"The flowers have bloomed again," Situ Jiuyue said by his side.
Dressed in black, with bells adorning her body, hair, and wrists, Situ Jiuyue had always been cold as ice, yet tonight she seemed somewhat peculiar.
"I entrust their care to you in my absence," Jih Heng said.
"Of course," Situ Jiuyue replied, "I will take good care of them. If you do not return, these flowers will all be mine."
"Situ, that's a rather unpleasant thing to say," Wen Renyao complained from the side, "It's really inauspicious! Tsk, tsk, tsk, there should be no taboos."
Tonight, the Duke Residence seemed a bit more lively than usual. Lu Jiu and Kong Liu also stood to the side, but unlike before, none of them appeared leisurely. Each bore a grave expression as though something significant was about to happen.
Xiao Hong also seemed to sense the oddness of the atmosphere. Perched on a branch, she cocked her head looking at these people. Usually noisy, today she remained silent, deathly quiet.
