# 298. Two Conversations
"National Teacher, National Teacher?"
The veiled woman called out a few times, before noticing that Luo Yuheng’s face was vacant and her gaze unfocused, like a jade statue — beautiful, but devoid of life.
She reached out to push her, but was blocked by a wall of qi.
……
In the outer city, in a small courtyard.
A flash of light descended, invisible to ordinary people, landing in the courtyard and transforming into a stunning woman dressed in a black Daoist robe and wearing a lotus crown.
Her almond-shaped eyes and peach-like cheeks were exquisite, her features flawless. Her black, lustrous hair and the loose Daoist robe couldn’t conceal her proud and shapely figure.
Luo Yuheng pushed open the door and saw an old Daoist with graying hair lying on the bed, his face peaceful.
She focused her mind and extended a pale hand from her loose robe, grasping abruptly.
Moments later, a faintly transparent figure returned from afar and was drawn into her palm. With a flick of her sleeve, she sent it back into the old Daoist’s body.
Daoist Jinlian opened his eyes and sat up cross-legged, saying helplessly, "I was already on my way back."
As he spoke, Daoist Jinlian eyed Luo Yuheng's tall, curvaceous figure, and said, "Junior sister, your Yang Spirit has left your body, it must be urgent. What’s the matter?"
Luo Yuheng didn’t waste words and asked bluntly, "Did you watch the duel today?"
Daoist Jinlian nodded.
"The Confucian carving knife appeared."
...Daoist Jinlian hesitated slightly before nodding again.
"I want to know, who exactly is Xu Qi’an?" Luo Yuheng stepped forward, her beautiful eyes burning with intensity.
"A regular person," Daoist Jinlian’s reply was unnaturally hesitant.
"A regular person who can wield the Confucian carving knife?" Luo Yuheng laughed coldly.
Daoist Jinlian frowned and remained silent.
After a long pause, he spoke slowly, “When I first met him, I saw that he was someone with great luck, so I gave him a fragment of the Earth Book to borrow back some of his luck and avoid Zilian’s pursuit.
“Afterward, I investigated his background and found it a bit strange. Whether it was Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, or others, I gave them fragments of the Earth Book when they were already rising in power.
"Only Xu Qi’an was still in the Refining Vitality stage, and his family background was utterly unremarkable. Where did his luck come from? Luck comes either from doing good deeds or from ancestral blessings. He had neither."
Luo Yuheng listened patiently, not interrupting.
"Then something happened that made me realise something was wrong with him… One day, this child casually mentioned in the Earth Book fragment that he kept finding silver daily and wanted to know why."
At this, Luo Yuheng couldn’t help but interject, "That’s not luck, is it?"
Daoist Jinlian looked deeply into her eyes, his gaze bright and penetrating. He spoke each word clearly, "It’s Fortune. Overwhelming Fortune."
Though she had her suspicions, hearing Daoist Jinlian's confirmation caused Luo Yuheng's pupils to contract sharply.
……
Xu Qi’an slowly regained consciousness, feeling pain all over his body, especially a burning sensation around his neck.
He rolled his eyes and scanned his surroundings—white bed curtains, a brocade quilt embroidered with lotus leaves, and simple but elegant furnishings… Sitting at the round table in the outer hall was an old man in a Confucian robe.
The old man’s disheveled white hair hung loosely, his Confucian robe was slack, and his white beard hadn’t been trimmed for a long time. The entire man exuded a sense of despondency.
*Who is this Cynic?* Xu Qi’an wondered.
"You’re awake," the Cynic old man stood up with a smile and said, "I’m Zhao Shou, the Dean of Cloud Deer Academy."
*The Dean of Cloud Deer Academy… Cijiu once said that the dean of the Academy is a third-rank Confucian in the Mandate Seeker stage!* Xu Qi’an immediately sat up straight, cupping his hands respectfully:
"Ah, Dean Zhao. The Dean’s aura is extraordinary, cultured yet restrained. Truly a respected elder."
After a pause, he added, "Why is the Dean in my room?"
Zhao Shou didn’t answer. His gaze landed on Xu Qi’an’s right hand, where Xu realised he was still holding the carving knife.
He was momentarily stunned, then quickly guessed: *This knife belongs to Cloud Deer Academy? Of course, what other system could carry such righteous qi?*
"This carving knife is the Academy’s great treasure. You’ve been holding it in your hand the whole time, and no one could take it from you. So I had no choice but to wait here for you to wake up, and ask you some questions."
After speaking, Zhao Shou glanced at the ancient carving knife again, his expression almost saying: *Still holding it? Young man, you have no manners.*
Xu Qi’an obediently offered the knife with both hands.
Zhao Shou didn’t take it but looked at the table instead.
Xu Qi’an understood and threw the knife onto the table with a clang.
Zhao Shou’s brow twitched. He hurriedly bowed three times to the carving knife before taking a wooden box from his sleeve and carefully placing the knife inside.
"Does Sir Xu know the origin of this knife?" Zhao Shou asked with a smile.
Xu Qi’an’s heart skipped a beat, and he boldly guessed, "The carving knife of the Lesser Sage?"
Zhao Shou shook his head. "This is the carving knife of the Sage."
*The Sage’s carving knife… Could it be that Sage? The beyond-rank Sage… uh, can I hold the knife a little longer? I haven’t even taken a picture for my social media…* Xu Qi’an’s mouth hung open, his throat suddenly dry, unable to speak.
"Since the Lesser Sage’s passing, this carving knife has been dormant for over a thousand years. Although successors could use it, they couldn’t awaken it. I didn’t expect it to break out of its box today to aid Sir Xu."
Zhao Shou gazed intently at Xu Qi’an and said solemnly, "There are some things I must mention to you in person."
Xu Qi’an’s heart sank, sensing the seriousness, and he got out of bed, bowing deeply. "Please enlighten me, Dean."
……
"Impossible, impossible…"
Luo Yuheng kept shaking her head, her delicate, long brows tightly knit. She argued:
"I’ve been in contact with him many times. If he had fate on him, I would’ve sensed it. How could my sect not have noticed?"
Daoist Jinlian asked, "What if heaven’s secrets are being blocked? Even now, if you look at Xu Qi’an again, you won’t sense anything unusual."
"Are you suggesting the Jianzheng?" Luo Yuheng took a deep breath, her frown still strikingly beautiful, her eyes sharp as knives as she spoke:
"You’ve investigated Xu Qi’an, haven’t you? He’s just a lowly Silver Gong. His ancestors were no extraordinary figures. How could he bear such fate?"
"I’m sorry, I haven’t figured that out either," Daoist Jinlian replied, rising from the bed. He walked to the table, poured two cups of water, and gestured for Luo Yuheng to sit.
The female National Teacher ignored him.
She had no mind for tea at the moment.
Luo Yuheng thought for a long time before suddenly speaking, "If an arcanist has shielded away heavenly secrets, then logically speaking, you shouldn't be able to see his fortune at all. The Jianzheng’s schemes are as subtle as a snake hidden in the grass—if he doesn't want others to know, then no one will ever know. That's the power of a first-rank arcanist."
Daoist Jinlian, sipping his tea calmly, replied, “Naturally, I had thought of that. Not long ago, I noticed his fortune had disappeared and went to check on him. I discovered that the Jianzheng had indeed concealed heavenly secrets, masking his uniqueness. That was when I knew something was off—there's a great mystery hidden behind Xu Qi’an.
"When I left the Xu residence that day, I somehow found myself walking to the Bagua Platform of the Star Observation Tower, where I met the Jianzheng."
Luo Yuheng narrowed her eyes, "What did he say?"
"Well water does not intrude on river water."[^1] Daoist Jinlian said solemnly.
The alluring beauty, with her voluptuous figure, fell into silence for a while before gritting her teeth and venting, "The fall in the dynasty's fortune must be linked to the Sitianjian."
Daoist Jinlian frowned. "What do you mean?"
Luo Yuheng finally sat down at the table, raising a cup of tea to her red lips and taking a sip. “Some years ago, Wei Yuan visited Lingbao Temple and angrily called me a *femme fatale* to my face.
“He said that ever since the Emperor started cultivating the Dao under my influence, the Great Feng's national strength had been declining, taxes and grain from the provinces were frequently not collected, and the people were suffering while corrupt officials ran rampant.
"All this was because I had bewitched the Emperor into pursuing Daoist cultivation, causing him to neglect state affairs."
*Isn't that true though?* Daoist Jinlian thought, though he kept his thoughts to himself.
"That was when I realised the dynasty's fortune was slowly leaking away, like a dull knife cutting through flesh, imperceptible at first. If it hadn’t been for Wei Yuan, with his talent for governance and keen understanding of civil matters, I might not have noticed until it was too late."
Daoist Jinlian nodded but reminded her, "Let’s not talk too much here. This is the Jianzheng’s territory—he could be listening to everything we're saying."
"No need to worry," Luo Yuheng said with confidence, "He can't hear us."
*It's not about whether he can hear—it's about whether I want to be involved in this mess at all...* Daoist Jinlian wisely changed the topic.
"If, and this is just a hypothesis, Xu Qi’an indeed carries immense fortune, would you consider dual cultivation with him?"
Luo Yuheng froze, her expression stiffening again.
…………
"Do you know why the Sage's carving knife emerged from its box? Why, aside from the Lesser Sage, no one in later generations has been able to awaken it, only use it?" Zhao Shou asked two consecutive questions.
*I’m just a crude martial artist, Dean...* Xu Qi’an shook his head, indicating he had no idea.
The Dean didn’t keep him in suspense, speaking in a low tone, “It’s due to a lack of fortune. This carving knife was wielded by a Sage. With it, he carved the *Spring and Autumn Annals,* the *Book of Rites*, the *Book of Music*, the *Book of Changes*, and more.
"Those without a vast fortune gathered from the world, cannot use it."
The Dean’s explanation finally unravelled the mystery that had puzzled Xu Qi’an for so long—his strange luck was, in fact, due to fortune.
*Finding silver every day—what else could that be if not the fortune of the heavens? Starting with one coin a day, then three, then five... it grows every day.*
*No, rather growing, it’s more like it’s slowly awakening inside me...* Xu Qi’an mused, feeling the weight of the realisation.
There was a reason for his thoughts. As his cultivation advanced, his luck had gotten better and better. At first glance, it seemed like his luck was improving, but how could luck actually "level up"?
The only explanation was that the fortune inside him was gradually reawakening.
*But I’m just a child from an ordinary family in the capital. The Xu family is nothing special. My second uncle and biological father were both low-ranking military men—hardly anything remarkable.*
*Unless... I’m not really a child of the Xu family.*
He had entertained this suspicion before, especially after that encounter in the palace with the simp dragon... (struck out) A spirit dragon that seemed overly fond of him. Daoist Jinlian had once mentioned that spirit dragons were drawn to those blessed with purple qi.
At the time, Xu Qi’an had thought, *Oh no, what if I’m some long-lost illegitimate child of the royal family? I’ve had my eyes on Huaiqing’s beauty all this time…*
But his pre-transformation face bore a striking resemblance to his second uncle’s, and from a genetic standpoint, they were clearly related by blood.
Xu Qi’an was, without a doubt, the son of the Xu family, the offspring of Xu Pingzhi’s brother. Even if he were an illegitimate child, he would still be surnamed Xu.
There was no fundamental change.
So where did this fortune come from?
Dean Zhao Shou, his tone gentle, continued, “This fortune is mysterious yet undeniably real. In Jiuzhou, there are three entities associated with fortune: first, the Confucians; second, the Arcanists; and third, the rulers of men.
"The third group isn't limited to the Great Feng. The Church of the Warlock God and the Buddhist sect of the Western Regions are included as well. As for the barbarian tribes of the north and south, the former are too scattered, and the latter too few in number to gather such fortune."
*The Confucians have nothing to do with me, otherwise the Dean wouldn’t be explaining all this to me... So my fortune must come from one of two sources: the royal family or the Sitianjian.*
*If I’m a royal descendant, I’m in trouble. Lin'an and Huaiqing would be my sisters, or maybe cousins. But based on the spirit dragon’s reaction, I’m unlikely to be of royal blood. If I were, wouldn’t it favour the legitimate princes and princesses more?*
*Besides, I’ve never seen Lin'an or Huaiqing finding silver every day.*
*Right now, I’ve got a steady relationship with Lin'an, and things are progressing well with Huaiqing too. I’m also a viscount, and if I can raise my rank to earl in the future, I might even have a shot at marrying a princess.*
*I absolutely cannot be related to the royal family by blood!*
Considering the Jianzheng’s previous behavior and attitude, Xu Qi’an suspected that this had something to do with the Sitianjian. No, it had something to do with the Jianzheng himself.
Seeing that Xu Qi’an seemed to have come to some realisation, Zhao Shou chuckled and asked, "Anything else you’d like to know?"
*Is there anything else… Hmm, Dean, how about this: Xu Qi’an’s staff will never fall—what do you think of that? Would you say that to me?* Xu Qi’an thought to himself.
Outwardly, he shook his head. "No, thank you, Dean, for clearing up my confusion."
Zhao Shou nodded. "There’s an eunuch from the palace waiting outside. Let him in. His Majesty has some questions for you."
An eunuch from the palace?
After a moment of thought, Xu Qi’an understood the eunuch’s purpose.
During the duel, he had twice displayed extraordinary power, breaking both the Eight Sufferings Formation and the Vajra Formation—feats far beyond his own abilities.
Although some clever people might suspect the Jianzheng’s secret intervention, routine questioning was inevitable.
Moreover… Xu Qi’an glanced at Zhao Shou. The first two miraculous feats could be attributed to the Jianzheng, but the appearance of the carving knife from the academy was beyond the Jianzheng’s control.
*Emperor Yuanjing is a ruler with a strong desire for control. He wouldn’t overlook these details. If handled poorly, I could end up in trouble, revealing things I shouldn’t—like the fact that the knife responded to my summons.*
Xu Qi’an dressed, donned his sable fur cap, and accompanied Dean Zhao Shou to the hall.
---
Translator’s note: there are multiple similar yet non-identical words in Chinese which all translate to some form of fate or fortune. They are distinguished very clearly in the original text but unfortunately difficult to convey well without deviating on meaning.
[^1]: Stay out of each other’s way