Zhou Yixian

Night fell, and the city's lights began to shine.

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

Li Xiaoyu pushed open the window. As he gazed at the dazzling lights outside and the bright moon overhead, his heart was calm.

Free from the shadows of the past, he had been reborn with a sense of freedom that left him feeling refreshed.

Li Xiaoyu looked forward to the mission that would soon take him down the mountain.

Whether demons or fiends,

he wanted to test his strength with his own hands and see just how far he had come.

Li Xiaoyu stayed in Heyang City for two days.

He did not hurry on his way. Instead, like a traveler, he measured the ground of this ancient city with his feet and observed the myriad faces of the mortal world with his own eyes.

Through this new experience, his state of mind underwent a wondrous settling and cleansing.

One day, he strolled into a lively market in the south of the city.

The market was bustling with people. Street performers, acrobats, snack vendors—the place was teeming with all kinds of activity.

An old, tattered banner at a street corner caught his eye.

In crooked brushstrokes, it read: "Immortals Point the Way."

Beneath the banner sat a battered wooden table, with an old man seated behind it.

His clothes were in tatters, his hair looked like a bird's nest, and his face was filthy. It was impossible to guess his age. He was squinting as he basked in the sun, looking half-dead.

Beside him sat a little girl of about seven or eight, her hair tied into two little buns. She held a candied hawthorn skewer and munched on it with relish, her little face smeared with sticky sugar.

The pair looked every bit like swindlers.

Li Xiaoyu could not help laughing. He was just about to turn and leave.

But the squinting old man suddenly opened his eyes, a glint flashing in them.

"Young man, please wait!"

When the old man spoke, his voice was strong and hearty, utterly at odds with his disheveled appearance.

Li Xiaoyu paused and looked back.

The old man had somehow gotten to his feet and darted over in a few quick steps, blocking his way.

"Young man, your brow is bright and your forehead full—a sign of natural wealth and nobility. Yet between your brows, I see the aura of a trapped dragon."

The old man stroked his knotted goatee, wearing an air of inscrutable wisdom.

"Come, come! Let this old man cast a fortune for you, ward off misfortune, and point you toward the right path. How about it?"

Watching the old man's charlatan act, Li Xiaoyu could only find it amusing.

"Elder, I don't believe in fate," he said, sidestepping him and preparing to leave.

"Hey, don't go!"

But the old man clung to him like a piece of sticky hide, grabbing his sleeve once more.

"Young man, every meeting is fate! I, Zhou Yixian, never charge a single coin for my readings. I leave it all to fate! For you and me to meet here today—that's fate on a grand scale!"

He called himself Zhou Yixian, talking so enthusiastically that spittle flew.

His little granddaughter, Xiao Huan, chimed in, too. "That's right, big brother! My grandpa's readings are super accurate! Let him read your fortune!"

Li Xiaoyu looked at the old man and little girl. One was relentless, the other innocent, and he felt helpless.

He stopped and looked at Zhou Yixian. "Then what does Elder want to read?"

Seeing him give in, Zhou Yixian beamed and held up a thin finger, wagging it in front of Li Xiaoyu.

"This old man reads neither palms nor faces. I read only what's in your heart and where your future will lead!"

As he spoke, his little eyes roamed over Li Xiaoyu before finally settling on the Wine Gourd at his waist.

Li Xiaoyu's heart tightened. He used his robe to cover the gourd more securely.

Zhou Yixian chuckled, withdrew his gaze, and closed his eyes. He counted on his fingers for a long while, muttering under his breath.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his expression turning grave.

"I have it!"

He cleared his throat and recited two lines of prophecy in a sing-song, declamatory tone.

"A dragon trapped in the abyss shall become a dragon once the winds and clouds arise."

"Immortal fate is ordained by Heaven; sever all mortal ties, and the truth shall be revealed."

When Li Xiaoyu heard the first line, the smile on his face froze.

A dragon trapped in the abyss!

Wasn't that a perfect description of his Cultivation stagnating for the past six years?

Once the winds and clouds arose, he would become a dragon!

And it was precisely amid the storm of emotions that followed his broken engagement that he had activated the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and soared to new heights!

How could it be so accurate?

When the second line was recited, Li Xiaoyu's heart surged like a raging sea.

Immortal fate, ordained by Heaven!

His greatest secret was the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, crafted by the immortal Yun Zhongzi. Wasn't that exactly an immortal fate?

Sever all mortal ties, and the truth shall be revealed!

He had just severed his mortal ties with Tian Ling'er, allowing his Dao Heart to clear and revealing his true self!

Those two lines had almost perfectly summed up everything he had experienced and every secret he had kept, from the past to the present!

Li Xiaoyu's gaze sharpened.

He stared at Zhou Yixian, the spiritual energy within him already beginning to stir.

This seemingly senile old man was no ordinary person!

Who was he, really?

How did he know so much?

Yet Zhou Yixian seemed not to notice the dangerous aura radiating from Li Xiaoyu.

After reciting the prophecy, he returned to his grinning, charlatan self.

"Well, young man? Were my two lines on the mark?"

He asked smugly.

But in the instant he lowered his head, shock flashed in his eyes.

His gaze seemed to pierce Li Xiaoyu's robe and fall upon the gourd hanging at his waist.

Its shape, and the ancient patterns faintly flowing across its surface—

"Hiss..."

"How could a legendary immortal treasure like this be in the hands of a little cultivator at the Jade Purity Realm?"

Zhou Yixian was in turmoil, but his expression did not change.

He had lived long enough to know how to keep his composure.

Zhou Yixian knew that some things, once seen through, must never be spoken aloud.

Otherwise, the karma one incurred would be far too great.

Li Xiaoyu suppressed his shock and glanced at Zhou Yixian.

He knew that even if he kept asking, he would get nothing out of him.

The old man was slippery as an eel and would never reveal his secrets easily.

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder."

Li Xiaoyu solemnly cupped his hands toward Zhou Yixian.

This time, his gratitude came from the heart.

Whatever the old man's origins, those two lines of prophecy had given him much to reflect on.

After speaking, he did not linger. He turned and merged into the crowd, soon vanishing from sight.

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

The smile disappeared from Zhou Yixian's face, and his expression grew solemn.

He gazed in the direction where Li Xiaoyu had vanished and murmured to himself,

"How strange."

"The workings of Heaven have long since fallen into chaos. Even I cannot see through the future of the Divine Land. So why did this young man embody such a fated encounter?"

"Could he be that legendary variable?"

He shook his head and took Xiao Huan by the hand.

"Come on, girl. It's time we were on our way, too."

"Where are we going, Grandpa?"

"To somewhere that might prove very interesting."

A gleam flashed in Zhou Yixian's eyes.

His chance encounter with Zhou Yixian was just a minor episode.

Though Li Xiaoyu was surprised, he did not dwell on it.

His goal was clear: complete his sect's mission and uncover the truth behind the demons in Nameless City.