Chapter 366

Chapter 366: Chen Ruo Lan and Her Father’s Birth Charts

The defense array and the Heavenly Thunder Talisman shook the Martial World. After the shock came wild joy. If people could get such amazing items, wouldn’t they be unbeatable in a fight? In a kill-or-be-killed battle, they might even end an enemy in an instant.

All at once, crowds rushed to find Jiang Liu Yi to buy Heavenly Thunder Talismans and learn how to set up the defense array. But Jiang Liu Yi had seen this coming; the moment he spotted his own father and uncle returning, he slipped away. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to tug his sister along.

They hadn’t gone far when voices burst out behind them: “Second Master Jiang, where did the Heavenly Thunder Talisman in the second young master’s hand come from?” “Second Master Jiang, I’ll pay a high price for a Heavenly Thunder Talisman; could you ask that expert if he’ll sell to me?” “Second Master Jiang-”

Yu Zhi Yi could only smile and sigh at the same time. When they finally reached their own courtyard, before she could speak, her brother-who usually stayed calm even if a mountain fell in front of him-let out a long breath. Noticing his sister’s gaze, Jiang Liu Yi cleared his throat and changed the subject: “Did everything go smoothly?”

He had seen the Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent and the others earlier, but with so many people around, he hadn’t asked questions. Now that no outsiders were nearby, he finally felt safe to ask.

“It went well,” she said, “but I found a hidden danger.”

Because this concerned the safety of the Martial Alliance-and because her brother wasn’t the careless type-Yu Zhi Yi chose not to hide anything. She walked him through what had happened. As he listened, his thoughts rose and fell. When he heard the enemies were from a mysterious Hidden Realm clan, and that the Gao Clan had experts even she couldn’t handle, his face turned serious.

Yu Zhi Yi pressed her lips together. [Will he blame me for provoking such troublesome enemies?] She didn’t know if the whole Gao Clan was petty and vengeful, but what she’d seen already told a lot. First, Gao Yao Wen attacked her for no reason. Then Gao Wen Feng set a trap to kill her for his son’s sake-and at the same time helped the Demonic Cult, hoping they would wipe out the Martial Alliance in one sweep. With actions like that, it was hard not to think this was the family’s usual style. If the whole Gao Clan was like this, then once the secret came out, the Martial Alliance would face a disaster.

She also remembered when the empress dowager was possessed by an evil thing: people from the Yu Clan pushed all the blame onto her to escape punishment and even cut ties with her right away. If the Jiang Clan chose to do the same one day, she wouldn’t blame them. [That’s human nature.]

Suddenly, a hand closed around her wrist. Jiang Liu Yi looked at her, serious: “You hid your steps well, but they’re not impossible to trace. In the whole Great Sheng Empire, no one in Mystic Arts is as skilled and famous as you. You’re the only Mystic Arts master who’s stepped into the Court Hall. And you happened to be out of the capital these days. Anyone determined to ask around could learn your movements. You came to the Martial Alliance, and the Gao father and son both had accidents near the Martial Alliance. It’s easy for someone to connect these pieces.”

His eyes showed rare worry: “The Gao Clan doesn’t seem like a reasonable place. If they learn both father and son died by your hand, they’ll strike back hard.” He frowned deeply and said, “I’ve heard Dragon-Tiger Mountain is full of hidden masters. Don’t go back to the capital. When things wrap up here, head straight to Dragon-Tiger Mountain. It’s said the experts on Dragon Shu Mountain are righteous. If we explain the truth, they’ll understand. The Gao family’s way is no different from the Demonic Cult.”

Yu Zhi Yi looked into his eyes. All she saw was concern-no anger about his own life being at risk, no blame for being dragged into danger. Lowering her gaze, she answered softly: “Don’t worry, brother. The Gao Clan shouldn’t come right away. Before they notice anything, I’ll push my strength higher. If I can drag this out for a few years, even if they find the truth, it shouldn’t be a big threat.”

She had already decided: after returning to the capital, she would keep asking for long leave, or simply resign from the Ministry of Justice. She would go look for her sect. If she were still alone, she wouldn’t fear the Gao Clan’s revenge. She could pick some deep mountain and hide forever, as long as there was food and water. But now she cared about the Jiang Clan. She couldn’t let people with bright futures go live like wild hermits because of her. This was when she needed her sect’s help. [I wonder if my master still remembers she has a disciple in the mortal world, waiting for her to bring me back to the mountain to pay respects to the ancestors.]

“There’s one more thing,” Yu Zhi Yi said, pushing down the flood of thoughts.

“What is it?” her brother asked.

…

Chen Ruo Lan was furious-more than that, she was anxious. She didn’t even bother to treat the wounds on her face; she just paced back and forth in her room. Ji Guang Dai was dead, and the mysterious person had gone quiet. Worse, it happened after he lured that little wretch into the trap. The little wretch walked out unharmed, and the mysterious person vanished. It was hard not to imagine the worst.

She had sold the little wretch’s whereabouts to that mysterious person, hoping he would kill the girl. More than once in the last two days, she had pictured the look on Jiang Yu Chuan and his wife’s faces when they saw the girl’s body-how they would break down. But the scene in her head never came true. The girl came out whole, and the mysterious person disappeared.

She wasn’t worried that the mysterious man had been killed. She was worried he might have said things he shouldn’t. It felt like a lump was stuck in her throat. Without solid news, she couldn’t swallow it; it would stay there like a bone caught in her throat.

She had no way to ask around. In the past, she could go straight to Jiang Yu Wei. He looked cold, but he was the easiest in the Jiang Clan to talk to. If she flattered him right, he would spill what she wanted to know. But now she was grounded-and it happened right in front of Jiang Yu Wei. She was sure he would guard against her. Most important of all, she couldn’t even leave the house. She felt like a bird with its wings cut off, stuck in a cage, waiting to die with nothing she could do. [No. I can’t sit and wait to die!]

At the same time, Yu Zhi Yi received the birth charts of Chen Ruo Lan and her father, Chen Tie Sheng. Chen Tie Sheng had died years ago. After his death, his elderly mother and his wife also passed away. His only living family now was Chen Ruo Lan. Since Chen Ruo Lan had already touched things from the world of Mystic Arts, they couldn’t ask her for such private details as birth charts. Jiang Yu Chuan worked through many twists and turns before he found several fellow travelers from the Martial World who had once celebrated Chen Tie Sheng’s birthday. From their memories, they pieced together a complete set of eight characters.

Yu Zhi Yi studied both charts and calculated for a while, then looked up in surprise: “Are you sure Chen Tie Sheng really died on the spot while saving my grandfather?”