Chapter 208: Nine Destiny Locks

"Get in the car."

Jiang Fei was feeling down, though even she couldn't explain why. She sped the entire way from the Northern Suburb to the Southern Suburbs Villa District, constantly breaking the speed limit and weaving between lanes as if venting her frustrations.

I sat in the passenger seat, heart pounding. I had no idea what had gotten into her. I could only pray that some kindhearted traffic cop would pull over this menace to the road.

In less than twenty minutes, Jiang Fei crossed all of Jiangcheng and arrived at our destination.

"I'm going to park. Wait a second." Jiang Fei tied up her hair and skillfully threw the car in reverse, backing away.

It took about four or five minutes for Ye Weilong to finally catch up. "To drive that fast through downtown... Sister Fei's driving skills have improved again."

He tossed his car keys to Jia Qingbai and stepped out of the vehicle. His legs gave way, making him stumble with uneven steps. Despite the smooth concrete road, he staggered from side to side as if walking on cotton candy.

"You can walk? Legs aren't numb anymore?" I looked at Ye Weilong with a faint smile. A word suddenly popped into my head—jelly-legs.

"I am absolutely not letting you stay alone with Sister Fei today. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. As long as I'm here, those filthy thoughts of yours will never become reality." Ye Weilong was pale. He leaned against the car door, bent over at the waist. It was a total waste of his 1.9-meter frame; he didn't look the least bit intimidating.

"Filthy thoughts? Instead of worrying about me, you'd be better off going back to school and making something useful out of yourself. Then Jiang Fei might actually respect you." I lit a cheap cigarette. Through the curling tendrils of smoke, I suddenly noticed an old man in a black Daoist robe sitting beside Jiang Fei's villa.

"When did he show up?" I hadn't seen anyone there when I got out of the car.

Ye Weilong also noticed the old man sitting next to Jiang Fei's villa. He had set up a lightweight bamboo table displaying a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, looking quite traditional.

"How did this old guy sneak in? Where's security?" Ye Weilong sent Jia Qingbai to park the car and staggered dizzily toward the old man. "What are you doing here?"

"Character readings and fortune-telling. Book of Changes divination." The old man spoke unhurriedly, his tone carrying a natural composure.

"Ridiculous. You dare come to this villa district to run a scam?" Ye Weilong had never believed in fortune-telling or divination because he simply had no need for it; he already had everything he wanted. "Get out of here, or don't blame me for calling security!"

"Destined Patron, please calm yourself. Three parts are heaven's mandate, seven parts are acquired fortune. By knowing your fate in advance, you can change your fortune." The old man opened his ink box and dipped the brush inside. "If you do not believe me, you may write a single character first, and I shall divine what is on your mind."

"Divine what's on my mind? Old man, if you can really figure that out, I'll pay whatever price you name." Ye Weilong grabbed the brush and haphazardly scribbled the character "Wei" on the rice paper.

"That's the second character of my name. Read it. Let's hear what you have to say." Ye Weilong tossed the brush aside and stood by the bamboo table.

The old man picked up the rice paper. He merely glanced at it before saying, "The brushwork is hasty, revealing a troubled heart. The Destined Patron must be agonizing over a matter of romance."

"Using the character 'Wei' to read your romantic fortune—the 'person' radical occupies one half, but we ignore the person; the 'Wei' root forms the other half, representing fierce bones and sinews. The Destined Patron's romantic fortune relies entirely on a set of bones and sinews. Your path to love will certainly encounter two evils and one danger. They cannot be avoided, they cannot be retreated from, they cannot be yielded to, and they cannot be regretted. Only after passing these three trials can you grow old together, eternally tying hearts together." After the old man finished, he looked down at the brush Ye Weilong had casually tossed aside. "The end of the brush points directly at the person smoking over there. If I am not mistaken, the 'danger' on the Destined Patron's path of romance lies with him."

Hearing the black-robed old man's words, Ye Weilong began to waver. Not only had the other party correctly guessed that romance was his greatest concern, but he had even deduced who the biggest obstacle on his path to love was. "Godly! That's simply godly!"

He pulled several hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and placed them on the table, his tone turning respectful. "Old Mister, I'd also like to have my future prospects read. What do you say..."

"Write another character. Clear your mind of distracting thoughts before you do, and let your true intentions guide your brush."

...

I stood far off to the side until Jiang Fei returned.

"Why is there a fortune-teller at my front door? Where is security?" She led me toward the villa gates, glancing at the old man's bamboo table out of curiosity.

This time, Ye Weilong had written the character "Long" (Dragon). The old man held the rice paper and scrutinized it for a moment before saying, "The 'Dragon' character leans toward sharpness, its edge sweeping everything away. Seeking your future prospects through the character 'Dragon' indicates a bright future. Unfortunately, the Year of the Dragon has just passed, and Tai Sui is running rampant. Dragons must avoid Tai Sui. This year, the Destined Patron's prospects will remain stagnant right where they are. Unless you receive the assistance of a noble benefactor, only then can it be like drawing a dragon and dotting its eyes, gaining the power to summon the wind and rain."

"Master, where should I go to find this noble benefactor?" Without realizing it, Ye Weilong's form of address for the old man had shifted from 'old guy' to 'Master.'

"For a trapped dragon to ascend to the heavens, it must be aided by sweet rain. You must seek out a person whose name carries the momentum of a great river, as well as the essence of rain."

"A name carrying the momentum of a great river, and also the essence of rain..." Ye Weilong thought about it for a moment, then suddenly whipped his head around to look at Jiang Fei. "Sister Fei! I get it! Thank you for the guidance, Master!"

The old man smiled mysteriously and said no more, not even touching the money on the table.

"Sister Fei, this old gentleman's readings are incredibly accurate. Do you want to give it a try?"

Ye Weilong vigorously praised the old man in front of Jiang Fei, and her interest was piqued by his words. "Alright, I'll have a character read, too."

She picked up the brush, wrote the character "Fei" on the rice paper, and handed it to the old man. "Old Mister, I'd like my romantic fortune read."

The old man studied it for a moment. His gaze swept over Jiang Fei before he spoke in a mild tone. "This is the sign of a great rainbow cutting off the rain. No matter how much effort you put in, you cannot change it. Rain falls into the great river, gone never to return."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Fei's expression changed. She bit down hard on her full, glossy lips. "I want to change the character."

"Be my guest."

Jiang Fei picked up the brush again, wrote the character "Lin" (Drench), and handed it to the old man. "Still reading for romance."

The old man shook his head. "Matters of the heart must be mutual. Even if you change your own fate, you cannot change the outcome. The character 'Lin' is split into left and right halves—the posture of the Chu-Han Contention. It is filled with rights, wrongs, and unrest. Why force it?"

Jiang Fei wanted to say something else after hearing this, but the old man cut her off. "Once, twice, but never a third time."

He took the brush back from Jiang Fei, his deep eyes finally locking onto me. "And you, Destined Patron? Would you like to read your future prospects?"

There was a hidden meaning in the old man's words. A cold sneer touched the corners of my lips. Actually, from the very first moment I laid eyes on this old man, I felt something was off. Utilizing Chasing Eye, I noticed a brightly colored venomous snake embroidered on the collar of his Daoist robe. It was identical to the black Daoist robe I had found inside the Lacquered Wooden Coffin.

Clearly, the person who had tried to deliver the King Yama Notice to me late at night was connected to this old man. They likely belonged to the same sect—or perhaps the mastermind behind it all was this very sanctimonious fortune-teller sitting right in front of me.

"I'll pass. I'm not the type to believe in fate." Blind Liu had cast hexagrams for me on several occasions, but the results were different every single time. Thus, I had zero interest in fortune-telling or character readings.

"Our meeting is fate. Let me read a single character for you; consider it forging a bond of good karma between us."

Worn down by the old man's relentless persuasion, I stepped up to the bamboo table and picked up the brush.

"Then read my fate." Not knowing what to write, I casually jotted down the character "Dao" on the rice paper.

"Seeking fate through the 'Dao'?" A sharp glint flashed and faded in the old man's eyes. He picked up the rice paper and stared at it for the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

"Seeking fate through the 'Dao'... In your fate lie Nine Locks. Every lock is deadly; every lock draws on your life. One lock, one Dao; without locks, the Heavenly Dao. You are destined to engage in a highly dangerous profession, walking the line between Yin and Yang. What a pity that with the Nine Locks Binding the Body, you will not walk this path for long."

The old man spoke with absolute certainty, his tone resolute. He had deliberately only told half the story, stopping short of explaining how to break the curse. He was hoping I would take the initiative and reveal more information.

I took a drag of my cigarette and looked at the old man's impassive face. "Not a bad reading. I suppose you aren't a fraud."

I waved for Jiang Fei to follow, turned around, and walked into the villa.

"Wait! Destined Patron, please wait! I haven't finished speaking!" The old man abruptly stood up as he watched me leave. He thought to himself, 'Any normal person would be growing anxious right about now! He should be begging to know how to break the situation!'

"Gao Jian, why don't you just let him finish? You just said yourself that he isn't a fraud." Jiang Fei grabbed my sleeve, a hint of worry unexpectedly hidden deep within her gaze.

I flicked my cigarette ash and took a long, deep look at Jiang Fei. The Red Cord of Marriage had already been severed, yet her attitude toward me was still rather strange.

"I know my own fate. I don't need anyone else dictating it to me." I gently pulled away from her grasp and strode into the villa.

With my heart set on the Dao, I laugh at the shifting world. So what if I have the Nine Locks Binding the Body?