Archimedes Venerable

The Flower Daoist's expression was confident, yet tinged with a subtle cunning, as if he were showing off his Great God and complete knowledge of everything.

He stared intently at You Su, his eyes holding both admiration and a hint of amusement.

Almost instinctively, You Su reached into his sleeve, but the fake ID was still there. He hadn't given himself away since receiving the fake ID; how did the Flower Daoist know?

Could it be that the Flower Daoist, peeked at it, and then put it back? Or... was he the one who created the fake identity?

"When did you see it?" You Su's voice was somewhat cold.

"Look?" The Flower Daoist shook his head. "Young man, I never believe what I see with my own eyes; I only believe what I calculate. Your name is Da Bang, and you are an orphan from a backward village near North Pole City. Am I right?"

Upon hearing this, You Su sat up straight. The abilities of the person before him truly exceeded his expectations. If he could figure out that his Da Bang, could he also figure out his real name?

"Don't worry. I don't know how to calculate other people's privacy without permission. In fact, it's very difficult to do so. In the art of divination, this is called prying into fate, and such immoral behavior is punishable by heavenly retribution." The Flower Daoist seemed to know You Su was thinking.

"But you didn't get my permission."

"It doesn't matter if it's fake." The Flower Daoist sat back down, looking indifferent.

You Su didn't argue with him anymore. At least he could tell that this Flower Daoist had absolutely no interest in his true identity. Perhaps in his eyes, he really hoped that You Su was the 'Da Bang' himself. Since that was the case, You Su simply acquiesced.

"Fortune telling and numerology are two contradictory things."

The Flower Daoist turned around and laughed, "You really are an outsider?"

You Su raised an eyebrow but did not answer, so the Flower Daoist Hua continued:

"Only those who don't understand the principles of numerology would think fortune-telling is a fraudulent and deceptive art. But after truly studying it in depth, they will understand that every person and every event is the Unseen. Numerology and fortune-telling are not fundamentally different."

"I have never believed in the concept of 'predestination'."

"No... you're too simplistic. Fate isn't immutable; everyone's fate is constantly changing. Just like in numerology, there are many unknowns, but given enough conditions, you can always arrive at a definite answer. Fortune telling is about finding that answer. A charlatan with only a superficial understanding will calculate the same answer based on different fates, while a true master of numerology will calculate a specific answer for each changing condition."

The Flower Daoist spoke with great conviction, as if afraid that others would look down on the knowledge he loved most.

Seeing that You Su still didn't quite agree with his explanation, the Flower Daoist shook his head again:

"The Heavenly Dao are but a matter of course; how could they bring great calamity? Misfortune will come to all things. Whoever reveals the words of the Nine Heavens will surely have their fortune and prosperity ruined in the next life. Whether you believe in this or not is entirely up to your heart; if you believe, it exists; if you don't, it doesn't."

Suddenly, the Flower Daoist pressed down on You Su again, forcing you to shrink back. You Su thought to himself, people who love Arithmancy usually have very active minds, but this one was active in both mind and body, practically a hyperactive person.

"In short, Da Bang, your talent in divination is unparalleled in my life. Would you be willing to become my disciple and learn the art of divination? I am ninety percent confident that if you follow me, you will one day be able to earn the title of Grandmaster from that Old Daoist Ziwei!"

You Su's eyes widened, unable to hide her astonishment; the boast made by the Flower Daoist was truly astonishing.

"If you had that ability, you could make Venerable Ziwei call you Grandmaster yourself." You Su cut to the chase.

To everyone's surprise, the Flower Daoist shook his head repeatedly, with a mournful expression on his face.

"If you want those people to sincerely call you Grandmaster, it's useless to just be more knowledgeable than them; your fists must also be bigger. In all my years traveling the world, I've visited at least ninety-nine masters of Arithmancy, if not a hundred, and I've only come to realize one thing—that the most fundamental principle in this world isn't one plus one equals two, but two is greater than one. So, even if I believe my knowledge is no less than theirs, what does it matter? The truth is, I can't beat them. But you're different. You're not even nineteen yet, and you've already reached the Water Condensing Upper Realm. Such a level is truly astonishing. One day, your fists and your head will definitely be bigger than theirs!"

The Flower Daoist was extremely excited as he You Su, but You Su's answer dampened his spirits.

"I refuse."

The Flower Daoist was initially taken aback, then shook his head with a helpless expression, "It seems you have a better teacher than me..."

You Su remained noncommittal, "But you still haven't said who you are."

"My title is 'Profound Mathematics,'" the Flower Daoist introduced himself with a grin, managing to put the seemingly contradictory words 'my title' and 'profound mathematics' together.

"The Archimedes Venerable?" You Su had indeed never heard of this master, but the Void Realm cultivator Flower Daoist's cultivation level didn't seem fake.

"That's me. Isn't that a very sophisticated name?"

The Flower Daoist's words and actions completely lacked the airs one would expect from a venerable person, and his friendly attitude towards You Su was somewhat unbelievable to You Su. However, considering his obsession with the art of divination, it was understandable that he would show some respect to You Su, who also had talent in this field.

You Su nodded slightly, "It's quite intimidating..."

Upon hearing this, Hua Luoxin's smile widened, "Fine, I knew long ago that your will was as firm as iron, and you couldn't force me to become your disciple. How about we make a deal?"

"A deal?" You Su raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious. "What kind of deal?"

"Not bad." Hua Luoxin nodded solemnly. "As I said, the purpose of having those refugees play the game was to find a genius to annoy those pedantic old scholars, and you are the genius I found! After I finish my business in Shuo City, I will return to Shenshan to report back. After that, you will come with me to the Southern Yang Continent to dampen the arrogance of those old scholars. I see that you, a dignified cultivator at the upper Water Condensing Upper Realm, are even hesitant to enter a city, presumably due to your status. As a reward, you can travel in the Northern Ao Continent as my disciple, how about it?"

Upon hearing this, You Su's heart stirred. If he could travel to the Northern Ao Continent as Hua Luoxin's disciple, it would definitely save him a lot of trouble. Putting aside everything else, following such a Venerable with an obviously extraordinary status would surely exempt him from many of the rigorous checks.

"But you know I'm fake. I'm not a refugee, and I even have some Arithmancy. So you can't use me to prove the pedantry and stubbornness of those old scholars you're talking about."

"You really have the makings of an academic genius, what a pity... But young man, as long as the conclusion is correct, the process can be embellished. Look at how the government convicts people, they first label them with a crime, and then come up with the charges. We scholars are the same; if we're too rigid, won't we be as boring as those old pedants?" The Archimedes Venerable was not only very talkative, but also very expressive.

You Su pursed his lips, pondering the matter repeatedly. Now, he had no better path to take.

Suddenly, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes. "Alright, I agree. But I have one more request."

"Speak!" The Archimedes Venerable was overjoyed.

"You have to take me with you to the sacred mountain."

As soon as You Su finished speaking, he poured another full cup of tea for the Archimedes Venerable.

However, the Archimedes Venerable did not readily accept the tea offered by You Su as expected. Instead, he hesitated and said, "I dare not accept the tea that You Su is offering."

"You're not planning to do anything bad on Mount Kailash, are you?"

"You can calculate it yourself; I allow you to calculate it," You Su said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the Archimedes Venerable burst into laughter and immediately slammed his hand on the table, saying:

"Deal! I'm going to make those old men's faces turn black with rage!"

After saying this, the Archimedes Venerable pushed open the door and turned back to instruct, "I have already told you that you are my disciple. You have an eccentric personality and are injured, so no one will disturb you. Rest well, I will come to find you if anything happens."

After thinking it over, You Su bowed and thanked him. The Archimedes Venerable then laughed loudly, closed the door, and left.

That night, the City Lord's Mansion in Shuo City was completely silent.

You Su lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

His experiences in the past few days have been more enriching than his experiences in the past month.

However, this was inevitable, because he had been unconscious inside the giant whale's belly for a whole month.

This Archimedes Venerable has shown no hostility whatsoever so far. You Su could tell he wasn't faking it; his words and actions revealed a pure heart seeking the Dao. He genuinely didn't care about You Su's past, because his only enemies were those stubborn old fogies who hindered him in the Dao of Mathematics. That's why he was so excited after finding a way to take revenge on them.

In this way, following him actually provided him with a certain level of safety. However, what made You Su feel somewhat guilty was that he didn't know if he would have the chance to help Flower Daoist vent his anger in the Southern Yang Continent again.

Just as You Su was deep in thought, a mischievous little head suddenly popped out from the warm and cozy bed and nestled on You Su's chest.

"Ding Zhen, have we managed to latch onto a powerful figure?"

You Su's lips twitched, wondering if she had too many aliases: Xu Haolong, Ding Zhen, Da Bang...

Why do you keep calling me Ding Zhen?

"You can also call me Pearl," Bai Ze blinked.

You Su was somewhat speechless, yet Bai Ze had remembered what she had just made up on the spot that day.

"Anyway, just call me Da Bang when we're out in public." You Su was too lazy to argue with him.

"But didn't you tell me not to talk outside?" Bai Ze asked, puzzled.

You Su's cheeks bulged, and she let out a long sigh of anger, "I'm telling you not to say a word in there. You finally got a good night's sleep, and if you don't close your eyes, I'll throw you out!"

Bai Ze shook his head and resolutely refused. "No way."

"Then shut up."

"I said shut up, okay?" Bai Ze had no more guard up against You Su, his chin pressed against You Su's collarbone, looking weak and somewhat dejected. "I've been sleeping at home for thirty years, I'm not sleepy at all."

For some reason, You Su felt a pang of sympathy for Bai Ze, the only companion on their journey to the sacred mountain, upon hearing this. To be honest, trekking along that long and tedious snowy road would have been much more difficult without Bai Ze's company.

His heart softened. "I'll only ask one more question. If you don't want to sleep, I will!"

"Great! Then tell me why you absolutely have to change the grid, because I definitely wouldn't do it if it were me."

Bai Ze became interested and raised his head again.

Instead of You Su patiently explaining again, it was met with a merciless toss.

"Think for yourself!"

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the ancient eaves of the City Lord's Mansion. You Su got up, pushed open the window, and looked at the snow-covered world outside, lost in thought. Before long, the voice of the Archimedes Venerable came from outside the door, interrupting his thoughts.

"Da Bang, come with me." The voice of the Archimedes Venerable remained as kind as ever.

You Su frowned slightly, responded, left Bai Ze in the room, and followed the Archimedes Venerable out.

"I brought you along on this trip to verify the authenticity of your identity as my disciple. I need you to complete some Arithmancy for me later. After that, I won't need you to appear so frequently."

"But... but I can't read." Of course You Su could read, but she didn't want to reveal that she was blind.

"What?!" The Archimedes Venerable was greatly shocked, and said helplessly, "Since things have come to this, then let's do it mentally!"

You Su then learned that the Archimedes Venerable was actually an envoy sent by the Immortal Ancestor Kong Yuan to Shuo City to audit the accounts.

Shuo City has developed rapidly in recent years, but the tax revenue from Jiaoda Shenshan has not increased, raising suspicions of tax evasion, which has attracted the attention of the Immortal Ancestor Temple.

Inside the main hall, several accountants had been waiting for a long time. When they saw the Archimedes Venerable enter with his disciples, they all stood up and bowed.

The Archimedes Venerable nodded slightly, gesturing for everyone to take their seats.

"What has been the tax revenue situation in Shuo City over the past five years?" The Archimedes Venerable asked directly, his gaze sharp and piercing.

The head accountant's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, the tax revenue of Shuo City has been increasing year by year, and all accounts are clear and accurate, with absolutely no errors."

The Archimedes Venerable smiled slightly, took out a yellowed ledger from his sleeve, and gently opened it. "In that case, let's check the accounts."

You Su sat to the side, observing quietly. When the Archimedes Venerable checked the accounts, his eyes were sharp, and no account could escape his scrutiny. You Su, on the other hand, answered fluently with his extraordinary mental arithmetic ability, making the accountants feel inferior, and even the Archimedes Venerable nodded frequently.

Time passed slowly, and the ledgers were turned page by page, but nothing seemed amiss.

The Archimedes Venerable closed the last ledger and sighed, "Shuo City has developed rapidly in recent years, but tax revenue has not increased significantly, which is illogical. Furthermore, I have heard that there are frequent caravans coming and going in Shuo City, and trade is thriving. Why then has tax revenue not increased?"

Upon hearing this, the head accountant broke out in a cold sweat and stammered for a long time before failing to answer.

Seeing this, the Archimedes Venerable smiled slightly, "Why isn't the City Lord here today? Is there something more important than checking the accounts?"

You Su secretly thought to himself that this Archimedes Venerable was quite serious when it came to important matters.

"The city lord has gone to buy the best Snow Village Tea in Shuo City for the Venerable One. This tea is only sold at Snow Village Residence in the east of the city, and only three cups are sold each day."

The accountant, who had been stammering just moments before, now answered fluently, indicating that the answer was prepared in advance.

"The City Lord is really something, why bother going to buy it himself?" With that, the Archimedes Venerable turned away with a faint smile.

"Da Bang, come with me to see what's so special about the Snow Village Tea at Snow Village Residence!"