“Surely you once respected your foster father,” An Jiu said, doubting such a cold-hearted person could feel troubled.
Wei Yuzhi’s expression remained unchanged. “Tell me, where is Ghost Shadow’s heart blood?”
An Jiu solemnly told Wei Yuzhi, “His name is Gu Jinghou.”
“Jinghou… No matter how startling a glance, it’s ultimately just a fleeting reflection on water,” Wei Yuzhi chuckled. “Did you know? A Taoist once cast his fortune, saying he had the fate of a trapped dragon. He would face three great tribulations in life, and if he could overcome them, he’d soar to the heavens. Alas, he ended up trapped forever.”
“We’ve strayed from the topic. Shisi Niang, it’s your turn to speak,” Wei Yuzhi spoke as if chatting with an old friend, without any hint of coercion.
An Jiu, however, remained on guard.
The heart blood had been made into pills by Mo Sigui. Originally, they were all with An Jiu, but after the incident at the Hebei military camp, An Jiu gave the medicine bottle to Mo Sigui for safekeeping. She only kept a dozen or so pills, which she had already consumed.
“It’s with Mo Sigui, isn’t it?” Wei Yuzhi’s slender fingers lightly tapped the table, his face wearing a relaxed smile.
An Jiu couldn’t help but admire him. She had undergone special training and knew her current expressions and movements couldn’t possibly reveal any information. Yet, just from her prolonged silence, he had guessed the truth.
“Don’t think about lying to me. It’s useless,” Wei Yuzhi said, his spirit gradually waning. He poured another cup of tea and drank it, closing his eyes to rest.
“Are you working for someone else, or do you plan to use it yourself?” An Jiu wouldn’t give him time to rest.
Wei Yuzhi coughed lightly, his gaze shifting from An Jiu to the rain outside. “Look at the distant trees. They’re just like me.”
The scenery in the distance was as faint as he was, giving the impression it might dissipate at any moment. Only upon closer inspection would one realize it still stood firm.
However, Wei Yuzhi was overestimating An Jiu if he expected her to understand his metaphor.
An Jiu followed his gaze. As evening approached, the mist thickened. The trees, half-hidden, resembled an ink painting about to emerge from rice paper.
She disliked such profound comparisons. The scene could be described as beautiful or desolate, depending on the observer’s state of mind.
Wei Yuzhi seemed in no hurry to obtain Gu Jinghou’s heart blood. He ordered someone to bring a tray of silver needles and place it on the table. “I know you rely on spiritual power to fight. Coincidentally, I’m very knowledgeable in this area. Once these nine silver needles are inserted, you’ll become no different from an ordinary person.”
He picked up a thin, long needle, his gaze regretful.
An Jiu coldly watched him. “If I cared even a little, my tendons and meridians wouldn’t have been destroyed.”
She cared neither for her tendons nor her spiritual power. To her, even if she could only open her mouth, she must have the ability to bite someone to death. However, she hadn’t yet achieved the purpose of this trip, and time was running short. She couldn’t afford to give up any condition that might help her escape.
Her hands were bound, but she could escape from any restraint, so that was negligible. However, the martial artists surrounding them made it difficult to take a hostage.
Wei Yuzhi slowly inserted the entire silver needle into an acupoint on her shoulder. Only a red dot remained visible on her skin.
As he concentrated on inserting the second needle, An Jiu lowered her voice and said, “I’ll give you the item alone.”
Wei Yuzhi’s movements paused. He scrutinized her for a moment, then lowered his head and continued inserting the needle. “You clearly don’t understand me well enough.”
Having hit a neither soft nor hard nail, An Jiu realized that trying to stall for time with him was a poor strategy.
An Jiu’s thoughts shifted, and her hands swiftly grabbed the folded umbrella.
Killing intent suddenly spread. The surrounding people turned, only to see a flash of cold light in the pavilion. By the time their swords approached, An Jiu had already thrust a thin blade into Wei Yuzhi’s chest. Simultaneously, she shouted, “Everyone back off, or I’ll kill him!”
The long sword that was about to touch An Jiu’s neck suddenly halted.
“Stand down,” Wei Yuzhi said, his face pale. The blade at his chest was just half an inch from taking his life.
They wouldn’t kill An Jiu before obtaining Gu Jinghou’s blood, as the person they truly served was far more important than Wei Yuzhi!
“Everyone move aside,” An Jiu’s spiritual pressure dominated the scene. The acupoints where Wei Yuzhi had inserted silver needles throbbed with pain, blood seeping out.
An Jiu felt her brain going numb. She untied the ropes and, to everyone’s surprise, grabbed Wei Yuzhi. With a dark expression, she ordered, “Get out of my way!”
Wei Yuzhi coughed urgently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His chest was also soaked with blood, a horrifying sight.
“Let her pass,” he said, his hands behind his back, making a gesture for his men to follow.
When he first met this woman, he had witnessed her ruthlessness. This time, he had offended her severely. Once she was out of danger, she would surely kill him.
An Jiu sensed his movement but, drawing on her experience, knew this was the best opportunity she could get. She hurriedly carried Wei Yuzhi out, mounted a horse, and galloped towards the city, disregarding his life entirely.
An Jiu had considered escape routes while in the carriage earlier. Returning to Meihua Village would bring unnecessary trouble to Mo Sigui and the others. Going elsewhere would quickly put her at a disadvantage. Therefore, returning to the city was the best choice! Even if this desperate situation attracted official attention, it was far safer than going anywhere else.
As they raced along, the distant North City Gate came into view. In the misty rain, there were few pedestrians. An Jiu’s gaze turned cold as she increased her speed, charging straight for the gate!
The guards on the city wall spotted a lone rider in the distance. Due to poor visibility in the rainy weather, they initially thought it might be an urgent border report. When they realized it wasn’t, they immediately shouted, “Who goes there? Slow down immediately!”
“Who goes there? Slow down immediately!” the guards shouted again, seeing no sign of the rider slowing. “If you don’t slow down, we’ll shoot!”
An Jiu gripped Wei Yuzhi’s shoulder with one hand, ready to use him as a human shield if the guards on the wall started shooting.
Although the guards threatened to shoot, they hesitated to do so. What if it was a royal spy or someone from a noble family rushing to a funeral? After all, it was just one person on horseback; even if they entered the city, they couldn’t conquer Bianjing.
This hesitation gave An Jiu an opportunity. By the time the order to close the city gates was given, there were still people passing through, causing some obstruction.
An Jiu maneuvered her horse around the crowd, passing through the half-open gates and charging into the city.
The gate guards initially thought to turn a blind eye, but upon seeing the trail of blood on the ground, they became alarmed. “That person has committed a crime! Quick, after them!”
An Jiu’s horse, carrying two people and having trudged through the mud for over an hour, was no match for the fresh pursuers.
She had originally planned to surrender directly, allowing the officials to take her to prison. Chu Dingjiang would surely rescue her once he learned of her situation. Even if he couldn’t find out immediately, she could find an opportunity to escape. If she could break out of heavily guarded modern prisons, she didn’t believe wooden barriers could hold her! But then she thought, given how deeply the Liao people had infiltrated Bianjing, entering prison might be like jumping from the wolf’s mouth into the tiger’s den.
So when she saw a medical clinic, she immediately reined in her horse. Carrying Wei Yuzhi, she rushed in, shouting, “Doctor, please save my elder brother quickly!”