“Found another treasure, fantastic.”
Longbrow Master was overjoyed, eagerly opening the iron box.
The next moment, his smile froze.
“A turtle shell…”
Longbrow Master never imagined the box would contain a fist-sized, worn-out turtle shell.
The shell was pitch black, covered in crisscrossing, mottled patterns, with nothing particularly remarkable about it.
“You little brat, daring to trick me? Believe me, I’ll give you a thrashing!”
Longbrow Master fumed.
He had expected some extraordinary treasure, only to find a turtle shell.
Ye Qiu didn’t take offence, smiling as he said, “Old man, take a closer look.”
Longbrow Master examined the shell, turning it over repeatedly, gradually noticing something unusual.
“This turtle shell, it seems like a divination tool.”
“I’m the world’s greatest diviner. What do I need a broken turtle shell for?”
“Throw it away…”
“Wait!” Ye Qiu saw Longbrow Master about to toss the shell and quickly intervened, saying, “Maybe, like the Qiankun Bag, it needs a drop of blood to claim it.”
Earlier, while talking with Fairy Hundred Flowers by the pool, Ye Qiu had subtly activated his Heavenly Eye and spotted the iron box beneath the pool’s floor.
His vision had pierced through the box, revealing the turtle shell, which was enveloped in a mysterious halo.
Clearly, this shell was no ordinary object.
As for the blood-binding idea, it was a spur-of-the-moment suggestion.
“Little brat, if I find out you’re messing with me, I won’t let you off,” Longbrow Master grumbled, extending his right middle finger and squeezing out a drop of blood.
Drip!
The blood landed on the shell, but nothing happened.
Longbrow Master cursed again, “You heartless little brat. One drop of blood is worth ten drops of essence. I’ve suffered a huge loss…”
Before he could finish, a hum sounded.
The turtle shell in his hand suddenly lit up, and golden seal characters emerged on the pitch-black surface.
Thousands upon thousands.
Densely packed.
These seal characters, smaller than needle tips, radiated dazzling golden light, like tiny stars.
“Well, it really is a treasure!”
Longbrow Master let out a surprised exclamation, staring intently at the characters, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make out what they said.
Suddenly, the golden characters began to flow across the shell, constantly shifting and forming various patterns.
Longbrow Master, skilled in the art of divination, soon recognised their significance. The patterns were Ziwei star formations.
“Sun Shining on Thunder Gate!”
“Pearl Emerging from the Sea!”
“Moon Bright at Heaven’s Gate!”
“Wood and Fire Illuminated!”
“Extreme Radiance!”
“Star of Valour in the Temple!”
The patterns kept changing, revealing dozens of fate configurations.
Abruptly, the golden characters aligned in a straight line and, with lightning speed, shot into Longbrow Master’s forehead.
His body trembled, as if frozen by a spell, and he stood motionless with his eyes closed.
“What’s wrong with this old dog?”
Chongxu Taoist approached just in time to witness the scene, seeing Longbrow Master holding a mottled turtle shell, standing still, and asked in confusion.
“The old man’s got another stroke of luck,” Ye Qiu said with a smile.
What!
Chongxu Taoist was stunned, then cursed, “This old dog’s really hit the jackpot, hmph.”
About ten minutes later, Longbrow Master opened his eyes and excitedly said to Ye Qiu, “Little brat, guess what I got?”
Ye Qiu replied, “Looks like something to do with fortune-telling.”
“Smart,” Longbrow Master grinned, “I’ve acquired the complete Ziwei Dou Shu.”
At this, Chongxu Taoist’s expression changed. As the leader of the world’s Taoist sects, he knew a bit about Ziwei Dou Shu.
In simple terms, Ziwei Dou Shu is a highly mystical divination method, using star alignments to predict a person’s or a nation’s fate.
In ancient times, it was revered as “the study of emperors” and studied in the imperial palace by the Imperial Observatory. Only royalty or officials appointed by the emperor could access it. Anyone else caught studying or researching it risked execution of their entire clan.
“I used to think Ziwei Dou Shu was just a divination technique, but I never imagined it had so many wondrous uses,” Longbrow Master said, grinning, “Little brat, I don’t usually say thanks, but today I owe you one.”
“If not for you, I might’ve missed out on Ziwei Dou Shu.”
With that, Longbrow Master adjusted his robes with mock solemnity and bowed to Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu was surprised.
Knowing Longbrow Master’s temperament, for him to bow like this showed that Ziwei Dou Shu was truly extraordinary.
Then, Longbrow Master tucked the shell away and looked at Chongxu Taoist, saying, “Cow-nose, know why I got Ziwei Dou Shu?”
“Why?” Chongxu Taoist was curious why Longbrow Master, and not he, had obtained it.
“Luck,” Longbrow Master said, “Good looks, good fortune!”
Pfft!
Fairy Hundred Flowers and Lüluo burst out laughing. They’d seen shameless people, but never this shameless. Did he think he was Ye Qiu?
Chongxu Taoist’s face turned livid with anger, pointing at Longbrow Master, “You old dog, flaunting your luck in front of me. Believe me, I’ll…”
Before he could finish, Longbrow Master cut in, “Cow-nose, want to know what else Ziwei Dou Shu can do besides fortune-telling?”
Chongxu Taoist’s curiosity was piqued, and he asked, “What else can it do?”
“You really want to know?” Longbrow Master teased.
Chongxu Taoist nodded.
Longbrow Master smirked, “You’re not as handsome as me, so why should I tell you?”
You bastard.
Chongxu Taoist was so furious he wanted to beat Longbrow Master on the spot, but recalling his cultivation level, he suppressed his anger, muttering to himself, “Just wait. Once I master Sword Twenty-Four, I’ll make your backside bloom.”
At that moment, Xiao Zhan hurried over.
“Brother-in-law, Hu Zi’s injured,” Xiao Zhan said.
What?
Ye Qiu’s brow furrowed, asking, “What happened?”
Xiao Zhan replied, “There’s another courtyard in the backyard. We found a stone tablet there. You’ll understand when you see it.”
Ye Qiu led the group, following Xiao Zhan to the inner courtyard.
Upon entering, Ye Qiu saw a three-metre-high stone tablet.
Hu Zi stood nearby, blood at the corner of his mouth, staring solemnly at the tablet.
