Chapter Seventy-Four: She and She and She

In the gradually astonished eyes of Bai’er and even Ling Feng, the Old One-eyed Man continued to speak leisurely.

“And then, after enduring numerous hardships, you ultimately acquired the qualification to ascend Lingyin Fairy Island. Your life underwent a tremendous transformation, leaping from a carefree existence to becoming a person of official status, and upon leaving the island, you will undertake certain particularly important tasks.”

“Your life will have three turning points, the first of which was that year’s Four Saints Selection Tournament. There, you encountered the most important existence of your life, while the second turning point does not belong solely to you and is about to arrive.”

“As for the third, it’s quite difficult for me to predict the exact time; it will depend on your own resolve and courage.”

He shook the page in his hand, tearing it to shreds and crumpling it into a ball, then tossed it into a nearby wooden barrel, gently stroking his sparse beard as he smiled.

“Little girl, I’ll give you a piece of advice: when the flowers bloom and can be picked, you must pick them straight away and not wait until there are no flowers to pick the branches.”

“Is that true…?”

From the initial calm and doubt, Bai’er’s expression had inexplicably turned into one of disbelief and surprise, tinged with a hint of contemplation.

Although the specifics of what the Old One-eyed Man said were quite vague, they truly resonated with those past stories she had casually mentioned during a chat with Miss Vilyric.

Under the premise of having never known each other prior to this first meeting, being able to deduce so much merely from a few words written on a turtle shell, even predicting a certain extent of the other’s future, was nothing short of miraculous.

Miss Vilyric sensed that this old fortune-teller probably could foresee even more, but everything comes at a price. The art of divination is indeed wondrous, yet if one excessively pries into and interferes with the fate of a person of great fortune, it could lead to significant backlash. The Old One-eyed Man likely felt it unnecessary to reach that level.

Moreover, even if he could see deeper, considering the girl’s privacy, it would be impossible for him to share too many details. After all, to the Old One-eyed Man, she was a client, not an enemy.

Carrying the Old One-eyed Man’s profound reminder, Bai’er silently rose to give space, exchanged a glance with Ling Feng, avoided eye contact, and showed a complex expression.

The latter patted her shoulder and stepped forward to sit opposite the Old One-eyed Man.

“Now it’s my turn, sir, please.”

“Hehe, fair enough.”

Seeing the clearly unusual relationship between the two, the Old One-eyed Man didn’t ask more questions but instructed the assistant Xiao Yi to wash the turtle shell clean and reapply white paper on the inside, then handed it to Ling Feng.

Having observed the earlier session, the girl didn’t need any reminders, and she picked up the brush and began to write freely.

Moments later, the Old One-eyed Man took back the turtle shell and, as usual, examined the characters written by Ling Feng, murmuring softly.

“Let’s see… fate is determined by heaven, while fortune should come from oneself… oh? These eight characters from the girl are indeed deeply meaningful.”

“They’re just casual scribbles, no hidden implications. Please begin the divination, Mr. One-eyed.”

“Mm, allow me to take a look.”

The Old One-eyed Man again pulled out the white paper from the turtle shell, which indeed had been marked with specific characters once more. He didn’t say much and began to study it carefully.

This time, the fortune-teller seemed to take much longer pondering than the last time, and during that process, his expression changed several times, sometimes surprised, sometimes perplexed. Occasionally, he looked up to see the girl sitting opposite, whose expression remained calm, as if he had discovered something unbelievable, repeatedly confirming it.

After a long while, he finally placed the white paper down, covering it with his hand, a solemn look on his face.

“This… this truly is an incredible secret. No wonder that Miss Lihai would hesitate so much…”

Ling Feng smiled gently.

“What did you see, sir? Please speak freely.”

“Uh…”

For some reason, although he had appeared completely unafraid before, after seeing Ling Feng’s divination, the Old One-eyed Man visibly hesitated, cautiously reconfirming.

“Are you sure it’s okay to share?”

“Of course ~”

After weighing it in his heart for a long time, he finally nodded slightly, stroking his chin as he spoke.

“You… were born into a wealthy and powerful family, with outstanding talents that drew everyone’s attention. You enjoyed a level of comfort unimaginable to ordinary people from a young age, but along with that came more troubles and heavy responsibilities.”

“Your family is a powerful force that has a long history and carries heavy responsibilities. They need a strong and capable leader to fulfill their mission, but as the only heir in the present day, you are a daughter, and due to certain principles and biases, it’s difficult to assume the great task.”

“Although you’ve worked hard to learn, showcasing talents rivaling any past patriarch, the disadvantage of gender stands like a chasm before you. Unfortunately, your father can no longer bear new heirs for some reasons, and you can only inherit the position of clan leader.”

“Thus, to ensure the family legacy can continue and not collapse under the weight of past responsibilities, you, out of necessity, changed your appearance to present as a man, hiding the heart of a girl while pouring all your energy into family duties.”

“With your outstanding abilities, the praises and respect you’ve received throughout your life have been nearly unending, but amidst that satisfaction, you felt even more emptiness and confusion, for the focus of those praises was not on you, but rather on the fabricated existence you created.”

“You don’t understand why, despite not being inferior to any man, and having had exceptional women leaders in your family’s history, you must still compromise, presenting a façade each day.”

“Is such a fate truly reasonable?”

“As the pressure and anxiety grew with time, you realized the need to find a way to release it, or it would certainly lead to great troubles.”

“So, in the third year of becoming the clan leader, you took advantage of a relatively free time, temporarily handing your responsibilities to an assistant while secretly reverting to your undisclosed identity as a girl to clear your mind.”

“During this experience, you met the most important companion in your life, thus gaining change and redemption, no longer resenting the past, deciding to fulfill your responsibilities with a more positive attitude.”

“However, you two are destined to face a calamity, a trial that cannot be avoided, leading to your separation once again.”

At this point, the Old One-eyed Man’s words came to an abrupt halt, cautiously glancing at the girl’s expression, and probing.

“Is this… okay to continue?”

“……”

Taking a deep breath, Ling Feng exchanged a meaningful glance, slightly nodding.

“Truly impressive, the talent recommended by Mr. Murong indeed shines! Your divination skills are unparalleled, and it’s true what you say; you are very intelligent, as this is indeed part of my past experience.”

Before the Old One-eyed Man could ease up, the girl continued.

“Given that, I have a question I’d like to ask the sir.”

“Uh, I’m not worthy, please go ahead.”

Nodding slightly, Ling Feng didn’t hold back and spoke directly.

“Earlier, it seemed you were also predicting Bai’er’s past while somewhat foreseeing her future. If that’s the case, then may I ask if there exists any chance for a breakthrough in the calamity between me and that most important companion in the future?”

“This…”

Seeing the Old One-eyed Man seemingly hesitate, Ling Feng’s expression gradually turned serious.

“Is there no hope? Or perhaps it can’t be foreseen? This is very important to me, and regardless of the answer, I won’t blame you. I hope you can speak plainly, sir.”

After a long hesitation, the Old One-eyed Man shook his head, ultimately only helplessly saying.

“The key to this calamity involves some extraordinarily mysterious existence. Although I indeed have glimpsed a thing or two, the secrets of fate cannot be revealed; revealing such confidential matters may result in backlash. Therefore, I can only offer you a piece of advice.”

Pausing to ponder, he said.

“No one knows it is the season of spring, just a hint of dark fragrance… from beyond the heavens.”

   

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