Chapter 9: The King of Diviners

"Impossible. There is no way my calculation was wrong. My lord, just arrest me."

Bu Weiwei was a stubborn girl. She pressed her hands together, presenting herself like a lamb ready for the slaughter.

"..."

Qin Xi took a deep breath to steady his emotions.

"Jiang Baiqiu, let's go. Let's find someone else to talk to; this kid is beyond help."

Jiang Baiqiu took a look at Bu Weiwei and held a different opinion. "I think this kid has boundless potential."

"You're beyond help, too."

Just as Qin Xi turned to leave, Bu Weiwei spoke up.

"So... you two really aren't constables?"

"We are not."

Bu Weiwei’s expression went blank. "Did I really calculate it wrong? That shouldn't be... that's impossible..."

"If you're not happy unless I arrest you, fine." Qin Xi made a gesture toward the city gates. "There are some over there..."

Before he could finish, his mouth was firmly covered by Bu Weiwei's hands.

"No, no, no..."

Of course, Qin Xi wasn't stupid enough to actually lure the city guards over; he was just trying to scare her.

*Gurgle...*

A mournful sound erupted from Bu Weiwei’s stomach.

Qin Xi pulled her hands away. "How about we go get something to eat first?"

...

"Travelers, are you here for a meal or a room?" The waiter wiped his sweat with a towel, eyeing the three guests who had just arrived.

"A meal, for three," Qin Xi replied. He then turned his head to look at Jiang Baiqiu and spoke to her through their mental connection: "Do you need to eat?"

"Of course I do!"

"But doesn't me eating mean you're eating?"

"It’s not the same! Other people's spiritual roots need spiritual stones for maintenance, but me eating is enough. I’m already saving you a lot of money!"

"..."

That actually made some sense.

"Fine, fine..." Qin Xi turned back to the waiter. "Bring us a pot of tea first, and then bring over the menu. I’ll order a few dishes."

"Coming right up!"

After the three of them sat down, Qin Xi spoke to Bu Weiwei first.

"So, you came here because you were attending the immortal sect selection?"

"Yes. Originally, I just wanted to join a sect to cultivate, but now, to save my life, I have to join one." Bu Weiwei lowered her head, poking at her fingers. "In the territory of the Great Qi, having committed such a major offense, perhaps only by joining one of the most powerful sects can I avoid the search and keep my life."

"The major sects have autonomous territories within the Great Qi, so the Great Qi's constables have no authority over them. Besides, once one embarks on the path of immortality and gains sufficient ability, one can travel the world freely. As long as one's cultivation is high enough, the constables won't necessarily be able to catch you."

"Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul... as long as I become a Golden Core master, the Great Qi won't be able to do anything to me."

Qin Xi nodded upon hearing this. What Bu Weiwei said was quite insightful. His own situation was even worse than hers; perhaps joining a major sect really was the best choice.

Compared to killing an eagle, killing a prince was certainly a much bigger deal.

Qin Xi took the lead in the conversation and asked, "So, which sect do you plan to join?"

Bu Weiwei took a sip of tea to moisten her throat. "In this world, the notable immortal sects are divided into three categories: the Ten Heavenly Stem Sects, the Twelve Earthly Branch Sects, and the even more mysterious Six Beast Sects, which are named after six divine beasts."

"The sects ranked by the Heavenly Stems recruit disciples once every sixty years, while those ranked by the Earthly Branches recruit once every twelve years."

"As for the Six Beast Sects... it is said they do not actively recruit. Joining them depends entirely on fate."

Qin Xi nodded, but then added, "In that case, running into the entrance examinations for these sects is quite difficult. Whether it's sixty years or twelve, it's hard for us to just happen upon them."

"If I were just relying on luck, would I have risked starving to death to come to the Imperial Capital?" Bu Weiwei shook her finger. "I naturally gathered some intelligence before daring to come here!"

"Oh? Do tell." Qin Xi was intrigued. It seemed a sect was recruiting nearby.

"As far as I know, the Daqian Sect, one of the Ten Heavenly Stem Sects, is about to begin its entrance examination, and the location is Yuebei City! It's just that my hometown is a bit remote, and I really didn't have the money to buy a map, so I wasn't quite sure where Yuebei City was..."

"But I can divine! According to my divination, Yuebei City seemed to be quite close to the Imperial Capital. Coincidentally, someone from our Bu Family Village had just returned from the Imperial Capital, so I asked him how to get there." Bu Weiwei was very proud of her thriftiness in using divination.

Qin Xi’s smile stiffened. "...You're saying you used divination to locate this Yuebei City?"

"That’s right."

Qin Xi waved his hand. "Waiter."

"Coming, sir! What is it?"

"Do you know where Yuebei City is?" Qin Xi asked.

"Yuebei City? Sounds familiar. Our boss has traveled all over the Great Qi; let me go ask him."

A moment later, the waiter returned.

"The boss said that Yuebei City is hundreds of thousands of miles away from our Imperial Capital! Yuebei is in the far west of the Great Qi, and our capital is in the east. If we ordinary people were to walk, we wouldn't make it in this lifetime!"

Qin Xi turned his head and asked, "Are you... really capable of divination?"

"I... I definitely am!" Bu Weiwei’s face turned red. "If you don't believe me, I'll show you!"

Qin Xi clicked his tongue. "How will you prove it?"

"How about this: you order any dish, and don't tell me what it is. I can use divination to calculate what you ordered!" Bu Weiwei felt her ancestral skills being challenged, and she sounded quite anxious.

"But the money..." Qin Xi pretended to shake his head regretfully. "Pity, I have no money."

"I'll pay!"

Bu Weiwei endured the heartache as she laid out her last fifty copper coins, then drew a line through them and pushed half toward Qin Xi.

This was her final stash of money, intended to buy something nice to replenish her strength before the Daqian Sect examination... but for the dignity of the Bu Family Village, she had to do this!

"Oh? Then I'll order." Qin Xi took the menu from the waiter and scanned it a few times. "This one is cheap. I'll take this."

"Coming right up, sir!"

Jiang Baiqiu also took a look at what Qin Xi had ordered, and her eyes began to light up. "That looks delicious."

Seeing that the waiter had left, Bu Weiwei slammed her hand onto the table. "Six lines of the Plum Blossom Divination, the Eight Characters of Ziwei, and the Great Six Ren... this time, I shall use the Plum Blossom Numerology!"

She glanced at the other diners in the shop and then looked up at the ceiling. "Excluding our table, all the other tables have lone diners. That makes one, and there are six tables in total. That makes six."

Jiang Baiqiu interjected at this moment, "Little girl, isn't divination just asking the Heavenly Dao questions? I'm familiar with the Heavenly Dao. Do you want me to ask for you? If I ask, it will definitely tell me."

Ignoring Jiang Baiqiu’s presumptuous words, Bu Weiwei earnestly recited to herself:

"Qian is one, Dui is two, Li is three, Zhen is four, Xun is five, Kan is six, Gen is seven, Kun is eight."

"One and six, Upper Qian and Lower Kan, that is the Heaven-Water Song hexagram!"

"Kan represents water, which proves this dish is something that swims in water. That narrows it down to food related to water!"

Qin Xi’s eyes widened, and he gasped. The girl was very close!

"Qian represents white, which proves the object is white. Seafood, white... what kind of meat is white? I can completely lock onto the target." Bu Weiwei’s triumphant smile spread across her face.

"White..."

Jiang Baiqiu, standing by, also nodded thoughtfully. It was indeed white.

"Fish meat, isn't it white?" Bu Weiwei’s attitude became certain. "The dish you ordered is a fish!"

...

Looking at the smoked duck on the table, Bu Weiwei fell into deep thought.

"Ducks swim in water; I can testify to that." Qin Xi tore off a duck leg and polished it off in three bites.

"Mm, yes, that duck was indeed white before its feathers were plucked." Jiang Baiqiu also nodded in agreement, taking the opportunity to snatch the other duck leg and stuff it into her mouth.

Watching the duck on the table being dismantled with lightning speed, Bu Weiwei began to doubt her own existence.

Could it be that she was truly incapable of ever getting a calculation right?

*Gurgle, gurgle.*

Bu Weiwei’s stomach growled again.

She suddenly realized the smoked duck on the table had been mostly devoured by the two "Heavenly Demons." She could not hesitate any longer.

"Leave some for me!"