The Forbidden Path to Immortality-Chapter 248

“No,” Yan Shuiyue said. “I’ve already calculated it. Lately, I’ve been walking through one disaster after another, my life hanging by a thread more than once. But in this direction, the signs are good; no danger, only small blessings. And besides... I can tell you mean me no harm.”

Li Xun blinked, then gave a crooked smile. “If you think saying that’s going to make me spare you, you’ve got the wrong idea.”

“You won’t kill me. That’s all I need to know.” Yan Shuiyue lifted her chin, meeting his gaze without flinching. “Master always told me that for those who cultivate the Dao, body and mind must move as one, advancing step by step in both cultivation and understanding.

“But in our sect, cultivation isn’t about power or rank. We seek only to understand the world deeply and align our hearts with heaven. As long as I’m alive, whatever you choose to do, what does it matter?”

Seeing Yan Shuiyue’s carefree attitude, Li Xun was genuinely taken aback. But a moment later, a scary smile crept onto his face. He grabbed her by the collar and gave a sharp tug. “Really?”

In an instant, all the confidence Yan Shuiyue had built up crumbled to dust. She yelped, throwing her hands up to shield herself.

Li Xun couldn’t hold it in anymore; he burst out laughing. For a moment, it felt like every knot in his heart had come undone.

Such lightness, such joy… it had been a long, long time since he’d felt like this.

Yan Shuiyue was stunned. Clutching her chest, she watched him warily.

Li Xun straightened up with an easy smile and, without hurry, began to undo his robe.

He watched, captivated, as a series of emotions played out across her face. Her expression shifted from a flushed red to a ghostly white, then to a pale, sickly green, before settling into a comical mix of both. He couldn’t help but find it… thoroughly entertaining.

But Li Xun didn’t make any further move; he simply shrugged off his outer robe and tossed it over her.

The poor girl clearly wasn’t keeping up anymore. Clutching the robe in both hands, she stammered, “Th-this… is for me to wear?”

“No.” He reached out and, as she screamed, scooped her up in his arms. “It’s to wrap you up; makes traveling easier.”

Still laughing, Li Xun tucked Yan Shuiyue under one arm, leapt into the air, and soared off toward Tenghua Valley.

....

“Don’t act all kind and noble!”

“Put me down! I can walk on my own!”

“Hey! What will it take for you to let me go?”

Yan Shuiyue jabbered on through the whole flight, never shutting up for a second. Li Xun ignored her like she was a fly buzzing in the corner. Didn’t glance her way once, didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.

Even with someone in his arms, he could still manage a short sprint. After running for hundreds of li, Li Xun finally let out a big sigh. He found a quiet spot and dumped the little girl onto the ground.

Yan Shuiyue stumbled once, finally finding her footing, but instinctively clutched Li Xun’s outer robe around herself, feeling absurdly exposed. Then, catching the way he was scanning the surroundings, something clicked.

“Right... You’re worried about Devour of Yang and the others circling back... and your sect members are probably on their way too!”

Li Xun cracked his neck and smirked. “Not completely clueless, are you? But you still missed the most important point. A fine meal is meant to be enjoyed alone. I’m not in the habit of sharing.”

She flinched, then quickly raised her voice. “You always say that! Don’t you ever get tired of it? I don’t care what you want. Say it straight: what do I have to do to get you to let me go?”

Smack!

She clutched her cheek and staggered back three or four steps. Her clear, wide eyes locked onto him, and the fear in them was impossible to hide.

Li Xun smiled and flicked his hand. “Maybe I’ve been too soft on you… Calm yourself. Let’s be practical. I’m very curious about what happened to you and your master. Tell me everything clearly, and I won’t kill you.”

“Not killing me... that’s it?”

Li Xun’s smile turned softer, colder. “Aye... if you want to walk away unscathed, you’ll need to put something else on the table. Have you figured out what yet? No? Fine. Take your time.”

It wasn’t really a negotiation. He just didn’t want her out of his sight. Didn’t fancy her getting hunted down and slaughtered by Devour of Yang’s lot.

The idea came out of nowhere. Maybe after that laugh. and he suddenly couldn't bring himself to be cold-hearted. If you wanted to call it loyalty to a friend, Li Xun wouldn’t argue.

“No need. I’ve got something worth trading.” Yan Shuiyue fixed him with a steady look, drew a deep breath, and forced a confident little smile. “I can read your fate; I can save your life, at least once.”

Li Xun found himself laughing again. “Read my fate? Haha! That’s rich! I remember what’s written on your fan... ‘Heaven’s secrets are endless. Half known, half unknown; idle words, believe them or don’t, watch and see.’ Isn’t that right?”

“Shut your mouth if you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

In her own field, Yan Shuiyue’s confidence came flooding back. She lifted her chin. “Those who boast of seeing five hundred years ahead or behind are fools. Meddling with Heaven’s will only brings ruin. But if it’s just reading someone’s near future, judging the calamities that lie close at hand... that, I can do with near-perfect accuracy.”

Her eyes gleamed as she looked him over. “Especially someone like you. Blood on your hands, fine, but you also hide you thoughts all too well. Your killing intent’s buried deep, soaked into you over the years… I’d wager even your heart’s gone black. You’re what we call a Blood-Eyed Demon...”

She stopped halfway through, staring blankly at Li Xun’s face. There was something off about his expression. Something that made her skin crawl.

Li Xun’s face twitched. He was about to ask what was wrong, but Yan Shuiyue came back to herself first. She cleared her throat twice and said, “The face reveals the heart, and it mirrors the cycle of life and death. The karmic killing tribulation you’re about to face is right in front of you. And it’s the deadliest Three-Kill Formation. One misstep, one moment of blindness, and the chain of death will hit you, and there’ll be nowhere to hide!”

The words were anything but pleasant. Li Xun’s heart skipped twice before he pulled himself together. He chuckled. “What a pity. You really should’ve put on my robe first.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Sure, you still smells of milk, but at least you're a demon cultivator who can tell fortunes with fingers!”

Yan Shuiyue was so angry she actually laughed. She threw the outer robe around her onto the ground and let out a cold, hard sneer. “Don’t get cocky! You’ve done too many dirty deeds; your mind’s all over the place, your Blood and Qi slipping in and taking root... Right now, I’d say you’re teetering on the edge, aren’t you?

“One wrong move, and losing your reputation will be the least of it. If you still have a whole body left when it’s over, I’ll take your surname myself!”

Li Xun wanted to laugh and call it “alarmist nonsense,” but the words just wouldn’t come out.

Yan Shuiyue’s angry words, combined with her formidable background, felt like a thousand sharp needles piercing right into his most vulnerable spot. For a moment the air between them went ice-cold.

Finally, Li Xun broke the silence.

“Alright. I’ll listen for now. But it won’t be just your fortune-telling. I’ve got two questions I want you to work out for me. If your readings actually pan out, I’ll make sure you walk away unharmed.”

“Two things is fine, but they have to happen within a year. I can’t predict beyond that.”

“Okay.”

“Deal?”

“Sure.”

Their palms met, pinky fingers brushing together. That was enough to seal a promise.

Yan Shuiyue took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then began, “Your fate--”

“Start with the southeastern forest.”

She shot him a glare, gave a little “hmph,” and finally said, “In the beginning…”

Her words came out crisp and clear, and bit by bit, Li Xun began to piece together what had really happened.

When Daoist Yu Lan and her disciples first crossed paths with Luo Moshi, the man was all politeness. No surprise there, given the Water Mirror Sect’s reputation. He didn’t just offer gifts; he came asking for a reading. Still, he kept a kind of deferential charm, humoring them with talk of Dao and philosophy, and somehow, against all odds, the whole thing felt... almost friendly.

At first, Yu Lan didn’t push back too hard. She even used the Western Alliance crew to help with her research, making the most of their manpower. But after one particular conversation between her and Luo Moshi, the atmosphere between them suddenly turned tense.

“At that time,” Yan Shuiyue was saying, “Luo Moshi was asking my master about the fate of this world. My master’s answer was ‘Linked Pearls Formation.’”

“Linked Pearls Formation?” Li Xun scratched his chin, frowning. “Doesn’t sound much like something from the Path of Divination.”

Even with the tension hanging thick in the air, Yan Shuiyue couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course not,” she said. “Master was just making a metaphor. What she means is that everything that’s happened up to now is all connected, one link to the next. You can see it clearly if you look at the Water Mirror Sect's verses from the past two hundred years.”

Li Xun thought it over carefully and found himself nodding. “It’s true,” he said. “All those verses piled up over the years… they’re almost like dozens of linked rhyming poems.”

Yan Shuiyue hummed. “The way this world turns… it’s all in cycles. From the time the sects united to suppress the Celestial Demon Phoenix, all the way to the Forty-Nine Tribulation, it was one turn. Then the Demon Phoenix came back. Another turn. And sixty, seventy years later, with the recent upheaval in the Southeast Forest, yet another.

“Step by step, layer by layer… everything in order, yet it’s downright strange. Master saw how twisted the tide of fate was and decided to take me to the Southeast Forest to see for myself…

“Ah, went off track there. Anyway, what I meant to say is... when Master made her observation, Luo Moshi seemed to agree wholeheartedly. He even said, with absolute certainty, that for nearly a thousand years, every twist of fate has somehow been tied to the ancient Gu family up north.”

The Gu family? Li Xun’s brow jumped, but he said nothing, letting Yan Shuiyue keep talking.

“He also said the Gu clan’s schemes run deep, and that they must be restrained. He believed that fate begins in the north and ends in the south. And that the key to breaking the cycle lies somewhere within the Vast Sea. Master was taken aback by what he said, and she praised him, saying he truly touched the will of heaven and possessed great insight.”

“We parted on good terms that day. But later that night, my master pulled me aside. Said Luo Moshi’s smile was just a sword dance, and what he’s really after goes far beyond the Mist-Hidden Pavilion.”