Mei Ruyan’s face flushed, but she said indignantly, “He’s a cold-hearted person.”

Mei Jiu thought for a while but still felt too embarrassed to speak her mind. She could only say, “Master Mo’s personality must be difficult to get along with.”

Mei Ruyan, being quick-witted, understood the implied meaning even though Mei Jiu spoke tactfully. However, she didn’t agree. The Mei family was different from other families – she was destined to never marry out, nor could she spend her life with Master Mo. But she had never sought permanence.

Even so, she and Master Mo might never have any connection. “I understand what you mean. I know what I’m doing,” she said.

“That’s good. You’ve always been better at handling things than me,” Mei Jiu smiled.

“Sister, look!” Mei Ruyan stopped and pointed down the mountain.

The faint scent of plum blossoms wafted through the air, and snow blanketed the landscape. The entire Meihua Village seemed like an ocean of lights. Even uninhabited houses were adorned with red lanterns. The light interplayed with the plum blossoms, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

“Subtle fragrance floats in the yellow dusk of the moon,” Mei Jiu took a deep breath, her eyes twinkling with a faint smile.

Enjoying the scenery on this quiet night before the New Year was the happiest she had been in a long while.

“My lady, several teachers are over there. Would you like to go greet them?” Yaoye reminded.

Mei Jiu and Mei Ruyan looked up, following Yaoye’s gaze to see Headmaster Zhao and several teachers from the clan school admiring the estate’s beauty from a nearby pavilion.

Both their gazes inadvertently fell on Master Mo. He wore a moon-white robe with a blue fox fur coat. In the soft yellow lantern light, he looked like an immortal who had descended to the mortal world.

Mei Jiu sighed inwardly. Faced with such a man day and night, it was no wonder Mei Ruyan had fallen for him.

The two approached and bowed, “Greetings, Headmaster. Greetings, teachers.”

Headmaster Zhao squinted his narrow fox-like eyes, seemingly unable to recognize them yet. “No need for formalities.”

“Ah, it’s the Fourteenth Miss,” Lu Qingming smiled at Mei Jiu. He had always been curious about how a girl who punched like she was dancing had survived the Konghejun trial.

Mei Jiu bowed, “Teacher.”

Lu Qingming hadn’t intended to pry, but seeing her still appear so frail, he couldn’t help asking, “How is your boxing practice coming along?”

“I practice whenever I have time, but…” Mei Jiu knew she hadn’t made any progress, as her “free time” had been scarce.

An Jiu didn’t even bother to comment. Mei Jiu memorized the movements quickly. She performed the boxing routine smoothly, but no matter how smooth, it was still just a more fluid dance.

Headmaster Zhao finally recognized their identities and smiled, his eyes crinkling, “Oh, it’s the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Misses.”

“Yes, it is,” Mei Ruyan had been wanting to ask, “Elder Qi’s medical skills are unparalleled. Shouldn’t he be able to cure the Headmaster’s eyes? Why haven’t you asked him for treatment?”

Lu Qingming eagerly exposed the old story, “Haha, Headmaster Zhao’s eyes ‘made a mistake’ when he was young. Now he’d rather be blind than have them treated!”

From Lu Qingming’s teasing tone, Mei Ruyan understood the implication. What mistake could eyes make? It must have been about looking at something improper.

Headmaster Zhao’s fox-like eyes still held an ambiguous expression. “Enjoy the scenery, young ladies. We’ll be going now.”

“Take care, Headmaster. Take care, teachers,” Mei Jiu and Mei Ruyan said.

Mei Ruyan stared at their retreating figures until they disappeared into the night.

Even Mei Jiu could see Mei Ruyan’s deep infatuation with Master Mo. Could such intense feelings be controlled?

“The teachers at the clan school were all once influential figures,” Yaoye said.

Mei Ruyan turned back, her gaze sweeping over Danmyue as she spoke. It wasn’t clear if she was asking Yaoye or Danmyue, “Do you know their backgrounds?”

Yaoye knew, and Danmyue likely knew too. But no matter how Mei Ruyan asked about Master Mo, Danmyue never revealed a word. This either meant she truly didn’t know, or she wasn’t loyal to Mei Ruyan.

Yaoye’s heart skipped a beat, realizing her simple statement had exposed such a weakness. No wonder Miss Yan had so solemnly warned her to be cautious of Mei Ruyan before leaving.

“These are matters of the jianghu. My parents are from the jianghu, so naturally, I’ve heard of their reputations,” Yaoye managed to cover up, then continued, “Headmaster Zhao is the famous ‘Jade-faced Fox’, Teacher Qingming is known as the ‘Carefree Monk’, and Master Mo is ‘Sound Killer’.”

An Jiu snorted, “‘Jade-faced Fox’.”

Headmaster Zhao’s dark face was far from anything “jade-faced”.

Mei Jiu didn’t find it strange, thinking even fair skin could tan, “How is Teacher Qingming a monk? And what does ‘Sound Killer’ mean?”

Seeing their interest, Yaoye explained, “Teacher Qingming used to be a monk at Hulong Temple. He was expelled for breaking precepts and then returned to secular life. ‘Sound Killer’ refers to the ability to kill using sound. Master Mo was once the top-ranked assassin of the Misty Mountain Manor.”

“What is the Misty Mountain Manor?” Mei Ruyan asked.

An Jiu had heard Mo Sigui mention the Misty Mountain Manor. It was an assassin organization that specialized in contract killings.

“The Misty Mountain Manor is a place that deals in assassinations,” Yaoye explained bluntly. “There’s a widely circulated ‘Misty Record’ that lists the rankings of the manor’s assassins. Clients can choose assassins they trust to carry out tasks. The Misty Mountain Manor has almost no entry requirements – as long as the client can afford the price. So, the higher the ranking, the more jobs an assassin gets. Master Mo was ranked first at the Misty Mountain Manor for seven or eight years, with countless lives on his hands. That’s why he’s so cold and aloof.”

“He has quite a temper. Doesn’t seem like a cold-blooded killer,” Mei Ruyan commented.

Mei Jiu silently thought that An Jiu also had quite a temper and indeed regarded human life as worthless.

Yaoye shook her head inwardly. Even after hearing all this, Mei Ruyan was still infatuated. It was clear that reason wouldn’t work. Yaoye was worried – if she wasn’t concerned about Mei Ruyan doing something against clan rules that might implicate her mistress, she wouldn’t have bothered explaining so much.

Mei Jiu sighed, “Master Mo is not a good match.”

Silence fell. The mountain wind swept up the snow, creating an odd atmosphere.

“It’s getting cold. Shall we head back?” Mei Ruyan forced a smile.

“Alright, let’s go back,” Mei Jiu’s heart, which had just begun to relax, tensed up again. Mei Ruyan was usually someone who could control her emotions, unlike Mei Jiu who wore her heart on her sleeve. Now that even Mei Ruyan couldn’t manage her expressions, it was clear her feelings for Master Mo had taken deep root.

Mei Jiu hadn’t considered that Mei Ruyan’s feelings might implicate her. She simply felt that a man like Master Mo wasn’t suitable for a lifelong commitment.

Back at Yuwei Residence, Mei Jiu washed up and slipped into her warm bed, shivering comfortably.

The recent travels had left her mentally exhausted. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt drowsy.

Half-asleep, she mumbled, “An Jiu, have you ever been in love?”