A single divination predicts life and death; the entire internet begs me to start a live stream.

Three o'clock in the morning.

Chen Bufan did not feel relaxed after the broadcast ended.

On the table were two copper coins.

One of them was a photo of ghost money found in a red cloth bag under Shen Qingyue's bed.

One of them was an ancient bronze coin passed down through the Liu family, given to me by Old Liu.

Chen Bufan placed two enlarged screenshots side by side on his computer screen.

At first glance, they look completely different.

It was rusted and blackened, like it had been pulled from a dead person's mouth.

It was an old, dark coin with rounded edges, as if it had been worn close to someone's body for decades.

But when Chen Bufan superimposed the two images, the black lines on the screen fit together perfectly.

Like a snake.

Like an eye.

It's like a chain binding human lives.

The live stream is still running.

Millions of viewers had just recovered from the collapse of the Wang family's fortunes when they saw Chen Bufan sitting there, staring silently at the copper coins.

The number of comments on the screen gradually decreased.

But those who stayed behind were even more nervous.

Why is the master silent now?

Is this copper coin the same as Shen Qingyue's?

I just took screenshots and compared them; they really look alike.

[Not just similar, they're exactly the same.]

How come a top female celebrity and a wealthy heiress both have the same type of copper coin?

Could there really be an organization behind this?

[I suddenly remembered that term from Chapter 8: the key to changing one's fate.]

Stop refreshing, let the master see.

Chen Bufan ignored the comments.

His fingertips pressed against the old copper coins on the table.

despair.

despair.

despair.

Each time it was lighter than the last.

But each strike felt like hitting something unseen.

The Shen Qingyue case is a case of using someone else's life.

The real Gu Yanchuan died three years ago, and someone has been living with his destiny for three years. They want to take over Shen Qingyue's luck and fate through marriage.

The Wang Tianhao case is, on the surface, a dispute over inheritance among wealthy families.

But that ancient bronze coin was not a protective charm.

It's money for disaster relief.

To avert disaster, seize fortune, and alter inheritance rights.

One is in the entertainment industry.

One is in the circle of the wealthy.

One is a female celebrity.

One is a rich second-generation.

They seem completely unrelated.

However, both copper coins bear the same black rune.

This is no coincidence.

Chen Bufan slowly exhaled, his eyes turning cold.

"Download."

He only said two words.

The comments section erupted in panic.

No, Master!

We want to hear more!

What's going on with this copper coin?

Is this related to the Shen Qingyue case?

[Master, at least say one thing!]

Master Chen, have you discovered something?

Chen Bufan looked up at the camera.

That's all for tonight.

"This is not something that can be discussed live."

The barrage of comments was even more explosive.

[Not suitable for live streaming? That's a big deal!]

[Holy crap, I'm even more panicked now.]

[Master, please be careful!]

Could the Shen Qingyue case and the Wang family case have been committed by the same group of people?

[Stop investigating, the other side seems dangerous.]

The master wasn't one to back down from trouble, but this time his expression was genuinely off.

Chen Bufan did not offer any further explanation.

He immediately turned off the live stream.

The screen went black.

In the room, only the cold light emanating from the computer remained.

The screenshots of the two copper coins on the table are still placed side by side.

Chen Bufan sat for a while, then reached out and took the yellow booklet.

The Record of Destiny.

The booklet is very old.

The cover was badly worn, with several dark red marks on the edges.

Like blood.

It also resembles cinnabar.

This is something passed down from the Chen family.

This is also the last remaining branch of the Chen family.

Chen Bufan's fingertip landed on the cover and paused for a moment.

He rarely opened the "Record of Destiny" on his own initiative.

Because every time you flip it, you have to pay a price.

The deeper you look, the heavier the backlash.

Mild symptoms include headache and eye irritation.

In severe cases, it can cause qi and blood to flow in reverse.

In more serious cases, it can even cost one's life.

Therefore, he often only looks at a person's appearance and only makes superficial judgments about cause and effect.

But this time is different.

The black rune appeared twice.

And each time it got closer than the last.

Shen Qingyue is an outsider.

The Wang family are outsiders.

But the ancestral copper coin that Old Liu took out brought the talisman to him.

This shows that the other party did not harm people casually.

They are setting up a net.

Chen Bufan turned to the first page.

The paper is blank.

He placed the photo of the copper coins from Shen Qingyue's red cloth bag on the left.

Then he placed the ancient bronze coins that Lao Liu had given him on the right.

Then, he bit his index finger.

A drop of blood fell onto the page.

Snapped.

Blood droplets fell.

The originally blank page suddenly developed fine ripples, like the surface of water.

The light in the room flickered.

The night breeze blew in through the window.

The vermilion pen on the table rolled half an inch and then stopped.

Chen Bufan's expression remained unchanged; he simply spoke in a low voice:

"Chen Bufan, the 73rd generation fortune teller of the Chen family."

"Please record."

As soon as he finished speaking, a line of text slowly appeared on the page of the "Record of Destiny".

The handwriting is dark red.

It's as if someone wrote it down in blood from the bottom of the paper.

[The money coin with markings, especially the black ones, is considered unlucky.]

Chen Bufan's eyes darkened.

The words continued to float on the paper.

Those who take lives will inevitably bear the marks of misfortune.

Borrowing life, seizing fortune, averting disaster, and prolonging life are all forbidden arts that defy fate.

The practitioner of the spell bears no responsibility for cause and effect, and must use the lives of others as a bridge.

[Whenever a black mark appears on the face, someone will inevitably die in its place.]

Chen Bufan's fingertips tightened slightly.

really.

He wasn't mistaken.

That's not an ordinary symbol.

It's a black fate mark.

According to the Chen family's ancestral precepts, the Black Fate Mark is an absolutely forbidden technique.

A legitimate fortune teller can interpret fate, predict disasters, and resolve problems.

But we cannot take someone's life.

You cannot use good people to avert disaster.

You cannot prolong the lives of evil people.

Because life is not a commodity.

It's not about money.

It is not something that can be bought, sold, or exchanged.

However, the black markings are different.

Its essence is to treat human life as something that can be transferred.

Whoever is lucky, they will be taken from.

Whoever is weaker, they will be suppressed.

If someone deserves to die, find someone else to take their place.

Chen Bufan continued reading.

The words on the page suddenly stopped.

Then, a patch of black slowly seeped out.

The black color resembled ink or blood, creeping along the paper's grain little by little.

Soon, a black rune appeared on the paper.

The patterns on the two copper coins are exactly the same.

It's just more complete.

It was also colder and more gloomy.

It looks like a closed eye.

When Chen Bufan stared at it, that eye seemed to slowly open a crack.

boom.

Chen Bufan's vision went black.

The next second, he saw the fire.

A very big fire.

The Chen family ancestral home burned down.

The wooden beams collapsed.

The plaque on the door is broken.

The yard was covered in blood.

Someone is crying.

Someone is shouting.

Another man was kneeling on the ground, desperately protecting a wooden box.

The man's face was blurry.

But Chen Bufan knew.

That was his father.

In the firelight, someone stood outside the courtyard gate.

Dressed in black.

Black umbrella.

I can't see the face clearly.

The man mixed cinnabar with blood and drew a talisman on the wall of the Chen family's ancestral home.

Black life mark.

It's exactly the same as the one we have now.

"Hand over the Record of Destiny."

"The Chen family line can be preserved."

In the firelight, his father's voice was hoarse, yet firm.

"Even if the Chen family line ends in extinction, we will not change the fate of the wicked."

The next second, the fire soared into the sky.

Chen Bufan suddenly opened his eyes.

It felt like I'd been punched hard in the chest.

A sweet taste in my throat.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He raised his hand and wiped it away.

His eyes, however, were terrifyingly cold.

The black markings on the "Destiny Record" have disappeared.

Only the last line of text remained on the paper.

[When a black mark appears, one must change their fate.]

The room was very quiet.

Only the computer fan was spinning softly.

Chen Bufan stared at the line of words for a long time without moving.

Changing one's fate.

The name finally surfaced from the book.

It's not a legend.

It's not a vague taboo in ancestral teachings.

Instead, it refers to things that are actually present in modern cities.

Shen Qingyue's life-borrowing scheme.

Wang Tianhao's disaster relief money.

Behind them all lies the same source of magic.

Some people are using fate-altering sorcery on a large scale in modern cities.

Some people treat the popularity of celebrities, the wealth of the rich, and the fate of ordinary people as bargaining chips that can be bought and sold.

He had just broken the opponent's record in two games.

Chen Bufan closed the "Record of Destiny".

Snapped.

The moment the book closed, the old copper coins on the table also stopped moving.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

It's not that I'm tired.

It was because the murderous intent was suppressed too deeply.

Just then, a background notification popped up in the lower right corner of the computer screen.

You have received a new private message.

Chen Bufan opened his eyes.

The profile picture in private messages is blank.

The account was just registered.

No fans.

No works.

There is no information available.

The private message contained only one line of text.

Don't investigate the Black Fate Mark, or the last line of the Chen family will be cut off.

Chen Bufan looked at the line of text.

After a long while, he suddenly laughed.

The smile was faint.

It was also very cold.

He raised his hand and typed four words on the keyboard.

You give it a try.