Copper Gua Master

I must have been infected by the people in that group. Their chat logs looked so cheerful, but sure enough, I'd better leave the group after a while. If I stay too long, I'll be assimilated too—once I have Cousin take a look at that prescription and confirm whether those supplements will poison someone to death, I'll leave the group, Song Shuhang thought to himself.

In truth, they were merely a bunch of inexplicable group members... and he himself had been inexplicably added to the group. Song Shuhang could have ignored whether they lived or died.

Yet he felt that if he knew the "Pills" they were taking were poisonous, then no matter what, he had to try to persuade them. Whether they listened to his advice or not, at the very least, he had to keep a clear conscience.

Yes, a clear conscience.

Whether they listened was the group members' business, but whether he advised them was his business.

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After returning to his dorm, Song Shuhang logged into the chat app and sent his cousin Zhao Yaya a copied list of medicinal ingredients.

"Yaya, hypothetically speaking: if all the above ingredients were put into a medicine pot and simmered into a medicinal paste, would the result kill someone if they ate it? If you have time, please help me examine it."

He pressed Enter and sent the message. Song Shuhang leaned back in his chair, emptying his mind.

His cousin Zhao Yaya was different from him. She was already in her university internship period and rarely went online. Sometimes, she only logged in once every few days; it was perfectly normal for a reply to take more than a week.

If possible, Song Shuhang did not want to ask this question online.

After all, some things would not cause misunderstandings if said face-to-face. What if his cousin thought he wanted to take the medicine? If he could not explain it in person and she misunderstood, what then? He was afraid his mother would fly over to see him.

But today, he increasingly felt as though he was about to be "assimilated" by the people in the group—sure enough, although reading the chat logs was entertaining, it was better to leave the group sooner rather than later.

Before he had ever spoken up in the group, before he had formed any friendship with its members, leaving would not leave him with much attachment.

Though he said that, his finger still moved of its own accord toward the lower-right corner of the screen and opened the No. 1 Group of the Nine Provinces.

Human habits were actually easy to form. It had taken him only ten days to develop the habit of checking the group every day.

Someone happened to be online in the group.

Northern River Loose Cultivator: "Ah Qi, the tribulation is over, right? Little Sixteen advanced, right?"

That message had been sent over ten minutes ago, but Su Clan's A-Seven had yet to reply.

"Could something have happened during the lightning tribulation?" Feathery spoke up. This time, it was she herself online rather than her dad. Though the Little Girl had only recently joined the group, her sweet tongue had already won her the acquaintance of several members who often surfaced.

She knew that a cultivator's lightning tribulations could never be taken lightly. Even the weakest lightning tribulation could lead to grave trouble with the slightest carelessness.

"Probably not. Ah Qi is there. A mere Third-Stage Houtian lightning tribulation—if there were any problem, he could forcibly scatter it," Northern River Loose Cultivator said.

But with Su Clan's A-Seven refusing to respond, he could not settle his heart.

At that moment, an ID Song Shuhang had never seen before surfaced. It belonged to someone called "Copper Gua Master": "Do not be anxious yet. Let this immortal master cast a divination, and we shall know the outcome."

Northern River Loose Cultivator fell silent for a moment before replying, "All right."

It seemed this Copper Gua Master fellow was playing the role of some divination-casting immortal master?

Only two or three minutes later, Copper Gua Master surfaced again. "Haha, it's fine. This immortal master's divination says Supreme Fortune—great fortune and great prosperity. Su Clan's A-Seven and his junior will definitely be fine. Let us wait for Little Sixteen to come challenge everyone!"

Supreme Fortune... that ought to be reassuring, right? Divination could not be taken as truth, but sometimes it really could offer a little comfort, Shuhang thought.

Yet upon hearing the result of the divination, Northern River Loose Cultivator did not rejoice. Instead, he fell silent.

A moment later, he sent a bitter smile emoji. "It seems Little Sixteen really has run into trouble, which is why Ah Qi has not come online. Is anyone near H City? Go check on Ah Qi and see whether he needs help."

Mad Saber Three Waves surfaced and sighed. "Since the Gua Master has divined great fortune and great prosperity, then something really has happened. But I'm far from H City. Even if I want to rush over, it will take several days."

"?" Yurouzi was confused.

"Yurouzi, you do not know this, but this Gua Master's divinations have never once been right. If he divines great fortune and great prosperity for you, you had better hurry and prepare, because a great calamity is definitely about to crash down on your head. On the other hand, if he divines something like disaster clinging to your body, then you can relax, because you are probably about to have good fortune blazing over your head. If one day he divines that you face a world-destroying tribulation and eternal damnation, then you can hold a celebration banquet first or something, because that means you're about to walk out the door and pick up an immortal artifact!" Mad Saber Three Waves explained.

Northern River Loose Cultivator added the finishing stab: "From another perspective, the Gua Master's divination skills really are formidable. Because as long as you read every divination he makes in reverse, you basically get the correct answer."

Copper Gua Master: "..."

He really wanted to let out a heart-rending roar and resist a little. But his entire life was filled with dark history, leaving him tangled up to the point of death.

"Oh, right, Miss Yurouzi, may I ask when your father plans to go home? He has been a guest at my place for a long time now. Does he not miss home, or his adorable and beautiful daughter?" Mad Saber Three Waves had learned his lesson this time and did not open his mouth to court death.

"Certainly, Senior. When I have time, I'll ask Dad for you," Yurouzi answered politely, but it was merely an empty promise. She did not say when she would ask, nor did she promise to tell her father to return home.

Mad Saber Three Waves was an old fox who had lived long enough to become a demon. How could he fail to understand Yurouzi's perfunctory meaning? Thus, Brother Three Waves' eyes grew moist again.

"Any lurkers near H City?" Northern River Loose Cultivator @mentioned everyone in the group.

The lurking members surfaced one after another, then uniformly sent shaking-head emojis. China was so vast, while the group had only so many people. It was impossible for them all to gather in one place.

The Jiangnan Region where Song Shuhang was located bordered H City, but he did not know Su Clan's A-Seven—and he felt his mind was still clear. There was no way he would accompany the men in the group to search for a group member who had vanished because of a "lightning tribulation," then been divined to have "run into trouble."

After all, he had not been assimilated yet.

At that moment, Feathery spoke again. "I am preparing to go to J City to handle something. At that time, I will first fly to Jiangnan Airport, then transfer to J City. The Jiangnan Region is close to H City, so if anyone needs help, you may contact me at any time... Though I am unfamiliar with H City, if help is needed, I will definitely do my utmost."

"That is truly wonderful," Northern River Loose Cultivator replied.

Passing through the Jiangnan Region? This girl from the group was coming here? Song Shuhang blinked.

Northern River Loose Cultivator said happily, "I'll find a way to contact Ah Qi. If help is needed, I'll contact you, Yurouzi."

He and Su Clan's A-Seven had a very good personal relationship. Before joining the No. 1 Group of the Nine Provinces, the two had already been life-and-death friends. Now, Copper Gua Master's divination had thrown Northern River Loose Cultivator's heart into turmoil.

When it concerned no one else, one remained calm; when it concerned oneself, chaos followed.

At that moment, the group owner, True Monarch Yellow Mountain, appeared and offered reassurance. "Northern River, do not worry too much. With Ah Qi present, let alone a Third-Stage Houtian lightning tribulation, even a Fourth-Stage Xiantian lightning tribulation would be unable to do anything to him."

"That is true." Northern River Loose Cultivator sighed. "Actually, I was not worried at first. After all, it was merely a Third-Stage Houtian lightning tribulation. But Copper Gua Master's Supreme Fortune divination of great fortune and great prosperity made me immediately start trembling with fear."

"..." True Monarch Yellow Mountain.

"..." Mad Saber Three Waves.

Northern River Loose Cultivator's words made so much sense that the two of them had no response.