A Deadly Tribulation at the Door, a Peach Blossom Baleful Fate

"Quiet," the older Daoist said sharply.

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His voice, usually gentle as jade, carried a stern edge that cut off his junior's chatter.

"There are too many eyes and ears here. Don't alarm the townsfolk. Besides, that money is tangled in karma. As cultivators, we mustn't grow greedy."

As the two walked on, the townsfolk unconsciously cleared a path. In this day and age, Daoists and monks who dared travel beyond their mountains had real abilities. No one could afford to offend them.

Li Xiang flicked his folding fan. Better to have one less problem than one more; he was ready to lower his head and pretend he hadn't seen them.

Instead, the two walked straight to his stall and stopped.

A pair of cloth shoes entered Li Xiang's view.

"Sir."

A clear voice rang out, like a mountain spring. "I see your banner says 'Ironclad Divination.' Could you tell our fortunes?"

Li Xiang froze, then slowly looked up.

As he studied the two young Daoists, his sense that something was amiss grew stronger.

Instinctively—or perhaps to test his new skill, or out of wariness of the unknown—Li Xiang felt a twitch between his brows. For the second time, he used the Fortune Teller's Ironclad Divination.

"Open!"

Boom!

The dizziness struck over ten times harder than before. Li Xiang felt as though someone had pressed a red-hot branding iron into his brain. His vision went black, and he nearly toppled off his folding stool.

He forced down the discomfort and looked above their heads again. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.

Above the two Daoists rose not the usual red, yellow, gray, or black, but two pillars of energy, one red and one black, soaring skyward like beacon smoke.

Above the older Daoist hung a mass of black energy so thick it seemed impossible to disperse. Blood-red light flickered within it. A sign of terrible calamity.

Above the younger Daoist, however, blazed fortune so red it shaded into purple, like flames roaring beneath a pan of oil. Was that... Red Luan? No. It was a Peach Blossom Tribulation!

Li Xiang swallowed. His mouth tasted bitter.

They hadn't come to have their fortunes told. They were two walking bundles of trouble.

"Sir?" the younger Daoist called again when Li Xiang stared blankly.

He knew his senior was a genius rarely seen in a century. His senior had not only found his way into cultivation, but had mastered several paths and all manner of methods. Some petty charlatan could never read his fortune.

His senior had only asked to expose the fraud, so this swindler would back down and stop cheating people out of their money.

"What, can't you do it?"

A touch of youthful arrogance entered the younger Daoist's voice.

"I can. Of course I can."

Li Xiang suppressed the stabbing pain in his head and slowly raised it. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze settled on the two men.

"It's just that the omens are so dire, I'm afraid neither of you will like what I have to say."

"Dire?" The younger Daoist laughed, folding his arms with a look of disdain. "Go on, then. How dire? Don't tell me you see bloodshed in our future."

"I do."

Li Xiang did not speak loudly, but every word rang clear, like a nail striking the ground.

He pointed at the older Daoist. "Dark energy coils around the space between your brows, with red light faintly shining through. A deadly tribulation is at your door. Within three double-hours, disaster will strike."

Then his finger turned to the younger Daoist. "As for you, young master, your Red Luan star is stirring. But this Red Luan is askew: its color is unnaturally vivid, tinged with purple, and black energy coils around it. This is a Peach Blossom Baleful Fate."

"Take care not to let a woman's beauty cloud your judgment, or you'll end up a ghost beneath her skirts."

The docks fell noticeably quieter. Laborers and merchants who had gathered to watch stared wide-eyed.

"B-bullshit!"

The younger Daoist flew into a rage, his round face flushing crimson. "You charlatan! My senior's Daoist arts reach the profound. How could he face bloodshed?

"And me... I practice the Child Prodigy Skill! Where would a Peach Blossom Baleful Fate come from? You're trying to ruin my resolve!"

He stepped forward, looking ready to overturn Li Xiang's stall.

"Xuan Guang, stop!"

Just as the younger Daoist was about to touch the stall, a long, strong hand closed around his wrist.

An outsider watched the spectacle; an expert saw what lay beneath.

That was no method an ordinary person could possess.

The instant Li Xiang made his pronouncement, the older Daoist had felt a flicker of Karmic Power from a practitioner pass through the young man.

It was the sign of someone who had found his way into cultivation.

"Senior?" The younger Daoist looked at him.

The older Daoist ignored his junior. He straightened his robes and gave Li Xiang a Daoist salute.

"So you're a fellow practitioner." His voice held a note of apology. "My eyes failed me just now. I mistook you for one of those lowlifes who exploit the Dao to amass wealth. I tested you only to protect our tradition's good name. I've caused offense, and I hope you'll forgive me."

That bow left everyone around them dumbfounded.

They came to have their fortunes told for a bit of luck and to get acquainted with the young stallkeeper. After all, every family eventually had to deal with a death.

They had never imagined that Boss Li, who held a book in one hand while telling fortunes, actually had real skill.

Li Xiang smiled. "You're too kind. I'm just trying to earn a living. Don't take it too seriously."

"Lin Xuanshu of the Shangqing Sect on Northern Mount Mao. This is my good-for-nothing junior, Lin Xuanguang." Lin Xuanshu's gaze sharpened. "May I ask who taught you?"

Mount Mao, huh.

In this world, Mount Mao was a bona fide orthodox Daoist lineage, the authority when it came to dealing with zombies and ghosts. Its legacy was no weaker than the Celestial Master Mansion on Mount Longhu.

But Li Xiang knew his own situation. Everything he could do came from the Book of a Hundred Trades. He had no master.

"Li Xiang. I was born and raised in Blackwater Ancient Town." Li Xiang returned the salute, his tone calm. "As for who taught me... it's a family tradition. After my grandfather passed it down to me, he left to travel and visit friends. I don't know which school our family's tradition came from."

Lin Xuanshu believed him.

Daoists prized freedom and ease, and countless hidden masters lived in the world. If Li Xiang did not wish to say more, it would be improper to press him.

By the rules of the wandering world, everyone had a secret or two.

So Lin Xuanshu changed the subject. "Since you're a local, you must know Blackwater Ancient Town well.

"My junior and I are passing through, but there's something indescribably strange about this town.

"Especially after nightfall, when yin energy sinks and Killing Intent rises. Do you have any thoughts on it?"

Li Xiang pondered for a moment.

When it came to the town, he really did know a thing or two.

"The town isn't called Blackwater because the river is murky."

Li Xiang pointed north. "Five li outside town lies an ancient pool called Blackwater Pool. Its water is black as ink all year round, thick and foul-smelling. Whether there's drought or flood, its level never rises or falls.

"When I was little, I sneaked out to see it. The water gleamed so black that I thought oil was seeping up from the ground. I tried lighting it, but the torch went out the moment I threw it in. The stench nearly knocked me unconscious."

"Black as ink, thick and foul-smelling..."

Lin Xuanguang had been listening intently. Now he muttered, "Water governs yin, and black signifies baleful energy. When baleful energy gathers until it turns the water to ink, that's the configuration of an exceptionally deadly corpse-nurturing ground. Senior, there might really be a formidable Zombie King sleeping down there."

Lin Xuanshu's expression grew graver. He nodded. "Thank you for explaining, Li Xiang."

Just as their conversation was going well, a shrill burst of barking shattered the peace.