At the start, I tricked the school beauty, and ended up with twins?

"What should have been the fate of countless beings turned into an extraordinary encounter... yet, they must face the threat of death; how bizarre!"

Watching Gu Yu and Lin Xinyue leave, Pan Shi's expression was filled with shock and disbelief.

In his life, he had encountered countless notable figures and calculated many enigmatic fates, but he could not understand or predict the fate of that young man.

He watched as Gu Yu's figure disappeared into the crowd.

Pan Shi reached out to pick up a bamboo slip from the ground just as the setting sun's rays fell on it, causing his hand to suddenly freeze.

"If this youngster survives, the world will change for him, the heavens and the earth will open up a new atmosphere, and golden light will shine upon the land!"

He suddenly understood.

Not bothering to put the bamboo slip back into the container, he got up and chased after them outside the Taoist Temple.

The junior Taoists were all baffled; they had never seen the Taoist this agitated before.

Taoist Pan's disposition had always been as steady as his Taoist name, Pan Shi; he often told them to cultivate their character, to be neither angry nor worried, to avoid extreme joy or sorrow.

What was happening with the Taoist today?

Pan Shi hurried out of the Taoist Temple, through the crowded throng of people, to the archway, his gaze sweeping over the descending crowd on the steps, trying to spot Gu Yu and Lin Xinyue.

But unfortunately, even as he strained his eyes, he still could not find Gu Yu.

"No fate, no fate."

Pan Shi shook his head, sighed, and then slowly turned to head back into the Taoist Temple.

"Ah, all this is just superstition! Don't take it to heart too much; we're out to have fun, aren't we?"

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice to his right.

He quickly looked in the direction of the sound, and there he saw Gu Yu consoling his lover.

"Young friend!"

Pan Shi hurried after him, shouting out loud for fear that Gu Yu would disappear into the crowd again.

At that moment, Gu Yu was busy comforting Lin Xinyue, who had been frightened by the fortune-telling, when he suddenly heard the familiar voice and turned his head in confusion.

It was indeed the old Taoist, Pan Shi!

Gu Yu's expression immediately turned stern; if it weren't for this old Taoist, Lin Xinyue would not have been scared just now.

"Young friend, I'm so relieved to have found you."

Pan Shi ran over, panting, and seeing the unhappy expressions on both Gu Yu's and Lin Xinyue's faces, he already knew what had happened.

Gu Yu looked at him and kept silent, unwilling to engage with him.

In temples where fortunes are told, they always choose pleasing words, and even if a bad fortune is drawn, they would gently remind you in a roundabout way.

But Pan Shi was different; he had bluntly spoken of a deadly threat in his fate from the get-go.

Who would like to hear that?

"Young friend, it is truly fate that brings us together; I came out because I have a gift I want to give you."

Pan Shi smiled broadly, pulling out an indigo-colored incense bag embroidered with a white crane from his Taoist robe as a gift for Gu Yu.

"I'd rather not, Taoist. I don't think we have much of a connection..."

Gu Yu shook his head, not particularly interested in Pan Shi's incense bag.

Speaking right away of a deadly threat in his fate; he didn't consider that to be a sign of fate.

The onlookers were astounded; this was an incense bag personally made by Taoist Pan Shi! People outside would pay a heavy price to acquire one, yet this young man just refused like that?

"Young man, you don't appreciate its value!"

"Young man, Taoist Pan's incense bag is a rare treasure!"

"Yes, why don't you take it? I'll pay ten thousand to buy Taoist Pan's incense bag from you. How about that?"

""...

The people around them were all persuading Gu Yu to accept Pan Shi's gift.

There was even a chubby, rich merchant willing to offer a high price to buy the incense bag from Gu Yu.

An incense bag for ten thousand!

The people around were not surprised at all; some even looked at the merchant with disdain, saying sarcastically, "Looking at you, you must be in business, huh? Truly, there's no business without deceit!"

"Taoist Pan's incense bag, celebrities and tycoons outside are offering no less than fifty thousand! And they're not even available on the market."

"Haha, I saw that the young man didn't want it. Wouldn't it be a waste of Taoist Pan's kind intentions?"

The merchant's true intentions were exposed, a flash of embarrassment crossed his face, and he smoothly feigned ignorance.

Even so, he didn't leave; it was clear he didn't want to miss this opportunity that might lead to fortune.

Pan Shi wrinkled his nose and stepped half a step away from the merchant as if he didn't want the other's scent of money to rub off on him.

He then continued to smile at Gu Yu, "Hehe, young friend, this incense bag isn't just any incense bag; it contains sandalwood powder and ancient coins, which can awaken the spirit, calm the mind, and ward off evil and disaster."

Pan Shi, introducing his incense bag, wore a hint of pride on his face.

It may look plain, this White Crane Incense Bag, but it embodies the Taoist skills he had cultivated throughout his lifetime.

To non-practitioners, it might sound absurd, but for them, Taoist skills do exist.

"Uh, since it has such good effects, Taoist, you should keep it for yourself. As they say, one shouldn't accept rewards without merits; I really can't accept such a precious treasure."

Although he did not know what treasures the old Taoist was speaking about with the ancient sandalwood powder and coins, from the conversations he overheard, Gu Yu had realized the incense bag was exceedingly valuable.

This made him even more determined not to accept it.

To accept such a gift without cause was something he couldn't do.

"Ah, this isn't about accepting rewards without merits; you offered incense to Great Immortal Huang, and this is merely a reciprocation he asked me to give you!"

Seeing that Gu Yu still refused to accept, Pan Shi felt quite helpless as this was the first time he couldn't give a gift away.

But he was persistent and kept talking, hoping Gu Yu would accept.

"..."

Gu Yu looked at Taoist Pan, baffled; he couldn't understand why the old Taoist was so intent on giving him the gift.

But he still chose to stick to his principles and continued to refuse, "No, thank you, Taoist! And thanks to Great Immortal Huang as well!"

After saying this, he took Lin Xinyue's hand, getting ready to leave the place.

It was getting late, and they needed to hurry to catch the boat back to the Ark. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

Seeing that Gu Yu was truly about to leave, Pan Shi became desperate and suddenly shouted, "Wait!"

Gu Yu stopped in his tracks, puzzled as he turned back, unsure why the old Taoist was so insistent on bothering him.

"Young friend, in this world, many things depend on belief and skepticism. It's always good to be cautious! Even though divinations can be incorrect, the old Taoist still trusts his abilities somewhat."

"If I let you leave without doing my bit, I fear I'll be uneasy in the future."

Pan Shi looked at Gu Yu earnestly, making eye contact with him.

After a three-second stare, their gazes parted, and Gu Yu sighed. He was indeed moved by the old Taoist's persistent sincerity.

Are all those who cultivate so stubborn?

"This Female Crown is worried about you too, right? Why not take one incense bag talisman from me to ease her worries?"

Noticing the wavering in Gu Yu's eyes, Pan Shi continued to speak.

This time he mentioned Lin Xinyue.