Chapter 377: Star Rises at Yunshan View

Ji Yuan elaborated on everything he could think of, then looked at Daoist Qingsong.

“How about it, Daoist priest, are you confident?”

Daoist Qingsong glanced at Qin Zizhou and Ji Yuan, his expression firm.

“I’ll try!”

At this point, Daoist Qingsong suddenly realized something and promptly asked Ji Yuan.

“Mr. Ji, nothing will go wrong if I calculate this, right? I’m just a mortal, and even you need help with this matter, I…”

“Heh heh… It seems Daoist Qingsong still values his life.”

Ji Yuan smiled and continued.

“Don’t worry, calculating this isn’t a big problem. Even if you were to truly divine for some immortals or powerful beings, nothing would happen. It’s only a matter of whether you can successfully divine it, not that something will go wrong just by trying. Of course, if you divine something related to special heavenly secrets and then blurt it out, or if a powerful entity intentionally targets you, that’s when things are likely to go wrong. Today’s matter is fine.”

“Oh, oh, oh.”

Qi Xuan nodded in sudden understanding, then cautiously asked another question.

“Is there nothing you can do about this, Mr. Ji?”

Ji Yuan nodded. Mount Cloud Temple was the most comfortable place for him to stay, apart from Ning'an County. Everyone present was someone he could fully trust, so he had no reservations.

“Even I am not omnipotent. As the saying goes, ‘every profession has its specialists.’ When it comes to divination and the art of change, Daoist Qingsong, your skill is exceptional; you’re more capable than I, Ji Yuan, and even more capable than many so-called immortals and divine beings.”

Qin Zizhou also smiled and offered a compliment.

“To receive such praise from Mr. Ji, Daoist Qi has every right to be proud!”

With these two distinguished individuals praising him, the already elderly Daoist Qingsong was flustered and even scratched his head in embarrassment.

“So, shall I begin the divination?”

“Please, Daoist priest!”

After Daoist Qingsong nodded, he began to adjust his state. He flipped his hands up and down, then lightly brushed them a few times in front and behind him. This action itself held no special power, but rather served as a psychological ritual.

Then Daoist Qingsong’s mind quieted. He stared at the scroll of the *Sword Intent Transcript*, gently scanning its edges.

Qi Xuan himself didn’t understand profound spells, but Ji Yuan could see that he was “measuring” it—taking into account the paper’s thickness, length, width, and even the wooden rod of the scroll, as if assessing a building’s feng shui.

“The chamber is half a foot wide, two feet long, with wood on its side… The owner was born on the ninth day of the first lunar month in the Guiwei year, at a quarter past the Shen hour…”

While murmuring to himself, Daoist Qingsong used his fingers to calculate and record the previous information, guiding the divination through this conditioned reflex.

During this process, neither Qin Zizhou nor Ji Yuan made a sound, so as not to disturb Daoist Qingsong’s divination. Ji Yuan, in particular, had his spiritual eye wide open, meticulously observing Qi Xuan’s current state, not missing even the slightest change.

From his aura to his demeanor, Daoist Qingsong’s changing thoughts were reflected in the progress of the hexagrams and also caused shifts in his own aura.

After a long time, Daoist Qingsong’s aura suddenly showed a more pronounced change. His vital energy, or his entire aura, began to lean towards brighter colors, indicating that a result was imminent.

Indeed, Daoist Qingsong whispered some of the things he had divined.

“Many owners, dwelling by water, fond of sandalwood and ink, dislike strong light, settled in a foreign land in early September of the Jiawu year… This seems too far… Mr. Ji, did I calculate incorrectly?”

Ordinarily, Daoist Qingsong was very confident in his divinations, but this situation was special. The subject was not human, nor even a normal living creature, so he dared not make any guarantees.

Ji Yuan immediately waved his hand.

“You likely didn’t make a mistake. Keep calculating; don’t be afraid. Just getting a general direction or range will be enough; it will make it easier for me to find when I get closer.”

“Alright.”

Daoist Qingsong continued his divination with peace of mind, eventually calculating a location tens of thousands of miles to the northwest. Qi Xuan had traveled quite a bit of Dazhen’s land with Qi Wen, so he knew this was definitely beyond Dazhen’s borders, though he didn’t know the exact location.

However, Ji Yuan was very satisfied with Daoist Qingsong’s results. Not only did Daoist Qingsong provide a general direction and approximate distance, but he also described some possible characteristics of the environment where those “characters” might be located, such as the potential presence of ponds or rivers, specific types of trees, and man-made structures.

For an ordinary person, this information would still be useless, but for Ji Yuan, knowing these details, combined with the *Sword Intent Transcript*, and performing a few more calculations once he was within a suitable distance, would greatly increase his chances of accurately finding those “characters.”

After Daoist Qingsong finished relaying all his findings, he felt no physical discomfort, yet he was still unsure if his divination was correct. In his view, divining such mysterious matters should elicit some kind of reaction; normally, when he divined for people, he would occasionally get a beating. This time, with no reaction whatsoever, it felt somewhat unusual.

Fortunately, Ji Yuan was unaware of Daoist Qingsong’s thoughts. If he had known, his perception of Qi Xuan might have shifted from merely “divination obsessed” to also include “masochist.”

Ji Yuan concentrated and briefly reviewed the content of Qi Xuan’s divination. His heart grew more certain about Qi Xuan’s findings, and a faint visual image even began to form in his mind.

After regaining his composure, Ji Yuan stood up and solemnly cupped his hands in thanks to Daoist Qingsong.

“Many thanks, Daoist Qingsong, for your assistance with the divination. I was indeed right to come to Mount Cloud Temple!”

Daoist Qingsong quickly stood up and returned the bow.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. Mr. Ji, if you have any need, just say the word, and I will certainly assist with all my might. If not for you, I would not be so robust, like a middle-aged man, at an age where I am almost nearing my destiny!”

Hearing Qi Xuan say this, Ji Yuan felt a bit dazed. Looking at Qi Xuan, with his black hair and robust physique, one couldn’t tell from his appearance that he was already in his late fifties, almost sixty.

“Master, Mr. Ji, Grandpa Qin, I’m back!”

At this moment, Qi Wen returned with light steps, carrying a basket full of fresh ingredients bought from the village down the mountain. With Mr. Ji’s arrival, they were not only happy but also blessed to have a good meal.

“Come, come! It’s rare for Mr. Ji to visit, so this humble Daoist will show off his cooking skills today. Qi Wen, fetch firewood and start the fire!”

“Alright!”

The master and disciple from Mount Cloud Temple, filled with enthusiasm, went one after another to the temple kitchen. Looking at their vigor, it was hard to tell that they were a master well over fifty and a disciple past thirty.

Ji Yuan stood in front of the main hall of the temple, calmly watching the master and disciple busy themselves in the kitchen. Qin Zizhou, who was beside him, had also stood up.

“Is Qi Wen not planning to marry?”

Qin Zizhou stroked his long beard and said.

“Although Daoists of Mount Cloud Temple are not forbidden from marrying, Daoist Qingyuan is devoted to the Dao and has no intention of marrying, at least in my opinion.”

Ji Yuan turned to look at Qin Zizhou, then at the Daoist star banner in the main hall behind them.

“Elder Qin, ‘stars rising from Mount Cloud Temple,’ how about it?”

Qin Zizhou seemed to have been waiting for Ji Yuan’s cryptic remark, and simply nodded at him.

Ji Yuan understood. He solemnly swept his sleeve, cupped his hands, and bowed. Qin Zizhou performed the same respectful gesture almost simultaneously. In the kitchen, Qi Wen, who was lighting the stove fire, looked up towards the main hall.

He happened to see Ji Yuan and Qin Zizhou standing in front of the temple’s main hall entrance, one on the right and one on the left, bowing to each other. His gaze extended inside to the large star banner in the main hall of Mount Cloud Temple.

“What are you looking at? The stove fire is almost out!”

Daoist Qingsong reprimanded him, bringing Qi Wen back to attention.

“Oh, oh, oh, burning it now, burning it now!”

Qi Wen quickly threw a knot of dry straw into the stove, and after getting a strong flame, he added split firewood branches.

When the fire was roaring, and he looked towards the main hall again, Mr. Ji and Grandpa Qin were sitting on their respective small stools, basking in the sun.

It was strange, but to Qi Wen, although Grandpa Qin clearly looked very old, Mr. Ji, sitting beside him, didn’t give off any impression of being a “youngster” or a junior.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuan and Qin Zizhou, like two old men sunning themselves on small stools, leisurely chatted about matters that could affect the future of Mount Cloud Temple and the two Daoists, Qi Wen and Qi Xuan.

“But it’s still a bit thin, with just Daoist Qingsong and Daoist Qingyuan, plus this old man, it’s not even a handful…”

No sooner had Qin Zizhou finished speaking than Ji Yuan smiled and looked towards the distant courtyard wall next to the temple kitchen.

“Well, that makes a handful, doesn’t it?”

Qin Zizhou paused, then followed Ji Yuan’s gaze. He saw two small gray martens poking their heads out from the distant courtyard wall, clearly enticed by the aromatic spices wafting from the kitchen.

“Haha, alright, a handful indeed, excellent!”

Ji Yuan chuckled, stood up again, and with a lift of his hand, a wolf-hair brush flew from his sleeve and landed in his palm.

He looked up at the temple’s star banner, which was black with silver and gold flecks.

“I had originally intended to wait longer, but ordinary people have limited lifespans, and Qi Xuan is no longer young. Given this, I shall not be stingy!”

Ji Yuan stepped into the main hall of Mount Cloud Temple, followed by Qin Zizhou. As Ji Yuan subtly waved the hand holding the brush, its tip became enveloped in a layer of profound yellow luminescence.

“This star banner is already somewhat special, and with Elder Qin’s cultivation over the years drawing energy into it, it has a beginning. As the saying goes, ‘dotting the eyes to bring a dragon to life,’ I shall ‘dot the stars to bring the banner to life’.”

As he spoke, Ji Yuan slowly floated into the air, hovering before the star banner. With his first stroke, the entire banner, which had been somewhat wrinkled, seemed to transform into a flat, rigid iron plate.

The next moment, the wolf-hair brush moved with his hand, rapidly applying strokes to the star banner.

*Swish swish swish swish…*

Streaks of intertwined gold and silver light flashed before the star banner, causing Daoist Qingsong and Qi Wen, who were busy in the kitchen, to come out and watch. The two martens on the courtyard wall also stared intently.