Chapter 17: So He Was a Craftsman After All
“It’s Mr. Hu’s mistress! That woman wanted to enter the Hu family, but Madam Hu’s household is powerful. Mr. Hu didn’t want a divorce, so the mistress, feeling cornered, threatened that she had a secret to hold over Hu’s company!”
“That secret must be serious, or else the old Master Hu wouldn’t have personally intervened.”
“Who knows! Anyway, no one’s heard from her lately. Whether the secret exists or not, or how big it is, doesn’t matter anymore!”
“The old Master Hu is so old, yet he still does such despicable things. No wonder he’s cursed!”
“Lower your voice! I heard when the old Master Hu was starting out, his hands weren’t exactly clean. People like him don’t believe in karma!”
The ladies stopped talking as the steward of the estate approached them quietly.
Jiang Yunyao was listening with interest but suddenly noticed all eyes turning towards them. She realized the steward was coming over.
The steward stopped in front of them, bowed slightly with a respectful demeanor.
“Miss Jiang, sorry to bother you. Madam Hu is a fan of yours and heard you were at our estate. She specially asked me to invite you over for a visit.”
He then glanced at Xie Yixing beside her. “Madam Hu also said she hasn’t seen Young Master Xie in a long time and would like to meet him.”
Jiang Yunyao and Xie Yixing exchanged glances, sensing something was amiss.
They weren’t close to Madam Hu, so why would she invite them alone?
Jiang Yunyao considered a possibility and gave Xie Yixing a look, then turned to the steward. “Please lead the way.”
The steward nodded. “Right this way.”
The two turned off their microphones and followed the steward upstairs to the hall.
The steward assigned Xie Yixing to one room and then led Jiang Yunyao to another.
Jiang Yunyao knocked, and after hearing “Come in,” she opened the door.
Seeing the cool and aloof girl on the sofa confirmed her suspicion.
This invitation wasn’t from Madam Hu at all, but from Mu Jin, acting in Madam Hu’s name!
Jiang Yunyao quickly closed the door and hurried over, delighted. “Xiao Jin! How did you know I was here?”
The girl wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans. Her jet-black hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin, her delicate features sharp and somewhat fierce.
Those beautiful apricot eyes, like bright obsidian, were so striking that one couldn’t look away.
Mu Jin stood and stepped forward a few paces.
Her gaze softened as she looked at Jiang Yunyao, but thinking of what she was about to say, her expression became serious again. “That’s why I asked you here.”
Jiang Yunyao blinked. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Mu Jin gestured for her to sit and then briefly explained the situation.
“Someone wants to harm you, but I can’t figure out who. I had to call you here to warn you to be extra careful.”
Mu Jin’s and her master’s divination skills were on par; if even Mu Jin couldn’t discern the culprit...
Suppressing her shock, Jiang Yunyao replied calmly, “Alright!”
There was nothing to fear—if danger came, she would face it head-on. There was always a way to handle things.
Mu Jin recounted the details.
“The person acted on someone else’s orders to sow discord between the Fang family and you. I checked—the phone number on the other end is invalid, and I couldn’t trace it. It seems they deliberately hid their identity.”
The Fang family was about to ally with the Ji family through marriage, and the Ji family owned a talent agency. If Fang Anyue married into the Ji family, given the grudges today, she might cause trouble for Yunyao.
Jiang Yunyao immediately thought of the two women in the restroom and raised an eyebrow. “Was the person wearing a purple dress?”
Mu Jin nodded.
Jiang Yunyao pondered.
No wonder she felt something was off about the girl in purple. She thought it was her imagination, but it was truly suspicious.
Mu Jin took a gray cloth bag, pulled out two talismans, and handed them to Jiang Yunyao.
“Your career has hit some bumps lately, and you and he might face danger. These talismans won’t prevent all misfortune, but they can keep you safe in critical moments.”
In Mu Jin’s hand were two thumb-sized wooden blocks covered with intricate runes, each tied with a red string so they could be worn on the wrist or neck.
Jiang Yunyao accepted them and then asked, “Speaking of which, I want to ask—did you come here to treat Old Master Hu?”
If Old Master Hu truly were a villain, Mu Jin wouldn’t come here.
There had to be another reason.
Mu Jin’s gaze suddenly grew cold when Jiang Yunyao mentioned Old Master Hu.
“With all the wrongs he’s done in his life, his death would be no loss, but this matter is strange. Since I accepted the association’s mission, I can’t ignore it.”
Jiang Yunyao warned, “If there’s someone scheming behind the scenes, they won’t stop here. You need to prepare in advance!”
Mu Jin nodded. “You reminded me. Once I return, I’ll check the association’s files for similar incidents.”
Jiang Yunyao nearly lost her composure.
Files... How had she never suspected that Mu Jin came from ancient times?
With their own matters to attend to, they couldn’t chat long. As they parted, Mu Jin suddenly called out to Jiang Yunyao.
“Yao, don’t go back to Qingfeng Temple for a while. Things aren’t safe right now.”
Jiang Yunyao, knowing they’d be fine, still felt a pang of worry. “Do Master and Xiao Nuo know?”
“I’ve already sent word,” Mu Jin paused, then reassured her, “Don’t worry, even the little junior sister can handle it easily. I’m just worried about you.”
Jiang Yunyao: “...”
Sorry, it’s me dragging everyone down!
But she truly couldn’t grasp those esoteric arts—not even memorizing them!
Returning to Xie Yixing’s room, she found him pacing anxiously.
“What’s wrong? Are you unwell?”
Hearing her voice, Xie Yixing breathed a sigh of relief but then grew tense again.
“Jiang Yunyao, are you okay? Did they do anything to you?”
Jiang Yunyao found it odd. “What could happen to me? Don’t misunderstand—it wasn’t Madam Hu who wanted to see me, it was Xiao Jin!”
She showed him the talisman. “Xiao Jin gave me this.”
Seeing her wear the wooden charm around her neck, Xie Yixing happily put his on too.
He examined it closely. “What are these patterns? I’ve never seen them before.”
Jiang Yunyao: “...”
She forgot he didn’t know Mu Jin’s true identity.
She made up a story casually, “These are ancient patterns, passed down for thousands of years. Ordinary people haven’t seen them; they’re quite precious!”
The runes had indeed been passed down for millennia.
Xie Yixing must have imagined something, brightening suddenly. “So Xiao Jin is an artisan!”
Jiang Yunyao: “... If you want to put it that way, that’s not wrong!”
They didn’t stay upstairs long, as the banquet was about to begin.
On the way down, Jiang Yunyao received a call from their agent, Sister Man.