Throughout the night, An Jiu remained vigilant. She had Mosi Gui check on Chu Dingjiang’s wounds, and only after confirming there was no threat to his life did she feel at ease to continue her watch.

Mosi Gui spent the night dozing in the main tent. At dawn, he took the two tigers to eat, while An Jiu stayed in the tent, nibbling on some dry rations.

As the afternoon sun slanted through the open tent flap, Chu Dingjiang let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. Seeing An Jiu sitting by his bed, cradling her bow, he smiled and gently stroked her hair. “Are you tired?”

Chu Dingjiang thought to himself that An Jiu, being a woman, needed affection. However, she dampened the mood by shaking her head and saying, “Someone infiltrated the camp last night.”

Hearing this, Chu Dingjiang set aside his tender feelings and asked, “What happened?”

An Jiu replied, “I don’t know their intentions. What worries me most is that I couldn’t sense their strength or even accurately track their movements.”

After pondering for a moment, Chu Dingjiang suggested, “Perhaps they’re like you—possessing only spiritual power, not martial arts.”

An Jiu’s eyelid twitched as she recalled her face-to-face encounter with Wei Yuzhi. “Indeed.”

“However, reports indicate that Wei Yuzhi has disappeared. After overexerting his spiritual power last time, he shouldn’t recover so quickly,” Chu Dingjiang said, his mouth dry from speaking. Noticing that An Jiu didn’t offer him water, he reluctantly got up and poured himself a cup. After gulping it down, he continued, “While there are many examples like you, I’ve never heard of anyone with spiritual power that matches yours.”

“Could it be a Liao spy?” An Jiu asked.

Chu Dingjiang replied, “The Liao have wild ambitions. They’d use every resource to attack the Song Dynasty. If they had such talent, they would’ve used it already, not wait until now!”

“Then who…” An Jiu had considered this explanation but couldn’t think of alternatives.

“Like the Liao cavalry this time, most aren’t genuine Liao horsemen but martial artists after the bounty on Ling Ziyue’s head,” Chu Dingjiang quickly reasoned. “Perhaps the talent has always existed but doesn’t answer to Liao. Something here must have attracted them, leading them to accept a Liao mission.”

“Is it still about Ling Ziyue?” Although the intruder had lurked near the general’s tent, An Jiu sensed they weren’t after Ling Ziyue.

Chu Dingjiang chuckled, “You think I can divine the future? The intruder only appeared briefly. I haven’t even seen them. Everything we’re saying is just speculation.”

Hearing this, An Jiu dropped the subject and asked, “How’s your recovery?”

Chu Dingjiang’s gaze fell on the Subduing Dragon Bow in her arms. “When I healed you before, I noticed a drawing force in your meridians. I didn’t expect this weapon to amplify that force. Fortunately, I left some restrictions on my body. Otherwise, this situation would’ve been truly dangerous.”

An Jiu pulled back the black cloth covering the Subduing Dragon Bow, revealing its jet-black body. “This bow is indeed strange. It seems to be getting lighter. I wonder if it’s related to your internal energy.”

The once pitch-black bow now gleamed coldly under the blazing sun. Held up to the light, its body showed a faint red glow, as if forged in fierce flames.

As Chu Dingjiang reached out to take the Subduing Dragon Bow, hurried footsteps approached.

“Ah Jiu!” Mosi Gui burst in, the two tigers at his heels.

Panting, he said, “I know the intruder’s purpose! After lunch, I took Dajiu and Xiaoyue for a walk around the camp. When we returned, my medicine chest and apprentice had vanished.”

Gu Jingfeng’s blood! An Jiu instantly understood his meaning.

“The culprit must still be in the camp. Quickly inform General Ling,” An Jiu said immediately.

Even with her level of spiritual power, the physical body remained a limitation compared to internal cultivation. Though the camp had few martial artists, everyone was on high alert. In broad daylight, the intruder might move freely alone but couldn’t easily come and go with a captive.

Mosi Gui replied, “I’ve already had Xiaowu tell him, only mentioning that someone infiltrated the camp, stole my medicine chest, and abducted my apprentice. It’s best not to let too many people know the details.”

The innocent suffer when treasures are coveted. The heart and blood of a medicine person are extremely precious. Outside rumors had exaggerated its powers, claiming it could revive the dead and regrow flesh, even granting the ability to fly if consumed in large quantities. Mosi Gui knew this was impossible, but others didn’t.

If the emperor learned of this, he might try to seize it for himself.

Mosi Gui hadn’t accepted Gu Jingfeng’s blood out of greed. Raising medicine people was a heinous act, and the more powerful one was, the more it needed to be concealed. Moreover, once others learned of such a treasure, it would surely lead to a scramble. Years of effort and resources would be wasted. So even if the person lost this heart blood, they could only suffer in silence, secretly sending people to steal it back.

Mosi Gui didn’t spell it out, but Chu Dingjiang guessed from their conversation. “Your days ahead might not be easy.”

“This time, you’ll have to protect me,” Mosi Gui said, lifting his chin. “If it weren’t for treating your Dajiu, I wouldn’t be in this predicament of being coveted by others.”

Chu Dingjiang knew that Mosi Gui’s risk-taking wasn’t solely out of friendship but largely due to curiosity about the medicine’s properties. However, he didn’t expose this. “All right,” he agreed.