Who let him join the Sword Sect?!

Wherever my heart finds peace is home, and a brief encounter can forge an old friendship.

Life is like bamboo, climbing higher with each joint; instead of drinking potions to forget worries, why not ascend and observe the distant landscape?

The gentle breeze sweeps by, and worries dissipate naturally.

Moreover, I'm not troubled by love; I'm merely here in Rising Dragon City to find someone.

Mister, you've got it wrong."

Although Zhang Ze exposed his rhetoric, the fortune teller wasn't the least bit embarrassed.

He, acting as if nothing had happened, picked up his turtle shell and said.

"I admit my skills are lacking, but I see that Young Master has a certain obsession."

"Nevertheless, whether it's predicting people or events, that's our family trade. Who is it you seek, Young Master? Shall I cast a divination for you?"

Zhang Ze, out of curiosity, wanted to see what method this deceptive fortune teller would use.

Unexpectedly, the guy placed the turtle shell on the table, then took out a mallet from somewhere, and with a crack, split the shell in half.

This left Zhang Ze and Li utterly stunned.

Old Tang had explained to them the method of divination through turtle shell examination, but neither of them remembered it being done like this.

Just as Zhang Ze was about to think he had encountered a scam artist and considered reasoning with his fists.

The fortune teller looked at the broken shell and said, "Young Master must be looking for someone in Wolong Marsh."

"The marshland stretches for miles, its mysteries deep within the forest, and Young Master, coming from afar, surely doesn't know the way."

"As it happens, not only can I divine, but I can also be a guide."

He then took out a hand-drawn map on hemp cloth from his pocket and started selling it to Zhang Ze.

"Would Young Master like to purchase one?" the fortune teller eagerly inquired.

Zhang Ze found the man speechless, yet amusing, thinking his thickness of skin even exceeded his own.

Sitting on his shoulder, Li held a map of Wolong Marsh in her hands.

This fortune teller, using an open-book exam, could speak so boastfully—truly a talent.

"What do they call you, sir?" Zhang Ze asked an unrelated question.

"My name is Yimu."

"Then, Mr. Yimu, I'll give you a map. Head east from here to Cyan Thorn. There's a Thousand Mechanism Pavilion where your eloquence would be put to great use."

"There are also many Taoists from Dragon Tiger Mountain. Perhaps you could learn some real skills there."

With that, Zhang Ze placed some silver coins on the greasy table and turned to leave through another exit of the alley.

Zhang Ze thought this Rising Dragon City was too much like a tourist spot, encountering a swindler every few steps.

Unaware of Zhang Ze's thoughts, the fortune teller calling himself Yimu looked at the silver coins on the table, muttering to himself.

"If there's ever a chance, definitely."

...

Night.

Dragon Viewing Mountain, Wolong Marsh.

The water surface was calm, and the places bombed by Bai Xiao were now overgrown with new flora.

The night wind rustled through the treetops, and Yimu's silhouette emerged from the lake, still wearing the mismatched attire he had when he met Zhang Ze earlier that day.

Although he emerged from the lake, his clothes remained dry, and the water surface was undisturbed.

He came to the shore, looking around furtively like a thief. Seeing indeed no one was around, he cupped his hands around his mouth, and soon forest mice and birds converged from the depths of the woods.

Though they were ordinary wild creatures, they all possessed intelligent eyes.

Under Yimu's command, the small creatures divided tasks, beginning to dig at the lakeside. Piece by piece, fragments of Thousand Mechanism Thunder were excavated from the soil by these little critters, with each new hole they dug being promptly refilled.

The Canglong Pines by the lakeshore, scarred by the Thousand Mechanism Thunder, were marked by the birds.

Yimu approached the trees and gently touched their trunks. Soon, the wounds healed as if they had never been.

Once Yimu concealed the marks on the trees, the little creatures had unearthed all the fragments of Thousand Mechanism Thunder.

Looking at the creatures surrounding him, Yimu clapped his hands, forcefully yet silently.

With his gesture, large fish swam from the depths of Wolong Marsh to the shore, opening their mouths to receive the fragments passed by the creatures.

Just like a relay, they transported all the fragments to the deep waters of Wolong Marsh.

And thus, all traces of Li Jue and company having visited Wolong Marsh were entirely erased.

But just as Yimu, satisfied, was dusting off his clothes and tidying his hair, he suddenly noticed someone approaching.

Startled, Yimu hastily grabbed his clothes and dashed towards the lake, returning to Wolong Marsh without causing even a ripple.

Just as Yimu fled, Zhang Ze, who was supposed to come here with Li Yueqi tomorrow, appeared by the lakeside.

Hiding in the lake, Yimu refrained from showing his face, yet the surrounding flora was his eyes.

Upon seeing that it was Zhang Ze who approached the shore, Yimu's eyes lit up.

In his hand was an item—it was none other than Li Jue's small walnut.

"Is it really him?" Yimu muttered to himself.

He took out two pieces of the turtle shell from his clothes, the very ones he had shattered earlier that day.

Placing the three elements in the silt at the bottom of the lake, he assumed an ungainly posture, bent over, beginning to divine.

Two pieces of turtle shell, one belonging to Zhang Ze, the other to him.

The cracks on the shells formed two completely opposite symbols, simple and primitive in design.

Zhang Ze's symbol represented life.

While his symbol represented death.

Yimu observed for a moment, then made up his mind, swallowing the piece representing death.

The next instant, a whirlpool appeared in the center of Wolong Marsh.