Seeking Auspiciousness, Avoiding Misfortune

Li Ji'an had already harbored doubts about these so-called immortal seedlings. Now that he heard talk of fortune and misfortune, he could not help but overthink it.

What was more, after living together for five years, he had come to understand Ning Sujin, that aloof and withdrawn woman, somewhat.

Proud and arrogant, beneath her cold exterior lay an equally cold heart.

If someone was not a person she cared about, she would not waste a single word on them.

Within the Immortal Seeking Academy, aside from that little bitch and him, she never paid anyone any heed.

If she had reminded that bitch, it definitely was not without reason.

Perhaps her status allowed her access to secrets ordinary people found difficult to learn.

Ning Yutan's lips nearly curled up to the heavens. "Hmph, she's just jealous of me. She doesn't want me to become an immortal seedling, because otherwise she'll never be able to beat me again."

Li Ji'an admitted that he had lost his mind, actually thinking he could ask Ning Yutan about Ning Sujin.

Shaking his head, he said no more and followed Ning Yutan to the Marquis's residence.

"Brother Li, what do you need? Why do you want to see her? I'm telling you, in this Marquis's residence, what I say carries the most weight now."

After paying his respects to Duke Dingguo, Li Ji'an tried to arrange a meeting with Ning Sujin. To his surprise, Duke Dingguo agreed without the slightest hesitation. Rather than sending someone to summon Ning Sujin, he had someone lead Li Ji'an directly to the rear courtyard of the Marquis's residence.

This allowed Li Ji'an to sense some of Duke Dingguo's intentions.

Ning Yutan, however, was deeply displeased and insisted on following him.

"Yutan, you are now an immortal seedling, while she and I are merely reserves. I wanted to speak with her about what will happen after we reach the Imperial City Immortal Palace." To send Ning Yutan away, he could not stir up her competitive streak at a time like this. Thus, for the first time, while merely stating the facts, Li Ji'an expressed the view that Ning Yutan had defeated Ning Sujin.

The corners of Ning Yutan's lips immediately lifted of their own accord, but she hurriedly consoled him, "Brother Li, don't put yourself together with her. She's so much older than you, and her potential is inferior to yours. Next time, you'll definitely become an immortal seedling. We'll surely meet again in the Immortal Realm."

Then she began eagerly imagining, "Or once I go to the Immortal Realm and become an immortal, I'll come back to visit you often. By then, I'll teach you Immortal Methods and let you skip the immortal-seedling stage entirely."

"You dare Step Into my courtyard? Is your skin itching again?" Just then, an icy voice that made Ning Yutan shudder instinctively rang out.

"I..." Ning Yutan instantly came back to her senses and hurriedly looked down at her feet.

"Hmph, which eye saw me Step Into your courtyard? This foot of mine hasn't even touched down yet!" With one foot suspended in midair, Ning Yutan found her courage.

Clad in a fitted green outfit, Ning Sujin approached step by step with a cold expression.

Ning Yutan decisively withdrew her raised foot and obediently retreated two steps.

Only when Ning Sujin stopped at the courtyard gate did Ning Yutan suddenly realize something.

"Hmph! I'm an immortal seedling now, a meritorious contributor to the Marquis's residence. I'm the one who got my father promoted to duke, the one who let our entire household move into the Imperial City... Do you still dare hit me?"

Slap~ The familiar sound of a slap rang out the Next Moment.

"Kind words cannot persuade a ghost bent on dying. Idiot, get out!"

"Ah! You still dare hit me? I... Hmph, fine, I'll get out." Facing Ning Sujin's icy gaze, Ning Yutan ultimately left behind a tough remark with great backbone before running away.

Li Ji'an stood quietly to one side, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, completely ignoring the sisters' squabbling.

"What do you want with me?" Once Ning Yutan's retreating figure vanished from sight, Ning Sujin's tone softened considerably.

"We're leaving for the Imperial City tomorrow. I know nothing about it, so I wanted to speak with you and ease the unease in my heart." Li Ji'an replied with a smile.

"You actually have times when you feel uneasy?" A rare trace of a smile appeared on Ning Sujin's face.

Over the past five years, every one of Li Ji'an's instinctive reactions and displays had been so calm and composed, carrying a maturity and steadiness that did not match his age.

She then nodded and waved for Li Ji'an to enter the courtyard.

Beneath the pavilion in the courtyard, there were no maidservants serving tea. Instead, Ning Sujin personally took the copper kettle from the brazier in the pavilion and brewed Li Ji'an a cup of tea.

"I don't know much about the Imperial City either. I only went there once, when I was ten."

"Will immortals personally descend upon the Imperial City?"

"They will!" Ning Sujin answered firmly.

"Have you seen an immortal?" Li Ji'an could scarcely conceal the excitement in his heart.

"I saw the Misty Immortal Trace from afar—no visitor of the mortal world." Rather than displaying the excitement a mortal might feel upon seeing an immortal as Li Ji'an had imagined, Ning Sujin instead frowned slightly.

Li Ji'an stared directly into her eyes, and he now had almost no doubts left that immortals existed in this world.

There was no other reason. A woman like Ning Sujin would not casually speak of anything unless she was certain of it. Moreover, she came from the Su Family, a grandmaster clan. She had grown up in the Su Family before the age of ten, then lived in the Marquis's residence afterward. Her experience and knowledge were far beyond those of ordinary people.

After pondering for a moment, Li Ji'an decided not to beat around the bush with someone like Ning Sujin and simply be open and straightforward.

"Will we be in danger on this trip to the Imperial City?"

Ning Sujin lifted her eyes and glanced at Li Ji'an. "That idiot told you?"

Li Ji'an nodded.

"You came to find me because of one sentence from that idiot? You believe me?"

"You are not someone who treats things lightly. I believe that what you say must have a reason."

"Heh." Ning Sujin let out a soft laugh unconsciously.

From childhood to adulthood, no one had believed her—not even the Su Family where she had lived since birth, not even her grandparents, uncles, cousins, and brothers who had loved her dearly. In the end, because of what had happened with her cousin Su Fan ten years ago, they had found her unbearable and sent her back to the Marquis's residence.

From then on, she had almost never spoken lightly again.

This Time, Ning Yutan truly could not suppress the tremor in her bloodline and spoke up with another warning, only to be misunderstood again.

"We're not in any danger!" Ning Sujin took a deep breath, stared straight into Li Ji'an's eyes, and spoke with utter certainty.

"Only the Third Miss is in danger?" Li Ji'an frowned.

"Great misfortune!"

"This... is it only because she is an Immortal seedling?" Li Ji'an paused inwardly.

Ning Sujin shook her head. "I don't know why, and I have no basis for it."

"It's just a feeling."

"A feeling?" Li Ji'an raised his brows slightly. He had thought she knew of some secret or connection, but it turned out to be mysticism.

If it had been someone else, or someone who did not know Ning Sujin well, he might have reacted like everyone else.

Of course, since he himself was a transmigrator with a Golden Finger, he was more receptive to such mysterious and unfathomable things.

"When I was three, I first felt that my mother would meet with disaster. A few days later, she died miserably on the road to the Marquis's residence.

"When I was five, I felt that my grandmother would be in danger. Half a month later, she failed in her attempt to break through to the Vital Energy and Blood Second Realm. Her vital energy and blood flowed in reverse, and she died in a secret chamber.

"When I was eight, my uncle died in a martial contest against another Qi and Blood Grandmaster family... Every time, I would cry and wail desperately, but no one believed me.

"Then, when I was ten, my brother, who had depended on each other with me for survival, was selected as an Immortal seedling. Once again, I foresaw a calamity of great misfortune. I clung to my brother and begged him not to go. In the end, not only did I fail to stop him, but the Su Family came to utterly detest me and forbade me from being a crow's beak ever again..."

"..." Listening to Ning Sujin calmly recount her past, Li Ji'an instantly held his breath.

"You can avoid auspiciousness and inauspiciousness?"