“Why push yourself so hard?” Mei Jiu wanted to tell Mei Ruyan that even if she mastered martial arts, life would be difficult in the future.

Mei Ruyan replied, “I consider myself quite knowledgeable, but I’ve never seen such a peculiar great family. I don’t know the reasons behind it, but I can guess a bit. Sister, our lifespans are likely predetermined. When we die isn’t up to us, but the King of Hell can’t control how we live!”

She smiled resolutely, “I want to become strong. Even if I can’t overcome fate in the end, I want to die with a smile on my face.”

So even knowing that mastering martial arts wouldn’t make life easier in the future, she wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to become stronger.

Neither Mei Ruyan nor Mei Jiu had any martial arts foundation. To become stronger, they couldn’t hide their abilities. If their martial arts didn’t progress or progress too slowly, Master Mo wouldn’t teach them more advanced techniques. Simply put, in martial arts, concealing one’s skills only happens when one has reached a certain level. For beginners, it’s impossible to do so.

An Jiu was different. All martial arts share common principles. Although she hadn’t encountered this type of kung fu before, her previous intense training had taught her how to control her body to the extreme and unleash its potential—stripping away all external forms, this was the essence of martial arts.

Mei Ruyan and Mei Jiu descended the mountain together before returning to their respective residences.

Back, Mei Ruyan’s words echoed in Mei Jiu’s ears. When she spoke of “dying with a smile,” Mei Jiu felt an incomparable shock. They were about the same age, yet why did Mei Ruyan possess such strength of spirit?

When Mei Jiu returned to Yuwei Residence, Mei Yanran was already waiting in the main hall.

“Mother,” Mei Jiu felt reassured upon seeing her.

“You’re back a bit late today,” Mei Yanran remarked.

Mei Jiu explained, “My sister was slightly injured, so it was difficult for her to come down the mountain. I accompanied her and walked slowly for a while.”

“She’s injured?” Mei Yanran adjusted her sleeves, pausing before saying, “I’ll go check on her later. Did everything go well for you today?”

Mei Jiu knew she was asking about the martial arts training. “Master Qingming gave me a martial arts manual. I could memorize the movements after reading it once, but when I demonstrated them, I greatly upset Master Qingming.”

Mei Yanran covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, “Master Qingming preaches Zen eloquently, yet he can never control himself.”

“Mother, I saw a man in black today,” Mei Jiu decided to tell her about the encounter with the masked man while herding sheep.

An Jiu didn’t stop her.

Mei Yanran’s smile faded, her expression turning serious. “A man in black? Where did you see him?”

“While I was herding sheep alone on the mountain today,” Mei Jiu recounted everything truthfully. “I had seen him before in the ancestral hall. There were ten masked men in black then, five Gandharvas and five Yakshas. The man I saw today wore a Yaksha mask.”

Mei Yanran suddenly became tense and pressed, “Did he speak to you?”

“He did. He asked if I was Elder Zhi’s new disciple,” Mei Jiu omitted the part about An Jiu. “He also said we’d meet again soon.”

“What?!” Mei Yanran’s face now showed undisguised shock. “How… how is this possible… Could you tell how old he was?”

Mei Jiu was startled by her reaction, but her mind had been blank at the time, and now she couldn’t recall any details no matter how hard she tried.

“Between twenty and thirty years old,” An Jiu said.

The encounter had been too brief; she could only estimate an age range based on his voice and some small details.

“Probably between twenty and thirty,” Mei Jiu repeated.

Mei Yanran thought for a moment, “It shouldn’t be someone from our family.”

Mei Jiu was puzzled, “Mother, who are these people?”

“People from the Crane Control Institute,” Mei Yanran felt there was no need to hide anything from Mei Jiu anymore. Given the current situation, with Mei Jiu still under semi-house arrest and Mei Yanran unable to look after her constantly, it was no longer appropriate for Mei Jiu to remain ignorant. “Normally, having just returned to the family and with your abilities still unclear, they shouldn’t be in such a hurry to enter you into the family register. Unless it happens to coincide with a group of people from the clan being sent to the Crane Control Army…”

It turned out that the number of people recorded in each Mei family register had to be documented by the imperial court. Whenever someone was to be entered into the Mei family register, the court would send people to assess their abilities and record everything. The timing was coincidental, so the family had decided to have Mei Jiu entered into the family register as soon as possible.

“A long time ago, the Crane Control Army was mainly composed of four families: Mei, Zhao, Li, and Lou, along with many smaller families. The previous emperor felt this was too easy to lose control over, so the court established a place specifically for training Crane Control Army talents, called the Crane Control Institute.”

After the establishment of the Crane Control Institute, they no longer only accepted people from these families but also recruited many talented children from among the common people. They were trained from a young age, aiming to change the situation where the families dominated the Crane Control Army.

These families knew too many imperial secrets. The consequences of becoming obsolete were unthinkable! The major families had no way out and could only find ways to hold onto their power tightly to ensure their survival.

The descendants of the Mei family were gradually dwindling, so they were eager to include Mei Jiu and Mo Sigui in the family register. They even turned a blind eye to Mei Ruyan, despite knowing she wasn’t a true Mei descendant.

Mei Yanran pondered, “The people from the Crane Control Institute probably wanted to test your aptitude…”

Thinking of this, Mei Yanran suddenly reached out to check Mei Jiu’s pulse, carefully examining it for a while.

Mei Jiu didn’t dare interrupt until her mother withdrew her hand. “Mother, what’s wrong?”

Mei Yanran shook her head, “I was wondering why that person said he’d see you again soon.”

Mei Jiu had inherited Mei Yanran’s physical constitution, which was extremely suitable for martial arts. Otherwise, Mei Yanran wouldn’t have deliberately raised her to be gentle and timid. Now at thirteen, Mei Jiu had never been exposed to martial arts before entering the Mei family. Logically, even if she had some talent, it would be too late. Why would she catch the eye of someone from the Crane Control Institute? Surely Elder Zhi’s influence alone wouldn’t make that person say they’d “meet again soon”!

“An Jiu’er, what exactly are you hiding from me?” Mei Yanran held Mei Jiu’s hand. “What can’t you tell your mother?”

“I…” Mei Jiu desperately wanted to tell her mother everything, but hearing An Jiu’s cold snort, all her words became stuck in her throat.

Mei Yanran sighed, “An Jiu’er, your mother’s life is already set. I only hope for your well-being. If it’s something important, you must not keep it from me!”

Upon returning to the Mei family, Mei Yanran knew the possibility of escaping again was almost zero. Her only plan was to sacrifice everything she had to ensure Mei Jiu’s peace for the rest of her life.

It was getting late, and seeing that Mei Jiu had no intention of revealing anything, she didn’t press further.

After the evening meal.

Mei Yanran had someone prepare medicine for bruises and injuries, and while waiting, she continued to talk with Mei Jiu.

“Madam Yan,” Yaoye’s urgent voice suddenly came.

Mei Yanran asked, “What is it?”

“The Old Madam is here!” Yaoye said in a lowered voice.

In the brightly lit room, Mei Jiu saw Mei Yanran’s lips tremble, the color draining from her face instantly.

“Who is the Old Madam?” Mei Jiu only knew of two elderly ladies in the Mei family. She had never heard of an Old Madam, let alone one who could make her mother so fearful!

“It seems…” a hoarse voice suddenly came from above, clearly laughing but with a cold, murderous air, “you still remember this old woman.”

Mei Jiu was greatly startled. She looked up towards the ceiling, but even with her exceptional eyesight, she couldn’t spot anyone.

“The girl is already so grown up,” that hoarse voice instantly came from the main seat.

Mei Jiu looked over and saw a hunched figure in black sitting there. The person was slightly bent, both hands resting on a cane, completely wrapped from head to toe.