179: Chapter 179 A Divination Determines Good or Bad Fortune, Qu Xiaohuan

[Chu Sheng sat cross-legged on the wasteland, the withered grass all around rustling in the wind.]

He stared at the "Heavenly Secret Calculation (Gold)" trait on the simulation panel, hesitated for a moment, and then clicked it.

The golden trait in the reserve slot was activated, and a profound and mysterious feeling surged into his heart, as if an invisible hand was rummaging through his mind.

"Cast a divination, while I still have plenty of lifespan."

[He muttered to himself in his heart, "Calculate whether I will take off?"]

[Please select the number of years of lifespan to consume (1-5 years). The more lifespan consumed, the more accurate the divination.]

Chu Sheng thought for a moment and chose three years.

It wasn't that he was stingy; lifespan didn't just blow in on the wind. Although he died early in every simulation, what if he lived longer this time?

Three years it is, that's enough.

[A rustic bamboo cylinder appeared out of thin air before him, semi-transparent and glowing with a faint golden light.]

[The bamboo cylinder began to shake on its own, clatter, clatter.]

[Chu Sheng stared at the bamboo cylinder, his heart rate accelerating.]

[Upper Sign.]

[Corresponding to Auspicious.]

[Chu Sheng let out a long breath, his tense shoulders slumping.]

[Upper Sign, Auspicious.]

[It wasn't the "take off" level of a Best Upper Sign, but at least it wasn't the "crash" level of a Lower or Worst Sign.]

[He grinned, feeling that his three years of lifespan were well spent.]

[At least he knew the general trend was favorable.]

[The Old Grandfather floated out from the ring, glanced at the dissipating phantom of the bamboo cylinder, and then looked at Chu Sheng's smug face.]

[The old man was numb by now; this kid pulled out something new every few days, like a magic trick.]

[Last time it was four Heaven Rank Peak Grade swords, this time it was a secret technique of trading lifespan for divination; next time, would he pull out something that could summon meteorites?]

[The Old Grandfather stroked his beard, "The divination only shows the general trend; the details still depend on yourself. An Upper Sign doesn't mean you can just lie down and wait for a pie to fall from the sky."]

[Chu Sheng nodded, but at least he felt more confident now.]

[He retracted the Heavenly Secret Calculation into the reserve slot and stood up, brushing the dirt off his body.]

[Now it was time to check on the fortuitous encounters of his Dao Companions.]

[Lin Wanqing discovered a hidden herb garden containing a large number of rare Spirit Medicine, the grade of which was unknown.]

[Chu Sheng's lips curled up.]

[This fortuitous encounter for Lin Wanqing was perfectly suited to her expertise.]

[A hidden herb garden, rare Spirit Medicine—this girl was going to strike it rich.]

[Li Zhiyi obtained an Earth Rank High Grade sword technique Incomplete Manual, which had an extremely high compatibility with her own sword Dao.]

[Chu Sheng nodded.]

[Li Zhiyi had the Sword Saint trait, and paired with an Earth Rank High Grade sword technique, she was about to take off.]

[If she could stand at a higher position on her own in this life, that would be good too.]

[Liu Qingyan discovered an ancient spirit seed in the Liu Family ancestral home.]

[Liu Qingyan had the Azure Wood Physique; this spirit seed was practically tailor-made for her.]

[Chu Sheng thought to himself, why was this whole Family obsessed with plants?]

[Xiao Huan: ...]

[The description only contained a string of ellipses.]

[Chu Sheng frowned and clicked on the details, a line of small text popped up: Fortuitous encounter in progress, result unknown.]

[His heart skipped a beat; he had a bad premonition.]

[Xiao Huan was the one he worried about the most; she had no background, no cultivation, no schemes—she was just an ordinary little girl.]

[What could her fortuitous encounter be?]

[Chu Sheng didn't say a word; his figure flashed as he sped toward Qingshi Town.]

[He unleashed his Sea Opening early-stage cultivation, wind beneath his feet, and the familiar outline of Qingshi Town appeared in his field of vision.]

[Chu Sheng landed on a small hill outside the town and looked down from above.]

[The small courtyard where Xiao Huan lived was shrouded in a soft light.]

[The Way of Void and Reality from the Taixu True Scripture allowed him to turn into a wisp of shadow, passing through the courtyard wall and landing in the yard.]

[Xiao Huan stood in the middle of the courtyard, her eyes closed.]

[There was no pain on her face; instead, she wore a very serene expression, like a sleeping infant.]

[Then he heard Xiao Huan speaking.]

["I... my name is Xiao Huan... no... my name is... Qu Xiao Huan..."]

[Chu Sheng was stunned for a moment.]

[Qu Xiao Huan?]

[Wasn't Xiao Huan an orphan?]

[Didn't she not know who her parents were since she was a child?]

[How did she suddenly have a surname?]

[The light grew more intense.]

[Xiao Huan's brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed again.]

[She continued talking in her sleep, her voice clearer this time: "I... I remember now... I was called Xiao Huan when I was born... no... my parents called me... Huan'er... My surname is Qu..."]

[A tear slid from the corner of her eye, "I am... from the Qu Family..."]

[Chu Sheng's mind spun rapidly.]

[The Qu Family?]

[Which Qu Family?]

[There didn't seem to be any major Family named Qu in the Tianfeng Kingdom, nor in the Yan Kingdom.]

[Could it be... from the Central Region?]

[Xiao Huan slowly opened her eyes.]

[Her eyes were much brighter than before, like two polished stars.]

["Young Master... I remember... I remember everything..."]

[Before Xiao Huan could finish speaking, a voice drifted in from outside the courtyard, smiling.]

["Found you, found you, so you were here."]

[Chu Sheng looked up sharply.]

[A middle-aged man walked in through the courtyard gate, wearing a gray-white Daoist robe, with a smile on his face and his eyes squinted into slits.]

[The Old Grandfather exploded in the ring: "This... this person's cultivation... I cannot see through it!"]

[Chu Sheng's heart sank.]

[Those the Old Grandfather couldn't see through were either Mortals without cultivation or monsters with cultivation far exceeding the Old Grandfather's Peak period.]

[The bearded uncle was obviously not the former.]

[He walked up to Xiao Huan with a smile and looked her up and down.]

["So it was you, come with me."]

["This Senior," Chu Sheng cupped his hands, trying to make his tone sound as polite as possible.]

["If you want to take her away, you should at least ask for her opinion, right? Taking someone away for no reason is not quite appropriate."]

[The bearded uncle looked at him with a smile and didn't speak.]

[Chu Sheng continued: "Whether Xiao Huan is willing to go with you, you must let her say it herself. If she is willing, I won't stop her. If she is not willing, you cannot force her."]

[The bearded uncle was still smiling, but his squinted eyes opened slightly.]

["You are right," the bearded uncle spoke, his voice still smiling, "It is time to ask for her opinion."]

[He looked at Xiao Huan.]

[She looked at the bearded uncle, her lips trembling, wanting to say something, but her throat felt blocked by something.]

[She suddenly felt that this person was very familiar, like someone she had known a long time ago, like a long-lost relative.]

[But she didn't want to leave Chu Sheng.]

[She hesitated for a long time, and finally said in a low voice: "I... I don't want to go..."]

[The bearded uncle sighed, and that smile finally faded a little.]

[He looked at Chu Sheng, then at Xiao Huan, and shook his head: "Girl, you must go. It would be fine if I hadn't seen you, but since I have, I certainly cannot let you suffer here. You have the blood of the Qu Family flowing in you; you cannot stay here."]

[He stopped talking nonsense and reached out to beckon to Xiao Huan.]

[Xiao Huan's body floated up uncontrollably, drifting away from behind Chu Sheng.]

[Xiao Huan screamed and reached out to grab Chu Sheng, but that force was too strong.]

[He didn't care what this person's cultivation was, or what his background was; snatching someone right in front of him was something he could not tolerate.]

[He activated the Taixu True Scripture, his figure turning into a shadow, and struck a palm toward the bearded uncle.]

[He used his full strength in that palm, his Sea Opening early-stage cultivation combined with the reinforcement of the Heavenly Demon Body; wherever the palm wind passed, the air was torn apart.]

[The bearded uncle didn't even look at him; he just casually raised the horsetail whisk in his hand.]

[But the moment the horsetail whisk was swung, Chu Sheng felt the whole world spin, space twisted, and all his power was rebounded back, backlashing onto himself.]

[Chu Sheng let out a muffled groan, his whole body flying backward like a kite with a broken string.]

[He looked up and saw that the bearded uncle had already taken Xiao Huan to the courtyard gate.]

[Xiao Huan was held in mid-air by him, unable to move, tears streaming down, but unable to cry out.]

[The bearded uncle turned his head and glanced at Chu Sheng.]

[In those golden eyes, there was no mockery, no disdain, as if to say, "Kid, you are still far from enough."]

[The bearded uncle extended a finger and tapped it at the center of Chu Sheng's brow.]

[It wasn't an attack, not a probe, but more like... a delivery.]

[A torrent of information surged into his mind, but it was too fast, so fast that his Divine Sense couldn't receive it in time before it was scattered.]

["If you really care about her, come to the East Sea."]

[By the time Chu Sheng regained his senses, the courtyard was already empty.]

[Xiao Huan was gone, and the bearded uncle was gone too.]

[Chu Sheng sat on the ground, leaning against the courtyard wall, panting heavily.]

[His face was pale as paper, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and his fingers were still trembling.]

[Chu Sheng didn't speak, his expression still somewhat dazed.]

[Hopefully it really is a fortuitous encounter; the East Sea is in the distant Eastern Region, separated by who knows how many hundreds of thousands of miles?]

[Only when he reached the Dao Palace could he have the means to initially cross regions, and if Xiao Huan really had a grand background, it could be considered a good thing for her.]

[What he didn't know was that at the moment he left Qingshi Town, that smiling bearded uncle was standing on the clouds, looking down at him.]

[Qu Xiao Huan stood beside the uncle, her eyes red, but she didn't cry; instead, she showed a determined expression.]

[The uncle patted her head: "This kid is interesting, reaching Sea Opening at such a young age. Whether he can make it to the East Sea depends on his own destiny."]

[Then the clouds closed, and the two people disappeared, as if they had never appeared.]