Beyond Divination

Sensing the sudden chill in his master's aura, Qian Miao shuddered beside him.

What happened?

His master had not radiated such intense killing intent in a long time.

"Master, you..."

As Qian Miao spoke, Qing Qianxue's killing intent swiftly dissipated, as though that brief outpouring had been nothing more than an illusion.

"Did you notice anything unusual?"

"Master, Madam Jiang and Sixth Miss Jiang share a deep bond. There was nothing unusual about them."

Once again, Qian Miao spoke like a monk scratching his head, utterly bewildered.

Qing Qianxue knitted his brows and sank into thought.

That voice had undoubtedly belonged to Sixth Miss Jiang, yet he had clearly seen that she had not opened her mouth.

Then where had those words come from?

Surely he could not have heard Sixth Miss Jiang's thoughts?

The moment that possibility flashed through his mind, Qing Qianxue's gaze sharpened.

"Have the Shadow Pavilion investigate Sixth Miss Jiang. I want every detail, no matter how small!"

"Yes, Master!"

His master was acting strangely today, but this was the first time in all these years that he had shown interest in a woman.

Qian Miao hurried off.

A quarter of an hour soon passed.

Qing Qianxue emerged again.

This time, he stepped out from behind the screen.

He had sensed something strange during his last bout of Cold Affliction. The scent in his room and what Qian Yan and Qian Miao had told him now aligned with the inexplicable words he had just heard.

He had to meet this Sixth Miss Jiang.

"I have washed my hands and burned incense. I may now divine Sixth Miss Jiang's fate. Madam, please give me her birth date and time."

To her surprise, she actually got to see him.

Although Qing Qianxue wore a mask, Lin Xiangyin still could not contain her excitement as she handed him the slip of paper bearing Jiang Yourning's birth date and time, which she had prepared beforehand.

"I had it ready long ago! Here you are, Lord Imperial Preceptor!"

"Please wait a moment."

Qing Qianxue glanced at Jiang Yourning's birth information, then returned behind the screen to begin divining her fate.

Wasn't this man hiding behind a screen and wearing a mask because he couldn't show his face? Appearing out of nowhere like that scared me half to death.

Then again, white hair paired with that handsome, cool little face, a narrow waist, broad shoulders, and an impressive package... he really was the cream of the crop.

As those rapid-fire, brazenly rude words echoed through his mind, Qing Qianxue felt an inexplicable mixture of embarrassment and irritation.

Yet Sixth Miss Jiang truly had not spoken. He could not even lash out at her.

Besides, could there really be a girl this talkative in the world?

An ordinary divination took Qing Qianxue very little time, but Jiang Yourning's utterly improper remarks kept drilling relentlessly into his mind.

And so.

After a quarter of an hour of divination.

Qing Qianxue still had no result.

So slow, so slow!!!

Don't tell me your divination skills are a sham?

!!!

Qing Qianxue could not help coughing once. Then he drew a deep breath, cast aside his distracting thoughts, and tried hard to calm himself.

He began the divination in earnest.

Halfway through, a trace of shock appeared in his eyes.

How was this possible?

There was actually someone in this world whose fate he could not divine?

Unwilling to accept it, Qing Qianxue performed the calculation again.

He obtained the same answer as before.

Sixth Miss Jiang had no fate star. Her future was a completely impenetrable fog.

The prediction was... unresolved.

At that thought.

Qing Qianxue recalled the change in his own fate star.

That sliver of vitality that had appeared in his fate was likewise an unknown.

Could there be some inevitable connection between the two?

Another moment passed.

Qing Qianxue stepped out from behind the screen once more.

"I have completed the divination. Sixth Miss Jiang is in good health and has not been afflicted by anything malign."

I knew it!

The next instant, Qing Qianxue abruptly changed tack.

"However..."

That deliberately mysterious pause sent Lin Xiangyin's heart leaping into her throat.

"However, what? Please speak freely, Lord Imperial Preceptor."

Qing Qianxue cast a faint sidelong glance at the composed girl before him, then looked at Lin Xiangyin and said coolly:

"I foresee that Sixth Miss Jiang's unrestrained speech will bring disaster upon her in the future. That disaster may even engulf her family.

If possible, please teach your daughter to be cautious in both word and deed. The less she says, the fewer mistakes she will make."

The Imperial Preceptor's divinations were never wrong. Even the reigning emperor placed immense trust in him.

Lin Xiangyin immediately nodded solemnly.

"I understand. From now on, I will earnestly instruct my daughter to be cautious in both word and deed."

"Yourning will remember your teachings, Lord Imperial Preceptor."

Although Jiang Yourning was bristling inside, her outward behavior remained perfectly courteous.

You're the one with unrestrained speech!

You've only met me once. Have we even exchanged more than a few words?

Sure, I chatter a little in my head, but nobody else can hear it. Who could possibly convict me for that?

Qing Qianxue's brows lifted almost imperceptibly.

It seemed.

There was no doubt that what he heard was indeed Sixth Miss Jiang's inner voice.

Although he did not know why he could hear her thoughts, she seemed to know quite a few things. He could keep listening and decide what to do after determining whether she posed a threat to him.

"You have both received the answer you sought. You may leave now."

Qing Qianxue dismissed them.

Lin Xiangyin left the divination fee and obediently departed with Jiang Yourning.

After Jiang Yourning rose and walked away, Qing Qianxue sniffed the air. His hand beneath his sleeve trembled slightly.

This scent was exactly the same as the scent in his room that day.

In other words, when he had returned to his room so strangely that day, the person he had brought back was none other than Sixth Miss Jiang.

And he.

Had he kept her in his room overnight?

Thinking of the bedding on his bed, then recalling Jiang Yourning's earlier thoughts about his physique, Qing Qianxue's expression instantly stiffened.

Killing intent poured from him once more, frightening Qian Yan, who had just escorted Jiang Yourning and her mother out of the residence, into quietly moving farther away from the reception hall.

After a long while, that killing intent dissipated again.

In the end, Qing Qianxue did not order Jiang Yourning's death.

This affair was simply too inconceivable.

First, according to Sixth Miss Jiang's words, he had been the unreasonable one who carried her back to his residence.

Second, why had Qian Yan and Qian Miao claimed they had seen no one else that day?

She was a whole person.

He had brought her into the residence in full view of everyone and even put her in his bed. By rights, someone should have noticed.

"Qian Yan."

Qing Qianxue called out.

No one answered.

His expression darkened again.

"Qian Yan!"

Qing Qianxue raised his voice.

This time, Qian Yan heard him and came scurrying over.

"Master, what do you need?"