228: Bad luck! The secret of the Supreme VIP card!

The three chatted for a few more moments, with Chu Chunqiu repeatedly pressing Song Zhen for details about how he won money.

Song Zhen, annoyed by the questions, simply pulled Li Shengyuan aside to talk about other things. Li Shengyuan just smiled and humored him, occasionally reminding Song Zhen not to forget his earlier instructions.

As it grew late, Chu Chunqiu, though still quite drunk, knew it was time to return to Imperial Observatory.

He smiled blearily and said, "Let's go. This wine was really good today. Little Junior Brother, remember to pay the bill!"

"No problem, I'll cover all the expenses today!" Song Zhen patted his chest, grinning, and promised.

The three descended the stairs together and exited Bai Xiang Tower. A gust of evening wind made Chu Chunqiu's steps even more unsteady.

"Senior Brother, walk slowly."

Remembering Li Shengyuan's words, Song Zhen quickly reached out and grabbed Chu Chunqiu's arm, following closely like a little shadow.

Li Shengyuan stood in place, smiling, and cupped his hands: "Senior Brother Chu, Junior Brother Song, I'll take my leave first."

"Li Dage, walk safely. Let's hang out again next time!" Song Zhen turned back, waved, and smiled his farewell, while Chu Chunqiu also vaguely waved his hand.

Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Li Shengyuan did not leave immediately. Instead, he quietly melted into the shadows of the street corner, following them from afar.

He wanted to see if this 'misfortune transfer' scenario would truly play out as he expected.

Sure enough, they hadn't walked far when, on the perfectly good stone path, Song Zhen's foot inexplicably tripped, causing him to stumble forward.

He was still tightly holding onto the unsteady, bleary-eyed Chu Chunqiu—and with a 'thud,' both of them fell into a shallow ditch by the roadside.

Chu Chunqiu was already drunk, and the fall sobered him up considerably. He lay in the ditch, bewildered for a long time: "Where did this ditch come from...?"

He clearly could have used his spiritual power to steady himself just now, but the usually smooth-flowing spiritual power in his body seemed to have stalled, simply refusing to be raised...

Song Zhen got up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and looked innocent: "I don't know either! It wasn't here just now!"

The two struggled to climb out. They had barely walked a few steps when, with a sudden 'splash' from above, a pot of watering water from a second-floor window sill poured down, drenching Chu Chunqiu completely and turning him into a drowned rat.

Chu Chunqiu stood there, utterly bewildered. Not only was his spiritual power not working, but his danger premonition was gone too!

He hadn't even seen Little Fatty gamble today, so why was he still the one affected?!

Song Zhen jumped aside in fright, narrowly avoiding the water. Looking at his senior brother's disheveled state, he scratched his head, growing more and more puzzled:

"Strange, why are there so many weird things happening today...?"

Chu Chunqiu wiped the water from his face, now completely sober. He stared at Song Zhen for a long time, then suddenly said:

"Little Fatty, stay away from me!"

"Huh? Why?" Song Zhen was displeased. "Li Dage told me to hold onto you!"

Saying that, he grabbed Chu Chunqiu's sleeve again.

Chu Chunqiu struggled for a moment but soon stopped.

He refused to believe in this evil!

However, the rest of the journey became Chu Chunqiu's 'tale of woe'—either he was splashed with mud by a passing carriage, or he walked into a pillar, and even a bird flying overhead precisely defecated on his head.

It was as if all his cultivation had become useless, and his various reactions were all delayed...

Song Zhen, on the other hand, was perfectly fine, but as they walked, he grew increasingly alarmed, finally realizing with a delayed reaction:

"Senior Brother, it seems... all the bad luck is happening to you, right?"

Chu Chunqiu's face turned dark, and he flung his hand away: "It's all because of you!"

"Go back and tell the Chancellor, let him perform a spell to ward off evil for you!"

This time, he was truly scared. This thing affected luck, and it could even affect someone of his second-grade cultivation!

He felt that Little Junior Brother was the most terrifying person!

Li Shengyuan, hiding in the shadows, watched this scene, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Seeing that the two were almost at the entrance of Imperial Observatory, he turned and quietly departed.

He did not intervene. If he didn't give this misfortune an outlet, who knew what it might turn into...

Falling a couple of times and suffering a little hardship was nothing.

On the way back, as night deepened, Li Shengyuan took out the brocade box from his sleeve and opened it again.

Under the moonlight, the characters "Seventeen" on the black jade card glowed faintly, and the intricate patterns seemed even more bizarre than before.

His fingertip brushed the surface of the jade card, and he suddenly felt an extremely faint spiritual power fluctuation, not a natural flow, but more like a formation artificially set up.

He frowned slightly and circulated his spiritual power to probe into it.

This time, he clearly perceived that an extremely intricate formation pattern was hidden inside the jade card!

"Positioning formation?!"

Li Shengyuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Although he didn't practice formations, he had studied a bit with Ye Hangzhou.

Not only that, but the formation pattern also contained a faint sensing line, which seemed to vaguely perceive the cardholder's state—whether conscious or unconscious, and even roughly sense emotional fluctuations, life strength, changes in power...

"So that's it." Li Shengyuan's eyes deepened, and he closed the brocade box.

Bai Yurou sending this jade card was not just a simple gesture of goodwill!

This unique "Seventeen" was both a symbol of identity and a hidden "tracker."

"Hidden so secretly, it seems an expert personally made a move!"

Li Shengyuan's fingertips caressed the edge of the brocade box, a cold, sharp arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

Bai Xiang Tower, Bai Yurou...

It was becoming more and more interesting; she couldn't resist making a move against him so quickly.

Then he would wait to see when she would reveal her true colors!

Li Shengyuan put the brocade box back into his sleeve, and his figure quickly merged into the deep night.