At that moment, the air in the living room seemed to have frozen solid.
"My young friend, now that you know the truth, do you regret it somewhat?"
Venus Star smiled faintly, lightly flicking his whisk with an unhurried air.
Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "Regret would be putting it too strongly... I'm just truly surprised. To think that five hundred years ago, I had such a connection with the Great Heavenly Venerable—it was far too sudden, far too unexpected."
"Sudden?" Venus Star's smile deepened as he nodded. "To you, young friend, it was indeed sudden. But to this old man, what is sudden about it? Nothing under heaven can escape karma and causation. Along this road, this old man truly put quite a bit of thought into things."
Lu Chen's heart stirred, and he asked along the current, "Then from the time I came into contact with Lord God of Wealth, Your Excellency had already been working behind the scenes?"
Venus Star gave his whisk a shake and said mildly, "Young friend, man proposes, Heaven disposes—and above Heaven's calculations lies Heaven's will. You and the Great Heavenly Venerable do indeed share a fated bond, but you also possess fortunes of your own. Take the abilities you possess, for instance—even this old man cannot see through their mysteries."
He paused, his gaze suddenly deepening, as though he intended to see straight through Lu Chen:
"To be honest, young friend, this old man once borrowed the records of the Four Duty Merit Officers and used the constellations of the heavens to deduce your past and present lives. Every other part was clear, save for one place that even this old man could not understand.
Before you began worshipping Lord God of Wealth, your fate underwent