An Jiu was preparing to depart for Zhending Prefecture to capture the next assassin when she noticed everything was developing favorably. First, Lou Xiaowu arrived with a mountain of luggage seeking refuge. Then, Zhu Pianpian received orders from Chu Dingjiang to send over their most profitable manager. Just as everything was arranged, the entire Mei family arrived with their belongings.

While the Mei family officially had only a few members left, the number of people who escaped from the Crane-Controlling Army was quite substantial – twenty-six in total. Among them was Mei Yongting, the eldest son of Elder Qi, skilled in medicine.

The morning mist mingled with the light smoke from Mo Sigui’s pipe, creating a scene reminiscent of an ink painting.

Mo Sigui squatted by the newly opened herb garden, watching Mei Yongting busily work. “Fortunately, the old man didn’t take me as a disciple, or the generational order would be all messed up.”

By blood relation, Mo Sigui should call Mei Yongting his uncle. If Elder Qi had taken Mo Sigui as a disciple, he would have had to address Mei Yongting as senior apprentice-brother.

“The Mei family has always been chaotic,” Mei Yongting said in his pleasant voice, though it was deep and cold, seemingly devoid of emotion.

Mo Sigui said, “The old man left his life’s work, which I burned, but it’s all in my head. I’ll write it down for you.”

“No need. It’s what he left for you.”

“His greatest regret was being too obsessed with medicine. In the end, he warned me not to follow the same path,” Mo Sigui said, looking at Mei Yongting’s tall figure through the thin mist.

Mei Yongting stared blankly at the dewy, fresh herbs at his feet. After a while, he turned to look at Mo Sigui. “Did he… have nothing to say to me?”

Mo Sigui held his pipe, pausing for a moment before saying, “You know he wasn’t one for sentimental words.”

“I don’t know,” Mei Yongting straightened up, looking at the yellowing sky in the east. He sighed, “I rarely saw him when I was home. When I first joined the Crane-Controlling Army, I hated him. If he had spared even a little thought for me, I wouldn’t have been in darkness forever. Now that he’s gone, I don’t resent him anymore, but I’ll never know his remorse.”

“You do know,” Mo Sigui said softly. “You saw him in the ancestral hall.”

“What difference does that make? It was just a glance.”

This father-and-son pair cared for each other but refused to express it. If Mei Yongting truly hated or was indifferent to Elder Qi, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to return to the Mei family for that one look. Mo Sigui didn’t point this out, instead continuing their previous conversation. “If he knows in the afterlife that you’ve left the Crane-Controlling Army, he should be able to rest in peace. Those medical cases were his life’s work. I hope you won’t refuse them.”

Mei Yongting nodded.

Seeing him continue to arrange the herb garden in silence, Mo Sigui decided not to disturb him further and returned to transcribe the medical cases.

As he caressed the sole remaining scroll of Elder Qi’s handwritten medical cases, someone called from outside, “Cousin.”

Mo Sigui put away the medical case. “Come in.”

An Jiu, Mei Tingzhu, Mei Tingyu, and several others entered.

“Sit wherever you like,” Mo Sigui said, unsurprised by their group visit as he already knew about the Mei family’s blood poison issue.

Everyone found a place to sit. Mei Tingzhu asked, “Cousin, have you identified the nature of the poison?”

Mo Sigui shook his head. “Putting aside the others, I’ve been treating An Jiu for so long without noticing anything unusual. It’s not an ordinary poison.”

“Could it be a gu?” Mei Tingzhu asked.

“Even less likely,” Mo Sigui replied. “I’ve used my true qi to check An Jiu’s pulse several times. If there were a gu, I would have detected it long ago.”

“I have an idea,” An Jiu said.

Everyone turned to look at her.

An Jiu continued, “Is it possible that our ancestors were initially poisoned, but after generations of inheritance, the poison no longer exists, yet it caused our blood to mutate? After the mutation, it can still be triggered by certain drugs.”

“Mutation!” Mo Sigui was stunned for a moment, then broke into a smile. “An Jiu, you’re a genius!”

Mei Tingzhu understood An Jiu’s meaning, her face changing slightly. “If that’s true, doesn’t it mean there’s no antidote?”

They weren’t poisoned; they were born different from ordinary people in some ways.

“Also,” Mo Sigui didn’t seem worried at all, his eyes shining with excitement, “Don’t you think the Liao Emperor’s symptoms have something in common with ours? I wonder which ancestor created such a powerful poison.”

Thinking carefully, the Liao Emperor’s hidden illness seemed to be a hereditary poison as well. The difference was that their poison shortened their lifespan, while the Crane-Controlling family’s did not.

An Jiu felt this was something like genetic damage. Even those bizarre crossbows from Liao were similar in principle to guns and cannons… The more she thought about it, the more chilling it became. She felt as if someone was controlling everything from behind the scenes.

Sui Yunzhu said, “I never thought the Feng family was also part of the Crane-Controlling Army.”

Li Qingzhiqi asked, “Could it be the Feng family that once monopolized the Song Dynasty’s river transport?”

“Yes, we never heard of anyone from the Feng family in the Crane-Controlling Army,” Mei Tingyu said.

Like the Mei family, the Feng family was ostensibly a merchant family. They had monopolized the Song Dynasty’s river transport for many years and were skilled in shipbuilding.

Mei Tingzhu, however, found it unsurprising. “If it weren’t for the court’s tacit approval, no single family could control so many docks.”

Whether by water or land, these routes were strategically crucial. How could the court allow a private family to control them? If such a family were to rebel, the entire Song Dynasty could be destroyed overnight.

An Jiu asked, “Then what about the Yu family?”

The Feng family was a thing of the past; now it was the Yu family that held an important position in water transport.

Mei Tingzhu thought for a moment. “The Yu family is probably not involved. The current head of the Yu family seems very cautious. After taking over the Feng family’s river transport business, they only occupied the Jiangnan area, at most becoming a local power. They sold off their holdings in other regions.”

“Let’s not talk about others,” Mo Sigui said with a smile. “Let me give you all some bad news.”

The room suddenly fell silent.

He coughed once. “If things are as An Jiu suggests, there’s no cure for us.”

“Are we just waiting to die?” Mei Tingzhu found it hard to accept this reality. She was a resilient woman who could fight against anything, but how could she face becoming a helpless victim? She had never even considered such a possibility.

An Jiu felt calm inside. She had experienced life as a killing machine and didn’t fear the unknown, but she didn’t want to return to that past. No matter the circumstances, she would fight to the death.

Mei Tingzhu suppressed her unease and asked, “Cousin, do you know the whereabouts of the second Miss Lou?”

Mo Sigui seemed surprised by this sudden change of topic. He paused briefly, “I don’t know. Why do you ask about her?”

Mei Tingzhu said, “I fear the ‘Crane-Controlling Secret Manual’ might have fallen into Liao’s hands. They could use the second Miss Lou to coerce you and Lou Xiaowu into working for them.”

“Huh,” Mo Sigui scoffed. “Using Lou Er to coerce me? They’d have better luck using An Jiu.”

He seemed completely indifferent!

Mei Tingzhu studied him closely, feeling it wasn’t an act. “That’s good then. But we still need to find the second Miss Lou quickly. Lou Xiaowu is an irreplaceable military technology genius. We can’t let the Liao people control her.”

An Jiu had been staring at Mo Sigui, instinctively feeling his words weren’t forced, but she couldn’t understand how someone who had been so persistent could become so indifferent in such a short time.

“I’ll try my best to find a way to compensate. You all can go now; I have work to do,” Mo Sigui said.

Everyone knew he was referring to solving the mutation issue, so they left as requested.

An Jiu didn’t move. After everyone had gone, she said, “I just want to ask one question before I leave.”

“Go ahead,” Mo Sigui said.

“Why did you change so quickly?” An Jiu paused, then added, “Your feelings for Lou Mingyue.”

“You have time to spare. Our lives are in imminent danger, yet you still have the heart to think about such things,” Mo Sigui laughed as he spread paper on the table and began writing medical cases.

After writing a few lines, he looked up to see An Jiu still sitting there. He sighed, “Sometimes, you can spend a lifetime not understanding these things. Other times, understanding comes in an instant. Continuing to entangle ourselves would only bring more trouble. Why bother misleading ourselves and others?”

An Jiu pondered his words, finding them seemingly reasonable yet still not fully understanding.

“Go ponder elsewhere. Don’t obstruct my view,” Mo Sigui said dismissively.

An Jiu lost in her thoughts, stood up and wandered out.

Lou Xiaowu, having just finished breakfast and unable to find anyone, ran to Mo Sigui’s courtyard and bumped into An Jiu. She grabbed her, saying, “Mouse mouse, I’m a mushroom.”

An Jiu snapped back to reality, miraculously understanding Lou Xiaowu’s meaning: she wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk.

“Speak quickly. I’m very busy,” An Jiu said.