The heavy medicinal smell in the room couldn’t mask the scent of blood.

An Jiu saw Gu Jinghuang’s face, pale as paper, and his chest showing no signs of breathing. She turned to look at Mo Sigui, “What… happened to him?”

“With me here, he won’t die,” Mo Sigui said, confident to the point of arrogance. But his arrogance wasn’t due to natural talent in medicine or having received teachings from a divine doctor. It came from countless days and nights of diligent study and practice.

Pride from hard work and sweat is admirable; boasting without effort is detestable.

An Jiu completely ignored his air of medical expertise and patiently explained, “I asked what happened to him, not whether you could cure him.”

“As Buddha said,” Mo Sigui put down his teacup and said softly, “It cannot be spoken of.”

“Heh.” An Jiu let out an expressionless laugh, full of naked contempt.

“What kind of attitude is that!” Mo Sigui crossed his arms and glared at her. “Mei Shisi, An Dajiu, I’m certainly talking to you is the most annoying thing in my life. Let’s chat less in the future!”

An Jiu said, “Why add ‘Da’ (big)?”

Mo Sigui leaned back, “Two-character names don’t roll off the tongue. Calling you An Xiaojiu is too nauseating, and you’re not worth me taking the trouble to come up with a poetic name.”

Poetic… An Jiu couldn’t help but think of how Mo Sigui named his medicines things like “Spring Wind Doesn’t Understand Words” and didn’t have much expectation for his naming skills.

“An Xiaojiu, An Xiaojiu.” An Jiu repeated it several times, recalling how Chu Dijiang called her by this name. For some unknown reason, her heart trembled slightly. After pondering for a moment, she rarely agreed with Mo Sigui’s statement, “Indeed.”

Mo Sigui immediately felt a sense of achievement. His peach blossom eyes sparkled with undisguised charm as he took out his fan and opened it with grace.

But then he heard An Jiu say seriously, “I should tell Chu Dijiang not to call me that in the future.”

“Ahem!” Mo Sigui’s fan-waving motion paused. He half-covered his stiffened expression, “Actually, after saying it a few more times, I find An Xiaojiu quite poetic. It sounds better the more you hear it, a rather profound name. An Dajiu seems more vulgar in comparison.”

An Jiu mercilessly exposed his true thoughts, “You’re just afraid he’ll beat you up!”

“Nonsense!” Mo Sigui angrily closed his folding fan. “I’ve faced off against the King of Hell in my life, who could I be afraid of!”

An Jiu ignored him and walked to the couch, reaching out to feel Gu Jinghuang’s breath. “He’s not breathing?”

“He will be soon!” Mo Sigui tapped his fingers on the table. “Shouldn’t you be heading back? Is it proper for an unmarried woman to stay in a man’s room late at night?”

“I intended to come look and leave, but you drugged me and kept me here all night,” An Jiu turned to look at him. “Is this the kind of person you are? Does Lou Mingyue know?”

“Hey!” Mo Sigui jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on. “You can eat carelessly, but you can’t speak carelessly. Please leave quickly, my lady!”

“What happened to him?” An Jiu circled back to the previous topic, but this time it was a threat.

Mo Sigui had always thought An Jiu would only fiercely pursue prey like a wolf, but he forgot that wolves are also intelligent. He finally understood the saying “It’s easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away.” “Someone buried something extremely important inside his body. He came to me to have it removed before he leaves on a long journey.”

Hearing this, An Jiu could roughly guess, though she didn’t know it was about taking blood from the heart.

She turned back to look at Gu Jinghuang’s snow-like, handsome face. After standing silently for a moment, she turned to leave.

Mo Sigui breathed a sigh of relief.

An Jiu opened the door but suddenly paused. She turned her head to look at him, “I wasn’t mistaken. Your ethics can indeed be ignored.”

Mo Sigui was stunned for a moment. After he realized what she meant, he couldn’t help but jump up, staring like an angry rooster at the empty, open doorway, breathing heavily in anger. He decided that in a couple of days when he rebuilt her body, he would use even stronger drugs!

After that, An Jiu didn’t disturb him again.

Three days later, in the evening, someone from the Crane Control Army came to escort the recruits. An Jiu packed her belongings and went to the training ground to assemble.

Ten people joined the Crane Control Army in total: An Jiu, Lou Mingyue, Mo Sigui, Sheng Changying, Zhu Pianpian, Sui Yunzhu, Li Qingzhi, Qiu Yunyan, Sun Dixian, and unexpectedly, the effeminate Earth Instructor!

Recently, the Crane Control Army had been suffering losses and needed young experts. Among the four instructors, the Earth Instructor was the youngest, so naturally, he couldn’t escape. However, like Sheng Changying, he was being transferred. The Earth Instructor was displeased about this; one could feel the resentful aura emanating from him within a ten-zhang radius.

Sheng Changying was a civil official and would still be in charge of supplies after entering the Crane Control Army, with a promotion of one rank. But the Earth Instructor’s situation was tragic.

His resentment was understandable because while there were many higher-ranking officials in the Crane Control Institute, they rarely interfered with specific matters. As an instructor, he had a high salary and didn’t have to risk his life. After joining the Crane Control Army, it would be endless days and nights of bloody battles. Even more tragic was that in the Crane Control Army, promotions were usually gained through completing missions. As a new transfer, the Earth Instructor clearly wouldn’t be able to take a high position. Who could be happy about that?

“Squad Leader Gao!” The Crane Control envoy looked at the Earth Instructor with displeasure. “Why such an attitude? Are you unwilling to serve His Majesty?”

Five people formed a squad, led by a squad leader. Ten days made a company, led by a company commander.

Everyone thought silently, no wonder he was full of resentment. This couldn’t compare to being an instructor in the Crane Control Institute at all. It wasn’t just a matter of being demoted a few ranks; it was like falling from a mountain into the dust.

“In response to the envoy,” the Earth Instructor looked at this envoy who originally held a lower rank than himself, his shrill voice sounding sinister, “Serving His Majesty is a blessing I’ve cultivated for ten lifetimes. However, I’ve had this demeanor since I was in the womb, causing the envoy to misunderstand.”

The Crane Control envoy was stumped. He changed the subject, “Ten people are joining the Crane Control Army this time. Mo Sigui has matters to attend to and will be delayed for a few days. Of the remaining nine, apart from Supply Manager Sheng and Doctor Mo, the rest will be assigned to the Divine Martial Army, still under Lord Chu’s command, as one team led by Squad Leader Gao to carry out missions. If there are no objections, please follow me.”

Who would dare to have any objections to something already decided by the higher-ups?

Everyone could only take their gear and set off through the snowy night, leaving the Crane Control Institute.

They had fought together before, sharing life-and-death experiences. Entering the Crane Control Army together, they felt no unease. After all, it was just a matter of life and death, and at least they had comrades by their side.

This year’s winter seemed particularly long. Sparse snowflakes floated in the sky, though it was unclear if it was fresh snow or old snow blown up by the wind.

Sui Yunzhu exhaled, thinking to herself that with such a long winter, the Liao state would likely invade again. The Crane Control Army must be extremely busy at this time.

During this period, temperatures were generally low. The Liao state, north of the Great Song, became extremely cold every winter. It was a time for consuming stored grain, not only unable to produce but also often losing cattle, sheep, and horses to the cold. If the winter was especially long, by early spring the entire country would be destitute. At such times, the fertile lands and mild temperatures of the Great Song were particularly enticing to the people of Liao.