This man truly deserved his title as Grand Preceptor of Jin Dynasty. Even with his physical condition compromised, his mind remained first-rate, piecing together the truth with near perfection from just a few traces of evidence.
What should she do? She desperately wanted to kill him to silence him forever!
Perhaps Mo Ti Zhun sensed the murderous intent surging in her heart. Unhurriedly, he raised his index finger. “As I said before, if you protect me for twenty double hours, I will reward you generously. You may name one condition, within my capabilities.” If he didn’t offer this sweetener, wouldn’t this little girl surely take advantage of his weakened state to destroy his body and eliminate all traces?
A mere eleven-year-old girl who thought nothing of killing—which powerful family of the An Xia Dynasty had produced her? Yet if she weren’t so calculating and different from others her age, she wouldn’t be worth his condescension to negotiate terms.
A promise from the Grand Preceptor of Jin: she could ask for anything! Someone of his status and position wouldn’t stoop to breaking his word. Thus, both Mo Ti Zhun and Feng Miao Jun knew she couldn’t refuse such an enormous temptation.
Feng Miao Jun’s gaze flickered. “Just one? That doesn’t seem sufficient.”
“Little girl, don’t push your luck.” Mo Ti Zhun’s voice was hoarse, his eyes flashing like a wolf’s. “We’re grasshoppers on the same string now.”
Her fair, delicate fingertips tapped the table three times, a habit brought from another world. “Three, or we both go down together.” For Hu Ping’s sake, she wouldn’t let him off easily!
Mo Ti Zhun’s gaze turned ice-cold, and she saw it. “Being coerced by a mere little girl like me—even if you keep your promise, you won’t be happy about it. I need to keep one condition for self-preservation.”
Her distrust of him was completely undisguised. Mo Ti Zhun remained silent for a long time before finally saying softly, “Two. That’s my bottom line.” Otherwise, they would both perish.
She was right. Being coerced to this extent by a little girl was a terrible humiliation. If he hadn’t taken an oath, he would have already sent her brains splattering with a single palm strike. Every time he saw her in the future, he would be reminded of this experience. So Feng Miao Jun was correct—he would probably grow to despise her more and more.
So young, yet she understood human nature so well? He narrowed his eyes slightly.
She didn’t want to push this harbinger of death too far either, lest he lose his temper and kill everyone. Though they hadn’t interacted long, she was certain that the Grand Preceptor was ruthless to the core. “Fine, it’s a deal. Also, you killed my cook—shouldn’t we settle that account?”
Mo Ti Zhun let out a cold laugh. “Very well.” From somewhere he produced a dagger and stabbed it into his shoulder. Blood immediately gushed forth.
The blade was buried halfway, yet his expression remained unchanged as if someone else had been stabbed. “This wound is for her.”
He was so decisive that Feng Miao Jun remained silent for several breaths before asking, “Are you going to sleep now?”
“The sooner the better.”
She tilted her head. “Does Yun Ya know how badly you’re injured?”
“Yes.”
“Does he know about this… Nirvana Technique of yours?”
“He shouldn’t.” This was his last-resort life-saving technique; how could he easily reveal it to others? Fully disclosing it to Feng Miao Jun was out of necessity, and he still wanted to eliminate this sole confidant.
“One last question.” She extended her hand toward him. “To prevent accidents, you need to give me something to protect my life.”
Mo Ti Zhun looked at her, unsure if she was being thorough in her thinking or trying to extort more from him, or perhaps both. However, as time passed, his injuries grew more severe, and he urgently needed to hibernate. He reached into his bosom and took out the ant nest, caressing it gently.
Feng Miao Jun sensed that he was tapping the ant nest at a peculiar frequency, like some kind of code. Then he tossed the ant nest onto the table. “Drop your blood on it, and the ant queen will recognize you as its master. Thereafter, it will obey your commands.”
These little creatures struck as swiftly as lightning—she had experienced it firsthand—so she quickly bit her fingertip. At that moment, a plump white figure emerged from the ant nest. Though still tiny to her, it was more than ten times larger than the other heart-devouring ants: the ant queen.
She got off the bed and walked to the table, letting the ant queen feed on the blood from her fingertip.
As soon as it finished drinking, the other heart-devouring ants crawled up to wipe its mouth. Feng Miao Jun felt a strange connection form in her mind.
It was as if she and the ant queen shared vision and sensations, though its mind was blank, devoid of emotions.
With a mere thought from her, the ant queen followed her request, nudging her finger with its head.
It was indeed obedient.
She was thoroughly enjoying herself, while Mo Ti Zhun watched with exhaustion in both body and mind. He couldn’t help but yawn as he turned over to lie face down on the bed. “Going to sleep now.”
After a few breaths, there was no more movement from him.
Feng Miao Jun waited a while longer before approaching the bedside to observe. The Grand Preceptor’s cheeks were flushed as if drunk, yet his breathing had stopped, and his chest showed no movement at all. In the following hour, even his body temperature dropped, his form gradually turning cold. If not for his muscles remaining soft, he would truly be indistinguishable from a corpse.
Being away from home was different from being at home. Feng Miao Jun didn’t want to bear this burden alone, so early the next morning, she quietly informed Peng Bai and Madam Xu.
Both were greatly surprised, then realized the potential benefits. Mo Ti Zhun’s status was incredibly noble. Without these coincidences, they would rarely even get a glimpse of the Grand Preceptor in normal times, let alone have him owe them a favor.
The value of the Grand Preceptor’s favor couldn’t be measured in simple terms of gold and silver. This was a rare opportunity for Feng Miao Jun. Madam Xu particularly thought of how their family had left their homeland to start anew and needed assistance. She didn’t object, noting only that since the Wang Po incident, her adopted daughter had become increasingly shrewd and decisive, even agreeing to such major matters on her own. It seemed the Feng business had found its successor. The master would be pleased in the afterlife.
After the three discussed, they decided to remain in Tian Shui for two more days until Mo Ti Zhun awakened. Otherwise, the jolting of carriages and horses along the way might affect his mystical technique. Moreover, Madam Xu was interested in the fruits of Tian Shui and wanted to take the opportunity to investigate.
Though Tian Shui was small, water wells dotted its streets and alleys—an incomplete count put the number at over eight hundred and seventy. The well water wasn’t sweet; it had a slightly salty taste but wasn’t unpleasant. It possessed a remarkable property: freshly picked fruits immersed in it would stay fresh much longer. Even cherries could be preserved for up to fifteen days, not to mention other varieties of fruits and vegetables.
This greatly facilitated the transport of fruits, and with their outstanding quality, the produce was often specially supplied to the capital of the Yao Kingdom. The Feng business might as well add this to their ventures.
Feng Miao Jun, whose nest had been usurped, had to stand guard to prevent Mo Ti Zhun’s whereabouts from being revealed. Fortunately, though the outside was bustling, no major troubles occurred. Time slowly passed, and suddenly it was the afternoon of the third day, less than two double hours before Mo Ti Zhun’s scheduled awakening.
Just as Feng Miao Jun was feeling satisfied that Mo Ti Zhun would smoothly owe her a debt of gratitude, there came an unexpected knock at the door: two long, two short.
This was the code she had arranged with her subordinates. She first lowered the bed curtains two layers to ensure the person inside was thoroughly concealed before opening the door.
A solemn-faced Peng Bai stood outside, alongside a youth of sixteen or seventeen years.
“Come in and speak.”
Peng Bai’s arm wasn’t fully healed, but it didn’t impede his walking. He entered and closed the door first. “This is also one of our people, named Chen Da Chang. I sent him out to survey the situation.”
The young Chen Da Chang bowed to her and continued on his own: “A large contingent of military guards suddenly arrived in Tian Shui. They first sealed the city, preventing entry or exit, then divided into several groups to search homes and inns. It’s said a rebel infiltrated the city after assassinating a county magistrate in a nearby city and fled here. The military camp stationed outside the city has sent all their men in, checking house by house with a portrait.”