Chapter 64
The concept of "luck" sounded vague and intangible, yet no one could deny that it existed.
As for how to determine whether someone possessed luck—or how much of it they had—no one truly knew.
At most, people could catch glimpses of it through the experiences of powerful cultivators.
Throughout history, every cultivator who had reached great heights carried some degree of fortune with them.
Otherwise, they would have long since died beneath the claws of demonic beasts or at the hands of enemies.
High above the clouds, Lingzhu Zhenren paused mid-step after hearing Lou Yuqing's words. She still had the little monkey tucked under one arm, but her gaze had already shifted toward Yuan Chenxing, thoughtful and heavy.
This kid's luck had been stolen?
She turned to Shi Hua. "What do you think?"
Shi Hua slowly shook her head, contemplation flickering in her eyes.
To be honest, in all her years of cultivation, she had never heard of anyone being capable of stealing another person's luck.
The very idea was far too mysterious.
If such a thing truly existed, the cultivation world would have descended into chaos ages ago.
When people praised powerful cultivators as "favored by destiny," most of the time it was merely flattery-pleasant words spoken to curry favor with the strong.
As for Ling Yunxiao and the others, their cultivation levels were still too low, their understanding of destiny too shallow.
None of them relied on luck to cultivate.
Cultivators already walked a path that defied the heavens. If they spent every day obsessing over fortune and destiny, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?
At that point, they might as well stop cultivating altogether and lie down waiting to die.
The atmosphere turned strangely quiet.
No one quite knew how to react to something this absurd.
Meanwhile, Yuan Chenxing's expression shifted several times in rapid succession—shock, confusion, anxiety, unease... until finally settling into dark displeasure.
Which bastard stole my luck?
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. If he ever found out who did it, he would absolutely make that person regret being born.
His gaze locked onto Lou Yuqing, practically burning with urgency. He wanted answers.
Unfortunately, his stare was a little too intense.
Lou Yuqing naturally noticed.
She looked up—and met his eyes directly.
"..."
An eerie silence descended between them.
Lou Yuqing hesitantly touched her face, her thoughts racing.
[Why is he staring at me like that? Is there dirt on my face?]
The moment those thoughts sounded out, Yuan Chenxing realized disaster had struck.
Crap.
He almost exposed himself.
Thankfully, at the critical moment, Ruan Qingzhu stepped in to save him.
"Senior Brother Yuan, stop spacing out. What do you think about the suggestion I mentioned earlier?"
[Oh. So he was daydreaming.]
Yuan Chenxing nearly sagged in relief when he realized Lou Yuqing bought the excuse.
Unfortunately, she was still staring at him curiously, clearly waiting for his response.
His scalp instantly tingled.
What suggestion?!
How the hell am I supposed to answer Junior Sister Ruan?!
Yuan Chenxing froze stiff.
At some point, Ling Yunxiao and Steward Xie had also stopped talking.
The entire room had gone dead silent, making the atmosphere unbearably strange.
For one horrifying moment, no one spoke at all.
Cold sweat slid down Yuan Chenxing's forehead.
He forced out an awkward smile. "A-Ah... Junior Sister Ruan, your suggestion... I think..."
His eyes suddenly landed on the Silver Moon Wolf.
Salvation.
Immediately, he continued smoothly, "I still don't think it's a good idea. Zhizhi made a mistake and should be punished properly. Otherwise, it won't learn its lesson. It's only being grounded for a month. You don't need to feel sorry for it."
The Silver Moon Wolf: "Awoo?"
Its furry little face instantly collapsed in disbelief.
Ignoring Zhizhi's betrayed stare, Yuan Chenxing turned toward Ruan Qingzhu with absolute sincerity.
"Junior Sister Ruan, you really can't spoil spirit beasts too much. By the time you regret it later, it'll already be too late."
Ruan Qingzhu: "..."
Senior Brother Yuan, your acting skills are actually terrifying.
Still, she mercifully played along. "Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother."
"I'm just glad you don't find me annoying," Yuan Chenxing replied warmly, immediately seizing the opportunity to continue rambling. "Actually, when raising spirit beasts..."
The more he spoke, the more natural he sounded, smoothly transitioning into an enthusiastic discussion about pet care.
If Ling Yunxiao hadn't noticed how rigid Yuan Chenxing's shoulders still were, he might have believed the man was completely calm.
Lou Yuqing blinked.
[Yuan Chenxing's luck is the kind that turns disaster into opportunity. Every crisis becomes a blessing in disguise.]
[Even when he encountered Jin Du and the Charming Maiden, he escaped danger and walked away with huge benefits.]
[If his luck hadn't been stolen, he would've continued running into trouble—but every hardship would've brought cultivation resources and opportunities with it. Even the Thunderfire Pearl explosion wouldn't have killed him. Instead, he would've gained another fortunate encounter.]
Everyone: "..."
That kind of luck was absolutely outrageous.
Thinking back on the original trajectory, Yuan Chenxing should have died in the Thunderfire Pearl explosion after his luck was stolen.
Yet in reality, he survived because a benefactor saved him.
Which meant his "turning calamity into fortune" destiny still partially worked. Perhaps the other party had stolen only part of his luck instead of taking everything.
Yuan Chenxing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Was that supposed to comfort him?
Compared to that, he was far more interested in identifying the thief and beating them until they returned his stolen fortune.
[But who exactly stole it?]
Lou Yuqing was curious too.
Unfortunately, after scrolling through the system panel several times, she still couldn't find any detailed information.
There was no name, no background—only a vague label: "Mysterious Person."
Yuan Chenxing's eyes dimmed slightly.
Even she didn't know...
But the next moment, his expression steadied again.
Anyone capable of stealing another person's fortune definitely wasn't simple. Revenge would need to be handled carefully.
Still, as long as he stayed alive, one day he would uncover the truth.
At that moment, a massive screen suddenly appeared before everyone.
On it was the back of a figure seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion.
The person wore a dark blue robe. Long black hair cascaded down their back, though the ends looked slightly scorched, as if burned by fire.
It was impossible to tell whether the figure was male or female.
This was the image Lou Yuqing had pulled up through the system in hopes of finding clues.
She hadn't expected the system to deliberately hide the person's face.
"System," Lou Yuqing snapped internally, "who the hell cuts a melon in half like this? Hand over the information right now!"
The system responded with a cold ellipsis.
Then the mechanical voice sounded emotionlessly:
Lou Yuqing nearly exploded.
"If I knew their name, why would I even ask you?!" she fumed. "Before this, everyone's identity was displayed clearly. Since when did you start hiding things? What are you plotting?"
The mechanical voice remained cold and merciless.
Lou Yuqing tried using the search function instead.
Locked.
"..."
She alternated between threats, bargaining, and coaxing, but the system stubbornly repeated the same useless response over and over again.
Finally, Lou Yuqing gritted her teeth.
"Fine. You win."
Didn't the stupid system love melon points?
Then she simply wouldn't spend any.
She refused to believe the system could stay patient longer than she could.
Meanwhile, Shi Hua pondered for a moment before speaking seriously.
"This matter regarding luck cannot be ignored. I'll report it to the Sect Master immediately."
Originally, she had wanted to uncover the mysterious person's identity first before taking action, but even Lou Yuqing couldn't dig anything up.
"What matter about luck?"
Zaomo looked confused as he approached from the distance, arms piled high with freshly picked spiritual fruits glistening with juice.
The little monkey's eyes instantly lit up. It immediately reached out with both paws.
"You little glutton," Zaomo scolded helplessly. "You insisted on eating the fruits from that place. When I tried to stop you from picking them, you refused to come back with your mother. You're getting more spoiled by the day."
Despite his complaints, he instinctively moved closer, afraid the monkey might tumble off Lingzhu's shoulder.
He had returned late because of the fruit-picking and had no idea what had just happened.
Instead of answering directly, Lingzhu Zhenren asked quietly: "Can luck be stolen?"
Zaomo froze.
One of the fruits in his arms slipped out and dropped to the ground.
The little monkey squeaked angrily in protest.
Just as Zaomo fell into thought—Lou Yuqing suddenly felt that the name "Ten Thousand Beasts Sect" sounded strangely familiar.
[Wait... I feel like I've heard of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect before. Where was it again...?]
A flash of realization exploded through her mind.
[I remember now! Isn't that the beast-taming sect that bought the little monkey?!]
[And Jin Du—the sect master's son—is the one who tortured the little monkey to death!]
The instant those words landed-the sky changed.
A violent wind howled across the heavens as dark storm clouds gathered overhead. The pressure in the air became suffocating, like the world itself was moments away from collapsing.
Everyone instantly understood.
Lingzhu Zhenren had heard everything.
As the little monkey's mother, how could she possibly tolerate hearing that her child had been tortured to death?
At this moment, she probably wanted nothing more than to rip the murderer into pieces.
Lingzhu's eyes darkened completely.
Her expression became unreadable.
The braids at her back loosened and whipped wildly in the wind as terrifying spiritual pressure exploded outward from her body. Her robes billowed violently behind her.
At that moment, her entire existence radiated only two words: Killing intent.
Zaomo, completely unaware of Lou Yuqing's inner thoughts, only saw his Dao companion suddenly erupt with terrifying fury.
Alarm flashed across his face.
"Lingzhu, what happened?"
The little monkey squeaked twice and hurriedly patted its mother's arm with its tiny furry paws, trying to comfort her.
Seeing the anxious eyes of her partner and child, Lingzhu's overwhelming killing intent abruptly faltered.
She slowly closed her eyes, forcibly retracting the spiritual pressure leaking from her body.
"The matter of destiny can wait," she said coldly into Zaomo's ear. "First, we settle our debt with the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect."
The murderous intent in her eyes was endless.
Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared—the sky returned to normal. The storm clouds vanished.
It was as though nothing had happened at all.
Everyone present subconsciously clutched their chests, still shaken.
For those few seconds earlier, breathing had felt nearly impossible. It was like an invisible hand had been squeezing their lungs shut.
If it had lasted any longer, they genuinely doubted they would still be standing.
Far from the Wendao Sect stood a place known as the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
Famous for its beast-taming techniques, the sect governed territory stretching tens of thousands of miles.
This year, it had opened its gates once more to recruit new disciples.
Zhou Pu was one of the recruits.
His talent was mediocre, and he only managed to become an outer disciple of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
Before entering the sect, he had merely been the son of a farmer.
Logically speaking, being chosen by an immortal sect should have been the greatest fortune of his life.
And in the beginning, Zhou Pu truly had been ecstatic.
Ever since his spiritual roots were discovered, the attitude of everyone around him had completely transformed.
Especially toward his family.
People who once offended the Zhou family came personally to apologize, terrified he might settle old scores after becoming an immortal cultivator.
The surrounding villages all knew the Zhou family had produced a "golden phoenix." Visitors crowded their doorstep so frequently it was practically worn flat.
Until the day he left for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, Zhou Pu could still remember the lively atmosphere at home.
His ambitions swelled rapidly during those few short days.
Now that he possessed the opportunity to cultivate immortality, he would work hard, become powerful, and continue living that respected life forever.
Unfortunately, reality quickly shattered his fantasies.
After entering the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, Zhou Pu discovered there were countless disciples more outstanding than him.
Those with exceptional talent were immediately accepted as personal disciples by elders.
Those with similar aptitude to his either had powerful backing or knew how to cling to influential people.
The disparity gnawed at him constantly.
If he couldn't climb higher than everyone else... then wouldn't he spend his entire life stuck at the bottom?
He couldn't accept that.
"Zhou Bai... you should understand me. I'm doing this for your own good. We'll both benefit from it. Our future will be bright..."
In the middle of the night, Zhou Pu suddenly woke from a nightmare.
Cold sweat soaked his body.
His lips moved continuously, mumbling to himself as though trying to convince someone.
But Zhou Bai wasn't there.
Not anymore.
Originally, the two had come from the same village and were assigned to the same room. They usually looked after each other and got along well.
But today, Zhou Bai was gone.
Because Zhou Pu had personally offered him up as a gift to the young sect leader, Jin Du, through the young sect leader's followers.
Tonight, Zhou Bai would be lying in Jin Du's bed.
The moment that thought surfaced, Zhou Pu's face twisted violently.
He had heard rumors.
The young sect leader was vicious in bed—especially fond of tormenting people cruelly.
Some time ago, someone had died without even causing a ripple.
Apparently, Jin Du hadn't always been like this. But for some unknown reason, he later began openly seeking handsome male cultivators within the sect, dragging them back for various forms of abuse.
Very few survived.
And even those who did... rarely lived much longer afterward.
Zhou Pu tightly gripped the storage pouch at his waist.
Inside were the spirit stones he had received from the other party.
Hush money.
An amount he could never earn in his entire life.
If Zhou Bai died...
"I... I'm doing this for your own good."
The barely audible whisper dissolved into the midnight wind.
Meanwhile, deep within a cave dwelling on the sect's main peak—
A pale-faced man lounged lazily in the main seat.
Though his appearance was fairly handsome, the dark circles beneath his eyes gave him the look of someone ruined by excess indulgence.
This man was Jin Du.
His cultivation had stagnated for years.
The Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had exhausted countless methods trying to force a breakthrough into Foundation Establishment, but nothing worked. Even his lifespan had failed to increase.
If not for relying on longevity pills and beauty pills, Jin Du's appearance would likely have aged long ago.
"This subordinate greets Young Master."
A follower bowed deeply, smiling obsequiously.
"This time, I've found a male concubine who looks remarkably similar to that person. I guarantee Young Master will be satisfied."
Jin Du paused midway through drinking tea.
A vicious glint flashed through his eyes.
"How much truth is there in your words?" he asked softly. "The price for deceiving this young master... is probably more than you can afford."
Cold sweat instantly broke across the subordinate's back.
As one of Jin Du's longtime attendants, he naturally knew about the feud between the young sect leader and that man.
Back then, Jin Du personally brought the Spirit Shadow Butterfly to hunt Yuan Chenxing down, only for Yuan Chenxing to escape using the illusion abilities of the Silver Moon Wolf after forming a contract with it.
The entire affair had been a humiliating slap to Jin Du's face.
And because of that incident, Jin Du's cultivation remained forever stuck.
Over the years, his temperament had become increasingly unstable.
He killed at the slightest displeasure.
If not for the subordinate's usefulness and quick wit, he would already be a corpse.
"This servant would never dare deceive Young Master," the subordinate hurriedly replied. "That man's brows, nose, and mouth truly resemble him. Even his temperament is similarly stubborn. Why not let Young Master personally discipline him?"
Jin Du narrowed his eyes.
"Bring him in," he ordered calmly. "This young master wishes to see exactly how similar he is. If he fails to satisfy me..."
His gaze turned icy. "You'll bear the consequences."
The subordinate's smile nearly cracked apart.
Internally, he desperately prayed the young sect leader would be pleased—or at the very least, not angered enough to kill him.
That was why he had deliberately chosen a moment when Jin Du seemed relatively calm.
Soon, footsteps echoed from outside.
Zhou Bai was pushed forward, his hands bound tightly behind his back.
His expression was ice-cold.
Beneath that coldness burned humiliation—and fury.
He had never imagined that his closest friend would betray him so thoroughly and personally shove him into this living hell.
The thought of Zhou Pu's hypocritical apologies made Zhou Bai sick enough to vomit.
And when he saw the greedy hunger in Jin Du's eyes—the nausea only intensified.