Master Yuankong was a renowned enlightened monk known throughout Great Zhou, always deeply revered by the imperial family and beloved by common people. Master Yuanhui was his junior disciple, so his words carried the same weight as if Master Yuankong himself had spoken them. Now he had immediately divined that Song Chuyi possessed two destinies, and said both destinies required first overcoming her parents, after which both would bring bloodshed and disaster. Every single point was startlingly accurate.
Princess Duanhui felt frightened and alarmed, her expression changing in her urgency. Unable to spare attention for Madam Yu who had just entered, she repeatedly pulled at Master Yuanhui asking for a solution, “The Star of Calamity?! Is there any way to resolve it?”
How important was a woman’s reputation? Bearing a destiny marked by the Star of Calamity and bloodshed—who would dare marry her in the future? No matter how exalted her background, there were plenty who valued their lives. Princess Duanhui was so distressed she nearly cried, holding Song Chuyi without knowing what to do.
She rarely lost her composure like this. Madam Yu couldn’t spare the time to laugh at her. She moved two steps closer, glancing at Master Yuanhui with some hesitation. Placing her palms together and reciting a Buddhist invocation, she asked, “What Star of Calamity? Who has bloodshed and disaster?”
Princess Duanhui, having no one else to consult, pulled her close and explained the destiny Master Yuanhui had divined for Song Chuyi. Somewhat beside herself with anxiety, she said, “We must find a way to resolve it. Otherwise, how can she live her life bearing such a label?”
Madam Yu glanced at Song Chuyi, first furrowing her brow as she consoled Princess Duanhui, “The child isn’t even anxious yet, but you’ve become anxious first. Since ancient times, there’s never been a destiny that couldn’t be resolved. Moreover, Master Yuanhui is himself an enlightened monk. With him here, what do you have to worry about?”
Master Yuanhui smiled and shook his head with an inscrutable expression, “Benefactor, your words are somewhat mistaken. Some matters are beyond human capability. No matter how vast your power and connections, how can you truly deceive Heaven itself? You must understand—those who can overturn clouds and rain have never been mortals walking the earth.”
Song Chuyi found Master Yuanhui’s words quite interesting. The deeper meaning was clearly directed at her. At the same time, genuine fear surfaced in her heart—not for herself though. She was a resentful ghost who had been reborn with lingering grievances. What did she have to fear about retribution or bloodshed and disaster? Living these extra years and changing so many things was already a gain. What worried her was whether her destiny, if truly as Master Yuanhui said, would affect those around her—after all, Master Yuanhui spoke some truth. In this world, those who could overturn clouds and rain had never been within human capability. Just like her rebirth was due to Heaven’s mercy. If she had truly killed too heavily and violated the Heavenly Way, she didn’t worry about herself—she worried that Song Yan and Madam Cui and the others would be implicated.
Madam Yu couldn’t help but change color as well. She had never particularly believed in these things, but Master Yuanhui had made such an absolute pronouncement—even perceiving something like Song Chuyi having two destinies. Not believing him was truly difficult.
Conversely, though Song Chuyi felt tense inside, her face revealed nothing. With a slight smile, she asked him, “Then may I ask, Master, which of my two destinies is more dangerous?”
Master Yuanhui’s benevolent face appeared even more kind and amiable. The prayer beads on his hand were round, smooth, and translucent, faintly glowing. The words he spoke drew people in involuntarily, “The former is naturally more dangerous—family destroyed, relatives dead, incomplete and broken, husband’s heart turning away as a second wife takes position. The latter is comparatively better.”
Even more accurate. Master Yuanhui truly possessed real ability. Madam Yu and Madam Cui couldn’t help but widen their eyes, nervously watching Master Yuanhui.
Song Chuyi herself seemed rather unconcerned, lowering her head with a slight smile, her hand lingering on the snow-white teacup, “Oh? Better in what way?”
“Better in that there’s not completely no way to resolve it.” Master Yuanhui’s lips habitually held a compassionate smile, “If one knows to restrain oneself in time and accumulate hidden merit for relatives, those close by need not be implicated by this Star of Calamity.”
Song Chuyi fell into prolonged silence. After who knows how long, she finally raised her head to glance at Master Yuanhui and asked, “It cannot be changed?”
“It cannot be changed.” Master Yuanhui looked at her, his gaze burning and his smile candid, “If Sixth Miss is willing to cultivate with my lay disciple sister, perhaps this tribulation can be avoided.”
Song Chuyi understood that Master Yuanhui was showing a bit of mercy, hoping she would voluntarily withdraw first.
But once a person was already in the game, how could they withdraw just by wanting to? Moreover, withdrawing now would probably only make the Song and Cui families fall faster.
Madam Yu and Princess Duanhui were nearly frightened to tears. Both simultaneously asked Master Yuanhui, “Why can’t it be changed? I’ve heard… even more dangerous destinies have ultimately been resolved.”
Qing Ying’s face had turned somewhat pale. Following Song Chuyi out the door, she appeared preoccupied the entire way. Being absolutely pronounced by Master Yuanhui to have a bad destiny, bringing bloodshed and disaster—what would happen when this reputation spread in the future? Never mind if the marriage prospects were affected, but Fourth Young Master Song Yan might also be said to have a bad destiny by association.
“Miss, let’s not believe him.” She gathered her courage to persuade Song Chuyi, “Later we’ll go ask Zhang Tianshi to look instead. What he says will be what counts.”
Some believed in Buddhism, some in Taoism, but ultimately more people believed in Taoism. Although the Buddhist said their young miss was inauspicious, if the Taoists said the opposite, wouldn’t that still leave things undetermined? After all, though Master Yuankong was highly virtuous and respected, Zhang Tianshi was also a Celestial Master.
Song Chuyi’s thoughts weren’t focused on these destinies though. Whether her destiny was good or bad was just how it was. She had never hoped to marry and bear children anyway. As long as she could protect Song Yan and the others for a lifetime of peace and safety, she would be content.
What she noticed was that from the moment Master Yuanhui revealed her destiny, a net had already begun spreading toward her, just waiting for her to fall in—an inauspicious person whose destiny brought bloodshed and disaster, if she encountered some accident and died, in others’ eyes it would be perfectly natural. Given these people’s worship of Master Yuanhui, they would probably only praise him as truly having absolute pronouncement as an enlightened monk, never suspecting anything else.
Chen Xiang’s moves had actually reached this speed, and he was even starting with public opinion, hoping that even if she died, she’d have nowhere to seek redress. How truly vicious. If Lai Chenglong hadn’t happened to send that letter, she probably wouldn’t have been able to immediately connect Master Yuanhui’s fortune-telling with Chen Xiang and Prince Duan. After all, Master Yuanhui spoke with such seeming truth and substance, divining matters like a god—impossible not to believe.
She slightly pulled at the corners of her mouth, letting Qing Ying and Ziyun worry anxiously while she herself ground ink and wrote a letter, having Qing Ying deliver it to the Crown Prince’s Heir.