“Do you think she loves me?”
On the Lingzhou belonging to Jade Maiden Peak, several delicate and beautiful female disciples gathered in a circle, chattering excitedly about something.
At the very center of the circle sat a white-furred ball that really shouldn’t be there.
Xu Muxue.
Opposite her sat a beautiful female cultivator, anxiously watching Xu Muxue.
“Her Kun Earth Palace shows a Ren plus Wu pattern, which is a classic sign of emotional turmoil. The Tianfu Star meeting the Wounded Gate indicates that her relationship with her first love has long been fractured.”
Xu Muxue’s beautiful eyes locked tightly on her counterpart’s, swaying her head and fingers as she pondered.
“Her luck this year falls in the Liulian Palace, symbolizing emotional entanglement. She cannot end her old relationship, yet longs for new emotional support. And since you two are a year apart, you belong to Kun Earth and she to Dui Metal, and Kun Earth generates Dui Metal—this is a natural attraction pattern.”
“So…”
Xu Muxue stopped her calculations, smiling as she patted the back of the female disciple’s hand.
“Now is the best time to steal her away! But remember to act a little like a green tea—be considerate and gentle, don’t actively ask for status, and she won’t be able to resist coming to you herself.”
“Really? Thank you, little Fox Fairy!”
Excited by Xu Muxue’s divination, the disciple hugged her and planted a kiss on her cheek before happily skipping away.
Standing at the bow of the Lingzhou, Qin Qing narrowed her eyes as she observed the lively scene, veins bulging on her forehead, but she dared not lose her temper in front of the enthusiastic disciples.
Damn it, why can’t that stinky fox just stay on the Lingzhou at Zuo Wang Peak?
Why does she have to come here?!
As for this, Xu Muxue’s attitude was clear—
Too boring.
There was only Shen Qinghan alone on the Lingzhou at Zuo Wang Peak, that stubborn girl was under a lot of pressure and just meditated all day, ignoring her.
So she came here to hang out with young and pretty sisters~
Over at Mistpeak, it was all grim and oppressive male sword cultivators; no thanks!
Young girls were much easier to handle—each one obsessed with love, loving a bit of mysticism and fortune-telling, which just happened to be her specialty.
She casually showed a few tricks, and instantly became the trusted big sister… the dear little Fox Immortal of Jade Maiden Peak.
Xu Muxue was so delighted she nearly snot bubbled, almost pulling out her tarot cards. But the tarot cards didn’t fit this world, so after much thought, she decided not to.
“All right, all right, who’s next?”
“My turn.”
A clear voice sounded. Xu Muxue looked up to see Song Yu sitting opposite her.
“Our Song Xiao Yu has love troubles too?”
Xu Muxue blinked curiously.
“Which young talent have you fallen for?”
Song Yu’s face flushed red as she lowered her head.
“N-no, it’s not about that. I want to ask when I will successfully reach the Golden Core stage.”
“Oh.”
Xu Muxue flicked her tail absentmindedly.
“Put your hand here.”
Song Yu obediently stretched out her small porcelain-like hand. Xu Muxue took it and began gently stroking.
“Tsk tsk tsk…”
Xu Muxue examined Song Yu’s hand back and forth, clicking her tongue in amazement, making Song Yu extremely nervous.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
Song Yu asked stiffly.
“Could it be… I’m doomed never to reach Golden Core this lifetime?”
“Ah, no, no.”
Xu Muxue looked up with a smile, her bright eyes fixed on Song Yu.
“I was just marveling at how beautiful this little hand is… hsshh—before the palm arrives, the little fragrant wind comes first~”
Song Yu stared speechlessly at the little fox who was holding and sniffing her hand. She really wanted to grab those two big tails and give her a good shake.
“You…”
“The primary hexagram is Gen above Qian below, the Mountain Heaven Great Accumulation Hexagram. A gentleman should accumulate knowledge of past words and deeds to nurture virtue.”
“You should gather strength and restrain impatience. The Great Accumulation hexagram means that within stagnation lies the germ of transformation. Cultivation obstacles require patience to resolve; forcing progress will backfire.”
Song Yu froze. Xu Muxue’s divination was uncannily accurate, every word hitting her heart.
“The changing hexagram is Xun above Qian below, the Wind Heaven Small Accumulation Hexagram. The Small Accumulation hexagram represents heavy clouds without rain.”
“Your cultivation has accumulated to fullness like gathering clouds, but external forces block the downpour. If this drags on, it will transform to Qian above Zhen below, Heavenly Thunder Innocence. Misconduct will surely bring disaster.”
Song Yu swallowed hard.
“Muxue, you’re really scary.”
“Hm?” Xu Muxue raised her head, her sparkling eyes locked on Song Yu.
“Scary how?”
“You just met me not long ago and yet can describe my situation so accurately—isn’t that scary enough?”
“Hehe, divination isn’t made up; it’s based on scientific… metaphysical principles.”
Xu Muxue snorted.
With her Huashen Stage insight, extensive knowledge, and vast experience, she could generally give almost precise forecasts about juniors’ fortunes.
“So how do I overcome this difficulty?”
Song Yu asked sincerely.
“Your Six Ren Three Plates question palace falls on Red Mouth and Void Loss—very ominous, yes, ominous. Red Mouth signifies verbal disputes, and Void Loss means disappearance and departure. You may have a fierce quarrel with someone and lose something very important.”
“But quarrels can express true feelings. Letting go might cause you to lose the chance to shed burdens. If you survive these two crises, you’ll enter Rapid Joy Palace, where all will be well.”
As she finished, Xu Muxue looked at the thoughtful Song Yu and couldn’t help but sigh.
Damn, this Fox Immortal’s divination is freakishly accurate!
Even without hexagrams, just by sight, Xu Muxue could tell Song Yu’s fundamental problem lay in the extremely strong spirit root inside her that clashed with her innate talent. If she could ruthlessly abandon it, advancing to Golden Core would be straightforward.
She then glanced toward the Lingzhou at Zuo Wang Peak. Shen Qinghan sat cross-legged at the bow, deeply immersed in cultivation. The breeze lifted her long hair, ethereal as a celestial being.
Yet, anyone with keen eyes could sense something was missing in her spirit aura, preventing her from reaching smooth success.
Sigh…
Xu Muxue shook her head.
Foolish disciple, what you lack is right here, and you still haven’t realized it?
Song Yu was a bit naive but still a young maiden. Though she didn’t consult love divinations, she naturally trusted fortune-telling. Especially since Xu Muxue’s reading hit her heart, she couldn’t help but ask, “So what exactly should I do?”
Xu Muxue stared at her for a long moment.
“The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed.”
What else could she say?
According to Xu Muxue’s method, she should now extract the part of the spirit root originally belonging to Shen Qinghan from Song Yu and restore the beloved disciple’s spirit root.
But if she did that, Song Yu wouldn’t survive.
During the Sword Trial Tournament probe, Xu Muxue realized Song Yu didn’t know the origin of the extra spirit root in her body. From what Song Yu said, it wasn’t absorbed willingly—it was forcibly implanted by Qin Qing.
Interesting.
So it seemed that the portion of Shen Qinghan’s spirit root inside Song Yu was incomplete, and most of it should still be with Qin Qing.
Xu Muxue couldn’t yet investigate the internal condition of a Golden Core Pinnacle cultivator’s body, but she had a vague sense of this.
That was why she let Song Yu go that day.
She needed to keep Song Yu alive and play the long game.
Once everything became clear, she could find a way to extract the spirit root from Song Yu without killing her.
But the premise was that Song Yu truly knew nothing and was completely innocent.
Xu Muxue looked into Song Yu’s innocent big eyes, sighed softly, and raised a hand to rub her cheek.
“Beautiful girls don’t make mistakes, so don’t disappoint me, Song Xiao Yu.”