335: middle-aged scholar

["You... are looking for death!"]

[The burly man's gaze sharpened. With a wave of his hand, a wisp of True Essence swept up the bamboo chopsticks on the table, and he swung his hand violently—]

[The chopsticks turned into a gray shadow, shooting through the air straight towards your face!]

[However,]

[the scene that followed left everyone stunned—]

[The chopsticks, halfway through their flight, suddenly turned in mid-air. Their speed exploded, becoming so fast they were just a blur.]

[Only a sound was heard—]

["Swoosh!"]

[A sharp whistle,]

[the chopsticks had pierced through the center of the burly man's forehead.]

[His eyes bulged, his pupils reflecting unbelievable horror. A gurgling sound came from his throat, but he couldn't utter a single word.]

[Boom!]

[The robust body crashed to the ground, all breath gone.]

[The whole room fell into a dead silence.]

[Until the moment he died, the burly man didn't understand—he had come to Wangyue Tower to investigate, but unexpectedly lost his life for no apparent reason.]

[Seeing this, the other guests felt their hair stand on end. Although they couldn't see through the mystery, they all guessed that this matter definitely had something to do with you.]

[Those who had just spoken mockingly were now pale-faced, their teeth chattering, and their bodies shaking like sieves.]

[You looked at the guests and said in a flat tone:]

["You all saw it; I didn't make a move. Presumably, his killings were too heavy, the heavens and earth could not tolerate him, and it was simply Karma."]

["This is his fate. One must know—he who kills will eventually be killed."]

[After saying that, your Divine Sense swept over the qiankun bag at the corpse's waist, and you saw everything inside. Most were common items used by Foundation Establishment Stage and Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, of no real value.]

[But one identity jade token caught your attention.]

[You looked at Qin Han, who was sitting upright and serious beside you, and spoke calmly: "Go, bring the qiankun bag from his waist over here."]

[Qin Han raised his little head and walked to the corpse with an arrogant cat-like gait. He lifted a front paw and gave a light swipe—the qiankun bag at the corpse's waist was sent flying, landing perfectly on your divination stall.]

[You took out the identity jade token. The three words "Blood Origin Sect" on it were particularly striking.]

[When the surrounding guests saw the "Blood Origin Sect" identity jade token, a low clamor broke out.]

["Blood Origin Sect? This person was actually from the Blood Origin Sect?"]

["He's in trouble now, having actually killed someone from the Blood Origin Sect."]

["They say fortune tellers can't tell their own fortunes. It seems he's going to be unlucky too."]

[Listening to the crowd's discussion, you became even more curious about this "Blood Origin Sect."]

[At this time, the shopkeeper Lou Yang also came over. He looked at the "Blood Origin Sect" identity jade token in your hand, then at the corpse, and shook his head with a serious expression.]

[You looked at him: "What? This Blood Origin Sect has a big background?"]

[Lou Yang took a deep breath and said seriously:]

["This Blood Origin Sect is a major power second only to the Fengyun Pavilion."]

["They have their own strongholds in all major Dynasties. Not only do they have many Disciples, but the Sect Master's strength is unfathomable."]

[He paused and continued: "You... should leave here quickly."]

["Are you worried I'll implicate the Cheng Family?" you asked calmly.]

[Lou Yang didn't answer. He just gestured and called over a few subordinates, who skillfully carried the corpse away for disposal—he had encountered such things more than once.]

[Since the start of cultivation on the Tianhuang Continent, all the major Dynasties initially became chaotic. Loose Cultivators often killed and looted everywhere, and order once neared collapse.]

[Later, the Fengyun Pavilion established immortal regulations and frequently sent Disciples out for experience to deal with those evil Loose Cultivators. Only then did the situation slowly stabilize.]

[But the evil nature did not disappear. These types of Loose Cultivators gradually banded together and became "regularized," which meant forming Sects.]

[Subsequently, Sects large and small sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain on the Tianhuang Continent. After putting on the cloak of a "Sect," they also received recognition and certain constraints from the Fengyun Pavilion, and the situation gradually stabilized.]

[This Blood Origin Sect was one of the rising Sects.]

[You understood this process—after all, you yourself had walked such a "wild" path back in the day.]

[You continued to scan the crowd and spoke calmly:]

["Who else wants a divination? The fee is one copper coin!"]

[As soon as you finished speaking, a middle-aged scholar in green robes stood up from a corner and bowed respectfully to you:]

["Great Master, I... would like to request a divination."]

[You nodded slightly: "Please speak."]

[The middle-aged scholar looked worried and said in a low voice:]

["My wife has been restless lately, sometimes sorrowful and grieving, sometimes laughing for no reason. When I speak to her... she acts as if she can't hear me. I don't know the reason, so I ask the Great Master... to point the way."]

[You gestured with your hand: "Please write down the names and birth dates of you and your wife."]

[The middle-aged scholar hurried forward, took up a pen, and wrote down the information of the two on paper.]

[Your gaze swept over the names he wrote, and your heart stirred slightly—]

[Fu Qian.]

[It was actually him.]

[You couldn't help but take another look at him—]

[Now, Fu Qian was nearly middle-aged, with a thin face and a lingering weariness settled between his brows.]

[The semi-old green robe he wore was washed until it was somewhat faded, and his cuffs were slightly worn. Although clean, it couldn't hide a sense of poverty and simplicity.]

[Looking at his demeanor, he probably only held an ordinary job in the yamen or an academy, and he had no cultivation, still being a mortal.]

[It seemed that in these decades, he hadn't lived a very prominent life.]

["Great Master, how is it?" he asked nervously.]

[Your Divination Technique had only just reached the entry level, so there wasn't much information you could see.]

[However, such a thing naturally wouldn't stump a Spirit Transformation Cultivator like you.]

[You cross-referenced his wife "Winter Plum's" name and birth date, looked carefully at Fu Qian's facial features, and at the same time quietly spread out your Divine Sense, covering the entire city.]

[Countless fragmented sounds and images flooded into your Sea of Consciousness. You filtered out three candidates who fit "Winter Plum, forty-five years old, and having the facial features of a couple with Fu Qian."]

[You quickly ruled out two: one was a woman who had been widowed for many years, and the other was a wealthy lady in a secluded mansion.]

[Only one person remained—]

[In a side room of a quiet residence in the west of the city, a middle-aged woman and a middle-aged man were engaged in an act of intimacy on a bed.]

[To avoid a wrong judgment, you looked at Fu Qian and asked: "Is your residence in the southwest direction of the city, on Hualiu Street?"]

["Yes, yes, yes! The Great Master is truly a divine calculator!" Fu Qian nodded repeatedly, his eyes already full of conviction.]

[You nodded slightly, pretending to stroke your beard in contemplation, and said with a serious expression: "Your wife is currently being beaten by someone, crying out for mercy."]

["Hurry back now; perhaps you can still stop her from ascending to immortality."]

[Hearing this, Fu Qian's eyes widened, both shocked and angry: "My wife is being beaten to death?!"]

[He hurriedly dropped one copper coin as the divination fee and then, without looking back, ran home in a rush.]