Chapter 99: One Divination, Three Hundred Years of Merit
Chapter 99: One Divination, Three Hundred Years of Merit
After Zhong Zhengyuan returned home at night, he calculated the fate of that gentleman once more.
“How did it still come out as dead…”
Zhong Zhengyuan felt upset inside. He found it strange because since he entered the mortal world, he had never made a mistake in divination, but that day he had messed up several times.
“I want to see just how strong you are!”
As he spoke, Zhong Zhengyuan unexpectedly took out two more copper coins from his pocket and added them to the three he already had, holding them in his hand.
“Clatter, clatter…”
The copper coins fell to the ground. However, to Zhong Zhengyuan’s surprise, those five copper coins kept spinning without stopping for a long while.
“This…”
He paused for a moment, then suddenly shuddered all over.
He saw a golden light begin to glow on his body. That was his merit’s golden light, and without knowing why, it uncontrollably started to pour out.
“Hmm!!”
In the next moment, Zhong Zhengyuan’s merit golden light vanished at a very fast speed.
He widened his eyes, quickly reached out his hand, and gathered up all five copper coins.
In an instant, cold sweat poured down his back.
When he looked again, half of his merit was gone!!
“My merit!!!”
A cry of sorrow came from Youling County.
Moyuan, who was sitting drowsily in the courtyard, abruptly woke up.
“What’s all this yelling in the middle of the night?”
Moyuan blinked his eyes but didn’t care at all. Propping up his chin, he went back to sleep.
But the next morning, when Moyuan saw Zhong Zhengyuan, the man looked like he had lost his soul.
What Moyuan didn’t know was that this fortune-teller had saved up merit for several hundred years…
In just one night, most of it had vanished!
Luckily, he had saved enough, or it might not have been so simple.
Moyuan thought Mr. Chen would return soon, so he stuck close to Zhong Zhengyuan over the next days.
Yet since that night, Zhong Zhengyuan seemed much grumpier. His words were not so gentle anymore, and sometimes he even left Moyuan speechless with his snappy replies.
Moyuan didn’t hold back either, calling him an “old thing” every other word, but it was just bickering. He didn’t actually start a fight because Zhong Zhengyuan was still Mr. Chen’s friend, and he was afraid of making Mr. Chen upset.
No one knew what madness the old thing had fallen into, but he was fussing all day long.
Amid the bickering, Moyuan stayed in Youling County for over two weeks, yet still couldn’t wait for Mr. Chen to come.
“Hey old thing, what do you think Mr. Chen is doing?”
Whenever Chen Changsheng was mentioned, Zhong Zhengyuan got angry: “What’s it to me? It’s best if he doesn’t come. You should leave too, so I don’t have to look at you.”
He was having a hard time—one divination had left him with an unlucky old age.
Zhong Zhengyuan thought no one was worse off than him.
Moyuan chuckled and said: “I don’t even want to be stuck here with you. If not for the fact you’re Mr. Chen’s friend, I’d have dealt with you long ago.”
Zhong Zhengyuan glanced at him: “Go ahead. Finish me off. Do it right now.”
“Look at you, with all your hundreds of years of cultivation. It’s amazing how a wise person like you can talk so badly.”
“What about you? Stinky swamp creature!”
“Old thing!”
Moyuan was truly getting fed up: “Alright, I’m done arguing with you. Looks like Mr. Chen won’t be coming for a while. I’ll come back later.”
“Get lost!”
“We met each other once and are sort of friends. Aren’t you going to give me a farewell gift? That copper coin in your hand looks pretty…”
“Out!!!”
Zhong Zhengyuan shooed Moyuan out.
Moyuan wasn’t angry; he just thought the old thing was stingy and didn’t fuss over it.
Then he left Youling County.
After Moyuan was gone, Zhong Zhengyuan felt the world was much quieter.
But whenever he remembered the vanished merit, it felt like his heart was bleeding.
It was like someone saving up money their whole life, only to get robbed for no reason while walking down the street.
So miserable!
…
Moyuan didn’t go back to Bibo Lake after leaving. Instead, he headed straight to Mr. Chen’s retreat.
Flowing Cloud Temple was peaceful as usual.
Miss Tao’er was holding a broom and sweeping fallen leaves in the courtyard.
Tong Zhihuan had gone down the mountain to see patients those past days. After all, there wasn’t much food up in the mountain, so he needed to earn some money for expenses. Also, he wanted to visit his parents and show more filial piety.
When she finished sweeping, Miss Tao’er went to the Library Pavilion to get a book to read. She didn’t understand it, but she felt she would grasp it someday.
However, while reading, she suddenly heard some movement outside the temple.
She frowned and called out: “Who’s out there?”
The temple door was pushed open a crack.
Moyuan poked his head in and looked at the courtyard. He blinked at Tao’er and asked: “Is Mr. Chen here?”
Tao’er paused: “You are…”
Moyuan couldn’t help but freeze when he saw Tao’er.
“An innate wood spirit?”
Tao’er frowned, a bit wary.
Moyuan snapped out of it and explained: “Moyuan greets the wood spirit. I was here before—do you remember me?”
Miss Tao’er hesitated: “Here before?”
Suddenly she remembered, pointing at Moyuan: “You’re that flood dragon!!”
Moyuan nodded his head, then started explaining his reason for coming. Tao’er learned from him where Mr. Chen had gone, and slowly lowered her guard.
So Moyuan stayed at the temple.
At first, Tao’er had a good impression of Moyuan, but later on, things weren’t so positive.
She even started doubting inside if the person before her was really a True Dragon of thousands of years of cultivation.
Why was his mouth so naggy!?
“How did Miss Tao’er become an innate wood spirit?”
“The peaches must be delicious to eat, right?”
“This place is so boring.”
“Miss Tao’er, could I pluck a peach to eat?”
“Miss Tao’er?”
“Do you sweep every day, Miss Tao’er? How long does that take? Shouldn’t Moyuan give it a try?”
Moyuan took a breath and made the whole mountain tremble several times. It was clean afterward, but the mountain nearly collapsed.
“…”
Tao’er couldn’t take it anymore: “Maybe you should just go back to your Bibo Lake.”
Moyuan didn’t understand why and laughed lightly: “I really like it here.”
Tao’er opened her mouth; she truly didn’t know how to say bad words. Mr. Chen never taught her that, so she decided to wait for Tong Zhihuan to return to the mountain and then learn a bit.
Not many days later, Tong Zhihuan came back.
He was puzzled when he saw Moyuan, but later understood the situation from Tao’er’s account.
It was that flood dragon!
At first, Tong Zhihuan felt some fear inside, but after spending time together, he didn’t find it so scary anymore.
This was totally different from how he imagined a flood dragon would be!
The gap was huge!
Later on, he even looked at Moyuan with a bit of dislike.
Tong Zhihuan quietly asked Miss Tao’er: “What was Mr. Chen thinking? Why did he save something like that?”
Miss Tao’er blinked: “I don’t know.”