Chapter 112: Down on Luck 2

"They've reached the foot of the mountain and plan to ascend tomorrow morning."

"Send someone down with a message or to guide them here tonight! Tell them Immortal Lake had a catch of several thousand pounds of fish tonight, and we're preparing an all-fish banquet. Invite them to come quickly and sample it." Lu Yao chuckled, "Those bastards at the foot of the mountain can only eat coarse grains. Won't their mouths be watering when they hear that?"

In fact, these men had fled from Woling Pass. Along the way, they hadn't dared to loot freely, for fear of attracting local attention and triggering a coordinated multi-region pursuit. Consequently, their provisions had been consistently poor, and combined with flagging morale, everyone was dispirited.

"When you deliver the message, speak loudly, ensuring as many people hear it as possible. That way, Wu and Pei's men will clamor, and their commanders won't be able to delay their ascent even if they wanted to."

The "rebel army" had suffered an unprecedented rout, and the commanders' prestige had plummeted. In this situation, where leaders were weak and soldiers strong, discipline had collapsed, and superiors found it difficult to control their subordinates. If soldiers became discontent, felt wronged, or lost faith in their leaders, they were prone to mutiny. In such times, generals had to consider the needs and feelings of their subordinates. Otherwise, the men would disperse, leading to mass desertion, or, in the worst-case scenario, the assassination of their commanders and seizure of power.

The confidant acknowledged and was about to leave when Lu Yao suddenly added, "Do not mention that government troops are coming up the mountain. Crucially, do not mention it!"

These were critical times, and the routed troops harbored a deep-seated fear of government forces. If Wu and Pei knew government troops were present, they might reconsider their ascent.

***

The room was crowded, so He Lingchuan stepped out for some fresh air and to re-familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain, ensuring he had a clear understanding of the area. Tonight promised trouble, and this village would likely be the next battlefield.

The earlier clamor had subsided, and Immortal Village was now bathed in the evening breeze. Were it not for the constant movement of patrolling guards, no one would have guessed that major events were about to unfold in this small mountain village.

He walked past the Water Spirit Shrine. Even the best building in the entire village was unremarkable in the thick night. The shrine wasn't large, but it was built squarely and symmetrically. Its location was also excellent, with its back to the mountains and facing the vast, shimmering lake.

Then, he heard a "clatter," like something had been knocked over, smashing to the floor and rolling twice.

He Lingchuan stopped and asked, "Who?"

The Water Spirit Shrine was silent, only its large doors stood wide open, like a gaping maw. Could ruthless bandits be hiding inside?

He Lingchuan glanced around, requested a torch from a patrolling guard, and with his hand on his sword hilt, walked inside. What was there to fear? The Water Spirit Shrine was in the east of the village, now firmly government territory.

The shrine was not small; it featured a main offering hall at the front, an assembly area at the back, and smaller annexes on either side serving as living quarters for the caretaker and storage areas. The bandits had previously hidden weapons beneath the altar, but they had retrieved them all after their split from the government troops.

He Lingchuan walked around the shrine with his torch. There was no one, not even a stray creature. The floor was covered in footprints, likely left by the bandits earlier.

Then, he saw a divination cylinder lying on the ground in front of the altar, its fortune-telling sticks scattered haphazardly. The sound he had heard earlier must have been this object hitting the ground. Perhaps a cat had knocked it over?

He Lingchuan recalled what Madam Zhu had said: the divination sticks at the Water Spirit Shrine had once been very accurate. So many people sought prophecies that the Water Spirit grew weary and eventually forbade people from asking about their fortunes.

He instinctively reached to pick up the cylinder, but halfway bent down, he suddenly realized something was off: *What am I doing?* The Water Spirit is gone, so what's the point of picking these up? Besides, the old tortoise hadn't offered divinations even when it was alive.

As He Lingchuan was about to straighten up, he suddenly noticed a single stick lodged in a carved crevice of the offering table, directly beneath his eyes, pointing towards his nose. It was practically touching his face. The stick was crimson red; even in the dim light, it was impossible to miss.

He pulled out the stick, realizing it wasn't stained with blood, but painted entirely red. Reading the small characters on it, He Lingchuan muttered a curse under his breath.

At the very top of the stick were two words: *Utterly Inauspicious*.

Below that, he saw a verse: *A cuckoo in a magpie's nest, toiling for another's gain.*

He Lingchuan's hand trembled as he read the line of text. He ignored the latter phrase for a moment, but the four characters for "cuckoo in a magpie's nest" struck him like a lightning bolt, piercing him to the core. He was a soul from another world, yet he had taken over "He Lingchuan"'s body. Wasn't that exactly what the idiom meant?

He Lingchuan looked up at the altar. Had the Water Spirit truly died? It didn't seem so. Or was this stick simply a coincidence?

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind him, and He Yue's voice called out, "Brother, what are you doing?"

He Lingchuan turned around to see Madam Ying, He Yue, and Madam Zhu approaching, with Maotao following behind them.

"Why are you out here?"

"The captives you seized are currently being tortured in the back kitchen," Madam Ying replied, glancing at the divination cylinder on the ground. "I couldn't bear it. Are you seeking a divination?"

"This divination cylinder was sealed up ages ago," Madam Zhu commented, then, noticing the stick in He Lingchuan's hand, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise. "How did Young Master end up with this *utterly inauspicious* stick!" The *utterly inauspicious* sticks from Immortal Village's Water Spirit Shrine were crimson, and she recognized it instantly.

"*Utterly inauspicious*?" Madam Ying and He Yue both flinched. Madam Ying instinctively snatched the stick from He Lingchuan's hand before he could even react. "What does this mean?" Madam Ying asked, unable to make sense of the meaning.

He Yue leaned over and read it aloud, pondering for a moment before shaking his head.

Maotao gathered the scattered sticks from the ground and returned them to the cylinder. He Lingchuan held out his hand to him. "Give it to me."

Madam Zhu immediately interjected, "Young Master, the Water Spirit is gone; the divinations are no longer effective."

He knew that, but he still wanted to try once more. He Lingchuan held the cylinder, muttering to himself, then shook it vigorously.

*Clatter!* A stick tumbled out. Before it even hit the ground, everyone clearly saw its color — crimson.

He Yue quickly picked it up and, by the light of the torch, read aloud: "*My body, a cage; this hatred, only death can quell!*"

Another *utterly inauspicious* stick!

Everyone exchanged glances, and He Lingchuan's face darkened. Wasn't one of these accursed things enough? What did "My body, a cage" mean?

Zhu Xiuer, watching nearby, felt even more strongly that this stick truly described her own current predicament. But why had Young Master He drawn it? What did "cage" have to do with someone as free and domineering as him? Let alone a hatred that would only vanish upon death.

"I've never heard of anyone being this unlucky," Maotao couldn't help but say. "Young Master, is there something wrong with this cylinder?"

He Lingchuan clenched his fist. The local Water Spirit had met its own unfortunate end; could divining still be effective? Was someone secretly messing with him?

He Yue snatched the divination cylinder. "Let me try."

Madam Ying fearfully grabbed her beloved son's arm. "No! This thing is terribly ominous."

"The art of divination is inherently mysterious," He Yue said with a smile. "Don't worry, Mother, my luck has always been good." With that, he shook it a few times.

A stick fell to the ground; it was a plain bamboo stick. He Lingchuan picked it up and saw it was a *moderately auspicious* stick.

"Oh, yours is quite good."