Of course, Hua Rongjian wouldn’t give them a chance to betray him. The old man was left speechless, and Hua Rongjian, losing patience, ordered, “Withdraw!”

In the blink of an eye, the black-clad figures vanished into the alleys. A ragged old man emerged from a nearby dead-end street, staring pensively in the direction An Jiu had departed.

Initially, they had agreed to let Hua Rongjian take over the Bounty List because of his wealth, connections, and seemingly low martial arts skills. He appeared to be a fat pig they could dispose of at will. However, things were now spiraling out of control. This young, seemingly weak manager wasn’t as easy to deal with as they had imagined.

“Hua clan,” the old voice muttered.

It had taken some effort to uncover the new manager’s identity, which only increased his wariness. Was Hua Rongjian’s takeover of the Bounty List his initiative or a family directive?

The Bounty List absolutely couldn’t be controlled by a single family! This was one of the conditions for the court to maintain the Bounty List after establishing the Crane Army. However, with the court currently in disarray, they couldn’t oversee this matter for now.

The night grew deeper.

When An Jiu returned to the island, Da Jiu was dozing at the dock, its large head bobbing as it snored. An Jiu called out several times, but failing to wake it, she kicked it lightly, chiding, “Some tiger you are, so unalert!”

Da Jiu shook its head groggily and followed her back. Near the door, An Jiu realized Da Jiu wasn’t behind her. Turning around, she saw the tiger sprawled on the stone path, fast asleep!

Though usually lazy, this behavior was highly unusual for Da Jiu. An Jiu dragged it by the leg to Mo Sigui’s door and knocked.

There was no response.

She knocked again.

Still no answer.

An Jiu’s heart sank, and she prepared to kick the door open.

Just then, the door creaked open. Wei Yuzhi appeared, his blue robe loosely draped, white hair disheveled. His deep gray eyes were misty, giving him an alluring, dreamy look.

An Jiu froze, suddenly meeting his gaze.

She could guess what had happened! Even Wei Yuzhi, with his formidable mental strength, couldn’t escape. The entire island must have fallen into a deep slumber. The lingering medicinal scent made her head spin. “You should go back to sleep,” she said.

“Fourteen…” Wei Yuzhi steadied himself against the doorframe. Noticing her dragging Da Jiu, he explained, “Mo Shengyi couldn’t sleep tonight. The usual incense didn’t work, so he concocted a new one. As a result…”

He swayed, his words trailing off.

An Jiu quickly grabbed him.

The sudden movement caused Wei Yuzhi to stumble into her.

An Jiu could feel his body heat and his breath on her neck. Her heart skipped a beat, and her body stiffened.

She was no longer an inexperienced girl, but even her first time with Chu Dingjiang hadn’t elicited such a strong reaction from such a small contact.

After a moment, An Jiu helped him back inside.

As she came out, she saw Chu Dingjiang standing in the courtyard. For some reason, she suddenly felt guilty.

“It’s late. Get some rest,” Chu Dingjiang said before turning to enter his room.

His tone was calm, but An Jiu sensed his anger.

Dragging Da Jiu back to her dark room, she climbed into bed.

After feeling around for a while without touching Chu Dingjiang’s body, An Jiu lit the bedside lamp.

The warm orange light gradually illuminated the room. Chu Dingjiang, dressed in black robes, sat at the table drinking tea.

“Are you angry?” An Jiu explained, “What happened earlier was just an accident…”

Chu Dingjiang set down his cup and gazed at An Jiu, his heart filled with resignation and melancholy, reminiscent of his past life when betrayed by his family.

An observer could detect signs of a person falling in love, especially someone who knew An Jiu as well as he did. At this moment, Chu Dingjiang didn’t know how to respond. Love is unpredictable, coming and going without warning. When someone doesn’t love you, no amount of effort or pleading can make them stay.

An Jiu now had a vague fondness for that person. What about the future?

Chu Dingjiang drank a cup of cold water, calming himself. “An Jiu, I have only one thing to say to you today.”

“What is it?” An Jiu asked eagerly.

Seeing her nervousness, he walked over and gently pressed her head against his chest. “No matter where you go in the future or whose side you stand by, I will always wait for you.”

It wasn’t that Chu Dingjiang lacked confidence, but he saw things too clearly. An Jiu needed to relive the life she had missed. Judging by her choices, beneath her cold exterior lay a passionate heart. Their current calm relationship might not last, or there would certainly be twists along the way.

He minded An Jiu developing feelings for others but forcing her to suppress her emotions would backfire. He had enough patience and understanding to prove that all passionate entanglements weren’t merely fleeting.

While he might be able to win over other women’s affections by force, that approach wouldn’t work with An Jiu.

For her, he needed to take a gentle, persuasive approach.

“Chu Dingjiang, let’s get married,” An Jiu’s voice was muffled.

“Alright,” Chu Dingjiang agreed.

“Chu Dingjiang, I know what you’re worried about,” An Jiu looked up at him. “I do have different feelings for Wei Yuzhi, but I won’t act on them. You should trust me.”

“I trust you,” Chu Dingjiang believed she was telling the truth, but hadn’t even Wei Yuzhi, with his exceptional self-control, been unable to resist?

“You’re just placating me,” An Jiu pushed him away, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, looking at him disapprovingly. “When I was little, I heard a story about a hungry bear who snuck into a cornfield and picked lots of corn. On his way home, he saw a watermelon patch, so he dropped the corn and picked two watermelons. Then he saw a sesame field, dropped the watermelons, and started picking sesame seeds. When the farmer chased him, he ran away. By the time he got home, all he had left was a handful of sesame seeds.”

“As a child, I wondered why the farmer dared to chase a bear and why the bear was afraid of an old man. Later, I understood the story teaches us to be content and cherish what we already have, or we’ll end up losing everything.”

Chu Dingjiang, who always thought she did much but thought little, was surprised by this insight. “When did you start thinking about these things?”

“A long time ago. After I understood this, during missions with multiple targets, I focused on just one. I wouldn’t go after accomplices until I’d eliminated the primary target.”

Chu Dingjiang smiled, “You apply what you learn.”

“I only focus on the first target,” An Jiu said seriously. “Even if there were someone better or more attractive than you in the world, I wouldn’t shift my attention to try with them. You are my corn.”