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墨書 Inktalez
"Since it's said that this book should be sealed away, how did it end up in the hands of the public? I guess that bastard just couldn't let go!"
Wang Er Gou let out a long breath. "Maybe so!"
Seven continued, "So, has Fortune-Telling never appeared again since then?"
Wang Er Gou chuckled and replied, "Didn’t the waiter say that decades ago, when there was still a small town here, a powerful Fortune Teller once appeared? I estimate that this sect will one day revive Sunlight."
Wang Er Gou went on, "Nowadays, those who set up stalls on street corners to tell fortunes are just passing time. At best, they only know a little bit about it, while true Fortune Tellers have become a rare talent. They are almost nonexistent."
Since the birth of Fortune-Telling, human lives have not only been manipulated by the Heavens but have also been subject to human control.
"How do you know so much, Er Gou?"
Wang Er Gou humbly replied, "Not at all! What I just mentioned is common knowledge among insiders."
"Fortune-Telling is quite mysterious; outsiders find it hard to understand too much. Knowing this much is already the limit, and these are all rumors without verification!"
After finishing his thoughts in one breath, Wang Er Gou took a sip of Mountain Spring Water and felt much better. There was indeed something wrong with this water, but he couldn't pinpoint what kind of energy was rapidly restoring his spirit.
Time passed during Wang Er Gou's idle chatter. The latter half of the night was relatively peaceful, and none of them felt like sleeping; fortunately, they chatted until dawn. Third remained unchanged as before.
In the latter half of the night, Wang Er Gou recounted another story about the Divination Sect. In Fortune-Telling, there is a concept called "Destiny View," which literally means listening to heavenly words and following one's fate. This is actually the essence of the Orthodox School of Fortune-Telling!
However, at that time within the Divination Sect, a joke arose because several sects coexisted, including Yin-Yang Technique, Corpse Driving Technique, Physiognomy, and others.
Physiognomy can be considered a branch of fortune-telling, though it has since diverged from the main stream of that practice and established its own identity.
"Do these sects still exist?" Second asked, puzzled. "I've never heard of them!"
Wang Er Gou replied, "Our sects, known as 'Evil Arts,' have long been suppressed by monks and Taoists, among others. Furthermore, with the development of the times and the universal acceptance of scientific views, there is hardly any space left for us to exist. However, that doesn't mean we have completely vanished."
"They might exist in some unknown realm, simply unwilling to reveal themselves," he added.
Seven and Second listened to Wang Er Gou's eerie words. If they were to emerge, wouldn't the world be thrown into chaos?
Wang Er Gou said firmly, "That won't happen. Every sect has its own strict rules; we absolutely cannot deceive the world!"
"Since you have such rules, why are you still regarded as 'Evil Arts'?"
"I don't know the specifics; I've only heard these things from my master."
"My master could be considered an outer disciple in Feng Shui, having taught himself."
When my master honed his skills, Feng Shui was no longer viewed with such hostility in this land; under his influence, it even showed signs of revival.
Unfortunately, he was targeted by someone, leading to the destruction of our family, and I followed in his footsteps! As Wang Er Gou spoke, his mood darkened. Second comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, Er Gou. I will do everything I can to find the murderer and avenge you!"
Wang Er Gou clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Brother Cao."
Wang Er Gou collected his emotions and said, "Actually, my master and I are a branch of the Feng Shui school. My master has never met anyone from the Feng Shui sect, and as for me, I can't say I've had any encounters either."
"The Feng Shui School is also a mystery to me; I just want to know why the fate of those who study Feng Shui is like this."
"There's no need to think too much about it; everything will be revealed in due time," Wang Er Gou nodded.
Second urged, "Continue with the story about the fortune-telling blind man!"
When Wang Er Gou heard Second mention the word "blind man," he suddenly said, "What I’m about to tell you about the Divination Sect is indeed related to blind people."
The fortune-tellers who roamed the streets usually wore sunglasses and carried a cane. In fact, there were many blind people in the Divination Sect; if they weren't blind, they were deaf! It was simply because they knew too much.
Legend has it that in the territory of Eastern Pass—though it wasn't called Eastern Pass back then—there was an ancient kingdom. The king was said to be transformed from the Crow Spirit. He was quite self-important and often compared himself to heaven and earth, frequently asking his ministers who was more powerful: himself or the heavens. At first, some answered that it was heaven and earth, but without hesitation, they were executed. Eventually, the ministers learned their lesson and began answering that it was "the king." Initially, upon hearing this answer, the Crow Spirit King was very pleased. The ministers had grasped his pulse; whenever he asked this question, they would immediately respond with "the king." Over time, one day when the king asked this question as usual, the ministers gave their answer. However, this time, they did not escape his wrath; the Crow King killed them all because he found their answers tiresome and lacking in originality.
Later on, the Crow Spirit became increasingly capricious and often sought out people to pose questions. If he was even slightly dissatisfied, he would unleash a massacre. The country fell into despair under his rule, and the people suffered greatly. Yet they dared not voice their anger.
Years passed in this manner until one day a mysterious person volunteered to answer the king's questions and was soon summoned.
In the royal court, the mysterious person knelt on the ground and told the king that he did not know the answer! The Crow King was about to fly into a rage.
The mysterious person quickly added, "There is a sect in the south called Fortune-Telling. This sect can predict heavenly mandates above and human longevity below! They can definitely provide you with the answers you seek!"
Upon hearing this from the mysterious person, the Crow King became intrigued and ordered his guards to release him! The king then asked, "Is what you say true?"
The mysterious figure replied, "I wouldn't dare to speak falsely!"
"Very well, then summon them for me!"
The mysterious figure immediately knelt on the ground and said, "I, a humble servant, lack the ability. This sect has always held itself in high regard, looking down on others, often comparing itself to the heavens above and the earth below!"
"Is that so?" Crow King said darkly.
"I wouldn't dare utter a single falsehood."
"Then tell me where they are."
The mysterious figure glanced around, and Crow King understood his meaning. "They are all deaf and mute," he said. "Go ahead, speak freely."
The mysterious figure revealed the location of the Divination Sect to Crow King. After that, he vanished as if he had never been there!
That night, Crow King transformed into his true form and flew south to the location of Fortune-Telling.
In truth, the Divination Sect had long foreseen this calamity and should have avoided it. However, they were too proud to yield to anyone, which led to the rumors of Crow King's inquiry about the Divination Sect spreading.
When Crow King posed his question, the members of the Divination Sect responded without hesitation, "A mere beast dares to compare itself to heaven and earth? What a joke."
The Crow King felt humiliated; who dared to treat it this way? It immediately turned hostile and unleashed its magic, intending to annihilate the Divination Sect. However, the Divination Sect was well-prepared and quickly retaliated. In the end, the Crow King was defeated and met its demise.
What the Divination Sect did not anticipate was that this crow would transform into a phoenix. As it was dying, it burned through all its essence and cast a curse before its death. From that moment on, everyone in the sect became either blind or deaf, and this curse could not be broken for a thousand years!
Moreover, the phoenix was an ancient totem, a divine beast comparable to the Divine Dragon. They had killed a divine beast and bore heavy sins; they acknowledged that they were tasting their own bitter fruit and could not blame others. Thus, everyone in the Divination Sect became a laughingstock, with blind and deaf individuals becoming symbols of fortune-telling.
However, some within the Divination Sect believed they had been framed, which led to their great misfortune and humiliation. For many years, they had been investigating who had betrayed them but had found no leads!
Wang Er Gou concluded his tale with a final remark: “This is just a legend; after all, no one has ever witnessed the truth.”
Seven handed Wang Er Gou a water bottle. After drinking, he felt more energized.
Second couldn't help but exclaim, “I never expected fortune-telling blind people to be so formidable!”
As their idle chatter continued, the fire was nearly burnt out. Seven added some firewood. The sky began to brighten gradually; a layer of mist enveloped the morning as the horizon turned pale with dawn, and sunlight started to peek through.
Third maintained the same position as yesterday.
Following their plan from last night, Second, Seven, and Wang Er Gou lifted Third's body outside to bask in the sun. They stood guard nearby, eating rations and drinking water while the sun grew increasingly intense. Eventually, they sought shade to cool off.
Meanwhile, Third was left outside under the scorching sun, beginning to sweat at his temples. In reality, Third had awakened early in the morning but was unable to move; his companions mistakenly believed he had not yet recovered.
Exposed to the sun's relentless rays, Third felt an unspoken anguish within him. He harbored a significant secret he wished to validate—an experience that was both exhilarating and torturous.
The three of them were still chatting in the shade when, fortunately, Seven noticed Third move slightly. After realizing this, Third struggled to make a gesture. Understanding the signal, Seven called for a few people to help move Third to a cooler spot.
Third was sunburned, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
After a few moments passed like this, Third finally recovered completely, though the body was still not very agile.
Once able to move, the first thing Third did was gulp down water. Without time to scold the others, after finishing the water, he immediately ran to the wall inscribed with ancient runes.
There was no time to explain to the others what had happened last night, as it was too unbelievable to convey in words.
Standing in front of the wall, Third shouted, "Bring me ink and a brush."
None of them had any writing tools, so Wang Er Gou could only pick up a piece of burnt charcoal and hand it to Third.
At that moment, Third didn’t care about anything else; he took it and began writing on the wall.
The three surrounding him were stunned as they watched Third use the charcoal to write what they had previously found incomprehensible: "Ancient Script" or perhaps Ancient Runes.
Now, none of them dared to interrupt; they quietly observed as Third meticulously traced each stroke on the wall, looking less like writing and more like painting.
Just then, an unexpected event occurred.
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