Great Sun Demonic Art

The next morning.

Ye Jinglan had just returned from Morning Court when he ran into Gu Mo's courtyard with his brows dancing in delight. Laughing loudly, he said, "Brother Gu, Brother Gu, hahaha! I just got word—the arrogant Ye Chen has run into terrible Bad Luck!"

At this moment,

Gu Mo happened to be in his room studying the strange clump of "fortune" he had extracted from Ye Chen. Hearing Ye Jinglan's words, he asked in confusion, "What happened to Ye Chen?"

Ye Jinglan sat down in a chair and raised a thumb. "Brother Gu, you really are incredible. You only said yesterday that you took Ye Chen's fortune, and he started having Bad Luck that very day. Now he's gone missing. His two swordsmen subordinates escaped from the ghost city and came to the Imperial Court to ask for help!"

"What exactly happened?" Gu Mo asked.

According to the two Swordsmen, Ye Chen had suffered Bad Luck in the ghost city as though he had truly run into a ghost. All manner of inexplicable killing threats had descended upon him. Even though Ye Chen possessed formidable martial arts and was Chu Kingdom's Third Master, he still could not withstand it.

"The two Swordsmen nearly died in the ghost city along with him. Now he has disappeared. Jingzhao Prefecture has sent men down into the ghost city to search for him, but I reckon there isn't much hope. That fellow is far too unlucky now, and the ghost city is complicated and dangerous. I'm afraid he'll die in there."

Gu Mo looked at the clump of "qi" in his hand and thought, Could this really be fortune? Could fortune actually take tangible form?

Thinking back on Ye Chen's experiences, Child of Fortune was no longer enough to describe him. He was practically the Father of Fortune himself.

Even the protagonists in folk tales and storybooks who possessed immense fortune encountered lucky events that still followed some degree of logic. The most typical example was Ye Jinglan. In Gu Mo's view, he was someone blessed with immense fortune and fit the mold of a novel protagonist perfectly.

Beneath his originally ordinary background lay something extraordinary. At a young age, he had made a name in the martial world. After becoming enemies with Mystic Maiden Palace, he happened to meet Lin Qixia, one of Mystic Maiden Palace's ten great disciples, and fell in love with her. Later, through a series of strange coincidences, he married Nangong Yuexi, Qing Province Number One Beauty. In the end, he defeated Qing Province Number One Expert and shattered the plot of Mystic Maiden Palace, the number one faction.

Afterward, his background came to light, and he encountered an unprecedented crisis. Yet at precisely that time, he received the aid of an expert, survived the crisis, and even turned misfortune into fortune by gaining the power of a kirin. From then on, he rose steadily like a fish leaping over the Dragon Gate, becoming one of the world's top masters. He was drawn into the battle over the He Xu Ruins—a high-level war he should never have been able to interfere in—yet he still picked up an advantage and obtained Kirin Bone. His cultivation would rise another level, directly making him one of the first-echelon figures under heaven.

Looking over Ye Jinglan's life, he already possessed immense fortune.

Yet compared to Ye Chen, it was still utterly ordinary. Ye Chen's experiences could no longer be described as good fortune or immense fortune. He was fortune itself.

"Now that this clump of qi has been taken by me, he immediately became extremely unlucky. In other words, fortune truly can take tangible form. Could one artificially create someone with immense fortune? Create the protagonist of an era?"

What Gu Mo found difficult to understand was that even for someone like Ye Jinglan, who possessed immense fortune, luck remained shapeless and intangible under the laws of nature, impossible to grasp.

I hope that fellow isn't dead, Gu Mo thought.

Chang'an City, Honglu Temple.

Xiao Ziyin was receiving the brothers Chang Qi and Chang Liu. She asked, "Think carefully. Were all the things Young Master Ye encountered in the ghost city yesterday truly coincidences?"

Chang Qi clasped his hands. "Your Highness, it sounds unbelievable, but we can be certain that they truly were all coincidences. They were absolutely not man-made. Perhaps what happened around Corpse Cocoon Cave could have been prepared in advance, but afterward, when our young master was swept away by the river, no one could possibly have arranged the time and place at which we rescued him.

"Even if someone had arranged it, it could not have been such a precise coincidence that even our young master's seating position was calculated. The three of us sat on the ground together, yet only the spot beneath him collapsed, causing him to fall into a hidden pit.

"Later, the three of us ran together, and quicksand suddenly formed a whirlpool on the ground. Again, only he happened to sink into it... After that, many things happened while all three of us were together. But whether he stood at the side or in the middle, trouble always landed squarely on him alone!"

Chang Qi and Chang Liu then recounted Ye Chen's adventures in the ghost city.

The gathered Chu Country Envoys all looked at one another in dismay.

They were shocked by Ye Chen's Bad Luck, but even more shocked that he was truly difficult to kill. Had those things happened to anyone else, they would have died dozens of times over.

Xiao Ziyin frowned deeply. "In short, the luckier your young master used to be, the unluckier he is now?"

Chang Qi nodded. "Yes. The moment we emerged, we went to Jingzhao Prefecture to report the case. Although Jingzhao Prefecture agreed to help search for our young master, its capabilities are limited. Gan Country's Underground Ghost City is famously complicated. We ask Your Highness to request that the Gan Country Imperial Court intervene in the name of the delegation and search for our young master!"

Xiao Ziyin nodded. "Rest assured. I have already sent someone to ask the Gan Country Imperial Court for help. Hmm, by the way, Young Master Ye has always been the luckiest person under heaven. How could he suddenly become so unlucky? Were there any signs beforehand? Did he encounter anything unusual?"

"Yes," Chang Qi said. "Our young master fell off a cliff near Corpse Cocoon Cave and discovered a cave containing a fortuitous treasure. Our young master often encountered things like this before, and they were always ownerless.

"But yesterday was different. That fortuitous opportunity actually had owners, and their identities were not simple. They were Ye Jinglan, Ministry of Justice Vice Minister of Gan Country, and Gu Mo, who is called Number One Under Heaven."

Xiao Ziyin raised an eyebrow. "Gu Mo has come to Chang'an City? Then it makes sense that your young master would suffer terrible Bad Luck!"

Chang Qi asked in confusion, "Why does Your Highness say that?"

Xiao Ziyin said, "Your young master is an Innate Sage whose luck is so absurd it borders on the demonic, while Gu Mo is also an Innate Sage—and in terms of absurdity, he is even worse than your young master.

"Your young master's luck and the countless opportunities he has gained can ultimately still be traced. But Gu Mo rose from obscurity to become Number One Under Heaven, and the martial arts he has displayed along the way are too numerous to count, nearly all without any traceable origin.

"Both are Innate Sages, both are strange beyond reason. It seems your young master has been suppressed by Gu Mo! Fortunately, I am not an Innate Sage. Otherwise, I fear I would be suppressed too..."

Just then,

an envoy rushed in from outside, flustered and panicked. "Your Highness, something has happened! The Gan Country side responsible for negotiations suddenly agreed directly to our demands. They will hand Great Compassion Divine Monk over to us today! Your Highness, we... miscalculated!"

Xiao Ziyin's expression shifted slightly as she hurriedly asked, "What happened? Wasn't Gan Country's attitude always firm? Even yesterday, they stubbornly insisted that aside from returning prisoners of war, we must pay compensation. Why did they suddenly relent?"

The envoy said, "We don't know what happened either. Just now, we were still haggling back and forth. We had just laid down harsh words when their attitude abruptly changed. They directly said, 'A deal,' then took out the contract to seal it, saying that if we signed now, they would hand him over this afternoon.

"Lord Chen and the others don't know what to do. This humble official used going to the toilet as an excuse to run here and inform you. Your Highness, what should we do now? Gan Country has pinned us down. Do we sign or not?"

Xiao Ziyin drew a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Gu Mo not only suppresses Ye Chen—he even suppresses me?"

She pondered for a moment, then said, "Sign it!"

The envoy hurried away.

Xiao Ziyin then waved away the other envoys in the hall, leaving only a Female Official behind.

For a time, the hall became deathly still.

The Female Official clasped her hands. "Your Highness, if we sign the contract now, it will be difficult to explain to His Majesty. Although we hold more than a thousand Gan Country prisoners of war, Gan Country also holds our prisoners. If Gan Country exchanges Great Compassion Divine Monk for its prisoners, it means we will need to spend vast sums to ransom ours.

"When His Majesty learns of this, he will likely be furious. The Gan Country army captured this time was top-tier cavalry. Any one of them was worth ten ordinary Soldiers."

Xiao Ziyin waved her hand. "What else can I do now? We came to Gan Country to negotiate the exchange for Great Compassion Divine Monk. Gan Country publicized it everywhere in advance, forcing our Imperial Court to take a position. It has now become a major matter within the country. Before, we could use Gan Country's excessive demands as an excuse to delay, but now that Gan Country has yielded, if we still refuse to exchange, it will cause unrest within the Buddhist Faction and shake the united resolve of the people. Who would not fear fighting for their country and people to the very end, only to be abandoned by the nation?"

The Female Official said gravely, "Then how will we explain it to His Majesty?"

Xiao Ziyin said, "Tell the truth. What else can we say? But right now, we must find out why Gan Country suddenly changed its attitude. I hope it has nothing to do with Gu Mo!"

The Female Official asked doubtfully, "What would be wrong if it were related to Gu Mo?"

Xiao Ziyin sighed. "Whether we came in such a grand manner to negotiate, or Gan Country imprisoned Great Compassion Divine Monk for twenty years, both prove that Gan Country understands Great Compassion Divine Monk's value very well.

"Under such circumstances, the guards watching Great Compassion Divine Monk must be exceptionally strict. Gan Country's Imperial Court also knows how many people and how much strength our delegation possesses. Even with the assistance of hidden agents, it would be absolutely impossible for us to reach Great Compassion Divine Monk. Naturally, we could neither rescue nor kill him.

"Gan Country's previous attitude was very clear. If it suddenly changed, there are only two possibilities. First, Great Compassion Divine Monk is about to die, and they fear he will rot in their hands. Second, they know we have a way to kill Great Compassion Divine Monk even through layers upon layers of guards.

"If it is the first, that is fine. But if it is the second, then it is troublesome. It means Gan Country may also possess power beyond the mortal world—the power of the Ascension Realm—or at least knows of its existence.

"And Gu Mo, as Number One Under Heaven, is the person closest to ascending under heaven. If Gan Country possesses Ascension Realm power or knows its characteristics, the most likely source must be Gu Mo. Even if Gu Mo has not reached that realm, with the aid of Gan Country's national strength, he could easily master the power of the Ascension Realm."

The Female Official's expression also grew solemn. "Your Highness, that is indeed very possible. Do you remember the news we received about the great battle at Dragon Tiger Mountain's Grand Heavenly Ritual before the mountain was sealed? In that battle, someone said to be the reincarnation of Ling Xiao, the Previous Generation Number One Under Heaven, appeared. In the end, he died at Gu Mo's hands.

"Previously, we believed it was a trick played by Gongsun Jue and Zhang Xisu. But if that was real, then reincarnated Ling Xiao must have possessed Ascension Realm power, yet Gu Mo killed him. Even if he did not kill him, it at least proves Gu Mo has Ascension Realm power.

"Furthermore, those who returned from Penglai Island all said that Gu Mo transformed himself into a dragon there and defeated Great Island Master and Second Island Master. Those two were also very likely people with Ascension Realm power.

"Combined with what happened today, it is highly possible that Gu Mo has already mastered the power of the Ascension Realm. Therefore, he knew that no matter how tightly Great Compassion Divine Monk was guarded, as long as his location was confirmed, he could easily kill him using Ascension Realm power. So he informed Emperor Gan, which was why Gan Country's Imperial Court changed so abruptly!"

Xiao Ziyin said in a low voice, "The timing is indeed too coincidental. Gu Mo had barely arrived in Chang'an City when Gan Country's Imperial Court drastically changed its attitude. In addition, it now seems perfectly reasonable that Gu Mo can suppress Ye Chen!"

As she spoke, Xiao Ziyin's expression became increasingly grave. "If this is true, then it is truly troublesome. The two Esteemed Ones are restricted and cannot walk the mortal world at will, but Gu Mo can.

"If he spares no cost in acting for Gan Country, our Chu Kingdom has no means to restrain him. As for His Majesty... he still needs some time before mastering Ascension Realm power."

The Female Official asked in confusion, "Your Highness, what exactly are those two Esteemed Ones wary of? Why do they not dare walk freely? If they could lend us their full strength, would not Chu Kingdom's Unify the World be just around the corner?"

"I don't know." Xiao Ziyin pondered for a moment, then said, "First, find a way to investigate whether Gu Mo has truly mastered Ascension Realm power... Oh, right. Give order that once Great Compassion Divine Monk is exchanged, all contact with hidden agents is to cease. We will wait peacefully until Gan Country's Succession Ceremony is over, then return!"

"Yes." The Female Official bowed, then asked, "Your Highness, then... regarding Young Master Ye Chen..."

Xiao Ziyin sighed. "Search as best you can. I hope he is still alive. It would be quite a pity for such a person to die just like that!"

Chang'an City was as peaceful as ever today, yet beneath the bustle and clamor, two major events occurred that stirred the Gan Country Imperial Court.

The first was that negotiations between Chu Kingdom and Gan Country over prisoners of war had concluded. Chu Kingdom exchanged 1,352 prisoners of war for Demonic Monk Dabie, who had committed monstrous crimes in Chang'an City twenty years ago.

Dabie was released from prison that very day, but his freedom was temporarily restricted. He could only remain at Honglu Temple. Only after Chu Kingdom returned the prisoners at the frontline would he regain his freedom, though even then it would only be relative freedom. He would be directly escorted back to Chu Kingdom and could never enjoy freedom within Gan Country.

Among the younger generation of officials in Gan Country's Imperial Court, few knew much about Demon Monk Dabie.

But to many old ministers, he was a nightmare.

Thus, Dabie's release from prison

sparked immense controversy in the Imperial Court and stirred up a great uproar.

The other event that stirred up waves concerned Chu Country Envoy Ye Chen's disappearance in the ghost city. However, although Ye Chen was famous in Chu Kingdom, he had little fame in Gan Country. Thus, it caused only a small-scale disturbance, such as in Jingzhao Prefecture and the Imperial City Division, because both had to send people into the ghost city to search.

However, after searching the ghost city for an entire day, the Imperial City Division and Jingzhao Prefecture found no trace of him.

Not until evening, when the sun had already set,

did a man in tattered clothes, his body covered in wounds, crawl to the gates of Ye Jinglan's home. His hair hung loose and he looked utterly wretched. When he raised his head and saw the two words "Ye Manor," he burst into hysterical laughter. "Hahaha... Ye Family... I've finally made it! I knew it—I am a Chosen One! You can't kill me! You can't kill me! Hahaha..."

This person was Ye Chen, whom Jingzhao Prefecture and the Imperial City Division were currently searching for with all their strength.

Just then,

several copper coins fell from the sky and landed before Ye Chen.

Ye Chen turned his head in confusion and saw a Ye Manor Gatekeeper standing beside him, his face full of pained reluctance.

Ye Chen was baffled. "Brother, what are you doing?"

The Gatekeeper frowned. "Brother, I know begging isn't easy, but I have a tigress at home. This is all the money I have for wine. Don't think it's too little. Take it and go quickly!"

How could Ye Chen fail to understand that he had been mistaken for a Beggar? Anger immediately rushed to his head. He, the dignified Chu Kingdom's Third Master, Ye Chen, known throughout the martial world as the Chosen One, had actually been reduced to being mistaken for a Beggar.

At once, he wanted to stand up and tell the fat man before him his identity. But he could not get up. He fell flat on his face, face-first onto the ground, eating a mouthful of dust. He roared, "I am Ye Chen! Ye Chen! I am Ye Chen, the Chosen One! Chu Kingdom's Third Master! My riches equal a country! Do you think I care about your pathetic few coins?"

The Gatekeeper slowly squatted down and looked at Ye Chen, his face full of conflict. After hesitating for a long while, he picked several copper coins out from inside his shoes and stuffed them into Ye Chen's hand. "Brother, this is really all I have?"

Ye Chen: "..."

Just then,

a carriage stopped outside the gates. Ye Jinglan got out and, seeing the scene before him, asked, "What is going on?"

The Gatekeeper hurriedly rose. "Master, this man..."

Before the Gatekeeper could finish, Ye Chen propped himself up with his arms and crawled toward Ye Jinglan, shouting hysterically, "Ye Jinglan... sob, sob, sob... I finally found you... Quickly take me to see Gu Mo..."

The Gatekeeper hurriedly stopped Ye Chen.

Ye Chen urgently pushed aside his disheveled hair and shouted, "Me... it's me! Ye Jinglan, me—Ye Chen!"

Ye Jinglan stared at Ye Chen for quite some time, then said in surprise, "Brother, you're actually not dead yet?"

Ye Chen: "..."

Ye Jinglan walked over and looked at the utterly bedraggled Ye Chen. "How did you end up like this? Weren't you in the ghost city?"

"It is a long story," Ye Chen said. "Quickly take me to see Gu Mo. You have no idea, sob, sob, sob..."

Ye Chen said aggrievedly, "After I crawled out of the ghost city, I was trying to find you. A carriage ran over me seven times, people splashed boiling water on me three times, hot oil broth once, and I fucking crawled in the wrong direction, so I had to crawl all the way over again..."

Ye Jinglan swallowed and raised a thumb. "You really are hard to kill. But how can a person be unlucky to such a degree?"

Ye Chen's crying was filled with sorrow. "Gu Mo suppresses me!"

Ye Jinglan gave an awkward smile and hurriedly instructed the Gatekeeper to carry Ye Chen inside.

Then,

Ye Jinglan personally witnessed Ye Chen's Bad Luck.

From the entrance to the main hall was only a distance of four or five zhang.

Yet Ye Chen fell three times, each time landing headfirst, smashed into the corner of a wall five times, and had finally managed to walk straight through the corridor when a roof tile suddenly fell and struck him again.

But Ye Chen still stubbornly made it to the courtyard where Gu Mo was staying. Then, with a head bleeding from seven orifices and bruised and swollen, he crawled toward Gu Mo and screamed hysterically, "Gu Mo... ah, big brother... I was wrong... sob, sob, sob... I have suffered so much..."

After that,

Ye Chen tearfully recounted how he had endured eighty-one trials in the ghost city, then how he had suffered through countless hardships to crawl to Ye Jinglan's gates.

"Sob, sob, sob..."

As he spoke, Ye Chen began to wail in grievance.

"Sob, sob, sob, big brother..." Ye Chen clutched Gu Mo's leg and said, "I've figured it out along the way. Ever since I met you, I started having Bad Luck, big brother. You suppress me!

"I know it. Big brother, your fate is definitely stronger than mine. I foolishly wanted to take you as my little brother, and my fortune backlashed against me. Big brother, I was wrong! From now on, you are my big brother. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west. Big brother, forgive me! I will never show off again, big brother!"

Seeing Ye Chen weep bitterly, tears and snot streaming down his face, Gu Mo unexpectedly felt the slightest trace of guilt. Although this fellow had been somewhat pretentious before, he handled matters decisively and had not committed any evil deeds. Yet in this short one to two days, he had been completely ruined!

"Big brother, just take me as your little brother!"

Ye Chen cried as he tightly hugged Gu Mo's leg and refused to let go, afraid that the moment he released it, even his life would be sent away.

Gu Mo smiled faintly and sent a strand of true qi into Ye Chen's body. Slowly, he said, "Can you first tell me what is going on with your fortune? As far as I know, you were still unknown and utterly ordinary five years ago."

Hearing Gu Mo's words, Ye Chen's eyes clearly showed some hesitation. But it lasted only an instant before he made up his mind. "Big brother, I will tell you the truth. My fortune became so good because I cultivated a martial art!"

Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan were both filled with surprise.

Ye Jinglan asked in confusion, "What does a martial art have to do with your fortune? What martial art can cultivate fortune?"

Ye Chen slowly said, "Ordinary martial arts naturally cannot cultivate fortune. But what if it is the Great Sun Demonic Art, the Eighth Taboo among the legendary Thirteen Taboos?"

Ye Jinglan and Gu Mo exchanged a glance, and both saw shock in the other's eyes.

Ye Jinglan hurriedly said, "Tell us in detail."

Ye Chen thought for a moment and said, "It was one summer day five years ago. The wind was gentle and the sun was bright; the weather was perfect. I was taking an afternoon nap at home when I suddenly heard someone groaning outside.

"When I went out, I saw an old Beggar collapsed on the ground. I felt he was pitiful, so I gave him a bowl of water and some food. After a long while, the Old Beggar recovered and insisted on asking me in a mysterious manner what my dream was.

"I had nothing to do that day anyway, so I thought it would be nice to chat with someone and pass the time. I started talking with the Old Beggar and told him my dream was to gain without working, to have whatever I wanted.

"I thought the Old Beggar would laugh at me a little, but he did not. Instead, he seriously said he could fulfill my dream and asked if I wanted that. Naturally, I could not have taken an old Beggar's words seriously, so I jokingly said of course I did.

"Then the Old Beggar gave me an old yellowed book with four large words written on it—Great Sun Demonic Art.

"He told me that as long as I cultivated according to the manual, I could gain without working and have anything I wanted. Curious, I immediately opened it and took a look. There really were words inside, but after reading only the first page, I closed the book. When I looked up, the Old Beggar had vanished.

"Then I suddenly had an urgent need to piss and woke up from being unable to hold it in. It turned out I had only been dreaming. Then I went and took a piss before going back to sleep. I slept until dark. It was really comfortable."

Gu Mo: "??"

Ye Jinglan: "?? Are you messing with me?"

Ye Chen hurriedly said, "Listen to the rest! Later, after I woke up, I recalled what had happened in the dream. But strangely, I still remembered the contents of that page I had seen.

"So I tried cultivating it, only to discover that I really could cultivate it, and my progress was extremely fast—a thousand miles in a single day. From then on, my fortune began improving. As my cultivation grew higher and higher, my fortune grew better and better. Later, I reached the point where every time I left home, I would definitely stumble upon a fortuitous opportunity."

Gu Mo frowned slightly and asked, "Can you recite the manual you cultivated?"

Ye Chen was decisive. He immediately began reciting, "Qian Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Kun Hou De Zai Wu, where yin and yang stir against each other lies Zheng Zang Zhuan Huan Zhi Ji...

"This art takes Hexagram Symbols as its boat and intent as its rudder. Observe Tui Bei Zhi Zhao, derive Jing Zhi Bian, and condense 'fortune qi' throughout the body, transforming the force of heaven and earth's circulation for one's own use...

"The qi travels through the Du Mai and rises to Bai Hui. If fortune seeks to rise, one must borrow the intent of Xun Feng, using thought to drive qi like wind stirring clouds and waves..."

Very soon,

he had finished reciting the four- to five-hundred-word passage of the manual.

Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan both looked puzzled after hearing it.

Whether it was the general outline or the method for circulating energy, it sounded like utter nonsense to them, not even worthy of being called a common, low-grade martial art.

Given Gu Mo's current realm, he could also state with complete certainty that the manual was useless and could not cultivate anything at all.

Yet Gu Mo did not suspect Ye Chen of lying, because as Ye Chen recited, he was also circulating energy. He truly formed both a major and Lesser Celestial Circuit within his body.

"Have you ever seen the Great Sun Demonic Art again afterward?" Gu Mo asked.

"No," Ye Chen said. "I only remember the contents of that one page I saw in the dream. I regret it too. If I had read more back then, wouldn't I have become even stronger?"

Gu Mo gave a faint smile.

He immediately and silently circulated energy, returning the clump of "fortune" he had stripped from Ye Chen back into Ye Chen's body. Yet when he looked at Ye Chen again through his energy, he discovered that enormous Black Qi was spreading from Ye Chen's body. Like the fortune from before, it had also taken tangible form and completely occupied the place where the fortune had previously resided.

"Is this luck, or Bad Luck?"

Gu Mo slowly fused the fortune back in. This qi, which could not attach itself to anyone else, returned to Ye Chen naturally. Yet that clump of "Bad Luck" did not disappear. Instead, it occupied one side while "fortune" occupied the other.