Chapter 46

The entire room fell into complete silence.

Anping’s first reaction was—Is Fengdu deliberately courting death?

Last time, Mu Gesheng risked his life to calculate the fate of the nation, nearly—or perhaps already—driving Chai Shuxin mad to such an extent. Fengdu’s reaction to seeing the Rakshasa was like a mouse seeing a cat, yet he still had the nerve to dance on Chai Shuxin’s bottom line?

Lin Juansheng said calmly, “Judge Cui, my master and the Heavenly Calculator were disciples of the same sect. I can vouch for my junior brother’s abilities. The national fate calculated by the forty-nine Mountain Ghost Flowers will not be wrong.”

With the great power of Penglai, the words of the Longevity Son carried considerable weight. When Lin Juansheng spoke to defuse the situation, Anping originally thought Cui Ziyu would know when to back down.

Unexpectedly, the usually opportunistic Judge Cui seemed as if he had swallowed a weight and hardened his heart today, stubbornly insisting, “Some of the scholars present did not experience those events back then and are unaware.”

Chai Puti revealed an intrigued smile: "Oh? I wonder what Judge Cui is referring to?"

"Back then, the Heavenly Calculator used a Mountain Ghost coin to suppress the Yin-Yang Ladder, forming the Mountain Ghost Seal, and only then did he cast the hexagram to calculate the nation's fortune—obviously, the national fortune he calculated was not based on all forty-nine Mountain Ghost coins, but was missing one."

At these words, both Wubi You and Chai Yanyan were taken aback, and even Zhu Yinxiao showed a thoughtful expression. They had not experienced those events firsthand; all the rumors were passed down from their elders. Zhu Yinxiao had some understanding, but Wubi You and Chai Yanyan were completely unaware.

Chai Puti said with deep meaning, "In that case, this becomes quite interesting."

Wubi said impatiently, "Auntie, are you listening to a story? Speaking one sentence after another? None of the scholars here have spoken, so where do you get the right to interrupt?"

Chai Puti smiled faintly, showing no sign of annoyance. Just as she was about to say something, Lin Juansheng took over, "Everyone here may not know, but the missing Mountain Ghost coin from the Tiansuan lineage was actually a gift from me."

He then explained the inheritance rules of the Tiansuan lineage, "The Mountain Ghost coin used to fill the gap back then was crafted by Mozi himself, a true masterpiece of divine craftsmanship."

"Changshengzi speaks truly," Cui Ziyu bowed and said, "Fengdu is also familiar with the inheritance rules of the Tiansuan lineage, but Mozi has been dead for many years now, and the Mo family line has no successors. No one knows exactly how effective that substitute Mountain Ghost coin was back then."

Mu Gesheng laughed out loud, "Judge Cui, you really should have said this to the second brother himself when he was still alive."

An Ping couldn't help but recall Mozi from those years—bold and fierce, like a blade and fire.

Mu Gesheng was right; if Song Wentong were still alive, even if Cui Ziyu had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare say such a thing.

Now, it was nothing more than a casually spoken word about an old friend.

Faced with Fengdu's relentless pressure, An Ping truly felt the words Zhu Yinxiao had spoken in the teahouse—that the Seven Schools of Thought were indeed in decline.

In fact, none of the families were weak; for example, the Yao family, whose Yao Group was thriving in the business world.

It was just that people's hearts were like scattered sand, each harboring their own schemes.

Lin Juansheng frowned slightly and looked directly at Cui Ziyu. "Judge Cui, allow me a word: what Fengdu is doing now has gone too far."

"National fortune is a grand divination; even the heavenly calculators of past dynasties might not perform it once in a lifetime. Now, with the world at peace, there is no need to deduce the nation's fate." His expression grew stern as he said, "If it is merely to relieve Fengdu of its troubles, this is not the responsibility of the Seven Families. I ask the Ten Yama Kings to handle it themselves."

"Longshengzi, please calm down." Chai Puti said leisurely, "As far as I know, the heavenly calculators should decide on national fortune together with the Seven Families. Why not seek the opinions of all the families?"

"Auntie," Chai Yanyan said with a smile, "Who else here do you think would side with Fengdu besides the Yao Group?" Saying this, she pressed Wubi You’s head down onto the table.

Wubi You was about to explode immediately but then realized the situation, shrinking back in frustration like a rebellious punk forced to reform.

Lin Juansheng looked around; no one spoke. "Judge Cui, as you have seen, even by the rules of the Seven Houses, to ask the Heavenly Calculator to divine the fate of the nation with such a grand omen, at least four houses must agree before there is any room for consideration." Saying this, he flicked his whisk. "If Fengdu’s only request is this matter, then you may take your leave."

An Ping silently calculated in his mind: two tables of mahjong, plus Cui Ziyu, who served tea and water—nine people in total. Lin Juansheng was clearly defending Mu Gesheng; Zhu Baizhi and Zhu Yinxiao had no objections, and Chai Yanyan would surely stand with his ancestor. So, the ones supporting Fengdu now must be the Yin-Yang School and the Yao family group.

The Yin-Yang School was coerced by Fengdu, while the Yao family group sought to dominate out of their wolfish ambition.

Lin Juansheng had just said that to request the Heavenly Calculator to divine the nation’s fate, at least four houses must agree—An Ping, after all calculations, could not gather these four. So where did Fengdu’s confidence come from in convening the Seven Houses this time?

In the end, offending a bunch of people, working hard but gaining no favor—what's the point?

He even began to suspect that Cui Ziyu had somehow offended his superior and was sent on this suicidal mission.

No, it would be more accurate to say that it was already suspicious for Mu Gesheng to agree to this gathering of the seven families.

Anping was lost in wild thoughts when unexpectedly Mu Gesheng spoke up, holding an enamel basin and saying slowly, "If Fengdu wants to calculate the nation's fortune again, that's not impossible."

Anping: ?!?!?

That was truly a shocking statement, leaving everyone in the room stunned. The crowd looked at Mu Gesheng in disbelief, wondering if he had lost his mind.

Mu Gesheng took a sip of tea. "The greatest hardship of calculating the nation's fate lies in sacrificing life. As everyone knows, I can no longer be considered among the living." He spread his hands. "So whether I lose more years of my life no longer matters to me."

Zhu Baizhi glared at him, his beard bristling, then finally snorted coldly.

Chai Puti chuckled softly, "So, does this mean Tian Suanzi has agreed?"

"Not at all," Mu Gesheng shook his head, pointing to his temple. "What I'm about to say isn't exactly a secret among the Seven Schools of Thought—you all probably have some understanding, though my memory is incomplete."

"Back then, when I cast the divination for the nation's fate, I incurred Heaven's punishment. When I died, the mountain spirits scattered the coins, which also caused my memory loss." Mu Gesheng looked at Cui Ziyu. "Do you understand what I mean, Judge Cui?"

Cui Ziyu was momentarily stunned, but Anping quickly caught on—so that's why they were waiting here. The coins were scattered and never fully recovered; they never managed to gather all forty-nine pieces, so the divination could never be completed!

No wonder Chai Suxin agreed so easily to the Seven Schools gathering together. Turns out they were just playing people for fools here!

Anping was silently cursing in his heart, but just as one wave subsided, another arose. Mu Gesheng said, “Although the Shangui coins are incomplete, if you want to calculate, it’s not impossible.”

Anping: "......"

No one responded to him anymore; heaven only knows what other tricks this guy had up his sleeve.

Mu Gesheng leisurely walked the person around once, then said without hurry, “Anyway, I’m already a dead man now, so calculating the fate of the nation is no big deal. But since the coins are incomplete, the divination will inevitably be inaccurate, so we have to find substitutes.”

“The Seven Schools of the Masters have lasted for millennia, each with their own heirlooms. The Shangui coins of the Tiansuanzi, the Rascha life token of the Luocha school, the plain language whisk of the Changsheng school, the Vermilion Bird blood of the Xingxiu school, the Guwang smoking pipe of the Wuchang school, and the Red-Licking Blade of the Mozi.”

He paused, "And also, the Panguang oracle bones of the Ling Shuzi."

Mentioning the Yao family legacy, both Chai Yanyan and Chai Puti slightly focused their attention.

"The Panguang oracle bones come from the Yin-Shang dynasty. Oracle bones, also called dragon bones, can cure all kinds of diseases, but originally they were used for divination and record-keeping, hence the term 'oracle bone inscriptions,'" Mu Gesheng explained. "The missing Mountain Ghost coins can be supplemented by the Panguang oracle bones. Together, they can also predict the fate of the nation."

Then his tone shifted, "The Panguang oracle bones have been passed down through generations by the Yao family's Ling Shuzi, symbolizing the various disciples. But ever since the previous Ling Shuzi, Chai Suxin, became the Rakshasa, as far as I know, the Ling Shuzi lineage has been broken."

Chai Yanyan took over the conversation: "According to the rules of the Seven Sons families, the succession of the Sons must be designated by the previous generation and then personally handed over with the heirloom for it to take effect. After Uncle suppressed the Yin soldiers back then, he went into hiding, and the Medicine family couldn’t find him, so the inheritance of the Ling Shuzi was put on hold."

As for later, it was probably because Luocha Zi was too difficult to provoke; he refused to submit to the succession, and no one dared to take the initiative to approach him.

Chai Puti’s eyes flickered slightly. "Now that Tiansuanzi mentions the Pan Geng oracle bones, is it for the sake of Ling Shuzi’s inheritance?"

Mu Gesheng smiled faintly, "Exactly."

Chai Yanyan couldn't help but sit up straight, and Zhu Yinxiao and Wubi also looked toward Mu Gesheng in unison.

Everyone assumed that Mu Gesheng would naturally side with Chai Yanyan, and that the position of Lingsuzi would sooner or later be returned to the Yao family. But Mu Gesheng hadn’t leaked a single hint beforehand; instead, he informed both Chai Putai and Chai Yanyan simultaneously—was this meant to ensure a fair competition between the two families?

But on second thought, Mu Gesheng was after all a master strategist; this approach made sense. Otherwise, if he had simply handed the Panguang oracle bones to Chai Yanyan, the Yao Group would surely have been dissatisfied, potentially stirring up many troubles.

When handling matters like this, everything must be flawless—both face and substance must be preserved.

I don't know what scheme this old fox is plotting again. An Ping had no doubt that Mu Gesheng would go easy, and who knows, he might even let loose a Three Gorges Dam.

Mu Gesheng said, "Do you all know about the mirage?"

"Mirage?" Zhu Baizhi asked, "Is it what Tiansuanzi referred to, the birthplace of the Seven Schools of Thought?"

Mu Gesheng nodded, "Exactly."

Seeing An Ping’s puzzled expression, Zhu Yin Xiao explained, “A thousand years ago, after the establishment of the Seven Schools of the Masters, the Mohist School built a mechanism tower called the Mirage Tower. The ancients believed that clams belonged to the mirage spirit, exhaling to form pavilions and city walls, hence the name.”

“The Mirage Tower does not exist within the Three Realms but is located in an otherworldly domain, accessible only with the unanimous consent of the Seven Schools. It houses a vast collection of secret treasures accumulated by generations of the Seven Schools and serves as a repository for their legacies.”

Mu Ge Sheng nodded, “After the previous Ling Shu Zi became Luo Sha Zi, due to a lack of successors, the Pan Geng oracle bones were returned to the Mirage Tower and have been kept there ever since. According to the restrictions imposed by the Mirage Tower, only the Ling Shu Zi themselves can enter the top-level inheritance chamber to retrieve the Pan Geng oracle bones.”

“Now, decades have passed, and the position of Ling Shu Zi has long been vacant. It is time to select a new master once again.”

He looked at Chai Yanyan and Chai Putai, "Now the Yao family is mainly divided into two branches, with you two as the heads of the family. If there are no objections, the Mirage will open in half a month, and Luocha Zi will personally preside over a competition."

"The winner will be the successor of the Pangu Oracle Bones."