Chapter 438 - 272: A Gentleman Inquires of Woe, Not Weal
Chapter 438: Chapter 272: A Gentleman Inquires of Woe, Not Weal
The young Daoist...
Or, more accurately, Immortal Bai watched as Chen Yi walked into Jishi Medicine Hall, a hint of interest on his handsome face.
"Interesting."
He naturally recognized Chen Yi as the rather talented Martial Arts prodigy who had appeared in the East Market the night before.
He also saw through Chen Yi’s disguise and attempts at concealment.
That was why he had sought him out. Beyond their chance encounter the previous night and the thought of "offering some guidance" to this Martial Arts prodigy, he was also somewhat curious.
He wanted to see the man’s origins, to learn of his master.
He hadn’t expected the young man to be so unreceptive.
"Fine, so be it."
"Enter a mountain but refuse to greet the immortal, enter a temple but refuse to bow to the Buddha... you’re the only one who loses out."
"My... this humble Daoist’s fated connection with you has come to an end."
Immortal Bai coughed once, then carried his cloth banner toward the East Market Entrance. He planted the banner beside him and gave his sleeves a couple of flicks.
He truly looked the part of a transcendent immortal.
"To know your past and foretell your future, just listen to a word or two from this humble Daoist."
"I divine life and death, fortune and ruin. I can eliminate your worldly obstacles and guarantee a future of endless peace."
"You there... my good sir. I see your forehead is full and bright. You must have some happy occasion coming up?"
A burly man in hemp clothes and a white head wrap shot him a mournful look and grumbled,
"Piss off! Can’t you see I’m on my way to a funeral?"
"Right, right..."
Inside Jishi Medicine Hall, Chen Yi stood by the door, furtively observing the young Daoist’s distant antics. He couldn’t help but feel that something was strange.
’This is... Immortal Bai?’
Aside from his exceptional good looks, the young Daoist seemed no different from an ordinary person.
He looked frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him over, and gave off no fluctuations of the Heaven and Earth’s Spiritual Mechanism.
His every move had nothing in common with a ’revered master’.
If his intelligence hadn’t indicated otherwise, he never would have connected this young Daoist with "Immortal Bai."
Chen Yi muttered to himself for a moment, then discreetly circulated his True Essence and cast his Qi Observation Skill in the man’s direction.
The very instant his gaze fell upon the young Daoist...
A blinding, silvery-white light filled his entire field of vision, followed by a searing heat that stabbed into his eyes.
HISS.
Chen Yi reflexively squeezed his eyes shut as tears streamed from the corners.
’What was that?’
He had only managed a single glance, just enough to see what looked like a phantom silhouette overlaying the young Daoist’s body.
It was the silhouette of a figure with a blurred face, wearing a formal headpiece and a long, violet-gold robe, a small jade seal hanging from its waist.
It was this violet-gold figure that had sensed his gaze, causing the seal at its waist to erupt with that dazzling light.
The light had traced his Qi Observation Skill back to its source and injured his eyes.
’Is this the aura of the number one expert in Martial Arts?’
’Truly terrifying!’
Though inwardly horrified, Chen Yi did not make any sudden moves. Instead, he drew True Essence from his Forehead Acupoint Sea of Qi to repair the meridians around his eyes.
Fortunately, he had sensed something was wrong and closed his eyes just in time.
Otherwise, that one strike from the young Daoist... from Immortal Bai, would have been enough to severely injure his eyes.
’I wonder what Realm his Cultivation has reached.’
’The First Grade Realm? Or even higher?’
Chen Yi had no way of knowing.
But he was certain of one thing—Immortal Bai had discovered his probing gaze.
A wry smile inevitably touched his lips.
For the longest time, he had relied on his Qi Observation Skill to probe others’ auras, using it to judge their Cultivation and Technique Realm.
He never imagined it would be the very thing that exposed him today.
’Immortal Bai... I suppose it’s acceptable that the number one expert in the Great Wei Martial World would have such an ability.’
As he mulled this over, Chen Yi raised a hand to wipe the moisture from the corners of his eyes. He slowly opened them and looked toward Immortal Bai again.
But having learned his lesson, this time he was careful to use only his naked eyes.
Chen Yi expected to meet Immortal Bai’s gaze.
But to his surprise, Immortal Bai seemed completely oblivious, and was earnestly pulling someone aside, chattering incessantly.
Chen Yi was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he suddenly noticed the person at Immortal Bai’s side.
—Dressed in a lavish Official Robe and Official Hat, with a Jade Belt fastened at his waist. He carried himself with a magnificent air, and his face...
His face...
Who else could it be but Chen Yunfan!?
Immortal Bai paid no mind to Chen Yi’s spying. He tugged on Chen Yunfan’s sleeve and said with a smile,
"Sir Official, this humble Daoist sees your forehead is full and your bearing is extraordinary. Might I be permitted to perform a divination for you?"
Chen Yunfan was initially displeased, but his interest was piqued by the man’s words.
"Seeing as your handsome face is only a tiny bit inferior to my own, I’m sure you wouldn’t dare spin lies to deceive me."
"In that case, you can just give me a—"
Before Chen Yunfan could finish, a voice tinged with a mixture of delight and alarm called out from the side, "Brother!"
Hearing the voice, Chen Yunfan turned his head. "Brother Yi?"
"What are you doing in the East Market? I didn’t think you’d have the time."
"Oh, right, I remember. You managed to land a job as the Xiao Family’s Medicine Hall Master."
With that, Chen Yunfan left Immortal Bai behind and walked over to Chen Yi, beginning to lecture him.
"Look at you. For goodness’ sake, you’re an Instructor at Guiyun Academy, one of the Great Wei Dynasty’s most renowned masters of the Calligraphy Dao and Poetry. Why must you involve yourself in something as unseemly as commerce?"
Chen Yi nodded, his smile stiff. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Immortal Bai wore an equally rigid smile.
"Your lecture is sound, Brother. Why don’t you come inside the Medicine Hall and sit for a while?"
’Damn it.’
’Immortal Bai almost got what he wanted, all because I used my Qi Observation Skill.’
’Good thing I got here in time. Otherwise, if he’d delivered one of his prophecies... I don’t care if Chen Yunfan lives or dies, but I absolutely cannot get dragged into it!’
It wasn’t that Chen Yi was "superstitious."
It was just that all the stories he’d heard about Immortal Bai were simply too bizarre.
That, coupled with the phantom silhouette he had just witnessed...
He had no choice but to believe there was something to it.
Chen Yunfan froze at his words, looking him up and down suspiciously. "What’s this? Have you... had a change of heart?"
"You usually argue with me every step of the way. Why are you so agreeable today?"
Chen Yi didn’t respond, simply grabbing him and starting to pull him toward Jishi Medicine Hall.