True: Starting with a Single Bowl

The so-called Prince of Dingxi was none other than Mangala, the third son of Kublai Khan.

In the ninth year of Zhiyuan, Mangala was ordered by Kublai Khan to garrison the Tangut lands (modern-day Guyuan, Ningxia). He was stationed at Kaicheng on Liupan Mountain, where he established the Prince's Mansion to oversee military and political affairs in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan.

He would migrate to Liupan in the summer and reside in Jingzhao during the winter.

He could come and go freely between his fiefdom and the imperial capital, a testament to the favor Kublai Khan bestowed upon him.

Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicions were correct.

It was clear that the matter of the prophecy at Yinglong Temple (Imperial Awakening Temple) had indeed been obstructed by other princes acting in the shadows.

And upon seeing the artifact in the hands of Yang Lianzhenjia.

Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils constricted.

He saw a line of small characters clearly etched upon the bone bowl held by Yang Lianzhenjia.

[Kapala Bowl · Crafted by Emperor Lizong of Song]

"A Kapala Bowl made from the skull of Emperor Lizong of Song!"

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a surge of covetous heat.

The theme of the first act of the Secret History mission was [Remains of the Song Emperor].

This meant that all subsequent missions would likely revolve around this Kapala Bowl made from Emperor Lizong's skull, currently in the hands of Yang Lianzhenjia.

"Talk about starting the game with nothing but a bowl," Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself.

Seeing that everything was prepared, Yang Lianzhenjia raised the Kapala Bowl above his head and proclaimed loudly.

"Our Great Yuan established its foundation by pacifying the four corners with martial might! Every nation we attacked was conquered! Every army we engaged was shattered!"

He then pulled a glass vial from his robes containing a blood-red liquid. The moment the liquid was poured into the Kapala Bowl, it began to boil as if it were hot oil.

"Thus, we named our state Yuan!"

"Meaning: Great is the Primal Origin! All things derive their beginning from it!"

As Yang Lianzhenjia cast the blood into the Kapala Bowl, it instantly transformed into golden flames that roared to life, causing the bone tiles inside the bowl to rattle and creak.

At this moment, even the monk Minghui, who had subdued Mingguang with a single move, opened his eyes on the lotus pedestal. He stared unblinkingly with his pitch-black, shriveled eyes at the divination result within the Kapala Bowl.

"It is the Unification of Heaven!"

"Clouds move and rain falls! All things take their proper form!"

As Yang Lianzhenjia spoke these words, he bit the tip of his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of vital essence along with a blood-red, faintly golden-tinged parasite into the bowl.

Immediately, the flames within the Kapala Bowl burned even more fiercely.

Keep chanting... why did you stop chanting? Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself as he watched the bone tiles in the bowl burn into ash one by one, leaving only the final piece, which glowed with the brilliance of refined gold that had been tempered a hundred times.

There's still more: "The Great Ming begins and ends, the six positions are formed in time, riding the six dragons to govern the heavens... all nations shall be at peace."

Although Zhu Yuanzhang desperately wanted to mock them to their faces, he considered that either of these two could crush him with a single finger.

Zhu Yuanzhang decisively chose to play it safe.

He vowed that in the future, he would take double revenge on everyone who had harmed him within this Secret History.

He couldn't help it; he was just that petty.

If you have the ability, come and hit me!

Once I am resurrected, I'll add another tally to your debt.

"What is the result?" Yang Lianzhenjia asked. After spitting out that mouthful of vital essence and the parasite, he appeared severely wounded; his posture slumped, and his breathing became ragged.

He could barely control the parasites on his body, and those that fell to the ground crawled about aimlessly until Minghui intervened to help stabilize Yang Lianzhenjia's form.

Yang Lianzhenjia's hands trembled as he handed the Kapala Bowl to Minghui; he could no longer turn the bone tiles at the bottom, nor could he even hold the bowl steady.

The mummified monk extended a hand and, without ever touching the skull of Emperor Lizong, lightly brushed the bone tiles. They flipped as if they were attached to the corpse's hand.

Yang Lianzhenjia leaned in, filled with anticipation.

However, upon seeing the characters on the bone tile, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He stood frozen, muttering like a madman.

"No... impossible. Crown Prince Zhenjin... how could he not be the True Dragon Son of Heaven!"

Zhu Yuanzhang used his peripheral vision to sneak a glance at the text on the bone tile.

"It is the 'Gold Foil Gold' destiny."

Master Minghui sighed inwardly.

"Gold Foil destiny?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's mind stirred.

"Nayin Five Elements? So this really is fortune-telling?"

"Even with the fate of Hairpin Gold, given the current peak of the Great Yuan's prosperity, it should be enough to bear the Mandate of Heaven... Yet, it just had to be Gold Foil Gold."

Speaking to this point, Master Minghui could not help but heave a sigh.

It was a case of "a heart higher than the heavens, but a life thinner than paper."

Having been dealt the "Gold Foil" fate, it was clear that even with the backing of the Crown Prince position, Crown Prince Zhenjin had no chance of inheriting the orthodox Mandate of Heaven of the Great Yuan.

Beside them, Yang Lianzhenjia turned as pale as a ghost upon hearing this.

Seeing that the revelation had dealt such a heavy blow to both men, Zhu Yuanzhang's mind raced.

Is this talk of destiny actually real in this world?

If this is what they call "reading fate"... then this world faintly reeks of fatalism.

Terrifying.

But judging from their conversation, it doesn't quite feel like simple fatalism, does it?

It's a bit strange.

Regardless of what Zhu Yuanzhang thought, upon hearing that Crown Prince Zhenjin was unable to bear the Mandate of Heaven, Yang Lianzhenjia suddenly let out a long, skyward howl, two lines of blood-tears streaming from his eyes as he appeared to descend into madness.

"No! Why! Why!"

Countless blood-worms poured from the barbarian monk's sleeves and orifices, instantly spreading in all directions like a sea of blood.

Zhu Yuanzhang instinctively took a step back.

Damn it, is this barbarian monk going to blow himself up and take me with him?

Zhu Yuanzhang thought as he watched the surging red insects.

But as the dense swarm of red insects—far greater in volume than Yang Lianzhenjia's own body—rushed toward Zhu Yuanzhang, a "darkness" rose up before him, and the red insects could not advance a single inch further.

As for why Zhu Yuanzhang called it darkness:

Although there appeared to be nothing in front of him, it was similar to the dim candlelight of the Mahavira Hall.

The light within three inches of Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have been drained away by something invisible, leaving the space blurred and gloomy.

"But there is no need to worry too much; this monk had long anticipated this situation... for the sake of ensuring our Han lineage does not perish..."

Minghui's voice became extremely ethereal at this moment, lingering around Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that, at some point, a bone bowl inlaid with turquoise, agate, and precious jade had appeared within the three inches of darkness before him.

[Kapala Bowl · Crafted by Emperor Lizong of Song]

Zhu Yuanzhang's hand reached out uncontrollably.

"Choose one at will. Choose correctly, and your fate shall supplement Crown Prince Zhenjin! Choose wrongly, and Yinglong Temple shall provide you a final resting place!"

At this moment, as if bound by some unseen restriction, it was as if only Zhu Yuanzhang could flip the bone tiles before him.

The force that had just controlled Zhu Yuanzhang vanished in an instant.

Yang Lianzhenjia had recovered for the most part, though half his face remained skinless, with countless scarlet blood-worms writhing upon it. He stared at "Minghe," who stood blankly before the Kapala Bowl, with a mix of ecstasy and shock, exclaiming:

"The Master's power is immense! To think that a technique to supplement fate truly exists in history!"

But Master Minghui did not answer; the lotus throne where he had been was empty, and the mummified corpse was long gone.

Zhu Yuanzhang could feel an intensely strong gaze fixed upon him from behind.

The surrounding light suddenly turned dim, and the Buddha statues, the monks, and the Mahavira Hall all vanished.

It was as if he had been transported to another world.

In the dim light, countless tentacles surged toward Zhu Yuanzhang from all directions, forcing him to make a choice quickly.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the six bone tiles inside the Kapala Bowl.

He looked at the black tentacles drawing ever closer to his feet.

Gritting his teeth, he reached out and flipped over a random bone tile.

It was clearly written upon it:

"It is Sea Gold."

The ethereal voice beside his ear turned instantly joyful.

Almost the moment the tile was flipped, Zhu Yuanzhang's vision went black.

Scarlet characters emerged before his eyes.

[You have died]