Becoming a martial arts god starting from the mortician.

Shen Qi followed the corridor to the depths of the inner hall.

He stopped in front of Jiang Xinyue's study and knocked twice on the wooden door.

"Enter."

A gentle, languid voice came from inside the door.

Shen Qi pushed open the door and stepped over the threshold. Warmth rushed in. Jiang Xinyue sat behind the large rosewood desk, toying with the new copy of "Yuanming Sui" in her hand.

"Greetings, Lord Si." Shen Qi bowed respectfully.

His peripheral vision swept over Jiang Xinyue's head. The three-colored dragon shadow was still circling, and the swirling black clouds around it were even thicker and heavier than the last time he saw it.

In what specific matter should this be addressed? Shen Qi wondered to himself.

"No need for formalities." Jiang Xinyue casually placed the book on the table, leaned back in her chair, and looked at him with a half-smile. "I learned from Lao Zhou a few days ago that you haven't been paying attention to martial arts lately, but have instead started studying 'Yuanming Sui'."

Jiang Xinyue picked up her teacup and skimmed off the foam. Her tone was gentle: "The theory of fate is mysterious and profound. You are new to this field. If you encounter any difficulties in understanding it, tell me about them today."

Shen Qi straightened up and said sincerely, "To be honest, Master, I recently bought a copy of 'Yuanming Sui' from Chengwen Bookstore. I read it overnight, but I found that the outline was disjointed and seemed to be missing a lot of important content."

He looked up at Jiang Xinyue and continued, "According to my friend, the versions circulating in the market are all revised by later generations. I would like to ask if you, Master, have any earlier versions with fewer changes? Of course, the original would be even better. I would be extremely grateful if I could borrow it."

"Originally?" Jiang Xinyue chuckled. "You have quite the appetite."

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze scrutinizing him: "The versions circulating today are already quite difficult to understand. As for the revised versions from three hundred years ago, even I found them obscure and hard to understand when I first read them, let alone you. Without the annotations and explanations added by later generations, very few people could understand them, let alone the original."

Jiang Xinyue shook her head, her tone becoming firm: "You've only just begun to understand the basics, you haven't even grasped the surface. Trying to learn the fundamentals at such a beginner level will only do you harm."

"I know I am not very talented or learned," Shen Qi said humbly. "But those incomplete copies are so fragmented that they are agonizing to read. I only ask to see the original outline; I dare not be greedy."

Jiang Xinyue was amused by his stubborn appearance.

"Since you insist on seeing it, then I must consider whether you are qualified." Jiang Xinyue sat up straight. "How about this, I'll test you. If you can give me a reasonable explanation, you can have a look."

Just then, a series of heavy footsteps came from outside the study.

"Your Excellency, your subordinate Chen Wu requests an audience!"

"Come in." Jiang Xinyue raised her chin.

The wooden door was pushed open, and a man in black strode in. His muscles were bulging, making his tight-fitting clothes look taut, and he walked with a powerful and fierce aura.

Chen Wu walked to the long table, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "I have returned from delivering the pulse-finding record to the Pingzhou Observatory and have come to report to the Director!"

"Get up," Jiang Xinyue said.

Chen Wu straightened up and glanced at Shen Qi beside him.

Jiang Xinyue turned to look at Shen Qi, a playful smile playing on her lips: "Perfect. Didn't you want to borrow the original? Now use the skills you've learned these past few days to give this Lord Chen a reading. If you're accurate, I'll lend you my treasured copy of 'Yuanming Sui' that I've kept for many years."

Shen Qi's eyelids twitched. Fortune-telling, to put it nicely, is flattery; to put it bluntly, it's offending people. Wasn't Jiang Xinyue making things difficult for him?

But he has no other choice right now.

Shen Qi remained silent for a moment, then turned to face Chen Wu.

In sight, the number of crimson life threads on the man's head was not large, and the ends were slowly drifting away.

The deathly aura is already evident; his life is nearing its end.

"How was it?" Jiang Xinyue asked with interest, holding her teacup. "Did you figure anything out?"

Shen Qi raised his head, meeting Chen Wu's unfriendly gaze: "Reporting to Your Excellency, this gentleman's lifespan has come to an end."

The study fell silent.

Chen Wu paused for a moment, seemingly not having heard what Shen Qi was saying.

"In the near future, Your Excellency may be in mortal danger," Shen Qi said, looking at him before finishing his sentence.

"Bullshit!"

Chen Wu flew into a rage and took a sudden step forward. His powerful aura erupted, causing the rosewood chair next to him to shake.

He pointed at Shen Qi's nose, his eyes wide with anger: "You little brat, how dare you curse me to death here?"

A strong wind blew in his face. Shen Qi stood still, his body swaying slightly, but he kept his eyes down and remained silent, his face showing no emotion.

Chen Wu turned to face Jiang Xinyue, clasped his hands in a fist salute, his chest heaving with anger: "Lord Chief! This charlatan who appeared out of nowhere dares to show off his skills in front of the Imperial Observatory and curse court officials! I am now in the late stage of the Precious Body realm, just one step away from breaking through the Xuan Barrier and entering the Golden Body realm!"

He gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at Shen Qi: "Once I achieve the Golden Body, my lifespan will be at least 150 years! This scoundrel dares to assert that my lifespan is coming to an end; it's utterly ridiculous! I implore the Chief Judge to punish him severely to set things right!"

Jiang Xinyue put down her teacup, the porcelain lid making a crisp sound as it tapped, suppressing Chen Wu's anger.

He turned his gaze to Shen Qi, his eyes filled with undisguised disappointment.

"Shen Qi, oh Shen Qi," Jiang Xinyue sighed softly, pointing to Chen Wu's face. "Take a closer look at Lord Chen. He has a full forehead and square bones; a round and thick chin, and earlobes that hang close to his cheeks. In physiognomy, this is a very typical sign of longevity and good fortune. In addition, he has a solid foundation in martial arts and abundant energy. To say he will live to be a hundred is to curse him with a short life. Where does this absurd statement come from that you so readily assert that his lifespan is coming to an end?"

Shen Qi knew perfectly well what was going on, but he couldn't explain the reason to the two of them. He could only put on a guilty and fearful appearance: "This humble one...this humble one is not knowledgeable enough, please forgive him, sir."

Jiang Xinyue chuckled and shook her head, completely losing interest in taking the exam.

He opened the drawer beside him, took out a brand new book, and casually tossed it onto the table.

"This is a new edition of 'Yuanming Sui' that was brought by disaster relief officials from the capital a few days ago. It contains introductory annotations on fortune telling and physiognomy." Jiang Xinyue pushed the book to the edge of the table, her tone turning indifferent. "You can't even distinguish the most basic auspicious and inauspicious aspects of facial features, yet you dare to try to read the original work of Master Xuanweizi? Take this book back and see me again when you have thoroughly understood what's inside."

Shen Qi glanced at the dense, shallow annotations on the cover and sighed inwardly; this trip had been a waste.

Not only did they fail to obtain the original, they also offended a brute who was on his deathbed.

"Thank you for the book, Master." Shen Qi held the book up with both hands and bowed deeply. "I will study it day and night and live up to your expectations."

"You may leave." Jiang Xinyue waved her hand and picked up her teacup again.

Shen Qi took two steps back, then turned and left.

As they passed each other, Chen Wu let out a disdainful snort from his nose.