Fate Arts Master Saves His Life, Good Fortune Born

The Sunshine Boy sighed. If he had known it would turn out like this, he shouldn't have been named that; it was too awful.

A moment later, the Sunshine Boy thought to himself, "I've been called Sunshine Boy since I was little. That's my name on my birth certificate. What's so strange about it?"

The Sunshine Boy vaguely felt that he had another name, probably a nickname, so he let it go.

The Sunshine Boy pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I've solved many mysteries in the Imperial Prison Bureau with the Imperial Prison Daren, and I know a lot about them. Mysteries..."

"Don't say that word carelessly," the listener cautioned.

The Sunshine Boy said, "It's alright. Don't mention being tricked beforehand. Being tricked is actually not a big deal. I heard from the people in the Imperial Prison that there are different levels of Eerie Ground Eerie Demon, but no matter what kind of Eerie Ground or Eerie Demon it is, it is possible to break free from it, just with different levels of difficulty. The kind I encountered in the Imperial Prison Bureau before was called Manifest Eerie, where the items were displayed on the table. The kind like this, where you enter without realizing it and there are no obvious signs, is called Hidden Eerie. For Hidden Eerie, we need to find the 'taboos' ourselves, avoid the taboos, and figure out a way to break free from the trick."

"Do you have any leads?" the Commandant asked.

The Sunshine Boy shook his head and said, "No. But whether this is Eerie Ground or Eerie Demon, the core is that Fifth Lady Temple and the Fifth Lady. Has anyone heard of it?"

The listener said, "I think I've heard of the Fifth Lady, but I don't know exactly who she is."

Good Fortune Born sighed and said, "I've heard of it."

A look of longing shone in everyone's eyes.

While recalling the events, Good Fortune Born said, "I once read an ancient book that briefly mentioned the Fifth Lady. It said they were five deities in charge of childbirth, namely the 'Goddess of Birth,' the 'Midwife Mother Birth-Protection Mother,' the 'Birth-Celebration Mother,' and the 'Longevity Mother.' In some places where the population is not large, a Fifth Lady Temple will be built to pray for many children and grandchildren, and it is said to be very effective."

"Are there any records related to Eerie Ground and Eerie Demon?" the Sunshine Boy asked.

Lucky Good Fortune Born shook his head, straining to recall, "Absolutely not. The book only says that the Five Birth Mothers Grand Rite must be completed in its entirety; if any part of the ceremony is interrupted, the entire village will be cursed. I understand now, just as... Sunshine Boy said, we might have to participate in this Five Birth Mothers Grand Rite to find a way to break the curse."

"Good Fortune Born, well done. When we get back to the Divine Capital, I'll definitely ask for the top credit for you!" the Commandant said.

The storyteller said, "Since we are going to unravel the mystery, we can't stand aside; we need to join the Five Birth Mothers Grand Rite. In this process, we might be tainted by the Eerie Qi and become increasingly entangled in the mystery. Therefore, we must maintain a good balance in unraveling the mystery; a slight misstep could leave us here forever."

Those listening to the story never dared to say unlucky words like "death".

Good Fortune Born looked at the Sunshine Boy and said, "You're Fate Arts Master and you also know Daoist arts, so you'll definitely be the main force in solving this mystery. We're counting on you."

The four people behind him immediately echoed, "Yes, we're counting on you."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The Sunshine Boy cursed the Good Fortune Born in his heart. He was a real piece of work, putting himself on a pedestal in a place like this. If anything went wrong, he would definitely be the scapegoat.

The Sunshine Boy smiled and said, "Since everyone trusts me, I won't refuse. You've all heard that Fate Arts Master can unravel mysteries by treating them as Fate Mold, right?"

More than half of the people nodded.

The Sunshine Boy continued, "Therefore, to unravel the mystery, we must use methods related to Fate Mold and Fate Arts. Among us, the one with the strongest Fate Mold is Hao Good Fortune Born. You should have heard of him. He went from being an unknown illegitimate son of the Marquis Manor to suddenly rising to prominence recently. He entered the senior's cave and obtained the Heavenly Fire True Intent. Now he is Ninth Rank expert. Is there anyone among us with a better Fate Mold than him?"

Everyone looked at Good Fortune Born with envy.

Just as Lucky Student was about to speak, the sunny boy continued, "The key to solving this mystery lies in Lucky Student and I working together. I understand destiny arts, so I'll give the command. Lucky Student has a good destiny; he'll be responsible for facing the demon, and I'll ensure his safety. Only in this way can we solve the mystery. Without my command, or if he doesn't face the demon, we'll never be able to solve it."

The listener said, "That's right, I support Sunshine Boy in command, Good Fortune Born in handling the strange events."

"I agree," the Foodie said.

Everyone agreed.

Good Fortune Born looked at the Sunshine Boy and said, "Alright, saving my life is saving everyone's lives, so it all depends on you. If you give the wrong instructions or your Fate Arts are not up to par, then you will have to take responsibility. What do we do next?"

"Wait. We need to see how they perform the ritual, and then everyone can share their opinions and find a way to break the deadlock," the Sunshine Boy said.

"Then it's up to the fortune teller," said Good Luck.

The Night Guard stood at the entrance of the communal house, watching the crowd around the campfire continue to sing and dance.

A group of people walked over from a short distance away.

The four men at the front carried a large white pig, its belly cut open, laid out on a wooden frame and tied up. The pig's body was plump and jiggled.

Behind the large white pig, two groups of people carried two large drums with red edges and white cowhide frames.

Everyone glanced at it and looked away, but the one listening to the story whispered, "Look at the white pig's eyes."

The Sunshine Boy and everyone else looked over.

The large white pig had thin eyebrows and narrow eyes, with a Dahei mole under its right eye. It stared at the Night Guard with its light brown eyes.

A large white pig, clearly plucked and gutted, had eyes that held a sorrowful look, almost like those of a living person.

Beside the pig's head lay a wilted stalk of mugwort.

"This pig is still alive?"

"They even turned their heads to look in our direction."

"Wait, why does that look so familiar?"

"It's a bit like giving me free rein; we've known each other for almost ten years..."

The Night Guard's chatter abruptly stopped.

Some of the Night Guard gritted their teeth, staring at the large white boar's light brown eyes, unable to utter a word.

Two strings of clear teardrops rolled down from the big white pig's eyes.

The pig's snout snapped shut a few times, as if it were talking, or perhaps eating.

The Night Guard looked at the Commandant, Commandant remained silent.

Several Night Guard had been gripping the hilts of their swords slowly released their grip and sighed softly.

The big white pig kept turning its head, staring intently at the Night Guard.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the large white pig was placed on another low campfire, brushed with oil and honey, and slowly turned and roasted.

Sizzle sizzle...

Transparent grease oozed from all over the pigskin, sizzling as it fell onto the fire.

The fat around the pig's eyes is especially abundant, resembling pearls, and it keeps dripping from the beginning.

A faint aroma and wisps of smoke drifted around, as if every wisp of air was enveloped in roasted fat, and the fragrant smell of pork wafted straight into one's nose.

The Foodie's throat bobbed, and he swallowed hard.

The Sunshine Boy suspected there was something wrong with his nose; what he was smelling wasn't the normal aroma of pork, but rather the burnt smell of his hand that he had accidentally burned.

After a long time, the edges of the roasted whole pig were charred black, while the rest of the skin emitted an enticing golden-yellow color.

The villagers carried the whole roasted pig onto a large table. A witch dressed in a patchwork robe of various colors walked up to the table, holding a bloodstained, unwashed pig-slaughtering knife in her right hand, and chopped it down hard on the pig's neck.

Click!

Bang!

First came the crisp sound of slicing through the charred pork skin, followed by the sound of the butcher's knife landing on the table.

Four young women dressed in patchwork robes came up, took off the pig's head, placed it on a tray along with the mugwort, and together carried the tray into the White Building the Fifth Lady Temple.