After finally shaking off the dirt from his feet, Zhang Xiaofan turned around to see that the little girl had already walked up to the old mans side. At this moment, she was lightly saying something to the old man, who listened and nodded slightly, with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

  Zhang Xiaofans face turned red, and he didnt know if the two of them were laughing at him. He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and said, "Old sir, what did you mean by saying I have a great ominous sign?"

  The old man narrowed his eyes, looked at him twice, and smiled slightly: "Young brother, your forehead is full, but your cheeks are slightly thin. Youre not a rich and noble person, right?"

  Zhang Xiaofan suddenly trusted him a bit more and nodded: "The old man is right, I am from a farming family."

  The old man smiled slightly, patted his robe lightly, and said calmly: "I still see that your eyebrows are thick and dense, straight and upright, but there is a small mole at the end of your right eyebrow. This position is the master of parents respect for relatives, Im afraid both your honorable father and mother are no longer in this world?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was shocked again and believed three points more, nodding repeatedly: "Old sir, you really have a discerning eye. I lost both parents since childhood."

  The old man smiled and said: "Why dont you stretch out your hand again for me to take a look?"

  Zhang Xiaofan had already believed seven or eight parts of it in his heart, and when he heard the words, he stretched out his hand. The old man smiled and was about to take a look, but unexpectedly, the little girl next to him suddenly ran over again, grabbed Zhang Xiaofans hand, and Zhang Xiaofan was startled. However, he saw that the little girl had learned from her grandfather and looked at his hand for a few eyes, then laughed and ran away. But on Zhang Xiaofans hand, there were several pieces of sweet and sticky rock sugar left behind, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

  Zhang Xiaofan was stunned for a moment, but he couldnt scold the child again, so he had to admit his bad luck. At this time, the old man handed over a handkerchief and smiled: "My granddaughter is mischievous, dont blame her, young brother."

  Zhang Xiaofan sighed, wiped the handkerchief clean with his hands, and raised his head to see the old man and his granddaughter standing together again, chatting and laughing, without knowing what they were talking about.

  The old man saw Zhang Xiaofan coming over and smiled: "Alright then, let me take a look at the young brothers palm."

  Zhang Xiaofan stretched out his hand as he spoke, but his eyes were fixed on the little girl, afraid that she would mess with him again. However, at this time, the little girl seemed very quiet, just watching Zhang Xiaofan eat and laugh nonstop, and it was unclear what she was laughing at.

  The old man looked for a moment, suddenly his face changed, "Ah" cried out.

  Zhang Xiaofan was shocked and asked: "What?"

  The old man didnt say much either, he just pointed a finger on Zhang Xiaofans palm and said: "Young brother, have you seen your own destiny line?"

  Zhang Xiaofan took a look and naturally didnt know what secrets were hidden, and replied vaguely: "What?"

  The old mans face was solemn, and he said: "I see that your fate line is not like ordinary people. From the beginning, there is a big deficiency, which means that you must have had a great calamity in your childhood, and this calamity is extremely deep and huge. Most likely, your relatives and friends are also involved in it, and your life was precarious! Looking at it this way, Im afraid that your parents were also unfortunately killed in this disaster."

  Zhang Xiaofans heart felt a pang, at this moment he truly believed in the old man, and said in a hoarse voice: "Old sir, you are indeed a living god, everything you said is correct."

  The old man sighed and said, "Originally, this great calamity would have been inescapable for you as well, but you are fortunate to be at the Yuxin Ge position, which frames the continuous fate and prolongs your life, making it a great fortune amidst misfortune."

  Zhang Xiaofan suddenly thought of Pu Zhis face, remained silent for a moment, gritted his teeth and said: "Today, the old man said I still have a great ominous sign, I dont know what kind of disaster or blessing it is, please enlighten me!"

  The old man smiled slightly and suddenly coughed twice, saying: "This, this..."

  Zhang Xiaofan was startled and said: "Whats wrong, old man?"

  The old man smiled and said, "To be honest with you, young brother, when I first started out, I made a rule for myself that whenever I read someones fortune, I would definitely charge them money. Its like this..."

  Zhang Xiaofan came to his senses and hastily said: "Sir, please tell me, how much money is it?"

  The old man smiled and looked at him, saying: "Ten taels of silver for one time."

  Zhang Xiaofan originally had his hand on his waist, but upon hearing this, he was stunned and said: "Its so expensive, but I only have a total of four taels of silver."

  The old man frowned and said, "Forget it, forget it. Four taels is four taels. Ill consider myself lucky to have met you today, young brother, so lets just say Im helping you out."

  Zhang Xiaofan was overjoyed and handed the four taels of silver to the old man, figuring that he wouldnt have much use for it anyway.

  The old man put away the silver, straightened his face and carefully looked at Zhang Xiaofans face again. He said: "Young brother, I see that your yintang is black and your cloud cover is top, obviously your luck is not good, this trip will definitely have many dangers, why dont you turn back, so everything will naturally resolve."

  Zhang Xiaofan was shocked and said, "Is that all?"

  The old man nodded and said, "Not bad."

  "But I have an urgent matter to attend to in the East..."

  "Little brother, what can be more important than ones own life? Its better to turn back." After finishing speaking, he clasped his hands together and said, "Since weve met in the jianghu, it means we have a destined connection. Well meet again someday, so lets part ways for now."

  Zhang Xiaofan furrowed his brow, nodded vaguely, and watched as the old man and young boy walked far away. At this moment, he was in the midst of a crowd, but suddenly felt lost and unsure which direction to go.

  As they turned the corner, the old man and the little girl simultaneously hid and turned back to peek out with their heads towards Zhang Xiaofan. They saw that the young man was standing in the midst of the crowd, looking a bit dazed. After a while, he finally turned around and walked forward.

  "Hehe, Ive got four taels of silver again." The old man suddenly changed his expression, took out the silver from his waist and examined it carefully, chuckling non-stop. But the little girls face remained calm, she glanced at him and said: "Grandpa, why are you acting like this again?"

  The old man chuckled and put away the silver, smiling at his granddaughter: "Xiao Huan, I really didnt raise you in vain. Youre not even ten years old yet, but you can already see through peoples past lives. With time, youll definitely become an outstanding talent in our familys art."

  The little girl named Xiaohuan snorted and said, "Whats so hard to understand about those simple fortune-telling books? Its obvious that you, Grandpa, didnt study hard enough in the past, yet you still have the nerve to say that!"

  It turned out that these two grandfather and grandson, the one who really had skills was actually the little girl, who understood Zhang Xiaofans fate a bit clearly, and took the opportunity to tell her grandfather.

  The old man was obviously very fond of his granddaughter and didnt mind being scolded by her. He smiled and said, "Dont underestimate the few books on physiognomy that Grandpa showed you. Destiny Nine Calculations and Jade Pillar Physiognomy are all passed down from our ancestors, Qingyunzi. You have a natural talent for this, and if it were someone else, like me, haha, they would look at it their whole life and still not understand!"

  Xiao Huan scolded him, turned her head around, but saw that Xiao Fan had already walked away without a trace. She turned back and said: "Then what did you mean by saying he has a difficult future ahead of him? Whats going on?"

  The old man chuckled and said, "Of course I deceived him. But look at his complexion and prospects, is there really a disaster?"

  Xiao Huan shook his head and said: "I only understood Wang Sheng Xiang, as for Hou Sheng Xiang I only touched the surface, cant be sure!"

  The old man nodded and said, "Not bad. The natal chart is a fixed number from the past that cannot be changed, so its naturally easy to read; the later life chart is an unknown and uncertain number for the future, which is the highest realm of my physiognomy study. How can it be that easy?"

  Xiao Huan shrugged and walked forward with Grandfather, saying: "However, based on what I know about that person, his facial features and fate seem to be quite unusual. Its one of the most difficult types of fates to calculate in physiognomy - Chaotic Devil Fate, which is extremely rare."

  "Never mind him, anyway we got the silver, come on, grandpa will take you out for a meal..."

  "Cut... right, Grandfather, you mentioned Qingyunzis ancestor earlier. Didnt you always say that we and the Qingyun Sect are of the same clan but different lineage? Why not go recognize our kinship? With the Qingyun Sects current status and your generation, wouldnt you be able to live a life of luxury and ease, with your pick of the best?"

  "Hush..." The old man was startled, looked around, and seeing no one paying attention, he finally put his mind at ease, saying in a low voice, "Little girl, you know what? Qingyun Gate is now a renowned cultivation sect under the heavens. What we know is merely some superficial knowledge passed down from our ancestor, Qingyunzi. If we rashly claim to be related, who knows, they might even take us for impostors and lock us up on Qingyun Mountain for one or two hundred years. Besides..."

  He smiled faintly, and his expression suddenly regained the elegant and refined demeanor he had when talking to Zhang Xiaofan earlier, saying: "I, Zhou Yixian, am not that kind of person who tries to curry favor with others!"

  Xiao Huan was taken aback for a moment, then happily said: "Grandfather, I didnt expect you to have such backbone, its really...".

  "Ah!"

  She hadnt finished speaking when Zhou Yixians eyes gleamed with light, and he took a step forward, blocking the path of a stout woman with a fortunate face who was walking towards them, dressed in gold and silver. With a serious expression, he said: "Madam, I see that you have dark clouds covering your head, a black印堂, and a dead energy on your face - something big is not going well! Why dont you let me calculate your fortune for you?"

  The little girl was silent, but she only saw her grandfather constantly giving her eye signals, so she had to follow him again, pretending to be cute and innocent, carefully looking at the face of the rich fat woman.

  ※※※

  Zhang Xiaofan walked through the streets, unknowingly walking out of this small town. After lingering in that town for a while, he had his own thoughts, and only then did he realize that the sky was already dusk.

  The sunset shone obliquely, casting a fiery glow on the horizon, and stretching his shadow to an unusual length. It was already dinner time, and every household had returned home, leaving not a single soul outside the small town. He stood alone, feeling utterly isolated.

  He looked at his own shadow, and in his heart there was another wave of dizziness.

  Ever since he heard that the various sects of Orthodox Daoism would be heading to Donghai Liubo Mountain, he suspected that his master Tianyi might also go. He had intended to meet up with him, but unexpectedly today he met an "old immortal" who told him not to go. But should he return to Qingyun Mountain? What if he got there and none of the people from his sect were there?

  He narrowly escaped from the Empty Spirit Abyss under Mt. Kong Sang, and his heart was set on seeing Master and Mistress as soon as possible to report his safety. However, he had been preoccupied with thoughts these past few days, so he slowed down. But now that he wanted to turn back suddenly, he couldnt make up his mind all at once.

  Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned his head to see the giant Stone walking alone out of the small town with big strides.

  He walked closer, listened and looked at Zhang Xiaofan, but didnt mind him. He just gazed at the western sunset and muttered to himself: "The sun is in the west, hmm... The town mayor said that the Black Stone Cave is ten miles north of the small town, so its in this direction." After determining the direction, he seemed ready to take a step forward.

  Zhang Xiaofans heart skipped a beat as he heard this, and he shouted: "Shi Tou... brave warrior, are you going to the Black Stone Cave?"

  The stone paused for a moment, stopped in its tracks, turned around and looked at Zhang Xiaofan, saying: "Exactly, who are you?"

  Zhang Xiaofans mind was racing with thoughts, thinking: Since going east is not possible, why not go with this person to slay the demon? Later when Master asks, I can say that I did a good deed, and it will be easy to explain in front of Master.

  Having made up his mind, he smiled and said: "I am also a cultivator, I have seen everything in the small pool town during the day. Originally, I also wanted to join you in eliminating evil for the townspeople, but unfortunately, something delayed me. However, fortunately, its not too late now, I dont know if brother is willing to work with me?"

  The stone giant looked up and down at Zhang Xiaofan, his voice rumbling as he said: "Thats not a place to have fun, theres quite some risk involved. I see youre still young, which sect of the Cultivation Path are you from?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback, looking at the stone which was also not very old and had a naturally simple and honest appearance, yet it could say such things. He hadnt expected this, so he smiled and said: "I, your younger brother, am under the tutelage of Tian Nanyi of Qingyunmens Dazhu Peak, my Taoist skills are shallow, please take care of me, elder Shi."

  The stone was shocked, opened his eyes wide and exclaimed: "What? You are actually a disciple of Qingyunmen?"

  Zhang Xiaofan nodded and said, "Thats right."

  The stone-eyed man had a look of admiration in his eyes, and said: "Ah, forgive me for my disrespect. The Qingyun Gate is the number one orthodox sect of cultivation in the world today, Ive long heard that the Qingyun Dao Fa is profound and mysterious, and people all respect it. Just now I was rude, please forgive me."

  Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback for a moment, but his heart couldnt help but feel a wave of excitement. He didnt expect that his sects reputation outside would be so great. He smiled and said: "Brother Shi is overpraising me. Why dont we go together? Itll also be good to have more people to take care of when were getting rid of the evil for the people."

  The stone smiled and said, "Good."

  ※※※

  Hei Shidong is located in a forest ten miles north of Xiaochi Town. On the way, Zhang Xiaofan and Shi Tou got to know each other through their names and started talking. Zhang Xiaofan was straightforward and honest, while Shi Tou was physically large but not overbearing, with a gentle and kind personality. The two hit it off quickly and soon addressed each other by name.

  The sky had gradually darkened, with the remaining sunlight weakly sprinkled on the earth.

  Zhang Xiaofan looked ahead at the trees growing denser and estimated that they were almost there, calling out in a loud voice: "Shi Dage."

  The stone beside him responded with a sound, saying: "What?"

  Zhang Xiaofan said, "I saw the golden wolf-tooth club treasure you took out during the day. Its aura is solemn and its incantation seems to belong to the Buddhist school. Although Ive heard that theres no such thing as a wolf-tooth club in Buddhism, I always feel like its a treasure from the Buddhist sect. Is that right?"

  Shi Tous eyes flashed with admiration as he said, "Xiao Fan, you are indeed worthy of being a disciple of Qing Yun Men, a major sect. You have truly seen and experienced much."

  Zhang Xiaofans face turned red.

  The stone said, "I am a descendant of the Golden Gate Sect, and for generations, we have been a single branch. My master, Dali Zun, met me in a remote village when I was young and said that my material was simple and unadorned, strong and thick, making me an excellent candidate to practice his Golden Gate Sects Taoist methods. He told me that the Golden Gate Sect originated from Buddhism, but it has been so long ago that no one remembers anymore. The techniques have been passed down through generations and are now greatly different from those of the orthodox Buddhist Tianyin Temple."

  At this point, Shi Tou paused for a moment, smiled foolishly on his face, and said: "However, my master also said that although our Taoist skills are lowly, we have fewer Buddhist precepts to constrain us. As people who cultivate the Tao, we naturally want to do good deeds for the world. So if we encounter evil spirits running amok, we should take action."

  Zhang Xiaofan couldnt help but admire and said: "Ah, your master is indeed a superior person!"

  "Right," said Shi Tou, nodding his head, "my master is a very upright person."

  Zhang Xiaofan smiled silently, but at this moment, his heart suddenly moved, and inexplicably thought of the words he had discussed with Wan Renyu that day. He secretly thought: If it were someone like Shi Tous master, who knew that the treasure I used was such an evil object, Im afraid he wouldnt allow his disciple to be with me?

  Going back to the subject, even the various elders of the Qingyun Sect would probably abhor such an evil object!

  Then what about oneself who uses this evil thing?

  Have I really become a heretic...

  Zhang Xiaofan fell silent, and Shi Tou thought he had seen the black stone cave ahead and was concentrating on preparing himself. He didnt notice that Zhang Xiaofan was also searching his surroundings, preparing for a fierce battle with the demon.

  The sky finally turned dark.

  When the first star quietly poked its head out at the edge of the sky, they arrived at the outside of a small grove.

  "The stone took a deep breath and said to Zhang Xiaofan, I heard the town mayor say that the Black Stone Cave is right in the middle of this forest. The cave produces a lot of black stones, which were often used by the townspeople to repair roads in previous years. Now, its naturally been abandoned for a long time. Ive also heard that the cave extends downward, and its depth is unknown, so we need to be careful."

  Zhang Xiaofan nodded, thinking to himself: Even if its deeper, theres no emptier place than the ancient cave of Wanshan. Just as the two were about to set off, a faint cry with a hint of panic came from ten feet away:

  "Oh no!"

  Both of them were stunned, and when they turned to look, Zhang Xiaofan was immediately shocked. He saw two people running from the right side, an old man and a young girl. Werent they the grandfather and granddaughter who had told his fortune in the daytime? At this moment, he saw that the little girl was fine, but the old man was panting heavily, where was there any trace of his former elegant demeanor?

  Zhang Xiaofan stepped forward and blocked their way, saying: "You two, whats going on?"

  On Monday, Xian Zeng ran anxiously and suddenly saw someone flash in front of him, startling him. After a closer look, it was the silly kid from daytime, so he put his heart at ease. He looked back and saw that the road was quiet, without even a shadow of a person. He let out a sigh of relief, stopped running, and said to Sun Xiao Huan: "Xiao Huan, dont run anymore, it seems that man didnt chase after us."

  Xiao Huan was panting heavily, but her hands still held a string of candied hawthorns. Apparently, she loved sweets like this. After hearing Zhou Yi Xians words, she ran forward for another stretch before finally stopping to catch her breath.

  Shi Tou also walked over at this time and stood beside Zhang Xiao Fan, looking at the old man and young boy who looked like a family that had lost their home, and asked in surprise: "Whats wrong?"

  Zhang Xiaofan also had the same doubts, but before he could speak, he heard Xiao Huan loudly complaining: "Its all your fault, grandfather! You cheated that fat woman and it wasnt enough, you even went to see that young woman. I saw through her early on, shes extremely clever, how could we possibly cheat her?"

  "On Monday, Xian Nu said: Then why didnt you say so earlier? You got me, Grandpa, slapped by that woman, and it still hurts now. If I hadnt had the Ancestors secret transmission of the Earth Escape Technique, I would have..."

  Before he could finish speaking, a clear shout suddenly came from the night sky: "Old cheat, where are you running to!"

  Everyone was shocked, and a white light like lightning flashed down from the air, rushing straight towards Zhou Yixian. Zhou Yixian originally didnt know any real cultivation methods, and he was caught off guard in an instant. Even if he had some unconventional skills, he couldnt use them in time. It seemed that he would be struck by the white light at any moment.

  Zhang Xiaofan watched from the side, after all, he had some friendship with him and couldnt just stand by and do nothing. In his haste, although he had just heard their conversation and vaguely felt that he might have been deceived by the two of them as well, at this moment, he didnt think about it too much. With a wave of his hand, the fire poker shot out like lightning and blocked the attack for him.

  "Bang", a loud noise, the white light was blocked back, and a slightly surprised female voice came from the air. Immediately after the white light passed by, a woman fell in front of everyones eyes.

  After a moment, Zhang Xiaofan was stunned. The woman wore a light green dress with a small golden bell hanging from her waist, making a crisp sound. Between her fingers was a white flower, crystal clear like jade. At this moment, she seemed to be smiling but not quite, no longer looking at Zhou Yixians old man. Her bright eyes were fixed on Zhang Xiaofan, and she smiled softly, saying: "What a coincidence, Zhang Xiaofan."

  But it was not Bi Yao, the demonic girl, so who else could it be?