Gu Jinghong smiled and said no more.
Though he found An Jiu’s behavior strange, he didn’t truly suspect her of being a traitor.
“Deputy Commander, who do you think might be behind this?” Mei Tingzhu asked.
After a long silence, Gu Jinghong replied, “There are too many suspicious individuals. Even within the Crane-Controlling Army, many wish to eliminate the Shenwu Commander.”
“Why?” Mei Tingzhu frowned. “With so many people working together, wouldn’t it be easy to remove the Commander?”
“Do you know how high the Shenwu Commander’s position is in the Crane-Controlling Army?” Gu Jinghong always maintained a gentle demeanor, even when killing.
Army ranks were confidential. Even the Four Great Families couldn’t name all positions, but some key officials were known. “Isn’t he the highest commander of the Shenwu Army?”
“Yes,” Gu Jinghong confirmed. “The Shenwu Army has always been controlled by the Cui family. This new Commander comes from the Crane-Controlling Institute with no family background. The two most likely possibilities are: that the Cui family orchestrated this ambush to eliminate the Commander, or the Commander is the Emperor’s man, ordered to ‘guard against theft’ and remove the great families.”
Mei Tingzhu was stunned. “I didn’t expect you to speak so directly.”
“We all live with death at our doorstep. What is there to be afraid of?” Gu Jinghong replied.
Mei Tingzhu glanced at him. The light illuminated his delicate profile behind the face covering. Gu Jinghong’s eyelashes were slightly lowered, his eyes reflecting the snow’s glow, appearing extraordinarily calm. Mei Tingzhu felt strange. Even in normal times, gentlemen as kind and gentle as him were rare. At this moment, she couldn’t imagine what he thought when wielding a sword to kill.
“I’ve never heard of a ‘Gu’ family in the Crane-Controlling Army,” Mei Tingzhu remarked.
Gu Jinghong seemed not to hear.
Before dawn, the world was exceptionally quiet.
Upon returning to Mei Hua Li, everyone went to their respective residences. Gu Jinghong went to meet the Mei family head.
At the horizon, the morning light gilded the thick clouds with a golden edge. At Yu Wei Residence, red plum blossoms defiantly bloomed in the snow.
“My lady?” Yaoyue stood in the corridor, looking at An Jiu in shock.
Her cloak was tattered, revealing tight black clothes and the crossbow mechanisms on her arms and legs. In the morning light, her entire body gave off a faint dark red glow.
An Jiu tore off her mask, her face a mess of black and red patches.
“My lady!” Yaoyue rushed down to support her, eyes reddening. “Please come inside. I’ll prepare a bath for you.”
“Mm,” An Jiu stepped towards the main hall.
Yaoyue instructed other maids to boil water while she brought a basin of clean water to wash An Jiu’s face and hands.
“I thought you wouldn’t return for a couple more days,” Yaoyue remembered previous trials lasting at least two days. “Heaven has eyes after all. My lady’s safe return won’t disappoint Lady Yan’s love for her daughter.”
An Jiu listened to Yaoyue’s chatter, watching her remove the arm guards. For a moment, her mind wandered.
This brief experience made her feel like she had returned to her past life. For a short while, she forgot about Mei Jiu, forgot about the Mei family, forgot about everything in Mei Hua Li, and once again experienced the loneliness of being alone in the world…
“Sister, sister!” Hurried footsteps sounded outside.
Yaoyue paused and turned to open the door.
Mei Ruyan rushed in, saw An Jiu covered in blood, and hugged her tightly, choking out, “You’re finally back!”
After crying for a while, Mei Ruyan noticed An Jiu’s lack of response and pulled back to examine her. “Sister, are you scared?”
“Since my lady left, the Fifteenth Miss hasn’t slept at all,” Yaoyue crouched down to continue cleaning An Jiu’s hands.
An Jiu glanced at Mei Ruyan, noting the faint dark circles under her eyes. “Go to sleep.”
The tone was harsh, unlike Mei Jiu’s usual style. Yaoyue paused and looked up at her.
“Everyone out,” An Jiu ordered.
Mei Ruyan softly called out “Sister” once more, but seeing An Jiu’s unchanged demeanor, she said, “Sister, rest well. I’ll come see you after classes.”
Yaoyue put down the cloth and bowed as she left.
An Jiu sat quietly for a while, then roughly wiped her face with the cloth. Outside, Yaoyue asked if she wanted to bathe.
An Jiu agreed.
In the misty bathroom, she removed her sticky black clothes and submerged herself in the pool. Blood diffused in the water.
Yaoyue looked on, alarmed. “My lady, are you injured?”
How could she not be injured? But her wounds were minor. Most of the blood belonged to others, possibly including Mei Tingjun’s.
“Minor injuries,” An Jiu said.
“We mustn’t be careless. With so much blood mixed, it could infect the wounds…” As Yaoyue spoke, she increasingly felt something was off about the Fourteenth Miss. The cold loneliness emanating from her core didn’t seem like mere shock.
“You may leave,” An Jiu wasn’t afraid of being seen, but she wasn’t used to having someone around while bathing.
Yaoyue withdrew.
An Jiu leaned back against the pool wall, closing her eyes. In her mind, she replayed the “Bowstring Shock” over and over, interspersed with Mei Tingyu’s hysterical crying and Mei Yanran’s smile.
She startled awake, submerging herself completely. The warm water enveloped her body as she hugged her knees, curling up like in a mother’s womb, warm and safe.
After bathing, the sky outside was bright.
An Jiu felt no trace of sleepiness. Returning to her chamber, she draped a fur coat over herself and leaned by the window, watching the snowy scene.
Yaoyue entered several times, always finding An Jiu in the same position, as still as a piece of furniture. If not for the mist from her breath and occasional blinking, Yaoyue would have checked to see if she was still breathing.
After nearly an hour, Yaoyue finally couldn’t resist asking, “My lady, shall we have breakfast?”
An Jiu stirred, standing up.
Yaoyue hurriedly pulled out the stool from under the table.
An Jiu sat at the table and began eating silently.
Yu Wei Residence, lacking Mei Jiu’s presence, became unusually somber. An Jiu had returned to her most “normal” state, which was also the Mei family’s most common atmosphere.
“Stop hiding,” An Jiu thought as she ate. “Mei Jiu, I’ve decided to leave.”
While sitting by the window earlier, An Jiu had thought a lot. Experiencing her past life again, she suddenly felt extremely weary.
This emotion, arising from nowhere, exploded instantly. Besides this, the only thing that could truly move An Jiu was Mei Yanran’s selfless motherly love for Mei Jiu. She didn’t want to destroy it for the sake of her meaningless existence.
“Elder Qi meant that in the same body, the stronger the mental power, the easier it is to be destroyed,” An Jiu swallowed her last mouthful of porridge, tightened her cloak, and left the bedroom.
“Where are you going, my lady?” Yaoyue asked.
“To find Elder Qi,” An Jiu replied.
Living this life again, she had been fortunate enough to experience “Bowstring Shock” and meet Mei Yanran. That was enough.