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墨書 Inktalez
"Remember this well," Beiyue Man began, diving straight into the story. "Once upon a time, there were two brothers who shared a close bond. Near their home stood a mystical mountain, and the brothers decided to seek out a man known as the Guide, who claimed to know the way to the mountain. The younger brother was easygoing, while the older brother was more determined. The journey was long, and they could help each other along the way. However, the older brother harbored some selfish thoughts; he believed that his younger brother was too weak and would become a burden on their journey. It wasn't that he didn't love his brother; he simply knew that if they traveled together, neither would reach the mystical mountain. Meanwhile, the younger brother also felt he might be a hindrance and said, 'Brother, you should go with the Guide. There will be many people seeking the mountain; if you take me along, others won't want to accompany you. If you go with the Guide, everyone will want to be with you, and you'll surely reach the mountain.' After much contemplation, the older brother ultimately bid farewell to his younger sibling and set off with the Guide."
After a long pause, Cui Ming cupped her face in her hands and asked, "And then?"
"Then that's it; the story ends here," Beiyue replied. "In truth, if the older brother had taken his younger brother along, they might have reached the mountain together."
Cui Ming smiled at Beiyue and said, "Boss, I've heard this story before."
"Oh?" Beiyue raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You've heard my original story?"
"But my version is a bit different," Cui Ming continued. "In my version, the older brother didn't trust the Guide's character and didn't want his younger brother to follow someone of questionable morals on their quest for enlightenment. So he told his brother that if the Guide looked down on him, he would go with him to seek enlightenment but guarantee that they wouldn't succeed. If the Guide accepted him, then he was trustworthy and would help them both on their journey."
Beiyue stared at Cui Ming as she processed this new perspective. Suddenly it clicked; Cui Ming had used her own story to reveal insights about her relationship with Li Qing. Beiyue's face flushed crimson as she stammered, "So that's how it is?"
Cui Ming nodded. "Because the older brother was a disciple of the Buddhist Sect and loved feeding tigers."
"Am I foolish?" Beiyue asked.
"No," Cui Ming replied earnestly. "Boss, you're very smart. The first time I met you, I could tell you were clever." She continued, "Why did you go to prison instead of Ding Ze? Because you're a beautiful woman; of course someone would want to take advantage of that. You wanted others to see your strength so that anyone with bad intentions would think twice about approaching you. You care about situations rather than people."
"Boss," she added hesitantly, "I want to ask you something—something you've been curious about: why did I join the expedition team? But I'm afraid you might misunderstand."
"What’s the problem?"
Cui Ming said, "Before discussing the issue, I must take a moment. If the answer isn't what I believe it to be, then after practicing the Six Elements, I would have left without caring about any contract. But now, even if the answer isn't what I expect, I'm still willing to fulfill the contract because your story moved me."
Beiyue felt a bit at a loss. "What are you talking about?"
"I basically guessed what my senior brother discussed with you. Ever since I became aware, I've only known to treat people well for my own benefit, because they have value to me. I know my heart is dark. The Charity School is good, but after all, it's an institution. I'm grateful to the Charity School, but it hasn't changed much for me. Boss, you're the first person who made me feel warmth and showed me that kindness between people doesn't stem from their utilitarian value."
Beiyue sensed that continuing this topic would lead to awkwardness and quickly changed the subject. "What do you want to ask?"
At that moment, the bedroom door opened, and Li Qing stepped out, saying, "Beiyue, come here for a moment."
Beiyue leaned closer to Cui Ming and whispered, "Come to my room tonight." She knew this question was important and wasn't sure if Cui Ming wanted to avoid Li Qing, so she hoped for a private conversation.
However, Li Qing had sharp ears and felt a jolt in his heart. Junior brother, you're impressive; I’m in awe…
Beiyue entered the room while Li Qing walked to the door and said, "I'm going out for a walk. I can't accept reality right now. Don't talk; let me be alone."
"Hmph." A despicable person knows exactly what you're thinking. Go ahead and think what you want; speaking of which, just now when I heard Beiyue's words, I couldn't help but tremble inside, feeling all tingly. Boss, do whatever you want; I won’t resist too much.
...
Beiyue came out after about ten minutes, followed by Cui Ming. Cui Ming sat down as the professor began sensing Cui Ming's Force changes according to procedure and recorded them before starting to inquire about his cultivation methods. To the professor's surprise, Cui Ming had made progress. Cui Ming said, "Ever since I broke through in fortune-telling, I can usually draw special cards most of the time. Moreover, shortly after the effect of a special card wears off, when I try fortune-telling again, the probability of drawing a special card remains the same as it was the first time."
The professor nodded. "So, you can predict fortunes again every five to thirty seconds?"
"Pretty much, depending on the cards."
The professor replied, "You can't really call that fortune-telling. Fortune-telling implies that fate is determined by the heavens, not by me. You should be in control of your fate; you have mastered certain techniques. I think if you break through further, it would be controlling fate... This doesn't add up; your progress is too rapid to be believable. Cui Ming, are you hiding something?"
"Yes." Cui Ming thought for a moment and said, "I can't say too much. My first mentor is not dead; I was lying. He didn't teach me the Six Elements; he only guided me in understanding fortune-telling. The flying paper cards were something I figured out on my own. He had me go to the Juvenile Detention Center to meditate and comprehend things. After I got out, he would appear once a month to check on my progress. When he learned that I was being disturbed by the outside world and making no progress in fortune-telling, he had me go to jail—solitary confinement—to immerse myself in it."
The professor asked, "Who is this person?"
"A year ago, he approached me as a lawyer. He found out that I still hadn't made any progress and was very frustrated. He told me I was just an experiment. The reason he sought me out was that his son was born two years ago, and he knew his son was destined for Strategy. His son's lack of achievement worried him greatly. After various studies over six months, he discovered me. When he realized I was also connected to Strategy, he began testing according to his research steps. Our meeting was brief; he expressed disappointment and said he was sorry for me and asked me not to mention him to anyone. So, professor, I can't tell you who he is."
The professor pondered for a long time before saying, "I know who he is now, and I won't speak of it. Strategy—he skipped the Six Elements and went straight to development, allowing Force not to interfere with the budding of Strategy, enabling you to focus solely on fortune-telling in hopes of a breakthrough. He was very pleased when you grasped fortune-telling, but from ages eighteen to twenty-three, your seclusion yielded no progress, which disappointed him greatly; he thought he had taken the wrong path. In truth, his path was correct; you simply encountered a bottleneck. Once you learn the Six Elements, that bottleneck will break through, and your progress will accelerate rapidly. Yes, that's how it works: in practicing Strategy, one must first develop before mastering the Six Elements. No wonder most people involved with Strategy remain unremarkable."
"It seems I'm quite lucky," Cui Ming smiled.
"No, you're actually quite unlucky."
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