The pursuing officials, realizing this wasn’t a murder case, immediately relaxed. As the doctor took Wei Yuzhi inside, they grabbed An Jiu.
An Jiu was contemplating how to follow quickly. If Wei Yuzhi was still alive, she needed to secretly deliver a final blow. Leaving such a threat alive meant she might fall into his trap even while sleeping with her eyes open.
As she anxiously tried to rush inside, an official caught her arm.
Everyone froze upon seeing her face.
The official who had grabbed her quickly withdrew his hand as if burned. He comforted her, “Don’t worry, miss. This is Bianjing’s most renowned medical clinic. Your brother will surely be saved.”
An Jiu’s heart sank, silently cursing her lack of foresight. However, during her frantic ride, this clinic’s sign had been the most visible. She couldn’t blame herself.
Noticing her poor expression, the official explained, “Miss, you rode through the city gate. Please explain what happened so we can report back.”
An Jiu said, “Oh, I’m from the Mei family. While out with my brother, we were attacked by bandits. My brother was stabbed protecting me, so I rushed into the city in panic.”
She said only this much, but her listeners’ imaginations ran wild. They assumed that such a beautiful young lady must have attracted unwanted attention, leading to her brother’s brave defense. As for her silent charge through the gate, everyone felt that for a sheltered young lady to ride horseback and bring her wounded brother for treatment without panic was already impressive. They couldn’t demand more.
The officials’ chivalrous instincts kicked in. “Miss, please tell me about the attack, then report it to the authorities as soon as possible.”
“We were at Yuliangshan. Three burly men blocked our way, dressed like outlaws. They fled after realizing they had caused a fatality,” An Jiu said.
“Hmph, what kind of cowardly ‘gallant outlaws’ are these!” The official reassured her, “Don’t worry, miss. The authorities will catch the culprits quickly. Please go inside now. Your brother is blessed; he’ll be fine!”
He waved to the others, “You all can go back. I’ll accompany Miss Mei to report this later.”
“Thank you,” An Jiu said, turning swiftly to enter the building.
Bianjing’s top medical clinic lived up to its reputation. When An Jiu entered, the white-haired doctor had already removed the sword and was focused on cleaning the wound.
It would be too obvious for An Jiu to deliver another blow now. The officials outside hadn’t gone far. Not wanting to end up in prison or be hunted by both sides, she decided to hold back for now.
After nearly an hour, the wound was treated.
The old doctor stood up, sighing. Seeing An Jiu’s grave expression, he comforted her, “Luckily, the blade was thin and narrow. It missed the vital spot by half an inch. Your brother is truly blessed.”
Quite modest, An Jiu thought coldly, but said aloud, “Thank you, doctor.”
Mistaking An Jiu’s poor complexion for worry over her brother, the doctor offered a few more words of comfort before leaving.
“Wait,” An Jiu stopped the apprentice carrying a tray. “This weapon belonged to the attacker. I need it for my report to the authorities.”
The apprentice had planned to give it to the official outside anyway. Hearing this, he figured it didn’t matter who got it and agreed, putting it down.
An Jiu lowered her voice, “Stop pretending to sleep.”
People with high spiritual power don’t easily fall unconscious. Sometimes, even in excruciating pain, their minds remain clear. The anesthetic dose the doctor gave was unlikely to knock out Wei Yuzhi.
“How many times have you taken me hostage now?” Wei Yuzhi’s voice was weak.
An Jiu leaned against the wall, arms crossed, giving him a cold smile. “You’ve escaped every time. Lucky you!”
“It’s not luck,” Wei Yuzhi’s face bore a faint smile as if everything was within his expectations. “I excel at grasping that sliver of hope in desperate situations.”
If he hadn’t anticipated that An Jiu’s only escape route was into the city, Wei Yuzhi, not being a fool, wouldn’t have risked such close contact with such a dangerous person. After all, this wasn’t his first encounter with An Jiu.
“Why are you risking your life like this? What’s your goal?” An Jiu couldn’t guess, but surely Wei Yuzhi wasn’t just playing around at the cost of his life!
“Of course, it’s for what I came here to obtain,” Wei Yuzhi said.
“You won’t get it,” a deep voice sounded from above. A rich spiritual power suddenly spread, its force overwhelming, causing the already seriously injured Wei Yuzhi to turn pale, his veins bulging.
A black-robed figure dropped from the roof beside An Jiu.
An Jiu sensed that Chu Dingjiang’s skills had improved. He could now conceal and release his aura at will, even fooling her.
“Let’s go,” Chu Dingjiang said, reaching out to An Jiu.
An Jiu asked, “We’re not killing him?”
Chu Dingjiang’s gaze fell on Wei Yuzhi’s face. “Take care of yourself.”
Without waiting for An Jiu’s opinion, he took her away.
The weather was gloomy, the light outside almost as dim as night. Only when they reached a deserted area did An Jiu break free. “Why didn’t we kill him?”
“Ajiu, do you think Wei Yuzhi is doing well in Liao?” Chu Dingjiang asked.
An Jiu sensed he seemed somewhat dejected.
“He’s served his master for so many years. Now that his master is about to ascend the throne, he should be a trusted minister. With a new emperor, Liao’s internal situation is bound to be unstable. At such a time, if his master truly valued him, he wouldn’t have sent him here,” Chu Dingjiang explained.
An Jiu disagreed, “The new Liao emperor can’t survive without Gu Jinghou’s heart blood. For such an important task, wouldn’t he send his most trusted person?”
“How did his subordinates react when you dangerously took Wei Yuzhi hostage?” Chu Dingjiang prompted.
At that moment, the opportunity had been fleeting, and An Jiu couldn’t consider everything. Her confidence stemmed from the intuition that those around her wouldn’t kill her to save Wei Yuzhi. In dangerous situations, An Jiu relied 70% on analysis, 20% on intuition honed from years of missions, and 10% on luck.
Thinking carefully now, her actions then seemed less like taking a hostage and more like trying to kill Wei Yuzhi. Yet those people still didn’t move against her, clearly not his loyal subordinates.
Going on a mission without trusted subordinates… This must have been his master’s arrangement…
So even if she had killed Wei Yuzhi then, those people would have kept her alive to obtain Gu Jinghou’s heart blood.
An Jiu’s expression turned serious and grave. “I’ve become stupid.”
It must be Mei Jiu’s influence! An Jiu thought angrily.
“You’re brilliantly clever,” Chu Dingjiang comforted her with a smile. “Keeping Wei Yuzhi alive only has benefits. Those in power who have witnessed his formidable intellect, once they achieve their ambitions, there’s only one outcome – when the birds are gone, the good bow is put away. Guess what? Will Wei Yuzhi accept death willingly?”
An Jiu’s intuition told her, “Probably not.”
In the pavilion earlier, although An Jiu hadn’t understood Wei Yuzhi’s metaphor, his gaze at the distant trees held no self-pity. Instead, there was a sense of unyielding determination.