An Jiu paused, murmuring, “Clean and innocent…”
Her hands, stained with blood, were far removed from these words. Though Mei Jiu shared the same body, her soul remained pure. Once certain paths are taken, there’s no turning back; a tainted soul is difficult to cleanse.
An Jiu finally understood that her inability to return to a normal life wasn’t due to external circumstances, but because her sullied soul couldn’t find peace. “Very well, I’ll grant your wish.”
She changed into black fitted clothing, covered by an ivory-colored outer robe. Slinging a bow and quiver over her shoulder and grabbing a bundle, she headed for the banquet hall.
Outside, unmelted snow remained. An Jiu’s ivory attire nearly blended with the snow as she walked.
After traveling with Mei Zheng Jing’s group for a while, An Jiu realized she preferred solitude. While groups offered mutual protection, they were also easier to detect. In combat, others’ assistance was limited, especially for someone like her without internal energy.
Alone, she relied on her powerful spiritual sense to detect and avoid enemies early. When evasion was impossible, hiding became easier.
The banquet hall was engulfed in flames, with sounds of fighting still audible. The massacre hadn’t ended.
On the way from Yuweichu to the banquet hall, An Jiu discovered over fifty people searching for survivors in groups of five, sparing neither servants nor slaves.
Mei Jiu steeled herself, knowing she relied on An Jiu for survival and could not save others. Despite her inner turmoil, she didn’t ask An Jiu to rescue anyone.
Circling a plum blossom grove, An Jiu finally saw the flames nearly consuming the entire banquet hall.
Mei Jiu exclaimed, “What should we do?”
Mei Ru Yan was still hidden in the storage room behind the side hall. If undiscovered, she’d soon perish in the fire.
An Jiu remained silent, furrowing her brow as she studied the flames and considered the layout. Seizing a moment when no one was around, she dashed towards the back courtyard.
The banquet hall’s rear courtyard housed a kitchen larger than Mei Manor’s usual one, as it supplied most of the food and drink for the New Year’s thousand-guest banquet.
Entering the courtyard, An Jiu immediately spotted a large water vat beside the kitchen door. Her spiritual sense detected many people nearby, but couldn’t discern their actions.
She removed her outer robe, concealing herself in the shadows by the building’s side.
The fire before her was rapidly consuming the structures. An Jiu studied the front hall for a moment, concluding that rescuing Mei Ru Yan required immediate action. Delaying would only make entry more difficult; she couldn’t wait for absolute safety.
“Mei Ru Yan might have had ill intentions from the start. Are you sure you want to save her?” An Jiu asked Mei Jiu.
“Impossible,” Mei Jiu replied with uncharacteristic firmness. “We shared similar experiences. I don’t even know my background; what could she be after?”
An Jiu scoffed, too weary to offer sarcastic comments. She merely said, “I consider myself already dead. Borrowing your body, I’ll pay the rent in full this time.”
While Mei Jiu was still processing these words, An Jiu darted to the water vat, submerging her outer robe. She pulled up her face mask, dunked her entire face in the water until the mask was soaked, then donned the wet robe and rushed into the banquet hall.
The acrid smell of smoke assaulted her senses, difficult to bear even through the wet mask.
This was An Jiu’s first time entering the banquet hall through the back door. She groped her way through the scorching environment before finally reaching the main hall.
The horrific scene unfolded before her: hundreds of corpses, mostly women, children, and the elderly, lay densely packed on the floor. Tables were overturned, and spilled wine had ignited in places.
Blood flowed like a river; An Jiu felt its warmth seeping into her shoes. Glancing down, she saw a child’s innocent face submerged in a pool of blood, its small, delicate hand still clutching a bamboo dragonfly toy.
Mei Jiu was completely stunned. The fiery scene of piled corpses momentarily overlapped with one of An Jiu’s memories—a place she once thought was the eighteenth level of hell.
An Jiu paused, bent down to pick up the bamboo dragonfly, and tucked it into her bag.
Crash!
A wine bottle fell from a table near the secret passage entrance.
An Jiu hid behind a pillar, warily watching as a blood-soaked figure struggled to stand. From the person’s build and facial features, she recognized him as the Mei family patriarch.
After a moment’s hesitation, An Jiu emerged from behind the pillar and strode towards him.
Mei Zheng Yan looked up, his voice hoarse. “Who’s there?”
“Mei Fourteen,” An Jiu replied, reaching out to support him.
“You…” Mei Zheng Yan coughed up blood, breathing rapidly. He stared intently at An Jiu as if trying to confirm her identity.
An Jiu briefly pulled down her mask, then quickly replaced it. Reassured, Mei Zheng Yan gripped her hand tightly. “Behind Zhong Zheng Shou Yi Building, at the foot of the mountain… there’s the Mei family… the Mei family…”
Mei Zheng Yan’s body twitched slightly, then suddenly went limp.
An Jiu felt him press something warm into her hand. She pried open his grip.
In the firelight, she saw an object resembling a jade pendant. The front was carved with orchids, while the back had raised square patterns.
What about the Mei family? Faced with this incomplete dying message, An Jiu speculated it might refer to the Mei family’s treasure.
So the Mei family truly had a motto of “loyalty, righteousness, and integrity.” But where was the Zhong Zheng Shou Yi Building?
An Jiu wasn’t very familiar with Mei Manor, but she had been everywhere once and had never seen or heard of such a building.
Nonetheless, these dying words must refer to something extremely important. An Jiu tucked the object into her clothes, closed Mei Zheng Yan’s eyes, and headed for the side hall.
The storage room behind the side hall hadn’t caught fire yet, but to An Jiu’s surprise, Mei Ru Yan wasn’t among the boxes and trunks!
There were no corpses or traces of blood in the room. Had she woken up and escaped on her own?
“I’ve done all I can,” An Jiu said.
Mei Jiu murmured dazedly, “How did it come to this?”
Ignoring her, An Jiu prepared to return to the back courtyard via her original route.
However, upon exiting, she discovered that the ornate partition between the main hall and the side hall had been consumed by flames. The fire raged fiercely, with wooden pieces constantly falling.
The fire had started from the front courtyard, leaving the back courtyard untouched. The original path was the safest! An Jiu hesitated briefly, then pulled her outer robe over her head and dashed through.
The flames licked at her, quickly drying the wet garment and scorching it black. Some areas even caught fire, forcing An Jiu to discard the robe entirely.
Barely escaping the courtyard, she collided with someone crouching by the water vat.
Hearing the commotion, the person whirled around, swiftly opening and throwing a folding fan.
An Jiu’s eyes flashed as she spun to dodge, but she was a fraction too slow. The fan sliced off a corner of her clothing.
Catching a glimpse of a red apricot blossom on the fan, she called out, “Mo Si Gui! It’s me.”
The fan curved back, and Mo Si Gui stood up to catch it. “Mei Fourteen?” he called.
An Jiu knew Mo Si Gui’s reaction was normal, but she couldn’t help cursing, “Bastard! Doctors do have violent tendencies!”
“Mei Fourteen!” Mo Si Gui leaped over, his peach blossom eyes gleaming with a disconcerting smile. “You came back for me?”
An Jiu replied coldly, “Why would I come for you?”
Assuming she was being stubborn, Mo Si Gui ignored her words and praised her, “I knew you were righteous!”
An Jiu didn’t bother explaining, instead asking, “Weren’t you captured by the Old Madam? Why are you here?”
“After the Old Madam brought me here, she handed me over to a guard,” Mo Si Gui said with a pout. “I just didn’t dare harm the Old Madam herself. But a mere guard? How could he contain me?”
As a doctor skilled in poisons, Mo Si Gui recognized that someone like the Old Madam wouldn’t show mercy. He couldn’t use potent poisons on her, but with a simple guard, he had more freedom.
An Jiu asked, “What were you doing by the water vat?”
Mo Si Gui detached a thumb-sized jade gourd from his waist. In the firelight, it was visible that the hollow gourd contained water.
He shook the small gourd and removed the stopper. A faint mist rose from the opening, behaving strangely. Instead of dissipating in the open courtyard, it clung entirely to their clothes. “This is a new poison I’ve created, called ‘The World’s Heartbreak,'” Mo Si Gui explained.
An Jiu was speechless. Mo Si Gui’s choice of names for his concoctions was truly appalling. However, judging by the name, it must be an extremely potent poison.
Mo Si Gui handed An Jiu a pill. “The antidote.”
Already feeling her vision blur, An Jiu swallowed the pill without hesitation.
Soon, her body began to return to normal.
Mo Si Gui produced a fist-sized jade bottle from his sleeve, poured in a packet of medicine, and returned to the water vat to fill it. “This poison has another name. Because it’s primarily made from mineral medicines and can only be contained in jade vessels, Elder Qi calls it ‘Jade-Stained Clothes.'”
Indeed, Elder Qi’s naming was more reliable!
Realizing his reason for preparing this poison, An Jiu asked, “Are you going to rescue Elder Qi?”
“Yes. Those people have gathered to surround him, and he doesn’t have many poisons left. He’ll be captured sooner or later at this rate,” Mo Si Gui replied, his voice noticeably heavier.
Elder Qi’s martial arts were at the ninth level, but the enemy seemed well-prepared. Those surrounding him had at least seventh-level true strength. In this situation, relying on martial arts alone was unlikely to ensure escape; poison was necessary.
“Let’s go then,” An Jiu said.
Mo Si Gui was surprised. “You’re coming with me?”
“My meridians aren’t fully healed yet. I can’t let you die here,” An Jiu stated frankly.
Mo Si Gui again mistook her bluntness for stubbornness. “How righteous!” he exclaimed.
An Jiu: “…”
After filling the container with water, the two left through the back door and sneaked to the front courtyard.
Outside, the battle continued. They crouched in a cave within a rockery, immediately spotting Elder Qi. While others fought one-on-one, he alone was surrounded by nine people. The nine formed a circle with remarkable coordination, holding iron chains that crisscrossed, trapping Elder Qi in the center.
An Jiu’s gaze shifted, noticing another conspicuous figure in the crowd. A man in white robes with jet-black hair, untouched by the chaos, stood protecting a young woman in a rouge-colored dress—none other than Mei Ru Yan.