The two of them successfully got the ugly rabbit and wandered to a quiet place. A young man dressed in the clothes of Bihai Taohua Island finally found Chu Xinghui and politely stopped him: “Did you receive the token just now?”

Chu Xinghui thought for a moment and politely handed the fan pendant back to him.

Though it was a token, perhaps it needed to be returned.

The young man quickly waved his hand and explained: “This is the token of Bihai Taohua Island. There is no reason to take it back once given. With this token, if you happen to pass by our sect in the East Sea, you will be able to see the true Bihai Taohua Island.”

He gave a slight bow to Chu Xinghui, then glanced at Xie Liufeng, inviting them: “Since you have received the token, you are considered a fated person of Bihai Taohua Island. Our senior sister would like to meet with you.”

Chu Xinghui instinctively looked at Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng nodded at him: “Alright, it saves us from looking for an opportunity to visit later.”

Chu Xinghui then said to the young man: “Please lead the way.”

The young man smiled at him, took the lantern, and led them forward.

The three of them gradually moved away from the noisy crowd and walked to a quiet courtyard.

The young man opened the door for them and silently left.

Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng stood at the door and heard a gentle voice coMing from inside: “Have the esteemed guests arrived? Please come in.”

They entered, and there, they saw Yue Yao sitting by the table. Three cups of tea had already been placed on the table.

Her eyes gently fell on Chu Xinghui, and she covered her mouth while teasing: “Ah, I didn’t expect that the fated person from Bihai Taohua Island would be such a handsome young friend.”

Chu Xinghui paused for a moment.

This Saintess’s appearance was so different from the reclusive mystic he had imagined.

Yue Yao politely invited them: “Please take a seat.”

After they sat down, she directly said: “I won’t waste your time. Bihai Taohua Island had promised that anyone who received the token could ask me one question. What would you like to ask, young friend?”

Chu Xinghui looked at Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng saw through his intentions and reached out to tap his head: “Don’t waste this opportunity on me. I will tell you everything you want to know about my matters. If I don’t know the answer… then only heaven knows, and it wouldn’t be necessary to trouble the Saintess with divination.”

Yue Yao’s gaze briefly shifted between the two of them. When it met Xie Liufeng’s, she slightly stiffened and subconsciously pulled back her gaze.

She hid half of her face behind the fan, chuckling lightly: “What this senior said is correct. My skills aren’t refined enough to dare predict matters related to him. If you insist on asking, you might have to consult my master, whom I don’t know the whereabouts of.”

Xie Liufeng caught a certain detail in her words: “Is Yue Biyun not on the island?”

Yue Yao’s eyes revealed a hint of surprise: “Senior actually knows my master?”

Xie Liufeng shook his head: “It’s not that I know her well, just that I’ve met her a few times in the past.”

Yue Yao smiled and explained: “My master glimpsed the heavenly mysteries a century ago, and then set off to find the person who would fulfill those prophecies. She hasn’t returned to the island for many years.”

The conversation returned to business after a short chat.

Yue Yao looked at Chu Xinghui and asked again: “What would you like to ask?”

Chu Xinghui glanced at Xie Liufeng again.

Xie Liufeng gently squeezed his hand.

Chu Xinghui moved his gaze and looked at Yue Yao, answering: “I would like to ask, Saintess, is there a way to cure the poison in my body?”

Yue Yao lowered her head for a moment, then set up an array on the table. She asked Chu Xinghui: “Could you give me a drop of your blood?”

Chu Xinghui nodded, pricked his fingertip, and dripped a drop of blood into the center of the array.

Yue Yao closed her eyes, directing her spiritual energy into the crystal stone in the center of the array. Her expression gradually became more solemn.

After a quarter of an hour, she opened her eyes, looked at Chu Xinghui with regret, and spoke her divination result: “I’m sorry to say, the poison in your body cannot be solved with the powers of this realm. It has a fatal, irreversible nature.”

Chu Xinghui wasn’t surprised by the result and even calmly joked with Xie Liufeng: “Asking the question for me is also a waste of an opportunity.”

Xie Liufeng squeezed his hand tightly, then looked at Yue Yao: “The Saintess must have something else to say, right?”

Yue Yao let out a light laugh: “Indeed, although it seems to be a matter of life and death, there is always a turning point in every situation. The key to breaking this situation lies to the south and is related to someone with the surname Qin.”

Hearing this familiar surname, Chu Xinghui exchanged a look with Xie Liufeng.

The surname Qin, and especially given how active this person had been recently… there was no one else besides Qin Yuwen.

Yue Yao’s gaze swept between the two of them and, sensing something, she took the initiative to speak: “It seems you two have some idea about this person’s identity. I could help you find more about his movements and background, but…”

She paused, smiling as she looked in Chu Xinghui’s direction.

Chu Xinghui understood her meaning and directly asked: “What does the Saintess need me to do?”

Yue Yao chuckled twice: “You’re a straightforward young friend, so I won’t beat around the bush. If you’re willing to trust my divination results and plan to head south, then please accept my Bihai Taohua Island’s commission to retrieve a sacred artifact of our sect that was lost to the south.”

She generously added: “If you agree, the next question will be my gift to you. Once you return the sacred artifact, Bihai Taohua Island will reward you generously.”

Xie Liufeng smiled meaningfully: “That’s quite a coincidence.”

Coincidentally, the place where Chu Xinghui needed to break through was also the south.

Coincidentally, the sacred artifact of Bihai Taohua Island was also lost in the south.

And even more coincidentally… Qin Yuwen and Chu Xinghui’s biological parents were from Shuixun CIty, which was also in the south.

Yue Yao pretended not to understand his implied words, smiling and covering half her face with the fan: “Yes, what a coincidence indeed. The token of Bihai Taohua Island is meant for our sect’s fated person. The destination you divined just happens to be in the direction where the sacred artifact is located. It’s only natural that you’re quite fated.”

She continued: “Although this could be a win-win situation, I must remind you both that only Cultivator Chu can trigger this opportunity, and no one else can accompany him. Also, this journey… might not be without danger to your life.”

Chu Xinghui furrowed his brow.

He wasn’t opposed to the idea of being the only one to take a necessary risk, but the insistence on sending only him alone raised a lot of red flags.

If it weren’t for the fact that these people were from Bihai Taohua Island, he would have suspected that they were frauds.

Xie Liufeng, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up: “I’ve heard that according to Bihai Taohua Island’s rules, disciples cannot lie, misinterpret, or omit anything in their divination results. Is that true?”

Yue Yao’s smile faded slightly: “It seems that the senior is quite familiar with Bihai Taohua Island’s practices. Yes, that is correct.”

The methods of Bihai Taohua Island were special, their cultivation didn’t focus on spiritual strength but on the cultivation of divine perception, specifically in divination. If a disciple were to lie or manipulate the results of a divination, they would lose the favor of the heavenly way and harm their spiritual senses.

Once their spiritual perception was gone, it would mark the end of their cultivation path.

Xie Liufeng nodded, repeating her explanation: “So, as long as Cultivator Chu is the only one present when the opportunity arises, that will be sufficient, correct?”

Yue Yao neither confirmed nor denied but only smiled: “Well, that depends on the understanding of both of you. However, if you wish to increase the likelihood of the divination being triggered, I still recommend that you make choices that align better with the omens.”

Xie Liufeng smiled back at her and said no more.

Chu Xinghui thought for a moment before speaking: “Then, please tell me more about the details of the commission.”

Yue Yao was silent for a moment, sighed, and then began: “This artifact was lost five hundred years ago. After many generations of island masters calculated, it was vaguely determined that it is now somewhere to the south. As for the name and appearance of the sacred artifact, I do not know. Its exact location… is also unknown.”

Chu Xinghui assessed the difficulty of this commission and frankly said: “If the Saintess doesn’t know anything about this artifact, then I would seriously doubt whether it really belongs to Bihai Taohua Island.”

Yue Yao explained: “To be honest with you, the token you received contains a talisman that resonates with the sacred artifact. Since the artifact was lost, disciples of our sect frequently leave the island, one of their key tasks being to deliver the token to the fated person and ask them to retrieve the artifact. But for five hundred years, we have not received any news.”

She looked at Chu Xinghui, smiling warmly: “But when I met you today, I knew you were the fated one for this artifact. I believe you will return it safely… or send it to where it belongs.”

Chu Xinghui thought for a moment, then candidly expressed his concerns: “I’m only in the Foundation Establishment stage. Due to my condition, I cannot break through to Golden Core until I solve the poison in my body. Saintess, do you really believe in me?”

Yue Yao chuckled, lightly shaking the fan in her hand: “Young friend, you must know that at Bihai Taohua Island, cultivation is the least important thing.”

The two of them exchanged looks for a while, and finally, Chu Xinghui nodded: “It’s a deal.”

Although the deal could proceed, he didn’t quite understand why the Saintess was using a fan in such cold weather, and he found the breeze from it rather chilly. So, he subtly moved closer to Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng, seeing his thoughts, couldn’t help but smile and made room for him.

Yue Yao didn’t notice Chu Xinghui’s small movement, giving him an approving glance before taking out some paper and a pen: “Then, please write down the name of this person with the surname Qin.”

Chu Xinghui wrote down Qin Yuwen’s name and handed the paper to Yue Yao.

Yue Yao took the paper, saw the name on it, and her smile deepened inexplicably: “So it’s this person? I must calculate carefully now.”

The divination of this person’s whereabouts and background didn’t require complicated methods.

She skillfully set up an array, ignited the paper with Qin Yuwen’s name on it with spiritual fire, and closed her eyes once more, beginning to investigate his fate trajectory.

After a brief pause, Yue Yao suddenly let out a soft “Eh?”

Xie Liufeng and Chu Xinghui both looked over at her.

Yue Yao was staring at the results of her divination, her brow furrowed: “How strange, this person’s fate shows an early death in childhood.”

Although Yue Yao spent most of her time in seclusion, she was well aware that this name belonged to the current first disciple of the Lingxiang Sect, who was enjoying great fame. Such a fate hardly seemed to fit the description of an early death in childhood.

Xie Liufeng squinted at the divination results.

This outcome… was quite interesting.

Yue Yao seemed to be lost in thought, but after a moment, she sighed and looked at Chu Xinghui with an apologetic expression: “It seems my skills aren’t quite up to par. I’m truly sorry. Please feel free to ask another question.”

Her act of feigning ignorance was flawless, as if she had genuinely made a mistake in her divination, with no awareness of any possible connection to Qin Yuwen himself.

Chu Xinghui shook his head: “No need. Let’s end it here.”

Yue Yao thought for a moment before nodding: “Alright, then. In that case, I owe you one more question. If you ever need anything divined in the future, feel free to come and find me.”

Chu Xinghui politely thanked her: “Thank you very much for today, Saintess.”

With the main business concluded and no further personal matters to discuss, the two of them quickly bid farewell and left.

 

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