Jiang Si had a premonition that if she knew the other two divinations, she might be able to unravel the secret behind Matron Duo’s machinations in the palace. However, this wasn’t something she could ask the Grand Elder about.
She and Ajin were well aware of Matron Duo’s affairs, but the Grand Elder didn’t know they knew. One must always be cautious, and Jiang Si’s feelings towards the Grand Elder were quite complex – respect and gratitude mixed with a measure of wariness. She even wondered if her previous life’s exile to the Wu Miao tribe might not have been as simple as it seemed.
“Ajin, do you know the three divinations left by the Wu Miao Supreme Elder?” she asked.
Yu Jin raised his eyebrows in surprise. “How would I know that?”
Why did he suddenly feel a sense of danger?
“You don’t know?” Jiang Si narrowed her eyes, looking at him with an ambiguous smile.
Yu Jin felt inexplicably uneasy under her gaze. The feeling of danger intensified, but he forced a dry laugh. “Of course, I don’t know. Isn’t that supposed to be a Wu Miao top secret?”
“But you know many of Wu Miao’s secret techniques,” Jiang Si pressed.
Yu Jin froze.
“You also knew that Holy Maiden Asang was dead.”
Yu Jin’s throat began to itch, and he had to resist the urge to cough.
“And you have Asang’s Holy Maiden token.”
Yu Jin rubbed his face and grabbed Jiang Si’s hand. “Asi, let me explain!”
Jiang Si curved her lips slightly. “Alright.”
Yu Jin was taken aback. Was it that easy?
Jiang Si gave him a push, chiding, “Well, go on and explain!”
This fool is given the chance to explain and he just sits there dumbfounded. Did she need to bring out her little scissors to get him talking?
“I’ll explain…” Yu Jin snapped back to reality but didn’t know where to begin. “It’s a long story—”
Jiang Si flexed her hand. “Make it short.”
She regretted not bringing her little scissors along.
“When I first came to the Southern Frontier, I got lost in the miasma forest and accidentally saved Asang—”
Meeting Jiang Si’s dark gaze, Yu Jin rubbed his nose sheepishly. “Alright, I saw a girl who looked very much like you in danger from afar. Thinking it was you, I rushed over to save her…”
Jiang Si raised an eyebrow.
Ajin’s use of “rushed” was quite apt.
Glancing at Jiang Si, Yu Jin hurriedly added, “After saving her, I realized it wasn’t you.”
Jiang Si rested her chin on her hand, curiosity piqued. “Back then, we had only met once. Since Asang and I looked so similar, how did you know it wasn’t me?”
Yu Jin’s ears reddened slightly, and he stammered, “I just knew.”
Of course, he couldn’t tell Asi that although they had met only briefly, she had appeared in his dreams countless times. Especially as he grew older, those dreams became increasingly vivid. How could he mistake the woman he had set his heart on?
“Then what happened?” Jiang Si prompted.
Yu Jin hesitated briefly before continuing, “After saving Asang, I thought we wouldn’t cross paths again. Unexpectedly, the Wu Miao Grand Elder showed considerable enthusiasm, sending people to thank me. After that, I would receive gifts from them during festivals. Once, when we were preparing for an ambush and needed help dealing with the miasma, I went to Wu Miao for assistance. The Grand Elder helped without hesitation, and we became acquainted over time…”
Glancing at Jiang Si, he felt it was safe to continue, “More than three years ago, Asang’s maid Alan suddenly came to me in a panic, saying the Grand Elder urgently needed to see me. When I arrived, I found out that something had happened to Asang—”
“What happened to Asang?” Jiang Si asked, pursing her lips.
She wasn’t entirely clear about the true cause of Asang’s death.
Yu Jin frowned. “It didn’t look like an illness, more like—”
Seeing Yu Jin’s hesitation, Jiang Si pressed, “Like what?”
“Like those stories in novels where practitioners of mystical arts go berserk.”
Despite the serious topic, Jiang Si almost laughed. She had to bite her lip to maintain her composure.
Fearing Jiang Si might not understand, Yu Jin patiently explained, “For martial artists like us, improper training might result in internal injuries, but going berserk is just something from stories—it doesn’t happen—”
Jiang Si smiled. “I’m just wondering when you started reading novels.”
Yu Jin faltered, then said sheepishly, “Long Dan likes to read them. I just happened to see one and flipped through it casually.”
How could a calm and wise man like him be addicted to reading novels?
“Did Asang say anything to you before she died?” Jiang Si continued, choosing not to comment on Yu Jin’s attempt to blame Long Dan.
Yu Jin’s expression turned serious. “Of course, she didn’t say anything to me specifically. She just gave me the Holy Maiden token. Knowing that Wu Miao has many mysterious abilities, I thought it might be useful someday, so I kept it.”
“The Holy Maiden token is indeed very useful. It’s a pity you returned it,” Jiang Si mused.
Yu Jin pulled her into his arms, adjusting to her unfamiliar young boy’s face, and smiled. “Thinking I could bring you home, nothing else seems regrettable—”
At this point, he remembered the Wu Miao Grand Elder’s eagerness for him to take Jiang Si away quickly, and his smile turned awkward.
He had gone there with such determination to bring her back, prepared for a great battle, only to find the other side practically sending her off with fanfare. The disparity was too embarrassing to mention.
“Ajin, let’s rest here tonight, but tomorrow we should travel separately. I’ll go with Old Qin and Long Dan, while you take my second brother,” Jiang Si suggested.
She had sneaked out, and returning to the capital with Yu Jin would cause trouble if discovered.
Yu Jin didn’t object but couldn’t help adding, “In the future, leave the rescuing to Long Dan and the others. There’s no need for you to do it personally.”
Today it was saving a young corpse-driver, tomorrow a young horseman – there were so many young men in the world, how could they save them all?
As a man who had pledged himself to his rescuer, he was well aware of the dangers of recklessly saving people.
As for the Snow Miao Clan Leader, an old man with a toad-like mouth and beady eyes, Yu Jin didn’t take him seriously at all. He was going to be dealt with anyway.
Jiang Si nodded, not exposing the jealousy behind his words.
If she hadn’t saved a certain fool out of kindness back then, perhaps things wouldn’t be as they are now.
As night fell, seeing that Jiang Si still hadn’t removed her disguise, Yu Jin couldn’t help but remind her, “It’s time to sleep.”
Jiang Si gave Yu Jin an amused look. “Go ahead and sleep.”
“Um… I feel a bit uncomfortable like this…”
Although he knew it was Asi, embracing someone with a young boy’s face felt strange.
Jiang Si swatted away his approaching hand. “Just sleep properly. I have a feeling things won’t be this smooth. We should remain cautious.”
With Wu Miao leading over a dozen tribes, each with their methods, the Holy Maiden’s smooth departure would upset the balance formed over the past few years. They couldn’t let their guard down until they were far from the Southern Frontier.
Yu Jin reluctantly agreed.
Compared to safety, other matters could indeed wait.
Ahem, although he felt they didn’t need to wait, he’d better listen to Asi – he regretfully put aside those thoughts.
Soon it was deep into the night. All was quiet, even the wind seemed to have ceased, leaving only the swaying branches casting shadows on the window.
A black, snake-like insect silently squeezed through the gap under the door, slithering towards the bed.