An Jiu followed the yamen runner to a tea room to wait quietly. The fragrant aroma of tea wafted through the air as she held the token of the Divine Martial Army in her hand. Recalling her reason for joining the Crane Control Army, an indescribable emotion stirred in her heart.
This time, she willingly re-entered an assassin organization. She was still that decisive killer with nothing to live for, yet something seemed to have subtly changed. What could it be? An Jiu furrowed her brow, pondering for a long while without finding an answer.
The Crane Control Army operated efficiently, not keeping her waiting long. After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, someone came for her.
The man was in his thirties, short in stature with an unremarkable appearance. He wore a new reddish-brown brocade robe, looking like the owner of a silk shop in Bianjing City. After examining and confirming the authenticity of the token, he led her through a back door to a carriage.
Having spent much time in illegal organizations, An Jiu instinctively thought the Crane Control Agency, a place that trained assassins, would be hidden in some remote, secluded location. Reality proved to be the opposite of her imagination.
The Crane Control Agency was within the Imperial City.
At the end of the wide, straight Vermilion Bird Avenue lay the entrance to the Imperial City. The outer ring of the Imperial City housed the centers of power in the Great Song Dynasty. The Three Departments and Six Ministries, the Privy Council, and other central institutions were arranged from the outside inward. The closer to the heart of the Imperial City, the more classified the location.
The Crane Control Agency was built next to the Military Affairs Commission in the southwest corner, set apart from other areas by high walls. The plaque above bore the character “Crane Control” in an imposing, domineering style, so brazenly displayed that it made the adjacent Military Affairs Commission seem insignificant in comparison.
An Jiu was speechless. They called this a “secret guard”? Even special forces didn’t need to advertise themselves so blatantly!
“This is the Crane Control Agency,” the man who had been guiding An Jiu finally spoke after they successfully entered the main gate. “There is no Crane Control Supervisorate or Crane Control Army within the Imperial City.”
The Crane Control Agency was a place that trained secret guards and assassins. Those who entered were usually orphans or children from unremarkable families. Members of the Crane Control clan could directly enter the Crane Control Army after passing tests, and even if they came here, it was mostly a formality. Firstly, it was due to their family connections – having relatives serving in the Crane Control Army greatly increased their chances of being selected. Secondly, they had been groomed for this role since birth, their family legacy giving them a significant advantage over ordinary people.
“Those who fail the tests here but haven’t died are assigned to the Palace Corps or Imperial Guard,” the man continued.
The Palace Corps and Imperial Guard were troops that protected the Imperial City, so the Crane Control Agency was ostensibly established to select palace guards. Those who knew about its relationship with the Crane Control Army kept it tacitly understood.
An Jiu sensed that the man beside her seemed to have the ability to read minds. He would say whatever she wanted to know. Though convenient, it was also terrifying. She decided to think of nothing and continued observing her surroundings.
“I am Xu Zhi,” he suddenly found himself unable to read An Jiu’s thoughts and became curious. “May I ask your surname, miss?”
“An,” she replied.
“Miss An is indeed worthy of the Divine Martial Army’s recommendation,” Xu Zhi knew her identity, but when she answered “An,” he didn’t sense that she was lying! This was the first time he had encountered such a situation since acquiring his mind-reading ability.
An Jiu’s gaze passed over him indifferently. “Do you have any doubts?”
Their eyes met briefly. Xu Zhi couldn’t detect any emotion.
A person can’t have no emotions! Even in the calmest moments!
He decided to probe further, “Aren’t you Mei Fourteen?”
“I am, and I’m not,” An Jiu answered honestly.
Once again, Xu Zhi couldn’t sense any emotional fluctuation from her ambiguous answer. He couldn’t even perceive her inner thoughts.
Xu Zhi’s palms began to sweat.
The reason the Crane Control Agency had sent him to receive recruits was because of his mind-reading ability. He could discern a person’s nature and hidden thoughts at a glance, allowing for more targeted training later. If he couldn’t judge or misjudge, his life would be in danger. How could he not be nervous?
Moreover, he had always been confident in this ability and had never encountered such a challenge before.
“Which weapon do you excel at, miss?” Xu Zhi asked.
An Jiu was reluctant to answer, but having just entered the organization and not fully understanding the situation, she couldn’t act on her wishes. So she replied perfunctorily, “Arrows.”
As they were about to reach their destination, Xu Zhi grew more anxious. However, he knew that mind-reading required a calm state of mind, so he tried his best to suppress his emotions and refrained from asking more questions.
Upon reaching the entrance of the registry room, two guards saluted him, “Mr. Xu.”
“Recruit,” Xu Zhi presented the introductory document.
The guards immediately allowed them to pass.
Inside the room, the walls were lined with small drawers similar to those in a pharmacy. They were labeled horizontally with “Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow” and vertically with the Earthly Branches symbols. In the center of the spacious room was a desk and a chair, where a green-robed official was hunched over, organizing files.
The official raised his head upon hearing footsteps. He had a pale face and slanted fox-like eyes that were narrowed. For a moment, An Jiu thought she was looking at Instructor Zhao from the Mei clan school! Upon closer inspection, she realized this man’s features were much more delicate than Instructor Zhao’s, only their eyes and habit of squinting were similar.
“Librarian Sheng,” Xu Zhi bowed.
Librarian Sheng glanced at Xu Zhi, then looked An Jiu up and down before saying coldly, “One must show their true face when registering. You may use the side room to prepare.”
Hearing this, An Jiu nodded slightly and headed towards the door on the right.
As soon as An Jiu entered that room, Xu Zhi anxiously said, “Rouzi, I can’t discern this child’s thoughts.”
“If you can’t discern them, I certainly can’t,” Librarian Sheng rotated his stiff neck a few times before sitting down, his expression serious as he warned, “Also, don’t call me by my childhood name.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll call you grandpa then,” Xu Zhi persisted.
He nodded with satisfaction.
An Jiu hadn’t used much glue on her face, so the mask came off easily with a few wipes of oil. She washed her face briefly before returning to the registry room.
Xu Zhi was asking Librarian Sheng how to handle the situation when they heard movement and turned to look.
They were both stunned for a moment.
The official regained his composure and immediately spread out paper to draw An Jiu’s portrait, which was the first step in registration.
After finishing the drawing, he asked, “Are you willing to join the Imperial Guard?”
“No,” An Jiu replied.
“Joining the Imperial Guard would be much easier,” Librarian Sheng reminded her.
“If I wanted an easy life, I wouldn’t have come here,” An Jiu didn’t appreciate his suggestion. “I want to join the Divine Martial Army.”
Librarian Sheng didn’t try to persuade her further and simply asked, “Name?”
An Jiu instinctively didn’t want to live under the name Mei Jiu, and remembering how she had always disliked the name given by the old madam, she said, “Mei Ruxue.”
“Age?”
“Fifteen or sixteen.”
“Is it fifteen or sixteen?”
“Sixteen.”
“Do you have any special abilities, or are you proficient in any weapons or martial arts?”
“No special abilities, not proficient in any weapons, haven’t practiced any martial arts.”
Librarian Sheng’s brush paused, and he turned to look at Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi felt that An Jiu was telling the truth, but after what had happened earlier, he wasn’t certain.
Librarian Sheng simply wrote: Special abilities to be determined, weapon proficiency to be determined, martial arts style to be determined.
After writing, he rolled up the portrait and information together and placed them in a small drawer marked “Xuan Ren.” “You will retrieve these when you leave the Crane Control Agency. During your time here, you temporarily have no name and will be referred to as Xuan Ren.”