Chapter 57: Chapter 56: The Auspicious Divination! Lotus Blooming with Every Step and Divine Footwork!
"Fortuitous encounter?"
Xuán Qīngzi chuckled lightly, "Indeed, it is a fortuitous encounter, but this encounter is my opportunity."
He didn’t hide anything, and said directly:
"I once calculated that my greatest opportunity in this Southern Region would be this."
"According to the hexagram, the first person I meet on this official road today is my benefactor."
"And that person is you."
Su Changqing heard this and laughed gently, shaking his head, "Daoist, your hexagram might be inaccurate. How could I, a mere country dweller, be your benefactor?"
"Not so."
Xuán Qīngzi did not underestimate the ordinary Su Changqing in the slightest and said with a light laugh:
"My hexagrams are never inaccurate."
The words of Xuán Qīngzi were not heavy, but the confidence within them was clearly visible.
Su Changqing just shook his head and smiled, but Uncle Fu beside him had a solemn expression.
The little Daoist in front of him didn’t have high cultivation, but his divination technique was extraordinarily mystical.
Is Su Changqing really a benefactor?
Of course he is!
In this Southern Region, is there anyone more noble than the son of the Domain Master?
"Patron, would you care to travel together?" Xuán Qīngzi asked with a smile.
"Is it really that important?"
Hearing how the Daoist emphasized the matter, Su Changqing asked curiously.
"Naturally."
Xuán Qīngzi explained with a light smile, "Taoist opportunities emphasize fate, but my divination is about forcibly creating connections."
"If the patron agrees, then this connection can be established. If not, then I will naturally turn and leave."
"Otherwise, this benefactor could also become a tribulation."
The more Uncle Fu listened, the more solemn his expression became.
Although he didn’t know where this little Daoist came from, his background was definitely not simple.
As for Su Changqing, the more he listened, the more interested he became, "Daoist, since you can divine, why not divine for me? How about it?"
"I’m going to pay respects at the Little Immortal Sect. Could you divine whether this journey will be fortunate or calamitous?"
Upon hearing this, Xuán Qīngzi smiled, "Since a benefactor has asked, I naturally have no reason to refuse."
Having said that, Xuán Qīngzi took out three copper coins from his bosom and placed them flat on his palm, then brought his two fingers together to draw a talisman in the air, chanting softly:
"Blessings, misfortunes, dwellings, only summoned by oneself, karmic repercussions, follow like a shadow..."
"Commands!"
Buzz!
The strange talisman that Xuán Qīngzi drew from thin air manifested for a moment, then illuminated brightly and embedded itself into those three copper coins.
Clang!
The three copper coins fell to the ground, producing a crisp sound. Xuán Qīngzi looked at them and, after a moment, raised his eyebrows in surprise,
"Within the sky lies the earth, within the earth lies form, all favorable conditions align."
"This isn’t just an ordinary sign of great fortune, a dragon in shallow waters finally finds the ocean, overturning seas and establishing heaven and earth!"
With that, he looked at Su Changqing with a curious gaze, and said:
"Patron, this journey will pose no danger, and you may even obtain unimaginable benefits."
Su Changqing heard this and laughed lightly, shaking his head, "The Daoist’s words are comforting, but this hexagram... might be too favorable."
He had no cultivation at all; achieving the status of an outer sect disciple would already be a blessing, let alone obtaining unimaginable benefits?
He hadn’t even dreamt of such a thing.
However, upon hearing this, Uncle Fu’s eyes lit up as he glanced at Su Changqing.
Su Changqing might not know, but he surely did.
The Ancient Stone Inscription used by the Little Immortal Sect for testing was a mysterious ancient treasure.
Every prodigious talent with extraordinary potential received an incredible ancient blessing.
However, those ranked on the stone inscription were all unmatched prodigies of the world.
To surpass them, one’s talent and potential would have to be incredibly powerful.
"Could the young master even challenge the ranking of the ancient qualifications?"
Uncle Fu’s heart skipped a beat with excitement.
By now, he had fully embraced his role as Su Changqing’s Guardian, sharing in both honor and disgrace.
...
"Ha, perhaps it’s not accurate, maybe my hexagram was mistaken."
Xuán Qīngzi laughed lightly, not disputing, but his gaze towards Su Changqing was now different.
He was just thinking, how could his benefactor be merely a simple commoner.
"It’s getting late; let’s talk while walking."
Su Changqing smiled and nodded, not refusing to accompany Xuán Qīngzi.
He had a liking for Taoism, but more importantly, the talisman Xuán Qīngzi had drawn just now felt very familiar to him.
The trio proceeded, under the moonlight, towards a nearby temple.
"Daoist, are you a practitioner?"
On the way, recalling the scene just now, Su Changqing asked.
"By chance, I have apprenticed under a master, and have been practicing for over three years now." Xuán Qīngzi replied with a smile.
"The Daoist has good fortune."
Su Changqing said with envy, then continued:
"I observed the talisman the Daoist drew earlier was quite mystical, and it so happens that I recently came across similar scripts. I’m not sure if you recognize them."
With that, Su Changqing dipped his fingers in water and, with a pen-like motion from within the carriage, wrote several complex and profound characters.
These characters were the special scripts that emerged after the Eight-Treasure Compass’s mutation not long ago.
Yet Su Changqing did not complete the writing. Although the Daoist didn’t seem like a bad person, it was their first meeting, so he had to keep some caution.
"Hmm? It resembles Daoist script but has slight differences; it seems to be a rather ancient script from the Western Regions."
Xuán Qīngzi showed interest, carefully examining those scripts.
After a while, his eyes revealed a hint of surprise, and he slowly spoke:
"Though there are some discrepancies, they aren’t hard to recognize. These characters mean ’Step by Step Grow Lotus, Divine Foot Passage.’
With that, Xuán Qīngzi looked up, giving Su Changqing a deep gaze,
"To my knowledge, ’Step by Step Grow Lotus, Divine Foot Passage’ is an ancient supreme Buddhist secret technique."
"But for some reason, this secret technique was not passed down; not even within Buddhism."
Hearing this, Su Changqing was startled. He didn’t expect the Compass his father picked up to have such a significant background.
Yet, after the surprise came excitement.
A supreme Buddhist secret technique, the Compass had revealed numerous other scripts after its mutation. Were those the cultivation methods?
However, this was followed by a frown from Su Changqing. He had the scripture, sure, but he couldn’t read it.
Could it be that he would have to consult with the Daoist for each one? Then wouldn’t the secret technique be exposed?
Seeing Su Changqing’s dilemma, Xuán Qīngzi lightly laughed and spoke,
"Would the patron be willing to learn our Daoist script?"
"Ancient Buddhism and Taoism were originally one family. Though the scripts differ slightly, their meanings are interconnected, originating from the same source."
Upon hearing this, Su Changqing was momentarily stunned before asking puzzledly: "The Daoist is willing to teach me the Daoist script?"
"But I’m neither a member of the Taoist family, nor do we know each other well. Why would the Daoist help me so?"
Xuán Qīngzi smiled and said, "Taoism speaks of fate. You and I have fate, and that is enough."
"Moreover, the good cause I set today will eventually yield good fruit to repay me. You need not feel indebted."
"Every sip and bite, all by heaven’s will."
Su Changqing pondered over this, feeling that these simple words contained the supreme principles of the universe, prompting deep reflection.
"Young master, we’ve arrived at the temple."
Uncle Fu’s sudden voice pulled Su Changqing out of his contemplation.
He looked at Xuán Qīngzi and smiled, "Daoist, let us discuss further inside the temple."
Xuán Qīngzi nodded with a smile, and the two alighted from the carriage, arriving at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.
Unfortunately, it seemed there were already people in the temple, as the bright flames inside dispelled the surrounding darkness.
Su Changqing looked intently.
Inside the rundown temple, a young man in dark robes was casually stirring the flames with a sheathed long sword in hand.
When Su Changqing entered the temple door, the young man turned around, and upon seeing the newcomer, a gentle smile appeared on his stern face,
"You’ve arrived."