Zhou Yixian

Night fell, and the lanterns began to glow.

Heyang City shed the clamor of the day, taking on a hazy, prosperous charm.

Li Xiaoyu pushed open the window, gazing at the brilliant lights outside and the bright moon in the sky, his heart filled with tranquility.

The sense of freedom from shedding the shadows of the past and gaining a new lease on life made him feel at ease.

Li Xiaoyu was full of anticipation for his upcoming mission down the mountain.

Whether it was demons or dark cultivators.

He wanted to test with his own hands exactly what level his current strength had reached.

Li Xiaoyu lingered in Heyang City for two days.

He was in no rush to continue his journey; instead, like a traveler, he measured the land of this ancient city with his feet and observed the myriad aspects of the mortal world with his eyes.

His state of mind underwent a marvelous settling and baptism through this brand-new experience.

On this day, he strolled to a bustling market in the south of the city.

The market was filled with noise and excitement, with street performers, jugglers, snack vendors, and all sorts of people creating a lively scene.

A tattered banner at the corner of the street caught his attention.

On the banner, the words "Immortal Guiding the Way" were written in crooked calligraphy.

Beneath the banner sat a dilapidated wooden table, and behind the table sat an old man.

The old man was dressed in rags, his hair like a bird's nest, and his face was so dirty that his age was impossible to tell. He was squinting in the sun, looking half-dead.

Beside him sat a little girl of about seven or eight, wearing her hair in two buns, holding a stick of candied haws and eating with great relish, her small face smeared with sugar.

This combination looked like a pair of con artists no matter how one viewed it.

Li Xiaoyu chuckled to himself and was about to turn and leave.

The squinting old man suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of sharp light darting through his small pupils.

"Young man, please stay!"

When the old man spoke, his voice was full of vigor, completely inconsistent with his slovenly appearance.

Li Xiaoyu paused his steps and looked back.

He saw that the old man had already stood up at some point, darting over to him in a few steps to block his path.

"Young man, I see your forehead is bright and your temples are full; you have the face of natural wealth, yet between your brows, there is an aura of a trapped dragon."

The old man stroked his knotted goatee, looking unfathomably profound.

"Come, come, let this old man cast a hexagram for you to avoid misfortune and seek luck, and to point out the way through your confusion, how about it?"

Li Xiaoyu looked at his charlatan-like demeanor and found it amusing.

"Old sir, I do not believe in fate."

He said this and walked around the old man, intending to leave.

"Hey, don't go!"

The old man, however, was like sticky candy, clinging to him again and grabbing his sleeve.

"Young man, meeting is fate! I, Zhou Yixian, never charge a cent for fortune-telling; it is all based on fate! That you and I met here today is a grand stroke of fate!"

He introduced himself as Zhou Yixian, his words flying as he spoke.

The little granddaughter beside him, Xiao Huan, also chimed in, "That's right, big brother! My grandfather is very accurate at fortune-telling! You should just let him read your fortune!"

Li Xiaoyu looked at this old man and the little girl—one pestering him relentlessly, the other innocent and lively—and felt helpless.

He stopped and looked at Zhou Yixian. "Then what does the old sir wish to divine?"

Seeing him relent, Zhou Yixian beamed with joy and stretched out his thin, dry fingers, waving them in front of Li Xiaoyu.

"This old man does not read palms or faces; I only look at what is in your heart and where your future leads!"

As he spoke, his small eyes darted over Li Xiaoyu, finally landing on the wine gourd at his waist.

Li Xiaoyu felt a chill in his heart and used his robe to cover the gourd more tightly.

Zhou Yixian chuckled, withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and pinched his fingers for a long time, muttering under his breath.

A moment later, he opened his eyes abruptly, his expression turning serious.

"I have it!"

He cleared his throat and, in a chanting tone, recited two lines of the hexagram.

"A dragon trapped in the abyss, once it meets the wind and clouds, it shall transform."

"Immortal fate is ordained by heaven; only by severing worldly ties can one see the truth."

When the first line of the hexagram reached his ears, the smile on Li Xiaoyu's face froze.

A dragon trapped in the abyss!

Was this not the exact portrayal of his six years of stagnant cultivation?

Once wind and clouds meet, the dragon transforms!

It was precisely under the turbulent circumstances of having his engagement annulled, with his emotions in turmoil, that he activated the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and soared into the sky!

This is too accurate!

As the second line of the divination was recited, a stormy sea surged within Li Xiaoyu's heart.

Immortal fate is ordained by heaven!

His greatest secret was the Immortal-Slaying Gourd refined by the immortal Yun Zhongzi; was this not exactly his immortal fate?

Only by severing worldly ties can one see the truth!

He had just severed his worldly ties with Tian Ling'er, which allowed his Daoist heart to become clear and enabled him to see his true self!

These two lines of divination summarized almost every experience and secret he had from the past to the present with absolute clarity!

Li Xiaoyu's gaze turned sharp.

He stared fixedly at Zhou Yixian before him, his internal spiritual energy already beginning to circulate.

This seemingly mad old man was definitely not simple!

Who exactly was he?

How could he know so much?

However, Zhou Yixian seemed not to notice the dangerous aura emanating from Li Xiaoyu.

After finishing the divination, he returned to his usual grinning, charlatan-like demeanor.

"How about it, young man? Are my two lines accurate enough?"

He said, looking immensely pleased with himself.

Yet, the moment he lowered his head, a flash of shock crossed his eyes.

His gaze seemed to pierce through Li Xiaoyu's robes, landing on the gourd hanging at his waist.

The shape of that gourd, the ancient patterns faintly flowing across its surface.

"Hiss~"

"How could such a legendary immortal treasure appear on a minor cultivator in the Jade Purity Realm?"

Zhou Yixian's heart was in an uproar, but his expression remained unchanged.

Having lived for so long, he possessed at least that much composure.

Zhou Yixian knew that some things could be seen through but must never be spoken aloud.

Otherwise, the karma incurred would be far too great.

Li Xiaoyu suppressed the shock in his heart and glanced at Zhou Yixian.

He knew that continuing to ask would yield no answers.

This old man was as slippery as an eel and would never easily reveal his own background.

"Many thanks for your guidance, old sir."

Li Xiaoyu bowed solemnly toward Zhou Yixian.

This time, it was from the bottom of his heart.

Regardless of the man's origins, these two lines of divination had benefited him greatly.

Having said this, he did not linger, turning to merge into the crowd and disappearing quickly.

Xiao Huan tugged at Zhou Yixian's sleeve and asked curiously, "Grandpa, who exactly was that big brother? Your expression just now was so strange."

The smile on Zhou Yixian's face faded, and his expression grew grave.

He gazed in the direction where Li Xiaoyu had vanished, muttering to himself.

"Strange."

"The heavenly secrets have long been in chaos; even I cannot see through the future of the Divine Land. Why would this child embody such a destiny?"

"Could he be that legendary variable?"

He shook his head and took Xiao Huan's hand.

"Let's go, lass, it's time for us to be on our way as well."

"Where to, Grandpa?"

"To a place that might be very interesting."

A glint flickered in Zhou Yixian's eyes.

The chance encounter with Zhou Yixian was merely a small interlude.

Although Li Xiaoyu was astonished, he did not dwell on it too much.

His goal now was clear: to complete his sect mission and uncover the truth behind the monsters in the Nameless City.