Wu Lingyuan shook his head. If he could forget this experience, the temple wouldn’t have refused to accept him as a monk.

Neither spoke further, sitting until sunset when An Jiu finally rose to leave.

She found a place to spend the night and returned to the wonton stall early the next morning.

In the misty dawn by the riverside, Wu Lingyuan had already lit the stove and boiled a pot of water.

An Jiu didn’t conceal her presence. He tilted his head to listen and said, “It’s you, benefactor.”

“Call me A’Jiu,” An Jiu sat down.

Wu Lingyuan complied easily, “A’Jiu.”

Like yesterday, he prepared a bowl of wonton and placed it before An Jiu. Today’s wontons contained ample meat, emitting a fragrant aroma. Many passersby were drawn to the stall, and business was much better than the previous day.

Yet Wu Lingyuan maintained his serene demeanor, seemingly neither worried by few customers nor elated by many. When customers were plenty, Wu Lingyuan tried to speak with An Jiu a few times but received no response, he understood she didn’t wish to talk around others and stopped trying.

Over the morning, Wu Lingyuan sold over a dozen bowls of wonton, mostly to passing merchants, with An Jiu being the exception.

As noon approached and surrounding vendors increased, Wu Lingyuan’s small stall in the corner received fewer visitors. He extinguished the stove and quietly sat with her for the rest of the day.

“I’ve heard that scholars are stubborn, clinging to righteousness and virtue,” An Jiu looked at Wu Lingyuan. “I give you money and goods for your business, yet you don’t speak of repaying me.”

Wu Lingyuan was momentarily stunned, then smiled, “If A’Jiu has any requests, I’ll certainly fulfill them.”

An Jiu remained silent.

Seeing her dissatisfaction with his answer, Wu Lingyuan realized she wasn’t truly asking for repayment, but emphasizing her earlier statement. “While pedantic attitudes certainly exist, there’s no shortage of scheming behind closed doors. To speak of nearby examples, even in the academy where I studied, students maintained a facade of courtesy while harboring discord. Having studied and learned etiquette, they only buried their true feelings deeper. They neither give their true hearts easily nor reveal their ill intentions readily.”

An Jiu pondered these words carefully, finding them quite insightful. “You understand so much.”

Wu Lingyuan smiled, “These trivial matters are all I have to contemplate daily. I’m grateful A’Jiu is willing to listen.”

After a moment of silence without hearing An Jiu speak, Wu Lingyuan continued, “This place is poor, but I like it. Once, when I was nearly starving to death, a neighboring family had only one bowl of leftover rice, yet they gave it all to me. How many of those well-dressed people would give their entire fortune to save someone unrelated to them?”

An Jiu suddenly said, “I have some matters to attend to. I’ll see you another day.”

Wu Lingyuan didn’t ask further, only saying, “Until we meet again.”

The Mei family was immensely wealthy. The jade pendant the family head gave to An Jiu likely represented a huge fortune. Who wouldn’t be moved by such wealth? As a lone individual in the Song Dynasty, having such money would provide An Jiu with more security. Naturally, she didn’t want to return the pendant to the Mei family, nor did she want any further involvement with them. However, she now desperately needed to learn the Mei Boxing technique.

After pondering for two days, An Jiu finally made a decision. That night, she headed straight for the Mei family’s temporary residence in Bianjing.

An Jiu had been to this place before. The first time she left Meihua Village after coming to the Song Dynasty, she had come to this house with Mo Sigui.

An Jiu leaped over the wall into the courtyard and headed directly for the main hall.

The main hall doors were wide open, warm yellow light spilling onto the smooth stone slabs outside. Lanterns on the corridor swayed gently in the breeze, their light intermingling with that from inside, creating a dreamlike, floating effect.

The moment An Jiu appeared at the doorway, the three people inside noticed her simultaneously.

The man remained calm, while the woman showed a brief moment of wariness before quickly relaxing.

“Fourteen,” Mei Zhengjing was still dressed in white, though now it was mourning attire.

His eyes somewhat resembled Mo Sigui’s, but the impression they gave was entirely different. No matter if he was laughing or angry, Mo Sigui always carried an air of romantic charm. Mei Zhengjing, who previously seemed indifferent to everything, had now become more settled, exuding stability and depth.

Standing beside him were Mei Tingzhu and Mei Tingyuan, also dressed in mourning clothes.

Both Mei Zhengjing and Mei Tingzhu were formidable, yet they were amazed that An Jiu had approached without them noticing.

“You’ve progressed this far,” Mei Zhengjing said.

He showed neither joy nor pride, for he clearly understood that Mei Fourteen harbored no affection for the Mei family. If any feeling existed, it was likely only hatred.

“I’ve come to make a deal with you,” An Jiu said.

Mei Tingyuan, who had initially been pleased to see An Jiu, darkened upon hearing these words. “Mei Fourteen, it would have been better if you hadn’t shown up at all than to speak so coldly. The Mei family raised you for a time, yet you show such indifference!”

Mei Zhengjing reacted calmly, gesturing, “Please, sit.”

This manner of treating An Jiu as a complete outsider was now evident.

An Jiu didn’t refuse. After everyone was seated, Mei Zhengjing waited for her to state her purpose.

“Before discussing the deal, I’d like to know if anyone still practices Mei Boxing?” An Jiu asked.

Since the Mei family began focusing on internal cultivation, Mei Boxing had become a somewhat redundant martial art. As they became accustomed to internal cultivation methods, their effectiveness in battle diminished. Yet, they felt it would be too wasteful to abandon it completely.

“Of course,” Mei Zhengjing said. “Although no one has mastered the complete set of Mei Boxing since the passing of the previous family head, we still have the boxing manual.”

“Before his death, the Mei family head told me that the Zhongzheng Shouyi Tower was crucial to the Mei family’s lineage,” An Jiu continued, noticing Mei Zhengjing’s expression grow serious. “He gave me a jade pendant, which might be related to this vital lineage. It’s reasonable for me to ask for some compensation for safeguarding such an important item for the Mei family, don’t you think?”

“You were born into the Mei family. Even without this matter, you would have the right to learn Mei Boxing,” Mei Tingzhu interjected. “Why speak of a deal?”