Thunder in autumn was considered a bad omen in Da Zhou.
There was a saying: “Autumn thunder brings thieves everywhere.” Thunder in autumn often meant great disasters would come in the following year.
Jiang Yi’s expression changed slightly as she looked up at the turbulent sky.
The wind quickly began to violently shake the trees and grass.
The two maids who had been sent to wait at a distance came running over. One was Amian, the other was Aya. Jiang Yi’s other maid, Azhu, hadn’t come along earlier but had gone to tidy up the guest room.
“M-miss, it looks like it’s going to rain,” Amian said breathlessly as she reached Jiang Si’s side.
Jiang Si pointed to a corner of an ornate roof peeking out from the lush trees ahead. “My elder sister and I will take shelter in that pavilion. You go back and fetch rain gear.”
Seeing that the rain was about to start, Jiang Si didn’t dare let the frail Jiang Yi get wet. She sent Amian back for rain gear, as it was hard to estimate how long the rain would last. The sisters couldn’t stay trapped in the pavilion indefinitely.
Amian immediately responded with a crisp “Yes.”
“Let Aya go back. Azhu brought rain gear and left it in the guest room. It’s closer from here,” Jiang Yi suggested.
Jiang Si glanced at the maid called Aya.
The young maid looked about fourteen or fifteen, with delicate features and a calm demeanor. She seemed more composed than others her age.
Thinking of the replaced Azhen, Jiang Si wasn’t completely at ease with Aya, so she said, “Let them go together for company.”
Jiang Yi hesitated briefly before agreeing.
Earlier, as the sisters talked and walked, they had unknowingly reached a secluded area. While it was fine during the day in the temple, with the impending downpour and thunderstorm, it seemed a bit cruel to send a young maid back alone.
“Hurry back,” Jiang Si instructed.
“Don’t worry, Miss,” Amian said, tugging at Aya. “Let’s go quickly before we get caught in the rain.”
Watching the two young maids run off, Jiang Si took Jiang Yi’s hand and ran towards the pavilion.
The pavilion was tiny, hidden behind tall trees, and easily missed if one wasn’t paying attention. Just as the sisters ran into the pavilion, large raindrops began to fall.
Outside, the wind howled, violently shaking the tree branches. Fallen leaves swirled in the air before being beaten down by the rain.
The hexagonal pavilion was soon surrounded by six curtains of rain.
“The rain is so heavy,” Jiang Yi murmured, staring at the thick curtain of water.
She wondered if her husband, who was out and about, had found a suitable place to take shelter.
The cold seeped into the pavilion from all directions with the wind and rain, causing exposed skin to shiver.
“Fourth Sister, are you cold?” Jiang Yi grasped Jiang Si’s hand, finding the young girl’s palm ice-cold.
Jiang Yi immediately grew concerned and was about to speak when Jiang Si suddenly covered her mouth.
“Elder Sister, someone’s coming,” Jiang Si said, then without waiting for Jiang Yi’s reaction, quickly pulled her to hide behind a large tree next to the pavilion that two people couldn’t fully encircle.
The tree’s dense branches and leaves blocked most of the rain, with only sparse drops falling on the two, so they didn’t have to worry about getting their clothes wet for the moment.
Hearing the thunder rumbling nearby, Jiang Si sighed inwardly.
She had been told by Yu Qi that it was dangerous to shelter under trees during a thunderstorm due to the risk of lightning strikes.
As footsteps approached, Jiang Si quickly focused her attention, squeezing Jiang Yi’s hand tightly.
By now, Jiang Yi had also heard the footsteps and looked at Jiang Si with confusion.
She didn’t understand why they needed to hide just because someone was coming. It seemed unnecessary.
Jiang Si couldn’t speak, so she shook her head slightly.
Normally, if someone approached, regardless of gender, there would be no need for them to hide since they were already in the pavilion. But now, with the heavy rain and strong wind, a faint smell of blood mixed with the scent of damp earth grew stronger as the footsteps neared.
In this situation, Jiang Si’s first reaction was to hide.
Seeing Jiang Si’s behavior, Jiang Yi smiled helplessly and looked in the direction of the approaching sound.
Soon, two men entered the pavilion one after another.
One wore a long robe and looked like a refined scholar, while the other was dressed in practical short clothes with a full beard.
The pair made an odd couple.
Jiang Si’s gaze fell on the bearded man.
The faint smell of blood was coming from him.
Jiang Yi, oblivious to this, secretly observed the two strangers, feeling somewhat relieved.
Of the two men, the bearded one looked like trouble. It was fine for her, but if Fourth Sister had encountered him alone, it might have caused problems.
From this perspective, Fourth Sister had made the right choice in hiding them both.
“It really started raining just when we said it would,” the bearded man complained, looking around.
The robed man didn’t respond to this. Instead, he frowned and asked, “How did it go?”
The bearded man smiled. “The person has been delivered to the usual place.”
“And the cleanup?”
A cold light flashed in the bearded man’s eyes. “Don’t worry, those who shouldn’t speak won’t be speaking anymore.”
At these words, Jiang Yi trembled involuntarily, unconsciously tightening her grip on Jiang Si’s hand.
Had they overheard something they shouldn’t have?
Perhaps because she had first smelled the blood, Jiang Si’s heart remained relatively calm upon hearing these words.
A rainy day, a secluded mountain temple pavilion, a faint smell of blood – if the two who entered were ordinary worshippers, she would have found it strange.
But soon, the robed man’s next words exploded like thunder in Jiang Si’s mind.
“That person, does she resemble the Holy Maiden?”
Jiang Si’s expression changed abruptly, and her hand holding Jiang Yi’s trembled.
Holy Maiden?
The only Holy Maiden she knew of in this world belonged to the Wu Miao tribe in the Southern Frontier. Could the Holy Maiden mentioned by the robed man be related to the Wu Miao tribe?
This thought made Jiang Si’s heart race.
Noticing Jiang Si’s unusual reaction, Jiang Yi looked at her with confusion and concern.
“At least a fifty percent resemblance.”
“Fifty percent? That’s enough. According to our intelligence, the Seventh Prince has feelings for the Wu Miao Holy Maiden. Now that she’s no longer in this world, it should be easy to gain the Seventh Prince’s favor with a woman who bears a fifty percent resemblance to her.”
Jiang Si bit her lip hard to keep from losing composure.
What were these two planning by trying to get close to Yu Qi?
Jiang Si tried to convince herself that Yu Qi’s affairs were none of her concern, but seeing the robed man’s malicious gaze, her heart skipped a beat.
Regardless, she hoped Yu Qi would remain safe and sound.
“By the way, have you found out the identity of the woman the Seventh Prince protected on the street that day?” the robed man suddenly asked.
“Yes, she’s the Fourth Miss of the Dong Ping Marquis’s estate.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yi suddenly stepped back, stepping on a dry branch.
The faint cracking sound would have been hard to notice amid the storm, but the bearded man abruptly stood up, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.