The Double-Chapter 443 - 144: Inner Circumstances_3

"My grandfather and Old General Jih were family friends, my father and General Jih were family friends, and Jih Heng and I... well, you could say we are family friends!"

Jiang Li: "Why do you say ’you could say’?"

"Tsk, Jih Heng won’t acknowledge me as his family friend." Wen Renyao felt wronged, "He looks down on me."

Jiang Li: "...Based on that alone, Wen Renyao isn’t wronged. Nobody would want to admit to having such a family friend."

"But my father and grandfather are both dead, leaving me as the only one left in our family." Wen Renyao said: "He has to acknowledge it, even if he doesn’t want to. If I were gone, who would perform spirit writing for him?"

"Spirit writing?" Jiang Li was taken aback.

"Our family, the ’Jixian Sect,’ we conduct spirit writing to divine fortune and misfortune, and we have hardly ever been wrong. However, we can only perform it for one person in our lifetime," he said apologetically to Jiang Li, "Although I admire Miss Jiang the Second greatly, I cannot defy my master’s order, and I cannot perform spirit writing for Miss Jiang the Second."

Jiang Li was surprised; it turned out that Wen Renyao was truly a high personage, unlike that swindler, Chongxu Daoist Master. But... looking at him like this, it was really hard to convince anyone.

"Actually, I also think that putting all my talents on one person is a bit of a waste. Especially every time I perform spirit writing for Jih Heng, the results are almost always the same. After all these years of divining for him, apart from a woman, it’s always the same, nothing special."

"A woman?" Jiang Li asked curiously, "What woman?"

"The woman fated in Jih Heng’s destiny." Wen Renyao leaned in and said: "You mustn’t tell others, but when I first conducted a spirit writing for Jih Heng, it revealed that in his life, his vitality is tied to a woman. To put it simply, this woman will be both his making and his undoing, a single thought can lead him to enlightenment or to demonhood. The divination text we drew up said this..."

"Wen Renyao." Just as he was about to finish, a voice came from behind, interrupting him. They turned to look, and Jih Heng was standing at the entrance of the courtyard, watching them from neither a close nor distant spot.

It was unclear how much of their conversation Jih Heng had overheard.

Jiang Li felt the awkwardness of being caught gossiping about someone behind their back, and after thinking it over, she said to Wen Renyao: "I still have some matters to discuss with the Duke, so I won’t take up any more of Young Master Wen Ren’s time."

"Eh?" Wen Renyao asked: "You’re not viewing the flowers anymore?"

"No more." Jiang Li smiled, "Maybe another time."

Wen Renyao touched his nose and walked away, reluctantly. Jiang Li approached Jih Heng and smiled: "Duke."

In the midst of the icy snow, his red clothes were especially eye-catching, making him seem luscious. When it was just the two of them, he showed that lazy, indifferent manner, as if he didn’t care about anything at all.

Jih Heng asked: "You have something to tell me?"

Jiang Li nodded.

"Follow me then." He turned and left, and Jiang Li, after a moment’s hesitation, followed him.

The courtyard was deeply enveloped in snow, creating a silvery white expanse. He in his red, blazing like fire, and Jiang Li in her verdant green dress, one exuding lush beauty and the other delicate elegance, they were clearly two incompatible colors, yet they looked unexpectedly harmonious together, as if they were meant to be that way from birth.

Those secretly watching from behind the door, Old General Jih stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Kong Liu quietly tapped Lu Jiu’s arm and asked, "What do you think, does the Duke seem a bit different towards Miss Jiang the Second?"

Lu Jiu glanced at him with disdain, "What do you think," it was obvious to an idiot! Even though it wasn’t clear what the adult’s purpose was in doing so, it was evident that Miss Jiang the Second wasn’t just an insignificant Official’s daughter to Jih Heng, the kind whose death would be of no consequence.

"I actually think they look quite good together, at least..." Kong Liu nudged his chin towards Situ Jiuyue’s direction, "better than those two together. With Situ, he reeks of enchantment, but with Miss Jiang the Second, well, it’s at least a bit more peaceful."

Situ Jiuyue said: "...I heard that."

...

Unaware of how people behind her were evaluating her, Jiang Li was led by Jih Heng back to his study.

Contrary to what Jiang Li assumed, Jih Heng’s study was extremely stark and monochromatic, with not many possessions. She thought that someone as opulent as Jih Heng would surely be the epitome of luxury and warmth, but once inside, it felt like an entirely different world.

Outside the door, Wen Ji was dutifully guarding the entrance, while Jih Heng sat down at the desk, Jiang Li also took a seat opposite him.

The desk was by the window, providing a view of the snowy landscape outside; it was both desolate and magnificent. A servant brought over hot tea, and Jih Heng poured a cup, pushing it towards Jiang Li.

Pouring tea, normally a task for the servants, seemed to be something he liked to do himself upon the few occasions Jiang Li had seen him. Of course, his movements were graceful, and his hands attractive—just this action alone was enjoyable to watch and refreshing to the mind.