A Fairy Maiden Caressed My Face

"Bear with it. It won't hurt." Jiang Youfei's expression was gentle, and under the glow of the luminous pearl, her eyes seemed even more lively.

"Mm..." Li Qingxian gave a soft grunt.

"When I lived in the mountains, I often took care of little dogs, little cats, and little monkeys..." Jiang Youfei seemed to glance at Li Qingxian, her face perfectly serious.

Li Qingxian did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Little monkey, don't move, or we'll have to start over." Jiang Youfei smoothed the Illusion-Skin Mask again.

"Heh." A dissatisfied sound slipped from Li Qingxian's slightly open mouth.

"Ever-changing and unfathomable, manifest a thousand forms—swiftly, by the law!" Jiang Youfei pressed her palm against Li Qingxian's face and activated her mana.

Li Qingxian felt threads of coolness spreading from the mask, followed by a fine pricking sensation across his face. It hurt a little.

"Be good, little monkey. It'll only hurt for a while." Jiang Youfei's voice was soft and gentle.

Li Qingxian looked at Jiang Youfei. Her gaze was gentler than ever before.

For the first time, he realized that Jiang Youfei was actually this beautiful. Her lively eyes were beautiful, her pert little nose was beautiful, and her pink, thin lips were even more beautiful.

Li Qingxian vaguely felt Jiang Youfei's breath brush against his face and drift into his nostrils, fragrant and sweet.

Jiang Youfei slowly increased her strength. The Illusion-Skin Mask melted into a crystalline, viscous liquid and seeped beneath his skin.

Li Qingxian's features gradually changed, becoming those of an ordinary-looking, deathly pale middle-aged man.

Jiang Youfei's fingertips repeatedly brushed across Li Qingxian's face, massaging it gently. Her touch was smooth and soft.

Before long, Jiang Youfei withdrew her hand, looked left and right, and said with a soft sound of surprise, "It obviously looks very similar, but something still feels off. Whenever I disguised little cats, little dogs, and little monkeys, it always worked perfectly."

Li Qingxian wore a helpless expression. He truly did not know whether Jiang Youfei was deliberately angering him or innocently telling the truth.

After quite a while, Jiang Youfei suddenly understood. "Those thief eyes of yours keep darting around. They're brighter than Senior Brother's. No wonder you don't look alike."

Li Qingxian thought that he could not let himself be treated as a monkey, so he counterattacked. "Sister Youfei, do you know why my eyes are so bright?"

"Why?" Jiang Youfei blinked.

"Because hidden in my eyes is the brightest light in the world."

"Nonsense." Jiang Youfei's expression remained flat.

"If you don't believe me, come closer and look carefully. Then you'll see it. I, Li Qingxian, never lie." Li Qingxian spoke with a solemn face.

Jiang Youfei hesitated for a moment, lowered her head, and gently leaned down to look into Li Qingxian's eyes.

After looking for a long while, all she saw was the reflection of a white-clad young woman within them.

A mischievous smile appeared on Li Qingxian's face.

Jiang Youfei froze for a moment, seeming to understand. Calm as a drifting cloud and gentle as a passing breeze, she said, "You are the naughtiest little monkey I've ever seen."

"You saw it clearly, right?" Li Qingxian could not help laughing again.

Jiang Youfei shot Li Qingxian a look. "Stop fooling around! Look in the mirror."

Li Qingxian turned and looked toward the dressing mirror. Reflected in the bronze mirror was an unfamiliar middle-aged man with a square face, thick brows, narrow eyes, and a somewhat unpleasant appearance.

"I'm still more handsome." Li Qingxian said.

"Alright, go sleep in the guest room next door. Jinquan stayed there before, and everything you need is inside." Jiang Youfei said.

Li Qingxian stood up and smiled. "Sister Youfei, was the place you lived before covered with little animals?"

Jiang Youfei took down the luminous pearl and led Li Qingxian outside. "I lived in the back mountains of the Sky Firmament Sect for more than ten years. Aside from Mammy Tian and my master, who occasionally appeared, only little animals kept me company."

"How did you meet Uncle Zhou?" Li Qingxian asked as they walked.

"I liked Uncle Zhou's calligraphy. Uncle Zhou and Master were close friends. Once, Uncle Zhou passed by the Sky Firmament Sect and came up the mountain as a guest, so Master brought me to meet him. Master said that if there was a second person in this world who treated me well, Uncle Zhou counted as one." Jiang Youfei said.

"Did you become close to me because I know Uncle Zhou?"

Walking ahead of him, Jiang Youfei said, "Close? Nothing of the sort. Maybe you just resemble the little monkeys in the mountains more. You're always causing trouble."

Li Qingxian was helpless.

When they reached the room next door, Jiang Youfei pushed the door open and entered. "Stay here. You are not allowed to barge into my boudoir. Before I sleep, I'll set down the array disk. The little monkeys in the house have often been scorched by lightning and fire."

A trace of vigilance showed in Jiang Youfei's sparkling eyes.

"Don't worry. I've been exhausted all day and I'm sleepy as death. I'm more afraid that you'll take advantage of me." Li Qingxian said.

"You smooth-talking little monkey. If it were anyone else, they'd have torn that mouth of yours to shreds long ago." After saying that, Jiang Youfei left behind the luminous pearl and turned to leave.

Li Qingxian watched Jiang Youfei's back disappear beyond the door, smiled, and entered the bedroom.

Li Qingxian lay on the bed, his mind filled with thoughts of when Zhou Chunfeng would propose marriage, and gradually fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Li Qingxian left the bedroom, washed and dressed, then walked out the door.

The east had yet to turn white. Everything was a pale blue, and heaven and earth were silent.

Li Qingxian leaned on the railing and gazed into the distance at the capital.

The tallest things in the capital were not the five Evil God Statues, but the four statues of the Emperors of Qi on Swift Mountain in the northwest corner.

Once his mind had fully cleared, Li Qingxian entered Jiang Youfei's chamber.

Not long afterward, the two emerged.

Li Qingxian looked exactly like Lü Ren. He wore a blue Daoist robe embroidered with a taiji and eight trigrams, a black Pure Yang Daoist Crown shaped like a roof atop his head, and his face was pale. Even his exposed skin looked as if it had been soaked in water, leaving his entire body deathly white.

A small pale-silver brocade pouch embroidered with lotus flowers now hung at Jiang Youfei's waist.

Only after Li Qingxian asked did he learn that the pouch had been given to her by her sister-in-law, to bless her with safety along the way.

After breakfast, the two called Zhou Hen and ten disciples of the Sky Firmament Sect, then headed out.

More than twenty horses and four carriages waited outside. Li Qingxian boarded the largest carriage, one with a black canopy. Zhou Hen entered the carriage compartment, while the others mounted their horses and escorted the carriage slowly down the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, a group of Night Guards from the Divine Capital Office joined the party. Their leader was an expert of Subordinate Sixth Rank.

The sun rose, and heaven and earth brightened.

Across the morning wilderness, a dusty yellow road stretched to the end of the horizon. Neat farmland lined both sides, lush with greenery.

The carriage compartment was screened by thick gauze. Bored out of his mind, Li Qingxian picked up the unfinished Explanation of the Seven Stars Determining Fate. After reading for a quarter of an hour, he set it down.

He had finished both volumes of Chronicles of the River-Guarding Hero, yet the story still had not reached the rescue of the Worthy Crown Prince. There was no third volume in the library. According to an old man among the Night Guards, the author had entered the palace and no longer had time to write.

To pass the time, Li Qingxian had prepared a new book, titled New Swordsmen of Qi.

The book had been written during the early years of the Qi Kingdom's founding and described everywhere the ghastly human tragedies of commoners under the old dynasty being poisoned and beheaded by Qi.

The carriage rumbled onward.

When his eyes grew tired, Li Qingxian put the book aside.

Zhou Hen, seated in the carriage, said faintly, "You still haven't told me about the purple crystal."

"Fate Arts are too profound and mysterious. I'm afraid of leaking the secrets of heaven." Li Qingxian put on an act.

"Cut the nonsense. Destiny Arts Masters often gather to judge fates and read fates. They even play against one another using the Heavenly Mandate Chessboard." Zhou Hen said.

"You really are my dear uncle. I've only just begun learning Fate Arts, and you're bringing up the Heavenly Mandate Chessboard? Why not ask me to determine the grand configuration? Why not have me learn how the Heaven's Mandate Sect determines National Fortune?" Li Qingxian said.

"What do you think of my Destiny Mold?" Zhou Hen asked.

Li Qingxian suddenly understood and nearly laughed aloud.

So Zhou Hen wanted him to read his fate, but was too embarrassed to say it outright.

Li Qingxian gave a light cough and said, "You are a Fourth Rank Martial Cultivator, while I have yet to reach Entry Rank. If I rashly examine your Destiny Mold, I'll definitely suffer backlash."

"You don't need to deceive me. If I were guarded against you, then you would naturally suffer backlash. But if I have something to ask of you and willingly invite you to read my fate, you will not suffer backlash." Zhou Hen said.

"You know quite a lot." Li Qingxian said.

"Do you know the Death-Urging Art?" Zhou Hen looked deeply at Li Qingxian.

"Do you know what the Death-Urging Art is?" Li Qingxian asked.

"It stimulates a Destiny Mold for a temporary increase. The excellent become even better, and the inferior become even worse." Zhou Hen's tone was calm.

Li Qingxian had not expected Zhou Hen to know far more about Fate Arts than ordinary people. After a long silence, he looked at the savage scar on Zhou Hen's face, imagined the consequences of refusal, and said, "Wait until I reach Entry Rank."

"Alright."

The carriage compartment grew much colder.

Li Qingxian picked up New Swordsmen of Qi, read for a while, then tossed it aside and earnestly read Explanation of the Seven Stars Determining Fate, pondering how to read Zhou Hen's fate.

A complete Fate Reading was divided into four steps: arrangement, pattern deduction, fortune determination, and event judgment.

Each step had a different process.

Arrangement determined what existed in the Destiny Mansion. Pattern deduction determined the complicated relationships. Fortune determination judged one's recent fortune. Event judgment identified things that had happened in the past and would happen in the future.

The Death-Urging Art belonged to the category of Fate Arts. It was based on Fate Reading, yet stood above Fate Reading.

Only by mastering at least one Fate Art could one become a Destiny Arts Master.

Otherwise, no matter how strong one's Fate Reading was, one was merely a wandering charlatan, unable to ascend to the hall of elegance.

The most basic arrangement consisted of five to seven smaller steps: first, arrange the Four Pillars; second, determine the Destiny Ground; third, deduce the Destiny Star; fourth, calculate the Destiny Spirit; fifth, inspect hidden reserves. As for the final two steps, it was said that only a very few sects knew them.

Li Qingxian decided to first arrange his own Four Pillars, to prepare for fooling... no, for observing Zhou Hen's fate.

He had been born during the Jiazi year, before noon on the twenty-third day of the fifth lunar month. That meant he had been born in the Jiazi year, Gengwu month, Dinghai day, and Bingwu hour. His Eight Characters were thus Jiazi, Gengwu, Dinghai, and Bingwu.

Li Qingxian took one look and smiled. He had not expected his fate to contain the legendary Destiny Mold, the Zǐ-Wǔ Double Enclosure.

Within the Eight Characters, two "wu" characters together with one "zi" character signified a destiny of great nobility.

The various schools had different explanations for the origin of the Zǐ-Wǔ Double Enclosure. Some said zi and wu were where the northern and southern emperors dwelled; some said zi was the imperial seat and wu was the ceremonial gate. Yet they all basically concerned emperors and kings, indicating certain great nobility.

But then Li Qingxian could no longer smile. He had died once already. Could that be called a destiny of great nobility? Had the Zǐ-Wǔ Double Enclosure enclosed him to death? And had it killed a pair in one go?

Li Qingxian recalled the relevant Books of Fate and discovered that his joy had been in vain. Some Books of Fate pointed out that the theory of the Zǐ-Wǔ Double Enclosure was not rigorous, and other factors had to be considered.

Li Qingxian thought it over. With his current half-baked level, it was already impressive enough that he could deduce the Eight Characters. He should forget about the other factors.

Orthodox Fate Arts did not merely use a person's year, month, day, and hour of birth as a foundation. They also considered other elements and ultimately used the secret arts of various schools to calculate precisely what Destiny Stars a person possessed, whether they could form a Destiny Pattern, and whether it could evolve into a Destiny Spirit. It was far more complicated than he had imagined.