Chapter 134 - 85: Innate Spirit Root, The Pact of Yi and Bu (Part 2)

Chapter 134: Chapter 85: Innate Spirit Root, The Pact of Yi and Bu (Part 2)

Day turned to night and back again. To a Primordial Spirit True Man, fifteen days was but the blink of an eye. Just as that time passed, Jide Taoist suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing within them.

He saw that color was returning to Xuzhuang’s skin. Steam began to rise from the crown of his head, and the frost on his eyebrows and hair started to slowly melt away.

Immoral Taoist, however, didn’t so much as shift his gaze. He remained engrossed in the booklet in his hands, flipping through its pages. He kept inhaling, but for several days now, no smoke had been exhaled.

Another three days passed. Steam continued to rise from the crown of Xuzhuang’s head until all the frost had finally melted away. He abruptly opened his eyes. He felt the circulation of his Magical Power had become noticeably more nimble, and his inner spirit felt pure and clear. The fusion of his spirit and qi had implicitly progressed a great deal.

Xuzhuang let out a long breath and cupped his hands. "Thank you for the Immortal Tea, Zhenren. This junior has benefited greatly."

Immoral Taoist waved his hand dismissively. "I just said I was treating you to a cup of tea, kid. No need for all the formalities." He then pushed another cup of tea toward him.

Xuzhuang smiled faintly. Dropping the formalities, he accepted the cup and drank. This time, however, he only felt a fleeting coolness slide down his throat; there were none of the miraculous effects from before.

The two Zhenren remained silent, and Xuzhuang, in no hurry, quietly drank tea with them. After a moment, Jide Taoist suddenly asked, "Young friend, would you like a reading?"

Xuzhuang hadn’t expected such a question from Jide Taoist. "A reading?" he asked, taken aback.

Jide Taoist replied, "Indeed. I’ve suddenly taken an interest. If you’re willing, young friend, the fee will be a single magical coin."

Xuzhuang mulled it over for a moment before declining. "Thank you for the kind offer, Zhenren, but this junior will pass on the reading."

Immoral Taoist laughed. "Oh? Kid, do you have any idea how many favors an ordinary person would have to call in, or how much they’d have to pay, just to get a single reading from my senior brother?"

Xuzhuang replied, "I do not. However, I’m not in the habit of having my fortune told."

Jide Taoist asked in surprise, "Could it be that you don’t believe in fate, young friend?"

Xuzhuang smiled. "Dare I ask, Zhenren, is fate fixed?"

Jide Taoist replied, "Fate is not fixed."

Xuzhuang said, "Since fate is not fixed, then it is enough to hold the future in my own hands."

Jide Taoist said calmly, "Although fate is not fixed, one can still glimpse its underlying patterns. By doing so, you might find the direction you’re looking for."

Xuzhuang simply shook his head.

Jide Taoist didn’t seem annoyed. After a moment of thought, he produced a green bamboo tube from his sleeve. It contained twenty-five bamboo sticks. He gave it a gentle shake and asked, "Well then, young friend, how about a reading of your luck?"

Seeing Jide Taoist’s repeated invitations, and feeling a burgeoning interest in the matter of one’s luck, Xuzhuang reconsidered. After a moment, he decided to accept. Cupping his hands, he said, "Then I shall trouble you, Zhenren."

"It is no trouble at all." An almost imperceptible smile touched Jide Taoist’s lips as he passed the tube over. "You must shake the sticks yourself, however. Do as you will."

Xuzhuang nodded and took the tube with both hands. He gave it a few gentle shakes, and a single stick fell out onto the stone table. Jide Taoist picked it up and examined it. Narrowing his eyes and stroking his beard, he said, "Young friend, your luck is currently at its peak, and your fortunate destiny runs deep. Congratulations."

After a silent breath, he continued, "However, we of the Profound School have a saying: fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin. An overabundance of good fortune is not necessarily a good thing, and a coming disaster could prove to be a blessing in disguise. You must continue to face every choice with caution, young friend."

Xuzhuang nodded thoughtfully. "I will take your words to heart."

Jide Taoist waved his hand. "I was merely interpreting the lot."

Immoral Taoist added in a leisurely tone, "And getting my senior brother to interpret that lot for you is also quite pricey..."

Xuzhuang’s brow furrowed slightly. "May I ask the price for the reading, Zhenren?"

Jide Taoist replied, "That won’t be necessary. Consider it done on a whim."

After a moment’s thought, Xuzhuang asked, "Does the Zhenren perhaps have some important matter to entrust to me?"

’He couldn’t help but think this way. This is my first time meeting Jide Taoist, yet he has insisted on this. Surely it can’t be a simple whim, an irresistible urge to give me, Xuzhuang, some guidance?’

To his surprise, Jide Taoist just shook his head and sipped his tea. But Immoral Taoist burst out laughing. "Originally, he was the one who needed something from you, Xu the Kid. Now, it’s my turn."

He exhaled a long plume of mist and said in a low voice, "I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I’ll be straight with you, kid. There’s a matter I’d like to cooperate with you on."

Xuzhuang’s expression grew solemn. "Please speak freely, Zhenren," he said slowly. "I will consider it carefully." He didn’t offer to do whatever was asked. ’Even a Primordial Spirit True Man can’t force me to do something against my will. If it comes to that, the name of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect is not to be trifled with.’

Immoral Taoist said, "This matter begins with a story..."

The story goes that tens of thousands of years ago, in a nearby Star River, there lived two Primordial Spirit True Men: Yi Daoist and Divination Daoist. They were rivals who couldn’t stand the sight of each other, yet at the same time, they were kindred spirits who deeply respected one another.

The reason for this was simple: both were masters of the numerological arts, their skills were nearly identical, and their reputations were equally matched. So, one day, they decided to settle once and for all who was superior.

As masters of numerology, Yi Daoist and Divination Daoist naturally decided to use their arts to compete. The challenge was to divine a "fortuitous encounter." They would start from the same location, go their separate ways to find the opportunities they had foreseen, and then compare whose encounter was greater.

Strangely, though they started from the same place and went their separate ways, they ended up in the same location, stumbling upon the very same fortuitous encounter. Together, they had found an Innate Spirit Root.

At this point in the story, a strange look appeared in Xuzhuang’s eyes. ’An Innate Spirit Root?’ As the name implied, it was a treasure favored by Creation itself, born before the heavens and earth were even parted.

Generally speaking, whether it was the fruit it bore or the Innate Spirit Root itself, such a thing was of boundless benefit to a cultivator. It could be a material superior to any other for crafting a magical treasure, or it might even possess innate restrictions, making it a natural-born magical treasure in and of itself...