With An Jiu awake, Mei Jiu was in high spirits and felt no desire to sleep. She decided to stay in the study and read.

The former owner of Yu Wei Residence seemed to be an avid reader. The spacious study was packed with books, mostly on martial arts, along with some peculiar novels.

Mei Jiu enjoyed reading poetry, but An Jiu insisted on studying martial arts techniques. Unable to persuade her otherwise, Mei Jiu reluctantly picked up a dry and dull manual. It wasn’t until the end of the hai hour (around 10 PM) that they both began to feel drowsy.

Mei Jiu donned her fur coat, preparing to return to her bedroom, when she heard a maid at the door say, “My lady, Elder Zhi requests your presence.”

The Mei family, specializing in training assassins, didn’t have as many formal rules as other families. However, they maintained certain habits typical of assassins, such as being ready to respond to summons at any hour.

Mei Jiu’s personality remained gentle, but after experiencing so many tumultuous events recently, she no longer startled as easily as she had in the beginning.

“Very well,” Mei Jiu replied.

Yao Ye lit a lantern and accompanied her outside.

The wind in Mei Hua Li was gentle, not as cold as one might imagine. Snowflakes swirled in the breeze, falling densely like a curtain, reminiscent of spring winds rustling through apricot blossoms in April.

An Jiu knew this was Jiangnan, and that long into the future, this area would become much warmer, no longer experiencing such heavy snowfall. It was her first time realizing that cold snow could be so gentle and beautiful.

They walked through the snow to the porch of Yong Zhi Hall. The maid put away the umbrella, and Yao Ye handed the lantern to another servant before helping Mei Jiu brush the snow off her fur coat.

“Fourteenth Young Lady,” a young man in black clothing said in a lifeless tone as the main door creaked open.

Despite her newfound composure, Mei Jiu was still startled. She stole a glance at the young man. In the snowy light, his face appeared gaunt and pale, with regular features and narrow eyes. Though his appearance was ordinary, his gloomy demeanor left a strong impression.

“This subordinate is Mu Qianshan,” the young man introduced himself with a formal bow, noticing Mei Jiu’s scrutiny.

Since he referred to himself as a subordinate, Mei Jiu didn’t return the gesture and only nodded slightly.

“This subordinate will be responsible for protecting the young lady from now on,” Mu Qianshan stated.

Mei Jiu was about to enter when she paused upon hearing his words. She frowned at him, asking, “Are you Elder Zhi’s subordinate?”

Truthfully, Mei Jiu disliked Mu Qianshan from the bottom of her heart. He seemed ghostly, making her uncomfortable just by looking at him. Moreover, Mei Jiu subconsciously felt averse to Elder Zhi as well. Recalling his fierce interrogation last time and how he had sent her to the Dark Academy without explanation, she felt both fear and disgust towards the old man. This aversion extended to Mu Qianshan.

“Yes,” Mu Qianshan replied. “Please enter, young lady.”

Mei Jiu bit her lip and entered the courtyard.

It was the same small archery range. Elder Zhi stood under the corridor with a fully drawn bow, just as he had during their previous meeting.

Whoosh!

The arrow pierced through the dense snowfall. Mei Jiu turned to look and saw it had hit the bullseye again.

“Can you see clearly?” Elder Zhi lowered his bow.

Mei Jiu bowed slightly and answered, “Yes, I can.”

“Drop these ladylike manners,” Elder Zhi said, his stern tone tinged with slight displeasure. “Such restraint is not conducive to practicing archery.”

“Yes,” Mei Jiu obediently replied. In truth, she was confused about what constituted the “way of the bow.” Wasn’t archery simply about hitting the target accurately? Since Elder Zhi hit the bullseye every time, what more was he pursuing?

“Shoot an arrow for me to see,” Elder Zhi placed the bow in her hands. He warned, “It was Qianshan who brought you back to Mei Hua Li from the path to the mass grave. You’re a promising child. Whatever your reasons for pretending to be so cautious and timid, don’t dare to put on an act in front of me. Face the consequences if you do! I’ve already given you one chance. If you behave like before, I’ll send you to the Crane Control Army in a year.”

Mei Jiu panicked. She gripped the bow tightly. Although she had been practicing martial arts diligently lately, her movements still resembled dancing. She had gained some strength but couldn’t inflict any harm.

“An Jiu…” Mei Jiu called out anxiously.

An Jiu had been trying her best to conceal herself. However, her personality was the opposite of Mei Jiu’s, and she wasn’t particularly skilled at acting. Despite her efforts to disguise herself, she still aroused suspicion.

An Jiu recalled that when she was injured earlier, the woman in black had summoned a masked man, likely Mu Qianshan. She hadn’t appeared panicked enough then, which must have exposed a flaw.

Since that was the case, An Jiu decided not to continue hiding. Unfortunately, she hadn’t fully recovered. Even if she forced herself to control the body, she might not achieve the level of dexterity required. Both archery and shooting demand a very subtle physical sensation.

“Don’t be afraid. Just do as I say,” An Jiu unconsciously echoed Mei Yanran’s words of comfort to Mei Jiu.

Mei Jiu indeed calmed down a little.

“Face the target, feeling yourself directly aligned with it,” An Jiu instructed.

Watching Mei Jiu move into position, she continued, “Is your eye crooked? Move to the right… hmm, half an inch.”

Mei Jiu felt extremely frustrated. It was so dark, the snow was heavy, and the distance was great. She had already tried her best to align herself directly. How could she possibly be precise to the inch?

Elder Zhi, who had been displeased, slightly relaxed his brow when he saw Mei Jiu slowly adjust her position. His hunched back seemed to straighten a bit.

In reality, there was no need for such precise positioning. If it were An Jiu, she could hit the bullseye from any angle in this courtyard. But for a beginner, standing in the correct position and maintaining proper form and a steady hand would improve accuracy.

“Stand sideways, left foot forward, feet shoulder-width apart,” An Jiu instructed.

Mei Jiu, now accustomed to the open postures of martial arts practice, didn’t resist these instructions as much as before.

“Raise the bow,” An Jiu said. Her language was mostly limited to simple explanations, not yet rich enough to describe subtle sensations. She tried her best: “Don’t just use your arm strength to draw the bowstring. Feel your feet rooted to the ground, as if your whole body is exerting force, yet simultaneously relaxed. Let your body feel light, allowing your hands to complete the action.”

What did it mean to use force throughout the body yet not use force at all?

Mei Jiu couldn’t comprehend this and continued to draw the bowstring as she had before. The bow was completely suspended in the air, held only by her left hand, making it impossible to leverage any strength. She could only use her arm muscles to pull. Being weak, she found herself in the same situation as last time – her whole body began to tremble before she had even drawn the bow halfway.

Mei Jiu’s neck turned red with exertion. She felt as if even her fur coat weighed a thousand pounds. Just as she was about to despairingly release the arrow, she suddenly felt an additional force on her body.

She suddenly felt as if she had boundless strength. Someone guided her hands, effortlessly drawing the bowstring until only the arrowhead protruded from the bow.

Elder Zhi’s eyes lit up. For a moment, he seemed to see two overlapping silhouettes! Mei Jiu, who had appeared restless, suddenly became calm, her presence gradually diminishing until she seemed to merge with the snowy night, impossibly still.

Affected by this atmosphere, Mu Qianshan and Yao Ye unconsciously slowed their breathing.

After drawing the bow, one shouldn’t release immediately but should pause briefly to steady oneself. Following An Jiu’s instructions, Mei Jiu focused on the bullseye.

Her black eyes were as deep as the night.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew out smoothly.

Yao Ye, observing the arrow’s trajectory, thought it might be accurate but doubted whether it would penetrate the target, given her mistress’s weak strength.

Elder Zhi shared this thought. His gaze locked onto the arrow, and when it reached the bullseye, his eyes widened suddenly.

After a few moments of silence, Elder Zhi flashed through the snow curtain like a ghost, reaching the target in the blink of an eye.

Mei Jiu was also shocked. She saw that a third of the arrow had penetrated the target, yet she hadn’t felt any particular exertion.

The others were stunned by this result. No one noticed Mei Jiu’s surprise.

“Ha ha ha!” Elder Zhi burst into laughter, running back like a young man. He stared at her excitedly, “Good, good! I knew I hadn’t misjudged you!”

In high spirits, Elder Zhi showed no trace of his usual sternness. “Alright, go rest now. If you have an affinity for archery, I guarantee you won’t be sent to the Crane Control Army as long as I live.”

“Thank you, Elder!” Mei Jiu rejoiced.

Elder Zhi looked at her carefully, his mind continually replaying the sensation from moments ago. It had seemed so real – the overlap of two people, or rather, the overlap of two spiritual forces. One incredibly powerful spiritual force had instantly enveloped Mei Jiu’s weaker one.

Those with high martial arts skills have a keen sense of such things that ordinary people cannot comprehend.

Yao Ye took a while to regain her composure, her face also showing joy.

As the mistress and maid bid farewell to Elder Zhi and left Yong Zhi Hall, they realized Mu Qianshan had been silently following behind them.

Mei Jiu frowned, realizing she had forgotten to discuss this matter with Elder Zhi in her excitement. However, seeing that Mu Qianshan hadn’t brought an umbrella and wore only thin clothing, his shoulders covered in snow, she softened. Remembering that he had rescued her, she said gently, “Let’s go.”

The journey back was quiet.

Upon returning to Yu Wei Residence, Mei Jiu enjoyed a comfortable bath in the warm bathroom before putting on a light garment and lying in bed, feeling relaxed.

Yao Ye extinguished the lights in the outer room. Suddenly remembering Mu Qianshan, Mei Jiu asked, “Has that guard been settled in properly?”

Yao Ye replied, “My lady, he’s a shadow guard. We don’t need to settle him in.”

“Doesn’t he need a place to stay? He came with us,” Mei Jiu sat up.

Yao Ye explained, “Shadow guards must protect your safety at all times. Even if given a room, he wouldn’t be able to use it.”

“Ah, he won’t be staying in my bedchamber, will he?” Mei Jiu exclaimed.

Yao Ye smiled, “Don’t worry, my lady. Although our household isn’t strict about separating men and women, we do have some rules. After all, there are differences between men and women.”

Mei Jiu felt relieved on one hand but worried on the other. “In such cold weather, what if he freezes outside?”

Knowing her mistress’s kind nature – she never let maids stand watch outside at night – Yao Ye patiently explained, “They have internal energy to protect them from the cold, my lady. Please don’t worry.”

Mei Jiu didn’t believe it. She had just seen Mu Qianshan’s hands frostbitten, but she felt it inappropriate to keep inquiring about a man so late at night.

Yao Ye tucked her in, extinguished the lights, and reclined fully clothed on a small couch in the adjoining room.

The room fell silent. Mei Jiu, wide awake, called out, “An Jiu.”

“My time is precious. I won’t waste it on fools,” An Jiu responded harshly as usual.

Noticing the weakness in her voice, Mei Jiu asked anxiously, “What’s wrong with you?”