"Alright then."
Zhang Lingyu picked up a brush and paper and began to write.
The sun in the sky, shadowed by gloom; a grand banquet with music, lamps casting slanted shadows;
Water and fire clash, hawks and hounds spy; trouble from outside, people protect themselves.
"So someone wants to mess with me? Is it someone from outside?"
Qingshui was a little surprised, but then he thought it was normal.
It would be strange if no one wanted to mess with him.
There were definitely many people who wanted to curry favor with him, but there must also be those who wanted to use him, or whose interests were greatly harmed by his existence and his inventions.
If it was like this internally, there was even less need to mention the outside.
There were definitely many people overseas who wanted to mess with him.
At least every country outside wanted to tie Qingshui to their nation and have him conduct research for them.
And for some extremist forces and individuals, they might even harbor the thought of "if we can't have him, we'll destroy him."
"You won't be in any danger."
Zhang Lingyu answered decisively.
Qingshui felt the same way.
With his abilities, whether it was a sneak attack or poisoning, it would be difficult to harm him if he was prepared.
Unless Zhang Zhiwei lost his mind and went crazy trying to fight him to the death, bringing along someone who mastered a special mechanism like Tangmen's Elixir Bite, which had an instant-death effect—only then might Qingshui fall into a dangerous situation.
Otherwise, they'd have to drop a nuclear bomb on him.
As for other assassinations, like a plane crash, they weren't life-threatening to Qingshui.
Zhang Lingyu continued:
"But this matter will have a significant impact, one thing affects everything else. As for more, I don't know. I can only deduce these few prophetic lines. If you want to find out more, then a powerful diviner would have to enter the inner vision, risking great danger to seek answers there."
Qingshui stroked his chin, considering.
He shouldn't be in danger domestically.
With the security around him, others wouldn't even find an opportunity to act against him.
So, it's abroad?
Would he have a chance to go abroad soon?
Qingshui suddenly remembered the Nobel Prize.
The announcement date was probably soon, in early October.
The awards ceremony and banquet were scheduled for December 10th each year, the anniversary of Nobel's death.
The location was Stockholm.
"A grand banquet with music, lamps casting slanted shadows... could it be the Nobel banquet? Then I won't go to the award ceremony. If I let someone else attend on my behalf, will that prevent the incident?"
Zhang Lingyu slowly shook his head.
"Lingyu does not know, but logically speaking, even if you avoid it this time, it will still happen next time under similar yet different circumstances."
Zhang Lingyu took out his paper and brush and drew another hexagram next to the original one.
"The changing line is the ninth line in the third place, the old Yang changing to young Yin. Therefore, this hexagram might evolve into Kui. The lower Qian trigram turns into the Dui trigram, forming fire above and marsh below, becoming the Kui hexagram. This is the origin of the clash between water and fire. They are contrary and not complementary, leading to an unstoppable conflict between two sides, like water and fire. Professor Zhuo, the Kui hexagram itself represents conflict."
"Is there a way to break the situation?"
"Lingyu's cultivation is shallow, I only know that one should start with the ninth line in the third place. If preparations can be made to avoid the movement of the ninth line in the third place and advance towards the ninth line in the fourth place of the original hexagram. If the event still occurs, then one must start from the changed Kui hexagram and make the Kui hexagram change into something else."
Qingshui held his phone, recording what Zhang Lingyu said. He planned to organize it when he got back, discuss it with Zeng Jiucheng, and then report the specific situation to the highest level.
The highest level could find other relevant top talents for him, utilizing their think tank to find the optimal solution.
"Alright, then let's leave this matter here for now. Daoist Lingyu, consider me owing you a favor. In the future, if there's anything I can help with, just give me a call. Unless it's something absolutely impossible, I can settle anything in the Anomalous Human World for you."
Qingshui glanced at Zeng Jiucheng's reply, placed his phone face down on the desk, and said to Zhang Lingyu.
"Professor Zhuo, you don't need to be like that. You already saved Uncle Tian once, and now you've given that elder a chance to return to normal. Lingyu is already immensely grateful, how could I dare ask for more from you?"
Zhang Lingyu honestly shook his head, stood up, lowered his eyes, and bowed.
This honest child.
"Tsk, I wonder how your stubborn nature was cultivated. With your straightforwardness, I reckon if you went out to tell fortunes, you'd just say whatever you saw. If someone had bad luck, you'd tell them directly. If they had good luck, you'd definitely point out where they weren't doing well, turning good things into bad. Not to mention whether fortune-telling even exists these days, just being like you, your business wouldn't be good at all."
How could Zhang Zhiwei, that old rascal, raise a disciple with this kind of personality?
However, Zhang Lingyu's personality would be very helpful for the monotonous cultivation during the early and mid-stages of practice.
Zhang Lingyu blinked:
"But isn't that how fortune-telling works? If there's bad luck, you need to inform the other party. If the other party is in danger, you need to make them prepared. If there's good luck, then you need to make the other party vigilant, to avoid reaching a peak and then declining. If good and bad luck are caused by the other party's mistakes, then you need to advise them to follow the right path.
Master once told me that the art of divination is not merely for oneself to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, but to enable others, and indeed everyone in the world, to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune and move towards a better future."
"That's the true meaning our ancestors summarized in the I Ching."
"So, before you prepared to set up your fortune-telling stall, did you ever consult your own fortune? Even if you didn't, you must have at least read the news, right?"
Qingshui moved his mouse, typed a few keys, and said to Zhang Lingyu.
"Lingyu doesn't understand. I ask Professor Zhuo to elaborate."
Zhang Lingyu clasped his hands.
Qingshui pulled up a webpage on his computer and showed it to Zhang Lingyu.
Our City Launches "Urban Appearance Cleanup" Special Action to Comprehensively Rectify Occupying Public Spaces for Business...
"They're not allowing stalls on the street anymore. If you go set up a fortune-telling stall, you might get caught by the city management. Your divination flags and compasses might even be confiscated."
At this point, the management of street vendors was gradually becoming stricter, reaching its peak in the next two to three years, until, due to economic reasons, stalls would eventually reappear in the streets and alleys.
"Then what should I do?"
Zhang Lingyu looked a bit bewildered.
Despite growing up on Longhu Mountain, his education wasn't limited to kindergarten.
He had completed nine years of compulsory education and even attended university, earning a bachelor's degree—though this degree was from the Longhu Mountain Taoist Academy and was only applicable within the religious field, unlike other bachelor's degrees that allowed participation in various official examinations.
In other words, he had neither a standard degree nor normal livelihood skills. His path of setting up a stall to tell fortunes and read feng shui was blocked. He was now in a predicament, broke and jobless.
"The Old Heavenly Master sent you into the world to cultivate, not to train your life's cultivation. In terms of that ability, you're already outstanding among the younger generation.
As for discussing profound theories and Taoist principles, you are the Heavenly Master's closed-door disciple; you're qualified to hold lectures even at the Baiyun Temple outside Xibianmen.
But do you think the Old Heavenly Master sent you down the mountain to gain experience by having you set up a fortune-telling stall or give lectures?"
"Probably not."
The white-haired Taoist scratched his head.
"The Old Heavenly Master's true intention is for you to go down the mountain and experience different people and different things. It's for you to learn how to face those you originally couldn't handle, how to do things you originally couldn't manage, and how to say things you originally couldn't say, all while holding onto your true self.
My place here is a laboratory in a university ivory tower. Here, you won't find the things you need to experience."
"Your suggestion is..."
"Ahem, I happen to still hold a Nadou Tong director title. I'll call Chairman Zhao of the company later and arrange a position for you, perhaps with Zhang Chulan."
Zhang Lingyu's expression froze slightly.
"What? Do you still have issues with your martial nephew?"
"I'm not... well, I do have some issues with his conduct. I feel he might disgrace Longhu Mountain outside. But I can also understand that he grew up alone and helpless; if not for his ways, he wouldn't have survived.
However, beyond that, I shouldn't resent him. I'm just... jealous of Zhang Chulan, who can master Yang Five Thunders, because of my past mistakes."
"Is it jealousy or some other emotion? Do you have hostility towards Zhang Chulan?"
"Initially, a little, but later, I let it go. I was the one who was wrong; Zhang Chulan did nothing wrong. The one I should truly blame is myself."
"Tsk, what kind of mistake is that? You envy Zhang Chulan for being a virgin, and he envies you for having slept with a beautiful girl. Love between a man and a woman is a natural human relationship; it's no big deal."
"But Xia He... she's a Quansheng demon..."
"Do you remember what I just said? The Anomalous Human World is just a small pond; how big a deal could it be? If you had your master's ability, and if others still dared to gossip, for every word they said, you'd strike them with lightning. Let's see how many mouths they'd have left to speak."
"But wouldn't that be wrong..."
"If your master were in your position, he might actually do that. Because a mere Xia He isn't worth those sects antagonizing a current top expert who has the entire Longhu Mountain backing him."
Zhang Lingyu pursed his lips, wanting to say something, to argue, but in the end, he said nothing.
He wanted to say his master wouldn't do such a thing, but the words caught in his throat.
The Old Heavenly Master was grand in Zhang Lingyu's heart, yet also very vivid.
With the Old Heavenly Master's temperament, he might actually do something like that.
Zhang Zhiwei's character was cultivated from being unrivaled since childhood. If he was determined to do something, no one could control him.
Brother Baoying was unrivaled among his peers when he was young. Whether it was Lu Jin or any other outstanding young person, he could settle it with a single slap. His strength had reached a level beyond his age group.
By the time he was thirty, there were few opponents left for Old Zhang in the entire Anomalous Human World. By forty, he had gone from being unrivaled among his peers to being unrivaled in the Anomalous Human World.
That he didn't develop a lawless personality was thanks to Zhang Jingqing's good upbringing.
Coupled with Zhang Zhiwei's high cultivation in xinggong, he had truly integrated the essence of Taoism into his heart, controlling his thoughts. And with Longhu Mountain, passed down from his master's generation, acting as a restraint, he became the Longhu Mountain Heavenly Pass Taoist he is today—unrivaled yet appearing somewhat unassuming.
Yes, compared to Zhang Zhiwei's strength, he was already very low-key.
"As for you and Xia He, I don't think this situation can continue either. Hu Lin and Hu Jie, father and son, have already died at the hands of the Four Madmen. Don't you think if you had taken responsibility for Xia He before she joined Quansheng, with someone from your righteous background guiding her, that young girl wouldn't have ended up hanging out with a bunch of lawless scoundrels?"
Zhang Lingyu didn't answer.
"You're upset that Xia He broke your yuan yang, preventing you from practicing Yang Five Thunders and becoming the Celestial Master's Mansion's most perfect successor. I understand that. But what's done is done; dwelling on it is meaningless. Anyway, your Longhu Mountain is from the Orthodox Unity sect and doesn't forbid relations between men and women. What are you afraid of? Just go for it! Do you want to see Xia He, as a Quansheng member, killed and her body left in the street one day?"
"I'd wish for that..."
"Do you even believe that yourself, Zhang Lingyu?"
Qingshui looked at Zhang Lingyu with a helpless expression.
Little Zhang's expression was complex, a mix of bewilderment and seriousness, yet with a hint of resistance amidst the seriousness.
"I'm sorry, Professor Zhuo, my mind is a mess right now, I..."
"It's good that it's a mess. In a bit, I'll find you an empty dorm room for the night, then I'll book you a train ticket to Tianjin. Go to Nadou Tong's North China headquarters and stick with Bi Lian. He's family, after all. If you don't trust others, you can surely trust him, right? To be realistic, Bi Lian possesses the Qi Body Origin and still needs your Longhu Mountain's reputation to protect himself, so he's even less likely to harm you.
Just follow that kid and gain some experience at Nadou Tong. Working for the company, you'll see all sorts of things in the Anomalous Human World, which aligns perfectly with the Old Heavenly Master's original intention for sending you down the mountain."
Zhang Lingyu nodded slowly.
"Then, I'll trouble Professor Zhuo."
"Alright, I'll write you a note. When you leave the office, turn left. Go to the sixth workstation and find Zhijinhua. You two should know each other. Have her take the note and arrange things for you at the academic affairs office."
A few minutes later.
Zhijinhua, holding the note Qingshui had just approved, took Zhang Lingyu out. At this moment, Qingshui also dialed Zhao Fangxu's number.
"Hello, Chairman Zhao? Ah, nothing much, it's just that I have an intern here whom I'd like to arrange to work in North China. His background is guaranteed clean, and his skills are quite good—the kind who can make it to the finals in the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony. What's his name? Zhang Lingyu, yes, the Old Heavenly Master's junior disciple. It's no trouble, you already have a grand-disciple of the Old Heavenly Master there, don't you? Just bring him in too, let them work together, isn't that the same?
By the way, how's that kid, Zhang Chulan, doing now?
Hm? Is he not in North China right now? I was hoping Zhang Lingyu could find him tomorrow."
At Nadou Tong Headquarters, Zhao Fangxu, holding the phone, and Bi Youlong, across from him, exchanged a look, both seeing the helplessness in the other's eyes.
Why did the call have to come at precisely this moment?
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