Chapter 198: Guimei: The Delayed Time

The rain fell in an unbroken downpour.

Lu Xingzhou huddled in a mountain cave with a fire going, roasting sweet potatoes with Anuo.

Ye Tinglan leaned against the cave wall with her eyes closed, resting, minding nothing.

Anuo sniffed and muttered, "Not as good as A-Luo. She could at least be of some help."

Lu Xingzhou gave a "shh," and Anuo clapped a hand over her mouth.

The old woman was not to be offended.

Setting everything else aside, if not for the old woman, once everyone left the capital they should have been fighting bloody battles the whole way.

—Back in the capital it looked safe only because the Huo family or the Prince of Jin didn't dare act up in the capital city, fearing public opinion; even so, it was dancing with one's head hung by the neck. Once out of the capital, the jianghu surged, and who cared how you died.

The reason Lu Xingzhou was willing to leave so quietly was, among other things, that he didn't want to be tailed. He hadn't reached third grade and couldn't fly; on the road he was flying by wheelchair, and the speed was embarrassingly slow — making him very easy to chase down and kill.

In his heart, Lady Ye was a first grade, but the combined forces on the other side added up to several first grades.

Besides, Lady Ye's previous battle had been dragged down by the death warriors' suicides, which lowered Lu Xingzhou's assessment of her—sure enough, it was the old alchemist's flaw: looking very strong but not tough enough in real combat.

But no matter how not-tough-enough, she was still a first grade; if he didn't want to be hacked to death by a mob of axe-wielders, he'd better honestly curry favor.

On the road, passing through a town, he'd originally planned to go in and find an inn to stay the night, but the old woman refused, saying they should press on, so he had no choice but to keep flying the wheelchair. In the end, flying into the night, the rain poured down in sheets, visibility ahead was too low, and it really wasn't suitable for night travel, so he had to descend into the mountains and find a cave to hole up in.

They could have stayed at an inn earlier... The grievance on Anuo's face was nearly overflowing.

If he hadn't happened to bring a few sweet potatoes, at this point everyone wouldn't even have anything to eat.

"Ahem." Lu Xingzhou took a roasted sweet potato and held it up to Ye Tinglan's face: "Would you like some, Mr.? Make do with what we have."

Ye Tinglan didn't even open her eyes: "I have no need to eat."

"I can also go many days without eating... but this is about still having basic human habits, isn't it? The appetite is here." Lu Xingzhou was fishing for information, trying to figure out exactly how old this Mr. was.

Both Shen Tang and Pei Chuyun reached third grade right beside him, yet afterward they still ate as usual — Pei Chuyun even fought Anuo for buns.

Only after cultivating long enough would one slowly shed these human habits... this Mr. was very likely over a hundred years old.

Ye Tinglan didn't answer, only said: "With only that few sweet potatoes, you and Anuo should eat them yourselves."

"Don't you think they smell good?"

"Not as fragrant as a medicinal pill." Ye Tinglan said: "If you have the spare time to roast sweet potatoes, you might as well refine a pill."

What a boring old woman.

At a time like this Lu Xingzhou had originally intended to cultivate anyway, and didn't need her to say so. But humans are strange creatures — clearly he wanted to cultivate on his own, yet when the Mr. stern-facedly told him to go cultivate, he didn't want to go instead.

Lu Xingzhou simply sat beside her, peeling the sweet potato skin, eating it with relish, and even letting out satisfied sighs.

Ye Tinglan, caught between laughter and tears, opened her eyes: "Are you ever going to grow up?"

"Just chatting." Lu Xingzhou said: "Mr. only told me to head west, and still hasn't said where we plan to go."

"I also need to divine and pinpoint the location. The direction is west anyway, isn't that good for you too? Don't you yourself feel an arrow-like longing to return to Danxia Mountain?"

"I do. I've been away four months, and I really want to know how the sect is doing." Lu Xingzhou said: "Although Mr. always treats me in your heart as if I were from Yanluo Hall, in fact my sect is the Heavenly Sword Sect, and I hope in the future Mr. will change your view."

"Whose guest retainer has this kind of sense of belonging? If only you had a proper official post, outsiders' perception of you would be different. So why doesn't Shen Tang give you a proper official post?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "I'm still their landlord — why would I want an official post? Better to think of myself as a partner. Isn't it only right for a partner to have a sense of belonging?"

Not giving a proper official post was, of course, because she didn't want to clearly establish a "superior-subordinate relationship," which would give the more old-fashioned among them something to say when it came to romance. The current arrangement was perfect — being superior and subordinate meant she could buff his attack speed, yet not really being superior and subordinate meant she could explain things to others; the sect master and the landlord getting together was none of your damn business.

Only, A-Tang's study results were too ideal, lacking any drama.

"Partner..." A strange look flickered across Ye Tinglan's face.

If Shen Tang's goal is the throne, then do you know the value of being her partner?

Back in the day, the Gu clan's ancestor's partner was their own Tianyao Holy Land.

This Lu Xingzhou's mindset had been pretty lofty from the very start... he wasn't at all what outsiders assumed — someone who had joined the Heavenly Sword Sect.

"Here..." Lu Xingzhou still pinched off a small piece of sweet potato and held it to Ye Tinglan's lips.

It really did smell quite good...

Ye Tinglan, wearing her veil, looked at the sweet potato right before her eyes, hesitating slightly.

"Mr., you really do overthink everything." Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Can you just be a person?"

Clearly it was a kind remark, so why did it sound so off? Ye Tinglan took the sweet potato in no good mood: "You're the one not being a person."

Saying so, she lifted one corner of her veil and swiftly tucked the sweet potato into her red lips.

Usually when he watched her drink water, those red lips weren't unseen, but watching them flash by at this moment made them seem especially alluring.

Perhaps it was because outside the rain poured in torrents, while inside the cave the bonfire was warm and the beauty was like jade. Ye Tinglan never imagined this fellow could watch someone eating and get restless thoughts, and she quickly said with a stern face: "Fine, done eating, go do whatever you're supposed to do, I'll do a bit of divination."

Lu Xingzhou tilted his head and watched her for a while — actually, you quite want to be a person, don't you...

Then what's got you showing off in such a repressed way?

He didn't say more, just rose to his full height, smiling: "Then I'll go cultivate. Speaking of which, Mr. could also teach Anuo some divination."

Ye Tinglan said stern-faced: "I'm only a Mr. at the Alchemy Academy, bringing along alchemy apprentices, not a real master. Other skills have nothing to do with me."

Anuo hugged her knees and said: "I don't even want to learn. Mr.'s divination is definitely nothing special — at least not as good as your alchemy."

"?" Ye Tinglan laughed despite herself: "Provocation doesn't work on me, little thing."

It's not provocation — you just can't see that you're about to be a junior. Anuo turned her head to size up Ye Tinglan again, but unfortunately the concealment was too much at this point, and she couldn't make anything out.

"Want to divine me again?" Ye Tinglan smiled: "How about this — you divine the fortune of our journey, and I'll see exactly what level your divination is at."

You still say provocation doesn't work, so what are you doing right now?

Anuo grumbled inwardly, reached out, grabbed some copper coins and tossed them casually, looked at the trigram lines on the ground, counted on her fingers, and her little face suddenly looked a bit off.

Ye Tinglan smiled: "What, did you divine something?"

"Thunder above, Lake below — the Guimei hexagram." Anuo's heart went weak. On the surface the Guimei hexagram seemed to be about marriage, but in fact it could stand for many things; interpreted from the angle of "the fortune of this journey," it was an inauspicious hexagram.

Guimei: Going brings ill fortune; nothing is of benefit.

Heaven and earth do not mingle, and the ten thousand things do not flourish.

Compared to the "Gradual" hexagram, which is also related to marriage, the omen here is far worse; "The wild goose gradually approaches the land" sounds auspicious, but this "Marriage of the Younger Sister" suggests nothing will flourish.

Ye Tinglan glanced over, unbothered, and smiled, "Calculate the six lines again."

A Nuo carefully calculated for a long while, then scratched her head, "Initial Nine."

Initial Nine. The younger sister marries as a concubine; though lame, she can walk; the journey is auspicious.

Suddenly it became an auspicious hexagram, eh?

So what's the point of divination anyway? Auspicious and inauspicious keep changing; you can always find a reason for either.

But if this hexagram had appeared a few months ago, it would have been quite fitting; even a cripple can walk, how suitable for Master. Now that Master isn't lame anymore, what does this hexagram mean?

And that "younger sister" has two interpretations. It can mean a concubine, or it can mean bringing a younger sister along as a dowry.

What does that mean in this context... did I calculate fortune or misfortune?

Ye Tinglan said coldly, "Calculating blindly; when you divined, were you thinking of fortune and misfortune, or just daydreaming about something else?"

A Nuo still scratched her head, uncertain, eh.

"Never mind," Ye Tinglan said. "You are not quite suited for divination... It is not that your talent is insufficient, but because your heart is not calm or sincere, and too flighty. You can learn it for fun, but if you specialize in it, you might be led astray."

A Nuo said, "I was just doing it for fun anyway; Master doesn't even like this, so I'm too lazy to learn."

Ye Tinglan looked at Lu Xingzhou and said nothing. Many cultivators dislike the Way of Divination; she could understand that, but divination is truly not the opportunistic, self-deceiving trickery that its opponents believe it to be.

Very often, it is merely a guide or hint for a confused soul, or simply psychological comfort.

She secretly calculated it herself.

This hexagram is a bit strange... it seems to be constantly changing, or perhaps many of the images and lines match up.

Such a hexagram of change generally should not appear in the "Marriage of the Younger Sister" image; this hexagram should be quite stable by rights... It is because Lu Xingzhou himself is a bit problematic; hexagrams involving him are often ambiguous and full of changes, not something an ordinary person can calculate.

For instance, what A Nuo calculated as the Initial Nine was not wrong... it means someone will help, so the journey is auspicious.

As for marrying a concubine? Bringing a sister as a dowry? Are you kidding?

The six lines rotated, finally stopping at the Nine in the Fourth Place.

The marriage of the younger sister is delayed; a late return has its time.

The will of the delayed return is to wait before acting.

That's right... in terms of calculating fortune and misfortune, this is a guide not to be hasty, to wait for the right moment; although it may cause a delay, one can still wait for the appropriate opportunity. It fits the goal and prediction of this journey well; receiving the guidance not to be hasty is the value of divination.

It seems the original thought of a one-month return was too early; the time limit might need to be extended...

This isn't about calculating a marriage; an old woman doesn't marry, waiting until she is an old woman, just to wait for that suitable husband.

Who calculated that?

Lu Xingzhou watched from the side for a long time, truly unable to understand this mess, so he asked, "Mr., how is it?"

"Of course it is an auspicious hexagram," Ye Tinglan explained briefly. "You are also a Dao cultivator; you cannot be completely ignorant of hexagrams. This calculation was not very deep, merely a foundation; you can learn it too, at least you should understand the concepts."

"I understand the basic concepts," Lu Xingzhou said, looking at this mess, thinking silently that it was too troublesome. I know a similar hexagram text; it is concise and clear at a glance: "The withered poplar blooms."

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PS: A new volume, and coincidentally the last day of this month; does anyone have any monthly tickets left?

(End of Chapter)