Chapter 436:

Zhong State, Tianxian City

Lin Jiang came again. He had to come because the Demon Lord asked him to. If he didn’t show up, the Demon Lord would block his way. Then Lin Jiang would have to find another way to survive.

Xia Qingshan’s shop was taken back by the landlord. He passed away outside Tianxian City six months ago, witnessed by many. As soon as the landlord saw this, he took back the shop and rented it out again.

Now that Xia Qingshan has come back, the landlord was scared. Before Xia Qingshan could talk to the city’s officials, the landlord quickly found a new shop for Xia Qingshan. It’s still being decorated.

Before the shop even opened, Xia Qingshan started doing business. Unfortunately, no one dares to come in yet. Everyone is watching from a distance. Some think Xia Qingshan is too mysterious.

"Don’t run!"

When Xia Qingshan saw Lin Jiang, he wanted to run away. But Lin Jiang shouted. Why run? You should be afraid of me!

"Friend Li, I don’t have money."

Xia Qingshan sadly explained that even the lowest grade spiritual treasures are too expensive, costing billions of spirit stones. He couldn’t afford them, not to mention the interest.

"Did I come to ask you for money?"

"Ah, Taoist Friend Li, you are a good person."

"Let’s go somewhere to have tea, please have tea with me."

"Thank you, Taoist Friend Li."

Lin Jiang found a tea house, got a private room, and invited Xia Qingshan for tea.

"Taoist Friend Li, why are you looking at me like that?"

"It’s nothing."

Lin Jiang shook his head, he was checking if Xia Qingshan was actually drinking the tea. Having grown up in a rural area with many supernatural stories, he had heard a lot of tales about ghosts and monsters. If Xia Qingshan couldn’t even drink the tea, there might be a problem.

Unfortunately, Xia Qingshan was behaving completely normal now, just like a living person.

"Taoist Friend Li, why did you come today…"

"Do you think you’re talented? Want to be friends? What do you think of Mr. Li?"

"I think so, I think so! Taoist Friend Li is obviously a very talented person, outstanding among others, and also very charming and handsome…"

Xia Qingshan has already praised him with all the words he can remember, he must take good care of him as a debtor.

"Taoist Friend Xia, where are you from?"

"I forgot."

"Forgot?"

"Yes, I forgot many things. I even forgot what I looked like when I was a child."

"How could that be?"

"Who knows, but I practice celestial divination, able to foresee fate. Forgetting things is normal, it’s a way of self-protection for me. Knowing too much is not good."

Xia Qingshan said Lin Jiang was looking at him. Xia Qingshan looked sincere and didn’t seem to be lying.

"Taoist Friend Xia doesn’t seem to care about forgotten things."

"Why worry so much? The mysteries of fate tell me that in life, we must go with the flow. If I have lost my memories, there must be a reason. It could be something unhappy, like having a powerful enemy. Isn’t it troublesome and unnecessary to think about it?"

"You’re absolutely right, Taoist Friend Xia. Your mysteries of fate are remarkable. In the world of cultivation, only you can foresee a cultivator’s fate. Others are just pretending."

"Haha, Taoist Friend Li, you truly understand. My mysteries of fate are indeed powerful."

"Can you tell me more? I am very curious."

"Um, well…"

"Alright, I will waive this year’s interest."

"In fact, being a cultivator is difficult because their destinies are unpredictable."

"Can run?"

Lin Jiang was extremely surprised. What kind of theory was this? How could a cultivator’s fate be related to running ability?

"Yes, simply the ability to run."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about those ordinary people. How far from their birthplace can they go in their lifetime?"

"Traveling a hundred miles is considered far. Many people never leave the village they were born in."

"That’s right. The ancient secret technique says, there is cause and effect in this world. The more places we cultivators travel to, the more causes and effects we encounter. Our future becomes more mysterious and unpredictable. On the other hand, ordinary people spend their whole lives in one small place, encountering fewer causes and effects. So, calculating their fate is simpler."

"I see now."

Lin Jiang was a bit speechless. Was the logic of these words correct? It didn’t seem right, but Lin Jiang didn’t feel like arguing at that moment.

"So, cultivators are different. They have a lot of karma to deal with, and on top of that, other fortune tellers are not skilled enough. It would be strange if they could predict things accurately."

"How about Taoist Friend Xia predicts for me?"

"You can’t predict for me."

"Why can’t I predict for you again?"

"I’m not sure. My divination skills are not that mystical. When I read fortunes for people, I mostly rely on reading their faces. However, Taoist Friend Li’s face is unclear to me, making it hard to read. Taoist Friend Li must have some treasure that can block divination."

"I have many treasures on me, but I don’t know which one it is. Can Taoist Friend Xia create a treasure that blocks divination?"

Lin Jiang said in a vague way, unsure of the reason. He suspected it was the system, but couldn’t say for sure.

"Of course! That’s our specialty. We like predicting others’ destinies, but don’t like others predicting ours."

"Can Taoist Friend Xia help in creating one?"

"This…"

"The interest for these two years…"

"Don’t ask me for interest in ten years. I will help you refine a good thing. It can’t only shield you from heavenly secrets, but also shield other tracking techniques, such as scent tracking and bloodline tracking."

"Deal."

Lin Jiang was overjoyed, this was truly a pleasant surprise, he really needed this kind of treasure.

·······

Xia Qingshan was very troubled, he hadn’t been working for a month. This time he came back, his storage bag was stolen by someone. But he couldn’t remember it, all he knew was that he was broke.

"It’s so hard to get through the days without money, what are you all afraid of?"

Xia Qingshan was very angry. In his memory, he had finally made a name for himself in Tianxian City and made some money, but now it was all gone. It was that Yu Hailong from the Shenmu Sect, he really wanted to curse him.

"Friend Xia who practices Taoism"

"Friend Li who practices Taoism, why have you come again?"

"You said you were helping me make treasures, come see if there’s any news."

Lin Jiang sat down heavily, then took out lots of food and fine wine. Xia Qingshan, with his Soul Changing cultivation, naturally didn’t need to eat, but he seemed to keep this habit and also had a lot to say.

"That Taoist Friend Li, something unexpected happened. It’s been so long and no one has come to me for fortune-telling. I have no income."

"Don’t worry, we are friends now. This matter is not urgent."

Lin Jiang laughed, saying, "Many people in Tianxian City have come to see if Xia Qingshan is human or ghost, but no one has come to ask for fortune-telling. They are all scared. People are afraid of the unknown."

"Thank you for understanding, Friend Li."

"Have you heard, Friend Xia, another genius from the Shenmu Sect has died. In just this half a month, the Shenmu Sect has had frequent troubles."

Lin Jiang said, Shenmu Sect is cursed, so Shenmu Sect is getting a lot of attention. Shenmu Sect has lost many people in the past half month. Some were possessed while in seclusion, some were killed by enemies, and some died at the hands of the Wilderness demon clan.

No matter the cause of death, they are all blaming Xia Qingshan’s curse now.

"It’s not me."

"I didn’t say it was you."

"When you bring this up, aren’t you trying to get information from me, Taoist Friend Li? I really don’t know what’s going on. I’ve lost my memory for over half a year. I don’t even know what I’ve done."

Xia Qingshan felt like he was going crazy. He truly didn’t know, his memory was completely gone.

"Haha, don’t panic, Taoist Friend Xia. I’m not a part of Shenmu Sect. Whether they live or die, it has nothing to do with me."

"Let’s not talk about this, okay? I get upset when this topic comes up."

"Okay, let’s talk about the cultivation world. Taoist Friend Xia, what do you think of the cultivation world?"

Lin Jiang said that he came to get information, why else would he take this risk? He is also afraid of Xia Qingshan’s spells. Swords can protect, but how to defend against curses?

"When danger comes from the sky, stars move and change. When danger comes from the earth, dragons and snakes appear. When danger comes from people, the world will be in chaos."

"What does that mean?"

"The situation is critical."

"Speaking in riddles is not fun, just say it plainly."

"Destiny cannot be revealed. What I can say is that in this world, chaos and clarity are merging, destruction and new beginnings coexist, death and life are in balance. Either face destruction or embrace rebirth. For cultivators, it means a critical situation."

Xia Qingshan shook his head and said that a proposition involving a cultivation world is huge. He cannot explain clearly, even if he knows, he wouldn’t dare to say. Revealing destiny, perhaps afraid of living too comfortably?

Lin Jiang pondered over Xia Qingshan’s words about survival and destruction. Is it a hint at achieving immortality or bringing about the end of the world? Is it a coincidence? Is Xia Qingshan’s origin related to this?