Although Li Qingxian was doubtful, he still pretended to be struggling to hide his delight. "Master Gai is truly a great master of our time," he said.
Tong Ling smiled. "It’s quite a coincidence today. We didn’t expect you to become the Eighth-Grade Aoshou. My master had originally intended to gift you only the first volume of the *Yuanhai Destiny Book* he acquired years ago. But after learning you became the Aoshou, just giving you that felt rather shabby. So, my master decided to add an Old Country Jade Seal. While it can’t compare to a Great Country Jade Seal, it’s still better than a First-Grade Prince’s Golden Seal."
As Tong Ling spoke, she took a purple sandalwood box out from a worn Qi Fortune Silver Fish Pouch. On top of the box was a book wrapped in blue cloth, with a Spirit Talisman affixed to the fabric.
Li Qingxian glanced at the wooden box, then looked at Tong Ling, no longer hiding the doubt on his face. "I cannot accept a reward I haven’t earned," he said. "If it were just a Life Book, I would certainly accept it. But a Small Country Jade Seal is too valuable. As Fate Masters, we all know what a Small Country Jade Seal means. Even for someone like Master Gai, it must be a rare treasure."
Tong Ling sighed softly, her expression pitiful and alluring. "It’s a long story," she said. "Do you know why my master is willing to part with such a precious treasure?"
Li Qingxian shook his head.
"My master learned from the examiner that you successfully refined an Immortal-Seeking Bee. That’s why he decided to gift you the Old Country Jade Seal. Surely you understand the great significance of the Life-Seeking Sect bestowing an Immortal-Seeking Bee?"
Li Qingxian smiled slightly. "And what do you think the significance of the Life-Seeking Sect is?"
"The Life-Seeking Sect is best at seeking ’life.’ This ’life’ refers not only to people with good Fate Grids, but also to Destiny Stars and Fate Masters. Others may not know this, but my master has investigated privately. Every Fate Master who has received a great treasure from the Life-Seeking Sect—especially a Great Inheritance like the Immortal-Seeking Bee—has eventually been promoted to Great Fate Master. Moreover, they all entered the Ancient Netherworld before their promotion to Upper Grade. The main purpose of my master’s gift is to establish a good relationship for the future. First, he hopes that after you become a Great Fate Master, you will look after him and his descendants. Second, if you enter the Ancient Netherworld and obtain a Longevity Destiny Star, he hopes you will consider him first if you are willing to sell it."
’So it’s for a Longevity-type Destiny Star?’ Li Qingxian was now a little more convinced. For an Upper-Grade Fate Master, things like diligence, advancement, wealth, nobility, and health were all well and good, but they paled in comparison to a Longevity Destiny Star.
Great Fate Masters would willingly spend their entire fortunes just to live a dozen more years.
After all, Longevity Destiny Stars were exceedingly rare, and this type of Destiny Star had a peculiar characteristic: it would typically dissipate once it left its original owner.
"In the history of the Human Race, Longevity Destiny Stars have only ever been obtained from the Ancient Netherworld. They have never been acquired by any other means," Tong Ling said.
Li Qingxian felt there was definitely more to this and that she was hiding something, but the thought of the Small Country Jade Seal inside was incredibly tempting.
They were simply offering too much.
Tong Ling smiled. "If you don’t believe me, you can contact Mr. Chunfeng. My master has already explained the situation to him."
"Really?" Li Qingxian hadn’t expected that at all.
"Will you be using a Communication Talisman Disc, or will you return to the Divine Capital to ask in person?"
"I have a Communication Talisman Disc." With that, Li Qingxian took out his Communication Talisman Disc and contacted Zhou Chunfeng.
Zhou Chunfeng replied, "Master Gai did indeed inform me ahead of time. This man... how should I put it? He’s not an evil person, but he is an extreme opportunist. You can rest assured on one point, though: he absolutely has no intention of harming you. He even told me something important in exchange for my trust."
"What was it?" Li Qingxian asked.
"I’ll tell you later. This man’s motives are certainly not pure. In my opinion, he very likely values your potential and wants to use you to accomplish something. The problem now is that even I would be helpless if targeted by an Upper-Grade Fate Master like him; we can only take it one step at a time. My view is this: as long as he’s giving you benefits, you should take them, but remain on your guard. It won’t be too late to make a decision when he finally reveals his intentions. After all, if you refuse his gifts, you might force his hand sooner, and the consequences would be even more unpredictable."
"What do you guess he’ll use me for?" Li Qingxian asked.
"The Ancient Netherworld is a possibility. Or perhaps something else, like he’s taken an interest in your Fate Grid, or wants to make use of some of your talents. You should know that those Great Fate Masters and Great Fate Sects love to play the world as their chessboard, using people and nations as their pieces in a grand struggle for supremacy. Perhaps Gai Fengyou sees you as one of his pawns."
"’A pawn...’" Li Qingxian didn’t like that word.
"Don’t misunderstand. This ’pawn’ is not someone completely controlled by others. ’Pawn’ is just a metaphor. The Grand Ancestor himself was once considered a pawn, and many Great Fate Masters have been pawns of a sort. In fact, a more accurate term would be ’successor.’ Fate Masters know better than anyone that the principles of Astrology are infinite; what they are really looking for are successors."
"So it’s like carrying on a family line, but for knowledge and spirit?" Li Qingxian asked.
Zhou Chunfeng chuckled. "That’s not a bad analogy. So, you see, among the Fate Masters chosen as successors throughout history, though some have died young, they grew faster than their peers because they received an inheritance. You could even say that more than half of all Great Fate Masters were deliberately nurtured and identified as successors early on."
"Then, aside from successors, are there also real pawns?"
"There are. But only a few top-tier powers can be considered true players, capable of treating us as pawns. Gai Fengyou doesn’t have that kind of power, which is why I’m not worried about him. My impression is that he’s placing a bet—betting that you’ll achieve great things in the future. After all, the Wind Fate Sect that Gai Fengyou leads is weak and has little influence."
"I understand now. Thank you, Uncle Zhou."
"By the way, I left some things for you in the box. When you get back, remember to put them in your Qiankun Bracelet," Zhou Chunfeng said.
"The box? Oh, right, I remember. Okay."
Before he had the Qiankun Bracelet, Li Qingxian used to keep some gold, silver, and jade artifacts in a small huanghuali wood box with a tiger-head lock at the Chunfeng Inn. Back then, he had shamelessly asked Zhou Chunfeng to add a little something to it for his future wife’s betrothal gift.
Li Qingxian put away the Communication Talisman Disc and looked at Tong Ling, asking tentatively, "So... I’ll accept it then?"
"It was always intended for you." Tong Ling’s face broke into a radiant smile, making her look even more captivating.
Li Qingxian took the box, first putting away the Life Book, then opened the box and looked at the Jade Seal inside.
It rested on a bed of bright yellow satin. The seal was the size of a fist, carved entirely from blue-green jade, and topped with a coiled dragon knob. It seemed to emit its own faint light.
With just a single glance, Li Qingxian could feel the surging, turbulent power contained within it, so immense it was almost suffocating.
Tong Ling explained, "This belonged to the royal family of Gao Country, a vassal state of Anx Country five hundred years ago. Although it can’t compare to the seals of great nations like Anx or Qii Country, it is a national jade seal nonetheless, and far from ordinary. If this were a common Marquis’s Golden Seal, you could merge it directly into your Life Artifact. But for a national jade seal like this, I suggest you place it in your Life Mansion to anchor your Qi Fortune. As long as descendants of Gao Country still exist, as long as someone claims to be a descendant of Gao, this Jade Seal will be able to connect to... great Qi Fortune."
As she finished, Tong Ling gave Li Qingxian a deep, meaningful look.
Li Qingxian nodded slowly, his mind pondering her words.
’It isn’t just ’great Qi Fortune,’’ he thought. ’It’s National Fortune.’
This sort of thing was actually a bit taboo, but compared to the benefits, the risks were not worth mentioning.
"There are still remnants of Gao Country’s people, right?" Li Qingxian asked casually.
"Yes," Tong Ling replied with a faint smile.
Li Qingxian nodded, his mind starting to race.
"This thing... it can be used to refine an Emperor’s Destiny Seal, can’t it?"
"It can." Tong Ling’s answer was crisp and direct.
’With this,’ Li Qingxian thought to himself, ’my Life Mansion will be on a completely different level.’