Cao Tianding was dead, cleaved in two by Ye Qiu’s sword.
Tang Fei and Long Ye took a long time to process what had just happened.
This was a top-tier master who had fought the leader of the Wudang Sect to a draw, and he was just… dead? It was…
Unbelievable.
Chang Mei the Taoist, still floating in the air, burst into laughter upon seeing this. “Little brat, you didn’t disappoint me. You’ve made great progress…”
Thud!
Before Chang Mei the Taoist could finish his sentence, he suddenly plummeted from the air and crashed to the ground.
“Elder—”
Tang Fei and Long Ye rushed over to help Chang Mei the Taoist up.
At this moment, Chang Mei the Taoist had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and his entire being seemed as if he had just suffered a severe illness, his aura weak.
“Elder, what’s wrong?” Tang Fei asked with concern.
“Don’t worry, I’m not dead yet,” Chang Mei the Taoist said with a grin, then cursed, “Damn it, the Five Thunder True Method is really too domineering. Just using it once has caused me severe backlash. I won’t be able to use my internal energy for half a month.”
Tang Fei breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was no serious harm.
Chang Mei the Taoist looked at Ye Qiu’s back and said, “The little brat exhausted his internal energy earlier and suffered internal injuries. Now he’s forced himself to strike again. His condition is probably not good.”
Tang Fei and Long Ye both turned to look at Ye Qiu.
“Clang!”
The Emperor’s Sword, Chi Xiao, fell from Ye Qiu’s hand, making a crisp sound. Immediately after, Ye Qiu’s body stiffened and he collapsed backward, unconscious.
“Ye Qiu—”
Tang Fei and Long Ye shouted in alarm and rushed toward Ye Qiu.
Unbeknownst to them, when they rushed forward, they let go of Chang Mei the Taoist, who, unable to stand steadily, fell to the ground with a thud.
“You two little bastards, are you trying to kill me?” Chang Mei the Taoist cursed angrily.
Long Ye stopped in his tracks and turned back, asking, “Elder, do you need me to help you up?”
“Get lost!”
Long Ye turned his head and continued running toward Ye Qiu.
Chang Mei the Taoist, sitting on the ground, cursed again, “Have you two never been through nine years of compulsory education? Where’s the traditional virtue of respecting the elderly and caring for the young? You two little bastards.”
Tang Fei cradled Ye Qiu in his arms. At this moment, Ye Qiu’s face was as pale as paper, and blood kept flowing from the corner of his mouth.
“Old Tang, how is Ye Qiu?” Long Ye asked.
“He’s injured. I’ll take him back to the Underworld Palace base for treatment right away,” Tang Fei said, preparing to pick Ye Qiu up.
“Wait a second,” Chang Mei the Taoist said, trembling as he walked over and grabbed Ye Qiu’s wrist to check his pulse. In the next second, his expression changed drastically.
“How is this possible?”
Chang Mei the Taoist’s face was filled with shock.
Tang Fei’s heart tightened, and he quickly asked, “Elder, what’s wrong with Ye Qiu?”
“Is Ye Qiu seriously injured?” Long Ye followed up.
Chang Mei the Taoist didn’t answer their questions but instead said, “The little brat’s internal energy in his meridians is like a surging river, almost as strong as mine. Did this kid have some kind of extraordinary encounter?”
“And that sword technique he used earlier was incredibly powerful. Even I might not be able to block it.”
As Chang Mei the Taoist spoke, he subconsciously looked down and noticed the Emperor’s Sword, Chi Xiao, on the ground. He picked it up.
He bent two fingers and flicked the blade, causing a clear sword hum that resonated like a dragon’s roar.
“Good sword!”
Chang Mei the Taoist flipped the sword over and saw two seal characters engraved on the blade.
He recognized them immediately.
“Chi Xiao! This is the Emperor’s Sword, Chi Xiao!” Chang Mei the Taoist’s pupils contracted sharply, and he muttered to himself, “How did one of the Ten Great Swords, the Emperor’s Sword Chi Xiao, end up in the hands of this little brat?”
“Legend has it that Chi Xiao is the sword of emperors, and only those with great destiny can possess it.”
“Could it be that the divination I did for Old Man Ye last year was actually correct? Is this little brat really the Child of Destiny?”
If Old Man Ye were here and could hear Chang Mei the Taoist’s thoughts, the only outcome would be Chang Mei the Taoist getting beaten half to death.
Last year, when Chang Mei the Taoist came to the capital, he spent half a month freeloading at the Ye family. Before leaving, Old Man Ye asked Chang Mei the Taoist to perform a divination for Ye Qiu.
At the time, Chang Mei the Taoist carefully calculated based on Ye Qiu’s birth date and time but came up with nothing.
This was something Chang Mei the Taoist had never encountered before.
He speculated that Ye Qiu’s fate was different from ordinary people, obscured by heavenly secrets, which was why he couldn’t divine anything.
But Old Man Ye kept pressing him, so in desperation, Chang Mei the Taoist left eight words.
“Child of Destiny, turns calamity into fortune!”
Chang Mei the Taoist had originally intended to deceive Old Man Ye, but who would have thought that Ye Qiu would indeed turn calamity into fortune every time?
In fact, these eight words weren’t Chang Mei the Taoist’s original creation but a prophecy left by his grandmaster.
Chang Mei the Taoist’s grandmaster was the previous leader of Longhu Mountain, who lived to be over 150 years old. He was proficient in martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, feng shui, divination, talismans…
Because of his great skills, wherever he went, people would respectfully address him as “Heavenly Master.”
Before his grandmaster passed away, he sensed that his time was near, so he expended all his life’s energy to divine the secrets of heaven, wanting to see if Longhu Mountain could regain the glory it had a thousand years ago.
In the end, Chang Mei the Taoist’s grandmaster left eight words and peacefully passed away.
These eight words were: “Child of Destiny, turns calamity into fortune.”
From then on, starting with Chang Mei the Taoist’s master, the entire Longhu Mountain had only two goals: to find the Child of Destiny and to find the mountain’s treasure, in order to restore Longhu Mountain’s glory from a thousand years ago and maintain its status as the ancestral home of Taoism!
Because Chang Mei the Taoist’s grandmaster passed away after leaving these eight words, there were no further clues. However, after research by Chang Mei the Taoist’s master and his generation, they concluded that the Child of Destiny was someone with great fortune.
Unfortunately, they never found the Child of Destiny.
Now, Chang Mei the Taoist suddenly realized that Ye Qiu might very well be the Child of Destiny prophesied by his grandmaster.
First, when Ye Qiu was born, Ye Wushuang was besieged by so many people, yet Ye Qiu survived.
Second, Ye Qiu was just a probationary doctor, but in a short time, not only did he become a full-fledged doctor, he also brought down the deputy director and became the head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department. He even joined the Dragon Gate, becoming one of its four Dragon Envoys, highly valued by Nine Thousand Years Old Cao Yuan.
He also gained the favor of the War God, and at a young age, he already held the rank of colonel.
Moreover, a few days ago in the northwest, Ye Qiu was buried in the sand for several days, yet not only did he not die, he came out alive and kicking. This was enough to prove that he was blessed with great fortune, favored by the heavens.
And now, Ye Qiu had overcome three hurdles and slain six generals, smoothly arriving in the capital. This also indicated that his fortune was formidable.
“Could this little brat really be the Child of Destiny?”
Chang Mei the Taoist’s eyes darted around, his thoughts unclear.
“Elder, how is Ye Qiu really doing?” Tang Fei, seeing that Chang Mei the Taoist hadn’t spoken for a long time, couldn’t help but ask.
“Don’t worry, he’s fine,” Chang Mei the Taoist said, then added, “Are you planning to take him to the Underworld Palace base?”
“Yes,” Tang Fei nodded. “The War God wants to see Ye Qiu.”
“Then take him there,” Chang Mei the Taoist said, then turned and walked toward the city gate.
Tang Fei called out from behind, “Elder, where are you going?”
“To the Red Pavilion!”
