Chapter 288: Divination and Calamity

"I love it! I absolutely love traveling!"

After hesitating for less than a breath, Jiang Mingzhi decisively added a new hobby of loving to travel for himself.

I absolutely love traveling.

I love traveling!

"Good, I didn't expect you to love traveling so much. Look, I am also traveling right now; shall we travel together?"

"Being able to travel with you, Daoist, is my good fortune!"

Hearing this, Ren Yidao patted Jiang Mingzhi on the shoulder and nodded in satisfaction.

This young man is very sensible.

He has a future; I think highly of you.

With his shoulder being patted with loud thuds, the sincere smile on Jiang Mingzhi's face became increasingly natural.

Ah, yes, yes, yes.

Everything you say is right; if you say it is so, then it is so. I will not argue.

Since he had already said as much, Jiang Mingzhi entered the flow of things, patted his chest, and said:

"I truly love it! Daoist, you can go find anyone to ask; throughout the Jiang Kingdom, who doesn't know that what I, Jiang Mingzhi, love most is traveling?"

"Oh? Since you are so confident, then I really will go find someone to ask?"

"Cough, cough, cough! That, um, I just remembered something!"

Jiang Mingzhi stopped Ren Yidao, who was planning to randomly select a lucky audience member, and changed the subject: "Daoist, you don't have a place to stay in the city yet, right? Why not stay at my residence for a while?"

As the host, this was the proper etiquette for receiving a guest.

But unexpectedly, Ren Yidao refused without even thinking.

"No, we will not be staying long in Jiang City."

Not even for a single night?

Hesitating for a moment, Jiang Mingzhi asked: "Then when shall we depart?"

"Let's make it today. Hmm, let's depart in one hour!"

It's been two lifetimes; it's time for a spontaneous trip!

Senior Sister is so big, I want to go... oh, the world is so big, I want to go see it!

"Mingzhi, what do you think?"

"I..."

To be honest, Jiang Mingzhi felt some hesitation in his heart regarding this invitation.

Logically speaking, when dealing with Ren Yidao, Jiang Mingzhi did not need to be so servile.

Even if they were not enemies, he did not need to act like a sycophant.

It really wasn't necessary.

He was of royal blood, the future Jiang King; even if Ren Yidao were powerful now, he might not necessarily be able to provide him with anything in the future.

And the reason that would make him, the eldest Prince of the Jiang Kingdom, so sensible and obedient was actually not that complicated.

Jiang Mingzhi had a reason he had to do this.

Intuition.

After Jiang Mingzhi gave up his desperate resistance, he actually saw a vague omen on Ren Yidao.

The status of the Jiang Kingdom in the Eastern Wasteland was somewhat different from other vassal states; even among the first tier, it was considered transcendent.

Because a long, long time ago, when the entire Eastern Wasteland was still composed of various tribes, the Jiang Family was already famous for the Witch Sacrifice Art.

The Jiang Family was skilled in divination, star-gazing, and sacrificial rites... The Jiang King was the head of the Jiang Family and, furthermore, the Great Priest of the various tribes of the Eastern Wasteland at that time.

The Eastern Wasteland Lord changed from generation to generation, but the position of Great Priest was always held by someone from the Jiang Family.

Even today, with the various tribes of the Eastern Wasteland split and divided, and respect for the Chu King only remaining on the surface, most still held an attitude of keeping a respectful distance from "diviners" like the Jiang Family.

There was no need to be deliberately reverent, but one would not intentionally provoke them either.

And by now, although the Jiang Family no longer relied on the Witch Sacrifice Art to establish themselves, the Secret Technique had still been passed down.

In this generation, Jiang Mingzhi, as the eldest Prince, was particularly skilled in the Divination Art.

Relying on his life-bound Star Plate, he could calculate some of the calamities he would face.

Over so many years, Jiang Mingzhi had only failed once!

That time in the Eastern Wasteland, he had originally calculated that he would encounter a massive stroke of good fortune, and he had gone off happily to find it, but in the end, he ran into that damnable Ren Yidao, who threatened him...

No, it could also be considered twice.

Just today, before bringing people to intercept Ren Yidao, he had habitually cast a divination, which showed that everything would go smoothly for him.

Judging by the result, things were indeed resolved very smoothly... for Ren Yidao.

And after choosing to submit out of fear, Jiang Mingzhi subconsciously cast another divination.

And this time, the hexagram was the fundamental reason that truly changed his attitude.

Jiang Mingzhi calculated that he would soon face a fatal calamity!

The hexagram showed that not only would he die and his Dao dissipate, but everything he possessed would become a wedding dress for someone else, and everything would come to nothing!

This hexagram seemed to be alarmist; as a dignified eldest Prince, how could he so easily meet such a tragic end?

The answer was... he would.

As the eldest Prince, Jiang Mingzhi's life was not as stable as outsiders imagined.

Even setting aside the hundreds of brothers who were constantly eyeing his position, the attitude of the Jiang King was the most important thing.

Jiang Mingzhi's father, Jiang Wanxiong, had not relinquished power and had always kept real authority firmly in his own hands.

As the eldest Prince, the only force Jiang Mingzhi could mobilize was the group that had just intercepted Ren Yidao; those above that level only took orders from the Jiang King alone.

Jiang Mingzhi would absolutely not sit by and watch such a thing happen, and the method he calculated to break the deadlock... lay with the person before him.

Ren Yidao was the person to break the deadlock!

Therefore, no matter what Ren Yidao said or wanted, he had to cling tightly to this thigh.

Never mind where you are traveling to; I don't know, and I dare not ask too much, so I'll just follow along.

"Fine, I am willing to accompany the Daoist."

Having weighed the pros and cons in his heart, Jiang Mingzhi nodded and smiled.

Seeing that Jiang Mingzhi agreed so readily, Ren Yidao did not push his luck, but instead reminded him:

"Are you not going back to tell your family? We are departing in one hour, you know."

Jiang Mingzhi thought for a moment; although leaving privately was not a major matter, he still needed to make some arrangements.

"Then Daoist, please follow me to the mansion first. I will arrange some trivial matters, and we shall depart in one hour."

"No need. You go and make your arrangements; I will naturally come to find you when the time comes."

"That is also fine."

……

……

Eldest Prince Mansion.

"All of you, be quick with your hands and feet! If you delay the Eldest Prince's itinerary, none of you will be able to escape!"

Yu Qiuyi stood with her hands on her hips, directing the few young maids under her to quickly pack clothes and daily necessities in the room.

After working for a long time, they finally managed to prepare everything needed before the deadline, and had the waiting servants carry it to the Eldest Prince's study.

After finishing their work, the other maids left to attend to their own duties, leaving only the young maid Hu Zhuzhu, who had previously snuck off to gossip with Yu Qiuyi, to approach her again.

"Sister Yu, what is going on?"

She first looked around with a guilty conscience, then whispered:

"Is the Eldest Prince going out?"

The young girl's face was flushed, and her eyes seemed to be twinkling with little stars, looking completely infatuated.

"Yes, the Eldest Prince mentioned this as soon as he returned to the mansion, and arranged for us to have everything prepared within half an hour."

"Oh~"

Hu Zhuzhu blinked, then asked again:

"Did the Eldest Prince say where he is going?"

But this time, Yu Qiuyi did not indulge her; her expression changed, and she scolded sternly:

"Hu Zhuzhu! Do you even understand the rules! Is this something you should be asking!?"

"What do you want to do with this information? Are you planning to conspire with outsiders to harm the Eldest Prince?"

Hu Zhuzhu was startled, her whole body began to tremble, and she tried hard to bite her lip.

"Sister Yu, I, I didn't, I didn't mean that..."

The young maid was clearly frightened; she subconsciously stepped backward, but accidentally tripped and sat down on the floor.

"Sigh!"

Seeing Hu Zhuzhu's posture, Yu Qiuyi softened a little, sighing as she reached out to help her up.

While brushing the dust off her backside, she whispered in her ear:

"I know you didn't mean that, but what if these words reach someone else's ears? What would they think?"

"I've told you so many times, ask what you should ask, and don't ask what you shouldn't! Do you understand?"

After being comforted for a while, Hu Zhuzhu finally wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, lowered her head, and admitted her mistake:

"I'm sorry, Sister Yu, I shouldn't have made things difficult for you."

Yu Qiuyi waved her hand indifferently and said earnestly:

"It's nothing on my end, but you must never ask such sensitive questions to others again in the future."

"Our families are old friends, which is why I'm advising you; if not for this relationship, I wouldn't bother caring whether you live or die."

Yu Qiuyi snorted twice at the dazed, foolish girl in front of her, turned, and walked out, leaving her alone in the room.

This Hu Zhuzhu was clearly a quite clever little girl when she was young, so how did she become so much more foolish after growing up?

Was she truly blinded by love? Or was there someone behind the scenes directing her?

"Heh, whatever. It has nothing to do with me anyway."

In her final year at the mansion, Yu Qiuyi sought no merit, only to avoid mistakes; she just wanted to leave this place safely and did not want to get involved in anything else.

And after Yu Qiuyi left, Hu Zhuzhu's expression gradually changed.

Squinting as she watched Yu Qiuyi's back walk away, the young girl put away her pitiful expression and raised her hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Heh!"

Hu Zhuzhu sneered, her entire temperament changed, she tossed her hair, curled her lip, and said:

"Just a meddlesome person."

"If it weren't for the fact that you've actually been quite good to me, I would have made you understand the consequences of speaking to me like that long ago!"

Hu Zhuzhu poked her head out to look outside the room, and after confirming no one was around, she closed the door.

Hu Zhuzhu raised her hand to remove her hairpin, letting her coiled long hair fall loose.

With her hair draped down, she projected her divine sense into the hairpin, silently transmitting a message.

"Urgent message! Jiang Mingzhi is about to leave Jiang City! Destination unknown!"

"Urgent message! Jiang Mingzhi..."

Crack!

And just as Hu Zhuzhu was transmitting the message, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open!

!!!

Who is it!?

Hu Zhuzhu was startled, gripped the hairpin tightly, and turned back with a panicked expression.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

She had assumed her actions had been seen by someone, but when Hu Zhuzhu turned back, she discovered it was an unexpected person.

Jiang Mingde.

How could he be here?

Jiang Mingde, with a bruised face, was just preparing to undo his belt to relieve himself, but upon discovering someone in the room, he stared with wide eyes at the disheveled maid.

"I, uh, this lowly one is a servant of the manor..."

"Go, go, go, who asked you that! I said, what are you doing here?" Jiang Mingde waved his hand impatiently and frowned.

Hu Zhuzhu had a flash of inspiration; she tremblingly raised the hairpin in her hand and said in terror:

"This lowly one's hairpin fell out, and I was, I was just about to put it back in..."

"Tsk!"

Jiang Mingde smacked his lips in great annoyance and waved his hand roughly to shoo her away.

"Get lost quickly! Go fix your hair wherever you like, don't be an eyesore to this young master here!"

"Yes, yes! Many thanks, Young Master..."

Hu Zhuzhu felt a sense of relief in her heart, thanked him fearfully, lowered her head, and walked quickly toward the outside.

But just as she was about to walk out of the room, Jiang Mingde spoke again.

"Stop!"

!!!

Gulp.

Hu Zhuzhu's body paused, but she did not turn back; she gripped the hairpin in her hand tightly and narrowed her eyes.

Could it be that he discovered it?

If that were the case, then she would only be able to...

"No matter who asks you later, you never saw me here, understand?"

So that was it!

Completely relaxing in her heart, Hu Zhuzhu whispered repeatedly:

"My lord, rest assured, this lowly one understands."

"Hmph! I assume you don't have the guts anyway. Alright, get lost now!"

Finally finding release, Hu Zhuzhu did not linger for even a moment, walked out with long strides, and even closed the room door on her way out.

Not long after she walked out, she heard a strange laugh coming from the room behind her:

"Hehehe! Jiang Mingzhi! I'll let you humiliate me today! See if I don't leave you with a painful memory!"

Then, a sound of trickling water rang out...

Hearing this, Hu Zhuzhu's brows knitted tightly, her pace quickened, and she curled her lip in disgust:

"As expected of a playboy, truly a straw bag!"

"This Jiang Mingzhi is considered a man of talent, how could he have a brother like him."

Quickly tying up her loose hair, Hu Zhuzhu returned to her usual innocent appearance, thinking to herself:

"The message has already been delivered, they should be prepared, and what happens afterward is no longer my concern."

"Tsk! How much longer do I have to stay here?"

Thinking of this, Hu Zhuzhu licked her tongue with some annoyance, and her gaze became sinister.

"How exactly can I get close to the Jiang King?"

"Father King... looks less and less like a king."

After reporting his whereabouts to the Jiang King, Jiang Mingzhi walked out of the palace, recalling the conversation he just had with his father.

"He actually didn't ask anything, just nodded."

From beginning to end, the Jiang King did not open his eyes to look at his eldest prince, merely nodding without turning his head to indicate he was already aware.

"Compared to a National Monarch, Father King is becoming more and more like a Heaven Witch priest."

Mysterious, eerie, powerful...

Although Jiang Wanxiong had not stepped into the Heaven Realm, the feeling he gave Jiang Mingzhi was more dangerous than many cultivators of the Heaven Realm.

Jiang Mingzhi knew this indicated that Jiang Wanxiong's Heaven Witch sacrificial arts were nearing a higher realm.

"A Heaven Realm Heaven Witch priest; how many years has it been since a Heaven Witch appeared in the Eastern Wasteland?"

Shaking his head to drive these thoughts from his mind, Jiang Mingzhi had a matter to consider that was more important than caring about the legends of the Heaven Witch.

"Once Father King becomes a Heaven Witch, he will surely step down from the position of National Monarch, and at that time, I will be the new Jiang King."

"It's just, if I am not in Jiang City at that time, will there be any complications?"

While pondering this, Jiang Mingzhi felt his shoulder being lightly patted.

"Mingzhi, are you all prepared?"

Behind him, Ren Yidao wore a brilliant smile and asked enthusiastically:

"Let us set off!"

What are you still waiting for?

Let us go catch jellyfish together!

Looking at Ren Yidao's face, Jiang Mingzhi suddenly understood one thing.

"Rather than considering things of the future, it is better to first survive the tribulation before us before talking about anything else."

Since a method to break the situation does not exist, then there is only facing the tribulation.

If this tribulation cannot be survived, the future is simply nonsense.

I only hope that this time, I will not miscalculate again.

Jiang Mingzhi smiled and said in a relaxed manner:

"I am already prepared and can set off at any time."