The golden-veined peach blossoms represented those Tao Zhi had swindled. The blood-red ones, those he had beaten. The green ones... those he had forced to be with other men...
Suddenly, countless voices flooded Li Qingxian’s ears: pleas for mercy, curses, cries for help, desperate whispers...
An indescribable, formless power, like a host of sharp, icy blades, slashed repeatedly at Li Qingxian’s mind.
’No wonder this Fate Grid is called the Sinful Peach Demon. In the Fate Skill Realm, they don’t even consider people like this to be human anymore.’ It was the first time Li Qingxian had felt the power of a truly malevolent Fate Grid. The psychic impact left his mind in turmoil.
Li Qingxian looked to the second Destiny Star in the Youth Life Land.
Within the Destiny Star, a pitch-black Small River flowed slowly. A school of fish floated belly-up on the surface, their gills pulsing sluggishly. With every gasp, they spat out black sludge.
Celestial Destiny Star: Tainted River, Filthy Fish. Ominous.
A Fate Technique axiom stated: The tainted river is the cause, the filthy fish the effect. As long as the river is impure, the fish can never be clean.
The aura surrounding his mind grew colder and more sinister. At first, it felt like it was only on his skin, but now it was seeping into his blood vessels and boring into the very marrow of his bones.
Li Qingxian inferred that while water normally nourishes wood, the Sinful Peach absorbing the tainted river’s water was a classic case of a mutually destructive nurturing relationship.
’Water nourishes wood, and filth brings harm. But this harm isn’t directed at himself—it’s directed at others. No, it’s more accurate to say it’s a "nurturing of sin," a truly malevolent Fate Grid. Thankfully, his Youth Life Land only has two Destiny Stars. If he had four of this kind, it would surely form a malevolent Life Formation and coalesce into a baleful god.’
Li Qingxian recalled reading the *Chronicles of the Fate Master*. It described some Fate Masters as having eccentric personalities and volatile emotions. At the time, he’d thought they were either being overly dramatic or that the descriptions were simply unrealistic.
Now that he was personally experiencing his mind being infiltrated by such malevolence, he finally understood those eccentric Fate Masters.
Li Qingxian took a deep breath, forcing down his discomfort, and turned his attention to the Middle-Aged Life Land.
Within the Destiny Star on the Moon Pillar grew a large, emerald-green tree. Its canopy was lush, and its branches were laden with nests.
Ordinary nests are built from dry twigs and assorted scraps. These, however, were made entirely of green grass, green leaves, and green vegetable tops. At a rough glance, there were over thirty of them.
A small kingfisher stood at the treetop, chirping away, looking utterly pleased with itself.
Human Destiny Star: Kingfisher Gifting Nests.
A Fate Technique axiom stated: Do not force what is not fated; what is fated will be freely given. Others may mock him for the green upon his head, but he scoffs at them for not savoring the benefits.
Li Qingxian finally understood the meaning behind the "Wife Gifter" moniker.
In six of the thirty-odd nests, fledglings with tender yellow beaks stretched their necks and chirped, crying out to be fed.
These six fledglings had greenish feathers and looked nothing like the adult kingfisher at the top of the tree.
’Those are his six children... no, to be more precise, *none* of them are his children. As expected of Tao Qi...’
Li Qingxian felt his entire worldview reeling from the shock.
’A Sinful Peach connected to a tainted river with filthy, belly-up fish... how could it possibly bear fruit? Born to embody sin, he harms others only to ultimately harm himself. This is why his bloodline is destined to end.’
’Wait a minute, his Qi Fortune is "Approaching Officer brings prosperity"... He’s turning his ’green’ into ’gain.’ Now *that’s* what I call a political mastermind!’
Li Qingxian gave the Life Mansion one last quick scan before withdrawing.
Seeing Li Qingxian pull away from the peephole, Yur Ping asked nervously, "Did you find anything?"
Li Qingxian replied, "Later. I need some time to process this."
"Oh." The disappointment was plain on Yur Ping’s face as he popped a piece of dried fish into his mouth and chewed slowly.
Li Qingxian closed his eyes, preparing to use the Inference Technique.
The moment he closed his eyes, dark peach blossoms bloomed in his vision. The faces of weeping women, begging for help, emerged from within the flowers.
’I was worried that provoking Tao Zhi would trigger a backlash from his Fate Grid and the Imperial Court’s Qi Fortune. But one of the fundamental laws of the universe is that "good is rewarded and evil is punished." Perhaps that can help me mitigate the consequences.’
The layout of Tao Zhi’s Fate Grid surfaced in Li Qingxian’s mind. He expended some Magical Power and used his Inference Technique to map out the connections within the Fate Grid.
The results of the Inference were largely the same as his initial deductions, only with far more detail.
He even inferred that if left unchecked, the second Destiny Star to form in Tao Zhi’s Middle-Aged Life Land would inevitably be a malevolent one.
Li Qingxian pressed his eye to the peephole again, focused on Tao Zhi, and used his Qi Observation Skill.
The Fate Grid became clear, the Qi Fortune visible.
This time, two Destiny Images materialized above Tao Zhi’s head.
One was an image of the past. It was night at Tao Zhi’s home. Tao Zhi himself was peeking through a crack in a window. Inside, candlelight flickered on two shadowy figures. They were intimately entangled, and the heavy scent of sweat hung in the air. The man with Tao Zhi’s wife was none other than Wei Yong, the Disciplinary Officer of the Finance Department.
The other image showed a scene from the future. On another night, in a house far more opulent than his own, Tao Zhi was behind red curtains, ’entertaining’ a middle-aged noblewoman. The sounds of their ’conversation’ rose and fell, accompanied by melodic ’piping’.
One was an image of the past, the other, of the future.
Li Qingxian stopped Observing Fate and Qi. Noticing his Magical Power was running low, he closed his eyes and silently recited the Divine Sky General Outline.
Within his Spirit Platform, the Thunder Dragon Fire Seal spat out white lightning and crimson flames, converting them into Magical Power. Moments later, his reserves were fully restored.
’This recovery speed is a hundred times faster than before, at least. There’s more to this Thunder Dragon Fire Seal than I thought. I’ll have to study it more later.’
Just then, Han Anbo lifted the flap of the boat’s canopy and entered. "I saw Ye Han board a painted barge," he whispered.
"Hm?" Li Qingxian looked at Han Anbo. He hadn’t mentioned anything about Ye Han to him.
Han Anbo whispered, "I suspected from the start that Ye Han had ulterior motives for getting close to you, but I had no proof and couldn’t say anything. Then you fell ill and he never once checked on you, which made me even more suspicious. For the past few days, rumors have been going around the Government Office that Ye Han was working with Lord Zhou, posing as a Daoist Sect’s Saint Heir. The timing lines up perfectly with the two days you were away. So, I figured something must have happened between you two."
Li Qingxian remained silent.
Han Anbo continued, "I noticed a change in Ye Han’s aura, and he’s a full inch taller than he was a few days ago. I’m afraid he has achieved Entering Grade in Martial Arts."
’As expected of someone with a great and noble Life Mansion,’ Li Qingxian thought. He then said, "Make a note of that barge. Once we’re ashore, have someone look into it. And while you’re at it, find out how Ye Han managed to achieve Entering Grade."
"Understood!" Han Anbo went back to the bow of the boat and resumed fishing.
Li Qingxian mulled over the news about Ye Han for a moment before turning his attention back to the peephole.
He activated his Dragon-Seeing Spiritual Eye and used the Qi Observation Skill on the next person.
Wei Yong, the Disciplinary Officer of the Night Guard Finance Department. A Senior Fifth-Grade Official.
A brilliant light flared, but he could see nothing.
Li Qingxian was prepared for this. The gap between Senior Fifth Grade and his own Junior Tenth Grade was a full eleven ranks!
Li Qingxian channeled the power of Seeing the Dragon and his Observing Fate Skill.
Using this same power before, he had been able to enter Tao Zhi’s Life Mansion, even if he couldn’t see the Fate Grid itself.
Now, he couldn’t even get into the courtyard of the Life Mansion.
He only had eight Qi Fortune Fish left.
After a few moments of contemplation, Li Qingxian consumed one Qi Fortune Fish. Amidst the RUMBLE of the Celestial Destiny Instrument, he entered a blue vortex.
A two-story, red-lacquered wooden building stood in the courtyard. High-hung lanterns gave it an exceptionally grand air.
Li Qingxian walked to the entrance. The main gate was shut tight.
’As I thought...’
With that thought, Li Qingxian consumed a second Qi Fortune Fish. The Celestial Destiny Instrument whirred to life again.
The gate to the Life Mansion swung open.
Wei Yong was still in his prime, not yet seventy, and possessed three tiers of Life Land.
Three Destiny Stars floated in his Short-Life Land.
Within the Celestial Destiny Star on his Year Pillar, a robust, cyan carp swam through clear water thick with lush weeds, swishing its tail as it fed.
Celestial Destiny Star: Fish in the Water. Auspicious.
A Fate Technique axiom stated: Living water, living weeds, living fish; fair winds, fair rains, smooth sailing.