Chapter 34: [Sinister and Poisonous]

Chen Yan lay on the ground for a full ten minutes before catching his breath, slowly sitting up.

As for the true target found by the curse incantation tracking technique—something about Gangcheng, along with Lu Sisi's eight characters and fate pattern—Chen Yan had temporarily set those aside.

After all...

How could other people's matters be more important than one's own?

His first action was to raise the thumb wearing the thumb ring close to his eyes and examine it carefully.

During the spellcasting just now, the paper doll curse incantation had consumed a great deal; he had clearly been too weak to sustain it, yet at the critical moment, a surge of pure primal energy suddenly flowed from within the thumb ring, supporting him to continue the spell.

And once the spell was completed, that primal energy vanished immediately, and the thumb ring returned to its original state.

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes, pondering in his heart.

This item left behind by Old Grandma is indeed a treasure.

It's just... since you left it to me, you should have at least left an instruction manual!!

Chen Yan immediately sat cross-legged, activated the Primal Energy Circulation Technique, and gradually recondensed primal energy into his body. Then, he attempted once again to infuse the condensed primal energy into the thumb ring.

The thumb ring remained as before: you input primal energy, and it simply absorbs it.

It seemed like a bottomless pit; however much you input, it could contain that much.

Chen Yan sat on the ground like this for nearly another hour, repeatedly trying, yet still found no clue.

After more than an hour, Chen Yan's legs had gone numb from sitting; realizing further attempts would yield no results, he slowly rose from the ground, twisted his waist, kicked his legs, and stretched his limbs.

With a hint of reluctance, he carefully slipped the thumb ring back onto his thumb.

Only then did he free up his mental focus, his gaze drifting to the paper doll inscribed with eight characters lying on the floor of the room.

During the spellcasting, the paper doll had floated into the air, walking through the void; once the spell ceased, it fell to the ground.

Chen Yan walked over, picked up the paper doll, and examined it in his hand. A thought struck him; he gave it a casual shake, silently recited the incantation, and the paper doll slowly began to burn in his hand, instantly turning to ash and vanishing.

"Since I've already gotten involved, I suppose I must see it through."

Chen Yan cleared his thoughts and returned to sit at the workbench.

Recalling the details before and after the spellcasting just now, he then deduced several leads.

"A person cannot have two fate patterns?" That statement isn't accurate enough.

People can indeed have different fate patterns; for instance, a fate pattern might have been terrible before, but later, encountering some miraculous event or a benefactor could turn it around...

But a person cannot simultaneously possess two fate patterns!

Therefore, Lu Sisi's situation must hold some secret.

One person cannot simultaneously enjoy both fortune and prosperity while also bearing the Seven Extremes Fate.

That paper doll, made by blending Lu Sisi's own blood and hair ash, cannot be faked!

It must have been drawn by Lu Sisi's own primordial spirit!

As for the paper figure inscribed with the eight characters, then...

The eight characters were told to him personally by Lu Sisi; the young Miss's nature is not to lie, so she did not deceive him.

But these eight characters... were calculated by a master in Gangcheng for Lu Sisi when she was young.

Could these birth eight characters be false?

Unlikely; Lu Sisi's birthday, year, month, day, and hour were all told to Chen Yan.

The young Miss herself spoke clearly of her birthday and the hour of her birth.

Chen Yan calculated it again based on this.

The eight characters are correct!

So the eight characters are also genuine.

These eight characters indicate a fate pattern of both fortune and prosperity: a life smooth sailing, with wealth and career flourishing, plus a peaceful household and continuing descendants—a superior fate of wealth and nobility, not the utmost grade, but certainly superior.

The utmost grade must be one where a person reaches the highest ministerial rank or becomes the wealthiest in the world.

Anything beyond that is an imperial fate pattern, outside this category.

Even a supreme fate of wealth and nobility is not necessarily perfect; as the saying goes, the moon waxes and wanes, a person's fate pattern cannot be a hexagonal warrior, good in every aspect.

Where one aspect is particularly excellent, another must be comparatively weaker.

Therefore, a supreme fate of wealth and nobility often comes with other issues—I won't elaborate.

However, Lu Sisi's superior fate of wealth and nobility, in Chen Yan's view, is what he considers the best.

Wealth and nobility not at the supreme level, yet sufficient for enjoyment, without affecting other aspects of fortune too severely due to excess; it counts as a small hexagon.

Truly, it is that kind of best human fate of wealth, nobility, and carefree freedom.

How could such a wonderful human fate of wealth, nobility, and carefree freedom have turned into a Seven Extremes Fate pattern?

Chen Yan let out a cold sneer.

The eight characters were calculated by a master in Gangcheng.

The Seven Extremes Fate pattern was also calculated by a master in Gangcheng.

A fate of wealth and nobility was declared to be a Seven Extremes Fate.

And just now, when my curse incantation tracking technique investigated, the eight characters clearly belonged to Lu Sisi, yet the owner was in Gangcheng.

"Stealing fate numbers, swapping fate patterns?"

A chill ran down Chen Yan's spine; this method is truly sinister and poisonous.

That master in Gangcheng who declared the young Miss's auspicious eight characters to be a Seven Extremes Fate must have a problem!

·

Lu Sisi had already returned to the school.

It was only her first semester of freshman year; winter break was approaching, and recently, exams for all subjects were underway, so hardly anyone was in the dormitory.

At this time, whether top students or poor students, everyone was studying hard in the school library.

Top students, needless to say.

Poor students, on the other hand, all have to cram at the last minute.

When Lu Sisi returned to the dormitory, the room was empty. She put her things down and went to wash her face first.

The young girl looked at the scrape on her forehead in the mirror, a little worried: Would it leave a scar?

But then she just laughed at herself.

With her own fate like this, what difference does a scar on her face make? Was she planning to find a boyfriend or something?

How could that possibly happen?

When she had just entered university as a freshman, Lu Sisi, with her delicate and pretty looks and that cute little bunny-like air about her, had indeed attracted quite a few boys.

There were boys who courted her favor. During military training, boys would come over to ask after her with concern, senior students would bring her drinks, pursue her enthusiastically, and on the last day of military training someone even publicly gave her flowers.

Then, the boy from her own class who had been courting her collapsed from heatstroke the very next day during drills, hit his head, and was laid up with a concussion for several days.

And the senior who had brought her water seemed to have taken a fall while playing basketball—rumor had it he tore his meniscus, and for two whole months afterward, whenever she ran into him on campus, he was walking with a crutch.

Lu Sisi got scared, so she kept her distance from crowds, dodging away whenever she saw a boy. Then classmates started spreading rumors that she was cold and aloof, and didn't like dealing with people.

Gradually, fewer and fewer boys came around to invite a rebuff.

As for the girls… even her dormmates were rather cold toward her.

It wasn't out of any ill will: if you avoid me, why would I come plastering myself in front of you?

·

Lu Sisi carefully tidied her hair in front of the mirror, then applied medicine to the wound on her forehead herself, found a piece of gauze, and re-bandaged the wound on her forehead.

Looking down and seeing that stack of yellow paper talismans in the bag, Lu Sisi's heart stirred.

That Chen Yan… though strange, seemed to really have some odd ability.

Besides, she had paid him for it.

Why not… give it a try?

·

As for candles, the dorm had them—Lu Sisi had bought them last month when the power went out. At the time her dormmates had laughed at her: what era is this, someone still buys candles?

Doesn't every phone have a flashlight function?

But Lu Sisi didn't say anything—you lot have never experienced the kind of rotten luck where the power's out and your phone is dead too.

Lu Sisi dug out the candle and lit it, then recalled the posture Chen Yan had taught her for lighting the talisman.

Right hand in a fist, index and middle fingers extended and pressed together, the yellow talisman pinched between the fingers, brought up to the candle flame to ignite…

Fwoosh!!

Lu Sisi got a fright!

Who knew what material this yellow paper talisman was made of? The instant it met fire, it went up in a flash!

She flinched and let go in shock, eyes wide as she stared at the already-burnt talisman—only a wisp of pale smoke curling remained.

And that wisp of smoke, she unconsciously inhaled a breath of it up her nose…

Achoo!!

Lu Sisi sneezed.

Suddenly, she felt her body seem to jolt, then tremble all over a few times.

Yet instead… there was a faint, faint warmth, a feeling as if it were quite pleasant.

"Does that count as… lighting it?"

Lu Sisi, still half in a daze, put her things away, then checked the time—it was about time to eat.

She carefully took her bag, double-checked her meal card, and meticulously shut the dormitory windows and door, carefully checking the water and light switches.

Going downstairs, Lu Sisi walked very slowly, one step at a time, head lowered, watching her own feet.

Just as she stepped out of the dormitory building's door, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew toward her, and Lu Sisi instinctively turned sideways and ducked her head.

Splat!

On the ground beside her, a white stain had suddenly appeared.

Lu Sisi: "…………"

Bird droppings?

Lu Sisi looked up at the treetops overhead, then looked at the bird droppings on the ground.

If she hadn't turned sideways and ducked just now…

This would've landed on my clothes, right?

Huh?

A sudden light flickered in the girl's eyes!

Does this count as…

A stroke of luck?

Eighteen years of life, and this was the only thing in her life so far that could be called a piece of "good luck," wasn't it?

With a faint, hidden excitement and curiosity in her heart, and more than that a trace of anticipation for she knew not what, Lu Sisi headed toward the school cafeteria.

Along the roadside, head lowered, after walking like this for several dozen meters…

A small, square, black thing suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

She walked closer to look.

A wallet?

Lu Sisi's eyes went wide. She looked left and right, then bent down and picked it up.

"Whose wallet is this? Who dropped a wallet?" Lu Sisi held up the wallet and called out to either side a couple of times.

She was timid, her voice not actually very loud; there were few people on the road, and no one was drawn by her voice.

Lu Sisi hesitated for a moment, flipped open her wallet, and took a look. Two bank cards, and an ID card...

That was all.

There was no cash—these days, hardly anyone carried cash on them.

Indeed, even wallets were something young people had long stopped using.

The photo on the ID card showed a kind-looking Old Grandma, a face Lu Sisi knew very well, and the name even more so.

"Professor Zhao?"

·