Book 2 Chapter 9 (Part 1)

  The old woman sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, and I shouted: "Granny, it's this thing that's been playing tricks on me!"

  The old woman opened her eyes and smiled slightly: "Yuehun, why are you bullying my guest?"

  "I exclaimed in surprise: 'Is it called Moon Soul?'"

  "Hmm, before I entered Long Qi's body, it had been living here for many years already. When I first came, I was also teased by Yue Hun."

  "What on earth is it? It can't be a ghost, can it?"

  "To be honest, even I'm not quite sure what it is. The world is full of mysteries that are beyond our understanding." The old woman said, as the Moon Soul darted out from behind her and started jumping around with an air of liveliness. It's strange to say, but despite being so close to me, I still couldn't make out its appearance.

  The old woman seemed to know what I was thinking, and said: "When you cultivate the Mirror Pupil Secret Method, you will be able to see the appearance of the Moon Soul. If you cultivate the Wind Ear Secret Method, you can communicate with it. Now, it's saying something that you can't hear." She picked out a book from the pile, "Wind Ear Secret Method", and threw it at me.

  I was stunned. This guy can still talk? I took over the secret book and sighed in admiration: "Auntie, you are really all-powerful, and you actually got so many secret books."

  The old woman said faintly, "Many years ago, my husband and I traveled all over the northern border. Some of these secret books were snatched by us, some were stolen, and a few were exchanged for precious elixirs and spiritual herbs."

  Wow, what a coincidence! It turns out that my mother-in-law and I were fellow travelers in the past. What a pity we didn't meet sooner! As my gaze swept over the intricate patterns on the ground, I curiously asked: "Mother-in-law, you said yesterday that determining one's fate is also an art, are these patterns perhaps the key to it?"

  The old lady gave me a slanted glance: "Do you want to learn?"

  I smiled wryly: "Who doesn't want to control their own life? Mother-in-law, are you willing to teach me?"

  The old woman fell silent, and soon her curse struck again, until the dragon whale's heart dripped with blood, and the dark green color faded from her legs. She muttered: "When the firewood is exhausted, the fire will be transmitted; perhaps I really need a successor."

  "I nodded vigorously: 'Mother-in-law, teach me. I'm not a bit stupid, I learn things quickly, and I won't embarrass you.'"

  The old woman asked noncommittally: "Youngster, is your life very bitter?"

  I nodded and then shook my head: "The past was very unlucky, but for a while, I lived happily."

  "Hmm, is it because of women that you're happy?"

  "Huh, how did you know, grandma?"

  "Just by looking at your face, I knew it. Hehe, another 'love' affair, kiddo, let me tell you, if you can't see through the emotions between men and women, then forget about breaking free from the cycle of birth, growth, decay, and emptiness!"

  I'm at a loss, these past few days I keep thinking of the three beauties and yearn to be reunited with them. Could it be that I've fallen for them? This isn't good, I have no power or influence, my magical powers are weak, how could they possibly like me? Hai Ji might have some feelings for me, but it's not necessarily love. In the end, I'm afraid I'll be left to pine away alone, regretting it until my dying day!

  "Hey, kiddo, look at me!" The old lady suddenly shouted, her eyes gleaming: "If you can learn all the secret books here, I'll teach you my life's research on fate! If you can't even learn these, then you're not worthy of learning from me!"

  I called out to Ku Lian Tian: "Grandma, don't tease me. Master all the secret skills here? My beard has turned white already. Moreover, I was ignorant of the Secret Path Technique, the Armor Deflection Technique and the Demon Technique in the past, now you want me to learn them all at once, how is that possible? As the saying goes, 'insufficient innate talent, difficult to make up for later'. Besides, I only want to learn your things, what do these secret skills have to do with anything?"

  The old woman glared at him: "You really have a lot of nonsense. I asked you, without a foundation, can you build a house? Whether it's the Secret Path Technique, the Armor Technique, or the Demon Technique, they are all techniques that comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth. To learn these, one must understand the secrets between heaven, earth, and man, be well-versed in the natural world and human affairs, only then do you have the qualifications to discuss fate."

  "I argued: 'Birds can't swim, but they can fly in the sky. Fish can't walk, but they can swim in the sea. So, just because I may not be able to learn swordplay or secret techniques, it doesn't mean I won't be able to learn your things, grandma.'"

  The old lady stared at me for a long time, then suddenly burst out laughing: "You little rascal, you want to learn from me but still try to haggle over the price? That's really interesting. However," her tone changed and her face turned serious: "I'll say it again, if you want to learn my divination skills, you must first master all the secret techniques here. Whether or not you learn is up to you."

  I have a clear understanding of myself, if I rely on my own hard work to study the secret book, I'm afraid I'll be stuck in the dragon whale's belly for the rest of my life. Scratching my head, I racked my brains for a while and suddenly had an idea.

  "Grandma, is this secret book very difficult to cultivate?"

  "It's not difficult to learn, but if you want to master it, and every book is practiced to perfection, so that you can ascend to the Spiritual Treasure Heaven or the Realm of Desire, then it won't be easy. Without a rare encounter, even someone with exceptional talent will need over a thousand years."

  "I just need to learn enough. If I learn enough, you'll teach me about fate, right?"

  "That's right."

  "How long will it take to learn these?"

  "Unless you have a natural talent like my husband's, it will take at least a hundred years to learn all the secret skills."

  "With my qualifications, is it impossible to learn the secret recipe in a very short period of time?"

  The old woman nodded, and I smiled slightly: "In other words, my fate is - it's impossible to learn these secret skills in a short period of time."

  The old woman nodded again, and I blinked: "Granny, what you've been longing for in this life is to control and break fate, right?"

  The old woman said vigilantly: "What do you want to say?"

  I burst out laughing: "Grandma, aren't you the one who loves to control fate? Why not try it on me and see if you can help me break this predetermined fate and learn the secret recipe in a short time?"

  The old woman was taken aback, and immediately came to her senses: "You little scoundrel, you're too slick, trying to get me to teach you the secret manual by going around in circles." After a long moment of contemplation, she shook her head: "It's difficult, too difficult." She looked at him again, muttering to herself: "Hmph, but it is quite interesting, maybe I can give it a try."

  "I patted my chest and shouted: 'Mother, put everything aside and don't mention it. This is your battle with fate, and the battlefield is me, Lin Fei! At worst, I'll fail, what's there to be afraid of trying?'"

  The old woman's eyes lit up with an intimidating glow, and the surrounding darkness seemed to be illuminated by her gaze. After a long while, she suddenly shouted: "There is no heavenly fate, only one's own heart! Lin Fei, I've agreed to your request."

  Soon I began to regret it.

  I regret letting the old lady teach me to cultivate. Because this is simply not a human life, the life of a beggar in Luoyang is ten times, a hundred times better than now! When a person's even urination frequency is restricted, how miserable can it be? Every day, you can only sleep for one hour, eat once, and spend the rest of the time cultivating bitterly. If you doze off or lose focus, the old lady will beat you up violently.

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