Chapter 55

"Good! Good!" Master Kucha was delighted to see that Sun Wukong's luggage was naturally in order, and he called Tianlong and the others to sit down before asking, "Since you have admitted to being a member of the Wulun Sect, let's guess who your master is..." He picked up the purple clay teapot and poured a cup for each of the three, glancing at his two disciples: "...Come on, you two have studied fortune-telling and physiognomy for so long, try to guess who his master is. This shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Qingmei then translated the instructions to Tianlong, and the two carefully examined Sun Wukong's face. They dipped their fingers in the tea and wrote on the table: Qingmei wrote 'not third generation,' while Tianlong wrote 'beyond the four legs.'

Master Kucha laughed heartily, pointing at the words and said, "Look, my two disciples are quite good. One knows you are not a third-generation disciple, so you must be a direct disciple of the old man Meihua or a fourth-generation disciple; the other says 'beyond the four legs,' which means you are not a contemporary of Shilu and Baihe. However, this is not enough," he said with a pained expression, half-teaching and half-explaining:

"I observe that your 'five features and three stops' are quite unusual. Your features and their arrangement align with the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, indicating a strong connection to the Yin and Yang methods. The 'three stops' are not fixed; the upper stop is narrow and inclined, suggesting a childhood filled with hardship and near-death experiences. The middle and lower stops are unpredictable, like clouds and mist. There is illness hidden in the twelve palaces, with the parents and property palaces being inauspicious. The travel palace is early, and the fortune palace is unstable, indicating that your parents and master have suffered many calamities. I guess you didn't formally become a disciple, but only learned some superficial knowledge. The person who taught you is entangled in karma, and it must be... Wang Bayue, that little rascal!"

This simple narrative was quite different in Sun Wukong's ears. When Master Kucha said 'Wang Bayue,' Sun Wukong was stunned, and the teacup in his hand fell to the table with a clatter.

The teacup rolled twice and was about to fall to the ground and shatter, but Qingmei suddenly supported the chair with both hands, extended her leg, and gently flicked the cup, sending it flying back into her hand.

Sun Wukong's stunned expression was exactly what Master Kucha had expected. He laughed heartily and said, "Is there anything wrong with that?"

Before he could finish, Sun Wukong suddenly knelt down before him, bowing three times: "Grandpa, my master's name is indeed Wang Bayue, the fifth disciple of the second generation of the Wulun Sect. You are absolutely right!"

"Cough, cough, if I'm right, then I'm right. There's no need for such a grand gesture," Master Kucha said, helping him up. "Let's talk while standing."

"No, I won't get up. Grandpa, seeing your extraordinary skills in physiognomy and fortune-telling, I know you must be a master of the Yin and Yang arts. I want to ask you to help me find out about my master, to see how he is doing, whether he is in danger or safe, or if he has already... already..." He said 'already' twice but couldn't continue, his eyes misting over with tears, and he cried like a teary-eyed child.

"Ah! So it turns out that Bayue is in trouble," Master Kucha sighed, calling Qingmei to help Sun Wukong sit down. He responded cheerfully, "I have a deep relationship with the old man Meihua, so I will naturally help his disciple. There's no need to say more—come, tell me everything about your master, and I will see how I can help him with a divination to determine his fate."

He paused for a moment, then shook his head with a sense of loss: "Sigh! This child! I once divined that he would face many karmic entanglements and that he would not be able to protect his wife, so I advised him to hide in a place where Yin and Yang meet to avoid disaster. But it seems he couldn't escape his fate..."

Qingmei handed a handkerchief to Sun Wukong, smiling sweetly and gesturing gracefully, like a dance. Somehow, Sun Wukong's tears gradually stopped, and he wiped his eyes and began to recount the events in detail.

Despite his youth, Sun Wukong, being the son of a ghost, had the mental maturity of a teenager. He spoke clearly and logically, and in a short half-hour, he had recounted everything. Master Kucha listened quietly, drinking tea, and only asked a few questions when Sun Wukong mentioned the Undead Bone and the stone tablet, his expression becoming more serious.

After Sun Wukong finished, Master Kucha thought for a long time before speaking: "So, this is the situation—Sun Wukong, it's not that I won't help you, but this matter... well, let me try my best to see if I can divine the heavenly secrets. Everything will be left to fate." He then instructed Qingmei to put away the Nine Palace Board and bone armor, and to prepare the eighteen coins.

Seeing Master Kucha's troubled expression, Sun Wukong couldn't help but ask. Master Kucha didn't hide anything and explained the situation at Kunshan Fort—Kunshan Fort was located on a Yin-Yang earth vein in the Kunlun Mountains, where the earth element's spiritual veins converged. If left to the natural changes of heaven and earth, it could ensure good feng shui for sixty years. However, the ancestors of Kunshan Fort were not satisfied and buried an undead zombie to borrow the Yin energy to extend their time.

Although this method had its uses, it also harbored hidden dangers. The accumulated karmic entanglements became more severe over time, and when they erupted, they caused the tragic situation.

He concluded that Kunshan Fort must have been destroyed!

Later, when Sun Wukong visited Kunshan Fort again, he indeed found only a wasteland of rubble. From the few ghosts he met, he learned the details. After Qin Ming buried everyone in the underground chamber, he was at home, lying to the Kunshan Fort merchants. Suddenly, several people went mad, shouting and swinging weapons at the crowd. When the others subdued them, more people went mad...

The fort was thrown into chaos, with people slashing and killing each other. Anyone who looked suspicious was immediately killed. Eventually, someone lit the thunder bombs, causing an explosion that killed many. The warehouses containing the thunder bombs, cannons, and oil were also ignited, turning Kunshan Fort into a blazing inferno...

These details aside, the Yin-Yang earth vein that Master Kucha mentioned is a point where the earth element's Yin and Yang energies converge. This place has an unknown power that hinders divination, fortune-telling, and other methods. It is uncertain whether he can determine Wang Bayue's fate.

Qingmei had already set up the rice bowl, offerings, three divination sticks, and flying lines on the table. Master Kucha stood up, took the coins, and placed them in front of the offerings. He took the writing brush and quickly wrote a divination text. He then lit the text on a candle and placed it in the bowl, waiting for it to turn to ashes. He held an incense stick and prayed to heaven and earth, explaining the purpose of the divination, and then inserted the incense into the rice bowl...

"Snap!"

Before he could start the divination, the three incense sticks broke in the middle and fell to the table.

Everyone was surprised, and Master Kucha shook his head: "Indeed! Wang Bayue's fate cannot be divined. I cannot determine it." Seeing Sun Wukong on the verge of tears, he comforted him: "Don't worry! Although I cannot determine your master's fate, there are other ways to find out."

"Ah? Grandpa Kucha, what should I do?"

Master Kucha returned to the table and said, "The method is simple. Follow what Wang Bayue told you and go to the Wannang Peak in the Kunlun Mountains to find your grandmaster, Meihua, and ask him to use the method of exploring the Yin realm to find Wang Bayue's soul. If the soul is found, Wang Bayue is dead; if not, he must be alive."

"Ah?" Sun Wukong understood but was still confused, "Why do I have to find the grandmaster? Can't you do it, Grandpa Kucha?"

"Me?" Master Kucha laughed, "It seems you don't understand. Let me explain the five schools and five sects of the Yin and Yang arts, and you will understand."

"The term 'Yin and Yang arts' is a general term, but each school has its own unique methods. They all use the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements to balance the universe and perform rituals. This is different from the methods of Taoism, Buddhism, and necromancy, which is why we are called Yin and Yang masters. Over time, we have accepted this name.

"After thousands of years, there are not many of us left, but five sects and five schools still exist, passing down their methods and taking on disciples, maintaining the tradition.

"First, there is your Wulun Sect, which excels in communicating with the underworld and the spirits. Many of your disciples have connections with the underworld, and they can summon spirits to assist in times of need. Among all the Yin and Yang masters, you are the best at communicating with the underworld and can even interfere with the cycle of rebirth. That's why I said you should find Wang Bayue's soul, as your sect is the most skilled and the easiest to do so.

"Next is my school, the Yaotuan Sect. We use the 'Eighteen Flying Stars' and the 'Purple Star Astrology' to predict changes in the universe and the fate of individuals. However, revealing these secrets can lead to a life of incompleteness, so we only take on disciples who are already incomplete. Qingmei cannot speak, and Tianlong cannot hear, which fits our criteria..."

"Uh?" Sun Wukong interrupted, "What about you, Grandpa Kucha?" He hesitated, "I don't see anything incomplete about you..."

"Me?" Master Kucha laughed bitterly, "I have no name, no parents, no siblings, no master, no disciples, no relatives, and no friends. This is my incompleteness. In my youth, I didn't understand, so I took on this curse, and my parents and children all died, fulfilling the will of heaven, hahaha..."

His laughter was filled with sorrow, and Sun Wukong immediately realized his mistake, not knowing what to do. Just as he was about to say something to comfort him, he felt a tug from behind—turning around, he saw the kind Tianlong, who shook his head and gestured for Sun Wukong to sit down. Tianlong then walked behind his master and gently massaged his back...

Master Kucha smiled and patted him, "You should focus on your studies. Leave the sect before you turn eighteen and sever ties with me. The will of heaven cannot be defied, and there's no need to comfort me."

After a brief rest, he faced Sun Wukong again and continued:

"The third school is the Taishan Jingwei Sect..."

ps: Recommended by Liu Yun, a good book to read: "In the chaotic starry sky, deep within the boundless stars, there is a celestial dome with 128,600 mysterious stars. These stars give birth to seven source stars. The divine laws have retreated, and time and space are in chaos. What secrets lie between the celestial dome and the true star realm? Read 'The Supreme True God'!!!" Here is the link:

[bookid=3052320, bookname='The Supreme True God']

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