Chapter 532: Chapter 524: Teng Zhao: My Master Can Do Anything!
In March, owing to the Imperial Examination, the entire Shengjing was bustling with excitement, and even the small towns around Shengjing were teeming with people, all thrilled to witness the parade of the new scholars through the streets of Shengjing City.
Whether the event was a grand affair or not, Xiong Er and Jing Xiaosi couldn’t care less. This spectacle, which occurred every three years, was nothing new to them, and certainly could not compare to the surprise, shock, and…
Terror!
The two hapless brothers supported each other, trembling as they watched several people ahead of them. They had come to realize what Qin Liuxi had meant when he said that seeing starving ghosts was a mere trifle.
Compared to walking down the Yin Road and seeing a variety of ghosts in different states of death, starving ghosts were really nothing, barely even an appetizer.
And then they thought about how they had suddenly emerged from the Yin Road and come face-to-face with a night fragrance man emptying his toilet bucket, scaring him so badly that he screamed “ghost” and bolted, throwing away his toilet bucket.
Xiong Er, smelling the barely detectable scent of feces on his clothes, gagged.
Truth be told, being splashed with a bit of night soil was not unjustified. Who’s to blame when a certain Junior Temple Master botched his positioning?
Just look at how scared the night fragrance man was. He probably had to change professions after that.
Qin Liuxi: An accident was unlikely, it was just a slight miscalculation with timing, who knew we would run into someone emptying his night bucket?
A group of people arrived at an inn and banged on the door, startling the attendants, who eyed them warily. They then looked up at the sky, wondering, isn’t it still dark out to be seeking lodging?
“Just got them back from the brothel alley, fell into a pit so they can’t go home just yet,” Qin Liuxi pointed to Xiong Er and others, “Trouble you for a separate courtyard.”
Teng Zhao casually threw a silver note: “Reimburse any difference, demand a quality courtyard, prepare some hot water for bathing and then fetch some breakfast, a reward silver of one tael.”
Glancing at the silver note valued at fifty taels, the attendant no longer cared about the break of dawn and immediately lit a lamp to lead them to a courtyard, and then arranged for hot water and breakfast.
By the time everyone had their breakfast, it was already bright daylight.
“Junior Temple Master, Gold City is just half a day’s ride from Shengjing City. We can arrive in the city either today or tomorrow. Can we perform a ritual to resolve Xiaosi’s misfortune?” Xiong Er asked with a pained laugh, his round face full of feigned politeness.
Thanks to the life-saving talisman given by Qin Liuxi, Jing Xiaosi’s life was indeed spared, but his luck was truly unfortunate.
It was just like when they emerged from the Yin Road and scared the night fragrance man into dropping his toilet bucket. Among the five of them, Jing Xiaosi bore the brunt of the misfortune, as he was almost entirely covered in sewage. And this misfortune had splashed onto him as well.
Whereas Qin Liuxi and the other two were spotlessly clean.
Alas, without a comparison, there would be no harm done. They were indeed miserable!
Qin Liuxi stated, “We stopped here specifically to deal with his issue.”
Hearing this, Xiong Er truly breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t believe that without any trace of their journey back to the capital city, the lady from Marquis Chang’an Mansion could divine Xiaosi’s whereabouts.
Once Xiaosi’s issue with misfortune was resolved, it was the lady who would cry.
Qin Liuxi was decisive. He used a calming talisman to let them drink and settle their nerves, then sent Teng Zhao ahead to enter the capital first.
Teng Zhao: “How much time can that difference make? Once we have resolved the situation with that boy, we can go together.”
“The auction must be prearranged, right? And keep a close watch on the Jiao Pearl,” said Qin Liuxi.
Teng Zhao scoffed, “It’s just you who worries about every little thing. If they don’t give it to us, we’ll just rob it in broad daylight. If we want to get the Jiao Pearl out without God or ghost noticing, it’s merely a matter of using an Eye-Blocking Technique.”
Qin Liuxi cast him a cool glance: “A gentleman acquires wealth through just means. The Heavenly Master’s cultivation is not for acting utterly without principle, as one pleases.”
She wouldn’t do something that would hurt her own yin de unless it was absolutely necessary.
Feng Mu’s cheeks flushed slightly as he offered, “Shall I fetch it for you?”
“Old Fox, you’ve cultivated for a thousand years just to achieve a human form. Apart from your daily cultivation and waiting for fate, it’s also because this was your destined fortune. You seized it to be able to stand before me in this charming human form and speak to me. You should cherish this hard-earned fortune even more. Don’t court death, or else, if you do, I can’t save you.”
Feng Mu was momentarily stunned, then clenched his teeth and complained, “Just compliment me on my beauty, why the attack on my person, calling me ‘old’ and ‘flirty’?”
Qin Liuxi rolled her eyes in annoyance: “Let’s go.”
Teng Zhao was about to follow when Feng Mu grabbed him and whispered softly, “Did your master start her menstruation or something? Why so serious all of a sudden?”
“Vulgar!” Teng Zhao’s ears turned red as he shook off Feng Mu’s hand and followed Qin Liuxi.
Feng Mu touched his nose and chuckled sleazily, “The young lad is still green, hehe, wait for me.”
The two men and one fox left the inn. After a stroll, they quickly purchased the materials they needed and began preparing to solve the matter of lengthening the lifespan.
As mentioned before, it would be easiest to resolve if they could acquire Jing Xiaosi’s cheap younger brother’s birth dates; unfortunately, the ones they had were fake.
Qin Liuxi wasn’t in a hurry though. Once Jing Xiaosi woke, she asked him about the person’s age and name, and combined it with the month of birth, planning to divine the real Four Pillars and Eight Characters through Divination Skill.
“You can divine even this?” Xiong Er looked on with awe.
Qin Liuxi said, “Mystic Sect possesses the Five Skills, and among the Divination Skill are many methods of divination. I seldom use the Divination, but there shouldn’t be any problem. Although your stepmother has concealed the real birth hour, I guess the date of birth to be only about two or three days off. If not, we can slowly deduce it.”
Jing Xiaosi bowed and said, “Thank you for your trouble.”
Qin Liuxi nodded, and without setting up a sandboard, directly drew a Four Pillars and Eight Characters chart with vermillion on a piece of paper. She lit a stick of Invitation Incense, a pair of candles, offered some offerings, and only after preparing these did she form the Sealing with both hands holding a Willow Pen while reciting the spell to summon the divine.
The fragrance of the incense rose faintly.
Xiong Er tensed his Breathing, watching Qin Liuxi’s movements and whispered to Jing Xiaosi, “Do you think she can do it?”
Teng Zhao, with sharp ears, glanced at him.
His master could do anything!
Xiong Er felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head with a goofy grin.
Jing Xiaosi pursed his lips, then suddenly, a muscle in his eye twitched.
The pen moved.
Xiong Er covered his mouth to hold back an exclamation, his eyes glued to Qin Liuxi’s hand and the pen.
Feng Mu rolled his eyes: Look at the lack of experience.
Qin Liuxi’s eyes were closed, her hands forming Sealing seals as steady as Mount Tai holding the Willow Pen. Her arms did not move, yet the pen in her hand seemed to be guided by an invisible hand, drifting across the paper.
Teng Zhao watched where the pen landed and recorded everything with pen and paper, until the pen no longer moved.
Qin Liuxi sensed the ritual was complete and switched to the God-Departing Spell. As the Willow Pen loosened, she opened her eyes.
Teng Zhao had already handed over the recorded birth dates, which Qin Liuxi took a look at and then tore a little paper figure, writing the Four Pillars and Eight Characters on its back, then with finger gestures, she cast the talisman over it.