“There are quite a few, but those above the transcendent level are extremely rare. In the entire world, only three are known by name,” Mo Sigui replied, puzzled. “Why are you asking about this?”
An Jiu didn’t answer directly. “Who are these three?”
“Besides Elder Zhi, there’s Wei Yunshan, the old master of Piaomiao Manor, and Cui Huling of the Cui family. However, Cui Huling passed away three years ago,” Mo Sigui explained.
“What is Piaomiao Manor?” An Jiu inquired.
“Old Master Wei is a jianghu figure, now seventy years old, a reclusive expert. He never married and has no biological children. Thirty years ago, he adopted two sons: Wei Chuzhi, the elder, and Wei Yuzhi, the younger. Piaomiao Manor was established by the elder son, with Wei Yunshan as the old master. It’s a place that trains assassins – they carry out tasks for those who pay,” Mo Sigui finished, then complained, “This isn’t fair! I’ve told you so much, but you’re not revealing anything!”
“I’ll explain later,” An Jiu continued. “Is Old Master Wei as obsessed with archery as Elder Zhi?”
Mo Sigui shook his head. “No, Old Master Wei’s weapon is an ancient zither.”
He leaned back against the carriage wall, smiling. “It’s said that the zither was a keepsake from his fiancée. He hasn’t parted with it for decades.”
With Cui Huling dead, he was out of the picture. Could Wei Yunshan be the archery expert? An Jiu didn’t know how a zither could be used as a weapon, but like a bow, it had strings. It was somewhat suspicious.
“Could there be transcendent experts who aren’t well-known?” An Jiu asked.
Mo Sigui toyed with two quail egg-sized round jade beads hanging from his pendant. He looked up at her question. “Do you know why martial arts ranks are divided into two tiers? After reaching the ninth rank, one encounters a barrier. This tests spiritual power, or what’s called the state of mind. Without achieving this, one can’t break through. Too many things in the world can influence and tempt the heart. Few can comprehend this, so ninth-rank masters are common, while transcendent experts are rare. The gap between them is vast. If one emerges, it’s impossible to keep it secret.”
He leaned closer to An Jiu. “Are you done asking? If so, hurry and explain. You’re killing me with suspense!”
An Jiu, without hesitation, briefly explained her reason. “During the trial, we were ambushed by a group of mysterious people. I encountered a transcendent archery expert. His materialized inner energy was identical to Elder Zhi’s.”
Mo Sigui sat up straight. “That is strange!”
An Jiu wouldn’t joke about such matters. Mo Sigui had an uneasy feeling, as if recalling something, but couldn’t grasp the key point.
“This isn’t something I can interfere with,” Mo Sigui gave up trying to figure it out. “After the Lantern Festival, Elder Qi and I will travel to find an expert who can separate your souls. Elder Qi will likely take you along.”
This was also one of the main reasons why Elder Qi agreed to help conceal An Jiu’s destroyed meridians.
Mo Sigui winked mischievously. “Since Elder Qi has already helped conceal this, he’s very likely to agree to take you along. After all, if you stay with the Mei family, it might be exposed in a few days. How would he face Elder Zhi and the family afterward?”
Elder Qi was determined to take this opportunity to travel with Mo Sigui and pass on all his knowledge to him. If the family learned of An Jiu’s destroyed meridians, they would never allow Elder Qi to go to such lengths to find someone to separate her dual souls. Elder Qi’s plans would be ruined.
An Jiu stared at Mo Sigui without speaking. She wasn’t used to someone suddenly being kind to her.
Mo Sigui kicked her lightly. “Hey, you don’t have to thank me, but why are you looking at me like that?”
An Jiu replied solemnly, “Because I dislike you.”
“Why?” Mo Sigui knew An Jiu had never liked him but hadn’t their recent interactions been fine?
“Don’t you look in the mirror?” An Jiu closed her eyes.
Mo Sigui was taken aback. He crossed his legs and said, “I do. My handsome appearance outshines heaven and earth, my demeanor and grace are so overwhelming that people can’t look directly at me.”
“Mm,” An Jiu mumbled vaguely. “Beauty and wisdom truly can’t coexist.”
Was she indirectly calling him stupid?
“You…” Mo Sigui glared at her, gritting his teeth. “Can’t you say something nice for once?”
An Jiu’s breathing became even as if she had fallen asleep.
An Jiu’s meridians were gradually recovering, but she was still taking medicine. Because Mei Jiu would cry incessantly from pain when An Jiu slept deeply, preventing proper rest and hindering recovery, Mo Sigui had added strong sleeping components to her medicine.
However, despite his irritation, Mo Sigui was surprised that An Jiu could maintain such clear and quick-witted consciousness just before falling asleep. Her responses were faster than most people could manage while fully awake.
When she had said “Don’t you look in the mirror?”, she had meant to say he was ugly and annoying. That’s why he had deliberately responded with such boastful words, trying to shut her up. But she had still managed to mock him.
“Fine, I’ll let it slide. Seems this is your only joy,” Mo Sigui muttered.
He opened his folding fan, looking at the vibrant red apricot blossoms depicted on it in the light. A faint smile slowly spread across his face, his eyes showing rare tenderness.
“Ningyu, I’m coming,” Mo Sigui said softly, his fingers gently tracing the fan’s surface.
“Who’s Ningyu?” An Jiu suddenly spoke.
Mo Sigui was startled. “You’re not asleep!”
“Is Ningyu your lover?” An Jiu asked.
“Looks like we need to increase the dosage of sleeping medicine next time,” Mo Sigui mumbled, then said, “Her name is Qiu Ningyu. We were betrothed before birth. Hey, I didn’t know you were interested in other people’s private affairs!”
An Jiu wasn’t particularly interested in others’ privacy. She was just curious about what kind of person could make such a cynical character so affectionate.
This wasn’t a secret for Mo Sigui, and he felt like confiding in someone. “Ningyu’s father and mine were close friends and colleagues in the court…”
Mo Sigui’s father, whose given name was Qing and courtesy name Dengxian, had once been an official at the Imperial Medical Institute. Qiu Ningyu’s father, Qiu Jian, worked in the Imperial Secretariat. Though his rank wasn’t high, he often had access to the emperor, which was a good position.
The Qiu couple had been childless for three years after marriage, so they sought treatment from Mo Sigui’s father. Half a year later, Madam Qiu became pregnant, coincidentally around the same time Mo Sigui’s mother had given birth to a son.
When both women were eight months pregnant, Mo Dengxian predicted the gender of the fetuses, and the Qiu couple suggested an engagement.
Qiu Jian was handsome, and his wife had been one of the most beautiful women in Bianjing in her youth. Their daughter, even if she inherited all their flaws, couldn’t be too bad. Moreover, the two families had known each other for years. Mo Dengxian happily agreed to the marriage.
Mo Sigui continued, “Ningyu was different from other young ladies of noble families. She was cheerful and often dressed as a boy to play with me.”
Qiu Jian, having finally gotten a daughter, doted on her excessively. He couldn’t bear to scold or hit her, allowing the two children to play together until Qiu Ningyu was thirteen when Madam Qiu finally kept her at home to learn women’s work.
“She’s a year younger than you. That’s not young,” An Jiu interjected after a while. She knew that women married early here, some even at eleven or twelve.
Mo Sigui was almost twenty now. How could the girl have waited this long?
“Uncle Qiu passed away when Ningyu was fifteen. Three months later, she drowned,” Mo Sigui’s eyes reddened. “But her body was never found. I’ve never been able to believe she’s dead.”
An Jiu turned her head to look at Mo Sigui. He tilted his head back for a moment, forcing back tears, then smiled and said, “In my heart, I want to propose as we agreed, but my entire family is gone, our ancestral hall destroyed. If I married her now, it would make her a rootless, lonely soul. Perhaps it’s better this way.”
“I feel as if I’ve been reborn, and the world is no longer the same,” An Jiu said, seemingly in a daze.
“What do you mean?” Mo Sigui asked.
An Jiu replied, “When I returned from the trial, everything had changed. Even ruffians have turned into romantic figures.”
The once kind and caring Elder Zhi had suddenly become cold and heartless. Mei Jiu had disappeared as if she had never existed. And the usually flippant Mo Sigui had…
She somewhat understood these changes in people but found them hard to comprehend.
Mo Sigui, still immersed in melancholic memories, heard An Jiu’s words and felt a flash of anger. “I knew nothing good would come out of your mouth!”