Mei Jiu had originally planned to light the sleep incense in the evening, but she overlooked one detail: in the Mei household, such small tasks were handled by servants. So she drifted off to sleep on the soft couch without ever touching the incense.
After Mei Jiu fell asleep, An Jiu tried moving the body, finding it very heavy. Despite her stronger-than-average mental power, this wasn’t the body she once had that was accustomed to sleep aids.
An Jiu got up to stretch, feeling the heaviness slightly lessen, so she didn’t extinguish the incense.
There was no harm in letting this body get used to sleep aids.
The human body has limits, but mental power is boundless. For instance, when a finger is cut off, some people faint from pain while others can endure silently – a manifestation of mental strength.
Similarly, by inhaling sleep incense, An Jiu’s mental power could resist and consciously command the body, while Mei Jiu, with weaker mental power, fell into a deep sleep as the body temporarily shut down.
Incense smoke curled through the air.
An Jiu casually picked up a book and sat on the couch to read.
As the ashes in the incense burner grew, An Jiu felt less and less control over the body. Fortunately, the sleep incense was merely a sleep aid with minimal drug content. After a short while, she could still manage to control the body’s movements.
As darkness fell, to prevent Mei Jiu from waking, she lit another incense stick from the cabinet and placed it under the bed before lying down on the couch.
The door creaked open.
The room was unlit. Seeing Mei Jiu still asleep in the dim light, Yaoyie called softly, “My lady, it’s time to wake up.”
“Mm,” An Jiu responded.
Yaoyie lit a lamp with a fire stick, adjusting the wick with copper wire as she spoke, “We don’t know when the Secret School will come. I’ve had dinner prepared; would you like to eat first, my lady?”
“Alright,” An Jiu tried to lighten her voice, imitating Mei Jiu’s soft tones.
However, this proved her acting skills were sorely lacking.
There are many types of assassins. Those skilled in disguise and performance usually engage in close-quarters combat. An Jiu, however, had severe violent tendencies. Close combat could easily over-excite her, leading to a loss of mental control. Thus, the organization mostly assigned her sniper missions.
“Are you feeling unwell, my lady?” Yaoyie set down the wire and approached the couch, looking at her with concern.
An Jiu remained silent for a while before uttering a single word: “No.”
Yaoyie found this strange but didn’t inquire further. “I’ll have the meal brought in.”
An Jiu sat on the edge of the couch, contemplating how to respond if Mei Yanran came.
Just as she finished this thought, she heard a maid outside announce, “Greetings, Lady Yanran.”
“At ease,” Mei Yanran said lightly as she entered.
Mei Yanran parted the inner room curtains to see a solitary figure in the lamplight. The slender silhouette appeared no different from usual, yet somehow exuded an extreme loneliness, as if she were the last person in the world.
Mei Yanran felt a pang in her heart. “An Jiu’er.”
She looked up, her calm gaze flickering in the lamplight.
Mei Jiu deeply respected and loved Mei Yanran with the affection of a junior for an elder. Meeting her gaze, Mei Yanran felt a strange difference. There seemed to be love, guilt…
Looking again, it was just an ordinary exchange of glances.
“Don’t worry. The Secret School is under the Old Madam’s control. You were chosen at Elder Zhi’s request and won’t be treated like the others,” Mei Yanran sat beside her. “I’ve asked someone to look after you specially. There won’t be any danger. Just go bravely.”
“Mm,” An Jiu responded.
Even the wisest person, when fully trusting someone, may become less observant and thoughtful.
Mei Yanran didn’t question An Jiu’s reticence, attributing it to fear. Thus, during their meal together, she broke the rule of “no talking while eating or resting” and spoke many comforting words.
An Jiu didn’t mind Mei Yanran’s endless instructions. When she finished, An Jiu obediently replied, “I’ll remember.”
As Mei Yanran was about to give more advice, she suddenly stopped.
A black-clothed, masked woman dropped down from the rafters. Mei Yanran glanced at her and stood. “So it’s you who came.”
The woman nodded and looked at An Jiu. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t be afraid, my child. She’ll take care of you,” Mei Yanran said.
The black-clad woman couldn’t bear to watch. She frowned and said, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, doting on her like this. You should know that in Meihua Village, such indulgence is tantamount to drowning her.”
“I know,” Mei Yanran’s voice was barely audible.
An Jiu rose to leave but turned back after a step to hug Mei Yanran.
Mei Yanran was stunned. Another embrace like this.
Mei Jiu would throw herself into Mei Yanran’s arms when upset, but usually didn’t behave this way. The last time “Mei Jiu” had hugged her like this, she had calmly and firmly said, “We’ll be alright.” These were small things, but now as Mei Yanran recalled them, they seemed incredible.
An Jiu followed the black-clad woman. Once they left Yuwei Residence, the ripples in her heart calmed.
The woman knew lightness skills. Even walking normally, she moved very quickly. An Jiu, burdened with a weak body affected by sleep incense, struggled to keep up.
“I thought she’d raised you to be delicate,” the woman suddenly slowed, turning to examine An Jiu. “But you can endure hardship.”
An Jiu remained silent.
The woman paid no mind, leading her into a forest. They walked for a long time through winding paths before emerging.
It was a dark, windy night – perfect for killing.
In the murky distance ahead, An Jiu’s keen eyes could make out rolling hills. A carriage waited at the foot of a nearby slope. The woman unceremoniously shoved An Jiu inside before quickly departing.
The carriage interior was dark. An Jiu could vaguely make out four people, likely those from the Second Branch.
With Mei Rujian still recovering from injury and unable to participate, everyone had arrived.
As the carriage slowly started moving, Mei Tingjun, Mei Tingxuan, and Mei Tingchun excitedly kept peeking outside, still just children exploring mysterious things.
“Sister, do you think they’ll let us kill someone today?” Mei Tingxuan asked Mei Tingzhu in a low voice.
Mei Tingzhu rebuked her, “Quiet down. We’ll know when we get there.”
Mei Tingjun and Mei Tingchun, the two boys, remained silent but felt quite proud. The Secret School didn’t always specifically request individuals. Most of the time, it was voluntary, with admission based on passing the Secret School’s tests.
In other words, those directly requested by the Secret School were exceptional.
Mei Tingxuan stayed quiet for a while but soon grew restless. Noticing An Jiu motionless by the carriage door, she decided to try scaring her. “Hey, Mei Fourteenth, you don’t know what we’re doing tonight, do you?”
An Jiu ignored this childish provocation.
A cold female voice from outside the carriage ordered, “Silence.”
Mei Tingxuan pouted but didn’t dare speak again.
The carriage, of some special design, moved smoothly without jolts or noise, its gentle swaying inducing drowsiness. After an unknown time, it suddenly stopped.
The door opened, letting in a sharp, cold wind. Everyone except An Jiu shivered.
“Get out,” someone outside said.
Being closest to the door, An Jiu jumped down first, followed by the others.
As soon as they landed, everyone began looking around.
“A graveyard!” Mei Tingxuan exclaimed softly.