room.
Boom!
The force lifted roof tiles, shattering them into fine particles that rained down.
Mo Si Gui, standing below, couldn’t dodge in time and was covered in dust.
Perhaps due to the Madman’s continuous shooting, his energy was somewhat depleted. The force was weaker than An Jiu had anticipated.
A dark figure landed beside the Madman, pointing at Mo Si Gui. “Shoot him!”
The Madman, accustomed to not thinking, wasn’t stupid. He noticed An Jiu’s concern for the young man and found Cui Yi Chen’s suggestion reasonable. He drew his empty bow, aiming at Mo Si Gui.
An Jiu saw the Madman’s movement through the broken window and felt alarmed.
“An Jiu, save cousin,” Mei Jiu pleaded, believing An Jiu, as a ghost, was more capable than humans.
An Jiu ignored her words, still contemplating what to do, yet her body was already rushing out.
Seeing the Madman’s bow fully drawn, An Jiu sensed he was about to release. Without thinking, she leaped out!
The Madman, hoping to test his skills against An Jiu, hadn’t intended to kill her yet. Seeing her movement, he slightly shifted his aim.
His fingers released.
A crisp crane’s cry sounded as blue light flared. The force split the great fire, seemingly carrying world-destroying power as it rushed toward Mo Si Gui.
An Jiu fiercely tackled Mo Si Gui. The arrow barely grazed her back, but she felt intense pain. Her chest churned, and a sweet, metallic liquid rose in her throat.
The Madman’s Spirit Arrow wasn’t fully concentrated or refined. The massive force around the arrow caused even Mo Si Gui to cough up blood.
The arrow pierced two black-clad men before entering the banquet hall behind. After a moment of silence, a thunderous crash followed. The tall banquet hall completely collapsed, shaking the ground like an earthquake.
Everyone was stunned by this scene, almost forgetting to fight.
The Madman, feeling incredibly powerful, burst into laughter. “Ha! Hahaha!”
Cui Yi Chen had planned this, still bitter from his previous defeat by An Jiu while she was with Chu Ding Jiang. He wouldn’t miss this golden opportunity! Taking advantage of the Madman’s elation, he flung a poisoned dart.
An Jiu, severely shaken, couldn’t focus her spiritual energy. She sensed the incoming dart but couldn’t move her body.
Mei Jiu, hiding behind An Jiu’s spiritual force, was affected but in better condition. Through An Jiu’s spiritual power, she sensed the approaching danger, but An Jiu had lost consciousness.
Steeling herself, Mei Jiu took control of her body.
Just like in the past dozen years, it felt natural. Her suddenly erupted spiritual power was over ten times stronger than usual, but this severely injured body couldn’t move freely.
Mei Jiu gritted her teeth, crawling forward a few inches. Suddenly, she felt a chill in her back as something pierced her.
An Jiu had borne the intense pain earlier, leaving only numbness now. Mei Jiu didn’t even feel pain, only her consciousness slowly blurring.
Mei Jiu had a clear feeling that she wouldn’t make it.
On the rooftop, the Madman noticed Cui Yi Chen’s small action. His elation instantly turned to rage as he grabbed Cui Yi Chen’s collar. “How dare you kill her!”
“She’s not dead!” Cui Yi Chen lied. “I feared she’d run again, so I just knocked her out!”
“Really?” The Madman half-believed him and loosened his grip.
…
Mei Jiu collapsed in the snow, her cheek against the cold ground. Fearfully, she called out, “An Jiu, An Jiu… I, I don’t want to die…”
Even in Mei Manor’s perilous situation, even knowing she couldn’t adapt to this life of killing, even with her cowardice and timidity, she had never thought of casually giving up her life.
An Jiu’s spiritual energy slowly gathered. “Idiot! Who told you to play hero? Don’t you know whoever controls the body gets injured?”
Mei Jiu knew, but at that moment, she didn’t know what she was thinking. She just acted.
Feeling An Jiu about to take over the body, she hurriedly said, “No! We’ll both die this way… I beg you to do one thing for me. You can’t die.”
“Speak,” An Jiu said. Having seen countless deaths, she thought she had become numb, yet now her heart inexplicably ached.
“An Jiu…” Mei Jiu’s voice was weak. “Leave Mei Manor, find a village to live in, raise some sheep, plant some grape vines, and… and marry… marry… a good man.”
An Jiu was stunned. She had expected Mei Jiu to say, “An Jiu, join the Crane-Controlling Army and save my mother.” Yet this fool was asking her to live well?
“Bullshit! Do those things yourself!” An Jiu forcefully took control of the body.
“When you used to scold me like this, I felt hurt,” Mei Jiu’s voice carried a smile. “Now, hearing it makes me happy.”
An Jiu glanced at the still-dazed Mo Si Gui, forcing herself to stand. “Nonsense! I’m not interested in acting out a tragedy with you. Hold on, Elder Qi is right there!”
“I don’t want to die, but I know clearly that without you, I would have died long ago. Someone as cowardly as me can’t survive this kind of life…” Mei Jiu’s rambling voice grew weaker and weaker until it disappeared.
An Jiu froze.
It was an indescribable feeling, but she knew Mei Jiu was truly gone.
She had died, on this chaotic night, with no one knowing, not even leaving a corpse.
In the initial struggle for control of the body with Mei Jiu, An Jiu had first been confident of victory, then lost the will to live. From beginning to end, she had always been the one in control.
An Jiu had never considered a failure, much less anticipated this outcome.
Perhaps due to the dart’s effect, An Jiu suddenly felt a heart-rending pain. She clutched her chest, stunned. Without spiritual energy supporting her body, she collapsed.
Mo Si Gui regained consciousness to see An Jiu fall. Suddenly remembering how she had tackled him earlier, his heart tightened. “An Jiu!”
All this happened in an instant.
The Madman, realizing Mei Fourteen was dead, turned to confront Cui Yi Chen. “Didn’t you say you’d knock her out? Why is she dead!”
“I made a mistake!” Cui Yi Chen said. “Don’t panic, capture Elder Qi! He can bring the dead back to life!”
The Madman’s anger turned to joy. He released Cui Yi Chen, patting his shoulder. “Right! Haha, Little Chen, you’re so clever!”
He then turned towards Elder Qi.
Overhearing their conversation, Mo Si Gui was shocked and furious. This was a plot. Cui Yi Chen had counted on the Madman valuing An Jiu, so he attacked her first, then tricked the Madman into capturing Elder Qi alive!