Mortal Destiny

Waking up in the middle of the night, Mo Qiong found he couldn't fall back asleep, especially after having a nightmare.

He tossed and turned until dawn, then got up to wash his face. Gradually, everyone else woke up to eat.

On the yacht, enjoying the bright sunshine and warm sea breeze, eating seafood and drinking wine, after a day of fun, he had forgotten what he dreamed about last night.

However, when night came, he lay in bed and fell asleep, only to be plunged back into that dream.

And it was... a sequel.

This time, he was sinking directly from over a thousand meters below the sea, the water pressure so immense it drove Mo Qiong mad.

At this depth, the sea surface was a blurry, distant landscape emitting only a faint glow. In the darkness, he was falling frantically.

His lungs had been empty of air from the start, filled with seawater.

Mo Qiong rolled his eyes, struggling and sinking in this agony.

Until, on his bed, he exhaled, shattering the dream.

Waking up in the middle of the night again, Mo Qiong was speechless.

He had experienced sequels to dreams as a child, but he never expected nightmares to have them too.

After a moment of grogginess, he fell asleep again.

However, the third installment arrived. He continued sinking from where he left off, plunging to over two thousand meters before the dream collapsed again.

After waking with a start, Mo Qiong checked the time. Only two minutes had passed.

This meant he was dreaming almost immediately after falling asleep, and waking up just as quickly after entering the dream.

Mo Qiong couldn't help but walk to the living room and grab a cigarette from the table.

"Tsk, something's not right..."

"Is it related to me breaking the dream?"

The dream sequels, three in a row, made him feel something was off. After much thought, he could only suspect if it was related to him forcibly collapsing the dream with real-world matter. Perhaps dreams broken this way would continue?

Unable to figure it out, he finished his cigarette and went back to sleep.

As a result, this repeated throughout the night. After shattering the nightmare for the ninth time, when he finally fell asleep again, he slept soundly until dawn, undisturbed by dreams.

In the morning, Mo Qiong stumbled out of the bedroom. During breakfast, Zhang He noticed his listless complexion and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Mo Qiong shook his head. "Nightmares..."

"What did you dream about?" Zhang He asked.

"Drowning..."

Zhang He chuckled. "It's normal to have dreams like that at sea."

"But I've had them for two consecutive days..." Mo Qiong said. He hadn't yet mentioned that he'd had nine in a row, like a TV series. The last one, he might have sunk to five thousand meters, but still hadn't reached the bottom.

"Uh... dreams are hard to explain. If you're having the same dream, you could try looking it up in the Duke of Zhou's Book of Dreams. Maybe it's some kind of omen." Zhang He suggested.

Mo Qiong used Zhang He's network card to search and, indeed, there were omens for dreaming of drowning.

"Dreaming of drowning means loss of life and property. But if you dream of being rescued, it signifies an improvement in status, entering the ranks of the wealthy and renowned," Mo Qiong read aloud.

Zhang He laughed heartily. "Not bad. Were you rescued?"

Mo Qiong replied, "Not only was I not rescued, I felt like I couldn't drown. I seemed to sink thousands of meters deep. The water pressure and prolonged lack of oxygen didn't kill me. But I profoundly experienced the pressure of the deep sea and the agony of suffocation..."

He described the horror of his nightmare: the continuous, torturous suffering of drowning.

People couldn't possibly survive sinking thousands of meters, or even hundreds, and still live.

But in the dream, he seemed unkillable. His lungs were long empty of air, the water pressure should have crushed him, squeezing his internal organs out.

Yet, none of that happened. He was merely in the deep sea, enduring fear and tormenting pain.

Zhang He listened, unsure what to say, and flipped through the Duke of Zhou's Book of Dreams again.

Suddenly, he said, "Look, dreaming of drowning could also mean you're under a lot of pressure and subconsciously wish to relieve it through sex."

Mo Qiong was speechless. "What does drowning have to do with sex?"

"It says so here. Don't worry, when we get back, brother will show you the world." Zhang He said.

Mo Qiong shook his head. "No need."

He finally fell asleep peacefully, without further dreams. He likely wouldn't dream of it again. He figured even if dreams continued due to his ability breaking them, it couldn't go on forever.

Indeed, another night passed, and he slept soundly. The recurring nightmare of drowning in the deep sea did not reappear.

Several harmonious days passed, and their ship was finally nearing port.

Zhang He had handled all the notifications and arrangements for returning to port.

The extra wealth on board was all caught by Zhang He on the High Seas. As a navigator who discovered Treasure, he would gain a certain degree of fame.

During the docking application, Zhang He was transparent about everything on the ship, except for the Crown.

The Crown had already been taken away by a ship sent by Xiao Kun's family before docking. Its origin was directly separated from the other Treasure, becoming something that appeared through different channels.

After landing, Zhang He arranged for Mo Qiong to stay at a five-star hotel.

"Rest well. I have something to attend to at home, and I'll pick you up tonight to go out," Zhang He said.

Mo Qiong was speechless, but he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon anyway.

He figured he'd be hanging out with Zhang He and the others for the next few days, especially since he hadn't gotten his hands on any money yet.

It wasn't that they couldn't transfer the money, but they had agreed to spend a few days having fun after landing. It wouldn't be right to part ways as soon as they were ashore.

After Zhang He left, Mo Qiong lay on the bed, estimating that his little wreck of a boat was probably already at the bottom of the harbor.

However, he had no intention of salvaging it. If it was broken, let it be broken. He'd just let it serve as an underwater marker for Xiamen Port.

That evening, Zhang He arrived in a white Citroën sports car to pick him up.

They drove straight to a top entertainment club in the city.

"What are we doing here?" Mo Qiong asked.

Zhang He chuckled, "Whatever you want to do, you can do."

Mo Qiong raised an eyebrow, "Is this what you guys do when you're ashore?"

"Pfft, it's been boring for a long time," Zhang He replied with a shake of his head.

Mo Qiong said, "Then why are we here? Don't tell me it's for me, I'm not interested either."

Zhang He smiled, "Let me tell you, this isn't just any ordinary entertainment club. The membership fee alone is tens of millions a year."

"Whoa! Don't you dare get me a card here, I haven't even gotten a dime yet," Mo Qiong said urgently.

Zhang He pouted, "What are you panicking about? Do you know why it's so expensive? The services and decor here are top-notch, but they're not worth a ten-million-dollar annual membership fee. The real attraction is the incredibly accurate fortune teller who resides here."

"Fortune teller?" Mo Qiong looked completely bewildered.

Zhang He explained, "That's right. He can read a person's face and tell you about their general life story, as well as their future fortunes. He can accurately predict whether something is auspicious or ill-fated. My own grandfather often comes to him to divine good or bad luck."

Mo Qiong chuckled, "A con artist?"

Zhang He shook his head, "He's no con artist. He truly has abilities. He never says things that can be interpreted in multiple ways. Once, he directly predicted that a certain wealthy businessman would go bankrupt. In a fit of rage, the businessman pressured the club's owner to fire the fortune teller. However, the owner stood firm, and within a month, the wealthy businessman truly went bankrupt."

"After that, this entertainment club grew bigger and bigger. It's said that the owner's rise to prominence in just three months was entirely thanks to the fortune teller's help. Now, fifty percent of the influential figures in Xiamen are members here."

Mo Qiong nodded, "Then he must really have some talent. Fortune-telling and face-reading have existed since ancient times. It's better to believe it than not."

"Exactly. You've been having nightmares, right? If you don't want to see women, why not go see him and get your dreams interpreted?" Zhang He suggested.

Mo Qiong was taken aback. He felt a bit touched that Zhang He was taking his nightmares so seriously, even though it was just a dream.

As the two entered the club, beautiful women accompanied them all the way, and they didn't even have to open doors for themselves.

Zhang He asked the escort leading them, "Is Master Yan here?"

"Yes, Master is here on weekends. However, he already has a VIP guest booked, and he won't be available after 9 PM," the woman replied softly.

Zhang He glanced at his watch; it was 8:40 PM. He quickly said, "Then please take us there quickly. A brief consultation is all we need. I'll leave on time when it's up. Oh, and tell him I'm bringing a friend."

The woman said she needed to check first. After a while, she returned and said, "Master has agreed."

"Let's go then," Zhang He said, pulling Mo Qiong along. They soon arrived at an elegant, quiet room.

Upon entering, Mo Qiong was greatly surprised. He saw a young man about Zhang He's age, wearing sunglasses, sitting at a table waiting for them.

Zhang He was six years older than Mo Qiong, making him twenty-six. This fortune teller was much younger than Mo Qiong had imagined.

"Don't mind that the Master is young. His abilities have nothing to do with his age. If he really looked like a wizened old man with an ethereal demeanor, I wouldn't believe him," Zhang He whispered to explain Mo Qiong's surprise.

Mo Qiong was speechless. What kind of logic was that?

"Please have a seat, Xiao Zhang. I have another VIP guest arriving shortly, so I can't chat with you for too long," Master Yan said.

He was the same age as Zhang He, yet he called him "Xiao Zhang." Mo Qiong couldn't help but feel that this fortune teller was quite arrogant.

Zhang He pulled Mo Qiong to sit opposite Master Yan. Instead of immediately bringing up Mo Qiong's matter, he first asked, "Master, you mentioned last time that I would meet a benefactor soon. How much longer will that be?"

Master Yan stared at Zhang He for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, "Congratulations, you have already met the greatest benefactor of your life."

"Who is it?" Zhang He asked excitedly.

"Don't ask such questions. You just need to know that he is the person most worth befriending in your life," Master Yan said mysteriously.

Zhang He knew that although this master was accurate, he never explained things clearly. However, for many people, being able to accurately predict the outcome of an event, whether it was good or bad, and what changes might occur, was already infinitely beneficial.

"Then you can at least tell me when I met him, right? I last saw you two months ago, and I've met so many people in these two months..." Zhang He said.

Master Yan smiled, "You met him this week."

"This week?" Zhang He and Mo Qiong froze simultaneously, then exchanged glances.

They had been at sea all week. Zhang He hadn't met anyone else. Mo Qiong was the only new friend he had made.

Zhang He immediately burst into laughter. He also felt that Mo Qiong was a benefactor, not just to him, but also to Xiao Kun and the others. In just a few days on his boat, they had netted two to three hundred million, not even counting that crown.

How come they never encountered so many good things when they went out to sea before? If this wasn't a benefactor, then what was?

"Accurate! So accurate! Haha, Master, I really have met a benefactor, the most worthwhile friend to befriend in my life? I know who it is!" Zhang He said with a laugh.

Master Yan also smiled, "It's good that you know. My VIP guest is arriving soon..."

"Wait a moment, Master, could you also take a look at my friend here?" Zhang He pointed at Mo Qiong.

Master Yan looked at Mo Qiong and said, "Poor family background, mortal destiny, hmm... Zhang He, you should know the rules. If he's not a member here, one question is one million. He..."

"One million is no problem, he can afford it... Master, why are you beating around the bush? Isn't he the benefactor you mentioned? Take a closer look," Zhang He said.

However, Master Yan shook his head and said, "He can't afford it, unless you pay for him. But I must remind you, he is not your benefactor."

Zhang He was stunned and asked strangely, "Why isn't he? He definitely is."

"It's impossible for him to be. Think about it again," Master Yan said.

Zhang He looked completely bewildered. Think about it again? He had only met Mo Qiong this week.

Mo Qiong smiled and said, "Never mind."

Zhang He said, "No, Master, I'll pay the money. Take a good look. How could he not be my benefactor?"

Master Yan said, "He's just a student for now, with good grades, but that's all. He'll work his whole life and his savings won't exceed one million. Whether he's your benefactor or not, I can naturally see. If I say he's not, he's definitely not. Go back and think about it again."

Zhang He became anxious and stood up directly. "You're wrong! Absolutely wrong. You're saying his lifetime savings won't exceed one million?"

"That's right, I won't be wrong," Master Yan said confidently.

Zhang He's face flushed as he shouted, "Nonsense! Xiao Kun bought something from him, and just for that, he'll get seven million. I didn't expect a master to be wrong too. You're nothing special."

Master Yan was startled and quickly looked at Mo Qiong again. After a long time, he asked, "Did you get that seven million?"

Mo Qiong was taken aback and shook his head, "Not yet."

Master Yan immediately looked as if he understood. "I see. You still haven't received it. I'm not wrong. You won't get that seven million, and your lifetime savings won't exceed one million."

Mo Qiong blinked but said nothing.

Zhang He, however, was completely frantic. His face flushed red as he roared, "What nonsense! He has something on consignment with us worth thirty million. What do you mean? Are you saying I'm going to cheat my brother out of his money?"

He was genuinely angry. Master Yan didn't know what his words implied, but Zhang He knew that he and Xiao Kun would definitely pay.

"Brother, we will never cheat you out of your money. Even if Xiao Kun is shameless, I will pay the full amount," Zhang He said earnestly.

Mo Qiong smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes. I didn't say you would cheat me. Don't get agitated. Just listen to such things and don't take them seriously."

"Right! To think I trusted him so much before. Turns out he's a liar," Zhang He glared.

Master Yan was a little annoyed but held back, sneering, "Believe it or not, it's up to you. I have other important guests. Please leave."

"Leave? You want to scam someone else? You'd better explain yourself today, or you won't be able to do business here anymore!" Zhang He said domineeringly.

Master Yan frowned. "Ha, haven't I made myself clear enough? He has a mortal destiny, will work his whole life, and his savings won't exceed one million. Is that clear enough? I don't care if it's you or someone else who will give him seven million... he absolutely cannot or will not receive that money."

Zhang He was suddenly shocked. That's right, even if Xiao Kun paid the money, what if Mo Qiong died after receiving it?

"You're saying my brother is going to die?" Zhang He asked in horror.

Master Yan said impatiently, "For whatever reason, even if the bank goes bankrupt, if he dies after leaving here, he definitely won't get that money!"

"Ding..."

Mo Qiong took out his phone and said, "Stop arguing, Zhang He. The money has arrived, seven million."

"..." Master Yan's body trembled, and he almost slid off his chair.

p.s. Sorry.