An Jiu turned around to see a figure emerge from the shadows. The person wore a gray-black fitted outfit but had the appearance of a handsome young man.

“It is you, sister!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“Mei Ruyan,” An Jiu uttered her name.

Mei Ruyan’s steps faltered. Mei Jiu usually called her either “sister” or “Ashun,” rarely using this name.

“Why are you being so distant, sister?” Mei Ruyan approached, her expression visibly hurt. She said dejectedly, “I didn’t receive Lord Chu’s reply in Yangzhou, so I risked following you to Bianjing. I guessed you might return to the Mei family, so I’ve been waiting around here for over a month.”

She removed her mask, revealing a strikingly beautiful face.

To An Jiu, Mei Ruyan’s beauty had distinctly Eastern features – slender eyes that could appear both sharp and alluring. However, in An Jiu’s eyes, this face was also deceptive. “If you’re trying to take advantage of a fool, I’m sorry to say that fool no longer exists.”

Mei Ruyan’s expression froze momentarily before she asked, “What do you mean, sister?”

“Stop pretending,” An Jiu said coldly. “Wei Yuzhi is as cunning as a ghost and can manipulate objects with his spiritual energy. How could you possibly escape from him?”

“His body was originally weak. After using his power to manipulate objects once, he needs a long time to recover. That’s how I managed to escape,” Mei Ruyan explained, her eyes brimming with tears. “Sister, you must believe me. I escaped to save you all, hoping I could seek refuge with you. If you abandon me, I’m as good as dead once Wei Yuzhi recovers!”

In her desperation, she drew her sword and held it against her neck. “If I’m destined to die anyway, I might as well end it now! Better than living in constant fear.”

A smile slowly crept across An Jiu’s face. It was beautiful, yet cold as frost in the moonlight. “From today on, I’ve changed my opinion of you. You’re nothing special after all.”

An Jiu felt disappointed. She had previously thought Mei Ruyan, having grown up in harsh conditions, was like a flower on a cliff – worldly and cunning, yet possessing a resilient beauty. She had considered Mei Ruyan far stronger than Mei Jiu, that delicate blossom raised under protection. But now, An Jiu realized Mei Jiu wasn’t so bad after all. At least she was far better than this woman threatening suicide with a sword.

Mei Yanran lowered her sword. Watching An Jiu’s rapidly retreating figure, she called out, “Why are you so certain I have ill intentions?”

“Because I simply don’t care about you,” An Jiu replied without looking back, her answer seemingly unrelated.

Because she didn’t care, she disregarded Mei Ruyan’s life or death.

Mei Ruyan stood frozen.

This wasn’t the Mei Jiu she knew! How could a person change so drastically, even if they had gone through significant changes?

An Jiu darted through the city, her form swift as an arrow.

Soon, she returned to the Konghe Army camp.

She first went to Mo Sigui’s courtyard, tossing the Mei Fist manual in front of him. “Check if anything’s missing.”

Mo Sigui was intently focused on trimming his nails and didn’t bother to look up. “I’m not a Mei, how would I know what the manual should look like?”

“You can tell with other martial arts manuals. Why not this one?” An Jiu sat across from him, staring directly at him. “Have you gone blind recently?”

“Ouch!” Mo Sigui winced as he filed his finger. He glared at her fiercely. “Is this how you ask for help?”

They glared at each other for a while before An Jiu finally pouted. Just as she was about to say something nice to coax him, he raised his hand to stop her. “I understand your intention, but there’s no need for words. Even my toes can guess that a dog’s mouth will never produce ivory.”

“It can,” An Jiu replied.

Mo Sigui was greatly surprised. He picked up two books from the table, his mood visibly brightening. “You’re capable of self-mockery? I thought you only knew how to say hurtful things to provoke others.”

An Jiu leaned in to look at the books with him, responding, “I just think you often make sense when you speak.”

Slam! Mo Sigui threw the books onto the table. “I’m not reading anymore!”

An Jiu quickly checked the books. Seeing they weren’t damaged, she said, “Psychologists say people who frequently can’t control their emotions are prone to mental illness. You often get angry for no reason, you should be careful.”

“No reason?” Mo Sigui raised his voice, then deflated. He picked up the manual again. “I’m almost out of patience with you. I want to tell you sincerely – Lady Da Jiu, be careful, or one day I might poison you!”

“You won’t,” An Jiu said confidently. “Because you’re interested in my injuries.”

Mo Sigui felt as if he’d been caught and thoroughly manipulated. This feeling came so strongly and suddenly that he was too “pleasantly surprised” to speak.

Seeing him motionless, An Jiu urged, “Hurry and look.”

Mo Sigui silently flipped through the pages, moving quickly. When he reached the last page of the second volume, he suddenly grinned and rolled up his sleeves. “Let me guess, you must have gone to great lengths to get this, right? But you still got tricked. This book is incomplete. There should be at least two more first techniques at the end. Oh my, how the tables have turned. I’ve finally lived to see this day!”

“Indeed,” An Jiu agreed with Mo Sigui’s words. She touched the book and said, “It did take a lot of effort. The jade pendant the former family head gave me before dying, which I carefully preserved for so long – I gave it to them without much hesitation. I deliberated for an entire day.”

Mo Sigui’s smile faded.

“They gave me the manual so easily and didn’t try to take it back. I suspected they might have withheld some content,” An Jiu continued, her slender white fingers gently tapping the table. “It will take me a few more years to master the later techniques, right? I figure by then if the Mei family doesn’t give me the remaining manual or if their demands are too unreasonable, I should have the ability to take it by force. At the very least, I could steal it, couldn’t I?”

Mo Sigui mockingly said, “I didn’t realize you were so capable. My apologies.”

His sarcasm was so exaggerated that An Jiu couldn’t help but notice. “This is a serious matter…”

Mo Sigui grabbed his nail file. “Take Da Jiu and Xiao Yue to play elsewhere. Don’t disturb me while I’m doing important work.”

An Jiu thought, how is filing nails important work? But then she noticed him gently sweeping the nail filings into a paper packet with a brush. “What are you collecting those for?”

“For medicine, of course,” Mo Sigui said, seeming to recall something amusing. He smiled and said, “I’m making medicine for you! Feeling nervous?”

“I’d take it without hesitation even if you chopped off your fingers,” An Jiu said, her gaze lingering on his hands.

This time, it was Mo Sigui who felt uneasy. He tucked away the paper packet and said, “Go on, go do whatever you need to do!”

An Jiu returned to her room to study the Mei Fist manual carefully.

The force application method of Mei Fist differed greatly from the Meridian-Breaking Palm. The Meridian-Breaking Palm’s force was fierce and unyielding, damaging not only the opponent’s meridians but also their flesh and skin, essentially crippling them. In contrast, Mei Fist employed a “hitting the cow behind the mountain” technique, with a force that was both soft and hard. According to the manual, if one mastered Mei Fist to perfection, they could damage an opponent’s internal organs without leaving a single mark on their skin.