Volume 3 Chapter 3 Part1 (1/2)
Illusions, Lies, Truth Volume 3: In the Name of G.o.d, Part One
Original novel in Chinese by: 御 我 (Yu Wo)
Chapter 3: Existence's Bane, Part 1—Natal Chart—translated by lucathia (proofread by Taffygirl13 & Trespa.s.serby)
”Bane of blood, bane of husband, bane of brood; a natal chart that tells of existence's bane?”
Lu Yang frowned.
Lin Zhixiang stared at Lu Yang. Then, she turned to look at Liu Yis.h.i.+ by the side, who even gave her a wink. Finally, she decided to turn and focus her gaze back on Jiang Ziya.
Jiang Ziya rea.s.sured her, ”Don't worry. Lu Yang is very powerful. His family runs a temple, and he's even the temple's successor!”
Lin Zhixiang's expression was extremely odd, but Jiang Ziya completely understood her feelings. It really was an impossible feat to accept a monk with the looks of a model. Besides, there was even a foreigner dad sitting beside him. The oddity was practically enough to pierce the heavens.
She let her head drop and quietly said, ”It's okay. I've already asked tons of people. No one has dared to help change my fate.”
Jiang Ziya felt she really was pitiful. Both of her parents were deceased, her only brother ended up disabled, and her entire family chased her out. If not for her brother and one of her aunts financially helping her in secret, she would have had trouble even surviving up until this age. All of these many tribulations had come about from a fortune teller p.r.o.nouncing her the bane of all existence. Whoever approached her would die!
”Lu Yang, is there really such a thing as bane of blood?”
Lu Yang said with a frown, ”Yes, but it's super rare.”
Just by looking at Lu Yang's expression, Jiang Ziya could tell that he wasn't being honest, but he didn't question him further. If Lu Yang wasn't clarifying it, it was most likely because it had something to do with the innerworld again, and Lu Yang didn't want Lin Zhixiang to know. There was no going back after taking a step inside.
”Can my fate be changed?” Lin Zhixiang asked courageously, even though she had met disappointment after disappointment already. She had even considered whether or not she should just jump into a river before she caused her brother and aunt to die. If not for her brother stopping her again and again, tearfully saying, ”Aside from my family, my little sister is all I have left,” she really would have done it.
”That depends on you. This will likely not be easy.” Lu Yang sighed as he said, ”Do you know Qing Wei Gong?”
Lin Zhixiang shook her head.
”It's on XX road. After you enter, look for Xiao Chun-sǎo. Tell her about your natal chart and ask to train at the temple. Then, make as much time as you can to recite scriptures there.”
”All I have to do is train?” Lin Zhixiang quickly asked.
Lu Yang nodded. ”It will take a long time, but as long as you have the perseverance, Taishang Laojun will have mercy on you.”
”It's fine no matter how long it takes!” For the first time, dawn was in sight. Perseverance was nothing when she had even had a death wish in the past. What's there to be afraid of? ”I-I'm going to head over right now!”
Lu Yang laughed. ”The temple is already closed. You can go tomorrow.”
”Okay, can I go in the morning? I can get up early every day and go there.” Lin Zhixiang was so happy that she almost wanted to spin around in circles. She couldn't wait to go home as soon as she could to call and tell her brother.
”You can.” Lu Yang nodded as he said, ”Qing Wei Gong is already open by five.”
”Then, let me take you home. Having to go to Qing Wei Gong at five tomorrow is really early.” Jiang Ziya felt it was late right now, so it wasn't a good idea to let a girl go home by herself.
”N-No!” Lin Zhixiang frantically said, ”Don't stay by my side for too long. It's dangerous. Like last time! You already stayed too long in the club each time.”
”It's fine!”
”What's fine? You nearly died back then at the supermarket because of me!”
Uh, I don't think that can be blamed on Lin Zhixiang. It's my family's Xiao Xue who brought that trouble about.
”I'll take you.” Lu Yang stood up and said, ”I am Qing Wei Gong's next…”
However, Lin Zhixiang s.n.a.t.c.hed the bill and tossed out the words, ”If either of you dare to follow me, I'll shout 'molester!'”
”…” Jiang Ziya and Lu Yang both expressed that they didn't want to grace the pages of the social news and could only watch as the girl ran off with the bill.
Still seated and unruffled, Liu Yis.h.i.+ sighed. ”Letting a girl foot the bill and even leave by herself in the middle of the night is not what gentlemen should do.”
Is that our fault? The two non-gentlemen were speechless.
”Sit.” Liu Yis.h.i.+ nagged at the two children and said, ”You haven't eaten much at all. The hot pot is still untouched. What a waste. Sit down and finish it.”
Just listening to Lin Zhixiang's misfortunes and watching her try to keep the tears at bay, Jiang Ziya hadn't had the appet.i.te to eat anything. Of course the hot pot was still untouched. That no tears had fallen in as seasoning was already more than one could hope for.
The three of them could only begin finis.h.i.+ng off the food. It was fortunate that it was hot pot; all they had to do was reheat it.
Lu Yang asked in confusion, ”How'd you end up talking about natal charts out of nowhere?”
Jiang Ziya shrugged and said, ”At first, she just wanted to treat me to thank me, but soon after we placed our order, her sister-in-law called her saying that her brother was hospitalized. Her face paled so much that I was nearly scared to death. Thankfully, he just went to get an IV drip for a bad cold. I thought to give her a lift to the hospital so she can visit him, but she said that she definitely couldn't go, or else her brother would die. After that, she explained the entire thing.”
After saying that, he couldn't help asking, ”Lu Yang, is she really some bane of all existence?”
Bane of blood, bane of husband, bane of brood; no one close to her will have a good end. This kind of natal chart is just too much. Better to not be born in the first place!
”She's not. That fortune teller was problematic.” Lu Yang said flat-out, ”In all likelihood, Lin Zhixiang's talent caught the fortune teller's eye, so he wanted to take her away. That's why he claimed that she's the bane of all existence. Then, he led both of her parents to their deaths, so that after the child fell into despair, he could appear again with a new ident.i.ty and take her in to raise as his own. This way, not only will no one ask after the child's whereabouts, the child will also treat him as her savior and only relative.”
Jiang Ziya shuddered. So this is the actual truth? That's way too evil!
But after thinking about it, he thought something was off and asked in confusion, ”But Lin Zhixiang is already in college. No one came to take her away. If not for her brother and her aunt helping her financially in secret, she would have starved to death.”
”That guy probably kicked the bucket somewhere along the way, so he didn't come to take Lin Zhixiang away. Those kinds of pract.i.tioners who dare to harm others always gamble big. Whether it's getting bitten back by a demon, having an array backfire, or getting killed by a pract.i.tioner, none of those deaths would be strange.”
Jiang Ziya asked in confusion, ”But later on, Lin Zhixiang even gave many examples of her cla.s.smates, friends, and even coworkers at her workplace—anyone who was somewhat close to her—all experiencing misfortune. There were even several times when someone nearly died, scaring her so much that she no longer dares to become close with anyone.”
”Child.” Liu Yis.h.i.+, who had been engrossed in eating to the side, said in a gentle voice, ”As long as someone believes they are unlucky, they will truly meet endless misfortune. That's why everyone should have an optimistic outlook on life. Do you understand?”
Lu Yang nodded and said, ”'Belief' is even more dangerous for someone with natural talent. Her parents' demise and her brother's disability were most likely the fault of the pract.i.tioner. But after that, it's more likely that she was ‘cursing' herself, especially with her entire family hating her and believing that she is existence's bane.”
She's cursing herself? Jiang Ziya's eyes widened. He hadn't considered that at all.
”She's probably pretty powerful. Even if she's come across one or two pract.i.tioners of some skill, they wouldn't dare to help her, afraid to get dragged down by her.”
Jiang Ziya frowned. ”Then, will telling her to train at Qing Wei Gong really have any effect?”
”As long as she believes it's effective, then it will be. But if it's too easy of a method, she won't be able to believe that her existence's bane natal chart of so many years is gone. That's why we must make it take a long time, and the method has to be a bit more difficult, to allow her to slowly disperse her curse on herself.”
”Oh…” Jiang Ziya only understood some of it, but understanding it wasn't crucial right now. He pressed on, ”So, if she perseveres with training obediently at Qing Wei Gong, she will be fine in the end?”