Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Doesn’t Even Dare to Climb the Heaven-Climbing Steps

The Jiang Clan watched as that family went up the mountain and others busied themselves settling the horses and carriages. It looked as if no one else mattered to them, and everyone’s mood grew complicated.

Eldest Aunt did not mind. She turned to the people behind her and said: “Let them reunite first. Whatever we need to discuss, we will talk about it at the banquet tonight.”

Jiang Liu Bin was still unhappy. He waited until Jiang Liu Yi had walked more than a hundred meters away before daring to say: “She is just a wild girl raised outside, and Big Brother treats her like a treasure.”

Eldest Aunt frowned, and Cousin Jiang Si Ying also showed disapproval.

Seeing their faces, Chen Xin Yue quickly tugged Jiang Liu Bin’s sleeve and said: “All right, stop talking.”

Because he pitied her situation in the Martial Alliance, he gave her this face. But before closing his mouth he still muttered: “A wild girl can only ride in a carriage up the mountain. She does not even dare to climb the Heaven-Climbing Steps. How is she worthy of being one of our Jiang Clan?”

The so-called Heaven-Climbing Steps are the stairs that run from the foot of the mountain to the Martial Alliance compound halfway up Mount Ming. Mount Ming does not rank among the famous mountains and rivers of the Great Sheng Empire, yet it stretches nearly two thousand meters, and because of the steep slope the Heaven-Climbing Steps total 999 vertical steps.

These steps are very steep and sharp. For people of the Martial World they are nothing, but for ordinary people they can be fatal.

From only a dozen meters above the base, the road splits in two. One way is the steep Heaven-Climbing Steps. The other is the ring road. It is gentle but very long. Even on horseback it takes about one hour to reach the mountain manor at the top.

Jiang Liu Bin chose to ignore the fact that Yu Zhi Yi did not even know the difference between the two routes. He said all this only to comfort Chen Xin Yue. When he finished, he looked at the others, seeking approval.

Too bad the Alliance Leader Madam, Eldest Young Master Jiang, and the Eldest Miss did not respond. He could only turn back to Chen Xin Yue for agreement.

But no matter what she thought inside, Chen Xin Yue could not show open malice toward Yu Zhi Yi in front of so many people. She could only say with a sad face: “Enough, Liu Bin. Please stop.”

Not getting the approval he wanted, Jiang Liu Bin felt very displeased, though not at Chen Xin Yue. He grumbled: “Sister Xin Yue, you are too kind, which is why that wild girl rides on your head.”

From start to finish, Aunt Chen did not say anything. She only gazed at Jiang Yu Chuan with tender eyes. When the convoy finally disappeared from sight, she said to Chen Xin Yue: “Let us go back too.”

The convoy took a full two hours to reach the Martial Alliance halfway up the mountain. Along the way, Yu Zhi Yi lifted the curtain to study the land and water. She found that Mount Ming’s overall feng shui was very good: there were hills and streams, the trees were lush, and everything looked full of life.

But inside all that life, the members of the Jiang Clan were wrapped in black qi. Over Jiang Liu Bin, the dark cloud had already pressed low. Even though blood ties made it hard for her to read their faces completely, she could still tell from the heavy, gloomy luck that Jiang Liu Bin’s death date was near.

Yu Zhi Yi was not a naive girl. Although she had seen a sign, speaking too much to people you barely know is the biggest mistake in dealing with others. Besides, the first branch’s attitude toward her was still unclear, especially Jiang Liu Bin’s, which was openly hostile. She could easily imagine that if she went to tell him he was about to die, he would explode, maybe even hit her. He did not look like the kind of man who would never strike a woman.

As for Jiang Yu Chuan’s branch, she did not need to hide things. But there was no rush. Jiang Liu Bin would not die in two or three days anyway. Let him suffer a little first. With luck as bad as his, even drinking water these days would end with something stuck in his teeth.

“Pah, what is this!” Jiang Liu Bin took a sip of tea, and somehow a tea leaf got stuck between his teeth. The leaf was small and thin, so it did not hurt, but it was so annoying. He tried to pick it out with a toothpick. He failed to get the leaf and instead poked his gum, filling his mouth with blood.

It did not really hurt, but the bloody taste was disgusting. He spat for a long while before it finally cleared. Tossing the bloody toothpick away, he fumed and said: “Rotten luck! It must be that wild girl cursing me.”

He did not know that at the moment he broke his gum, the dark cloud circling above his head grew even heavier.

Yu Zhi Yi knew nothing about his trouble. By then, she had reached a small courtyard.

The yard was quiet and tastefully kept. The twelfth month was almost here, and the air on the mountain was colder than on the plains, yet the yard was full of the smell of flowers. Looking around, she saw hardy plants everywhere. Even in cold weather, they showed strong life.

“Your mother is inside,” Jiang Yu Chuan said, his voice growing tense. All these years his wife had been depressed because their daughter was missing. Sometimes she even lost her senses. He did not know if seeing her daughter would bring her back.

Jiang Liu Yi and his brother stood left and right behind father and daughter, while Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent and the others were left in the yard.

Yu Zhi Yi stood at the door for a moment, then pushed it open. The room was warm and cozy, but it was not arranged like an adult’s room. It looked like a child’s room, with children’s things everywhere.

The most eye-catching thing sat across from the door: a cradle. More exactly, it was the woman sitting beside the cradle.

The woman wore heavy winter clothes, but she was so thin that she did not look bulky at all. She seemed even thinner than autumn flowers.

The sound of the door opening did not make her react.

A middle-aged aunt standing nearby turned and looked. At first her face was calm, but when she saw Yu Zhi Yi’s face, her expression changed at once. Her pupils widened, and her mouth fell open. She looked so much like Madam when Madam was young. The thought exploded in Aunt Yin’s mind, and her eyes filled with tears. She looked at Jiang Yu Chuan with a silent question.

Jiang Yu Chuan nodded. When he had written home, he had told them not to tell his wife anything yet. Her mind had been clear at times and confused at others these past years, and the physician had said she could not bear any shock. To keep the long wait from making her worse, Jiang Yu Chuan had decided to bring their daughter straight to her. To keep the news fully secret, he had not even told Aunt Yin.

Aunt Yin covered her mouth. After a moment, she wiped her tears and called to the woman by the cradle: “Madam, the master has brought Miss home!”