Mortal Destiny

Mo Qiong woke up in the middle of the night and found himself unable to fall back asleep, especially after having a nightmare.

He stayed awake until dawn, then got up to wash his face. Gradually, everyone else woke up and came out to eat.

On the yacht, he enjoyed the bright sunlight and warm sea breeze, eating seafood and drinking wine. After playing all day, he had completely forgotten what he had dreamed about the previous night.

However, when night came, he lay down and fell asleep, once again plunging into that dream.

And this time... it was a sequel.

This time, he began sinking directly from a point more than a thousand meters beneath the sea. The water pressure was so great that it drove Mo Qiong insane.

At that depth, the surface of the sea was merely a vague, distant view radiating a faint glow. In the darkness, he plummeted wildly downward.

From the very beginning, there had not been a trace of air in his lungs. They were filled with seawater.

Mo Qiong rolled his eyes upward and struggled in agony, sinking deeper and deeper.

It was not until he exhaled a breath in bed that the dream shattered.

Mo Qiong woke up in the middle of the night again and felt speechless.

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

After being dazed for a while, he fell asleep again.

However, the third installment arrived. He continued sinking from where the previous dream had ended, going all the way down to more than two thousand meters before the dream collapsed again.

After Mo Qiong jolted awake, he checked the time. Only two minutes had passed.

In other words, he had started dreaming almost immediately after falling asleep, and woken up immediately after beginning to dream.

Unable to hold back, Mo Qiong went into the living room and took a cigarette from the table.

"tsk, That's not right..."

"Could it be related to me interrupting the dream?"

The continuing dream had turned into a trilogy, making him feel that something was wrong. After thinking it over, he could only suspect that it was related to his forcibly shattering the dream with matter from reality. Perhaps a dream interrupted this way would continue again?

Unable to figure it out, he went back to sleep after finishing his cigarette.

As a result, this repeated throughout the night. Only after shattering the nightmare for the ninth time did he finally sleep until dawn, resting peacefully without any dreams.

That morning, Mo Qiong ambled out of the bedroom. When they were eating, Zhang He noticed his listless expression and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Mo Qiong shook his head. "I had a nightmare..."

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

"Drowning..."

Zhang He laughed. "Having that kind of dream at sea is normal."

"But I've had it for two days in a row..." Mo Qiong said. He did not mention that he had dreamed it nine times in succession, like a television series. In the final episode, he might have sunk five thousand meters deep, yet still had not reached the bottom.

"Uh... Dreams are hard to explain. If you keep 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 said.

Mo Qiong used Zhang He's data connection to look it up, and there really was an omen associated with dreaming of drowning.

"Dreaming that you drown indicates losses involving life and property. However, if you dream that you are rescued, it represents an improvement in your status and entering the ranks of the wealthy and renowned." Mo Qiong read aloud.

Zhang He laughed heartily. "That's not bad. Were you rescued?"

"Not only was I not rescued, I even felt as if I couldn't drown. It was as though I had sunk several thousand meters deep, yet the water pressure and prolonged lack of oxygen still didn't kill me. But I deeply experienced the agony of the pressure and suffocation in the deep sea..."

He described the terrifying part of his nightmare: the agony of drowning had continued tormenting him.

A person could never sink several thousand meters and remain alive. They would probably die at a few hundred meters.

Yet in the dream, he seemed utterly incapable of drowning. There had long been no air in his lungs, and the water pressure was enough to crush him flat and squeeze out his organs.

But none of those things happened. He merely experienced the fear and unmatched agony of being tormented in the deep sea.

After hearing this, Zhang He did not know what to say. He flipped through the Duke of Zhou's Book of Dreams again.

Suddenly, he said, "Look, dreaming of drowning could also mean that you're under a lot of pressure and subconsciously hope to relieve your current stress through sex."

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

"It says so right here. Don't worry. Once we get back, I'll take you out to broaden your horizons," Zhang He said.

Mo Qiong shook his head. "No need."

He eventually fell asleep peacefully without dreaming again. He probably would not have that dream anymore. Even if it had continued because of his ability to interrupt it, it could not continue forever.

Sure enough, after another night, he slept soundly, and the nightmare of drowning in the deep sea never appeared again.

After several harmonious days, their ship was finally about to reach shore.

Zhang He had taken care of all the notices and arrangements related to returning to port.

The additional property on the ship had all been obtained by Zhang He while fishing in the High Seas. As the navigator who had discovered the treasure, his fame would rise to a certain extent.

In the docking application, Zhang He had not concealed anything on the ship except for the crown.

Before docking, a ship sent by Xiao Kun's family had already taken charge of the crown. It was separated from the other treasures directly through its origin and became something that had appeared through a different channel.

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

"Get some good rest. I have something to take care of at home. I'll come pick you up tonight and take you out to have fun," Zhang He said.

Mo Qiong was speechless, but he indeed would not be leaving anytime soon.

He would probably be hanging out with Zhang He and the others for the next few days. After all, he had not received a single cent yet.

It was not that they could not transfer the money. They had agreed to spend a few days having fun after coming ashore, and Mo Qiong would feel awkward parting ways with them the moment they landed.

After Zhang He left, Mo Qiong lay on the bed and guessed that his battered little boat would soon reach the seabed inside the harbor.

However, he had no intention of salvaging it. Let it stay broken. He would simply leave it there as an underwater landmark for Xiamen Port.

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

They headed straight for one of the finest entertainment clubs in the area.

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

Zhang He laughed. "Whatever you want to do."

Mo Qiong raised an eyebrow. "You come here to play as soon as you get ashore?"

"Cut it out. That stopped being interesting a long time ago." Zhang He shook his head.

"Then why come? Don't tell me it's for my sake. I'm not interested either."

Zhang He laughed. "Let me tell you, this isn't an ordinary entertainment club. The annual membership fee alone is ten million."

"What? Don't tell me you're going to make me sign up too. I haven't received a single cent yet." Mo Qiong hurriedly objected.

Zhang He curled his lip. "What are you panicking about? Do you know why it's so expensive? Everything here, from the services to the décor, is top-notch, but that still wouldn't justify an annual membership fee of ten million. What truly attracts people is that a remarkably accurate fortune-teller is based here."

"A fortune-teller?" Mo Qiong looked utterly baffled.

"Yeah. He can study someone's face and tell their general life history. He can even describe their future fortunes. Whether something is auspicious or ominous, and whether an undertaking will succeed, he's incredibly accurate. Even my grandfather often comes here to ask him to divine his fortune."

Mo Qiong laughed. "Is he just a great con artist?"

Zhang He shook his head. "He's not a con artist. He really has talent. He never says things that can be interpreted either way. Once, he directly predicted that a certain tycoon would go bankrupt. The tycoon flew into a rage and pressured the club's owner to drive the fortune-teller away. The owner withstood the pressure, and within a month, that tycoon really did go bankrupt."

"After that, this entertainment club expanded more and more. Supposedly, the owner's rise over the course of just three months was entirely thanks to his help. Now, half of the major figures in all of Xiamen Port have memberships here."

Mo Qiong nodded. "Then he probably really does have some ability. Face reading and fortune-telling have existed since ancient times. It's better to believe than not."

"Exactly. Didn't you have a nightmare? If you don't want to find a woman, you can ask him to take a look and interpret your dream," Zhang He said.

Mo Qiong was stunned, feeling somewhat moved. He had only had a dream, but Zhang He had actually taken it seriously.

The two entered the club. Beautiful women accompanied them all the way, and they did not even have to open the doors themselves.

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

"He is. Master Yan is always here on weekends, but he already has a distinguished guest booked. After nine o'clock, he won't have any time left," the beauty said gently.

Zhang He checked the time. It was already 8:40. He hurriedly said, "Then take me to him quickly. We'll only need a quick look. I'll leave when the time comes. Oh, and tell him I brought a friend."

The beauty said she would have to ask first. After a while, she came back and said, "Master Yan agreed."

"Then let's go." Zhang He pulled Mo Qiong along, and they soon arrived at an elegant private room.

After entering, Mo Qiong was shocked. A young man about the same age as Zhang He was sitting at the table waiting for them, wearing a pair of sunglasses.

Zhang He was six years older than Mo Qiong and only twenty-six. This fortune-teller was far younger than he had imagined.

"Don't judge Master Yan by his age. Ability has nothing to do with age. If he really had white hair, a youthful face, and an immortal's bearing, I wouldn't believe him either," Zhang He explained softly when he saw Mo Qiong's surprise.

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

"Little Zhang, have a seat. I have another distinguished guest coming later, 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 Little Zhang. Mo Qiong could not help feeling that this fortune-teller was putting on quite an act.

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

Master Yan stared at Zhang He for several seconds before suddenly smiling. "Congratulations. You've already met the greatest benefactor of your life."

"Who is that?" Zhang He asked delightedly.

"Don't ask a question like that. You only need to know that he is the person most worth befriending in your entire life." Master Yan spoke mysteriously.

Zhang He knew that although Master Yan's predictions were accurate, he never explained things clearly. However, being able to accurately determine whether the consequences of something would be good or bad, and whether some change would occur, was already immensely useful to many people.

"You can at least tell me when I met him, right? The last time I came to see you was two months ago, and I've met too many people during these two months..." Zhang He said.

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

"This week?" Zhang He and Mo Qiong were both stunned. They then exchanged a glance.

They had both been at sea this week. Zhang He had not met anyone else, and the only new friend he had made was Mo Qiong.

Zhang He immediately laughed. He also felt that Mo Qiong was a benefactor—not only his benefactor, but Xiao Kun's and the others' as well. They had only been on his ship for a few days, yet everyone had already hauled in two or three hundred million, not even counting the crown.

Why had they never encountered so many good things on previous voyages? If that was not the sign of a benefactor, what was?

"Accurate! That's too accurate! Hahaha, Master, I really did meet a benefactor. The friend most worth befriending in my life? I know who it is!" Zhang He laughed.

Master Yan also smiled. "Good that you know. My distinguished guest will be arriving soon..."

"Wait, Master. Take a look at my friend too." Zhang He pointed at Mo Qiong.

Master Yan looked at Mo Qiong. "His family is poor. He has a Mortal Destiny. Hmm... Zhang He, you should know the rules. If he isn't a member here, each question costs one million. He..."

"One million is no problem. He can afford it... Master, why are you going around in circles? Isn't he the benefactor you mentioned? Take a careful look." Zhang He continued.

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

Zhang He was stunned. "How is he not? It has to be him."

"It's impossible for him to be the one. Think it over carefully," Master Yan said.

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

Mo Qiong smiled. "Forget it."

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

Master Yan said, "He's still only a student. His academic performance is decent, but that's all. He'll work his entire life, and his savings will never exceed one million. Whether he is your benefactor is something I can naturally see. If I say he isn't, then he definitely isn't. Go back and think it over carefully."

Zhang He grew anxious and immediately stood up. "Wrong! You're absolutely wrong. You said his savings wouldn't exceed one million in his entire life?"

"That's right. I can't be wrong." Master Yan sounded confident.

Zhang He's face flushed as he said, "Nonsense! Xiao Kun bought his item. That alone means he's supposed to receive seven million. I never thought even Master Yan could be wrong. You're nothing special after all."

Master Yan was startled. He hurriedly examined Mo Qiong more carefully, but after looking for a long while, he still asked, "Have you received that seven million?"

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

Master Yan immediately looked as if he understood. "I see. You still don't have it, do you? I can't be wrong. You won't receive that seven million. Your savings will never exceed one million in your lifetime."

Mo Qiong blinked without saying anything.

Zhang He, however, became completely frantic. His face reddened as he shouted, "That's utter nonsense! He has an item consigned with us worth thirty million. What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm going to cheat my brother out of his money?"

He was truly angry. Master Yan did not know what his words implied, but Zhang He knew that he and Xiao Kun would definitely pay the money.

"Brother, we absolutely won't cheat you out of your money. Even if Xiao Kun were shameless enough to do that, I'd still make up the full amount." Zhang He spoke earnestly.

Mo Qiong smiled. "Yes, yes, I know. I never said you'd cheat me out of my money. Don't get worked up. Just listen to this kind of thing and forget about it. Don't take it seriously."

"Exactly. I can't believe I trusted him so much before. He's just a fraud." Zhang He glared.

Master Yan grew somewhat angry when he heard that, but held it back and sneered, "Believe it or not, it's up to you. I have another distinguished guest. Please leave."

"Leave? Are you trying to cheat someone else too? Explain yourself today. If you can't, you can forget about doing business here!" Zhang He said domineeringly.

Master Yan frowned. "Ha, wasn't I clear enough? He has a Mortal Destiny. He'll work his entire life, and his savings will never exceed one million. Is that clear enough? I don't care whether you or anyone else will give him seven million... He absolutely cannot receive that money alive."

Zhang He was horrified. That was true. Even if Xiao Kun gave him the money, what if Mo Qiong died right after receiving it?

"You're saying my brother will die?" Zhang He asked in horror.

Master Yan impatiently said, "Whatever the reason, even if the bank collapses, if he dies after leaving here, he absolutely won't receive that money!"

"Ding..."

Mo Qiong took out his phone and glanced at it. "Stop arguing, Zhang He. The money's arrived. Seven million."

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

P.S. Sorry.