“Ha!” Mo Sigui gave a wry smile. “Ah Jiu, you’re wearing your heart on your sleeve. Can you dig any deeper into your hidden depths?”
An Jiu glared at him silently, inwardly wondering if she was really that obvious.
“Fine, I’ve accepted my fate anyway,” Mo Sigui suddenly leaned in close and whispered, “How’s our little Yu Yu doing now?”
“She’s fine,” An Jiu said after a moment’s thought.
Mo Sigui waited eagerly, but she seemed lost in thought and didn’t continue. “Tell me more! Like, is she eating well? Dressing well?”
“She eats dried rations and wears these black clothes,” An Jiu said disdainfully. “You already know all this. Why waste breath asking?”
“Ah!” Mo Sigui sighed dramatically, changing the subject. He took An Jiu’s wrist and began to check her pulse.
After a moment, he gravely took her other wrist.
Finally, he said, “Have you suffered another serious injury recently?”
An Jiu nodded, thinking Mo Sigui was indeed skilled. “Once when I encountered the Liao army alone, I suddenly used my spirit force and later coughed up blood.”
“No wonder! Otherwise, with the pills I prepared this time and gradual practice of the Plum Blossom Fist, you should have recovered by now.” Mo Sigui took out another small bottle from his robes. “I imagine you’re running low on pills. Keep taking them, two at a time. It will help you recover.”
An Jiu removed the stopper and sniffed lightly, indeed detecting a faint smell of blood. “What medicine is this? Why does it smell of blood?”
“I cut my finger when trimming my nails,” Mo Sigui lied without changing expression.
An Jiu knew Mo Sigui’s pills were highly concentrated, distilled from large pots of ingredients into these tiny objects. A small amount of blood couldn’t produce such a strong scent, and this blood was fresh, not boiled.
“You didn’t just cut your finger, you chopped it off, didn’t you?” An Jiu frowned. “Are you hiding something from me?”
Mo Sigui shook his head decisively. “You’re overthinking it.”
He quickly changed the subject. “I’ve noticed your mental state has improved a lot. Your madness seems to be trending towards recovery.”
If An Jiu was determined to get to the bottom of something, she wouldn’t be so easily distracted.
Seeing her stern face and unblinking stare, Mo Sigui waved his hand. “Fine, I give up! I’ll tell you, it’s Gu Jinghong’s blood.”
“Why?” An Jiu couldn’t understand. When did Gu Jinghong donate blood to her? And why?
“Because… because… you’re beautiful…” Mo Sigui couldn’t think of a reason. He said impatiently, “You’re asking me, but who am I supposed to ask? Just mentioning Gu Jinghong makes me angry. Anyway, don’t stop taking the medicine. Don’t give up treatment for any reason! I can’t bear any more setbacks!”
Mo Sigui had gone to great lengths to give Gu Jinghong a chance at survival, paying a significant price. But he still died, and Mo Sigui couldn’t accept it.
“He gave blood. Didn’t he say anything?” An Jiu pressed.
Mo Sigui was about to say no but suddenly remembered, “Actually, he did. Didn’t you drink and chat with him? He said it was to thank you.”
“Ah!” Mo Sigui lamented. “I enjoy listening to people’s troubles the most.”
Hearing this, An Jiu felt the bottle burning in her hand. “How… did Gu Jinghong die?”
“Well, not from blood loss. He chose to end things himself,” Mo Sigui had just said he liked listening to people’s troubles, but immediately became impatient again. “Don’t think about such messy things. It’s better if you stay simple-minded like before! Don’t learn to be so sentimental.”
“You’re very agitated today,” An Jiu said, looking into his eyes. “Did Lou Mingyue reject you again, or did she ignore you completely?”
“Alright,” Mo Sigui slumped against the tent, deflated at being exposed. “My mind is usually full of medical knowledge. I rarely think about marriage and children. After hearing about Ning Yu’s death, I gave up on the idea completely. But seeing her again made me think it might be nice to be companions in this life. Unfortunately, she doesn’t feel the same way. I’m… tired.”
He had sacrificed a lot of time and energy to follow Lou Mingyue. He pursued her while also feeling anxious about wasting time. A few months was fine, but if it continued long-term, his heart would surely become weary.
“I can’t pick it up, but I can’t put it down either,” Mo Sigui sighed deeply.
“You each have your paths to follow. Why force yourselves to be bound together?” An Jiu didn’t understand.
Others might answer “because of feelings,” but for Mo Sigui, besides emotions, there was also a sense of responsibility towards Lou Mingyue. Childhood friends, he had long considered her family. Watching a loved one walk down a path of no return, unable to pull them back or even accompany them, was incredibly painful for him.
“Ah Jiu, what should I choose?” Mo Sigui pulled over one of the tiger cubs and stroked its fur.
“I’ve always been alone, only responsible for myself,” An Jiu said, then thought of Mei Yanran and Mei Jiu. “Maybe now I have something to care about. Anyway, I always follow my instincts. If I feel something is right, I do it.”
Mo Sigui suddenly felt that being single-minded wasn’t so bad. At least there was no confusion, always knowing which direction to move forward.
They both fell silent. The surroundings were quiet except for the crackling of torches.
As Mo Sigui was enjoying the night’s tranquility, a sudden burst of killing intent erupted from An Jiu. The two tiger cubs, which had been enjoying the petting, suddenly bristled as if their tails had been stepped on.
He followed her icy gaze, but everything seemed normal. A patrol of night watchmen passed by with torches.
But An Jiu didn’t relax at all. She had just seen a shadow flash past in the flickering firelight, and for an instant, she had caught the person’s aura. Now, very few people could hide from An Jiu, not even the madman who had reached the Transformation State. This time, she not only couldn’t determine the person’s martial arts level but couldn’t even accurately discern their aura!
Mo Sigui didn’t ask, just absentmindedly stroking the tiger’s back.
An Jiu thought of Chu Dingjiang still recovering inside and immediately turned to enter the tent.
Mo Sigui also stood up and followed. He hadn’t noticed any suspicious figures, but he felt an inexplicable unease as if being watched.
An Jiu saw Chu Dingjiang sitting cross-legged on the bed, apparently fine. Her worry eased, but she didn’t let her guard down. She slowly extended her spirit force outward. Even if this couldn’t locate the hidden enemy, it might at least serve as a deterrent, preventing them from acting rashly.