If not for the Emperor’s passing, the Dark Governor couldn’t have imagined such a possibility. When Chu Dijiang spoke, he was already eight-tenths convinced.

Upon hearing this news, everyone felt both joy and worry. They were glad they weren’t in the imperial palace and could flee with this early information. However, they worried about the unique scent in their blood that made them easily traceable. If the new emperor wanted to hunt down traitors, how could they withstand the pursuit?

Chu Dijiang was prepared. He untied a fist-sized pouch from his waist. “This contains a medicine that can mask the blood’s scent. You can avoid royal pursuit. We’re all in the same boat, why make things difficult for each other?”

“Is it effective?” The Dark Governor was tempted.

“To be frank, I’ve led a group out of the Crane Control Army. If this issue wasn’t resolved, how could they be willing to defect?” Chu Dijiang waved the pouch and tossed it to the Dark Governor. “Please distribute it to everyone.”

The Dark Governor passed it to a nearby black-clad man. He opened the pouch, took out a pill, and sniffed it lightly before nodding to the Dark Governor.

As the third-in-command of the Crane Control Army, the Dark Governor’s position was vastly different from the Commander and Deputy Commander. His work was extremely demanding, often requiring him to personally handle important missions, like now…

Despite having wealth, he had no time to spend it. Nearly forty this year, he was still alone. He had been involved with several women in the Crane Control Army, but female assassins weren’t allowed to get pregnant. Once, there had been a forced abortion. Without descendants, his best outcome was to become a handful of ashes, his soul hanging from the Crane Control Army’s eaves, or facing endless killing in this eternal night.

With this medicine, whether the Emperor had passed or not became less important. After brief consideration, the Dark Governor made his decision. “Let’s go!”

Some hesitated, but with the Dark Governor retreating, the power imbalance made it impossible to obtain the extraordinary medicine. Better to take the sure thing! The wise adapt to circumstances, and after a short struggle, they quickly followed suit.

During Chu Dijiang’s negotiation, An Jiu remained vigilant, expending great effort to calm her emotions.

Seeing the crisis averted, An Jiu relaxed slightly, supporting herself with her swords planted in the ground. She exhaled and asked, “Is the Emperor dead?”

“No,” Chu Dijiang reached out to support her.

An Jiu smiled, “I thought so.”

The Dark Governor believed it primarily because Chu Dijiang had defected, there was medicine to mask their scent, and even if the Emperor wasn’t dead, he didn’t have long. Fleeing in the chaos was the best strategy. Not taking this golden opportunity would surely invite heaven’s wrath.

To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.

Chu Dijiang preferred to conserve energy when possible; he didn’t enjoy killing as much as An Jiu did.

They sat on protruding tree roots to rest briefly. An Jiu closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. “Chu Dijiang, with the Emperor dying, the Song Dynasty must be in chaos. Isn’t the Second Prince’s side busy?”

Chu Dijiang paused slightly. “Not busy.”

It wasn’t that they weren’t busy, but that the situation was extremely critical!

Throughout history, the victor becomes king and the vanquished a bandit. For the Second Prince, one step forward meant the pinnacle, one step back meant the abyss. Chu Dijiang had struggled internally for hours before deciding to manage both sides. Whether the Second Prince could smoothly take control was up to fate. As for An Jiu, he came personally to ensure her safety.

“I still came too late.” Chu Dijiang’s warm hand covered her eyes, guessing she had suffered a mental energy backlash earlier.

“Not too early, not too late.” An Jiu snuggled closer to him, a smile playing on her lips. “You always descend from the heavens when I’m struggling. At this rate, my ability to adapt will worsen.”

“Then let me adapt for you.” Chu Dijiang lowered his head to kiss her forehead. “I rarely make promises. Since I said I’d protect you, I’ll do my utmost. Even if one day I’m not capable enough, at least we can fight side by side.”

“You should go back.” An Jiu opened her eyes and tilted her head to kiss his lips.

Neither intended to deepen the kiss, yet they felt their souls merging, drawing warmth from each other amidst the blood and corpses.

Ending this long, gentle kiss, Chu Dijiang lifted her in his arms. “Wait, the Crane Control Army just retreated. I’m not at ease.”

An Jiu didn’t respond, closing her eyes as if asleep.

Chu Dijiang used his mental energy to locate the others on the island and carried An Jiu to them.

Ling Ziyue had finished regulating his energy and was guarding the others who were still in the process. He suddenly noticed a black-robed man in the room and tensed, nearly attacking with his sword. Seeing An Jiu, he relaxed his guard. “Is she alright?”

Chu Dijiang placed An Jiu on the couch, found the medicine bottle on her, and gave her a pill. “She’s fine, just needs some rest.”

Ling Ziyue felt ashamed seeing An Jiu covered in blood, realizing they had let a woman take the lead while the men stayed behind.

“General Ling needn’t overthink.” Chu Dijiang turned, guessing Ling’s thoughts from his expression. “An Jiu actively provoked over a hundred Crane Control Army members. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be this injured…”

“It was an accident,” An Jiu suddenly interrupted.

Chu Dijiang frowned, angered. “If I hadn’t come, there would indeed have been a serious accident.”

An Jiu imperceptibly pouted. “Under normal circumstances, I would have eliminated over a hundred people single-handedly. Your appearance disrupted all my plans.”

“Whose plan?” Chu Dijiang wanted to pull her off the bed and give her a beating. “Did this plan consider the consequences?”

“Of course it did!” An Jiu defiantly opened one eye to look at him. “Even mutual destruction would have been worth it.”

Dying while taking down over a hundred people as collateral, An Jiu genuinely thought it was worth it.

“You die so cleanly, leaving me with no one to avenge you! Did you consider my feelings?” Chu Dijiang was truly angry now. He had even put his ideals below her, rushing here at a critical moment to save her, and this was how she treated him.

An Jiu thought seriously and carefully, seeing his anger, she cautiously said, “There might not have been a complete kill, surely some would have escaped…”

So don’t worry about not having anyone to avenge me!

Chu Dijiang deflated, knowing that if she didn’t want to understand, no amount of explanation would help. “You’ve thought it through. Rest now!”

An Jiu closed her eyes, satisfied.

This time, though she spoke this way, she clearly understood Chu Dijiang’s feelings and treasured them in her heart. She began to understand her mother’s state of mind back then. Her father had experimented on her, and she endured it time and again without resistance, not out of weakness, but perhaps because of a willingness in her heart.

Love makes one blind.