An Jiu smirked, took the candy, and ate it directly, surprising Xuesha. What assassin could be so careless?
Savoring the sweet taste, An Jiu popped an antidote pill into her mouth. “Do you know Mo Sigui?” she asked.
“The divine physician Mo?” Xuesha straightened up. “Is he in Xingzhou too?”
An Jiu had only meant to show off her fearlessness of poison, but Xuesha’s interest in Mo Sigui caught her off guard. “He’s in Hejian Prefecture,” she replied.
“Really?” Xuesha’s eyes lit up.
For those who lived on the edge of death, even if they survived, they’d inevitably end up with many ailments. Realizing this, An Jiu quickly exploited it. “Mo Sigui is our army doctor. We’re a small group, so he takes care of everyone.”
Currently, Mo Sigui is indeed responsible for everyone’s health, but that might change in the future. He was busy and wouldn’t waste time on uninteresting matters.
Xuesha pondered for a while. “You’re all too naive. The Liao army is stronger overall than the Song. Even if you rebuild a Konghe Army in Hejian, it won’t save all of Song.”
“If everyone thought like you, Song would truly be beyond saving!” An Jiu argued from her perspective. “Don’t try to fill your emptiness with other things. As someone who’s been there, I can tell you it’s impossible. Even if you visit prostitutes, gamble, marry, or make silk flowers every day, your heart will still be empty. When life itself is so fragile, these trivial matters become tasteless!”
Xuesha momentarily lost focus. An Jiu had described exactly what he’d been doing lately. Initially, he felt excited by the freedom and novelty, but as days passed, he felt a growing longing that made him increasingly lonely.
He hadn’t known what he longed for then, but hearing An Jiu’s words, he suddenly understood. It was blood – the thrill of taking lives with his blade.
He had always thought he was tired of killing, but now he realized that beyond this weariness, he had become addicted.
This wasn’t contradictory. Those addicted to drugs may hate them, but that doesn’t stop them from falling deeper.
Seeing Xuesha’s expression soften, An Jiu pressed on. “Don’t you want to try? It’s interesting, much more so than living out your empty days. Protecting the country and satisfying yourself – why not?”
In the past, people in her organization had tempted her to kill this way, saying: “Kill, and your mind will find peace.”
Now An Jiu knew that was wrong, but given the current situation, protecting the country would inevitably involve killing. Surely it was okay to say this now…
“I made it onto the Konghe list three years ago,” Xuesha said, gazing at the azure sky with increasingly gentle eyes. “It was because I killed ten of Piaomiao Manor’s assassins in a secret battle. I had planned to wipe them out completely, but one called Xuesha escaped. When I earned the right to my codename, I chose Xuesha. There can only be one Xuesha in this world; he must die. But before I could act, Lord Chu raided Piaomiao Manor, and Xuesha died then.”
His expression was pained, eyes bloodshot, as if that Xuesha had been his flesh and blood. But An Jiu knew he was tormented by not killing the man himself.
An Jiu suddenly recalled something her therapist once said: “Top assassins are either completely numb, wearing an eternally frozen expression, or they’re emotionally unstable psychopaths.”
Now it seemed Xuesha might be a psychopath too.
“I’ll go with you,” Xuesha said.
Seeing he hadn’t gone berserk, An Jiu thought his condition might not be too severe after all.
“Great!” An Jiu replied.
From that day on, she ventured into a new field in her life, believing she could now provide psychological counseling to assassins around her.
An Jiu had recruited a martial arts master and was quite satisfied with this trip. However, recruitment in Xingzhou wasn’t particularly smooth. After a full seven days, they had gathered only about sixty people, including men, women, young, and old.
After all, some people would rather be beasts of burden than go to their deaths.
With Gao Dazhuang’s help, Sui Yunzhu decided to personally thank him before leaving and ask for one more favor.
At the Xingzhou military camp, Gao Dazhuang sipped tea with his pinky extended, his narrow eyes slightly squinted. Though his manner seemed effeminate, there was no denying he was handsome. His features weren’t delicate; without that hint of femininity, he would likely be a dashing young man.
“My lord, we’re truly grateful for your help this time,” Sui Yunzhu said. “This is a tonic prepared by the divine physician Mo. It helps cultivate spiritual power. Please accept it.”
Gao Dazhuang’s expression remained neutral, but he didn’t refuse.
An Jiu observed his lowered brows and eyes, thinking he must be secretly delighted. Back at Konghe Institute, he had desperately tried and failed to curry favor with Mo Sigui!
“If you’ve got the guts, say what you’re thinking out loud!” Gao Dazhuang couldn’t bear her look any longer.
An Jiu paused, then asked, “What kind of seed is ‘guts’?”
Gao Dazhuang sneered, his face full of contempt for her ignorance.
Sui Yunzhu thought to herself that An Jiu was truly a simple girl.
“I understand now,” An Jiu said, proud of her insight. “My Chu Dingjiang has it, but I don’t.”
Sui Yunzhu wiped away sweat, silently retracting her earlier assessment.
An Jiu looked at Gao Dazhuang and added, “You don’t have it either.”
Crash!
Gao Dazhuang instantly flew into a rage, smashing his teacup and drawing his sword!
An Jiu reflexively drew the sword hidden behind her back.
“My lord!”
In the span of those four words, Sui Yunzhu hadn’t anticipated this turn of events. With no time to think, she rushed between them.
Killing intent surged as the blade was about to pierce Sui Yunzhu. Both Gao Dazhuang and An Jiu simultaneously deflected their blades, clashing five feet in front of him!
Sparks flew as their blades ground against each other, neither giving an inch.
They were both assassins; every strike was lethal. Sui Yunzhu grew anxious. “Fourteen, stop! We have more important matters to attend to.”
Hearing this, An Jiu indeed withdrew.
Gao Dazhuang’s momentum didn’t stop, his blade slashing straight at An Jiu’s face.
Sui Yunzhu tried to block it but wasn’t fast enough.
An Jiu stared at the cold blade, not flinching but standing even straighter.
The blade swerved again, a massive energy brushing past her. The doors and windows behind her shattered, her clothes and hair billowing, but her expression remained unchanged.
“Get out of here quickly, and take this little shrimp with you!” Gao Dazhuang pointed his sword at Sui Yunzhu. “The further you go, the better!”
“We’re fighting the Liao. Are you interested?” An Jiu suddenly asked.
A bead of sweat rolled down Sui Yunzhu’s temple. She thought, “Auntie, how can you be so tone-deaf? Is this the time to discuss such things?”
He quickly tugged at An Jiu’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”
Ever since persuading Xuesha, An Jiu’s confidence had skyrocketed. She felt that recruiting Gao Dazhuang would surely double their efficiency.