Hearing these words, An Jiu was certain her presence hadn’t been detected. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have spoken so freely.
An Jiu recognized the male voice as Wei Yuzhi, the second master of the Ethereal Villa. Though they had only briefly met and exchanged a few words, his voice left a lasting impression as he was the first man to propose to her in both her past and present lives.
Wei Yuzhi’s presence here, as a member of the Ethereal Villa, wasn’t surprising. What was unexpected was the female voice—Mei Ruyan!
How had she become involved with the Ethereal Villa?
“Kill them,” Wei Yuzhi ordered. He stood by the riverside, wearing a stone-blue robe. His face was pale but refined, resembling a scholar appreciating the scenery.
Mei Ruyan, with her enchanting eyes and a fiery red dress, sat cross-legged under a green pine tree. An ancient qin lay across her lap, its tail end blackened and carved with the character “Mo.”
Following Wei Yuzhi’s command, she flicked her wrist, sending out several silver needles. Two muffled groans were heard as two Crane-Controlling Army shadows collapsed.
As she finished, she gently pressed the qin strings, abruptly ending the music.
A month ago, she had been barely alive. Now, she killed with such ease.
Recalling that day, Mei Ruyan felt a sharp pain in her heart.
She had hurried back to Meihua Village only to find the entrance scorched black, with countless bodies burned beyond recognition. Yet, she instantly recognized the lone figure standing with a sword—it was Mr. Mo.
At that moment, Mei Ruyan felt as if the sky had fallen. She rushed into the fire, embracing his corpse, unable even to cry. She thought she might as well perish in the flames.
But fate had other plans. A heavy rain extinguished the fire and restored a bit of her sanity. She buried him in the bamboo grove of Mei Manor and sat motionless by his grave for four days. Overcome with grief and having not eaten or drunk, she finally fainted. When she awoke, she found herself in Mr. Mo’s bamboo house, the bedding still carrying his faint scent, with qin music drifting from outside. It was as if Mr. Mo was still there.
Dazed, Mei Ruyan walked out to see a strange man in plain clothes playing the qin, though his face wasn’t the one she remembered.
He introduced himself as Wei Yuzhi, the second master of the Ethereal Villa.
Wei Yuzhi explained that he and Mr. Mo had been close friends. Upon hearing of the attack on Meihua Village, he had come to investigate, only to arrive too late.
Mei Ruyan knew that Mr. Mo had once been the Ethereal Villa’s top assassin, but she knew nothing of his past.
“As expected of Ah Mo’s disciple, you have quite his style,” Wei Yuzhi praised.
Mei Ruyan’s eyes reddened, tears suddenly spilling over. This was a pain she couldn’t bear to touch…
“I’m such a selfish person,” Mei Ruyan murmured. Her upbringing had shaped her selfish nature, and she had always believed she would only ever love herself the most in this world.
If she could have guarded her heart, perhaps she wouldn’t be in such agony now. But ultimately, she hated the mastermind behind Mr. Mo’s murder the most! So she accepted the Ethereal Villa’s help, rapidly increasing her inner power to the seventh level. Now, her inner power had gradually stabilized, though she still needed to take medication regularly.
Mei Ruyan’s eyes were filled with ruthlessness. She wanted revenge, at any cost!
A gust of wind carried the rain, causing Wei Yuzhi to cough.
Mei Ruyan took a large cloak from beside her and draped it over him. “Are you alright, sir?”
“It’s nothing, just a slight cold,” Wei Yuzhi said, drawing the cloak tighter. He stared at the bodies on the ground for a long while, then slightly raised his hand, signaling the nearby assassins to approach.
He turned his head and whispered something to the two of them.
The two received their orders and swooped away like eagles, heading straight towards An Jiu’s position.
An Jiu’s heart tightened. She drew her bow, her killing intent suddenly erupting. She released a spiritual force attack.
The two assassins fell in mid-air. An Jiu showed no mercy, thrusting two sharp swords into their throats before they could regain their senses.
After this, An Jiu immediately turned to leave.
Mei Ruyan was about to give chase but was stopped by Wei Yuzhi. “Don’t pursue. Though my martial arts are weak, my spiritual power has reached the realm of perfection. Even I couldn’t detect that person’s presence. You’re likely no match for her.”
If he hadn’t detected the presence, why send people to investigate? Mei Ruyan was puzzled.
Wei Yuzhi explained, “I observed that the Crane-Controlling Army’s formation suggests a trial for recruits, with shadows lurking nearby to monitor the trainees. Your qin music attracted two shadows, but we didn’t see any trainees. Isn’t that strange?”
“I see. You’re very perceptive, sir,” Mei Ruyan looked at the man before her. Now thirty-two years old, he still had the appearance of a young scholar. His features were proper but not particularly striking. Walking down the street, he would blend in with ordinary people. Yet this man controlled countless cold-blooded killers and held knowledge of all matters, great and small, across the land.
Wei Yuzhi was born extraordinary. He could memorize the contents of two archives in the Ethereal Villa word for word, recalling even the smallest jobs the villa had taken since its founding, including details about clients and targets.
The Ethereal Villa’s current status as the top martial arts sect was not only due to Master Wei Chuzhi’s vision but also Wei Yuzhi’s meticulous efforts in building a vast network. His talents rivaled those of Elder Zhi from Mei Manor.
“Strange…” Wei Yuzhi muttered, staring in the direction An Jiu had fled. If the person was in the realm of perfection, how could they be a Crane-Controlling Institute trainee? And why did they watch Mei Ruyan kill two shadows without intervening?
After a moment’s contemplation, a faint smile appeared on his face. That person was likely similar to him—weak in martial arts but with powerful spiritual abilities!
Wei Yuzhi suddenly recalled the fleeting glimpse of the ruined temple, his smile deepening. He turned to Mei Ruyan to confirm his suspicion, “Your sister, Mei Shisi, has joined the Crane-Controlling Army, hasn’t she?”
Mei Ruyan, being quite intelligent, immediately connected this to what had just happened. She asked in surprise, “Are you saying that person just now was her?”
Wei Yuzhi walked to the rock face and crouched down to examine the bodies closely.
He studied the corpses with the same focus he gave to reading books, his concentration tinged with a hint of leisure.
“No wounds except for the throat,” Wei Yuzhi straightened up, narrowing his eyes as he replayed the scene in his mind. The two assassins had fallen straight from the air… killed in an instant, like wild geese. He spoke slowly, “Jingxian.”
He was now ninety percent certain of the person’s identity.
“Sir, could you…” Mei Ruyan bit her lip, “Could you show leniency towards my sister?”
Wei Yuzhi coughed for a while, his face flushing unnaturally. “I won’t kill her. She and I… seem to have some connection.”
“Thank you, sir.” Though puzzled, Mei Ruyan’s expression relaxed slightly upon hearing he would spare her sister. She then added, “The wind is strong outside. You should go back, sir.”
“Mm,” Wei Yuzhi nodded.
…
An Jiu ran wildly against the wind, her face veil quickly soaked by the rain.
Only when her spiritual sense confirmed that the two had gone far away did she stop, finding shelter under a tree to rest?
The rain gradually weakened as night fell.
An Jiu suddenly thought of the “Heavenly Book Fragment” and the box she had once sought in the ancient temple. Those items could enhance spiritual power and inner strength. Were there similar treasures for external cultivators? She had known that entering the Crane-Controlling Institute would provide opportunities to learn martial arts techniques, but who would have thought she’d be forcibly brought to this trial right after joining?
Thinking of this, she felt resentful towards Gu Jinghou.
However, now was not the time for such thoughts. The Ethereal Villa had discovered them, making it too dangerous to act alone. She needed to get closer to Lou Mingyue and the others.
An Jiu felt the three bronze tubes on her body. One was marked “Red,” another “Yellow,” and the last “White.” She felt frustrated. She had barely joined the Crane-Controlling Army before being thrown into this situation, with no explanation of anything. From their shape, she could guess these were signals, but no one had explained what the colors meant!
After some thought, she simply arranged all three on the ground in a row, lit them with a fire stick, and then ran towards the Ethereal Villa’s hidden location.
After running about fifty meters, she heard three whooshing sounds behind her as three differently colored flowers exploded in the sky.
An Jiu turned back to look up, feeling slightly satisfied.
Not knowing how the Crane-Controlling Army would react to the signals, An Jiu searched for half a day, finally picking up Lou Mingyue and the others’ trail. She pressed on silently for two days, finally approaching the valley.
Upon arrival, she found a hiding spot and used her spiritual power to scan the area, only to be shocked that Lou Mingyue and the others had vanished!
An Jiu’s spiritual power could scan a range of ten li. An hour ago, she could still sense their presence. How could they have suddenly disappeared?