Chapter 19: How Could Fate Be an Old Acquaintance?

“Young General, your destined match, as I see it—”
“Is right there among the foxes on the beam.”

Dai Longmei looked at the old Taoist, who wore a serene, smiling expression. He glanced at the Taoist’s pretentious cosmic compass, then showed a look of disbelief.

Outside the hall, the cool autumn breeze blew gently; it was late September. Yet Dai Longmei felt as if the old Taoist before him radiated the heat of midsummer, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

He pondered that he had only casually inquired about his fate, but the Taoist spoke with such conviction. Moreover, he knew about the little fox hidden on the beam. Could it be that this was exactly who he had been searching for…?

“Perhaps you could take another look?”

Dai Longmei glanced toward the fox concealed on the beam, then at the quiet, empty courtyard beyond the door.

“No need to look again, Young General. Your destined match is indeed that fox on the beam. This cosmic compass doesn’t err.”

“Sir, you jest. I am a noble jade figure—how could my match be a mere fox?”

“Besides, what fox would be just sitting on the beam?”

“Hmph! I am no fox, I am simply… simply… sob…”

In Dai Longmei’s mind, a plaintive voice seemed to come from the fox on the beam.

“Hmph! This old Taoist—surely he has some dealings with that Star God. I won’t…”

The fox’s spiritual transmission was suddenly interrupted by some force. Dai Longmei sensed that the elder before him possessed considerable spiritual energy.

“You jest, Young General. There truly is a fox in the room, and the soul it carries is no ordinary one.”

“Its body belonged to an ancient divine beast, though for some reason, its soul has separated.”

“At present, the soul within it belongs to another young lady… no, that’s not right…”

The Taoist stroked his beard. Despite his immortal aura, his face showed no sign of age, and his pale jade-colored robe enhanced his upright bearing.

“It is the soul of another divine beast.”

“Daoist! I came to have my fate divined, not to hear nonsense!”

Dai Longmei resolved to test the old man once more.

The jade sword flew out from his ring and was immediately pressed against the neck of the Taoist, who was still sipping the jade elixir.

Dai Longmei’s vigilance was not without reason. Regardless of whether this seated elder was the deity he sought, he had been relentlessly pursued to this very place.

…

Several days earlier, beneath the tall pillar.

“Ouch! What on earth is this…”

Dai Longmei felt dizzy after being struck by something falling from above, while the crackling sound of gunfire rang in his ears.

“Bang! Bang! Bang bang bang!”

“Get out of the way, run! Ahhh!”

“It’s those ghost soldiers! Everyone flee!”

“Run! Run! Hurry!”

The frantic shouts of the Jin soldiers snapped Dai Longmei back to reality.

He opened his eyes, still seeing stars from the blow. A slightly rusted revolver flew through the air, spinning.

As it twirled, it fired at the Jin soldiers nearby, the large-caliber bullets ruthlessly smashing into their heads, leaving bloody holes.

So that was the so-called “ghost soldier” gun?

Dai Longmei now knew the rumors were true.

What puzzled him was the color of the bullets—each shot was made of jade-colored spiritual energy, akin to his own.

The hammer struck the cylinder repeatedly, the muzzle spitting out bullets forged from spiritual energy.

After thousands of years without being fired, the trigger was now being pulled at a rapid pace.

“Ghosts, truly ghosts… I told you I shouldn’t have come. My father insisted…”

“Run, cousin! Stop talking nonsense, just run!”

The remaining Jin soldiers, once arrogant, quickly mounted their horses and fled eastward in panic.

“Master Wu! Master Wu!”

Long Zhu rushed over, checking on Dai Longmei who had been knocked off his horse.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m… got a headache, it hurts…”

Dai Longmei looked up to find the flying revolver had vanished.

“Ah! Master Wu, how did that ghost soldier weapon end up in your hands?”

At Long Zhu’s exclamation, Dai Longmei realized the revolver was now in his grasp, his hand tightly gripping its handle.

“This gun used to be a toy for those extraordinary people,” a voice identical to his teacher’s echoed in Dai Longmei’s mind.

“The master fell in battle aboard a mech during that grand war. A glorious death.”

“This revolver, which can fire spiritual energy bullets, is rare in our Jade Seal Realm.”

“It’s a gift for you, my good disciple.”

It was his teacher’s voice!

“Teacher…!”

Dai Longmei called out using the spiritual transmission technique his teacher had taught him.

“My good disciple, your master was betrayed. Take care of that foolish girl. I… will… be in the Spirit Sea…”

The transmission grew faint and distorted until it vanished entirely.

Dai Longmei looked at the revolver in his hand. A line of characters was inscribed, resembling the Heavenly Jade script.

“Ma… Ge… Nan.”

He pulled the trigger, but the cylinder was empty.

Even when he tried to channel his spiritual energy to fire the “ghost bullets” himself, there was no response.

“Teacher, what exactly do you mean…”

Faced with a teacher who spoke in riddles and only occasionally guided him, Dai Longmei sighed and returned the revolver to his ring.

“Stop pressing me! It hurts!”

A childish whine came from beneath his head.

“Move away quickly!”

“Good heavens! The fox can talk!”

Long Zhu was startled.

“A fox?”

Dai Longmei sat up and realized he had been resting his head on a fox.

“According to the old man, the person who can help me here is—ouch, that hurts!”

“But I never expected it would be you…”

The pure white fox shook its fluffy fur, then instinctively tried to lick its paw.

“No! I’m not a fox!”

The fox interrupted its owner’s habitual phrase, looked up, and addressed the stunned Dai Longmei and Long Zhu:

“Dai Longmei! Your teacher wants you to help me…”

“Though I know this is sudden…”

“After he left the Void Gate at Huining Fort, he only left me with these words…”

“Help me, Deputy General Dai, help me reclaim my body. It is very important.”

Long Zhu, hearing a fox speak fluent human speech, remained stunned.

Dai Longmei, however, recognized the blue-white spiritual energy swirling around the fox.

“Little fox…”

“I’m not a fox, I’m a person!”

“Alright, little lady…”

“I’m not…”

“Before asking for help, shouldn’t you introduce yourself?”

The fox hesitated, staring into Dai Longmei’s green eyes, then nodded and summoned a faint sky-blue spiritual energy from her paw.

“I’m the one you met by the Luma River in Liaodong…”

At the sight of that sky-blue spiritual energy, Dai Longmei instantly recalled the adventure by the Luma River a year ago, and the young tomb raider named Lily.

The girl who got into trouble in the bustling city, was caught by him, but saved him in an unexpected immortal relic.

“So you are… But why are you here, Miss Lily…”

Before the flood of questions could be answered, the roar of white lions echoed from the mossy plains south of the tall pillar.

“They’re coming! They’re chasing again!”

Lily’s ears drooped in fear as she instinctively reached for a broken sword in her ring.

But she realized she was still inside this white fox’s body, and her ring was far away on her own body.

“The ones riding the white lions, the nomads, are here!”