In Mei Ruyan’s mind, although Mei Rujian was the eldest son of the First Branch, he was born of a concubine. Despite being her elder, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children remained. She thought that by being polite and giving him a way out, Mei Rujian wouldn’t cause much trouble. Unexpectedly, Mei Rujian laughed sarcastically, “Oh, look who’s being all proper and polite. Should I be moved to tears?”
“Mei Da!” Mei Ruhan’s face darkened. “If there’s an issue, we can discuss it privately. Why must you bring it up when all our siblings are present?”
She lowered her voice threateningly, “Don’t forget, your mother is still part of the First Branch.”
Mei Rujian grew angry, “Is that all you’re capable of?”
Mei Ruhan smiled softly, “It’s not about having many capabilities, just effective ones.”
Mei Ruyan couldn’t help but glance at Mei Ruhan again. Many things in the Mei family were beyond her expectations. This seemingly weak and easily bullied Mei Ruhan was, like Mei Yanran, a tough character!
“Effective?” Mei Rujian sneered, “If I dare to come here, I’m not afraid of your threats!”
He turned and noticed An Jiu eating as if nothing was happening. His smile froze, and in his anger, he reached out to knock away her rice bowl.
With a clang, everyone turned to look.
An Jiu bent down to pick up the broken pieces of porcelain and placed them on the table. As she put the last piece down, she suddenly grabbed Mei Rujian’s belt and pushed half his body out of the window.
Everyone’s eyes widened, not just surprised by An Jiu’s ferocity, but shocked that she could firmly hold down a fairly robust young man who could barely struggle.
“I’ll tell you now, I’m the one who threw Mo Sigui into the lake,” An Jiu said, grabbing his hair and forcing him to look up. “See the river down there? It would be much more refreshing to take a bath from up here.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Mei Rujian roared.
An Jiu pushed him further out, leaving only his lower legs inside the room.
Mei Rujian was face down, his body supported only by his lower legs. Although he used his inner strength to stabilize himself, those nearby could hear the cracking sound of his leg bones.
“If you push me down, you won’t live either!” Mei Rujian was sweating profusely from the pain.
An Jiu grinned, “Don’t worry about that. How about I jump down with you? It would be fun.”
Everyone looked at her as if she were insane.
Mei Ruhan was stunned. Facing An Jiu, she could see the glint in her eyes as she spoke, as if she truly found this amusing rather than just trying to scare Mei Rujian.
“Sister, please pull him up. Big Brother was just joking,” Mei Ruyan said anxiously.
Initially, everyone was content to watch the drama unfold, but as things escalated, they realized An Jiu might be serious. Someone tried to sneak up behind her to knock her out and save Mei Rujian.
Without turning, An Jiu grabbed a plate from the table and threw it at the person behind her. At the same time, she saw someone run out the main door.
“Just joking,” An Jiu smiled. “I’m joking too. Sister, come help me pull him up. I don’t trust anyone else.”
Mei Ruyan looked at An Jiu suspiciously, trying to discern the truth in her words.
“My arm is getting tired,” An Jiu said, releasing one hand.
“Save me, Fifteenth Sister, save me!” Mei Rujian’s cries now carried a hint of sobbing.
Mei Ruyan dared not hesitate any longer. She quickly went to grab Mei Rujian, using all her strength to pull him back. As the only one without martial arts training, she couldn’t easily pull him up, and the process inevitably caused him great pain.
An Jiu leaned against the window, making sarcastic comments, “A lapdog currying favor with the Second Branch, with a spine of jelly shouldn’t dream of standing tall.”
Only when Mei Ruyan finally dragged Mei Rujian back did An Jiu poke him with chopsticks, offering earnest advice, “My martial arts aren’t great, and I’d surely be punished if the elders came. But there’s one thing – I don’t care about my life. Anyone who’s not afraid of death is welcome to test if I’m telling the truth.”
Mei Jiu’s soul was firmly suppressed, unable to move. In her anxiety, she managed to affect the body, and tears unknowingly spilled from her eyes.
The mountain breeze blew in, and An Jiu felt a coolness on her face. Slightly startled, she raised her hand to wipe it.
Everyone in the room saw this madwoman cry after nearly killing someone, leaving them all bewildered.
This time, An Jiu didn’t relinquish control of Mei Jiu’s body but continued to suppress her firmly.
Everything about the clan school made An Jiu uneasy. An idea surfaced that she had to verify, even at the risk of being seen as insane.
Why did the Mei family want to silence Mei Yanran and her daughter? If they had reason to kill them, why did they suddenly change their minds? Why did the Mei family’s children die young? Why were there so many strange rules?
All the information An Jiu gleaned from Mei Jiu’s mind about this world was drastically different from this family. This family was an anomaly in the Song Dynasty.
She theorized that the Mei family had too many secrets that couldn’t be known to outsiders. Mei Yanran fleeing with Mei Jiu undoubtedly posed a risk of secrets leaking. Severe punishment for deserters would serve as a deterrent, hence the decision to eliminate them. The change of heart later might be related to her sudden appearance and the shooting of two martial arts masters. She guessed this because the incident had been mentioned multiple times, and when Mei Ting Yuan brought it up today, it was seen as a demonstration of ability!
This family…
Did they make a living by killing?
Perhaps these children didn’t know their future fate, but the ideologies instilled in them from childhood were bound to set them apart from other children!
An Jiu could choose to verify her suspicions slowly, but she suddenly couldn’t control her anger. She was desperate to prove that this was a chance for a new choice, not a cruel twist of fate!
A despairing ghost living in darkness suddenly saw blue skies and white clouds through a window. She thought she could approach the light and clarity, all lost sensations slowly returning, hope blooming in her heart, only to be strangled in an instant.
What a hateful trick!
Since becoming a sniper, this was the first time she had lost control.
“Why so lively here?” A young man in plain clothes suddenly appeared at the door, his ink-black hair flowing like a waterfall, a serene smile on his jade-like face.
The sound of chairs moving filled the room as everyone stood up:
“Uncle.”
Mei Zheng Jing walked in gracefully yet swiftly.
He leaned in to look at the pale-faced Mei Rujian and clicked his tongue, “Oh my, that’s quite a serious injury. Quickly, take him down for treatment.”
Then, he turned to An Jiu, his eyes bright with concern, “Have you eaten your fill?”
“Uncle!” Mei Ting Yuan exclaimed, “She violated clan rules!”
“Which one?” Mei Zheng Jing turned back, looking at her seriously. “Tell me. If she truly violated a rule, I will punish her severely!”
“Clan rules forbid private duels!” Mei Ting Yuan said.
“Oh,” Mei Zheng Jing’s face changed to one of indifference. “It forbids private duels, but it doesn’t say anything about killing. I know the whole story. This was attempted murder.”
Mei Ting Yuan was furious, “What story? You can’t blur right and wrong like this!”
“Did Rujian fight back? Did they duel? Did Fourteen hit him?” Mei Zheng Jing fired a series of questions. Without waiting for her answer, he concluded, “So this doesn’t count as a private duel.”
As Mei Ting Yuan tried to argue further, Mei Zheng Jing said, “If you have anything to say, go discuss it with your father. If you say another word to me, I’ll punish you for disrespecting your elders!”