Love was only a small part of An Jiu’s life. Although she and Chu Dingjiang had consummated their relationship, she remained quite naive in matters of romance.
Chu Dingjiang understood her and knew he had plenty of time to become an integral part of her life, so he wasn’t in a hurry.
Since that heartfelt conversation with An Jiu, Chu Dingjiang has truly embraced the role of a retired official. He spent his days watching snow and flowers, playing the zither, playing chess, training hawks, and walking tigers. Under his care, Da Jiu was getting fatter, rapidly progressing towards becoming pig-like.
One day, after finishing her breakfast, An Jiu sat by the fireplace, fiddling with a human-faced pendant while contemplating the reorganization of the Dragon Guard. Her gaze fell on Chu Dingjiang by the window.
He was feeding a hungry hawk chick, dressed in a wide-sleeved ash-colored robe. His clean white inner collar accentuated his long neck, and his profile was as striking as mountains and rivers. His damp hair, half-draped over his back, created a patch of moisture on his clothes.
In all the time they’d known each other, she had only seen Chu Dingjiang this clean and tidy twice.
Chu Dingjiang’s demeanor was unlike others of their time. Compared to Wei Yuzhi’s refined gentleness, he had an additional air of unconventionality. In contrast to Ling Ziyue’s rugged fortitude, he appeared more meticulous. Even when he was quietly reading, touched by a scholarly air, his overall presence commanded respect.
“Like what you see?” Chu Dingjiang could feel An Jiu’s intense gaze without looking up.
An Jiu nodded honestly, “Yes, it’s nice.”
Honesty can hurt, but it has its benefits. Chu Dingjiang finished feeding the chick and wiped his hands clean with a handkerchief. “What are you thinking about?”
His movements were natural and graceful, but An Jiu still found it a bit unfamiliar. In her memory, Chu Dingjiang was like a pillar of strength – casual in daily life, calm, with sharp killing intent, yet uniquely gentle towards her. Thinking carefully, she could see from some details that Chu Dingjiang wasn’t a careless person at all.
Setting aside her sudden train of thought, An Jiu answered, “I’m thinking about how to reorganize the Dragon Guard.”
“That’s not difficult,” Chu Dingjiang sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.
An Jiu stared at his long, strong hands. The wide sleeves fell, revealing a mix of strength and gentleness. Why did even pouring water look so good?
Chu Dingjiang put down the teapot and took a sip.
An Jiu’s gaze followed his movement to his slightly bobbing Adam’s apple. As he lowered the cup, a faint moisture glistened on his lips. An Jiu felt inexplicably thirsty.
Noticing her swallow, Chu Dingjiang poured her a cup as well.
Instead of drinking, she leaned in and licked his lips.
“An Jiu…” Chu Dingjiang was surprised but wrapped his arm around her waist and returned the kiss deeply.
Their tongues intertwined, but after the kiss ended, they didn’t go further, just nuzzling each other for a while.
An Jiu wasn’t a shy maiden. If she had needs, she would be very proactive, regardless of whether it was day or night. But now, she just wanted a simple kiss, so even though Chu Dingjiang’s desires had been aroused, he didn’t push for more. To him, these small moments of intimacy were even more precious.
Their eyes met, and Chu Dingjiang silently questioned.
An Jiu understood and said, “You look really good like this. How come I didn’t notice before?”
She was puzzled, but Chu Dingjiang understood perfectly. An Jiu wasn’t the type to be instantly smitten by appearances. When their feelings weren’t deep, looking at him might have been no different from looking at Hua Rongjian or Mo Sigui. But as their emotions grew stronger, she began to notice everything about him.
This was a good sign, and Chu Dingjiang smiled broadly.
“I suddenly remembered a saying I heard in my past life,” An Jiu said. This was one of the few colloquialisms she knew.
“Oh?” Chu Dingjiang’s face was full of smiles.
An Jiu said, “Men are in their prime at forty.”
Chu Dingjiang was speechless, completely unprepared for her conclusion! He didn’t bother to point out that he was only in his twenties.
Seeing the conversation had reached this point, Chu Dingjiang wisely chose to return to the original topic to avoid further jabs. “Tell me about your plans for rebuilding the Dragon Guard.”
An Jiu suddenly remembered this important matter!
“It seems simple, but I don’t want to be constrained by the court, yet I want it to be an officially recognized organization,” An Jiu said. She didn’t want to follow others’ orders without any room for dissent; she wanted to have her stance.
When An Jiu first started using this term, Chu Dingjiang thought she wanted to return to serve the court. Although he didn’t quite understand, he unconditionally supported her. Now he realized that this “official recognition” meant something else. “You mean you want to create an organization acknowledged by the court that doesn’t need to hide?”
In other words, she wanted to organize a Dragon Guard that wasn’t a hidden assassin group, but a righteous organization recognized by the court.
“That is indeed difficult,” Chu Dingjiang said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. “The court won’t tolerate private forces among the people. But I have an idea you might consider.”
An Jiu’s eyes lit up. “I knew you’d have a solution. What do you suggest?”
Chu Dingjiang said, “Find a reliable person to take an official position outside the capital. You can then follow them to train local troops for the government.”