What exactly was Chu Dingjiang planning? He had given up his status as a noble’s son, and even though he had successfully infiltrated the Crane Control Army without anyone’s knowledge, he wasn’t making waves there.
Then there was Lu Danzhi, who suddenly appeared claiming to be Cui Yichen’s nephew, yet didn’t recognize Cui Yichen when they met…
So far, everything remained shrouded in mystery, leaving An Jiu feeling utterly confused.
Lost in thought, she walked out the door.
Instructor Di, overhearing the conversation inside, grew even more excited. His voice lilted upwards as he exclaimed, “Oh my, what a thrilling and dangerous mission! And you’ll even gain an official position for free. Congratulations, little Xuanren!”
Ever since Instructor Di had decided to curry favor with Mo Sigui, he had stopped calling An Jiu “shorty” and instead affectionately referred to her as “little Xuanren.” Unfortunately for him, An Jiu found this new nickname equally punch-worthy.
Considering that assaulting a superior officer might result in a demerit, An Jiu reluctantly abandoned the idea.
Upon returning to their quarters, she found Chu Dingjiang dozing on the couch.
“Chu Dingjiang,” An Jiu called out, knowing he wasn’t truly asleep. “You know about it all, don’t you?”
“You mean capturing Wei Yuzhi?” Chu Dingjiang’s low, husky voice carried a hint of nasal congestion. He sat up, gently pressing the bridge of his nose.
“Yes.”
“Go ahead and capture him. Are you planning to disobey orders?” Chu Dingjiang seemed unconcerned about the matter.
“This is a life-threatening mission. What are you after?” An Jiu could somewhat understand his motivations but couldn’t fathom why he would go to such self-destructive lengths, even if he wanted to distance himself from the Hua family.
Seeing that he remained silent, An Jiu added, “Only Mo Sigui is nearby. You can pretend he doesn’t exist.”
“‘To die without regret for the path in one’s heart,’ that’s the motto of aspiring men in my hometown,” Chu Dingjiang began, feeling out of place in this era. When had the Song Dynasty’s nobility ever been willing to sacrifice their lives? They pursued power and profit to satisfy their selfish desires, so they cherished their lives above all else.
However, during the Warring States period, when battles raged and corpses piled like mountains, with blood flowing like rivers, ambition to unify the realm, to leave a mark in history, to create an era of peace… These were also selfish desires, but they were desires to create something, to fulfill oneself, rather than to indulge in a life of luxury.
In his youth, Chu Dingjiang had pursued the thrill of wielding immense power. But upon seeing this peaceful and prosperous world, he, a grown man, couldn’t help but shed tears.
Now, his ambition was not to use all his strength to create another chaotic era, but to extend this period of peace for as long as possible. For this, he was prepared to sacrifice himself for the path in his heart.
He had never been attached to appearances. Whether he was Hua Ji, Hua Rongjian, or Chu Dingjiang, he remained his unique self in this world.
As for the Hua family, Chu Dingjiang no longer wished to devote his life’s efforts to it. But given the deep ties of both soul and blood, he felt that his rebirth into the Hua family must be heaven’s deliberate arrangement. In the future, whether the Hua family lost power or was exiled, he could turn a blind eye, but he couldn’t bear to see it destroyed.
Therefore, he needed to gain strength – strength independent of the Hua family…
“The path? What’s that?” An Jiu asked.
Chu Dingjiang snapped back to reality. “It’s the truth and direction in one’s heart. In other words, it’s… one’s aspirations and ambitions.”
“Does everyone have one?” An Jiu inquired.
Chu Dingjiang nodded, “Yes, but everyone’s path is different.”
“I don’t have one,” An Jiu stated.
Chu Dingjiang smiled, “If you don’t know what to do, why not use your talents to maintain peace in the world?”
“Why should I maintain peace?” An Jiu questioned.
“One should have lofty aspirations,” Chu Dingjiang replied.
“Why should I have such aspirations?”
“Isn’t it good to ensure peace across the land?”
An Jiu pondered for a moment, “It’s good, but what inevitable connection does peace across the land have with me?”
“…”
A generation gap, a deep generation gap.
One was ambitious, idealistic, and driven, willing to die for his dreams; the other was aimless, indifferent, and passive, with no purpose in life or death.
“Let’s go choose weapons,” Chu Dingjiang decided to end the conversation. If they continued, he might start questioning why he should have lofty aspirations at all.
An Jiu’s negative attitude was like ice, cooling the passion of those around her.
Chu Dingjiang decided to slowly warm her up, knowing that rushing would only result in him getting frostbite.
…
This time, they were granted access to the highest-grade armory. The weapons here were of such quality that they could be used for a lifetime, but they were limited to choosing only three items.
Chu Dingjiang’s original weapon was a heavy sword from the Spring and Autumn period called Mingju. It looked plain and unadorned, with its only notable feature being that despite its age, the blade still looked newly forged. He used only this sword for every mission, so he was allowed to choose weapons to An Jiu.
An Jiu selected two pairs of dual swords, a flexible sword, and several easily concealed throwing weapons. Unfortunately, the only bows in the armory were longbows, unsuitable for carrying and ambushes, so she had to pass on those.
After leaving the armory, they headed to the archives to obtain information about the Misty Mountain Villa from Archivist Sheng.
On the way, Chu Dingjiang decided to communicate patiently with her. “Is there anything you want to do?”
In his view, people without aspirations were pitiable. Although women didn’t necessarily need grand ambitions, even the most ordinary woman should at least have the desire to “find a loving partner,” right? Life was more interesting with direction and hope.
“Yes,” An Jiu replied.
“Oh?” This answer was somewhat unexpected for Chu Dingjiang.
“Complete the mission.”
“What about further in the future?”
“Save my mother.” This was An Jiu’s reason for joining the Crane Control Army.
If she still had her weapon, she wouldn’t have taken such a roundabout path. Unfortunately, given her current circumstances, even this indirect approach wasn’t easy.
“And even further in the future?” Chu Dingjiang pressed.
“Isn’t that far enough? I don’t even know how many years it will take to reach her!” An Jiu never thought about things more than a decade ahead. Living day to day, uncertain of survival, what was the point of wasting time on such distant speculations?
For now, she only hoped that Mei Yanran wouldn’t die before then.
Chu Dingjiang was skilled at reading people. Someone like An Jiu, with such intense and pure killing intent, must have memories filled with violence. When a person is too proficient and pure in one aspect, they inevitably lack in others.
An Jiu seemed to have experienced many things, but aside from killing, she was like a blank slate.
Chu Dingjiang was eager to leave his mark on this blank slate. “I might be able to help you with this. I want to know what you plan to do after you save her.”
An Jiu didn’t reject his goodwill and answered seriously, “Herd sheep, grow grapes.”
Unsatisfied, Chu Dingjiang asked, “Anything else?”
An Jiu furrowed her brow, sinking into deep thought.
Chu Dingjiang didn’t interrupt, letting her think on her own.
They walked in silence until they entered the darkness of the residential area. Finally, she said, “Raise a few horses, and maybe a dog.”
Chu Dingjiang’s heart sank. She had thought of such trivial details as raising a dog, yet hadn’t considered finding a man.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat and guided her gently, “Why haven’t you thought about finding someone to spend your life with?”
“I have,” An Jiu replied.
Just as Chu Dingjiang felt a glimmer of hope, she added, “My mother.”