Chapter 277: Divination, a Heart in Panic
Last time, she had clearly heard Little Eight say that the big boss had extended the old monarch’s lifespan by six years. With the old monarch still alive, how could the Southern Yun Kingdom possibly fall within two or three years?
Could it be that the big boss had lied to the old monarch?
At this moment, Little Eight suddenly chimed in, “The big boss didn’t lie to that old man, but extending his life doesn’t mean he’ll definitely live until then. This is the villain big boss we’re talking about—do you really think he’d be that kind to an enemy?”
Nan Xun: “…Giving him hope and then killing him—yeah, that really is the big boss’s style.”
Gong Mo Ran toyed with her long hair, his posture lazy, his tone casual. “Among the five princes, only the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince possess dragon aura. The Fifth Prince’s is the strongest, but unfortunately, he has a short-lived fate. Someone already destined for a short life, yet his imperial father, out of selfish desire, took another six years of lifespan from him. Duoduo, how many more years do you think the Fifth Prince can live?”
Nan Xun said in surprise, “The Fifth Prince looked lively and energetic today. He’s actually short-lived?”
Gong Mo Ran replied coolly, “Illness comes like a landslide. In the future, he’ll die from a bout of the common cold.”
“Wow, my lord, you can tell fortunes?” Nan Xun looked at him with a face full of admiration, her eyes bright and sparkling.
Gong Mo Ran said, “I know a little.” As he spoke, his picture-perfect brows lifted slightly. “Why? Is Duoduo very interested in divination?”
Nan Xun immediately said, “My lord, then divine for me, please. See what kind of fate I have.”
The hand stroking her hair paused slightly. “I never divine for myself, nor do I wish to divine for you. Knowing one’s fate only leads to too many worries. Everything has its destined course—going with the flow is best.”
“But my lord, if you know your fate, you can guard against danger in advance. Please divine for me. I like you the most!” Nan Xun hugged his arm and gently shook it, speaking in a soft, coquettish voice.
Little Eight: “Tsk, how mushy. But seriously, why do you insist on him divining for you? His divination skills are no joke. What if he finds out you’re short-lived too?”
Nan Xun: “Idiot Little Eight. If the big boss finds out I have a short-lived fate, he’ll definitely treat me even better in the future.”
Little Eight: “…I stand corrected.”
“My lord, are you agreeing or not?” Nan Xun continued to shake his arm, her tone ridiculously sweet.
A woman’s coquettishness is usually irresistible to men—even the National Preceptor was no exception. Looking at his little disciple’s pitch-black eyes, filled with curiosity and gazing at him like stars reflected in water, he suddenly lowered his brows and chuckled softly. “Duoduo, is just saying a couple of sweet words enough? That’s not how you beg someone.”
Nan Xun froze for a second.
If she wasn’t mistaken, was the big boss asking her to… please him?
Holy crap.
Did she unlock the big boss the wrong way today?
Nan Xun tentatively asked, “My lord, may I kiss you?”
Gong Mo Ran raised an eyebrow slightly and said nothing.
Nan Xun: …
That was tacit consent.
So he really wanted her to please him.
Nan Xun wasn’t shy about it. She’d already been eaten—this was just a kiss.
She rose slightly, leaned toward him, and gently captured those thin lips, sucking lightly a few times.
Gong Mo Ran raised his hand to hold the back of her head and deepened the kiss. Lips and tongues entwined, fiery and intense.
Only after a long, long while did he finally let go.
Nan Xun gulped in air. Damn it, could he have gone any harder? He’d practically sucked all the air out of her mouth—she’d nearly suffocated.
Gong Mo Ran leaned forward slightly, studying the woman before him, and said with a faint smile, “Duoduo, do you know that one’s face reflects one’s heart? From your features, I can tell you’re someone with a clear and transparent heart. As for your fate, that can’t be seen from your face.”
With that, he stood up and walked to the table, taking up paper and brush. “Duoduo, tell me your birth date and time.”
Nan Xun gave Li Yunduo’s birth information. She watched as he wrote it down, spread the paper flat, then took out the bamboo divination tiles and scattered them across the page.
The tiles lay strewn in all directions. Nan Xun stared at them for a long time without understanding anything, then glanced at Gong Mo Ran.
At first, he still looked calm and unreadable, but as he kept looking at the tiles on the paper, his brows gradually knit together—tighter and tighter.
“No, this can’t be your fate.” Gong Mo Ran suddenly turned to look at her, his gaze carrying a sharp edge. “Duoduo, is this truly your birth date and time?”
“It… it is,” Nan Xun replied.
Damn it, it was clearly Li Yunduo’s. So why did she suddenly feel guilty? The big boss couldn’t possibly tell that Li Yunduo’s soul had changed just from this, right?
Nan Xun hurriedly asked Little Eight if that was possible. Little Eight hesitated for a moment. “Probably not. You’ve already changed Li Yunduo’s original fate. The big boss feels something’s off only because the fate suddenly changed.”
Gong Mo Ran didn’t question Nan Xun further. He gathered the scattered tiles, then—unexpectedly—bit his finger and used his blood to draw a bloody symbol on the paper with the birth details. After that, he scattered the divination tiles again.
Nan Xun: …
The big boss’s strange actions made her heart pound wildly.
Gong Mo Ran stared at the scattered tiles for a long time, his gaze gradually turning deep and obscure.
He slowly turned his head to look at Nan Xun. The fleeting, eerie darkness in his eyes made her heart drum even harder.
After a long while, he finally said lightly, “Your fate is too elusive. I can’t divine it.”
Nan Xun would only believe that if she were a fool. He had definitely divined something—otherwise, he wouldn’t have looked at her with that ghostly gaze earlier, making her so uneasy.
“Little Eight, can I trust you? The big boss shouldn’t be able to tell that I’m not Li Yunduo, right?”
Little Eight said with absolute certainty, “This is only an intermediate world. No matter how powerful the villain big boss is, he doesn’t have the heaven-defying abilities of a high-level world. So don’t worry—he won’t know that Li Yunduo’s body houses you.”
Nan Xun hummed in response, feeling slightly more at ease. Still, she didn’t completely trust Little Eight—after all, it could be unreliable at times. The big boss might have noticed some clues, but just clues, nothing more.
From that day on, she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Nan Xun felt that Gong Mo Ran’s attitude toward her had subtly changed. He began teaching her the arts of witchcraft with great care, especially various spells and formations.
Nan Xun didn’t disappoint him. She mastered every spell as soon as she learned it, and after watching him draw a formation diagram two or three times, she could replicate it.
Faced with her astonishing talent, Gong Mo Ran showed no surprise. Each time, he merely patted her head, his gaze indulgent, his tone gentle as he said, “My Duoduo is truly smart.”
These days, the big boss’s malice value hadn’t decreased at all, and Nan Xun suddenly found herself unable to see through him.
Little Eight sighed. “My dear, there’s something I didn’t tell you. The big boss’s inherent corruption value in this world was already very high—90. But over the past few days, every time you master a spell or formation, his malice value increases by a fraction. Now it’s already at 95.”
Nan Xun: …
Shouldn’t he be pleased that she’s so smart? Why is he increasing his corruption value instead?
Then, when the big boss taught Nan Xun a new spell and formation again, she deliberately learned a little slower.
At that moment, Little Eight immediately reported, “The corruption value just increased again. Compared to the past few days, the growth rate has doubled.”
Nan Xun: …
What the hell—what kind of lunatic is this?!
