Minglong

Chapter 330 A sign of great misfortune
No matter one's level of cultivation, as long as one hasn't transcended the mortal realm and become an immortal, completely escaping worldly interests, it's hard for people not to be interested in watching the drama unfold.

As the auction ended, the heroes from all walks of life began to examine the blind boxes on the treasure shelf. Because Chen Yishan was lucky, he directly used a Qingling Pill to open a Tiger Bone Vine. The cultivators below the Super Grade level present almost lost their minds on the spot and began to try their luck with their savings. The result was naturally that nine out of ten gamblers lost.

Lu Yan had suffered a huge loss yesterday and was originally quite conservative, not daring to place bets easily. However, Chen Yishan showed off the medicinal herbs in front of him and even asked him to help identify them. This was really infuriating. Lu Yan, who has a short temper, was eager to try betting again.

While Lü Yan was studying the black box intently, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the Beiming Sect team in the distance was actually performing divination.

The Zhuji School evolved from the sacrificial rites of ancient tribes, while the Daoist School originated from ancient shamanism, and the Divination School is a branch of the Daoist School. Strictly speaking, the two schools share the same origin.

However, the ritualistic school focuses on ancient divination methods, using mostly seashells and animal bones as tools; while the divination and verification school is more modern, using methods such as the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, Taiyi Liuren, etc. to determine good or bad fortune.

As for which is more accurate, it's hard to say. Natural disasters and the vicissitudes of life are predictable because the laws of nature are traceable, and both can generally make accurate predictions. However, when it comes to human affairs, there are too many uncontrollable factors. No matter how skilled one is, they can only predict good or bad fortune at most, and nine out of ten predictions will be inaccurate. After all, as long as the prediction is accurate, new variables have already been created, and the result will inevitably be biased.

Lu Yan's fortune-telling skills were average, but he had been learning these things since childhood and had some knowledge of the methods of the Zhuji sect. Seeing this, he pretended to stroll around and sneaked a peek.

Jingle bell bell~
The Holy Maiden of the Northern Darkness Sect, adorned from head to toe in silver ornaments, possessed a holy aura tinged with mystery, resembling a beautiful sorceress. At this moment, she held seashells in her hands and chanted:
“Aida, Karakol…”

The voice was ethereal and distant, like the whispers of gods and demons.

Lu Yan had studied these things and knew that this was a prayer to the Northern Sea God, asking if auspicious signs could be found in the north.

The Northern Darkness God is the same as the God of Wisdom and Destiny in Taoism, symbolizing longevity and immortality. According to his understanding, Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs, and the laws of the North cannot respond to the prayers of mortals.

But the priestess did have something to offer. After praying for a moment, she scattered two seashells on the table, one on each side. This can be interpreted as the yin and yang of Taoism. One yin and one yang is called a "sacred divination block," representing the deity's agreement. Two yin represent opposition, and two yang represent the deity's unclear intention.

Normally, one would toss the divination blocks once, and three times for important matters. But this Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect tossed the blocks nine times, and the Northern Underworld God gave her nine sacred divination blocks...

Oh my god...

Lu Yan was stunned!

Given this situation, even if he didn't believe in superstitions, he would have to give it a try, let alone the Northern Underworld Sect, which had unwavering faith in its members.

Several white-robed wizards immediately began searching the shelves of the Northern Treasure Pavilion, with even the Holy Maiden personally participating.

Seeing this, Lü Yan felt that the Holy Maiden was still too young and had not learned enough.

After all, the nine divination blocks were all one yang and one yin, seemingly randomly scattered, but arranged in the order of the Nine Palaces diagram, eight of them were inward-pointing, and only one was outward-pointing, located in the Gen Palace, which happens to be the location of the Life Gate. If it was truly guided by the gods in the dark, there must be a reason for it.

The Gen Palace (艮八宫) is in the northeast...

Thinking of this, Lü Yan came to the northeast wall and saw that on the more than ten shelves, there were nearly a hundred boxes neatly arranged.

To make them easier to find, the display shelves are arranged in the order of A, B, C, D, etc., and numbered from one to ninety-nine.

Looking at the more than one hundred boxes, Lü Yan couldn't figure out which one Bei Mingshen was referring to, let alone buy and open them all. Therefore, he carefully considered each box from left to right:
"Nine times... nine times nine returns to one... Heaven gives birth to water, Heaven nine is metal, which doesn't match the Gen Palace... Nine times are all half yin and half yang, implying the principle of yin and yang generating each other... Gen is earth, Heaven five gives birth to earth, Earth ten completes it... fifty?"

After pondering for a moment, Lü Yan walked to an inconspicuous corner, squatted down, and looked at the number fifty black box placed at the bottom of the shelf with a half-believing and half-doubting look in his eyes.

After all, this box was very ordinary, and its selling price was ten Dragon Blood Pills or equivalent items, which was beyond the reach of all first-grade cultivators. However, the contents inside, according to their senses, resembled first or second-grade magic artifacts that primarily controlled fire. Even the super-grade ancestors present didn't care about this piece of junk, so from the beginning until now, no one had paid any attention to this box.

Seeing that the price was ten Dragon Blood Pills, Lü Yan began to doubt his own judgment. He immediately did some calculations with his fingers:
"Great evil?!"

Lu Yan frowned, feeling that opening this box would likely result in him losing everything and dying a violent death.

What the hell is inside?

Ten Dragon Blood Pills bought a Phoenix Silk Robe?

That doesn't necessarily mean a very bad omen. Meeting Xie Xiao'er is only a minor misfortune.
A minor misfortune is that this child brings me bad luck; a major misfortune is an inescapable dead end...

Opening a chest would at most result in a loss of ten Dragon Blood Pills, how could it lead to death and the annihilation of one's cultivation...?

Could it be that the calculation was wrong...?

……

Just as Lü Yan was carefully pondering the meaning of his ancestor, footsteps suddenly came from behind:

"Is Master Lü testing his luck again?"

Lu Yan turned around and saw a man in his thirties, dressed in brocade robes, walking over. He stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "Young Master Shang, what brings you here?"

Shang Mingzhen looks young because his master plays a custom server with unlimited resources from a young age, allowing him to reach the top tier early on. His actual age is about the same as Lü Yan's. He smiled and said:
"With so many distinguished guests arriving, it would be inappropriate for me to remain silent on behalf of my master. I heard that Master Lü lost a considerable amount of money yesterday because his subordinates were ignorant and took things too seriously. I apologize for my negligence. If Master Lü is interested in this box, I will give it to him as an apology."

Seeing that Shang Mingzhen was having his men take out the box and open it, Lü Yan couldn't possibly accept this shameless favor and quickly stopped them:
"No need. When you're in business, if you make a mistake, you have to accept the consequences. If I were to take advantage of this, my fellow Daoists would say that I can't afford to play this game."

Seeing this, Shang Mingzhen stopped and gestured to the tea room upstairs:
"I heard a few days ago that Master Huang of Huanglin Temple had run into trouble. I actually met Master Huang back in Xirong, and I was quite disappointed to hear the news..."

Seeing this, Lü Yan naturally followed along to have tea, shaking his head as he went:

“Those whose hearts are not pure are not disciples of my Divination School, and there is nothing to regret…”

Just as they were talking, Lu Yan suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that the Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect glanced at him a few times before walking toward box number '50' with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Shang Mingzhen stopped and greeted him with a cupped hand:
"This is Miss Mingji's first time visiting Yanbo City. My master and Master Chen Qingke were comrades-in-arms back in the day. I am ashamed to say that I have not been able to extend my hospitality as a host..."

?

As the second-in-command of the divination school, Lü Yan was no mindless, uncouth old man. He noticed that Shang Mingzhen's behavior was a bit abnormal, coupled with the nine accurate divinations just now, and the hexagram he had been pondering...

Does this great misfortune refer not to the contents of the box, but to the consequences of opening the box?
Wealth should not be flaunted; to openly display it is a sign of great misfortune, for it must be priceless...

Realizing this, Lü Yan suddenly understood. He wanted to turn back and look at the box again, but the Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect was quick enough to pick it up and gave him a graceful bow.
"Young Master Shang has opened a shop here to do business and has been so hospitable to us. It would be a shame for a young lady not to show her support. I noticed that Daoist Lü has been lingering in front of this box for quite some time. There must be something good inside. Young Master Shang, you don't mind if I open it, do you?"

Shang Mingzhen blinked and said with a smile:

“Miss Mingji, you’re too kind. You’ve spent quite a bit of money at Shan Hai Lou these past few days. If I were to spend any more, my master would scold me for being so tactless. Tea is served upstairs, would you two like to…”

card~
Before she could finish speaking, the veiled shrine maiden unlocked the clasp on the box.

The various patriarchs around them, who had been observing the commotion, immediately gathered around to watch the spectacle when they saw the Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect throwing money around again.

Meanwhile, at a teahouse in the distance, Ye Yunchi was carefully examining the calligraphy and painting in his hands when his sleeve was tugged at by the male model next to him:

"The Northern Underworld Sect is opening a box, Senior Ye, aren't you going to take a look?"

Ye Yunchi knew that nine out of ten gamblers would lose, and his mind was entirely on the calligraphy and paintings. He had no interest in looking at this. Just as he was about to let Xie Jinhuan go by himself, his brows furrowed suddenly, and he turned to look at the crowd in the distance.

It’s stuck~
Once the latch is opened, the seal is automatically broken.

The dragon-patterned treasure chest was slightly opened, and a golden-red hue emerged from it, brightening the otherwise dim hall and illuminating the faces of several people around.

The sect elders, including Long Boyuan and Chen Yishan, all looked surprised and suspicious upon seeing this. Gu Xuanzun, the demonic tyrant who was drinking, even spat out a mouthful of wine and stood up in disbelief.

Those below the Super Grade level were utterly shocked, staring incredulously at the 'Blazing True Fire,' which possessed a golden-red hue:
"This……"

"What is this?!"

"Quick, quick, open it..."

……

The elders present were all of extraordinary status, but only the sect leader could ensure that each person possessed a celestial artifact, and even then, it wasn't for personal ownership but rather an item passed down through the sect.

Upon suddenly seeing such a sight, even Lu Wuzhen would be excited, let alone the sect leaders who had never touched a celestial artifact before. They immediately became agitated and even wanted to snatch it and open it themselves.

The Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect was also immediately intrigued. She carefully opened the box, and a mask radiating a golden-red hue appeared before everyone's eyes.

The mask is dark red with golden-red patterns on its surface. A third eye is formed at the center of the brow. Amidst the flowing golden-red light, the faint image of a bird's head can be seen. Without even looking at the material or its effects, just the inhuman texture alone tells you that it is of a higher grade than the Fire Edict Token.

Everyone stared in amazement, wondering what kind of treasure this was, when a voice came from behind:
"what--!"

thump!
A hysterical roar, and the dull thud of knees hitting the ground.

Looking over, one sees Lü Yan, dressed in a black and yellow Taoist robe, kneeling on the ground with his eyes wide open in fury, pounding his forehead with both hands. He has completely lost the demeanor expected of a Taoist master and looks like a heartbroken person who has lost a beloved...

(End of this chapter)