“Elder Sister can blame me for being heartless,” Mei Zhengying’s expression turned serious. “When you fled and lived in exile for over a decade, the Mei family spared you and your daughter not only because Mei Fourteen showed talent in archery, but also because the clan still had some regard for blood ties and didn’t want to be ruthless unless necessary. If I didn’t care about family bonds, I should have killed Mei Fourteen today! We crippled Elder Zhi to exchange for the secret manual, but Chu Dingjiang didn’t honor his original promise! The Mei family has its dignity too! Besides kicking us when we’re down this time, what has Mei Fourteen ever done for the family?”
Mei Zhengying abandoned his usual casual demeanor and spoke coldly, “Mei Fourteen grew up outside the family. She has no sense of belonging to the Mei clan. I don’t blame her for that. You fled to escape the abyss, and I won’t hold that against you either. Elder Sister, on what grounds do you question me and the Mei family?”
Mei Yanran pressed her lips together tightly, realizing she indeed had no standing to question him.
Back then, she hadn’t initially planned to flee the Mei family. But when her husband died unnaturally and she discovered she was pregnant, her first thought was that she couldn’t let her child be trapped in this quagmire! Later, when Elder Qi checked her pulse and said the child’s talent would surely be no less than Mei Zhengying’s in the future, those words solidified Mei Yanran’s plan to escape. Mei Zhengying was gifted, but as a male and the next family head candidate, he wouldn’t have to fake his death at a young age and live forever in darkness as an assassin. But Mei Jiu was different – she might not only be trained as an assassin but could also potentially become a tool for the emperor’s pleasure!
Originally, it should have been her path, but she had schemed to have her stepsister take her place. Because of this, her stepmother hated her deeply, refusing to spare even her husband, let alone her daughter.
Thinking of all this, Mei Yanran felt an unbearable pain in her heart. So, after assessing the situation clearly, she resolutely left.
“Debts owed must be repaid sooner or later,” Mei Yanran’s eyes reddened, her voice choked. “Why? I just didn’t want to submit to fate, struggled a bit, that’s all. Can’t I bear these consequences alone? Why must retribution fall upon my daughter? If my sister hadn’t intentionally harmed me back then, I wouldn’t have thought of dragging her down with me.”
Others could harm her, but did she not even have the right to resist?
Mei Zhengying’s anger gradually subsided. “We of the Mei family, young and strong, have to pretend to be dead, living forever in darkness serving the royal family, all because of this inescapable situation. Before I succeeded as family head, I thought my elder brother was just a coward. Now I understand it wasn’t so. The Mei family has already declined to this state. I’m not afraid to reveal this secret now. There’s a kind of poison in the blood of the Four Great Families. Once activated by a special drug, we lose consciousness and become like walking corpses, only capable of killing.”
Mei Yanran’s heart skipped a beat. “Can’t it be detoxified? Sigui…”
“No, it can’t. Every generation of Mei family doctors has spent their entire lives researching how to detoxify it, only to discover it’s ultimately impossible. These toxins have become part of our blood. Passed down through generations, they can’t be eliminated.” Mei Zhengying recalled his conversation with his elder brother that night in the “Loyalty and Righteousness” tower. When he heard this news, he was too shocked to speak.
After a while, Mei Yanran regained her composure. “Is the ‘Crane Control Secret Manual’ related to this?”
Mei Zhengying replied, “Yes, the Crane Control Secret Manual contains methods to activate the toxins in our bodies, as well as the genealogies and martial arts specialties of the Four Great Families.”
In other words, whoever obtained the ‘Crane Control Secret Manual’ could force the Four Great Families to serve them. If they refused, they could be compelled by force!
If this item were in the hands of the current emperor, the fate of the Four Great Families might not change much. At worst, they would continue to serve the royal family as before, seeking opportunities to steal the manual. The problem was that the current emperor had usurped the throne and was unlikely to know about the ‘Crane Control Secret Manual’. The great eunuch who knew many secrets had escaped during the palace breach, and there were reports of Liao people spotted in the palace that day, seemingly searching for the manual.
If the Liao people got hold of it, their fate would be unimaginable.
Thud!
A book fell from the rafters, landing directly on the table beside Mei Zhengying.
Immediately after, a figure in black leaped down, sitting next to Mei Yanran.
Mei Zhengying was first startled, then overjoyed when he looked at the book. “It’s the secret manual!”
The cover of the book was inscribed with the characters “Crane Control Secret Manual” in seal script.
“Don’t rejoice too soon. There are three volumes of the manual, kept in different places,” Chu Dingjiang said gravely. “I took this one first, but when I went to find the others, I discovered they had already been taken.”
Mei Zhengying, amid his joy, felt as if he’d been doused with a bucket of ice water, momentarily dazed.
“However, fortunately, there’s only one real manual, divided into three parts. The one I have contains most of the list for the Mei and Lou families,” Chu Dingjiang said, though his tone showed no signs of relaxation. “From now on, you either live in anonymity or continue to search for the other parts of the manual.”
Mei Zhengying flipped through it once and found that the method to activate the toxins wasn’t in this volume. If it fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions, those of the Mei family hidden in the shadows might be relatively safe, but those in the open, like Mei Zhengying, would be in much greater danger.
Chu Dingjiang saw through his thoughts at a glance. “The Crane Army has long been infiltrated by the Liao people. It’s hard to say how much intelligence they’ve gathered. If Gu Jingfeng has passed on everything he knows to Liao, destroying this manual would be meaningless.”
Mei Zhengying, of course, knew of the renowned top assassin on the Crane List. He couldn’t help but be shocked, “Even he is a Liao spy!”
Chu Dingjiang didn’t speak, but his attitude confirmed it.
After Mei Yanran came, he followed. The Mei family and An Jiu had become enemies, and when Mei Zhengying set aside his dignity to ask for his help, this outcome was inevitable. Mei Yanran didn’t know the details and always believed that Chu Dingjiang was standing in the middle, insisting on settling scores with the Mei family. An Jiu was the victim, and even if the Mei family had to hate someone, it shouldn’t be her. Although she hadn’t contributed much to the family, she hadn’t done anything to harm its interests either.
Who would have thought things would become so deadlocked?
Mei Zhengying could guess Chu Dingjiang’s intentions. The Mei Fourteen he protected also had Mei’s blood flowing in her veins. If the manual wasn’t recovered, An Jiu would be in danger too.
This manual didn’t contain specific content, only the genealogies of the Mei and Lou families. Even someone as clever as Chu Dingjiang couldn’t guess this.
Mei Zhengying used his inner force, and the original manual crumbled to dust. “I crippled Elder Zhi, and Mr. Chu provided the manual. We’re even now.”
“I have no objections,” Chu Dingjiang stood up.
Mei Yanran’s gaze paused briefly.
Mei Zhengying also sensed something amiss. Chu Dingjiang was not such a gentleman!