Chapter 18: Stop Calculating.

After the father and son of the Ji family departed, the old emperor looked toward Li Xiu, who stood by with his eyes lowered, lost in thought.

The emperor had seen this expression countless times; it usually meant the person was distracted. Li Xiu wore it most mornings during court.

He dismissed the attendants, leaving only himself and Li Xiu in the imperial study.

“Grandmaster, what do you think of that young man from the Ji family?” the emperor asked.

“Ah?” Li Xiu snapped out of his reverie and replied hastily, “He’s quite good.”

“How good?” the emperor pressed.

“He’s extraordinary, a dragon among men—he reminds me of the Duke of the Nation in his youth!” Li Xiu gave a thumbs-up to show his admiration.

The emperor narrowed his eyes at him. “I want you to divine whether this young man will bring harm to our Great Zhou.”

Li Xiu’s heart skipped a beat—what he feared had come to pass. He forced a bitter smile.

“Your Majesty, is it really necessary?”

The emperor shook his head and was about to speak when he suddenly coughed twice, an unnatural flush appearing on his cheeks.

“Your Majesty, please take care of your health!” Li Xiu said anxiously.

It took the emperor a moment to recover, but then a fierce light flashed in his eyes, and he spoke coldly:

“I want you to divine!”

Li Xiu felt a formidable aura envelop him, like a savage beast watching its prey, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.

“Yes,” Li Xiu sighed inwardly. He sat cross-legged on the floor, drew three copper coins from his robe, and tossed them carelessly onto the ground; he glanced at them, gathered them up, and tossed again.

At Li Xiu's level, even a blade of grass or a twig could serve as a medium for divination, but today he chose the most primitive method—copper coins—showing the gravity of this reading.

The emperor nodded with satisfaction and spoke slowly:

“The time left to me is short. Before my decline, I must settle all matters so I may pursue my final wish.”

Li Xiu said nothing, merely listened in silence as he continued the divination.

“Let those two boys make their mischief as they will. So long as they do not threaten Great Zhou, whoever prevails will inherit my throne.

“What worries me now is the Flying Bear Army. Great Zhou cannot do without them. Old Ji is loyal and straightforward; he would never betray me. His eldest son is frail and will not command the army.

“If not for this younger son, when Old Ji retires I could appoint someone to take charge—even if the army’s strength waned, it would not matter much. But now this younger son has appeared, and he’s skilled in martial arts… With him, he is the rightful heir to the Flying Bear Army. If he ever harbors other intentions, and holds command… he might become a hidden threat to Great Zhou.”

The emperor paused, cursing: “That fourth prince, the fool! If he wants to compete for the throne, so be it, but he even brought back this wild boy from who knows where. Many of the military officers are flocking to him, and he’s so pleased with himself, oblivious to the fact that this new variable may leave a hidden danger for Great Zhou! Utterly foolish… cough, cough!”

Li Xiu’s eyes lowered, tension gnawing at him. He had seen from the first moment he met Ji Huo—this youth had no reverence for the imperial family, clearly not one loyal to Zhou. The divination was merely to confirm what his own reading had already revealed.

If the reading truly foretold misfortune, then what? The emperor, determined to fulfill his wish, would stop at nothing to eliminate any threat to Great Zhou.

But the Duke of the Nation had only just found his lost son; if harm befell him, would not that old bear go mad on the spot?

A martial grandmaster, and the fiercest of the Flying Bears at that—who could restrain him in his rage? Would it not fall to Li Xiu’s own slender arms and legs to stand against him?

To fight a martial grandmaster—even as a master of the arcane arts—Li Xiu felt deeply uneasy.

His thoughts raced; with the final toss of the coins, he glanced at the result and uttered a surprised sound.

“What is it?” The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his aura now hidden, like deep currents beneath the sea, ready to erupt at any moment; even Li Xiu felt a shiver of dread.

“Your Majesty,” Li Xiu looked at the hexagram with a strange expression and deliberated, “The reading shows that, in time, Ji Huo will be a great general star of Great Zhou, achieving extraordinary feats of expansion and conquest.”

A silent pressure seemed to freeze the air in the imperial study, then receded swiftly.

The emperor was silent for several seconds before asking uncertainly, “Are you sure?”

“The reading says so,” Li Xiu replied, not entirely convinced himself. He could tell at a glance Ji Huo was no sycophant, but the hexagram was clear.

“I could see at once the boy is unruly, with no respect for the imperial family. Are you certain?” the emperor pressed again.

Li Xiu replied helplessly, “Your Majesty, I too feel the boy is not trustworthy, but the reading says what it says.”

The emperor squinted at Li Xiu. This grandmaster was shrewd; the emperor knew well what he’d been thinking, but he trusted Li Xiu would not lie to him.

“Try another method of divination,” the emperor ordered. “This time, read Ji Huo’s future.”

“Very well!”

Li Xiu agreed swiftly. He trusted his own abilities, but curiosity now stirred within him—for it was well known, those who read destinies are the most curious, and the most reckless.

He calculated with his fingers, eyes closed, and as he delved deeper, he sensed a veil of mist shrouding Ji Huo.

Meanwhile, outside, thunderclouds gathered in the sky, faint lightning flickering.

Cold sweat poured down Li Xiu’s forehead; a feeling struck him—if he pressed further, that bolt of lightning above would strike.

Well!

He refused to believe it! He’d been struck by lightning more than once in his life.

At worst, he’d spend a few months convalescing at home—no need to attend morning court!

With a fierce resolve, Li Xiu was about to part the veil when a sudden thought burst in his mind, three words inscribed there:

[Don’t divine.]

Li Xiu was terrified. This was a special ability that comes to a sorcerer upon reaching grandmaster rank—a form of revelation, allowing glimpses of fate.

Yet this ability was rarely useful; since attaining grandmaster, he’d often receive such insights, but usually they were things like [Rain today], [Go home early], [Not suitable for court today].

Simple warnings, helping him avoid minor troubles.

Once, the message was [Wait a moment], and he narrowly avoided being struck by a falling wooden rod when a beautiful woman opened her window. The rod hit a handsome official, who picked it up and dashed upstairs, leaving Li Xiu uncertain whether avoiding the rod was truly a blessing.

Such revelations were always vague, but now, for the first time, he received a direct and explicit warning.

In that moment, the Grandmaster of Great Zhou hesitated.