Divination of Fortune and Misfortune

In Chenjia Village, Zhao Longjie had taken the pill given by Zhou You and had recovered about eighty percent from his injuries. Now, resting in an inn in Chenjia Village, he was tending to his remaining wounds.

“Hei Yue, any news about that old bald monk and the scholar?” Zhao Longjie asked while healing.

“Master, Uncle Shi—” Hei Yue began, but Zhao Longjie interrupted sharply.

“Silence! I’ve told you, don’t call him Uncle Shi. Though he’s older than me, he entered the sect later. Besides, the sect leader is my father, and I am his biological son. The leadership of the Xuanxu Sect should rightfully be mine!”

Hearing Hei Yue refer to Zhou You as Uncle Shi, Zhao Longjie suddenly opened his eyes wide, furious, and shouted at Hei Yue. Hei Yue lowered his head in fear. Zhao Longjie then expressed his grievances about Zhou You.

“Who would have thought that on the day of the sect leader election, he resorted to despicable means, causing me to lose. And so, he became the leader.”

Zhao Longjie chuckled bitterly, his face tinged with self-mockery.

“Haha, don’t be fooled by his appearance. He is a despicable scoundrel, pretending to be a good man.”

Grabbing Hei Yue’s clothes, Zhao Longjie’s grip made Hei Yue’s face turn pale as he warned, “Master warns you, don’t entertain any dealings with that old bald monk. Neither he nor his disciples are good people. Understand?”

“Yes, Master,” Hei Yue nodded earnestly.

“Good boy, you’re truly my worthy disciple. Now go and see what they’re up to!” Zhao Longjie smiled, patting Hei Yue’s hair.

Hei Yue turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

“Old bald monk, I will make you lose completely. And that scholar—I won’t let you off easy!” Zhao Longjie’s eyes brimmed with hatred. He resented Zhou You for stealing the sect leader’s position and harbored true hatred for Li Xintian, who had disgraced him.

“Red Tiger, have you ever tasted bear’s paw? How does it taste?” Li Xintian, back at the charity house, stroked the fur of the Flying Tiger King.

“Of course, you’ve lived so long, you must have savored many delicacies, right?” Hu Qiuyan chimed in, perfectly playing the devoted wife.

“Hey, are you bullying this lonely king by flaunting your love?” The Flying Tiger King secretly thought, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

“I have indeed tasted bear’s paw, but it doesn’t compare to the roasted meat you make,” the Flying Tiger King answered with relish, drooling slightly, his acting rivaling that of a top actor.

“Hehe, have you ever seen a dragon?” Li Xintian laughed, wisely avoiding the topic of bear’s paw, suspecting the Flying Tiger King might have had bad experiences around bears.

“Of course, I have. I even once visited the Dragon Palace as a guest. They have many fine wines and delicacies there,” the Flying Tiger King recalled his days mingling in the Dragon Palace, a time full of frustrations, so he made it sound more glamorous—after all, even a king values his dignity.

“Impressive, Red Tiger. When will you take me to see the Dragon Palace and broaden my horizons?” Li Xintian believed the tiger’s boast.

“I want to go too!” Hu Qiuyan eagerly nodded.

“It’s been ten thousand years since I last went. I don’t even know if the Dragon Palace still exists or if it’s moved,” the Flying Tiger King started sweating, fabricating on the spot.

“You’re not lying to me, are you? Just blowing smoke?” Li Xintian grabbed the tiger’s head, spitting disdainfully. “The Dragon Palace is so vast; it wouldn’t just move. Don’t try to fool me.”

“How could I lie? Uh...” The Flying Tiger King felt his scalp go numb under Li Xintian’s gaze. “Alright, alright, I admit I was bluffing,” he said with a hint of grievance in his eyes.

“That’s better. If there’s a chance, we’ll visit the Dragon Palace. Now that you’re with me, if anyone wrongs you, I’ll protect you,” Li Xintian patted the tiger’s head, comforting him.

Tears welled up in the Flying Tiger King’s eyes as he looked at Li Xintian. For the first time in his ten-thousand-year existence since gaining intelligence, he truly felt the warmth of being cared for.

“Hey, you’re a male tiger. I’m not interested. My orientation is normal!” Li Xintian quickly added, breaking the mood.

“Get lost! I’m normal too,” Red Tiger’s face darkened.

“Ha ha!” Hu Qiuyan clutched her stomach laughing, followed by Li Xintian and the Flying Tiger King.

“Looks like I came at a bad time and disturbed your fun,” Zhou You approached, with Bian Yiyuan and Bian Yi trailing behind. Bian Yiyuan couldn’t help stealing glances at Hu Qiuyan but knew better than to provoke Li Xintian, who might become his junior brother.

Seeing the Flying Tiger King, Bian Yiyuan turned pale. Uncle Zhao Longjie nearly died at its paws; Bian Yi hid behind Zhou You, terrified. However, the Flying Tiger King ignored them, lying on the ground with eyes half-closed.

“Master Zhou, don’t be so polite. You’re more than welcome. Please have a seat,” Li Xintian said, extending his right hand to an empty spot beside him.

He also nudged the Flying Tiger King’s thigh to make room. Startled, the tiger stood up fiercely, growling, “Who dares kick my butt?” Seeing it was Li Xintian, its fury vanished, and it lowered its head, sulking to the side.

Hu Qiuyan laughed, comforting the tiger by stroking its fur, while understanding that Li Xintian and Zhou You surely had important matters to discuss.

“I’ve come to perform a divination to assess the auspiciousness or misfortune within the forbidden area of Chenjia Village. However, such divinations often invite malevolent spirits to cause disturbances. I wish to invite Young Master Li to assist. Would you be willing?” Zhou You sat down and explained his purpose, with Bian Yiyuan and Bian Yi standing behind him.

“No problem. But if those malevolent spirits appear, I won’t hold back. After all, they lack humanity,” Li Xintian nodded in agreement.

“Of course, I understand. Young Master Li, don’t miss the evening session. I’ll prepare now,” Zhou You said, not lingering as he needed to make preparations, then left with Bian Yiyuan and Bian Yi.

“Xintian, I want to watch too,” Hu Qiuyan said excitedly.

“Sure, I’ll have Red Tiger protect you,” Li Xintian agreed without hesitation.

“Master, why invite Li Xintian? Could it be that there’s truly a great calamity coming?” Bian Yiyuan knew Zhou You was revered in their eyes.

“I’ve sensed the impending life-and-death tribulation. I need Li Xintian’s help, and afterward, I must assist him as well. Rest well now and conserve your energy,” Zhou You said, settling down to meditate and gather his strength for the divination. Any disturbance would be disastrous.

That night, Li Xintian, Hu Qiuyan, and the Flying Tiger King arrived at Zhou You’s place.

“Master Zhou,” Li Xintian greeted respectfully.

“Young Master Li, we may begin. I’m counting on you,” Zhou You said, standing before an incense burner topped with a golden basin filled with water.

“Leave it to me,” Li Xintian declared, writing the characters for “Barrier” in the air. The barrier expanded from the charity house, instantly enveloping the entire Chenjia Village.

At the inn, Zhao Longjie sensed the surge of righteous energy and, calculating quickly, realized Zhou You was preparing a divination. A smile of anticipation crossed his face.

“Old bald monk dares to perform divination. Within three days, he won’t be able to use his powers. My chance has come,” Zhao Longjie sneered.

“Excellent. Young Master Li’s skills are indeed exquisite,” Zhou You nodded, raising his finger sword and beginning to channel his power.

“Incense ash!” Zhou You looked up at the sky.

Bian Yiyuan handed over the incense ash.

Zhou You touched the incense ash with his finger sword; the ash burst into the air and was absorbed into his right hand, clenched into a fist, then sprinkled into the basin.

He then formed a lotus finger with his hand, channeling power above the water, causing it to spin clockwise. The water in the basin followed suit.

“Sun, moon, and stars, reveal your radiance!”

“Lotus lamp,” Zhou You said, withdrawing his lotus finger.

Bian Yi handed the lotus lamp to Zhou You.

Zhou You took the lotus lamp with his left hand while maintaining the lotus finger with the right. The lamp flared to life, burning bright as it floated above the basin, spinning clockwise with the water below.

“Sun, moon, star light shines forth, Tai Chi’s true path observes the heavens!”

Zhou You continued channeling power, and the basin's water spun rapidly, revealing an image.

Everyone leaned closer, watching a meteor streaking swiftly, growing faster as it approached the basin, culminating in an explosion.

Zhou You narrowed his eyes and shouted, “Everyone, be careful!”

“Boom!”

The basin exploded violently, shattering the lotus lamp and spraying water over two meters high, drenching the floor.

Outside Chenjia Village, malevolent spirits collided chaotically with the righteous energy, turning into wisps of smoke upon contact.

These spirits took various grotesque forms, relentlessly assaulting the righteous energy, emitting piercing, agonized shrieks.

“Anomalies along the yellow path; disaster stars emerge in darkness. This is a dire omen,” Zhou You declared, shaking water from his face.

“Master, does this mean something terrible will happen in Chenjia Village?” Bian Yi, soaked from the water spray, asked.

Li Xintian and Hu Qiuyan were unharmed, and the Flying Tiger King had raised his demonic shield, preventing any water from touching him during the explosion.

“It’s likely something will happen, but what exactly, I don’t know. If I did, I’d have become an immortal long ago,” Zhou You confessed, then began calculating with his fingers.

“Demonic energy is accumulating in Chenjia Village without dissipating. It seems a major calamity is imminent,” Zhou You sighed.

“Master Zhou, perhaps it’s best not to intervene directly, but we must prepare carefully,” Li Xintian interjected.

“Young Master Li is right. We must be ready,” Zhou You nodded.

“Alright, I’ll first deal with the malevolent spirits,” Li Xintian said, controlling the righteous energy. He snapped his fingers, and the energy rapidly spread, sweeping away the spirits outside. They vanished into wisps of smoke. Upon reaching the chaotic burial ground, the rotten corpses that had just crawled from the earth spontaneously combusted.