“How many Transcendent State experts does the Crown Prince have?” An Jiu asked, unsure if there were more hidden masters like herself. Though only her spiritual power had reached that level, it gave her extraordinary destructive capabilities. “And how much of the Crane Control Army supports him?”

Mei Yanran replied, “To my knowledge, all four major families of the Crane Control Army support the Crown Prince, including the Mei clan. I’m unaware if the Crown Prince has other hidden Transcendent State experts, but we know of two – Eunuch Feng Shi and Elder Zhi of the Mei clan.”

“Elder Zhi.” An Jiu had almost forgotten about him. Since being suspected as the mysterious attacker of the Crane Control Army and detained in the palace, he had vanished from public view.

Mei Yanran had once mentioned Elder Zhi lecturing at the Hall of Nurturing Virtue, where the princes studied.

“The Emperor has more than one son. Couldn’t Elder Zhi possibly support someone else?” An Jiu still felt the Crown Prince was despicable. As Emperor, he would surely deserve the label “decadent and tyrannical”. Since Elder Zhi was renowned for his wisdom and had close contact with the princes at the Hall of Nurturing Virtue, surely he could see this?

Mei Yanran shook her head. “That I can’t guess. You’ve been close to the Crown Prince as his bodyguard. I know what you’ve seen, but that’s only the surface.”

While the Crown Prince was indeed extremely lecherous, he was even more intoxicated by power. Over the years, he never forgot to grasp any force he could use. After all, once he ascended to that supreme position, what kind of woman couldn’t he have? And the benefits power brought him far exceeded just that.

An Jiu suddenly thought of something. Chu Dingjiang also had some of Gu Jinghong’s blood! When they were at the border, to prevent the medicine from being stolen, it was divided into three parts. Mo Sigui kept one portion, An Jiu took some, and Chu Dingjiang had a bit. He had said the Second Prince still needed more experience and wasn’t ready for the throne. If so, why hadn’t he used that medicine to extend the Emperor’s life? If the Emperor were still alive, he wouldn’t be in such a passive situation now.

“I’m leaving,” An Jiu suddenly stood up and strode out.

Mei Jiu opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Mei Yanran.

An Jiu searched throughout the city. Noticing the guards at the North Gate wore different armor from those at other gates, she crouched nearby to observe.

Apart from the attire, this gate looked no different from the others, permeated with a tense atmosphere and more heavily guarded than usual.

An Jiu carefully probed with her spiritual power, discovering many martial masters gathered near the gate tower. Among them was a Transcendent State aura she knew all too well.

Confirming Chu Dingjiang’s presence, she swiftly scaled the city wall and hung upside down from a corridor pillar, tapping on a window.

The window opened, revealing Chu Dingjiang in a black robe, his face half-hidden by a hood as he looked up at her. “Why are you here?”

An Jiu remained silent, scanning the room. Besides seven or eight Ninth Rank martial masters, a richly dressed youth sat in the place of honor. She guessed this must be the Second Prince. So young!

The Second Prince remained undisturbed by the unexpected visitor, calmly appraising her. Suddenly he spoke, “Since you’re the master’s friend, please come in.”

It wasn’t clear if he was addressing An Jiu or Chu Dingjiang. An Jiu took the invitation and flipped into the room.

Only after seeing her figure did the Second Prince show any surprise. The intruder had been so close, yet none of the martial masters in the tower had sensed her. This indicated another Transcendent State expert. The Second Prince had deduced from Chu Dingjiang’s tone that she was a friend, not a foe, and had spoken first to show goodwill. He hadn’t expected this person to be a young woman.

“This is His Highness, the Second Prince,” Chu Dingjiang introduced.

Unsure of proper etiquette, An Jiu simply clasped her fists in greeting. “Your Highness.”

In need of capable people, the Second Prince was very courteous to experts. He smiled and nodded, “No need for formalities.”

“This is my wife,” Chu Dingjiang continued, then requested, “Your Highness, may I have a private word with her?”

An Jiu was momentarily stunned but didn’t deny it.

“Please, go ahead,” the Second Prince replied.

Chu Dingjiang grasped her hand and led her out, walking about a hundred paces along the city wall.

“The Second Prince still looks like a boy on the surface,” An Jiu commented. She said “on the surface” because when their eyes met, his gaze had been steady, showing none of the immaturity typical of youth.

Chu Dingjiang tapped her forehead. “Why didn’t you stay put in Meihua Village? Why come here to get involved?”

“Didn’t you say we’d fight side by side?” An Jiu brushed his hand away, scornfully adding, “Is your idea of fighting together limited to when I’m in danger?”

“When I said fight side by side, I never meant sharing hardships,” Chu Dingjiang replied matter-of-factly. “My woman only needs to share in the good times with me, not the bad.”

“Are you raising a pet?!” An Jiu stared at him, her tone becoming serious. “If you need a pet, sorry, I’m not one.”

If she truly fell in love, she hoped not to miss any important experiences with her partner.

An Jiu had figured it out. She didn’t want to be timid anymore. She wanted to change, to live openly and proudly, starting with loving someone boldly.

“I’m glad you feel this way. I… just don’t want you to take risks!” Chu Dingjiang sighed.

An Jiu was displeased. “I’ll have plenty of risky things to do in the future. One more with you won’t make a difference.”

“You still plan to work as an assassin?” Chu Dingjiang was a bit surprised. He had always thought she wanted to escape that life.

An Jiu was dissatisfied with his tone. “There are good assassins and bad assassins. Since killing is all I know how to do, why can’t I use this skill to do some good? Give me back that job from the bounty list. Once things in Bianjing are settled, I want to complete it myself.”

How one lives isn’t just about circumstances; it’s more often determined by attitude. If there are shackles in one’s heart, even facing a vast ocean won’t make the world feel expansive.

“You’re quite optimistic,” Chu Dingjiang smiled helplessly.

An Jiu was immediately pleased. “From birth until now, no one has ever described me that way. Since you seem to have some insight, I’ve decided to help you without holding grudges.”

Chu Dingjiang suppressed his delight, calmly saying, “As long as you’re happy.”

As a man, protecting one’s woman was natural and right. However, they were far from ordinary people. Chu Dingjiang had inevitably thought about facing life and death together. But An Jiu voluntarily sharing his troubles was one thing; dragging her into them was another. If this was truly her wish, how could he not be happy?

“Stop pretending,” An Jiu rolled her eyes, mercilessly exposing him. “If you didn’t want me to come, you wouldn’t have sent only Sui Yunzhu and Li Qingzhi to stop me. Besides, you’ve been constantly dropping hints.”

If Chu Dingjiang wanted to do something, even if it ultimately failed, he would certainly plan meticulously. How could he possibly give such casual instructions?

“Ha, our Ah Jiu is so clever,” Chu Dingjiang didn’t feel embarrassed at all, smiling as he rubbed her head. “As for those hints you mentioned, I’m innocent.”

“Hmph,” An Jiu snorted, looking at him with an “I’ve seen right through you” expression. “Always talking about facing life and death together, fighting side by side, not missing any chance to brainwash me. Don’t think I don’t know. What kind of brainwashing training haven’t I experienced? Playing hard to get, huh? Hmph.”