The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 401

Chapter 401: Chapter 397: Cast a divination Chapter 401: Chapter 397: Cast a divination “Daoist Master, you truly are a living immortal. I was disrespectful before, please, come inside for a seat!” He sighed in relief, seeing the fire in the backyard brought under control, and then hurriedly invited the white-robed old Taoist inside with the utmost respect.

“Old Immortal, you truly possess great divine powers. I would like to invite you to my home to examine the feng shui!”

“Daoist Master, my son is about to take the imperial examination soon. Would you be so kind as to predict his future prospects?”

“Daoist Master, my daughter is already twenty-three this year and yet unwed. Could you figure out where her suitable husband might be?”

Other onlookers also swarmed toward the white-robed old Taoist, showing a look of reverence, forming a large circle around him.

Shen Luo went downstairs, left a small piece of silver at the counter, strode out without giving a single glance at the white-robed old Taoist.

The fire in the backyard was no accident. When the white-robed old Taoist was divining with a copper coin, a sneaky person outside the backyard had thrown a fire-starter into it, igniting the pile of firewood in the yard.

He had matters at hand now and had no mind to pay attention to others. As for such a street-side scammer, he couldn't be bothered to expose him.

After leaving the Red Xiang Pub, Shen Luo headed straight to a local inn for lodging.

People were busily coming and going throughout the county town in daylight, which was not a good time to look for the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk. He planned to start the search at night.

Shen Luo rented an upper room, and after instructing the inn-keeper not to disturb him casually, he sat down next to the bed, took off the green small bag from his waist and opened it.

With a “swish” sound, a purple shadow shot out from inside and landed on his shoulder. It was the Shadow Gu.

“Little Purple, I'm afraid I'm going to have to rely on your nose tonight to look for something.” Shen Luo stretched out his hand, patted the head of the Shadow Gu, and said.

The purple lizard saw Shen Luo's finger pointing at it, not only did it not dodge, but it even moved its head closer. It was incredibly obedient, and it was evident that it had completely submitted.

The Shadow Gu was what he had prepared. According to the Jade Slip of Dreamland, although the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk was sealed in a large stone, the Shadow Gu's sense of smell was extremely keen, so it should be able to sniff it out without him actually having to dig up stones for inspection.

The only thing to worry about was that the Shadow Gu needed to memorize a scent before it could follow it accurately. He had no way of obtaining a piece of Thousand-Year Spirit Milk for it to smell in advance.

Moreover, Gu insects were different from monsters; they had extremely low spiritual wisdom. He couldn't use language to describe what it should look for, which was a bit troublesome.

“Forget it, if this gu insect smells a spiritual item like the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk, it will definitely react differently. There's no need to worry too much.” Shen Luo muttered to himself, cut his finger to squeeze out a drop of fresh blood to feed the Shadow Gu, and then put it back into the small bag.

He then sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

Time passed quickly, night fell, and the bustling Tang Qiu County City soon fell into a deep sleep, all noises stopped.

Shen Luo got up, quietly left the inn, and quickly arrived at the east of the city.

The Thousand-Year Spirit Milk was a matter of life and death for him, so he couldn't take any chances. He planned to start from here and investigate each of the distinguished families one by one.

Shen Luo looked around and quickly fixed his gaze on a courtyard with a particularly high gate. He walked over quietly and began to inspect the ground in front of the gate.

The Shadow Gu was also released by him, resting on his shoulder, using its sense of smell to explore.

A night passed very quickly.

Because the jade slip only stated that the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk was found outside a door, it did not specify whether it was outside the front door, the back door, or any other door.

Fearing to miss out, Shen Luo searched very carefully. He only managed to investigate about thirty households during the night.

Compared to the huge number of households in Tang Qiu County City that needed to be explored, he had only covered less than one percent.

After daybreak, it was no longer suitable for Shen Luo to continue snooping around by hopping over walls, so he had to return to the inn.

For the next ten or so days, he continued to stay hidden during the day and explore the city at night.

After more than ten days of hard work, he had only managed to investigate about ten percent of the households in Tang Qiu County City, and he still hadn't found the Thousand-Year Spirit Milk.

Although Shen Luo didn't lose heart because of this, he was somewhat frustrated. One day at noon, tired of staying in the inn, he decided to visit a Hundred Flower Mountain inside and outside the city.

The mountain was covered with many different types of flowers, hence its name. There was also an ancient temple atop the mountain, and the scenery was quite beautiful. Many locals came here to enjoy the view.

After taking a walk around the mountain, Shen Luo's mood improved considerably as he admired the verdant mountains and rivers and the flowers in bloom everywhere.

“Fortune-telling and divination, guiding you through the maze of your life! First asking about past events, if incorrect not a penny taken! Fate, fortune, marriage, Feng Shui, proficiency in every domain guaranteed!” As Shen Luo descended the mountain, a booming voice advertised. A stall had been set up at the foot of the mountain, behind it sat an old monk dressed in a red kasaya, next to a banner proclaiming his service in fortune-telling and divination.

Standing next to the old monk was a young novice monk, his eyes were bright and full of intelligence, giving the impression of being quite clever.

After cast a glance at the two, Shen Luo was about to continue his way, but suddenly stopped and turned back to look at them.

Despite the old monk's bald head and clean-shaven face, Shen Luo recognized him as the old Daoist who had been scamming people at the Red Xiang Pub.

The young novice standing next to him was the same person who had set a fire outside the restaurant before.

Hundred Flower Mountain was a famous tourist spot in Tang Qiu County City, and many people came here to sightsee. Surprisingly, these two swindlers had changed their appearance and come here.

Shen Luo felt both annoyed and amused. He had let them off once because he had been busy, but now they were still up to their old tricks the second time they met.

He had a mind to teach them a lesson to make them mend their ways, and walked towards them.

With a loud “thud,” a piece of silver was thrown onto the table, startling both monks.

“I am Liao Kong, the Buddhist monk, the 72nd successor to the ancient divination sect of Golden Light Temple. Dear customer, what would you like to know?” The old monk saw the silver on the table, his face momentarily showed a glint of greed before quickly concealing it. He didn't touch the silver, but instead looked up at Shen Luo who sat across and asked.

“There's nothing special, I saw that Zen Master has a solemn and dignified countenance, surely your Dao-Practice is profound, I admire you. I myself am going to the capital for an examination soon, and came especially to ask for some advice.” Shen Luo said with a faintly amused smile.

“Dear guest, I assume you are not a scholar, nor are you going for an examination.” The old monk surveyed Shen Luo and his eyes flashed with insight, he smirked enigmatically and stated with confidence.

“Oh, what made you say that?” Shen Luo said half-jokingly.

He had experienced ups and downs in the secular world before practicing immortality, he knew well these fortune-telling swindlers like to startle people with their bold claims, seize the initiative and establish their illusion of superiority, gradually dominating and convincing their targets to happily hand over their money.

“This is a heavenly secret I mustn't reveal.” The monk replied with a mysterious look-shaking his head.

“Then please Zen Master, read my face. But we must agree ahead, if what you say is wrong, don't blame me for losing my temper.” Shen Luo, smiling slightly, spoke out loud.

The nearby sightseers hearing the exchange gathered around out of curiosity.

“Of course, by viewing your current complexion, you look well. However, from reading your face, it seems that in your youth you suffered from a major illness, which lingered for a long time and almost claimed your life. Fortunately, you were helped by a highly skilled person and eventually recovered. Is that correct?” The old monk examined Shen Luo for a few moments, lightly tapped the table with his finger, and enquired.

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across Shen Luo's eyes. He scrutinized the old monk intently, but after a long time, still could not discern anything out of the ordinary.

Physically, the man seemed to possess the bearing of an immortal, but within his body, there was not a trace of mana, indicating that he was indeed just an ordinary person. That he was able to see that Shen Luo had a serious illness in the past was truly surprising.

“It is true that I had a similar experience in my younger years, but the illness was cured long ago, and I am now in very good health.” Shen Luo replied indifferently.