Sunshine Boy recorded the method in his Spirit Platform using Magic Text. He mulled it over and over, sensing that this Refining Method contained the great Fate Skill Path, making it on par with the Life-Hunting Skill.
Sunshine Boy said, "This is a Great Inheritance from the Celestial Fate Sect. If you leak it, we can both look forward to being hunted down by them."
Hao Yunsheng sighed. "I’d rather take a gamble than die here. I don’t know any Fate Skills. If you can successfully refine the Great Cutting Sword, my chances of survival will be much higher. Besides, isn’t it your fault so many of my Treasures were destroyed?"
"Where did you even get so many Treasures?"
Hao Yunsheng didn’t want to say, but seeing Sunshine Boy looked ready to walk away, he had no choice but to tell the truth. "Some were gifts from a mysterious expert, some I haggled for at street stalls, some were given to me as ordinary Magical Artifacts, and some I found in other people’s manors. It was only after I got all these things that I realized how powerful my Fate Grid was."
Sunshine Boy had a sudden realization.
’But I overlooked something,’ Sunshine Boy thought. ’Hao Yunsheng only knows his Fate Grid is strong; he has no idea *how* strong.’
’If he knew how rare his Fate Grids are, he would never, ever sell them.’
"Why were you willing to sell me a Destiny Star?" Sunshine Boy asked.
Hao Yunsheng said, "Destiny Stars can be traded. In a few days, I might run into some desperate Fate Master who’d foolishly sell me a great fate for the price of a worthless one."
Sunshine Boy felt a wave of exasperation. ’Sure enough, the mindset of a Fate Grid tycoon is completely different from that of a Fate Grid pauper.’
’After this,’ Sunshine Boy silently noted to himself, ’if I make it out of here alive, I’ll have the Book Listener tail Hao Yunsheng. If anyone tries to sell him their fate, I’ll find a way to snatch it first!’
"Even if you give me the Refining Method for the Great Cutting Sword, it’s useless. I don’t have the Life Materials."
Hao Yunsheng said, "I do."
Sunshine Boy was skeptical. "Don’t be ridiculous. A Life Artifact like the Great Cutting Sword is no small matter. Even a Lower-Grade Initial Refinement requires an unknown amount of Gold, and at least a hundred pieces of Spirit Gold."
"I have them," Hao Yunsheng said.
Sunshine Boy fell silent.
Hao Yunsheng said, "Spirit Gold is easy to trade and safer than silver notes. A while back, I converted most of my silver coins into Spirit Gold—a full hundred pieces."
One hundred thousand taels of silver.
A hundred pieces of Spirit Gold was enough to break any Middle-Grade Official, to say nothing of Sunshine Boy, who was merely Tenth Grade.
Sunshine Boy sighed. "Fine, make an oath. Swear to the Five Goddess and your own Life Mansion that you’re willing to give me a Destiny Star. You also have to give me the Refining Method and Life Materials for the Great Cutting Sword."
"I can’t swear an oath to a Deceit," Hao Yunsheng said.
"Why not?"
"The mysterious old man said it would be bad for me," Hao Yunsheng said.
"Perfect. Then you must swear to the Deceit," Sunshine Boy said with a smile.
"You’re not human!" Hao Yunsheng glared at Sunshine Boy.
"Swear the oath, or you don’t get the Life Substitution Wood Child."
"No! We can negotiate other things, but I can’t go against the mysterious old man’s word. I suspect he’s even more powerful than the Deceitful Mother!" Hao Yunsheng said resolutely.
Seeing he wasn’t a complete fool, Sunshine Boy said, "Then swear to the Celestial Dao."
"That’s fine."
"Oh, and two more conditions," Sunshine Boy added.
Hao Yunsheng glared.
"Tell me all the methods you know for resolving a Deceit!"
"So that was your real condition, wasn’t it? I agree," Hao Yunsheng said coldly.
"As for the second condition, it’s quite simple. Your Fate Grid is so strong that I’m afraid of facing a backlash. So, I’m giving you a chance to be the good guy. If, in the future, I happen to injure you by accident—as long as it isn’t life-threatening and I wasn’t trying to kill you—you won’t hold it against me. How about it?"
Sunshine Boy smiled, carefully concealing the scheme in his heart.
"And that’s my chance to be the good guy?"
"From then on, we go our separate ways," Sunshine Boy said.
"You’re sure you don’t want to kill me?" Hao Yunsheng asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Absolutely! I, Sunshine Boy, can swear to the Celestial Dao: as long as you don’t try to kill me, I will never kill you!"
Hao Yunsheng nodded. "Alright, I’ll tell you the Deceit resolution methods first."
"Swear first, talk later."
"You really are vicious." Hao Yunsheng sighed, raised his hand, and swore an oath to the Celestial Dao and his own Life Mansion.
Sunshine Boy also swore an oath to his Fate Grid, but as always, he substituted it with his Bait Destiny Star before speaking the words.
Hao Yunsheng thought for a moment, then said, "There are two ways to resolve the Deceitful Mother. The first is the Deceit Contamination Method. In the final moments, when the Deceitful Mother is about to devour the Deceitful Infant, you have to sever your connection of fate with her so she ’can’t see’ you. She’ll go berserk and start killing everything in sight. At that point, all you have to do is run. The downside is that if you’re too deeply afflicted by the Deceit and your Fate Grid is contaminated, it’s very difficult to sever that connection."
"The second method is the Unstained Deceit Resolution Method, which is the path I was on. I’ve been exposed to very little Deceitful Qi, so once the Five Goddess’s great ritual is over, I could have used any one of my Treasures to get away. It was the safest option. But, I never expected you to be so ruthless as to destroy all my Treasures. So now... I’ll probably fail to resolve the Deceit on my own. I can only rely on you." Hao Yunsheng’s voice was dripping with bitterness.
"No wonder you wanted to give me the Great Cutting Sword. Even if I didn’t want to learn, you would have forced me," Sunshine Boy said.
"*Our* Great Cutting Sword. Tomorrow is the final grand ritual for the Lady of Longevity. You have until then to take my Destiny Star." Hao Yunsheng walked over to a nearby set of steps and sat down.
Sunshine Boy didn’t move. "Since we’re partners now, you can lend me that Fate Master’s notebook, right? I won’t read much, just the parts about the Deceitful Mother."
Hao Yunsheng avoided his gaze. "That book... I only skimmed it a long time ago. I don’t have it with me."
Sunshine Boy stared at Hao Yunsheng for a long moment, then smiled. "I understand. I’m going in now. Don’t be afraid."
Sunshine Boy entered Hao Yunsheng’s Life Mansion once again, gazing at the four Destiny Stars in the Adolescent Life Land.
Sun and Moon Ascending, Sunlight on Golden Mountain, Poisonous Pool Hidden Dragon, Ten Thousand Grinds into a Vessel.
Beyond the Adolescent Life Land, the Youth Life Land was obscured by a golden curtain of light.
’First, rule out Poisonous Pool Hidden Dragon. That kind of Fate Grid is only useful once it creates a Trend Formation. Without one, I’d end up in the same predicament Hao Yunsheng was in at the Marquis Mansion—stuck in a quagmire.’
’Ten Thousand Grinds into a Vessel is excellent, but the problem is, if my own Fate Grid isn’t strong enough, it’ll just be a disaster magnet. I suspect this Deceitful Mother was attracted to him because of this very Fate Grid.’
’Sun and Moon Ascending and Sunlight on Golden Mountain are both good choices.’
’Sunlight on Golden Mountain doesn’t need a Trend Formation. It can mitigate all kinds of dangers and disasters on its own, or at least weaken them.’
’Sun and Moon Ascending is the best of all, far surpassing the other Destiny Stars. The problem is, it’s too good. It’s his foundation, and I don’t have the power to uproot it right now. Still... I can test the waters.’
Sunshine Boy returned to his own Life Mansion. He consumed one Qi Fortune Fish to construct a Long Qi Fortune Bridge leading directly into Hao Yunsheng’s Life Mansion.
Normally, buying a fate wouldn’t require a Long Qi Fortune Bridge, but Hao Yunsheng’s Fate Grid was simply too powerful. The bridge would significantly speed up the process of fishing for a Destiny Star.
High in the sky of Hao Yunsheng’s Life Mansion hung a vast constellation of stars.
The stars flickered in and out of view, offering their protection from the shadows. Their aura and power were in no way inferior to the Great Trend Formation of the Royal Family.
’Which major power is backing Hao Yunsheng? That mysterious old man... he might be from that faction.’
Sunshine Boy gripped his Destiny Fishing Rod, aimed at Sun and Moon Ascending, and cast. The hook soared through the air, but just as it came within ten feet of its target, an invisible force knocked it away.
’This is absurd. And this is supposed to be a friendly purchase, not a hostile Life-Hunting. If I were actually hunting it, my hook wouldn’t even make it past the front door.’