nyslfriends Chapter 18: Life Source Greatly Increased
Chapter 18: Life Source Greatly Increased
"If Captain Yan still has doubts, a single divination may not be enough. Why not try another divination? Just now, Doctor Liu seemed to be somewhat interested in this divination technique as well. Why not ask him for a divination as well? Comparing the two interpretations may help Captain Yan make a clear decision."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan's cool gaze fell on Xuan Tianyi, and a faint, ambiguous smile appeared on her lips, as if she saw through his little thoughts but did not expose them.
"Alright."
Her voice remained calm and even.
"Since Master Xuan has spoken, then let me cast a divination. However, my question is different from yours."
She tilted her head slightly, as if in thought, and then said:
"Then let's calculate whether there are any spiritual materials or opportunities within a fifty-mile radius of this place that catch my eye and are worth acquiring. If the calculation is accurate, I'll be satisfied..."
She paused, her clear, cold eyes staring directly at Xuan Tianyi.
"The five thousand star coins you owe me will be used to offset the cost of this divination, and that will be considered settled. If the divination is inaccurate..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the subtle threat in her words—"you know what I mean"—made Xuan Tianyi's heart skip a beat.
This woman is indeed not easy to fool.
"It's a deal!"
Xuan Tianyi suppressed his distracting thoughts and agreed without hesitation.
The debt of 5,000 star coins can be wiped out, and you can also earn life essence. Why not?
More importantly, he had considerable confidence in the divination ability he had just acquired, which combined the medium of the "Wolf Eye Jade Coin" with the "Aura Observation Technique."
He focused his mind again, communicating with the spirit of the bone money, and silently recited Liu Ruyan's question—where the opportunity for spiritual materials lies within a fifty-mile radius.
A slight tremor of the wrist.
Ding, dong, da.
Three more bone coins fell.
This time, the divination result was completely different.
The three bone coins landed steadily in a "品" shape, and all of them were facing up!
However, right in the center of the third bone coin, there was a trace of damp soil seeping out from the cracks in the bluestone, forming a small, inconspicuous gray dot.
"The trigram is Li (☲) above Kun (☷), which forms the hexagram Jin (☆)."
Xuan Tianyi's gaze swept over the divination results, and he quickly deciphered them in his mind.
"Li represents fire, brightness, civilization, and also spiritual herbs and objects, symbolizing light and warmth; Kun represents earth, compliance, and bearing."
"Jin means advancement; the appearance of light on the earth symbolizes progress, promotion, and harvest."
He raised his head, looked at Liu Ruyan, then glanced at Yan Jun, and slowly said:
"This divination by Physician Liu is extremely auspicious. [The hexagram "Ming Chudi Di, Jin" signifies the manifestation of exceptional talent, with opportunity right before one's eyes and within easy reach—a clear omen of harvest. And the direction of this opportunity is…"
He pointed to the southwest direction he had just mentioned, his tone carrying a strange certainty:
"According to the intertwined hexagrams, it is located in the southwest. Moreover, this opportunity for spiritual material does not seem to exist in isolation; its appearance is subtly related to the fortune or misfortune that Captain Yan inquired about ahead."
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping once more over the gray dot in the center of the third bone coin, and the "品" shape where the coin had settled.
Based on the aura observation technique's perception of the vague, slightly warlike yet vibrant energy in the southwest direction, it is added that:
"However, it should be noted that the hexagram has the shape of the character '品' and the third line has the mark of '土' (earth), indicating that this spiritual material is not unclaimed, but rather grows naturally in a dangerous place, guarded by a strange beast."
Or perhaps... its appearance is fraught with hidden struggles and obstacles. To obtain this opportunity will likely require considerable effort, possibly involving a three-way standoff or struggle in a triangular formation resembling the character "品" (pin).
The fire of fire shines forth, and spiritual materials appear in the world, but they are in the southwest.
The earth, though seemingly supportive, hints at potential conflict.
Liu Ruyan and Yan Jun looked at each other again. This time, their eyes no longer only showed surprise and doubt, but also a sense of solemnity.
The fact that it pointed southwest once might be a coincidence.
The two divinations, one auspicious and one inauspicious, both pointed to the southwest. Moreover, the spiritual material opportunity that Liu Ruyan asked about was also subtly linked to the fortune or misfortune ahead.
This... left them no choice but to think deeply.
The young man before them was so earnest, and even suggested changing the route to the southwest by verifying the two hexagrams. Was he truly "predictive" and had foreseen some kind of danger and opportunity that they had failed to perceive?
Or... do they have ulterior motives and want to lure the team into a pre-set trap?
The atmosphere instantly became subtle and tense.
The two guards had already quietly placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, their eyes fixed on Xuan Tianyi like needles.
Some of the more astute guards and refugees nearby seemed to sense that something was amiss and cast their surprised and uncertain glances from afar.
Xuan Tianyi felt the subtle scrutiny and pressure, and sighed inwardly.
Indeed, gaining the trust of these veterans who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood was by no means easy.
However, he was prepared.
As Yan Jun and Liu Ruyan's gazes grew increasingly sharp and their suspicions deepened, Xuan Tianyi suddenly fell silent for a moment.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the two men, he silently took out a neatly folded, slightly rough piece of paper from the inner pocket of his body.
This piece of paper was something he had hastily cut from scraps of paper that a refugee had used to express his gratitude and to record miscellaneous matters.
He handed the paper to Yan Jun with both hands, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable sincerity:
"Captain Yan, Doctor Liu, I, Xuan Tianyi, am all alone. I owe my current situation to your rescue. My suggestion to change course is not unfounded, nor does it have any other purpose. It is simply a matter of speaking frankly based on the divination, as I cannot bear to see thousands of my compatriots in danger. If you two still have doubts..."
He paused, then looked at Yan Jun with clear eyes:
"Take a look at this. Perhaps it can help you two make a decision."
Yan Jun frowned, gave Xuan Tianyi a deep look, and took the piece of rough paper. Liu Ruyan also leaned forward slightly, her cool gaze falling on the rough paper.
On the scrap paper, a simple yet clear drawing was made with charred twigs and charcoal sticks.
It was a rough route map, marking their current location on the riverbank and the northeast direction they had originally planned to travel.
In a valley about a day's journey to the northeast, a heavy cross was drawn with charcoal, with two small words next to it: "Ambush".
In the southwest direction, a meandering dotted line is drawn, pointing to a hilly area, with the words "Detour, there is danger, but it can be avoided, or there may be gains" written next to it.
Along the edge of the image, there are a few lines of small text annotations:
"The aura is dark red, with a hidden killing intent. It is both human and beast, and seems to follow a pattern. The aura in the southwest is mixed, with golden weapons and also blue light and spiritual energy. There is a chance to fight for a sliver of hope."
"There is something amiss within the team; the atmosphere is gloomy and has not yet been activated. We must be vigilant."
The handwriting is slightly messy, yet it is powerful and penetrating, clearly indicating that the writer was not at peace when writing it.
This diagram was hastily drawn by Xuan Tianyi, combining his observations over several days using the "Qi Observation Technique" with a clearer sense of divination.
He did not directly state that there was a "traitor" within the team, but only hinted at it with "his aura was gloomy" and pointed out the human nature of the ambush with "both human and beast, seemingly following a pattern".
Some things are best left unsaid.
If you reveal everything, you might alert the enemy or put yourself in a more dangerous situation.
His stern gaze was fixed on the glaring "ambush" on the map, and the annotation "both human and beast, seemingly following a pattern." His fingers tightened suddenly, and the rough edges of the paper made a faint sound as if they could not bear the weight.
He suddenly looked up at Xuan Tianyi, his eyes flashing with a sharp light:
"When did you draw this picture? What was the basis for it?"
"After today's divination, I had some feelings, and combined them with my observations of the flow of Qi in the surrounding area over the past few days, so I wrote this down."
Xuan Tianyi said frankly,
"My family's rudimentary art of physiognomy and aura reading is sometimes accurate and sometimes not. This time, the sensation is exceptionally clear, especially in the northeast direction, where the black and red killing intent is almost tangible, making one's heart tremble."
In the southwest, although the atmosphere is chaotic and suggests war, there is also a hidden trace of vitality and spiritual energy, hence the deduction.
He didn't mention the word "traitor," but the eight words "there's something amiss within the team, and the atmosphere is gloomy" were enough to make Yan Jun and Liu Ruyan think of many things.
Liu Ruyan stretched out her slender fingers and gently brushed over the words on the map: "The southwest is a place of mixed energy, with both golden weapons and azure spiritual energy." A ripple appeared in her clear, cold eyes.
She is skilled in medicine and naturally sensitive to rare and precious medicinal plants.
"Azure Spiritual Opportunity"... Could it be true, as the divination indicates, that there is a spiritual material in the southwest?
And it seems to be of a fairly high rank?
She glanced at the words "There is something amiss within the team" and her eyes turned slightly cold.
She had been busy treating the wounded these past few days, but she was not entirely oblivious. She did notice the subtle abnormalities in some people in the group.
Yan Jun's expression shifted constantly, and the knuckles of his fingers holding the sketch turned slightly white.
He was a seasoned veteran who knew the importance of intelligence and had also witnessed the extraordinary methods of some eccentric individuals.
Xuan Tianyi's accurate warning, coupled with this crucial sketch and the two mutually corroborating hexagrams... the combination of these factors caused the scales in his heart to begin to tip.
After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, as if he wanted to expel the hesitation and pressure in his chest.
He raised his head, his gaze no longer sharp as a knife, but instead a resolute and unwavering look as he gazed at Liu Ruyan.
Liu Ruyan met his gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly.
This subtle movement seemed to dispel Yan Jun's last hesitation.
"good!"
His voice was deep, yet carried the decisiveness of a thousand soldiers cutting through an army.
"Young Xuan, I, Old Yan, believe your divination and your diagram today! Just because of your previous warnings, and because of your sincerity! The new route may be off-center, but it's not a dead end; it's just half a day's journey longer!"
He whirled around to face his personal guards, his voice rising abruptly, sharp as a drawn sword, resolute and decisive:
"Order! The entire army shall prepare for battle, pack their gear, and after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the column shall change course and head southwest! Scouts shall advance three li and be on high alert; if any situation arises, they shall immediately raise the alarm! The guards shall assist in maintaining order; anyone who spreads rumors or undermines morale shall be dealt with according to military law!"
The command was given like a boulder thrown into water, and the entire riverside camp instantly erupted into chaos!
"Change course? Why not take the perfectly good road and go to those desolate mountains in the southwest?"
"I heard it was that fortune teller who instigated it..."
"Fortune telling? You can believe in that? Has Captain Yan lost his mind?"
"Oh no, oh no, I heard there's miasma and man-eating vines in the southwest..."
"Military orders are absolute; those who don't want to die, get ready!"
Panic, confusion, complaints, rebukes... all sorts of voices surged like boiling water.
The sudden turn of the thousands-strong crowd caused an unimaginable commotion.
Officers at all levels and temporary guards were frantically running around shouting and trying their best to maintain order and drive the bewildered refugees to turn around.
Under the cover of this chaos, at the edge of the crowd, several figures, taking advantage of helping the elderly and weak and carrying supplies, quietly gathered behind the shadow of a broken cart.
It was Zhao Tiezhu, the burly young man who had given Xuan Tianyi a simple and honest smile before. Now, his face was devoid of any trace of his former honesty and straightforwardness, replaced only by a sinister and ruthless expression.
Beside him was the gaunt old man whom Xuan Tianyi had previously observed with his Qi-gazing technique, who always huddled in a corner. He was carefully concealing a poisoned short blade with a ghostly blue luster into his sleeve.
There was also a woman with a sallow complexion who had been taking care of her sick child. At this moment, her eyes were sharp as a hawk's as she vigilantly scanned her surroundings.
"Damn it! The cooked duck is about to fly away!"
Zhao Tiezhu forced out the words through clenched teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and the wisp of dark, ominous energy above his head surged violently with rage.
"Just when this batch of blood offerings was about to obediently walk into the grand formation set up by the Holy Envoy, this unexpected variable suddenly appeared! Xuan Tianyi... just who is this kid? How could his divination skills see through the Holy Envoy's arrangements?"
"Hmph, Yan Jun and Liu Ruyan were already troublesome enough, and now there's another one who can see through the secrets of heaven..."
The gaunt old man, codenamed "Old Weasel," had a hoarse voice, and his cloudy eyes gleamed with a cold, venomous light.
"His divination skills are incredibly strange! What black and red murderous aura, what blue light spiritual energy... If I hadn't witnessed him accurately predict things time and time again, I would have almost thought he was just blindly stumbling upon a dead mouse! But this time... he even pointed out the location and the nature of the ambush!"
The "poisonous dove," disguised as a woman, sneered; her voice was no longer gentle, but carried a chilling coldness.
"Regardless of whether the divination is true or false, the Holy Church's decree cannot be disobeyed! This batch of blood offerings is a crucial sacrifice; it must be completed at the Bloodstained Land along the original route! We must not allow them to successfully change course!"
"The plan needs to be moved up."
A ruthless glint flashed in the old weasel's eyes.
"Taking advantage of their change of course to the southwest tonight, their unstable foothold, unfamiliarity with the terrain, and their panicked state, this is the perfect opportunity to strike! Let's launch a joint surprise attack, targeting Yan Jun!"
"Once we kill the alpha of this patrol force, Liu Ruyan, a mere medic, won't be able to hold them off alone! Then we can seize control amidst the chaos, or at the very least, force the troops to turn back!"
Zhao Tiezhu licked his slightly chapped lips, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth; his killing intent was almost tangible.
"Alright! That's settled! That Xuan Tianyi... must die! Whether his divination skills are real or fake, keeping him alive will only cause us great trouble! When we make our move, I'll personally crush this annoying bug!"
The image of Xuan Tianyi's "gentle" smile flashed through his mind, and a murderous intent grew wildly in his heart like poisonous weeds.
"Be careful, that kid's a bit strange, he seems to be able to sense something."
Poisonous Dove offered a reminder, then a morbid mix of jealousy and excitement flashed across his face, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the sharp nail guards hidden in his sleeve.
"As for that bitch Liu Ruyan... leave her to me. I hate her haughty, aloof attitude the most. I really want to... personally slash her pretty face inch by inch..."
The three exchanged a few more hand gestures and coded messages in hushed tones, and then, like drops of water merging into the ocean, they quickly separated and disappeared amidst the chaos of the crowd.
What they thought was a private conversation was, unbeknownst to Xuan Tianyi, who was nearby helping to comfort a frightened old man, like a light in the dark.
With the Eight Views Mysterious Life Lamp Visualization Method in full operation, the perception of Qi Observation Technique is enhanced to its limit.
The already conspicuous dark aura above the three people surged and intertwined violently as if stimulated during the moment of their conspiracy, even briefly connecting into an even denser shadow, exuding a nauseating aura of malice and conspiracy.
"There really is something fishy... and there's more than one."
Xuan Tianyi sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, patiently comforting the weeping old man. His gaze "unintentionally" swept over the direction where Zhao Tiezhu had disappeared, then over the disguised figures of "Old Weasel" and "Poisonous Dove," silently memorizing their locations and characteristics.
"With internal and external troubles... it seems that the journey to the southwest is destined to be anything but peaceful."
He looked up at the rolling hills to the southwest, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"However, prepared danger is always better than an unsuspecting ambush. The divination indicates [danger, but can be avoided, or there may be gain]... What could this [gain] be?"
At this moment, Yan Jun strode over, and with a flick of his wrist, he took out a small jade bottle from somewhere, uncorked it, poured out two pills the size of longan, red as fire, and exuding a rich medicinal fragrance, and handed them to Xuan Tianyi.
"These are two top-grade Qi and Blood Pills, far more potent than ordinary ones. How about using them as the divination fee for this consultation?"
Yan Jun's voice was loud and clear, and his gaze was intense.
Xuan Tianyi accepted it with both hands. It was warm to the touch and had a fragrant aroma. Just smelling a trace of it made him feel his blood and energy slightly invigorated.
"Thank you so much, Captain Yan!" he said solemnly.
Almost the instant he received the pill, a pleasant system notification sounded in his mind:
[Received divination fee (2 high-grade Qi and Blood Pills), completed the divination for a high-level martial artist, established a minor causal relationship, severed the tributaries of fate, and gained 298 Life Source Points.]
The severe divination reward has arrived in your account.
Although it's far from Liu Ruyan's level, 298 points is still quite impressive.
Liu Ruyan also came over, and from who knows where she produced that familiar booklet that recorded debts. With her delicate hand holding the pen, she carefully drew a horizontal line under the entry for "Xuan Tianyi" that "owes five thousand star coins".
The debt has been settled.
She closed the booklet, her cool gaze sweeping over Xuan Tianyi, and said indifferently,
"If the spiritual materials from my journey to the Southwest are truly as your divination indicates, I will reward you handsomely. If not…"
She didn't finish speaking, but her eyes said it all.
Xuan Tianyi: "..."
Seeing Liu Ruyan's serious expression as she kept and marked up the accounts, Xuan Tianyi was speechless for a moment.
This girl is really... clear about her grudges and petty.
However, he liked this straightforwardness.
"Cough, Dr. Liu, rest assured, the divination is as it appears, it must be correct."
He coughed lightly and quickly assured them.
But in his heart he was wondering what exactly that "green light" spiritual energy in the southwest direction was.
[Receive divination fee (to offset debts), complete the divination for someone with profound fortune, establish a subtle cause-and-effect relationship, sever tributaries of destiny, and gain 1088 Life Source Points.]
1088 points!
Xuan Tianyi's heart skipped a beat, and he suppressed his overwhelming joy.
As expected, Liu Ruyan's reputation as a "lucky charm" is well-deserved!
One divination was worth more than the effort he put into killing dozens of rotten wolves!
Current Life Points: 1388.
1388 points!
Xuan Tianyi felt an indescribable excitement welling up inside him.
This time we really hit the jackpot!
Not only did they successfully warn of the ambush and gain Yan Jun's initial trust, but they also wiped out the debt and obtained a precious high-grade Qi and Blood Pill. More importantly, they gained a full 1388 Life Source Points!
That's enough for him to do a lot...
Perhaps we could try unlocking new divination techniques based on the hexagrams?
Or, should we continue to improve the "Mystic Thunder Guiding Technique"?
Or perhaps...do something?
He took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent thoughts.
The most pressing matter is dealing with the upcoming trip to the southwest, and... those venomous snakes lurking in the shadows.
Xuan Tianyi clenched his fist as his gaze swept over the chaotic group struggling to turn around.
He needs more, stronger power!