Fate-Taking Arts

"Alright, Brother Han, make him sign Fate Contract. I'll buy all his Fate Star, for free." After Li Qingxian finished speaking, he looked at Shen Goudan with a smile, "Are you willing to sign and put your fingerprint on it?"

"I do!" Shen Goudan said.

"Give it to him."

Without hesitation, Shen Goudan dipped his thumb in ink and pressed his handprint onto the Fate Contract.

Li Qingxian then signed the document, immediately sensing an indescribable connection between the two.

The Fate Contract is made.

Li Qingxian tossed his waist token to Fan Xing and said, "Take my waist token, get a release document, and release this child."

"Ah?"

Everyone present was stunned.

"But... even though Lord Daren has a lot of influence, it's Lord Wang's in charge of this matter..." Fan Xing stammered.

"Just say that Zhang Fugui, the head of the Imperial Prison Bureau, owes Zhou Chunfeng twenty-six favors, and now he owes twenty-five." Li Qingxian.

Fan Xing and the jailers looked bewildered. Who would dare to ask Zhang Fugui for a favor back?

Han Anbo, Yu Ping Pingchong, and Li Qingxian gave each other a thumbs up.

"What are you standing there for?" Li Qingxian asked.

Fan Xing hurriedly took the waist token and left.

Shen Goudan stared at Li Qingxian with trembling lips, feeling as if he were floating on clouds, completely dazed.

The remaining eleven prisoners were filled with either doubt or hope.

"Daren, I'm willing to risk my life, sell everything!" a disheveled man shouted.

Li Qingxian glanced at him and said, "Wait a moment."

"Good."

Li Qingxian said, "You protect me, I'm going to practice my Fate Arts."

"Yes, sir!" The jailer quickly stepped between Li Qingxian and the prisoner.

Han Anbo drew his knife, Yu Ping and the jailer also drew their knives upon seeing this.

Li Qingxian took out a Spirit-Awakening Talisman, affixed it to the Fate Contract, and clapped his right hand. The Fate Contract and the Spirit-Awakening Talisman burned simultaneously, transforming into a wisp of Spiritual Qi that entered the Spirit Platform and formed magical runes.

Li Qingxian closed his eyes tightly, focusing his mind on his Fate Mansion.

Above the artificial hill in the Fate Pool, a golden Fate Fishing Rod stands.

To determine one's fate, one must use Fate Artifact.

This Fate Fishing Rod is Fate-Hunting Artifact crafted from Fate-Taking Artifact, and it inherently possesses the ability to take lives.

Fortune is only consumed when hunting for life.

Strands of invisible magical power descended from the sky, some flowing into the fishing rod and some into the mind.

Li Qingxian's thoughts transformed into a tiny figure about a foot tall, with delicate features.

Li Qingxian raised his right hand, and the ten-foot-long golden fishing rod trembled slightly and flew into his hand.

The French Fate Contract descended from the sky, landing in front of them, and suddenly exploded, scattering into large, dark characters, like a flock of wild geese flying across the sky.

Li Qingxian recited the Fate-Taking Arts.

The black characters fell, forming a circle around Li Qingxian, and slowly rotated.

Until the third recitation of the Fate-Taking Arts incantation, the black characters connected into a line and probed into the void.

At the end of the void, a great light shone forth, revealing a dilapidated house with its wooden door wide open, Fate Mansion.

The black characters, like a long bridge, stretched straight to the gates of Shen Goudan's Fate Mansion.

Li Qingxian flicked his wrist, and magical power surged forth.

The dark golden fishing hook, accompanied by a whistling sound, tore through the void and landed in Shen Goudan's Fate Mansion, flying towards the Heavenly Fate Star: Parched Land, Withered Seed.

Just as the fishing hook was about to touch the target, an invisible gust of wind blew by, and the hook veered away.

The magic power was exhausted, and the fishing hook returned.

"As expected, all forces— the Fate Mansion, the Fate Ground, the Fate Pillar, the Fate Star, and so on—are hindering us..."

Li Qingxian channeled his magic power again, adjusted the angle, and cast the hook once more.

An invisible force swept past, and the fishing hook deviated.

The third cast went astray.

The fourth time, the fifth time, the sixth time...

"No wonder everyone says that Fate Arts telling is inaccurate. Even though I can clearly see the Fate Star, I am still affected by the power of Fate Mold. Those Fate Arts Master who cannot see it must find it even more difficult to determine fate."

Li Qingxian tried repeatedly, and after a long time, the dark gold fishing hook landed on the Fate Star, the hook tip piercing the surface and firmly hooking the Fate Star.

The Fate Star exerted a tremendous suction force, the fishing line became taut, and the fishing rod almost slipped from my grasp.

Li Qingxian channeled his magic power into the Fate Fishing Rod.

At first, the Fate Star remained motionless, but as the power of the Fate Fishing Rod increased, the Fate Star began to tremble slightly.

Li Qingxian gripped the pole with both hands and continuously infused it with magical power.

A moment later, Li Qingxian felt the fishing rod loosen, and he staggered back several steps as the fishing hook, still attached to the Fate Star, flew out from Shen Goudan's Fate Mansion.

Li Qingxian reached out to grab the Fate Star, but Fate Star slipped off the hook, flew to the Fate Pool, trembled slightly, and hovered in mid-air.

Li Qingxian's face lit up with joy.

"So the artificial hill is where the Fate Star is stored, which means I don't have to spend a lot of money to build Fate Star Ship."

Looking at his Fate Star, Li Qingxian smiled, then glanced at his worthless thatched hut and the empty Fate Pillar. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to be reckless and to keep this Fate Star as bait.

Sensing that his magical power was almost depleted, Li Qingxian withdrew from the Fate Mansion, focused his mind on the Spirit Platform, and restored his magical power.

Once her magic power returned, she sensed someone speaking outside and opened her eyes.

Fan Xing stood beside him, holding a document in his hand.

"Is it resolved?" Li Qingxian asked.

Fan Xing said, "Your Daren, this is the release document from the Imperial Prison Bureau, bearing the seals of the three Daren of the Imperial Prison Bureau. Shen Goudan is not the principal offender, nor even an accomplice; at most, he is assisting in the investigation. Even without the involvement of the Director and the Commander of the Guards, he can be released directly."

Li Qingxian took it, glanced at it, placed it on the table, and looked at Shen Goudan, who seemed to be in a dream.

"From today onwards, you are no longer a prisoner. Take this document and you may leave the Imperial Prison Bureau." Li Qingxian pressed the release document and slowly pushed it forward.

Shen Goudan stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, stunned for a long while, then suddenly burst into tears, knelt on the ground, and frantically kowtowed to Li Qingxian.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

"Waaah... waaah..." He cried and kowtowed, trying to express his gratitude, but he couldn't utter a single complete word.

"Quickly help him up," Li Qingxian said.

Han Anbo and Yu Ping stepped forward and lifted the thin Shen Goudan up from either side.

Shen Goudan was covered in tears and snot; he was crying his heart out.

Everyone present was deeply moved.

"Alas, what a pitiful child..." Han Anbo sighed.

After crying for a while, Shen Goudan slowly stopped, still sobbing.

"I... thank you..." He still couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"No rush," Li Qingxian said with a smile.

Shen Goudan nodded slightly, then sobbed softly.

Fan Xing bent down beside him and whispered, "Daren Li, although you have Lord Daren's token, you can't just release him like that. What if this person is carrying a criminal record..."

"Zhang Fugui released the people, and the Imperial Prison Bureau. What business is it of mys, Li Qingxian's?" Li Qingxian retorted.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Fan Xing nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that this Daren truly had the qualities of the head of the Imperial Prison Bureau. His shamelessness was exactly the same as Zhang Fugui's.

Li Qingxian glanced at the top of Shen Goudan's head. The grave mound and White Bone on the man's head had disappeared, replaced by a patch of fertile black soil that had just been cultivated.

The Twelve Longevity Stages are: decline, illness, conception, and nurturing.

Li Qingxian said, "Brother Han, you have many connections. Arrange a job for this kid. I've read his fortune; he seems like a good person."

"Leave it to me," Han Anbo said.

Shen Goudan, sitting opposite him, had tears welling up in his eyes. He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly.

Li Qingxian said, "Get up."

Han Anbo and Yu Ping helped Shen Goudan up again.

Li Qingxian closed his eyes and focused his mind, once again drawing upon fate to fish out Shen Goudan's second Fate Star, "Duckweed in a Chaotic Age".

Having learned from the previous experience, I finished fishing quickly this time.