You Are the Mute [Comprehensive Martial Arts] - Chapter 2

Qiao Yiying nodded slightly at Luyi, signaling that she would go over.

Having served for quite some time, Luyi naturally understood her mistress’s meaning and said, “I’ll go prepare tea for the guests.”

Qiao Yiying nodded again. Good. Luyi grasped her intentions perfectly, unlike the previous attendant, who had been careless and even wasted her words in the beginning.

After Luyi left, however, Qiao Yiying didn’t immediately head to the main hall to meet the guests. Instead, she returned to her room. She took out a jade flute, straightened her robes, and only then stepped out, making her way toward the hall.

The jade flute wasn’t particularly special—just expensive. But since it had been a gift from a past client seeking divination, not something she’d bought herself, she didn’t mind its value. So why did she deliberately bring it along? Simple—she intended to flaunt it in front of the guests.

As a renowned fortune-teller of the martial world, how could she lack sophistication and style? Holding the flute, Qiao Yiying wore a faint smile, her posture upright as she strode toward the hall.

Two men waited in the main hall. One wore blue robes and carried a folding fan, exuding an air of effortless charm. His eyes were warm as spring, glimmering like clear water—a single smile from him could captivate hearts. The other appeared somewhat disheveled, his face shadowed by a scruffy beard, though his dark eyes shone brightly.

Normally, these two men—one smiling like a gentle breeze, the other lazily amused—were the type to savor life. Yet now, both wore expressions of unease and restlessness.

“Old Stinky Bug, do you think the Divine Seer will see us?” Hu Tiehua glanced toward the back hall, unable to sit still. “That maid Luyi went in ages ago and still hasn’t returned. What if the Divine Seer refuses to meet us? What if she won’t divine for us?”

In the past, Hu Tiehua wouldn’t have been so impatient. But now, with lives at stake, how could he remain calm?

Chu Liuxiang was equally unsettled, fiddling with his fan. “She should. Since Luyi went to inform her and hasn’t come back to turn us away, the Divine Seer will likely see us.”

Though he said so, he wasn’t entirely confident. The Divine Seer wasn’t known for her patience—if a visitor said the wrong thing, she would storm off without hesitation. She only gave three divinations a day, and her selection criteria were entirely arbitrary.

No one knew if they’d be chosen, nor what she might say—it was maddening.

Outside, a crowd had gathered, all hoping for a chance at her divination. The Divine Seer picked clients unpredictably—sometimes because a green leaf had landed on their shoulder, sometimes because she found them pleasing to the eye, and sometimes even because they carried “a breath of spring wind.” In short, there were no rules with her, and no one could anticipate her whims.

Chu Liuxiang had nearly given up hope when, unexpectedly, their request for an audience received a response. Thus, he and Hu Tiehua had followed Luyi inside under the envious gazes of the others. But now that Luyi had vanished after saying she’d inform the Divine Seer, how could he not feel uneasy?

“She’s coming.” Chu Liuxiang heard footsteps and instinctively rose to his feet.

Hu Tiehua also stood up, looking toward the back hall.

Chu Liuxiang listened intently to the approaching footsteps, feeling somewhat puzzled. It was said that this renowned fortune-teller had no martial arts skills, so why did her footsteps seem to carry a certain rhythm? However, he soon had no time to dwell on this, as the person he wished to meet had already emerged.

From the back hall came a woman dressed in a moon-white gown, draped with a crimson outer robe, gliding gracefully forward. Raising his gaze, he took in her refined and elegant features—her hair coiled high like clouds, her delicate brows arched gracefully, her lips red as cinnabar, and her teeth gleaming white. She wore no jewelry, save for a jade flute in her hand. The emerald-green flute only accentuated the delicate, almost translucent fineness of her fingers.

“Greetings, Lady Qiao,” Chu Liuxiang clasped his hands in salute.

Anyone well-informed knew that this fortune-teller disliked being addressed as such to her face. Doing so might very well cost one the chance to receive a divination. Chu Liuxiang, ever meticulous, naturally wouldn’t make such a mistake.

“Greetings, Lady Qiao,” Hu Tiehua echoed, mirroring Chu Liuxiang’s gesture.

Qiao Yiying merely glanced at the two of them before pointing her jade flute toward the chairs behind them, signaling them to sit. Without waiting for their response, she took her own seat first in the place of honor. Her gaze lingered on them, a faint sense of familiarity stirring within her.

It seemed today’s visitors were “old acquaintances.” With this thought, she gave them a slight nod.

“Lady Qiao, I am Zhang Xiaolin,” Chu Liuxiang said, making no move to sit. “Three of my sisters have been abducted, and their whereabouts remain unknown. I humbly request your divination to locate them. Should you help me find them, I would be eternally grateful.”

Of course, his gratitude wasn’t merely verbal—he intended to pay for the divination. Even the most reckless knew that while one might default on debts to others, one must never withhold payment from a diviner, lest they face the consequences.

“Zhang Xiaolin?” Qiao Yiying let out a soft laugh. The name, the face, and the appearance of the man beside “Zhang Xiaolin”—ah, now she knew exactly who stood before her. What a coincidence. They truly were “old acquaintances.”

Though the laugh was enigmatic, Chu Liuxiang felt a wave of relief. As long as the famed fortune-teller was willing to speak, it meant she would perform the divination. This eased his mind somewhat—though her ambiguous chuckle still left him slightly uneasy.

Had he made some misstep?

Qiao Yiying idly twirled her jade flute between her fingers, her lips curling in a faint, knowing smile as she regarded Chu Liuxiang. “If the legendary Chu Liuxiang didn’t wish to seek a divination, he could have simply said so. Was there really a need to assume another’s identity to meet me?”

This particular expression was one she had practiced hundreds of times in front of a mirror—and it never failed. Whether to conceal her true emotions or to deal with clients, it worked flawlessly. Others would assume she had everything under control, never suspecting her true intentions.

Deception required time and effort. And Qiao Yiying had worked very, very hard to perfect her persona as a refined and enigmatic fortune-teller. Inside, her inner self smirked triumphantly, hands on hips.

Chu Liuxiang’s expression shifted slightly before melting into a spring-like smile. “I’ve been showing off my meager skills before an expert like Miss Qiao. Please don’t take offense. If you must vent your displeasure, direct it solely at me.”

Qiao Yiying let out a light laugh that carried a hint of mockery. “Lord Chu, please restrain yourself.” She wasn’t about to fall for his charming demeanor—she wasn’t so easily fooled.

Someone as perceptive as Chu Liuxiang naturally understood her implication. He looked somewhat abashed. “My apologies, it’s become second nature to me.”

His manner toward women always differed and today was no exception. But he’d forgotten that the person before him wasn’t one of his many admirers, nearly making a grave mistake.

With this realization, he rose and bowed deeply to Qiao Yiying. “I’ve truly overstepped. I hope Miss Qiao won’t hold it against me.” After all, he still needed information from her about Rongrong and the others—offending her was out of the question.

An apology was nothing, especially when he was clearly in the wrong.

Although Hu Tiehua was equally concerned about Su Rongrong and the other two, seeing Chu Liuxiang so discomfited made him burst out laughing. Ha! This was a rare sight indeed. He’d made the right choice coming along—he would have missed this otherwise.

Chu Liuxiang shot his unreliable friend a helpless look, sighing inwardly. Not only was he no help, but he had to laugh at him too?

Hu Tiehua returned the glance with a shrug. What of it? He enjoyed a good laugh.

Chu Liuxiang could only stare in silence.

For once, he was at a loss for words.

Qiao Yiying raised her jade flute slightly. “Enough. I’ll let it pass this time. Lord Chu, you wish to know the whereabouts of Su Rongrong and the others, correct?”

“Yes,” Chu Liuxiang nodded eagerly. “I’d be grateful for any information you could provide.”

Qiao Yiying arched a delicate brow. “First, tell me when and where they disappeared.”

“They vanished by Daming Lake in Jinan,” Chu Liuxiang replied.

Daming Lake… Qiao Yiying struggled to keep her expression neutral, lest anyone notice anything amiss. Though the name itself was innocuous, a certain overly famous TV drama had seared it into her memory for years.

Though Chu Liuxiang sensed something odd about her reaction, his urgency to find Su Rongrong and the others outweighed his curiosity. Instead of questioning her, he recounted the circumstances of their disappearance in detail.

Then he and Hu Tiehua fixed her with expectant gazes.

Qiao Yiying’s hand paused slightly. For some reason, she felt like she was about to feed small animals.