Chapter 696: Have Fate, See You Again

“Master Tie, what should we do? Should we go check it out?”

A subordinate cautiously inquired. Tie Wen frowned in thought. Silence fell over their surroundings at that moment. After a few breaths, Tie Wen finally made up his mind.

“Our secret meeting must not be exposed. We don't know if the other party is aware we're discussing here, and we can't be sure if those hosting a banquet in this dilapidated house are human or ghost…”

As he mumbled this, Tie Wen, who had originally planned to retreat immediately, suddenly thought of something and turned to Jiang Tong.

“Originally, the Wei family in Zhonghu Dao possessed a wordless heavenly book. After the Wei clan's demise and the estate's abandonment, all traces of the book were lost, right?”

“Indeed. However, in this era where demons and monsters appear and immortals display their divine powers, it might have already been taken. Furthermore, there have long been rumors about the Wei family's downfall, claiming that the immortal who bestowed the book was enraged by their corruption and brought down calamity, so it was likely reclaimed.”

Tie Wen nodded, but his eyes narrowed.

“But what if the heavenly book was never taken? What if it's still in the Wei family estate? This night banquet is truly peculiar…”

As a secret agent, his mission was to achieve results beneficial to Dazhen; instigating defection was merely one aspect.

Of course, Tie Wen was not one to take blind risks. After careful consideration, and knowing that there was no time to delay, he fumbled in his pocket and finally pulled out a brocade pouch. He believed it was worth using one of its contents.

“What is this?”

Jiang Tong was a little curious, and Tie Wen did not hide it from him.

“This brocade pouch was bestowed by Immortal Qing Song. It contains three divination slips: auspicious, neutral, and inauspicious. There were originally three of them. I should have used one when crossing the front lines, but we were careful and fortunate, so we saved one. Now is a good time to consult it.”

As he spoke, Tie Wen circulated his internal energy and pricked his left index finger with a sharp nail. A drop of blood immediately seeped from his fingertip. Using his left hand, he wrote the character “启” (Qǐ - "Open") on the front of the brocade pouch.

Just as Tie Wen was writing, on the other side, Ji Yuan, perched on a willow branch, had already put away his Thousand-Dipper Gourd. With a book in one hand and a brush in the other, he was writing something on its open pages. His gaze flickered towards the Dazhen secret agents, and a faint smile touched his lips as he wrote a few characters in the air towards their direction.

“It's fitting for them to disperse using this opportunity. Though sudden, it aligns perfectly with fate.”

Meanwhile, a faint flash of light swept across, and the knotted red string on the brocade pouch automatically untied.

Tie Wen took a deep breath. He carefully inserted two fingers into the pouch, retrieved a folded piece of paper, and slowly unfolded it. To his surprise, two rows of characters were slowly appearing on the paper's surface.

Previously, when consulting the pouch for good or ill fortune, there were usually only a few characters, or even just one. This unusual situation naturally drew everyone's attention, and Tie Wen subconsciously read the text aloud.

“When spring arrives, a clear night sprinkles starlight, and where precious light shines, a refreshing breeze is sent…”

The two lines of characters appeared and then vanished, but the divination slip offered no indication of good or ill fortune.

Whoosh… Whoosh…

Outside, a series of gentle breezes blew, making the warm, mild night feel exceptionally comfortable.

“This… there's no good or ill fortune indicated. But the literal meaning of those words just now… could the wordless heavenly book truly still be with the Wei family?”

“Indeed!” “Excellent! Perhaps we can obtain that wordless heavenly book!”

“Precisely. This signifies a great flourishing for Dazhen!”

Several subordinates nearby also voiced their opinions.

“I once heard that all treasures possess spiritual essence and can choose their own master. Perhaps that night banquet was the heavenly book manifesting to warn us.”

Although the idea was a bit far-fetched, it at least sounded plausible, and since the pouch had already been opened, it would be a waste not to investigate.

“Let's go take a look.”

Everyone present was a master from Dazhen's official ranks, equipped with talismans and other items bestowed by various Celestial Masters and Immortals. Having fully prepared before entering Zuyue's heartland, they were sufficient to deal with ordinary evil spirits. If they had encountered something exceptionally powerful, it would surely have been revealed much earlier.

A dozen or so individuals employed their lightness skill, swiftly traversing the desolate grounds of the Wei family estate, stealthily approaching the depths of the backyard. Due to the immense size of the estate, it took a while to reach their destination.

From afar, the lights of the night banquet were faintly visible. Due to the effect of their talismans, the foxes inside had not yet detected any external anomaly, even from the nearby rooftops and outside the courtyard, and were enthusiastically eating and drinking.

Ji Yuan was absent, and Jin Jia had also left. The large black dog, perched on a chair, had become the star of the banquet, with foxes vying for its favor, each coming to offer a toast.

“Come, come, Brother Dog, please drink this cup to the full!”

Hu Li personally refilled the cup and raised it to the large black dog, while the surrounding foxes cheered.

“Yes, yes, yes, Lord Dog, please drink! Lord Dog, please drink!”

Foxes hopped around nearby. The large black dog's eyes narrowed, as if it was smiling in a very human-like way. It leaned towards the cup, holding it with its two paws, and after two licks with its tongue, it sucked forcefully.

“Slurp, slurp, slurp…”

The wine flowed up its tongue and directly into its mouth.

“Gulp, gulp, gulp… Woof, woof, woof…”

“He drank it, he drank it! Lord Dog has an immense capacity!”

“Hahahaha, Lord Dog is truly amazing!”

The foxes gesticulated wildly, and some, transformed into female figures, brought pieces of meat to the black dog's mouth. The dog swallowed and chewed directly, then drank another cup of wine, looking extremely content and at ease.

This scene was witnessed by Tie Wen and another Dazhen master, who were peeking from outside. Their pupils constricted, and goosebumps erupted all over their bodies.

Far from being an auspicious sign of a heavenly book, it was clearly a demonic den. Anyone seeing humans, foxes, and dogs feasting together at night would not think anything good was happening inside.

Tie Wen and his companions felt fortunate that they had immortal master talismans on them, which prevented the demons inside from detecting them. This also allowed them to conclude that the demons' cultivation level was likely not high, but there was no need to initiate a conflict.

Just as Tie Wen was planning to quietly retreat, he suddenly saw a flash of brilliant light in the hands of a portly man inside, and a book instantly appeared.

Hu Li was about to pour wine for the large black dog when he saw a book appear in the hand holding the wine cup, propped up by the cup itself. The book emitted a shimmering glow, clearly indicating it was extraordinary.

“This is… *Wandering Dreams in the Clouds*?”

The first two words were a whispered question, but after clearly seeing the characters on the book's cover, a slightly excited Hu Li subconsciously read them aloud with emphasis.

“Wandering Dreams in the Clouds?” “A book?”

All the foxes at the banquet froze, their gazes fixed on Hu Li’s hand. As soon as the book appeared, it began to turn its pages automatically, and glowing characters drifted out from it.

Some of these characters were blurry, others clear, but their combined meaning vaguely suggested that obtaining this book would grant the seeker the immortal arts of carefree wandering.

In the next instant, almost all the foxes experienced a sensation of divine consciousness flowing through them, which they couldn't articulate precisely. Yet, they vaguely understood that this very moment marked the beginning of what Master Ji had spoken of earlier.

“Now?” “So sudden…”

Confusion, disappointment, and uneasiness appeared on the foxes' faces, while the large black dog on the side had no idea what was happening.

“Woof, woof, woof?”

A few barks not only startled the somewhat bewildered foxes but also roused Tie Wen and his group outside. They too could see the shimmering light and characters from within, and grasp their meaning.

With thoughts racing, Tie Wen could no longer hesitate. He bellowed out a command.

“Everyone, seize the heavenly book at all costs!”

“Charge!” “Charge!” “Kill—”

“Bang…” “Bang…” “Bang…” “Bang…”…

In an instant, over a dozen masters burst through doors and windows, each with surging inner energy and murderous intent. The clanging sound of drawn swords, “clink,” “clink,” “clink,” was accompanied by the glint of their weapons.

“Ah… run!” “Disperse, disperse…”

“Damn it, Lord Hei is caught in this too!” “Lord Hei, quick, get out, get out!”

“Demons, prepare to die!”

The weapons of the masters, each coated with talismans, rushed towards the foxes and the black dog in the room, carrying fragments of doors and windows. The once lively banquet was now filled with scurrying foxes.

“Woof… woof, woof… growl…”

“Clang…” “Clang…” “Thud…”

“Crack…” “Ah…”

Inside, sword light flashed wildly, blood splattered, and humans and demons fought chaotically. Tie Wen and another master went directly for Hu Li, who was holding the heavenly book *Wandering Dreams in the Clouds*. The sharp wind-breaking sound of the Eagle Claw technique pierced Hu Li's eardrums, making his face turn pale with fright.

“Seize him!”

“Crack…”

“Ah…”

Tie Wen seized Hu Li’s shoulder. Instantly, sharp nails dug in, and the sensation of breaking bones accompanied by intense pain shot through him. He deflated like a punctured ball, his once portly body immediately shrinking. Transforming into a fox clutching the book, he leaped out of his clothes. Although he escaped Tie Wen’s grasp, one of his front legs was now dangling loosely.

“Ah…” “It hurts like hell!”

“Run… run!” “Get out of here, quick!”

“Pfft…” “Pfft…” “Pfft…”

Several foxes suddenly began to fart, unleashing an unbearable stench. Caught off guard, Tie Wen and the other masters inhaled several breaths, becoming dizzy from the foul odor.

The large black dog, which had just ripped open the arm of one master, was almost sent to the heavens by the stench. It quickly let go and leaped out of the room. The foxes, however, had been even faster; they had already used the warriors’ temporary disorientation from the stench to escape while farting…

“Cough, cough, cough…” “Cough, cough… retch…” “Retch…”

“So foul…” “It stinks to high heaven!”

The warriors, enduring intense nausea and discomfort, jumped out of the room and moved away. Outside, they gagged and coughed, taking some time to recover their breath.

Tie Wen's face was grim. He turned to look inside the room, where bloodstains and fur were everywhere. Three warriors hadn't managed to escape and lay on the ground, either knocked out by the stench or dead. Not a single fox remained.

On the willow tree by the small river, Ji Yuan once again took out his Thousand-Dipper Gourd and poured wine into his mouth.

*Wandering Dreams in the Clouds* was an authentic text, and Ji Yuan had indeed left writings within it, containing both cultivation knowledge and other elements. Tonight's farce was not a mere prank by him; after this ordeal, this group of foxes would have to flee far away and live a wandering life.

Even if someone of extremely high cultivation were to divine the fate of these foxes, they would find a complete closed loop: descending the mountain to live in the Wei family estate, obtaining the heavenly book, then suddenly being pursued by Dazhen warriors and fleeing with the book.

The foxes would be considered "innocent" in this narrative, while Ji Yuan's involvement would remain undetectable.

Ji Yuan's gaze swept into the distance. There, a group of foxes, almost all injured but none fatally, were fleeing in panic. The leading fox limped, a book still clutched in its mouth, and the fear on their faces was evident.

“Cultivate well, and may we meet again when destiny allows!”

PS: Today is August 1st, Army Day. Happy holidays to the dearest people of our motherland! Also, please vote!