Chapter 34: Chapter Twenty-Eight: [Cruel and Poisonous]

Chen Yan lay on the ground for a full ten minutes before he finally caught his breath and slowly sat up.

As for the main target found by the Spirit-Tracking Curse, places like Gangcheng, along with Lu Sisi’s birth details and destiny pattern, Chen Yan temporarily set them aside.

After all…

How could other people’s matters compare to his own?

His first action was to raise his thumb, encased in the ring, to eye level and examine it closely.

During the spellcasting, the paper doll Spirit-Tracking Curse had consumed immense energy—he had been utterly drained, yet at the critical moment, a pure stream of Qi suddenly surged from the ring, enabling him to continue the spell.

After the spell ended, that Qi vanished instantly, and the ring returned to its original state.

Chen Yan squinted, deep in thought.

The item left by Old Grandma was truly a treasure.

But… you gave me the thing, at least leave behind some instructions!!

Chen Yan immediately sat cross-legged, activated the Qi Circulation Technique, and painstakingly reassembled Qi into his body; then, he attempted to channel the gathered Qi into the ring.

The ring remained as before: whenever he input Qi, it simply absorbed it.

It was like an endless abyss—no matter how much he poured in, it could hold it all.

Chen Yan sat on the floor for nearly another hour, repeating the attempt, yet found no clue.

After over an hour, his legs went numb; realizing further effort was futile, he slowly rose, stretched his waist and kicked his legs to loosen his limbs.

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

Only now did he turn his attention to the paper doll on the floor, inscribed with the birth details.

During the spell, the doll had floated and walked through the air; once the spell ended, it fell to the ground.

Chen Yan walked over, picked it up, examined it, then flicked it lightly, murmured the incantation, and the paper doll slowly burned in his hand, turning instantly to ash and vanishing.

“Since I’ve meddled, I might as well see it through.”

Chen Yan gathered his thoughts and returned to the workbench, sitting down again.

He recalled every detail of the spellcasting, then pieced together several clues.

“A person cannot have two destiny patterns”—that’s not precise.

A person can indeed have different destiny patterns—for example, a once-terrible fate might be reversed by some miracle or the intervention of a benefactor.

But a person cannot simultaneously possess two destiny patterns!

Therefore, Lu Sisi’s case must conceal something.

No one can simultaneously have a destiny of abundant fortune and prosperity, and a Seven-Deadly-Flaws pattern.

The paper doll made with Lu Sisi’s own blood and ash from her hair could not be faked!

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

And the paper scrap inscribed with the birth details…

The birth details were told to me by Lu Sisi herself—her nature wouldn’t lie, so she didn’t deceive me.

But those birth details were given to her years ago by a master in Gangcheng.

Could those birth details be false?

Not likely—Lu Sisi had clearly told Chen Yan her year, month, day, and hour of birth.

The girl had stated her birth date and time with perfect clarity.

Chen Yan had calculated them himself.

The birth details were correct!

So the birth details were genuine.

This birth pattern was one of abundant fortune and prosperity: a life of smooth sailing, thriving wealth and career, harmonious household, and enduring offspring—a top-tier noble destiny—not the absolute peak, but still top-tier.

The absolute peak would be someone who attained the highest official rank or accumulated immense wealth across the land.

Beyond that was the Emperor’s destiny—outside this category.

Even the supreme noble destiny wasn’t flawless; as the moon waxes and wanes, no person’s destiny is a perfect hexagon with no weaknesses.

Where one aspect excels, another must suffer.

Thus, supreme noble destinies often carry hidden flaws—no need to elaborate.

In Chen Yan’s view, Lu Sisi’s top-tier noble destiny was the best kind.

Its wealth and status weren’t supreme, but sufficient for comfort, without overstepping and disrupting other aspects of fortune—it was a small hexagon.

Truly the ideal earthly destiny of noble ease and freedom.

How had such a perfect earthly destiny turned into a Seven-Deadly-Flaws pattern?

Chen Yan sneered.

The birth details were cast by a master in Gangcheng.

The Seven-Deadly-Flaws pattern was also calculated by a master in Gangcheng.

A noble destiny was falsely labeled as Seven-Deadly-Flaws.

And just now, my Spirit-Tracking Curse revealed that the true owner of these birth details was in Gangcheng.

“Stealing destiny, swapping fate?”

A chill ran down Chen Yan’s spine—this method was cruel and venomous.

The Gangcheng master who labeled Lu Sisi’s noble birth pattern as Seven-Deadly-Flaws must be involved!

·

Lu Sisi had returned to campus.

It was only her first semester as a freshman, nearing winter break, and these days all classes were holding exams—her dorm was nearly empty.

At this time, whether top student or slacker, all were studying in the campus library.

The top students, of course, needed no explanation.

The slackers? They were all frantically cramming.

When Lu Sisi returned to her dorm, the room was empty; she put down her things, washed her face first.

Looking at the scrape on her forehead in the mirror, she felt uneasy: would it leave a scar?

But then she laughed bitterly.

With her destiny, what did it matter if her face scarred? Did she plan to find a boyfriend?

Impossible.

At the start of freshman year, Lu Sisi’s delicate beauty and rabbit-like innocence had drawn many male admirers.

Some boys fawned over her—during military training, they came to check on her, upperclassmen brought her drinks, pursued her warmly, and even publicly presented her with flowers on the final day.

Then, the classmate who fawned over her collapsed from heatstroke the next day during drills, hit his head, and suffered a concussion, lying in bed for days.

The upperclassman who brought her water apparently twisted his knee while playing basketball—rumor had it his meniscus tore; for two full months afterward, he walked with a cane whenever they met on campus.

Lu Sisi grew afraid, withdrew from people, avoided males entirely—and classmates began gossiping that she was aloof and unfriendly.

Boys gradually stopped bothering her.

As for the girls—even those in her own dorm—were cold toward her.

Not out of malice: you avoid me, why should I chase after you?

·

Lu Sisi carefully combed her hair in the mirror, applied medicine to her forehead wound, then found a piece of gauze and re-pasted it over the injury.

Her eyes fell on the stack of yellow talismans in her bag, and her heart stirred.

That Chen Yan… was strange, but he seemed to truly possess odd abilities.

And she had paid him.

Why not… try?

·

Candles? Her dorm had some—bought last month during a power outage. Her roommates had mocked her: “What century are you from? Still buying candles?”

“Don’t phones have flashlights?”

But Lu Sisi said nothing—you’ve never experienced a power outage when your phone was dead too.

Lu Sisi pulled out a candle, lit it, then recalled Chen Yan’s instructions for lighting the talisman.

Right hand clenched, index and middle fingers extended and pressed together, holding the yellow talisman between them, bringing it close to the flame…

WHOOSH!!

Lu Sisi jumped in shock!

What was this yellow paper made of? The instant it touched fire, it burned away in a flash!

She startled, dropped it, stared wide-eyed as the talisman vanished—only a wisp of blue smoke lingered.

That wisp of smoke, unconsciously, she inhaled…

ACHOO!!

Lu Sisi sneezed.

Suddenly, she felt her body shudder, then tremble slightly.

Yet… a faint warmth spread through her, strangely comforting.

“So… that’s it?”

Lu Sisi, dazed, packed up her things, checked the time—it was dinner hour.

Carefully grabbing her bag, she double-checked her meal card, then meticulously closed all windows and doors, and verified the water and light switches.

Going downstairs, Lu Sisi walked slowly, step by step, eyes fixed on her feet.

Just stepping out of the dorm building, a sudden cold wind blew in her face, and Lu Sisi instinctively turned aside and lowered her head.

Plop!

A white stain suddenly appeared on the ground beside her.

Lu Sisi: “……”

Bird droppings?

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

If I hadn’t turned aside and lowered my head just now…

Wouldn’t this have landed on my clothes?

Huh?

A spark of light suddenly flashed in the girl’s eyes!

Is this…

Luck?

In her eighteen years of life, this was the one and only time she had ever encountered anything resembling “luck.”

With a faint thrill and curiosity in her heart, and a quiet, undefined hope she couldn’t name, Lu Sisi walked toward the school cafeteria.

Walking along the roadside, head down, after a few dozen meters…

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

She stepped closer to look.

A wallet?

Lu Sisi widened her eyes, glanced left and right, then bent down to pick it up.

“Whose wallet is this? Who lost a wallet?” Lu Sisi called out, holding up the wallet to either side.

She was timid; her voice wasn’t loud, and there weren’t many people on the path—no one paid attention.

Lu Sisi hesitated, then opened the wallet and took a look: two bank cards, and an ID card…

That was all.

No cash—these days, hardly anyone carried cash anymore.

Even wallets themselves had long since fallen out of favor among young people.

The photo on the ID showed a kind-looking old woman, and Lu Sisi recognized that face—she knew the name even better.

“Professor Zhao?”

·