Chapter 307

Chapter 307: Eldest Young Master Jiang, Forever Overshadowed

Chen Xin Yue turned and, seeing who it was, showed relief and called out for help: “Third brother!”

Jiang Liu Shuang lounged against the doorframe in a long red robe, handsome and playful. Curling his lips, he teased: “Xin Yue, you sure know how to stab with your words. People who don’t know better would think you hate big brother and you’re mocking him on purpose.”

Chen Xin Yue blinked: “?”

[But I was praising him!] Unfortunately, neither brother intended to explain. Jiang Liu Shuang slung an arm over his big brother’s shoulder, and the two walked off together, muttering to each other. Chen Xin Yue had practiced a decent Lightness Skill over the years in the Martial Alliance, but her inner strength was thin; she couldn’t hear a word. She stomped her foot in anger, but the brothers didn’t look back and certainly didn’t come over to coax her.

What Jiang Liu Shuang told his big brother was the news that Yu Zhi Yi had dug up a skeleton beside the Heaven-Climbing Steps, with a quick sketch of the scene. Jiang Liu Ting frowned and asked: “There was such a thing?”

He didn’t believe in spooky mysteries, yet many people had witnessed it. Jiang Liu Shuang’s version was secondhand, but even if it was exaggerated, it was surely true.

Jiang Liu Shuang’s eyes curved as he smiled: “Our second sister has some serious skills.”

Jiang Liu Ting fell silent. The gloom that had faded came crawling back, [Having Jiang Liu Yi pressing me down is bad enough; now there’s Jiang Si Jin too. And that girl seems a little uncanny.]

Hearing the mischief in his brother’s tone, he frowned and asked: “What are you planning?”

Jiang Liu Shuang grinned: “Nothing much. I just want to see second sister’s abilities for myself.”

Jiang Liu Ting was about to answer when his expression shifted. Jiang Liu Shuang followed his gaze, fox-bright eyes lighting with interest: “Speak of Cao Cao, and he appears.”

Yu Zhi Yi was strolling along Mount Ming. It looked like a stroll, but she was actually checking the tricks hidden on the mountain. Running into Jiang Liu Ting and Jiang Liu Shuang, she inclined her head in greeting and said evenly: “Big brother, third brother.”

Jiang Liu Ting nodded back. As the eldest son, he had been trained the strictest since childhood; he wasn’t one for easy smiles. Jiang Liu Shuang, in contrast, let the curiosity in his eyes show: “I heard second sister is skilled in the Mystic Arts. Today you not only cleansed a Malevolent Spirit for our Martial Alliance, you also saved many at Juxian Manor?”

Yu Zhi Yi kept a straight face and gave a small nod: “I wouldn’t say ‘skilled.’ I just know a bit of everything.”

Jiang Liu Ting’s face grew colder. Yu Zhi Yi felt puzzled, but Jiang Liu Shuang only smiled brighter: “Second sister, that sounds just like second brother. Every time we had tests, he’d say he was only average, and then he’d place first every single time.”

As peers of Jiang Liu Yi, the two brothers had suffered under his excellence for years. Yu Zhi Yi hadn’t expected that; she touched her nose and explained: “I’m not pretending to be humble. My master taught me only a few years before leaving. I’ve been teaching myself since, so I really am only so-so.”

Though her face was calm, the brothers somehow sensed her honesty. Jiang Liu Ting’s expression eased. Jiang Liu Shuang grew even more curious and asked: “Oh? Then what can you do? Are you like those fortune-sellers under the bridge, able to predict everything?”

Yu Zhi Yi fell silent, [Those street-side fortune-sellers spout nonsense.] Jiang Liu Shuang laughed and suggested: “How about you draw a lot for me?”

Yu Zhi Yi refused without changing her expression: “People of the Mystic Sect have three taboos. One of them is this: we do not divine for blood relatives.”

Her gaze slid over Jiang Liu Shuang’s face as she added, cool and light: “I can’t cast for you, third brother, but I can still estimate this much-your plan for tomorrow is very dangerous. You’d better not go out. If you do, at best you’ll be badly hurt and fall unconscious; at worst, you’ll die on the spot.”

Jiang Liu Shuang lifted a brow and asked: “If you can’t divine for kin, how do you know I shouldn’t go out tomorrow?” The hint was clear: wasn’t that a contradiction?

Yu Zhi Yi had no love for random fortune-telling, and she only said this much because he was her father’s nephew. If he didn’t believe her, she wouldn’t push it. [Father has plenty of nephews. If one is lost, one is lost. There are still two left.]

Without wasting more time, Yu Zhi Yi took Li Rou and Nuan’er and kept wandering the mountain. She walked, stopped, and wandered again with no clear pattern. Whenever she saw a pretty view, she paused to admire it.

Halfway up the slope, a pair of eyes watched her every move, full of shadow and hate. Suddenly, Yu Zhi Yi looked straight that way. The watcher’s heart jumped; they hurried to hide in the shade. After a long time, they peeked out again and saw Yu Zhi Yi already moving on with Nuan’er and Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent. It seemed that earlier glance was just a random look that happened to sweep past them. The watcher scoffed under their breath: “What Mystic Arts master? She’s just a fraud!”

By the time Yu Zhi Yi finished circling Mount Ming, night had fully fallen. As she prepared to return to Willow Garden, Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent said, steady and respectful: “Miss, I plan to make a trip back to Juxian Manor.”

Yu Zhi Yi understood he meant to check the landslide and the attempted assassination, so she didn’t stop him and said simply: “Go.”

Li Rou looked worried and asked in a small voice: “Miss, will he be in danger?”

Hearing that, Yu Zhi Yi turned to her and asked: “Are you very worried about him?”

Li Rou’s face flushed, then dimmed as if she remembered something. She said quietly: “He is the bright moon in the sky, and I am only a small maid. I have no right to worry about him.” Then she added, serious and careful: “I just think, if Juxian Manor is a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den, going so suddenly could be dangerous.”

She paused before adding another practical point: “And his identity is special. If something happens to him while he’s by your side, Miss, it could cause you trouble.”

Yu Zhi Yi was about to speak when Nuan’er asked, curious: “What identity does that young master have?”

Li Rou hesitated. Yu Zhi Yi also looked at Nuan’er. Under both gazes, Nuan’er felt awkward and explained: “I’m just…just curious. Isn’t he only a bodyguard?”

Yu Zhi Yi studied her for a moment, then nodded: “Yes, he’s a bodyguard. But his mother has a connection with me. If he gets hurt, I won’t be able to explain it to her.”

Nuan’er let out a soft “Oh.” Li Rou’s brows knit tighter, but in front of Yu Zhi Yi she said nothing. After a few months at her mistress’s side, she was no longer the clueless scullery maid she had been; some things didn’t need to be brought up in front of the master.

The group returned to Willow Garden. Before they even stepped through the archway, they heard grunting and laughing from inside.