"Good morning, Young Master Ming!"
"Greetings, Young Master!"
That morning, the servants and attendants in Wu Family Fortified Village noticed a new quirk of Wu Ming's.
No matter whom he ran into, he always seemed to look them up and down, making them feel uneasy.
The maids dreaming of rising from humble branches to become phoenixes blushed and grew flustered, eagerly striking alluring poses. The other attendants, meanwhile, clenched their backsides, worrying over the chastity of their rear ends.
"Hmm... Their fates and fortunes are all ordinary... But the fortune of Wu Family Fortified Village is abundant. There aren't any ghosts or Evil creatures here..."
They had no idea they were reading far too much into it. Wu Ming was only studying their fates and fortunes.
"They're all white... Does that mean they're common folk?"
"And... I've looked at more than a dozen people in a row without feeling tired. This technique must take very little out of me..."
"More astonishing still, every form and shade of fortune is crystal clear to my eyes. This isn't a spirit eye anymore—it's a divine eye! A heavenly eye!!!"
If it existed, there was a reason for it.
Now that he had confirmed his Spirit Eye Technique worked like a divine art—and was likely a gift from the Main God Hall—Wu Ming felt at ease. Still, to be safe, he would show the formula to his older sister, Wu Qing.
"Greetings, Young Master!"
As he crossed the training grounds, Wu Tiehu and the others came forward to salute. Wu Ming's eye twitched. At last, a few who look different...
In his eyes, Zhao Song and Wu Tiehu each had a dense mass of white Qi above their heads, streaked with threads of red. Around it all swirled a dark, mysterious aura.
"Black Qi... Could that be military Killing Intent?"
"And... this Wu Tiehu..."
Compared with Zhao Song, the Township Inspector, Wu Tiehu's fortune was far denser. A strange, mysterious radiance even surrounded it, as though it resonated with heaven and earth. His fortune rippled constantly, taking on the shape of an attack, as if it were trying to devour and grow stronger. By comparison, the military Killing Intent around him was several times stronger than Zhao Song's.
"Does Young Master have any orders?"
Wu Tiehu had no idea Wu Ming had seen right through him. Seeing Wu Ming's thoughtful expression, he couldn't help asking.
"No! It's nothing... Keep up your training!"
After sending them away, Wu Ming recalled Wu Tiehu's unusual appearance and felt a little astonished. "What is this? A heaven-sent stroke of fortune? A Calamity Star answering its fate?"
Still deep in thought, he made his way to Wu Qing's room. "Sister, are you there?"
"Did you need something, little brother?"
The door swung open on its own, though there was no wind, revealing Wu Qing's slender figure.
She had changed out of her Daoist robes and into a pink palace dress. With her hair swept up and her face radiant, she looked all the more alluring. She stood with her hands behind her back, gazing at a painting on the wall.
Wu Ming glanced at it and saw a painting of bamboo. His face reddened slightly.
The bamboo was straight and verdant, good enough to be considered above average. Beside it, in the blank space, a poem had been inscribed:
"Green willows sway beside the river, its waters smooth and still; I hear my lover singing as he treads the shore at will.
The sun shines in the east as rain falls in the west— You say there's no affection, yet affection's in your breast."
The painting had been carefully mounted, and even the scroll was made of fine red sandalwood. Wu Qing clearly treasured it.
"I wrote that after drinking too much. Don't tease me about it, Sister..."
Wu Ming rubbed his nose and smiled wryly.
He had remembered the poem from his previous life and written it to tease Wu Qing. He hadn't expected her to like it so much that she insisted on keeping it—and treasured it so dearly.
"I really like your New Year's gift!"
Wu Qing only smiled. "Your literary talent has improved, little brother. This poem even has the charm of the Dao."
"Ahem..."
Wu Ming cleared his throat. "I came to see you about something. That Daoist Qing Ping left behind a Spirit Eye Technique last time. They say it can reveal fortune."
"There have always been many ways to read Qi, but those that can reveal fortune are all precious."
Wu Qing looked moved, then smiled again. "That Daoist Qing Ping really is like a walking treasure chest for you!"
She took the formula and looked it over, then froze.
Her expression grew solemn. After a long while, she let out a quiet sigh. "I underestimated him. I never imagined he could not only read a person's fortune, but also see Earth Qi... This method is no worse than the Cloud-and-Peace Daoist Academy's Spiritually Connected, Clear-Sighted Divine Eye. Even submitting it to the academy would earn a considerable contribution..."
"It's just... This method doesn't seem to let you see things very clearly when you use it!" Wu Ming said, pretending to be troubled.
"Use it?"
Wu Qing paused, then looked Wu Ming over again. Her smile grew warmer. "Very good. You received a Daoist Certificate from heaven itself. Once you've passed this test, you can go to the Dao Academy and claim a Daoist Certificate. For an ordinary person, that means shedding their commoner status, being exempted from corvée labor, and traveling the world without needing government documents to pass checkpoints. But for you, it's little more than a chicken rib!"
"That's a good way to put it! I still prefer to wander free as an idle cloud and wild crane. I don't need another set of shackles for no reason!"
Wu Ming rubbed his nose.
"Once you enter the Daoist sect, you're no longer your own master..."
Wu Qing sighed, but didn't press the matter. "You mastered this technique overnight. That shows you have a talent for feng shui, physiognomy, and divination..."
"As for not seeing clearly, that's normal. A person's fate and capacity are their very foundation. How could they be exposed at will? And seeking dragon veins and locating auspicious points draws the wrath of Heaven. You must never treat it lightly!"
Seeing how serious Wu Qing was, Wu Ming could only nod obediently.
But then an idea struck him. He silently activated the technique and looked at Wu Qing.
In an instant, he saw auspicious Qi of gold and red billowing like clouds around her, with fiery waves steaming at its edges. A small scarlet sword bobbed within it, swallowing and breathing out fortune.
This... It's dozens of times more immense than mine!
Wu Ming was astonished. Then, deep in the heart of the golden-red clouds, he seemed to catch a glimpse of a tiny point of azure.
He tried to look closer, but pain stabbed his eyes. He knew he had reached his limit, and reined the technique in. His mind still reeled. "My sister... She really is extraordinary by nature! Even Wu Tiehu, me, and the whole of Wu Family Fortified Village put together might not compare..."
"Me?"
Wu Qing seemed to sense something and glanced at Wu Ming.
"It's nothing..." Wu Ming chuckled awkwardly. "Let's leave Earth Dragon feng shui aside for now. I'm very interested in the fates of people. Tell me about them, Sister."
"You want to study that, too?"
Wu Qing rolled her eyes. "Historically, these arts of reading Qi can help others, but not yourself. Anyone who achieves even a little success and can see the general picture is considered an eccentric, courted from every side and assured of food and clothing. If they can delve deeper and probe the mysteries of fate, they can become a favored guest of Vassal Lords and Military Governors!"
"What if someone could locate a true dragon in the Earth Vein, or even see the grand currents of Heaven's fortune?" Wu Ming asked curiously.
"Someone like that... would naturally be killed! Otherwise, where would anyone else fit in?" Wu Qing gave him a meaningful smile, making Wu Ming's heart tighten.
He understood that Wu Qing was warning him: the art of reading Qi could bring great benefits, but if he mastered it too deeply, it could invite disaster.
But Wu Ming was different. After he repeatedly pressed her and promised again and again that he was only curious and wouldn't delve too far, Wu Qing finally gave him a look that said, "I give up." She thought for a moment, then slowly began:
"Even Qi Gazers suffer a backlash when they look into Heaven's fortune and the Earth Vein. I don't understand those things, so I won't tell you about them. But I once saw a book on physiognomy in the Dao Academy's archives. It discussed the features of the human form, and I can tell you about that."
"Fortune and fate! The 'Qi' in 'fortune' actually means 'vessel'! Put simply, fortune is the vessel's destiny!"
"'Vessel' means fate and one's true nature. It represents a person's greatest potential!"
"And 'fortune' is the aid that comes from outside; fortune is what you achieve after birth!"
"The relationship between the two is like that between a cup and water. Fate is the cup, and the fortune you acquire later is the water. With fate but no fortune, you'll still spend your whole life stumbling. If your fortune is abundant but your fate is poor, too much water will shatter the cup—that's the mark of an early death. Only when vessel and fate match can you follow the grand, proper path!"
Wu Ming frowned. "If that's true, aren't we all limited by our fates? There'd be no need to strive for anything in the future. We could just look at our fates and be done with it."
"Fortune is easy to seek; fate is hard to change. But it's not impossible to change your fate!"
Wu Qing explained, "Normally... A person's fortune over an entire lifetime falls far short of their fate's limits, so there's no need to discuss it. But even if they reach those limits, there are ways to change their fate!"
"How?"
"First, Heaven; second, Earth; third, feng shui; fourth, accumulate hidden virtue; fifth, study!" Wu Qing said solemnly. "And if people unite their strength and defy Heaven, then after surviving tribulation, they should be able to change their fate as well!"
"Fate comes in forms such as the Violet Star, the Flood Dragon, and the Stars Answering One's Fate. Fortune, too, varies in color and shape. The Five Virtues serve as its measure: black means misfortune, white means ordinary, red means good fortune, and gold means nobility. Azure and violet, however, signify the highest nobility!"
"The intricacies of these changes lie in the heart. But no matter how precious fortune is, it must be joined with the grand currents of Heaven and Earth. It's not something you can learn from books..."
"I've learned a lot!"
Wu Ming bowed solemnly, then glanced at Wu Qing again.
That point of azure still stood out within the crimson-gold clouds.
According to Sister's explanation, her fate must be incredibly noble. I wonder if she knows it herself?
He understood now that if Daoist Qing Ping had looked at her, he would probably have seen only a little red.
A more advanced practitioner might have spotted the Golden Qi.
Among Qi Gazers, one who could see the little sword was one in ten thousand. And as for directly seeing that point of azure—her true nature—that was rarer still.
Moreover, even a highly skilled person might suffer a backlash from seeing it.
"I wonder if a True Person could manage it?"
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
After taking his leave, Wu Ming was weighed down with thoughts. He fetched a Bronze mirror and silently activated his divine art.
In it, he saw a young man surrounded by flickering, clear radiance, a sign of success in the Dao. Red and white Qi swirled around him, forming the pattern of modest wealth and status.
There were also wisps of black Qi and Killing Intent around him, from the Village Militia he commanded and the Wu Family's malice.
"But... where is my true nature? What is my fate?"
Wu Ming pressed his lips together and examined himself closely. Sure enough, among the red and white clouds around him, there were also threads of dark, shadowy black.
Unlike the military Killing Intent around Wu Tiehu and the others, this blackness was entwined directly within his fortune, making Wu Ming's heart pound.
"Black means misfortune. Is this... Calamity Qi?!"
Wu Ming gritted his teeth. "And... my Destiny Unseen—is that also a change brought about by the Main God Hall?"
Before you continue