“You’re threatening me!” Gao Dashuang’s face darkened with displeasure.
An Jiu swallowed the pastry in her mouth and replied calmly, “Isn’t this matter unrelated to you, Lord Gao? How could it be a threat to you?”
“Arrogant,” Gao Dashuang snorted, pulling out a pouch from his robe and tossing it to her. “Consider yourself lucky. I haven’t had time to destroy them yet.”
An Jiu opened the pouch, confirming that the pills’ shape and smell matched Mei Yanran’s description. “Thank you.”
“Hmph!” Gao Dashuang flopped down on his couch, waving his hand weakly. “Get out.”
An Jiu hid the pouch in a secret pocket on the inside of her thigh. She stood up, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Why did you keep the poison?”
Gao Dashuang grunted twice but didn’t answer.
After waiting a while and seeing he had no intention of replying, An Jiu knew she wouldn’t get an answer. She silently slipped out of Gushe Palace.
It was noon when she left the imperial palace. The sky was gloomy, with a fine drizzle falling.
An Jiu noticed four eighth-rank martial masters following her at a distance. Without pausing, she concealed her presence and headed west, avoiding pedestrians.
As she passed through a narrow alley, the four suddenly accelerated, approaching from all directions.
Realizing her whereabouts were exposed, An Jiu stopped hiding. She ran swiftly towards terrain favorable to her. Not knowing if these people were friends or foes, she knew it was easy to be at a disadvantage in a place with poor visibility.
Reaching the riverbank, four figures suddenly appeared, blocking her retreat.
An Jiu turned, her back to the wide river.
Judging by their positions, they were enemies, not allies. An Jiu assumed a defensive stance, ready to counterattack.
“Don’t be alarmed. Our master invites you to visit,” one of them said.
An Jiu sensed over ten martial masters approaching. At that speed, she wouldn’t have time to escape these four. Her only option was to jump into the water and swim away.
An Jiu had once swum over twenty kilometers in winter while carrying a heavy load. This ten-zhang-wide river was nothing to her. However, once in the water, the gu poison she’d obtained from Gao Dashuang might be ruined.
What should she do?
This question flashed through her mind, but her feet remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
“How did you find me?” An Jiu believed none of them could surpass her in spiritual power. If she chose not to flee, she wanted to understand where her weakness lay.
The four were visibly startled, not expecting her to ask such a question at this critical moment.
“You’ll know when you meet our master,” one replied.
“Let’s go,” An Jiu stepped forward, causing the four to nervously retreat half a step.
At that moment, reinforcements arrived. The four quickly approached, with one drawing out a rope. “To prevent you from escaping, we must bind you.”
An Jiu extended her hands, allowing them to tie her up. She negotiated, “It’s broad daylight. Walking like this would be inconvenient. I request a carriage.”
“Granted,” said one who seemed to be the leader among the newly arrived group. He gestured for someone to search her.
A young man obeyed, lightly patting her front and back. He quickly retrieved six swords hidden on her body and various poisons from her pockets.
The group retraced their steps. Soon, someone arrived with a carriage, seemingly prepared in advance.
An Jiu obediently got in.
She was satisfied with the search results. At least her specially made umbrella wasn’t confiscated as a weapon, and the most important items among her medicines were preserved.
An Jiu folded her hands on her lap, grateful she had hidden the gu poison well earlier.
She waited patiently for a while, then took advantage of a moment when a wheel got stuck in the mud to crush one of the gu poison pills. Inside was something the size of a grain of rice. She slipped this into the collar of her undergarment, then rubbed a bit of the outer shell’s debris on her sleeve.
After all, Mo Sigui only needed to study its components and didn’t require a complete pill to cast the gu spell.
Moreover, Gao Dashuang had given her four gu poison pills. This was just a precaution; with luck, she’d still have three intact pills left.
Her determination to protect this medicine at all costs was partly for Mei Yanran’s sake and partly due to her character and habits. This journey was specifically for this medicine; it was the mission’s purpose, so she had to complete it no matter what!
Judging by the sound of the carriage wheels, they had left the city. An Jiu’s excellent sense of direction told her they were heading north of the city.
The carriage slowed on the muddy roads outside the city, taking nearly two hours before stopping.
“Please alight, miss,” someone outside said.
An Jiu jumped down.
Before she stretched a verdant scene. Lush trees concealed a small farmhouse. The fine rain hung like mist, wreathing the area in a veil of fog, giving it an ethereal quality.
An Jiu followed them through the woods into the courtyard.
The courtyard floor was paved with pebbles arranged in the shape of begonia flowers. It was quite spacious for a farmhouse, with flourishing flowers and trees. There was even a wooden pavilion where a thin man in blue robes was brewing tea.
“Master, we’ve brought her,” the guide knelt on one knee at the pavilion’s edge.
“Come in,” the man’s voice was clear and refined.
An Jiu remembered – it was Wei Yuzhi.
She was led into the pavilion and seated opposite Wei Yuzhi.
Wei Yuzhi looked up at her, smiling faintly through the curling steam. His expression was calm yet indistinct. “Long time no see.”
An Jiu didn’t respond. Her gaze fell on the table in front of him, where unfamiliar tea utensils were arranged alongside the vials and bottles taken from her body. It seemed someone had delivered these items ahead of them.
She instantly understood what Wei Yuzhi was looking for – Gu Jinghou’s blood!
As An Jiu observed, Wei Yuzhi was also discreetly studying her. “I didn’t expect you to surrender so easily. Could it be you’re hiding something…”
“Get to the point!” An Jiu cut him off.
Wei Yuzhi smiled, placing a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of her. His smile is unchanged, he said, “This is this spring’s new tea, worth a thousand gold per tael. Dare you try it?”
“You don’t need to provoke me. Even if this tea were divine nectar, I wouldn’t drink it,” An Jiu replied.
Wei Yuzhi picked up the teacup and took a small sip. “This tea is excellent for nourishing the spirit. It’s the secret to controlling external objects with spiritual power.”
An Jiu was admittedly tempted for a moment but quickly suppressed the feeling.
Seeing her unmoved, Wei Yuzhi called someone to bring the cup over and drank it himself. Looking at An Jiu again, he couldn’t detect even a trace of regret in her expression.
“You truly are worth my effort,” Wei Yuzhi’s words were ambiguous. He didn’t pursue the topic further, instead saying, “I’m sure you’ve guessed my purpose. Why don’t you just tell me yourself?”
Wei Yuzhi leaned forward slightly, his slender fingers reaching out to touch An Jiu’s face, but she dodged.
“I did like you once, after all. Don’t make this difficult for me,” he spoke gently, his face serene. If not for the topic of their conversation and the dozens of murderous martial artists standing outside the pavilion, An Jiu might have mistaken him for a mere weak scholar.