Chapter 053: Destiny

Chapter 053: Destiny

His curled toes were tightly clenched, faintly visible beneath the hem of his clothes. The neatly trimmed nails had grown out slightly, thin and round like new crescents, clinging to the tips.

Shen Jue's entire body was flushed red, and under the pale moonlight, the blush took on a delicate hue.

He had never felt his heartbeat so loud before, unable to tell if it was from shock or some other emotion.

This was almost beyond his comprehension, leaving his mind in a daze.

His feet were caught again, and soft cloth gently wiped away the remaining moisture on his skin. The gentle touch seemed to be treating his feet like a piece of art. These hands, which could easily take a life, were now performing such meticulous work, something hard to imagine.

Neither of them spoke. After silently drying the moisture from Shen Jue's feet, Covert Guard No. 1 effortlessly picked him up and placed him on a clean chair nearby.

As their faces brushed close, Shen Jue heard the other whisper in a very soft voice: "Meet before dawn."

The voice was soft and fleeting, almost like a hallucination. Shen Jue hesitated, processing the meaning, before his eyes widened.

Did this mean they had made contact with the other Covert Guards?! When did this happen... It couldn't have been during the times he kept causing trouble for Covert Guard No. 1, could it?

Shen Jue fell silent.

It might actually have been.

Now, with multiple forces in a stalemate and most of their pursuers completely silenced, the traces at the scene suggested that more than one person had acted.

No one believed the puppet emperor, frail since birth, could be capable of killing. Therefore, it was speculated that there was another Covert Guard protecting them, just not exposed. Otherwise, Covert Guard No. 1 wouldn't have dared to leave so frequently.

And Shen Jue's repeated provocations had provided ample excuses, making it convenient for Covert Guard No. 1 to move around and make contact.

In the end, they really did manage to connect...

Was this... a blessing in disguise?

Shen Jue didn't fully understand, but he was deeply shocked.

After moving Shen Jue aside, Covert Guard No. 1 dismantled the original bed plank and threw it outside. Then, he fetched some relatively flat firewood from the woodshed, smoothed it out, and built a makeshift bed for Shen Jue. A few bundles of softened hay were laid on the bed, making it barely suitable for sleeping, though it wouldn't be comfortable.

Shen Jue, however, was quite satisfied with this simple bed. After all, he had even slept on tree branches before. At least it let him lie flat without discomfort, a big improvement.

He was about to ask if the other needed rest, but seeing the cold, expressionless face, he swallowed his words.

It was the last night, and Shen Jue wasn't foolish. His earlier habit of bossing Covert Guard No. 1 around had been awful. Showing concern now would only raise suspicions.

If it weren't for the possibility of eavesdroppers, Covert Guard No. 1 wouldn't have spoken to him in that manner.

But the thought of reuniting with the other Covert Guards the next day eased Shen Jue's mind, and he fell asleep almost as soon as he lay down.

When he woke up again, it was due to the sound of footsteps not far away.

The experiences of the past days had made him habitually alert even in his sleep, his hearing and vision sharpened significantly.

When he first learned archery, he couldn't even spot a rabbit running by his feet. Now, he could detect a mouse in the grass over ten meters away.

The system had tested him, confirming his physical abilities had indeed improved. Moreover, since it was a soul-level enhancement, these heightened senses could even carry over to the next world.

As long as he wasn't deaf or blind in the next world.

Any skills he learned in each world through his own efforts, as long as they weren't obtained through system cheating, could basically be used.

Of course, if it was purely due to the system's assistance, such as the taekwondo he learned as a child while he was Jin Shuyi, since it wasn't something he learned himself, even though he could use it instinctively while he was Jin Shuyi, he couldn't use it after becoming Li Siwan.

But the tennis rules and techniques he learned as Jin Shuyi, even though Li Siwan had never played tennis, he could easily use those skills.

This is also why Shen Jue is getting more and more into things he'd never tried before. Although he doesn't need to learn, when needed, the system will also give him an edge, such as a certain intuition when playing chess.

But once he learns it himself, this knowledge and experience become his own, and cannot be taken away even when changing worlds.

For example, his equestrian skills.

The original body was frail and had never ridden a horse, but as soon as Shen Jue arrived, he could easily control it.

The only downside is that after his hearing and vision improved, his senses became extraordinary, and he would easily wake up from small noises in the middle of the night.

This side effect... we'll deal with it later!

Shen Jue cautiously got up from the bed, and Number One was already in a defensive stance, protecting him.

After some probing, the ambushers didn't find the person they were looking for and were ready to act.

Shen Jue didn't know how much time was left until dawn, but Number One said there were more than a hundred people ambushed nearby, and all roads were blocked.

Is this a fight for survival?

Shen Jue wasn't very scared. He picked up the weapon by the bed, a short knife, looted from the assassins, felt just right in his hand.

His strength didn't support him using a long knife, and although the short knife had a smaller attack range, it was more flexible.

At the height of tension, a painful howl suddenly pierced the darkness.

The reinforcements had arrived.

The assassins ambushed around didn't even have time to rush into the house and exchange lives with Shen Jue, and they died silently in the moonlight.

No, the moon was almost setting on the horizon, and the sky began to glow faintly.

The footsteps outside grew hurried and organized, Number One stepped aside, and the dilapidated wooden door creaked open, revealing the person Shen Jue had been yearning to see.

How long had it been since they last met?

Perhaps almost a month, perhaps after that assassination attempt, fearing to trigger Shen Jue's nightmares, the other had never appeared before him again.

For his unannounced departure, Shen Jue felt an infinite surge of apology from the bottom of his heart.

But before he could even apologize, the other came to him like a gust of wind and embraced him.

The familiar scent mixed with a faint smell of blood, Zhongli Jin hadn't had time to clean the bloodstains on his body.

In a moment, Zhongli Jin seemed to feel Shen Jue's slight tremble, paused, and then prepared to leave in pain.

He didn't want to scare him.

But Shen Jue reached out and tightly hugged the person in front of him.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Shen Jue said.

The hands around his back became incredibly firm, pulling him tightly into the embrace, as if wanting to merge his flesh and blood into his own, never to be separated for eternity.

Zhongli Jin held him tightly, almost losing all sense of restraint, squeezing Shen Jue until it hurt.

But he didn’t dislike this kind of embrace; it gave him a real, vivid sense of being alive.

"I'm sorry," Zhongli Jin said, not blaming him for leaving without notice, even though, from Zhongli Jin's perspective, it could even be seen as betrayal.

But facing this person who meant more to him than his own life, Zhongli Jin didn’t care about anything else. As long as Shen Jue was willing to return, safe and healthy, that was all that mattered.

"It's my fault for not handling things well, causing you so much suffering," Zhongli Jin said.

Shen Jue felt both amused and exasperated. Why did everyone think it was their fault? Couldn’t it be the fault of those scheming for power?

No matter how well Zhongli Jin ruled or how prosperous and peaceful the country became, there would always be selfish, greedy people trying to take it all for themselves.

Those used to power and privilege couldn’t stand a world where everyone was happy, so they sought to hoard all the wealth and power for themselves.

It wasn’t their fault; it was just fate playing its hand.

Shen Jue was about to say a few comforting words when a cold voice interrupted.

This was the first time Number One had interrupted the affairs of the so-called "masters." The message sent back to the capital likely arrived before Shen Jue’s ankle was bitten by a snake. Later, because the snake venom was hard to control, Number One risked sending an urgent report again. Fortunately, nothing went wrong, but the news of Shen Jue's injury hadn't been sent in time.

"The imperial physician is outside, let's go," Zhongli Jin said, effortlessly picking Shen Jue up.

Outside the dilapidated hut, the area was brightly lit, with soldiers handling hundreds of corpses and countless people coming and going.

Shen Jue felt a little embarrassed. He was a grown man, after all—and a king! Being carried like a princess was downright humiliating.

"Don't move around," Zhongli Jin lifted his arm and kissed the corner of his eye, "The snake venom in your body hasn't been completely cleared; moving too much could spread it."

Shen Jue gave him a half-amused, half-annoyed look.

Did this guy think he was that easy to fool? Given how long it had been, the venom would have already spread through his bloodstream. What difference would a little more movement make?

But he didn’t call him out, instead burying his face deeper into Zhongli Jin’s chest, listening to the familiar heartbeat and breathing in the familiar scent, feeling completely at peace.

In fact, Shen Jue had already fallen asleep before Zhongli Jin carried him onto the carriage.

Surprisingly, after returning to the palace this time, Shen Jue recovered completely in just a few days.

Well, during this time in the original story, he hadn't been sick, and with his physical condition, he could recover quickly.

This also showed that his illness wasn’t due to physical weakness but rather the unavoidable influence of the world’s will.

In a few more months, after summer passed, it would be two years since he came to this world.

The illnesses influenced by the world's will would break out one after another.

Shen Jue had subtly mentioned to Zhongli Jin that he might be sick for a long time, many times, and no matter how the imperial physicians treated him, they would be helpless.

This was a problem with his body, and he hoped Zhongli Jin wouldn't blame the imperial physicians.

Zhongli Jin didn't question this at all, just felt a bit heartbroken and planned to put aside most of his tasks to accompany Shen Jue on travels and enjoy life while he was still relatively healthy.

Of course, Zhongli Jin didn't really abandon his responsibilities and neglect the country.

He delegated tasks to Shen Xiaonian as if drafting a project plan, allowing the young man to start managing government affairs early.

Calling him a boy wasn’t quite appropriate.

On the day Shen Jue returned to the palace, Shen Xiaonian also came to greet him.

When the other person ran up to him and hugged him tightly, Shen Jue realized that the little one who had only reached his chest when they first met him was now as tall as he was!

In a few more months, it would be Shen Xiaonian's fifteenth birthday. In ancient times, fifteen was the age when boys tied their hair, and children of this age were already capable of wielding swords and spears to go to battle.

The princes and ministers had even mentioned several times in their memorials that Shen Xiaonian should learn about human affairs and start expanding the royal family early.

When Shen Jue was bored, he found those memorials quite absurd. Setting up a concubine for a fifteen-year-old kid? He's barely out of diapers!

Zhongli Jin never minded Shen Jue casually browsing through the ministers' memorials, nor did he filter them, so Shen Jue could see everything in them.

While Shen Jue thought it was nuts, others in this era believed that since Shen Xiaonian was almost fifteen and still hadn't been assigned a concubine, perhaps Zhongli Jin was deliberately suppressing the next generation of the royal family.

Shen Jue felt that this matter needed to be discussed, so he brought it up with Zhongli Jin first.

Zhongli Jin's stance was that he had no plans to arrange concubines or similar for Shen Xiaonian for the time being. In ancient times, lifespans were shorter, and for many people, fifteen or sixteen years old meant they had already lived half their lives.

Thus, it was common to arrange for early childbirth during this period.

The impact on males in this regard was not as severe as on females. Girls who gave birth at fifteen or sixteen often hadn't fully developed physically, which was one of the reasons for the high maternal mortality rate.

With their narrow frames, still being children, and lacking physical exercise, how could childbirth not be a journey to the gates of hell?

Even though Shen Xiaonian was male, Zhongli Jin still didn't approve of him being exposed to such things so early, as it could lead to hidden long-term consequences.

Shen Jue, of course, got it, but then he remembered something and shot Zhongli Jin a sarcastic sneer, "So you do know about this."

What this implied was clear to both of them, but neither brought it up.

"I'm just too afraid of you leaving again..." Zhongli Jin immediately lost his commanding air and snuggled into Shen Jue's arms, acting all cute.

Shen Jue glanced at the ceiling.

"Alright. But I think we still need to discuss this with Jingchen." After all, the other guy was from ancient times. If he truly believed, as the ministers in the court suggested, that Zhongli Jin was concerned about the continuation of the royal bloodline and thus controlling the royal family, the misunderstanding would be significant.

"I already talked to him about it last year," Zhongli Jin explained.

In this dynasty, it seemed that when a boy had his first nocturnal emission at thirteen or fourteen, his family would prepare a concubine for him. Zhongli Jin probably treated Shen Xiaonian like a son, even though he wasn't much older, and had given the boy a basic lesson on physiological hygiene.

Zhongli Jin's words, practically all-knowing and all-powerful in this era, carried a lot of weight. Shen Xiaonian didn't doubt for a moment that Zhongli Jin would harm him.

After all, Zhongli Jin was gradually teaching him how to handle government affairs. In Shen Xiaonian's generation, there were hardly any children qualified to sit on the throne. Even if there were, they had been pushed far away. Unless Shen Xiaonian proved utterly incompetent, and Zhongli Jin had to adopt someone else, there was no second candidate for the throne.

Shen Xiaonian could somewhat sense Zhongli Jin's intention to delegate power to him, allowing him to independently handle government affairs as soon as possible.

As for being emperor, there was still so much he hadn't learned. After all, he was only a few years younger than his grandfather's youngest son. Where would he find the time to learn all this?

There was so much he needed to learn, and Shen Xiaonian hoped to be a wise ruler like his adoptive father and a benevolent ruler like his uncle. This was difficult to achieve, as just completing the tasks assigned by his adoptive father was enough to keep him busy. How could he have the mind to think about other things?

"I see..." Shen Jue nodded after understanding, "This child is quite good."

"Of course, the child you picked is naturally good," Zhongli Jin agreed.

Shen Jue: ?

Why was he being praised again?

He laughed, "How is it that I picked the child?"

"Didn't you?" Zhongli Jin looked at him steadily, "Among the princes and royal descendants, you only got close to him. If I didn't know you treated him like a son, I would have been jealous."

Shen Jue was amused by these words and pinched Zhongli Jin's nose: "Really, you jealousy incarnate."

The other party, being teased like this, wasn’t annoyed and even kissed his wrist.

Shen Jue felt something was off, and indeed his intuition was accurate. Coaxed by this guy with his endless schemes, Shen Jue was completely disoriented.

Since the banquet, he hadn’t been close to Zhongli Jin for a long time. Now, after a long dry spell, the sudden rain was too much for his body to handle, almost injuring him. Shen Jue felt a bit embarrassed, feeling like the protagonist in some competitive novel next door, who could become as good as new after a few days of disuse. This body from the damn Book Crossing Bureau always gave him the illusion that he wasn’t in Green River. Clearly, this damn system crashes all the time and doesn’t let me see anything, so what’s the point of rolling up to twenty-something centimeters? No, why can Zhongli Jin still grow? He really didn’t understand—can someone still grow at almost twenty? It’s tough for those of us at the bottom—who can handle this?

Shen Jue almost died, and the next day he slept the whole day without recovering. He lay listlessly on the soft couch, enjoying the cool breeze, watching dragonflies flitting over the lotus flowers in the pond, secretly cursing Zhongli Jin a thousand times in his mind.

He also cursed the author and the website along with it.

Next time, he would never go to a pleasure novel again—what kind of stuff is this! It doesn’t make any scientific sense!

Shen Jue angrily threw small stones into the pond, scaring the koi fish inside to scatter everywhere. The palace attendants, seeing him in a bad mood, all dared not speak. When Zhongli Jin arrived, they all retreated as if granted amnesty.

"Still in pain?" The man encircled him in his arms, his hand resting on his stomach, slowly massaging in circles. Shen Jue was too angry to respond—his skin was stretched to the limit, of course it hurt! Did he think I was made of rubber, with such great elasticity? "I heard Taoist Zhang has returned from his travels, and it’s cool in the mountains. Would you like to go see him in a few days?"

"Really back?" Shen Jue immediately perked up.

Mainly because he had been so bored before, he had incidentally learned a bit about astrology, and the more he learned, the more interesting he found it. He had almost drained the knowledge base of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

It must be said, Taoist Zhang really has some level of expertise. At least the royal family has raised such a large Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and their knowledge is only considered superficial—all combined still can’t match this old man.

But the old man, at his advanced age, is still quite robust and often travels around, basically untraceable, until now when there’s finally news of him.

But Taoist Zhang won’t return to the palace anymore, saying the killing is too heavy. If Shen Jue wants to find him, he can stay at his residence for a while.

That place is said to be very secluded, and except for Taoist Zhang personally coming down to pick them up, ordinary people would basically get lost in the mountains. The safety is probably no worse than in the palace.

Zhongli Jin can’t accompany him for too long, but the knowledge Shen Jue wants to learn isn’t something that can be finished in a day or two. After discussing, they decided that Shen Jue would only take two close palace attendants and Covert Guards to stay at Taoist Zhang’s place.

This time, there was no danger encountered, as all potential threats had basically been eliminated by Zhongli Jin.

Taoist Zhang personally came down the mountain to pick up Shen Jue and his group, but he complained that there were too many Covert Guards and drove most of them away, leaving only two on duty.

"My courtyard doesn’t have so many rooms for you to stay, let alone in a few days when Jin boy is coming—there’s no room, no room, all go back!"

Those Covert Guards hadn’t even shown themselves, and Taoist Zhang had already figured out their numbers.

This guy is one of the few who dares to shout at Zhongli Jin directly, but Zhongli Jin wouldn’t get angry because of this. After selecting two numbers, he left with the rest.

When Shen Jue heard that number one was staying, he couldn’t help but glance somewhere.

Number one is, after all, the best among the Covert Guards, without a doubt—it’s normal for Zhongli Jin to leave him behind.

But Shen Jue was a bit curious.

Really just a little.

It’s not that he’s narcissistic, but with Zhongli Jin’s jealousy incarnate temper, if Shen Xiaonian gets too close to him, this guy would find some excuse to drive him away. But Zhongli Jin doesn’t seem to worry at all that number one would do anything to him.

It’s not that Shen Jue thinks his charm is so great that everyone loves him, and number one is indeed, well… quite indifferent in terms of emotions? It could be said that he almost never feels any emotion from the other party.

No matter when, as long as it doesn’t violate that default highest principle, no matter what command Shen Jue gives, the other party will unconditionally complete it.

Even if…

Shen Jue shook his head, just thinking that the other party was too cold, that’s why Zhongli Jin was at ease.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse. For this journey, Shen Jue was accompanied only by two Covert Guards for protection, along with a personal palace maid and a menial eunuch, each with clearly defined roles.

Fortunately, he wasn’t a true, native-born emperor, or else he probably couldn’t endure a life without constant service.

Due to his past experiences of fleeing, Shen Jue found the steep mountain paths easier to navigate than the two palace servants, moving swiftly. Apart from the two Covert Guards, he was the only one who could keep up with Taoist Zhang's pace.

Perhaps because of this, Taoist Zhang's attitude towards him improved significantly.

No old man enjoying his mountain retreat wants to babysit, not even if the child is the emperor. If it weren’t for Shen Jue’s notable talent in astrology and related fields, Taoist Zhang probably wouldn’t have let Zhongli Jin know his whereabouts at all.

The old man, rooted in Taoism, was accustomed to a free and unrestrained life. In his youth, he had taken on disciples, but few were truly promising.

Now, with his vast knowledge nearly buried with him, and hearing the exaggerated praises from the Qin Tian Jian, he naturally wanted to verify the truth.

If the other party truly possessed the extraordinary talent as his former colleagues claimed, Taoist Zhang was willing to take him as his disciple.

But he was looking for a disciple, not an ancestor. If he encountered someone difficult or with ill intentions, he would rather let his knowledge die with him than pass it on.

Taoist Zhang had calculated Shen Jue’s fate and was aware of his transformation. However, whether before or after the change, Shen Jue’s lifespan remained unchanged, as if that calamity was predestined by the heavens, unalterable even by gods.

Although Taoist Zhang had calculated Shen Jue’s fate, he had never actually met him. Now, upon their first meeting, he found Shen Jue quite impressive, and his attitude softened accordingly. Later, discovering that Shen Jue was more agreeable than he had imagined, he even offered Shen Jue rare praise upon reaching the mountain cottage.

Taoist Zhang was intrigued by Shen Jue, whose fate had been altered. Upon arrival, without even offering him water, he first had Shen Jue answer some of his questions, then recalculated his fate.

Seeing the rude old man making things difficult, the palace servants went inside to boil water. Just as they brought the cooled tea to Shen Jue, they heard the old Taoist say,

"You still don’t have many days left to live."

The teacup in Shen Jue’s hand immediately fell to the ground, and the palace servants knelt in panic.

This... this is treason! And spoken in front of the emperor, was this old Taoist out of his mind?!

Shen Jue slightly frowned, "You all may leave now, but don’t go too far, stay where you can’t hear."

He dismissed the palace servants and called out the Covert Guards, ensuring they could not hear.

Number One clearly wouldn’t leave, and Shen Jue didn’t insist, only asking the other Covert Guard to leave voluntarily. Today’s events must not be known by anyone, including Zhongli Jin.

After receiving the command, the Covert Guard, confirming that Number One would stay to protect Shen Jue, left as ordered and covered his ears.

As Zhongli Jin had said, they indeed prioritized Shen Jue’s commands.

"Master Zhang, please elaborate," Shen Jue said respectfully, even bringing out the brewed tea. They sat at the round table in the courtyard as Taoist Zhang began to explain.

Shen Jue’s fate was peculiar; only the surface aspects could be calculated. To delve deeper would require peering into the secrets of heaven.

It’s said that divine secrets must not be revealed, and peering into them comes at a cost. At Taoist Zhang’s age, even exhausting his life might not uncover the full story behind Shen Jue’s fate. Thus, while interested, he wouldn’t delve too deeply.

Due to the obstruction of the world’s will, Shen Jue naturally couldn’t reveal that he came from the Book Crossing Bureau and could return in the future.

But he was quite eager to learn how to interpret fates from Taoist Zhang.

"You, young man, are truly one of a kind!" Taoist Zhang praised, quite satisfied with Shen Jue’s talent.

Shen Jue: "..."

Even knowing that in this era the term was complimentary, it still sounded like an insult.

Shen Jue smiled and exchanged a few polite words.

Taoist Zhang, seeing his humble demeanor, was even more satisfied and immediately expressed his willingness to take him as a disciple, intending to impart all his skills to Shen Jue.

"But..." Shen Jue was somewhat worried. With so much content and only a year and a half left, could he really learn it all?

"Don't you have any sense of whether you can finish learning? As long as you are willing, not just in a year and a half, but within a year, you can master all of this. This is fate."

What Taoist Zhang referred to as fate, Shen Jue initially understood as the will of the world, but now it seems not entirely so.

The world's will isn't so bored as to make him learn these things just to kill time.

But Shen Jue was indeed interested in these contents, and even though time was short, Zhongli Jin supported him in doing what he wanted.

Shen Jue agreed and performed the apprenticeship ceremony that very day.

Taoist Zhang dared not delay for a moment, fearing that Shen Jue might not finish learning. Before Shen Jue had even completed the ceremony, he was eager to start the lessons.

Shen Jue, somewhat helpless, asked Number One to call the others back, but Number One frowned at him, seemingly waiting for an explanation.

"I'll explain it to you in detail later when I have time," he reassured Number One, then turned to find his master, Taoist Zhang, looking at Number One with a strange gaze.

"Master..." Shen Jue started to speak but was interrupted by Taoist Zhang.

The old man's voice sounded serious as he questioned Number One, "What is your name?"

Number One did not answer.

Shen Jue had to explain to his master, "They are Covert Guards trained for me by Zhongli Jin; they have no names, only numbers."

Taoist Zhang's gaze fixed on Number One, continuing to ask, "Were you born on June 16th?"

Number One didn't even bat an eye, turning to carry out Shen Jue's command.

Shen Jue felt awkward; these Covert Guards indeed did not speak easily. He could only mediate, unsure if pressing Number One was appropriate, in case it was a taboo for him.

Covert Guards could not expose their names or appearances.

Taoist Zhang watched Number One's departing figure, shook his head, and murmured, "What a tragedy."

At that moment, Shen Jue did not understand what Taoist Zhang meant.

But soon, he was caught up in learning about astrology. Shen Jue had some foundation, so the lessons were relatively easy for him. Besides astrology, horoscopes, fate, and divination, Taoist Zhang knew a variety of things, and just listening to the outline took as long as it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Shen Jue genuinely doubted whether he could finish learning.

He expressed his confusion, "Master, since you know about me... why are you rushing to teach me?"

Taoist Zhang gave him a mysterious smile.

"I once caught a glimpse of the heavenly path, and because there was no successor, I had no choice but to enter the divination myself, calculating that my skills would likely be buried with me. But in the divination, I caught a glimpse of a faint thread of vitality."

Taoist Zhang said that a person's fate changes constantly, and with different choices and changes in life, a person's fate will also change. Therefore, besides innate fate, later divination needs to combine more questions for calculation, which is why he asked so many questions when divining Shen Jue's fate today.

Shen Jue roughly understood that this theory is similar to the parallel worlds theory, where different choices lead to different life outcomes, and so-called "fate" naturally changes.

Taoist Zhang glimpsed the heavenly path and calculated that he had no successor, but that was only the fate at that time, meaning before Shen Jue transmigrated, Taoist Zhang's skills were absolutely not to be passed down.

But Zhongli Jin found Taoist Zhang, bringing a fate that defied heaven, and with Shen Jue's talent and the thread of vitality seen when glimpsing the heavenly path, Taoist Zhang again used his life force to divine a hexagram, and this time the answer was completely opposite to before.

There would be someone to inherit all of Taoist Zhang's lifelong learning.

The irony of fate is that this person's fate will forever stop at the age of twenty-six, and no matter what, it cannot be changed.

Shen Jue was puzzled. If the other party knew he wouldn’t live much longer, why was he so determined to teach him? Clearly, Taoist Zhang might live several more years than him.

Taoist Zhang smiled mysteriously and shook his head: "Although your karmic burden is too heavy to calculate, my own fate can be determined."

"The heavenly will is never wrong. There is no doubt that my lineage can be passed down. Even if I teach someone destined to die, I believe my lifelong knowledge can be inherited."

Shen Jue fell silent.

It must be said that Taoist Zhang's calculations were indeed accurate, and he truly believed in his own precision.

As a transmigrator, Shen Jue knew these skills would carry over to the next world, even if he died here. That's why the heavenly will told him that this lineage could be passed down.

Although Taoist Zhang couldn't calculate his true fate, he could still figure this out. It must be said, there's something truly profound about this divination.

Seeing Shen Jue deep in thought, Taoist Zhang didn't ask him anything, but simply treated him as his true final disciple, imparting all his lifelong knowledge to him without reservation.

With the system's advantage, Shen Jue learned incredibly fast. He only needed Taoist Zhang to explain and demonstrate once, and he could fully grasp it.

In less than a week, he had mastered the method for calculating fates and could, like Taoist Zhang, calculate post-birth fates.

The first thing Shen Jue did was calculate Zhongli Jin's fate, as he was most familiar with Zhongli Jin's recent situation, allowing him to fill in the calculations himself.

"I'm going down the mountain to fetch young Jin. Finish these calculations, and I’ll check them when I return," Taoist Zhang assigned him homework and left, not even bothering to have the Covert Guards escort him.

Shen Jue learned quickly and naturally calculated just as fast. He became so immersed in his work that he didn’t hear Taoist Zhang’s instructions. When he finished calculating Zhongli Jin's fate and went to compare answers with Taoist Zhang, he found his master was gone!

Shen Jue summoned Covert Guard One and, upon learning that Taoist Zhang had gone down the mountain to fetch Zhongli Jin, nodded in understanding.

He suddenly turned to look at Covert Guard One beside him.

"What is your birth date and time?"

This was Shen Jue's first independent calculation, and he found himself somewhat addicted to it. He didn't pay attention to the homework his master had assigned but instead casually called over the nearest person to practice on.

Although Covert Guard One wouldn't answer questions from anyone other than him and Zhongli Jin, he would fully cooperate with Shen Jue's inquiries.

Shen Jue quickly scribbled on the rice paper. He had already become quite proficient with the brush, though his writing was a bit messy due to the speed, it still had a certain artistic flair.

But as he wrote, he felt something was off.

That inexplicable sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger, to the point where Shen Jue couldn't ignore it.

Shen Jue put down the final stroke and looked at the messy drafts on the table. Unable to find the source of this familiarity, it was as if he suddenly thought of something. He pulled out a neatly written final draft from the stack of papers—it was Zhongli Jin's fate.

And the content on this paper was almost identical to the fate he had just calculated for... Covert Guard One.