"What a night, to meet such a beauty," the young master closed his fan and continued sighing, "All my good luck in this life is not enough, I'll have to use up my luck from the next life in advance."

As he spoke, he knocked the fan handle on his servant boy's head again, "Can't even blink your eyes, snap out of it."

By then, that person had already walked up to them.

As white as snow on the mountains, as bright as the moon in the clouds.

Chen Weichen thought, there was only one flaw - those eyes, that sword, that bearing, that aura, all exuded a cold murderous intent, what a pity for such an otherworldly, exquisite and intelligent countenance.

He smiled, "Many thanks to the immortal lord for saving my life. I, a mere mortal, have no way to repay, I wonder if..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

"Hand it over."

The voice was like the person, icy and frosty, startling the plum blossoms into a twilight snow - Chen Weichen's mind was filled with inappropriate romantic thoughts. He was so engrossed in savoring and pondering the voice that when he came to his senses, he realized he had no idea what the "beauty" had said.

"I was momentarily dazed and didn't hear clearly. Could the immortal lord please repeat it?" He asked shyly.

Beside him, Wen Hui almost wanted to bury himself in the sand - in all the times he had lost face following his young master, big and small, this situation now could be considered the biggest loss of face.

"Hand it over." That person really did repeat it, seeming a bit displeased, his gaze stopping on the warm, lustrous white object in Chen Weichen's hand.

Just when Wen Hui thought his young master would obediently present it with both hands in front of the beauty, he saw Chen Weichen change from his previous manner to be like a hooligan.

"I won't," his tone was matter-of-fact, "I picked this up."

That person's voice was cold, "It belongs to me."

"I clearly saw it come from the sea, it's an ownerless object."

"This item is called Annihilation Incense," that person said to Chen Weichen, "If kept on your person for a long time, it will disrupt your fortune, bring you misfortune, and you will not die well."

"I'm sorry," Chen Weichen's eyes curved slightly as he smiled freely, "I've had misfortune by my side since I was young, a little more makes no difference."

That person looked at him, slightly furrowing his brows, "You..."

Before he could finish, a black shadow pounced towards Chen Weichen, carrying a vicious murderous aura.

Chen Weichen let out a miserable cry and closed his eyes.

But he wasn't injured as expected. The white-robed person in front of him had blocked it with his sword sheath. The thing rolled a few times on the ground - it was a rather fat black cat, its tail raised high towards Chen Weichen, fur bristling.

Chen Weichen: "..."

A voice came from the distance, "Qingyuan, Xie Qingyuan - why did you run so fast, your elder brother can't keep up!"

It seemed to be calling the cat's name.

"Qingyuan - what a waste of this name," Chen Weichen, relying on the cold beauty beside him exuding an aura that prevented the cat from attacking again, sized it up, "Short legs, fat body, no neck to speak of, it should be called Heiyuan."

*T/N: The 'Qing' in Qingyuan means 'light', while Heiyuan means 'black and round'

From the distance, a person dressed as a Daoist priest in a silver-gray robe and holding a horsetail whisk came stumbling over. Arriving, he saw the water and let out an "ah" in fright.

"To turn the sea water to ice for ten miles in all directions, this demon most likely has already reached the second level of the Heavenly Realm! This humble Daoist is unable to suppress it."

He saw a young woman dressed as a villager to the side and respectfully saluted, "Miss, I'm truly sorry. This demon is beyond what this humble Daoist can handle. Please inform the village chief that this humble Daoist will go seek a second level Heavenly Realm expert..."

So this was the immortal the villagers had summoned using the ancient method.

"Immortal," the young woman pointed to the seaside, "Someone has already killed the demon."

Chen Weichen glanced over at the young woman. The Daoist priest looked very young and delicate.

Could it be... a cat demon? He muttered to himself, recalling how it had said "elder brother".

The Daoist priest walked a few steps towards the seaside, puzzled, "Huh - why is there sword intent in the ice?"

Looking up, he saw three people and a cat under the ice.

This young Daoist priest saw the white-robed man and froze.

Chen Weichen opened his fan with false bravado, fanning himself while watching the situation unfold.

"Ye, Ye, Ye..."

A single "Ye" stuttered for a long time, but couldn't continue.

Chen Weichen unabashedly nudged that person's arm with his elbow, "Hey, Immortal Lord, your surname is Ye - could it be that you're the legendary..."

This scene seemed to stimulate the Daoist priest, who finally called out that person's title.

"Sect Leader Ye!"

That person's expression didn't change, calmly saying, "Marquis Langran."

"Sect Leader, you actually still remember me!" The Daoist priest was overjoyed. He picked up the black cat from the ground, put it in his arms, and stroked its fur fiercely a few times to calm himself, "What are you doing here?"

"Young Master," Wen Hui leaned over, woodenly saying, "I heard him say Marquis Langran."

"I heard," the young master nodded, "I also heard Sect Leader Ye."

"Young Master, we're finished. Even the next life's luck isn't enough," Wen Hui patted his chest to calm his breathing, "You used up the luck for your next eight lives tonight."

"The old cripple said, looking at my fate, in a year I'll die either way. But tonight at Cang Lang Cliff I have an immortal destiny," the young master said, "Go back and tell my father to take in the old cripple, feed and serve him well for a lifetime."

As they were whispering back and forth, that white-robed man turned to Chen Weichen, "What do you want?"

Chen Weichen said, "Ye Jiuya, you teach me cultivation, and I'll give you the Annihilation Incense."

Ye Jiuya's eyes were like cold pools, "You know my name?"

"Of course," he smiled, "You immortals, one Emperor, Three Lords, Fourteen Marquises. Besides them, there is also a Ye Jiuya, known as 'Master of the Sword Pavilion, a Lord beyond Lords'. There's no one who doesn't know of you - which storyteller in the mortal realm doesn't tell your tales?"

"This young master," Marquis Langran, also known as Daoist Xie Lang, after placating the black cat that was glaring fiercely at Chen Weichen, said to him, "Pardon my bluntness, but my junior sister is most sensitive to fortune. The Annihilation Incense affects fortune and steals fate. Even I don't dare touch it. If you hold it, sooner or later you'll die a violent death. It's best to hand it over to Sect Leader Ye soon."

Chen Weichen was still smiling, his eyes shimmering, giving off an air of limitless charm and romanticism.

"Daoist, I've already heard this once," he said, "Why don't you calculate my fortune yourself?"

Xie Lang asked for his birth date and time, looked him up and down a few times, then closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath.

When he opened his eyes, he said hesitantly, "You..."

Chen Weichen smiled, "Me?"

Xie Lang shook his head with a complex expression.

Chen Weichen's expression remained relaxed: "From childhood until now, whenever a fortune teller was invited, there was only one result."

He waved the Annihilation Incense in front of Ye Jiuya: "Swordmaster Ye, if you take me to cultivate immortality, just one year will do. I won't bring you misfortune for too long. My surname is Chen, given name Weichen, the 'Weichen' from 'Majestic Kunlun, tiny speck of dust'. The fortune tellers said that no matter what, I won't live past twenty - I'm nineteen this year, and want to see the world before I die. After one year, I'll return this item to you, I absolutely won't go back on my word."

Seeing that he himself had no sadness, the Daoist also put away his earlier expression. Scratching the black cat's ear in his arms, he said with a grin: "This young master is quite interesting. With the end approaching, instead of eating well, drinking well, and enjoying fragrant beauties at home, you insist on taking the coldest, most bitter path."

"Daoist, to be honest," the young master closed his fan, the gilded patterns on the handle were exquisitely crafted without a hint of crudeness, instead adding a touch of elegance and charm.

"The riches of the mortal world are truly meaningless. I have an older brother above and a younger sister below. My parents don't need support, so I'm left with just one desire - since childhood I've heard storytellers speak of gods, demons, monsters, and Buddhas, and want to take a look at the immortal path." Under the moonlight, he played with that lustrous, pure Annihilation Incense, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Just as I was thinking this, the item delivered itself into my hands. I also met two people who only exist in stories. It is truly the right time, the right fate. I can't help but act shamelessly and unreasonably this once."

The immortal path and mortal path have nothing to do with each other - this is absolutely true in both word and reality.

Orthodox immortal sect disciples believe in fortune, revere the Heavenly Dao, and wholeheartedly slay demons and eliminate devils. They must not be involved in mundane affairs, and especially must not harm the lives of mortals.

If Chen Weichen was determined to keep the item for himself, Ye Jiuya would be helpless, unless he waited for the man to die on his own. But if this unruly young master passed it to someone else before his death, it would be another troublesome matter.

"Meeting Xie Lang today means you have an affinity with immortals," Ye Jiuya said indifferently, "I cultivate the sword, and am not considered someone on the immortal path. I cannot guide you."

He looked at Xie Lang: "Marquis Langran, I'll have to trouble you."

Xie Lang's eyes darted around, delight appearing on his brow: "To have Swordmaster Ye owe me a favor is truly a stroke of good fortune I could never hope for. This Young Master Chen understands life and death, and seems to have the roots of wisdom - it's not a loss at all."

Wen Hui watched unblinkingly as Xie Lang put down the cat and pressed the five fingers of his right hand against Chen Weichen's forehead.

Chen Weichen's gaze immediately turned vacant.

Xie Lang began to ask questions.

The initial questions were all things like "What is emptiness", "What is guarding the one", "What is valuing softness". The servant standing to the side thought to himself that he could understand and even answer some of them. But later, things like "The Dao produces principles" and "Softness is the firmness of the Dao" were added. At this point, he couldn't understand a single word.

But that finger of Xie Lang's seemed to have a unique effect. Each time a question was asked, his family's young master would begin to answer, almost without any thought.

After Xie Lang had asked over a hundred questions, he finally lowered his hand. The clarity gradually returned to Chen Weichen's eyes.

He saw Xie Lang sizing him up with a strange look.

"Young Master Chen, there's something I don't know if I should say."

The helpless Wen Hui beside them covered his forehead with his hand. As soon as he heard this, he knew that his family's young master's unprecedented good luck tonight had likely come to an end.

Chen Weichen: "Please speak."

"Although you have an affinity with immortals and do not lack in talent, you don't have the slightest bit of enlightened wisdom. You will be unable to attain the Dao in this lifetime." Xie Lang frowned, a difficult expression on his face, and looked at Ye Jiuya: "Swordmaster Ye, what should be done about this?"

Author's Note:

Young Master Chen's score on the "Cultivation World IQ Test" was: Fail.