Chapter 25: Parting (Part 2)

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you starve, kid. I’m going to work at Feng Kuang’s shop…” When answering his son, a hard-to-notice look of embarrassment flashed across Ye Dongping’s face.

A university graduate from the prestigious Huaqing in the 1970s, Ye Dongping was once considered a pride of heaven. Now, he had fallen to becoming a Self-Employed Businessperson. He wondered what expressions his old classmates would have if they knew.

Actually, Yu Haoran had wanted to invite Ye Dongping to bring Ye Tian to Shanghai before. Ye Dongping’s major in mechanics could have been useful in the textile industry.

But Ye Dongping did not want to live under someone else’s roof. After discussing with Liao Haode and the Old Taoist, he decided to accept Liao Haode’s shares and help out at Feng Kuang’s Antique Shop in the County Town.

As for Ye Tian skipping from fifth grade directly to seventh grade, that was Yu Haoran’s suggestion, and he was also the one who pulled strings with the relationships in the County Town.

The main reason for letting Ye Tian skip a grade was that the teachers in the rural elementary school were mostly substitutes, with generally low education levels. Some had only graduated from junior high.

Given Ye Tian’s academic performance and the knowledge he already possessed, there was really no need for him to continue elementary school. Since they didn’t want Ye Tian to study abroad, they should at least give him a relatively better environment.

Ye Dongping did not agree to go to Shanghai with Yu Haoran, but he did not refuse this kindness. After all, studying at a school in the County Town would also benefit Ye Tian’s future growth.

“Oh, no wonder you were also running over to Master to learn Antique and Calligraphy and Painting appraisal those days.”

Hearing Ye Dongping’s words, Ye Tian understood. So his dad’s frequent visits to Master those past few days also had a purpose.

“Enough, where did all this chatter come from? Go up the mountain and bid farewell to the Old Master. Tomorrow… we go to the County Town…”

Ye Dongping looked somewhat sadly at the ancestral hall where they had lived for over ten years. In his heart, he was actually reluctant to leave this small village. Although life was poor, the friendly villagers and the quiet life were something impossible to experience in the city.

“Alright, I’ll go right now.”

Hearing they were leaving tomorrow, Ye Tian grew anxious. He was the king of the kids in all the nearby villages. Before leaving, he had to see his little followers. Time was tight. He hurried back into the courtyard, grabbed the Pheasant, and rushed up the mountain.

…

“Master, Master!” Even before stepping into the Taoist Temple, Ye Tian started shouting loudly.

“Brat, you know you’re leaving?”

Hearing Ye Tian’s voice, the Old Taoist wobbled out from the Taoist Temple, looking at Ye Tian with a smile. “You kid still talk about others having philtrum lines, but you didn’t figure out you’d be leaving home yourself, did you?”

“Master, so you all knew and just kept it from me?” Ye Tian grumbled unhappily. “I didn’t perform Divination for myself, how could I know these things?”

Speaking of this, Ye Tian felt a stir in his heart. Over the past month or so, his understanding of the Tortoise Shell in his mind had deepened considerably. For example, the characters for “Geomancy” could only be used once a day. After use, they would turn dim and only recover the next day.

However, the characters for “Physiognomy” could be used three times a day, but he still couldn’t calculate the fortune or misfortune for himself or people related to him.

Ye Tian had once tried to deduce the Old Taoist’s lifespan, but suffered Qi Backlash again, lying obediently in bed for two full days.

Besides “Geomancy” and “Physiognomy,” the Luopan in his mind also revealed the “Divination” aspect from the six methods of the Arcane Repository. Although it could only perform simple fortune-telling, it had no risk of Qi Backlash and could cast three divinations per day.

As for the other three occult arts like “Fortune-telling, Dream Interpretation, and Auspice Selection,” Ye Tian had gained nothing. Those characters remained in a dim, gray state.

Ye Tian had also subtly asked the Old Taoist about the Ancestral Master. But the era was too long ago, many stories had long vanished in the river of history. The Old Taoist couldn’t explain clearly either, only knowing that the Ancestral Master was a prodigious talent who founded the Hemp Robe Lineage, considered the ancestor of all Diviners under heaven.

Looking at the white-haired and bearded Old Taoist, Ye Tian suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. He stepped forward and grabbed the Old Taoist’s sleeve. “Master, my dad said we’re leaving tomorrow. You… you should come with us to the County Town!”

You must know, in Ye Tian’s life so far, the Old Taoist before him had doted on him even more than Ye Dongping. In Ye Tian’s heart, the Old Taoist was no different from his own grandfather.

And that previous attempt to deduce the Old Taoist’s lifespan, although Ye Tian suffered Backlash, it wasn’t entirely without results. If the Divinatory Symbol in his mind wasn’t wrong, the Old Taoist probably had at most one decade of life left. In other words, the Old Taoist could only live for another ten years.

Now, about to leave Maoshan for the County Town, leaving the Old Taoist alone here, Ye Tian felt an indescribable ache in his heart. He just wanted to throw himself into the Old Taoist’s arms and cry.

Seeing Ye Tian’s slightly reddened eyes, the Old Taoist smiled with gratification. In ancient times, regardless of profession, character was the foremost consideration when taking disciples. If one’s character was poor, even with high talent, they generally wouldn’t be accepted into the school.

Although Ye Tian was usually mischievous and often made the Old Taoist blow his beard and glare, at this moment of parting, he showed his true nature. This greatly comforted Li Shanyuan. He patted Ye Tian’s little head and said with a laugh, “Silly child, Master finally escaped the mortal world, why would I re-enter it? Besides, the mountain is quiet. Master can Deduce the Ancestral Master’s skills properly, see if I can restore some of our Hemp Robe Lineage’s inheritance…”

During the Tang, Song, and even Ming dynasties, practitioners of occult arts were quite respected. Various doctrines and Occult Arts reached their peak. But by the Qing dynasty, emperors like Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong were strong rulers who severely suppressed these Jianghu practitioners, causing the inheritance of the Hemp Robe Lineage to become fragmented.

Li Shanyuan was intelligent from a young age. After receiving the Mayi Inheritance, he made a grand vow to complete the Founding Patriarch’s Occult Arts. Later, he taught at a prestigious school also hoping to find ancient Physiognomy books from predecessors. But due to subsequent wars, he had no choice but to delay this pursuit.

Now Li Shanyuan was already over a hundred years old and knew his time was approaching. That’s why he wanted to calm his mind and study the Occult Arts, hoping to pass down the Founding Patriarch’s lineage as completely as possible.

“By the way, there’s something you must pay attention to…”

The Old Taoist suddenly remembered something, his expression turning serious as he spoke. “Little Yezi, Master has taught you all his skills. Your talent is even better than Master’s. What you lack now is just experience in the Jianghu… But you must remember, Yinzhai Feng Shui kills invisibly. Its dangers are extremely severe. You are still young. Before eighteen, Master forbids you from performing Dragon-Seeking and Acupoint Locating for anyone. Can you promise that?”

In the circle of Feng Shui and Physiognomy, there’s always been a saying: “Where the water city turns its back, it becomes a guest; how many masters mistakenly kill people.” The Old Taoist feared Ye Tian, in the impulsiveness of youth, might do things taboo in their trade.

“Master, I understand. Don’t worry. Before eighteen, I won’t assess Yinzhai Feng Shui for anyone.” Ye Tian nodded heavily, firmly memorizing the Old Taoist’s words.

Seeing Ye Tian’s serious little face, the Old Taoist felt somewhat unaccustomed. He flicked his sleeve and said with a laugh, “Alright, you brat, scram down the mountain. Don’t make it seem like a life-and-death parting.”