“Hide your things well. Don’t let me find them,” Chu Dingjiang said coldly, lowering his gaze.
Today, Chu Dingjiang had hidden in the room for who knows how long, and neither Mei Zhengying nor Mei Yanran had sensed him at all. Who in this world could stop him?
However, after crossing swords with Chu Dingjiang once, Mei Zhengying knew his level of cunning was far beyond this.
“Stealing, such a despicable act, I would never do,” Chu Dingjiang curled his lips. “If you’re unwilling to hand over the Heart Sutra, I’ll kill all the Mei family members and take the key to search at my leisure. There aren’t many Mei family members left anyway. Even if I kill one a day, it won’t take long.”
Mei Zhengying said, “You think threats will work? We of the Mei family seek survival, but we’re not so afraid of death to stoop to that level.”
“Your spirit is admirable. But what use is rash bravery? You know the one I protect is in the same precarious situation as you. If you cooperate, not only will you avoid making an enemy, but you’ll gain an ally,” Chu Dingjiang said. “Even temporary allies are allies. You’re a sensible person; I don’t need to say more. I’ll give you two days to think it over. If I don’t hear a positive response after two days, I’ll start killing people.”
“No need for two days. I agree,” Mei Zhengying said.
Chu Dingjiang’s solemn face showed no emotion. “When will you fulfill your promise?”
Mei Zhengying thought briefly, “The paths in the secret realm are complex, and even more dangerous in summer. If we want to find the Heart Sutra, the sooner the better, but it will take at least three months round trip.”
Chu Dingjiang asked, “I heard you’ve been in the secret realm before. Can’t you remember even a hundred characters?”
“I went in for training. I touched the door of the secret realm but never actually entered,” Mei Zhengying replied.
“So you don’t know why the Mei family kept the Heart Sutra in cold storage?”
“No.” This had always puzzled Mei Zhengying, but he had long resisted becoming the Mei family head, so there were many things he didn’t know. Now, even if he wanted to know, there was no one to tell him. These matters were only privy to successive family heads. Perhaps this trip to the secret realm would provide answers!
Chu Dingjiang continued to ask, “Since you held this secret, why didn’t you just tell me directly instead of allowing yourself to be threatened?”
If Mei Zhengying had revealed this secret earlier, Chu Dingjiang would have immediately been on the defensive.
“This matter concerns the lifeblood of the Mei family. How could I casually reveal it without knowing your background?” Mei Zhengying knew this explanation wasn’t convincing enough, so he added, “After returning to the manor, I ordered a full search for the manual. As we approached the one-month deadline I had agreed with you, I did consider the idea of crippling Elder Zhi’s hands…”
Such things were common in large families, especially in assassin families like the Mei clan. Often, individuals were sacrificed to protect the greater good. Although Mei Zhengying felt reluctant and guilty, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with this approach.
Chu Dingjiang had once given Mei Zhengying medicine to treat spiritual power damage. Mei Zhengying had immediately administered it upon returning, but the medicine had never taken effect.
It wasn’t until Mei Zhengying was hesitating outside Elder Zhi’s door that the elder had a moment of clarity.
Mei Zhengying was overjoyed, feeling as if he had found a pillar of support. He told Elder Zhi everything, hoping he could think of a solution that would satisfy both sides. However, after a long silence, Elder Zhi suddenly damaged his hand tendons and then asked Mei Zhengying to give him a quick death after obtaining the manual.
“Sixth Young Master, everyone says I’ve sacrificed much for the family. Indeed, I’ve lived my entire life for the family. But in my old age, when the family was in its most difficult time, I selfishly chose the wrong path. As a result, all those years of sacrifice went up in smoke. The first half of my life was spent living and dying for the family, but in the latter half, I abandoned it all, pouring all my energy into archery. In the end, I achieved neither success nor fame. This outcome is the fruit of my actions.”
“Elder Zhi said that in life, once you’ve drawn your bow, there’s no turning back. Once you’ve invested everything in something, you shouldn’t turn back until death. Although it may not be perfect, if you give up halfway, you’re destined to live an ordinary, unremarkable life,” Mei Zhengying sighed. “He became lucid and told me to trust you.”
It wasn’t hard to hear the regret in Elder Zhi’s words. Intelligent people are quick to realize their mistakes, but unfortunately, they realize too late. Now, he was left with endless suffering. This suffering had nothing to do with anyone else; it was because he knew he hadn’t done his utmost to protect the Mei family. His attention had been divided by archery.
Chu Dingjiang nodded, indicating he believed this explanation.
Mei Yanran felt a deep sadness. Compared to the greater good of the clan, she was just a selfish mother, a failed mother.
“I’ll go with you,” she said.
Mei Zhengying nodded in agreement, then looked at Chu Dingjiang, “While I’m away, I’ll trouble you to look after the Mei family.”
“Twice,” Chu Dingjiang said. He couldn’t constantly protect the Mei family like a workhorse. His power had greatly diminished; if twenty ninth-level experts attacked him simultaneously, they could certainly kill him.
Although there weren’t many ninth-level experts left in the world, didn’t Liao still have those fake ninth-level experts whose power increased dramatically through drugs? Even if they could only maintain it for half a day, Chu Dingjiang would still be defeated.
Mei Zhengying understood. Chu Dingjiang was only willing to save the Mei family from crisis twice. He calculated the time he’d be away and thought these two promises might be saved for later use. “Deal!”
Mei Zhengying had gained the upper hand in this transaction. The Mei family was in a perilous situation, and gaining the protection of a transformation realm expert for free was like a windfall from heaven.
Mei Zhengying was decisive in his actions. Having agreed to this, he immediately handed over all Mei family affairs to Mei Tingzhu and packed his bags to leave for Meihua Village with Mei Yanran that very day.
Chu Dingjiang, having taken on a burden of responsibilities, felt somewhat dejected but more relieved. If he hadn’t heard this enormous secret today, allowing this invisible danger to lurk within An Jiu would have been even more terrifying. Who knew when the person lying next to him might turn into an emotionless killing machine?
At least now that they knew, there was room for remedy.
Returning to the Hua residence, Chu Dingjiang decided to take Mei Jiu back to Meihua Village to wait.
“Are you coming?” Chu Dingjiang shared his thoughts with Mo Sigui.
Mo Sigui looked at the room full of medicine and firmly shook his head. “No.”
Chu Dingjiang nodded, not insisting. He had wanted to ask Mo Sigui if he knew about the poison in the Mei family’s blood, but with Wei Yuzhi present, he didn’t broach the subject.
He had always been a man of action. Saying he would leave, he did just that, leaving only a letter on the table before departing with An Jiu in a light carriage. Thus, no one paid much attention, assuming it was just an ordinary outing.
Everything was as usual in Meihua Village.
Seeing An Jiu return, Lou Xiaowu excitedly pulled her into a spin. “Little Mouse, you’re back!”
An Jiu pouted, “Yes, Mushroom.”
Their originally emotional “heart-to-heart” had left a lingering effect – two nicknames.
“Mushroom is much better than Mouse!” Lou Xiaowu said proudly, secretly glad she hadn’t called herself a weasel back then.
Seeing An Jiu and Lou Xiaowu together, looking so pure and innocent, Chu Dingjiang was quite pleased. “You two go play.”
Lou Xiaowu glanced at Ling Ziyue.
“Go ahead!” Ling Ziyue encouraged.
Only then did Lou Xiaowu happily pull An Jiu along as they skipped outside.
Inside, the two older men watched them leave, their expressions radiating the fondness and pride of fathers watching their daughters grow up.