In the Control Crane Army, Madam Mei’s code name was Hongyu, and her original name was long forgotten.
She was an assassin cultivated by the Control Crane House, without any family background, drifting like a floating weed. Her martial arts were fairly ordinary, but she had managed to survive among the many assassins through sheer calculation.
The path of an assassin was cold and bloody. Calculation alone was not enough – she still clearly remembered the final test before leaving the Control Crane House. It was not an assignment, but a one-on-one duel, just like when she first entered. This time, it all came down to raw ability – no matter how much calculation one had, it would be futile.
She was very clear that if it came to that day, she would become an insignificant sacrifice in that trial. She was unwilling to accept that, so before the trial, she used various poisons to kill the three elites in her group. Even if she was executed for breaking the rules, it was better than having her neck lightly slashed on the battlefield!
To her surprise, after the incident, not only was she not punished, but she was openly praised in front of everyone.
That’s when she realized an important truth: this path had no rules at all, only the living and the dead.
It was precisely because of this incident that the higher-ups noticed her and deliberately sent her into the Control Crane Army family as a mole.
“I encountered Yelu Quancang in the plum blossom forest. Even though I’ve been working for him for so many years, I don’t understand him. As for that court scholar, I understand him even less,” Madam Mei said.
Chu Dingjiang asked, “Why do you work for him?”
“Why…?” Madam Mei had a moment of absent-mindedness, lowering her eyes and muttering, “If not for him, then for whom else can I work…”
It turned out she was a dodder, needing to cling to something to stand upright.
There were many such people in the Control Crane Army, including An Jiu – accustomed to taking orders, used to being commanded, and longing for freedom. But when they truly obtained freedom, they began to feel lost. Madam Mei had grown up in that environment, and after leaving the familiar rules, she could no longer live like an ordinary person.
“I know the current emperor is a wise ruler, but we have no turning back. Once we take a step into the abyss, we will sink deeper and deeper.”
Although she was always talking wistfully, constantly needing to cling to others to survive, Chu Dingjiang would not mistakenly think of her as a weak woman – that was merely a habit. “You have contact with him. Do you have any code words?”
Madam Mei remained silent.
Chu Dingjiang knew that no matter whether serving Yelu Quancang was out of submission or active betrayal, once she recognized a master, she would have a certain degree of loyalty. So she must be hiding some things.
Chu Dingjiang speculated that Madam Mei was a single thread in Yelu Quancang’s hands, and wouldn’t know too much. Tonight, he just wanted to confirm whether she was hiding anything and wasn’t in a hurry to pry open her mouth.
“Madam, take your time to think. Before you’re ready, please stay in this room.” Chu Dingjiang got up and left.
The smile on Madam Mei’s face gradually faded, and the cup in her hand suddenly shattered.
Chu Dingjiang had not gone far. Hearing the sound of the porcelain breaking, he smiled faintly and quickened his pace to where Lingxi was being held.
The Blood Demon came to meet him. “The person inside has woken up.”
Chu Dingjiang nodded. “Take a few people to keep an eye on Madam Mei. No matter what excuse she makes, don’t let her out, not even to use the outhouse.”
The Blood Demon thought that killing people wasn’t too much trouble, but this was too despicable! But still, he immediately carried out the order.
It was pitch-black inside the room, but Chu Dingjiang could move through the darkness without any problem.
He found a stool and sat down, not far from Lingxi. “You should understand why I’ve invited you here.”
“Binding is binding, don’t call it an invitation,” Lingxi said.
Chu Dingjiang had just been to see Madam Mei. Lingxi was certain that separating them like this must mean he had some sinister intentions!
However, Chu Dingjiang’s response somewhat surprised her, “No, she wouldn’t say anything. She only lamented her past, saying her life has been bitter.”
“Bitter?” Lingxi let out a light laugh, making no further comment.
” I don’t plan to force her to reveal the truth, because I believe you will tell me.” Chu Dingjiang sensed her wanting to deny it, and quickly continued, “You don’t need to refute it. After all, she has been Madam Mei for so many years, enjoying glory and wealth. Your martial arts are even higher than hers, yet you’re only a maid. Aren’t you resentful at all?”
Lingxi was silent for a moment, and when she spoke again, her tone was noticeably less forceful than before, “Habit… Habit is truly terrible. Sometimes I even forget that I’m the same as her, not just a servant attending to her.”
Lingxi was sent to Madam Mei’s side to assist from the sidelines. If Madam Mei was gone, she would have no reason to exist. Whether it was the Control Crane Army or Yelu Quancang, what they valued was just Madam Mei’s position, while Lingxi had always been an appendage.
“I may not be as powerful as the Emperor, but I can give you endless wealth and status. I can only give you a chance to choose your own life.”
Chu Dingjiang remembered that when the Mei Manor was attacked, Madam Mei was seriously injured, but Lingxi risked her life to rescue her. He did not believe this was out of deep master-servant affection. It was because Lingxi knew that once Madam Mei was gone, her everything would be gone as well. If she didn’t care about wealth and status and just wanted freedom, she definitely wouldn’t have done that.
“A hundred thousand taels of gold, a manor in the mountains, fly away from here. Lingxi will cease to exist, only you.”
Chu Dingjiang offered this deal, causing Lingxi’s heart to skip a beat. After a moment, she asked, “How can I trust you?”
“You tell the truth, and I’ll kill Madam Mei. Then I’ll find someone to replace you, give you the money, the deed, and even a household registration in Hexi County. This is my plan. Whether you want to take the gamble or not, you decide. I don’t have the time or energy to gain the trust of a suspicious person.”
“And if I don’t say anything?”
“Death.” In the darkness, Chu Dingjiang sat motionless, his towering figure like a tombstone.
What Yelu Quancang promised was much more than what Chu Dingjiang offered, but that also meant they would have to pay a greater price. Lingxi knew without thinking that even if the plan succeeded, what she would get would be far less than Madam Mei. It would be better to…
“I need to think about it.”
“I’ll wait for your good news.” Chu Dingjiang took out a stack of silver ingots from his pocket and placed them on the tall stool nearby. “There are fifty thousand taels of gold here.”
Chu Dingjiang reached the door, paused, and said, “Don’t even think about running. There are two formations set up here.”
Lingxi didn’t respond. She reached out and took the silver ingots worth fifty thousand taels of gold.
The Mei family was an imperial merchant, with a massive wealth of millions. Over the years Madam Mei had been married, she had saved up a considerable private fortune. But even if the Mei family was that wealthy, as a servant, Lingxi had never had the chance to touch it. Chu Dingjiang’s offered price was extremely tempting to her. And he said he would kill Madam Mei, so those private funds…
Chu Dingjiang returned to the bedroom. An Jiu had already woken up and was sitting at the table eating the leftovers from lunch.
“Why are you eating leftovers? Can’t you wait a moment?” Chu Dingjiang reached out and touched the plate. “It’s still cold!”
“I had a few bites to tide me over, waiting for you to come back.”
“What do you want to eat for dinner tonight?”
“It’s late, just make something simple.”
Chu Dingjiang’s standard meal was two cold dishes, three stir-fries, one braise, and a soup, with very little repetition in the dishes, unless it was something An Jiu particularly liked.
“I’ll make you a bowl of noodles with two eggs and stir-fry some beef.”
“Mm-hmm, good, good.” An Jiu nodded happily.
Chu Dingjiang flicked her forehead. “You think I, a noble lord, have fallen so low? But in your eyes, I must be dreaming to have fallen to this point.”
Chu Dingjiang turned and went to the kitchen. An Jiu thought about it for a moment, then put down her chopsticks and followed him out.
“Why are you following me?” Chu Dingjiang glanced at her.
An Jiu grabbed his hand. “I’m just curious. Where did you go just now?”
“Guess.” Chu Dingjiang said.
An Jiu’s spiritual power was strong, and she knew exactly how many people with martial arts skills were in this courtyard. The sudden appearance of two more martial arts masters did not escape her notice.
“I don’t know,” An Jiu answered honestly.
Chu Dingjiang sighed, “You’re smart, it wouldn’t be hard to guess. You just don’t usually want to use your brain.”
Faced with this criticism, An Jiu was unwilling. “In your eyes, only Wei Yuyi’s level is considered using the brain.”
“I captured Madam Mei,” Chu Dingjiang decided not to hide it from her since she asked.
An Jiu was puzzled, “Didn’t you say you were worried about alarming them?”
“It should still be able to be kept secret for a while.” Chu Dingjiang told her, “This time, it’s Yelu Jinglie and Yelu Huangwu plotting a rebellion together. But the news of Yelu Huangwu’s death has already spread, yet we can’t get any news about Yelu Jinglie’s whereabouts. People only say he has been executed, but there are still witnesses who saw him being captured alive. So I’ve been thinking about what the reason could be.”
An Jiu had met Yelu Jinglie before, and he looked very much like Gu Jingxiong, so she was especially interested. “Have you figured it out?”
“I suspect that Yelu Jinglie is also a ‘medicine person’.”
An Jiu’s steps suddenly halted, “He is too? Are you sure?”
“It’s just a guess. Firstly, Yelu Huangwu was also a direct descendant of the Yelu royal family. Given her age, she shouldn’t have been someone only concerned with power, yet she still rebelled. Why? Secondly, Yelu Huangwu had countless ways to scheme against Yelu Jinglie, she didn’t necessarily have to let Ningyan leave to help Yelu Jinglie. She might have sent an enigmatic physician to get close to Yelu Jinglie, most likely with another purpose.”
“The answer is simple – Yelu Huangwu found a way to prolong her life, and this method was related to Yelu Jinglie.”
An Jiu pursed her lips, the various encounters with Gu Jingxiong flashing through her mind, and then thinking of Yelu Jinglie’s face, which was extremely similar to his, and their shared fate…
“If I had known last time that Gu Jingxiong had decided to die, I think I would have tried to stop him.” An Jiu tightened her grip on Chu Dingjiang’s hand. “If I remember correctly, Yelu Jinglie is his uncle, right?”
Chu Dingjiang nodded.
“I want to save him.” An Jiu knew it would be difficult, but she just blurted out what was on her mind.
“Ajiu, he may not have given you his blood completely out of good intentions.” Chu Dingjiang had to tell her the cruel facts. “He hates the direct descendants, he just wants to leave a glimmer of hope for them, but can’t succeed.”
Getting the blood didn’t necessarily require a skilled physician like Mo Sihui to do it. Gu Jingxiong sought out Mo Sihui because he recognized his superior medical skills, knowing he would refine the blood into pills suitable for An Jiu to take, thus diminishing the effects of the heart’s blood by over sixty percent.
“Gaining his blood will also make you a target for the Yelu direct descendants to hunt you down. He never even considered your life.”
“But I still benefited from it,” An Jiu said.
Chu Dingjiang shook his head without further comment, just letting go of her hand and walking ahead.
An Jiu couldn’t tell if it was because of using Gu Jingxiong’s heart’s blood, or because she was more familiar with him, but she admitted that she had feelings for him that were not just those of a benefactor. She didn’t know why, whenever she thought of this person, her heart would constrict a bit.
Maybe she had come to see him as a friend?
But An Jiu didn’t have time to think about that now, because it seemed like Uncle Chu was unhappy!
She went to the kitchen, where Chu Dingjiang was slicing the beef.
The cattle in Hexi County were in short supply, so who would slaughter them to sell the meat? An Jiu didn’t know where he had gotten this fresh meat.
His tall figure made the cutting counter look quite low, forcing him to bend over to chop the vegetables. The lamp cast shadows, and he seemed very focused.
An Jiu sidled up to him. “Are you angry?”
“In your eyes, am I so petty-minded?” Chu Dingjiang continued chopping the vegetables quickly.
“Then why did you just walk away from me in silence?”
“You usually don’t think about unrealistic things after you’ve eaten your fill, so hurry up and come help with the cooking!” Chu Dingjiang neatly arranged the sliced beef, scallions, and ginger on a clean plate, then poured flour into a bowl, washed his hands, and started kneading the dough. “I’m afraid if you get an idea, you’ll order me to go rescue someone. I can go through fire and water for you with one word, but if it’s to save your former rival’s uncle, I’ll feel resentful.”
“Do I have such poor judgment? You’re far more important than him, I could never sacrifice you for him.” An Jiu said, then paused, realizing one of his words, “Former rival?”
“I consider it to be so.” Chu Dingjiang replied.
Chu Dingjiang wanted to ask if the one trapped now was not Gu Jingxiong’s uncle, but Gu Jingxiong himself, how would she act? But thinking that the man was already dead, asking this question didn’t matter anymore, so he let it go.
“The favor Gu Jingxiong did for you, we can return the gesture casually as well. But Yelu Quancang is investigating our whereabouts for unknown reasons, and now the capital is a tiger’s den for us. Risking our lives to rescue someone is not just a casual gesture.”
“I understand.”
Chu Dingjiang worked quickly, and by the time he finished speaking, everything was already prepared.
He lit the stove and had An Jiu start the fire. First, he let the dough rest, then with the fire roaring, in the blink of an eye a plate of stir-fried spicy beef was ready.
Bringing the meal back to the room, An Jiu put the previous matter out of her mind and eagerly dug in. Seeing her eating so heartily, Chu Dingjiang also had a bowl of noodles.
Just as he put down his chopsticks, someone outside reported, “Sir, Lingxi wishes to see you.”
“She’s quite impatient.” Chu Dingjiang told An Jiu, “You play here for a bit, I’ll finish up and come back to boil some water for you to bathe.”
“I don’t want to bathe.”
Chu Dingjiang smiled and said, “Do you want to keep warm for the mushrooms to grow?”
Chu Dingjiang refers to mushrooms as “junzi” (菌子).