Chapter 155 – Extra 16 – Sun Yunhe & Jiang Qi 1

It was early spring, with lush flowers and trees, and the mountains were painted with a light shade of green—a perfect time for a spring outing. At the halfway point of the mountain, a few people were gathered in a pavilion, either sitting or standing, but their expressions lacked the relaxed joy of leisure.

“Master Zeng, this matter is truly related to my father’s lifelong wish. Could you, for the sake of the elderly, come out of retirement once more? No matter the cost…”

Before he could finish, the old man with a goatee beside him grabbed his arm and shook his head, signaling him to stop talking about money. Reminded of the warning before coming up the mountain, the man immediately regretted his words and wished he could slap himself. What kind of place was this? His petty wealth was of no use here.

However, before the atmosphere in the pavilion could turn awkward, the person sitting on the stone chair opposite them chuckled softly and replied, “Uncle Yang, I’ve already stopped divining. You know my situation—I really can’t help with this.”

Though she was addressed as “Master,” the person speaking was indeed a woman. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she wore a light blue tie-dye dress. Her face was free of makeup, but her skin was startlingly pale, almost translucent, and her thin, frail frame made her seem as though a single touch could shatter her.

The old man hesitated for a moment before finally sighing. “Jingyun, Xiao Fan’s father did have a great favor with Sanliao Village. We’ve thought about this—could you make an exception just this once?”

“No,” the woman replied softly but firmly.

Hearing this, the man in a suit standing nearby furrowed his brow and snapped at the middle-aged man, “Dad, aren’t there other people in Sanliao? Why insist on begging this woman? She’s not even—”

“Shut your mouth!” the man roared, cutting off the disrespectful outburst, his forehead glistening with sweat.

The woman, however, wasn’t offended. She simply smiled and turned her gaze back to the old man sitting opposite her. After a long silence, the old man finally sighed, stood up, and nodded to her. “Take care of your health. I’ll come see you again soon.”

With that, the old man didn’t give the others a chance to speak further, pulling them along as he walked out of the pavilion. The man struggled briefly but couldn’t break free, so he quickly followed, still unwilling to give up. “Old Yang, it’s just this brat’s big mouth. Maybe I can plead with Master Zeng again? She might change her mind…”

Hearing this, the man in the suit couldn’t help but complain, “Dad, that woman looks like she’s on her last legs. Why insist on her? Isn’t there Old Yang?”

The man couldn’t hold back any longer and slapped the back of his son’s head, shouting in frustration, “That’s the ‘Yin-Yang Sage’! A talent that might not appear once in several generations! I’ve told you a hundred times to keep your mouth shut and not cause trouble, yet here you are, making a mess!”

He sighed heavily and turned to the old man, pleading, “Old Yang, what do you think…”

This time, Old Yang’s expression was indifferent. He merely snorted and said, “It seems you’re just unlucky. I’ll have my second son take care of it. He’s not as skilled as Zeng Jingyun, but in Sanliao Village, few can match him. I hope Mr. Fan doesn’t mind.”

There was a hint of displeasure in his tone, and the man surnamed Fan was momentarily stunned. He didn’t dare to be picky and immediately replied, “Not at all! No, I’m more than willing! I’ve long heard of Young Master Yang’s reputation. With your guidance, our family’s matter is surely in good hands…”

He piled on flattery, but Old Yang didn’t listen to a word. Instead, he glanced up the mountain with a worried expression. Such a remarkable talent might not appear in Sanliao for generations. It was a pity that fate was so unkind. Well, these things couldn’t be forced. It all depended on the future of that young man from the Zeng family.

As the group of irrelevant people descended the mountain, the pavilion fell silent once more. The warm spring breeze carried the sweet scent of flowers, refreshing the heart and mind. The woman closed her eyes, her fingers tapping the table with a slightly hurried rhythm, yet her expression remained serene, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as if deep in thought.

At this moment, the young man who had been standing silently behind her suddenly stepped forward and approached the table. “Sister!”

The woman’s tapping fingers immediately stopped. She let out a soft “ah” and opened her eyes, smiling. “Ah Xuan, I wasn’t divining. I was just tapping casually.”

Zeng Jingxuan’s expression didn’t soften. How could he not know that her tapping was actually a form of divination called “tapping the Heavenly Stem”? Truly skilled diviners sometimes didn’t even need tools—their fingers were the best instruments. But the doctor’s warnings had been issued several times already, and she couldn’t afford to exhaust herself with divination.

Seeing her younger brother’s silence, Zeng Jingyun’s smile deepened. She spoke softly, “I’ve really stopped. I’ve said all that needs to be said. I just want to spend more time with Xiao Qi.”

However, these words only darkened Zeng Jingxuan’s expression further. He didn’t know what his sister had said to her husband. The most important divinations were never shared with anyone outside the diviner, but he was certain that his sister had many secrets and that the divination had drained the last of her life force. Now, she was like a candle on the verge of burning out, flickering weakly but still holding on.

Zeng Jingyun, however, showed no signs of anxiety. Instead, she took out a small cloth bag and handed it to her brother. “I happened to bring this today. Here, take it. Now can you rest easy?”

Recognizing the contents of the bag, Zeng Jingxuan’s body trembled slightly, and he looked up sharply. “Sister, how can you give this to me?!”

Though the bag was still wrapped, Zeng Jingxuan knew exactly what was inside. His sister’s personally crafted Feng Shui compass, her book of divination, and a Yin-Yang lock—a ritual instrument she had spent a lifetime nurturing. These were items of life-or-death importance to a diviner. By handing them over, she was clearly preparing for the end.

“Since I’ve stopped divining, keeping these is just for show,” Zeng Jingyun said with a light blink, “Don’t tell your brother-in-law yet, okay?”

Zeng Jingxuan bit his lower lip, clutching the cloth bag tightly. His eyes were slightly red, but Zeng Jingyun reached out and patted his arm. “Ah Xuan, everyone has their own fate. Even if you can change your destiny for a while, it’s only creating more karma. I’ve done everything I wanted to do. I have no regrets.”

Her voice was gentle but firm, making Zeng Jingxuan’s nose sting even more, and he was on the verge of tears. At that moment, footsteps sounded on the mountain path. Both siblings looked up to see two figures approaching—one tall and one small. The taller one wore a blue shirt similar to Zeng Jingyun’s, his features clear and his posture upright. His gait carried a natural rhythm, exuding an air of ease. The smaller one struggled to carry a large bouquet of flowers, stumbling along behind the man. Even from a distance, the bright smile on his face was unmistakable.

Zeng Jingyun also smiled and raised her voice slightly, asking happily, “Are those flowers for me?”

“Mom!” The little boy seemed eager to run faster, but the flowers in his arms were too much to handle. He tried to hold them together while quickening his pace, only to end up looking even more disheveled. The man beside him finally shifted his gaze from his wife to the boy, his brow quirking slightly. He bent down, picked up the child, and walked briskly toward the pavilion.

Perhaps because he was being carried or because he was excited about the flowers, the boy’s cheeks were flushed. As soon as they reached the pavilion, he wriggled out of his father’s arms and held up the bouquet. Since the flowers had been picked by hand, some stems were longer than others. As soon as they left the boy’s arms, the flowers began to scatter to the ground. However, Zeng Jingyun didn’t immediately take the bouquet. Instead, she smiled and asked, “Are these from you or your dad?”

The boy was momentarily confused. “Can’t they be from both? Dad picked a lot of them…”

Hearing this, Zeng Jingyun’s smile widened. She happily took the flowers and kissed her son’s cheek. “Of course they can be from both. Mom is so happy~”

After kissing her son, she tilted her head slightly and gestured to her husband with her lips. The man obediently bent down, allowing his wife to plant a kiss on his cheek as well. The scent of flowers and the sound of laughter seemed to lighten the shadow that lingered in his brow, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. But once the smile faded, he reached out to feel his wife’s forehead and said softly, “It’s been a whole morning. It’s time to go home.”

Zeng Jingyun didn’t object. Instead, she turned to her son and said, “I’m going to steal him from you now. On the way down, your dad will carry me~”

The little boy didn’t seem jealous. Instead, he said earnestly, “I can walk down by myself! When I grow up, I’ll carry Mom down too!”

“Alright, I’ll let you carry me then,” Zeng Jingyun said with a light laugh, ruffling her son’s hair. She opened her arms, and the man gently picked her up, one arm supporting her back and the other under her knees—a perfect princess carry. In front of her son and brother, Zeng Jingyun showed no embarrassment. Instead, she whispered something into her husband’s ear. He simply shook his head and said softly, “Don’t be silly.”

Without looking back, the two walked out of the pavilion and headed down the mountain toward the village. Zeng Jingxuan felt as though the scene before him had burned his eyes. He quickly averted his gaze and took a deep breath, only to meet the curious eyes of the little boy. Startled, Zeng Jingxuan adjusted his expression and smiled. “Xiao Qi, do you want Uncle to carry you?”

The boy shook his head. “I can walk by myself!”

After running around for so long, a 4- or 5-year-old child would naturally be tired, but Zeng Jingxuan didn’t point that out. Instead, he gestured to the two figures walking ahead. “Or I could carry you, and we’ll catch up to them and walk together?”

Weighing his options, the boy finally nodded, though he seemed a bit shy. Zeng Jingxuan didn’t hesitate and scooped up his nephew. The boy’s body was warm and soft, but the small bag hidden in his pocket felt cold and unignorable. Zeng Jingxuan closed his eyes briefly, then held the child tightly and strode after the two figures who were already some distance away.

&&&

“So these are the things your sister used? You’re not going to use them yourself? Why give them to Wei Yang, that kid…” Yao Wei looked curiously at the items in the cloth bag. The bag had clearly been around for a long time, its color faded, and the items inside seemed ordinary at first glance. But these were the relics of the previous generation’s Yin-Yang Sage. Even without any knowledge of Feng Shui, Yao Wei knew how precious these ritual instruments were. Wasn’t it a waste to give such treasures to that little charlatan?

Zeng Jingxuan replied calmly, “She never mentioned giving these to my brother-in-law or keeping them for me. Perhaps she was waiting for this day. Ah Yang has good potential—he should be able to inherit her legacy.”

Yao Wei looked at him in surprise. “Your sister foresaw this back then?”

Zeng Jingxuan was silent for a moment before finally shaking his head. “What she divined was likely just the outline of the great calamity. That’s why she had my brother-in-law take Xiao Qi for training early. If she could’ve foreseen the future with precision, she might not have done this.”

She wouldn’t have let her beloved husband die, nor would she have let her precious son lose his soul. She hadn’t seen so much, as even the most skilled diviner couldn’t predict everything about their own fate. She had simply chosen the best possible outcome, one that, while it hadn’t saved Zhang Huaiyan, had preserved Zhang Xiuqi’s life and saved countless others.

Yao Wei, who knew some of the details, wrapped an arm around Zeng Jingxuan and rested his head on his shoulder like a spoiled child. “It’s fine. I’ve been pretty free lately. Let’s go teach that kid together. Heh, I’ve never tried teaching anyone before.”

“With your half-baked Mao Mountain Sect skills? You haven’t made much progress in ten years,” Zeng Jingxuan said, the sternness on his face gradually softening into a gentle smile as he was held tightly.

“Ah, or maybe you could teach me first?” Yao Wei, never one to miss an opportunity, immediately took the chance to tease.

Zeng Jingxuan chuckled softly and pushed him away, carefully rewrapping the cloth bag. The past was still vivid in his mind, but it no longer weighed heavily on him. He no longer needed to follow in the footsteps of those two.

Seeing the faint smile lines at the corners of his lover’s eyes, Yao Wei also grinned and stretched lazily, his tone filled with pride. “The high-speed rail has started offering private cabins recently. Let’s book a soft sleeper and travel back in comfort.”

Zeng Jingxuan understood his intentions perfectly but didn’t object. Instead, he reached out and ruffled Yao Wei’s hair before striding out of the study. Yao Wei’s heart fluttered, and he quickly followed, not missing a step. On the desk, the small cloth bag lay quietly, just as it had in the past.