An Jiu and Xue Sha went together to Zhending Prefecture. On the way, Xue Sha introduced the assassin hiding in this place to her.
The 9th ranked on the Crane Gathering List, code-named Jade Beauty, is a female 8th-level martial arts master. ” I’ve been on good terms with her for a while,” Xue Sha said proudly.
Seeing the long queue in front of the city gate, An Jiu turned to look at him questioningly, “Why did she ruin herself?”
“Because… uh.” Xue Sha realized his mistake, his expression darkening. “Am I that bad? It’s me who’s ruining myself!”
“Eh, so you know that yourself?” An Jiu thought for a moment, “Perhaps those in this line of work all have some issues.”
Xue Sha didn’t refute, but his expression became conflicted as if he was both anticipating and resisting, both excited and fearful.
An Jiu quietly said, “Jade Beauty… likes sadomasochism?”
Xue Sha looked at her with shock.
An Jiu understood that she had guessed correctly. “Looks like you enjoy it.”
“Ahem.” Xue Sha suddenly became bashful. “It’s usually quite boring, so I just try to find some interesting things to do.”
An Jiu understood, “No wonder you’ve been so anxious.”
” I’m not even sure if she’s here.” Xue Sha said dejectedly.
“Child, hold this for a bit.” A woman behind them took a lotus leaf from her bamboo basket and handed it to An Jiu. “You don’t look too good, don’t want you to get sunburned.”
An Jiu, dressed in men’s clothes with her hair tied up, wore a human-skin mask. While everyone’s faces were reddened by the sun, hers remained pale, looking especially sickly in this environment.
An Jiu quietly tucked the hidden weapon back between her fingers, took the lotus leaf, and muttered, “Th-thank you.”
She discreetly turned the leaf in her hand and, finding nothing unusual, slowly placed it on her head.
Xue Sha felt somewhat moved, remarking that An Jiu was so beautiful that she stood out wherever she went.
Suddenly, the snail-paced queue in front stopped moving.
Xue Sha leaned out to look, while An Jiu simply squatted down, the lotus leaf covering half her face, and let her gaze wander.
Over the past few days, certain things had been swirling in her mind, unable to be shaken off.
The repeating crossbow, the strength-enhancing drugs, the blood mutation… Any one of them made her feel an uncanny familiarity.
According to the current developments in various aspects, these things seemed to exist beyond the ordinary, but if they shouldn’t exist, what about Mo Shuigui and Luo Xiaowu? What they did wasn’t ordinary either.
Okay, even if the appearance of these things was reasonable, what about the various coincidences?
“What’s going on…” An Jiu murmured.
The queue started moving again, and An Jiu stood up and continued walking.
Presenting the token at the city gate was An Jiu’s favorite part – it allowed her to put all her worries aside. She took out the token with an air of righteousness.
As expected, the two were able to enter the city smoothly.
“Hehehe.” An Jiu couldn’t suppress her laughter.
Xue Sha kept turning around in the same spot, “Why am I so excited?”
“Doesn’t it feel great?” An Jiu finally found someone who could understand this feeling.
“It’s like when I was little and stole my sister’s hairpin to give to the girl next door.” Xue Sha said excitedly.
An Jiu’s smile instantly disappeared, and she narrowed her eyes. “I can tell you’re the type who’s used to being abused, a lifetime punching bag.”
Sighing, An Jiu began to wander around the city.
Xue Sha followed behind her. “Jade Beauty is good at hiding, I’ve left a mark on the street, let’s wait for her to come find us.”
“What if she doesn’t come?” An Jiu snorted. “Shall I just have to rely on your utterly below-average charm?”
Xue Sha sulked, “Why make things harder for your fellow traveler? We’re all having a tough time.”
An Jiu swiftly moved through the city, her spiritual sense like a vast net quickly filtering the crowd around them.
Knowing An Jiu could silently watch over him, Xue Sha quietly followed behind her.
In less than two hours, An Jiu had thoroughly searched the entire city. In the end, she stood outside the government office.
There were only three martial arts masters in the entire city – two 5th-level and one 7th-level, all inside the government office. An Jiu found it strange, as Jade Beauty was supposed to be an 8th-level master. Where was she?
“Let’s eat first, we’ll go take a look inside at night,” she said.
Xue Sha followed her into a restaurant, finding a private room with a view of the government office entrance. “So you think Jade Beauty is inside the government office?”
“If she’s in Zhending, she’s most likely there,” An Jiu replied.
“But what could a woman do in the government office?” Xue Sha asked.
Before the food arrived, An Jiu tapped the teapot with her chopsticks. “She’s probably the prefect’s concubine.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Xue Sha reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
An Jiu knew just how to provoke this type of person. Xue Sha liked being abused by Jade Beauty, so in his heart, he might have seen her as a queen-like figure. How could a queen become someone’s concubine? An Jiu was quite pleased to see him flare up, her mood significantly lightened.
After the dishes arrived, An Jiu ate heartily, finishing five bowls.
Night fell.
The two stealthily entered the government office. An Jiu first went to where the 7th-level martial arts master was.