Gamers Are Fierce

When the curtain was completely drawn back, the guests let out bursts of astonished exclamations.

The creature locked in the cage was a half-human, half-ape monster. Its skull was generally triangular, inverted, with a flat, broad forehead, protruding brow ridges, and sunken eye sockets. The collapsed, flat bridge of its nose connected to a large, broad, upturned nose. Its cheekbones jutted out, covered with a layer of light brown fuzz that transitioned across its entire face and body. Its lower jaw projected forward unusually, unlike an ordinary human's, with thin lips. When it opened its mouth, one could see pale, irregular teeth.

This half-human, half-ape was shorter than an average person and unclothed, save for a layer of dense brown fuzz covering its body. It sat cross-legged, spine bent, its two relatively slender arms resting on its kneecaps. Heavy, secure metal shackles were clasped around its wrists and ankles.

It ignored the cries of astonishment and fear, ignored the curious, probing gazes. Sitting silently in the cage, it gazed at its palm, occasionally twitching its slender fingers, the very picture of utter indifference to the outside world.

Without a doubt, it, or rather he, possessed intelligence comparable to that of humans.

"So this is the Auspicious Beast?"

The Shu King sat in his seat, craning his neck toward the cage holding the half-human, half-ape, murmuring to himself, "It's somewhat different from what I had imagined."

The Auspicious Beasts the Shu King had seen were either pigs adorned with gold leaf and masquerading as Qilin, or exotic animals like chimeric creatures or giraffes gifted by people from overseas. He had never seen an Ape Man before.

The Shu King turned his head to the gaunt monk from Annam and asked, "Dharma Virtue High Monk, can this Auspicious Beast speak human language?"

A flicker of barely noticeable sorrow crossed the Annam monk's face. He brought his palms together and spoke in the fluent, standard language of the Central Plains, "Your Highness, the Auspicious Beast can indeed understand and speak human language."

"Then why does he sit there so still?" the Shu King asked. "Must we prepare some livestock as a tribute to win the Auspicious Beast's favor?"

The Annam monk shook his head, responding in a low voice, "The Auspicious Beast transcends the Mortal World and worldly conventions. Whether he speaks or not is entirely his own decision."

Entirely his own decision? The Shu King frowned slightly. This Auspicious Beast certainly has a temper, then. He won't just answer whatever he's asked. One of his purposes for hosting the banquet was to witness the abilities of the so-called Auspicious Beast. Since that was the case, it seemed he would have to come up with some good questions.

"Hmm..." The Shu King pondered for a moment, then asked the Ape Man, "Where do you come from?"

The Ape Man lifted his head to glance at him. "From Heaven."

"Heaven?" the Shu King asked. "Are you a banished immortal?"

"No."

"A demon?"

"No."

"A god or Buddha?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

"A Cultivator."

A Cultivator? The Shu King sized up the Ape Man from head to toe. This Auspicious Beast was short, his body covered in unruly hair, with grotesque and savage features—even the crudest, most brutish man would be more comely.

The Shu King shook his head. "If you are a Cultivator, how did you end up trapped in a cage?"

The Ape Man was silent for a long moment before saying, somewhat bewildered, "I've forgotten."

How could he forget something like that? The Shu King rolled his eyes. Just as he was about to ask another question, he heard the Ape Man in the cage say softly, "It's going to rain..."

He raised his palms to cover his ears, waiting for something.

Instinctively, everyone looked outside the hall. The moon was bright and the stars were few, with no clouds drifting in the night sky—it didn't look at all like it was about to rain.

"Where could rain be coming from—" Before the Shu King could finish his sentence, a howling Gale whistled in, seemingly from nowhere. It violently whipped up the silk curtains on all four sides of the hall, sending them flying wildly.

A flash of lightning streaked far in the distance. Two or three seconds later, a deafening BOOM! was heard.

Fine raindrops began to fall, quickly escalating from a light shower to heavy rain, and then to a torrential downpour.

By the time everyone realized what was happening, outside the hall, a fierce wind howled and thunder rumbled incessantly. The torrential rain poured down as if to capsize the very heavens and earth.

It was truly raining!

All were astonished, except for the Annam monk, who, with head bowed, silently recited scriptures, completely detached from the world around him.

Bai Yongyan murmured to himself, "It really is... somewhat accurate." He stretched out his hand and patted the ground. Immediately, wooden steps grew from the edges of the hall floor, barring the rain.

The Shu King's eyes brightened. "Oh? He knows the timing of the heavens? Not bad, not bad. When will the rain stop?"

"In half an shichen."

"When will day break?"

"In three shichen."

The Shu King asked a series of questions, progressing from simple to difficult, and the Ape Man answered each one. When the questions turned to matters of state and governance strategies, the Ape Man answered with equal fluency.

The Shu King was overjoyed and pressed on, "Then tell me, will I live to be a hundred?"

The expressions of the Necromancer and the monks from Yonglin Temple beside the Shu King abruptly changed. Before they could advise caution, they saw the Ape Man silently lift his head, scanning everyone present. As he stared at each person, his lips moved, as if mumbling something.

The Shu King couldn't quite catch it and hastily asked, "What is he saying?"

Song Shuqing's expression changed subtly. "Time..." he murmured. "Half an shichen, fifty years, thirty-one years, eleven years... He's announcing a duration for each person he looks at."

Known as Lian Gong, the military counselor of the Shu Palace looked puzzled. "What... does that mean?"

"Surely he isn't calculating when everyone here will marry?" Bai Yongyan inhaled sharply. "To be honest, apart from geomancy and divination, I also have a knack for physiognomy. The times the Auspicious Beast provided exactly match the marital fates I predicted for each of you through physiognomy. Fate is determined by the heavens; happiness is yours to grasp. Curious about your marriage time with your destined one? Write a letter with the man's name followed by the woman's name, like 'Guo Jing' plus 'Huang Rong,' and send it to Guest Elder Bai Yongyan at the Shu Palace. Enclose some copper coins or a silver note, and you will learn your marital compatibility and the auspicious day for your wedding."

Everyone present, including the Shu King, stared in bewilderment. How did this turn into a matchmaking advertisement?

The Ape Man, as if he hadn't heard Bai Yongyan's shameless plug, continued to scan the guests and call out times, "Seven years, eighteen years, six months..."

"It's not about marital ties." Song Shuqing, hearing the Ape Man assign him 'fifty-five years,' found his somber expression easing somewhat. Then, Youyou, he added softly, "What he's announcing... is likely our time of death..."

Time of death? The guests in attendance grasped the implication. Those given a short time felt their faces turn pale. Those allotted a longer time looked equally unsettled, unsure what to say.

The Ape Man continued announcing times, occasionally skipping a few people, such as Bai Yongyan, the Shu King, the Annam monk, Yu Qingqiu, and others.

After the Ape Man had made a round, he once again bowed his head and fell silent.

"This, this..." The Shu King's mouth hung open. He turned to the Annam monk. "Master," he stammered, "was what the Auspicious Beast announced just now... truly our time of death?"

The gaunt old monk slowly shook his head. "I do not know. The Auspicious Beast transcends the Mortal World; his ways are far beyond our comprehension. It might be, or it might not."

"Nonsense!" The Old Spider Dancer's face turned extremely grim, and he hissed, "All beings within the three realms reincarnate through the six paths of existence, like revolving wheels of fire! The fate of life and death, I fear, can only be precisely told by the Book of Life and Death. How dare a mere brown-furred Ape Man make such wild claims?"

It was no wonder the Old Spider Dancer was so furious; the Ape Man had allotted him only half an shichen.

Bai Yongyan chuckled softly from the side. "If you want to know whether the Auspicious Beast was announcing the time of death, there's an easy way to find out. If Brother Wei here mysteriously drops dead in half an shichen, then it's true. If he doesn't, then it's either false or inaccurate."

"Bai Yongyan!" The Old Spider Dancer turned around, his beard and hair bristling, and he snarled, "You better shut your mouth!"

Bai Yongyan smiled. "Brother Wei, don't get angry. I haven't finished speaking. If you're worried about dying in half an shichen as the Auspicious Beast predicted, why not take matters into your own hands before the time runs out and end your own life prematurely? That way, you'd break the Auspicious Beast's death prophecy. What do you think?"