Chapter 84: Chapter 84: A Woman’s Intuition

Chu Xuan, after understanding, felt both sorrow and a bit of confusion.

How come it’s not quite like what I imagined?

Originally, after knowing he’s the Celestial Evil Demon Venerable, due to the Venerable’s infamous reputation as a "lecherous ghost," Chu Xuan thought he might have done something unforgivable to Ji Mingyu.

Like, capturing her, claiming her as a captive, doing this first, then that...

After all, when Master recognized the Six Souls Banner, the shock, realization, hatred, and disgust in his eyes didn’t seem fake.

But now, if this dream really was a memory of the past, it showed that there was once a romantic relationship between Chu Xuan and Ji Mingyu, one that was mutually consensual.

And though it was just a dream, Chu Xuan distinctly felt the bittersweetness of a love affair between men and women.

Since it wasn’t the kind of relationship he imagined, why did Ji Mingyu later turn against the Celestial Evil Demon Venerable?

So much so, that after mistakenly believing Chu Xuan to be the "reincarnation" of the Celestial Evil, she took such aggressive actions against him.

And initially, did Ji Mingyu recognize if the young man outside Hehuan Sect was the Celestial Evil?

Originally, in Chu Xuan’s view, the reason Ji Mingyu took him as a disciple and treated him specially was because she wanted to step out of past shadows and have a genuine love affair.

But unexpectedly, through twists and turns, and coincidences, she actually accepted her past life’s enemy as a disciple in the end.

But now, Chu Xuan had some doubts.

If Ji Mingyu and the Celestial Evil became arch-enemies, then Broken Sword Mountain should be a place she did not want to remember, right? Why would she take her "new love" there?

Moreover, Ming Yu said the same words as back then, that phrase "Such a wondrous sight, it might take decades to see it again next time."

Is she testing something...

The more Chu Xuan thought, the more chaotic his mind became. That night, he could not fall asleep again.

...

Early the next morning, Chu Xuan checked his storage bracelet once more, preparing to descend the mountain.

But when he checked the divination items, he suddenly felt an urge to predict the fortune of this journey.

Thus, Chu Xuan took out the appropriate tools, ready to perform a formal divination.

First was a turtle shell, yellow-white and translucent, over a hundred years old, intact and finely conditioned. Its vaulted back represents the sky, and its flat belly symbolizes the earth, hence the turtle is said to manifest "the images of heaven and earth."

The Jade Spirit Unity states: "In the time of King Yu, a divine turtle bore a pattern, thus emerged the River Chart. The Saint followed it, using its ventral side to burn with fire, yin and yang stimulated each other, and thus the principles were formed."

This last sentence refers precisely to the essence of the Turtle Divination Technique.

Chu Xuan then took a piece of carbonized wood, placed it in a bowl with clear water, completing the preparations.

He placed the turtle shell on the table, facing the position of the Big Dipper, and then used magical power to ignite the carbonized wood, holding it in his right hand.

The next step is called [Incision Burning], indeed, where to burn has its significance.

There is a line running from bottom to top in the center of the shell, called the "Thousand-Mile Road," the left side is called "Jia Yi," the right side "Bing Ding."

Burn left after spring, burn front left in summer, burn front right in autumn, burn right after winter.

In springtime, Chu Xuan, while silently chanting the fortune of this trip in his heart, burned the lower left of the turtle shell with the carbonized wood.

While burning the shell, the turtle shell burst with sound, an occurrence known as "turtle speech."

When the time was ripe, Chu Xuan scooped a handful of clear water with his left hand, sprinkling it over the charred spot, immediately causing cracks to appear on the shell.

The Turtle Divination Technique judges fortune or disaster based on these horizontal and vertical cracks, also known as "omen lines."

The cracks divide into body, head, and foot parts.

The body is the main trunk of the matter, straight, firm, vibrant, and clear ones are auspicious;

The head represents the beginning of the matter, straight, high, and connected ones are auspicious;

The foot represents the conclusion of the matter, distinguished by movement or stillness, differing in fortune or misfortune.

At this time, Chu Xuan observed intently, seeing the body lines as twisted, the head lines as chaotic, and the foot lines as dispersed. The conclusion was: Misfortune.

This made him frown. As if in disbelief, Chu Xuan pushed aside this turtle shell and took out a new one.

Following the same process, he divined once more for the fortune of the journey. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The result: body lines bent, head lines drooping, foot lines broken, the conclusion was: Great Misfortune.

Chu Xuan frowned deeply, again pushing the turtle shell aside, took out a third one, and divined again.

Right from the burning, it felt different, the turtle shell crackling repeatedly, lingering even after removing the carbon.

Upon splashing the clear water, omen lines emerged.

Body lines rugged, head lines messy, foot lines filthy.

Moreover, from the cracks, thin trickles of fresh blood seeped out, very eye-catching, staining the entire turtle shell blood-red within moments.

Great Misfortune! And there will be a calamity involving bloodshed.

Chu Xuan closed his eyes, stood still for a long time, then abruptly spat out a real flame, reducing the three turtle shells to ashes, including the wood table stained with blood, turning it to dust before him.

Just like that, Chu Xuan turned around and left, never looking back, with neither sadness nor joy in his eyes.

...

Leaving the mountain gate, Chu Xuan controlled his sword to depart, with a faint white sword light beneath his feet.

Clearly, he was still using the white jade sword his mentor had given him back then.

In the northern territory, the Land of the Far North, Langhuan Grotto Heaven.

Ming Yu still sat loftily at the upper seat of the great hall on the cloud bed, holding a pure white ferret without a trace of color in her arms.

In the air above the great hall, a circular water mirror floated, clearly reflecting the scene of Chu Xuan departing the mountain gate on his sword.

Seeing this, Ming Yu nodded slightly, seemingly very pleased with Chu Xuan.

This left the little ferret puzzled, wondering if this woman was out of her mind.

Although eight years had passed, recalling the day Chu Xuan was driven down the mountain still left the snow ferret feeling somewhat jittery.

...

That day, after being forcibly taken back by Ming Yu, the snow ferret worried about Chu Xuan yet trembled in fear, as it had never seen its master so angry since birth.

It couldn’t comprehend what had happened at all.

Why did its master suddenly change her demeanor after a black banner swept through, harshly punishing her beloved disciple?

Even more bewildering was what happened next: the ice-cold Ming Yu returned to her cave and, without even wiping away her tear stains, conjured a water mirror in the air.

Reflected in the mirror was the scene of Chu Xuan leaving the northern territory.

Only then did she take the time to wipe away her tears, casually picked up the little ferret, cradled it, sat back on the cloud bed, and slowly watched.

Despite driving Chu Xuan away, the master didn’t seem happy. She just quietly watched everything that happened to her disciple.

Watched him cry, watched his heart die, watched him stumble seeking the Immortal Viewing Place, watched him faint, watched him get rescued, watched him find hope, then lose it again, watched him near-futilely chasing the red-faced Daoist’s cloud...

Ming Yu watched day and night like this, during which the snow ferret went out several times for food and returned, but she remained unchanged, seemingly unable to look enough, never tiring.

The image in the water mirror lasted until Chu Xuan successfully became apprenticed and was taken into the sect by people from Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace, abruptly disappearing afterward.

Ming Yu’s expression was somewhat forlorn. She appeared to be reminiscing about something, gazing at the empty water mirror, muttering to herself:

"Flower, not flower; mist, not mist."

"It comes at midnight and leaves at dawn."

"Comes like a spring dream lasting an indecisive amount of time, leaves like morning clouds never to be found..."

The snow ferret certainly couldn’t understand these words, only feeling that Chu Xuan seemed to have a peculiar charm.

Ever since encountering him, the master, who seemed like the god of frost and snow, gradually started acting abnormally.

Initially, the snow ferret was astonished at the master’s gentle, girlish side.

Thinking that perhaps this was her true self beneath the frozen exterior, willingly opening up only to the right person.

This was a good thing, or so it thought.

But after this upheaval, the snow ferret realized it never truly understood its master, never truly knew her.

It even was somewhat afraid, as it knew that its status in the master’s heart was never as significant as Chu Xuan’s.

...

Since Chu Xuan was driven away, that water mirror had hung in the hall, never disappearing.

Yet only when he left the sect did his image appear in the mirror, each time Ming Yu would be there watching.

During these eight years, Chu Xuan rarely went out, only once for an extended time, coinciding with a joint hunt for monsters with his sect mates.

Initially, after being separated for several years, the snow ferret discovered that the master was genuinely happy to see Chu Xuan, eyes lighting up.

But then, she seemed a bit dissatisfied because Chu Xuan was accompanied by several pretty female companions.

Especially that long-legged woman whom Chu Xuan called "senior sister;" every time she appeared, the master’s face turned somewhat somber.

The snow ferret was quite puzzled, not noticing any signs of romantic involvement between the two.

However, as the "plot developed," watching Chu Xuan support his weak senior sister, the kind of shy and flirtatious closeness between them, the little ferret had to admire Ming Yu’s precise judgment.

But how did she discern that? Is this womanly intuition? Truly frightening...

At that moment, the snow ferret could sense the master’s silent anger, as she almost stood up abruptly! Causing a fright for the ferret.

Then Ming Yu, like an ant in a hot pot, circled around, seemingly unable to resist wanting to rush over and eliminate that Qin-named vixen, yet forcibly holding back.

The snow ferret was stunned, then recalled how when Lady Baihua visited years ago, Chu Xuan merely accepted a bracelet, the master showed signs of displeasure.

This incident was far more than accepting a mere bracelet; it had already reached the level of intimate contact, something surely intolerable to the master.

Yet the snow ferret couldn’t understand. If the master valued Chu Xuan so much, why drive him away?

Just at this moment, Chu Xuan furrowed his brows as though he remembered something, making Ming Yu calm down again to continue watching.

Nonetheless, the boy did not put down his senior sister.

First, Qin Mengyao took the initiative, then the two whispered intimately, ear to ear.

Ming Yu, of course, watched with gritted teeth, but when Chu Xuan mentioned having fallen for someone and then being abandoned, she fell silent again.