If he were to marry the beauty, would it not mean complete obedience in every matter, treasuring him above life itself?

“…Is extending your hand an absolute requirement?”

“Absolute,” Ji Linxi replied, his gaze unwavering.

“If that is the case—” Under Ji Linxi’s intense scrutiny, Chu Yu offered a faint smile before turning to Yan Huai. “Then let us trouble Heir Yan to receive the first divination.”

Yan Huai: “……”

Ji Linxi: “ suicide……”

Yan Huai brought his sword down onto the table with a heavy, echoing thud. He splayed his hand open across the wooden surface, offering a thoroughly superficial, freezing smile. “Daoist Master Xi, please—”

For the first time, Ji Linxi truly understood the precise meaning of lifting a boulder only to drop it directly onto one’s own feet. To give credit where it was due, this Heir Yan was remarkably handsome, but he fell entirely outside Ji Linxi’s personal aesthetic preferences. Furthermore, his sharp intuition screamed that this man would serve as a massive structural barrier between his own destiny and that of the beautiful young master—behaving exactly like Fa Hai, the ruthless monk who deliberately tore apart the star-crossed lovers Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen.

Despite his profound reluctance, Ji Linxi initiated the reading for Yan Huai.

To survive as a charlatan, one required a specific baseline of competence to successfully extract coin from patrons—be it through actual spiritual insight or the sheer eloquence of one’s tongue. Ji Linxi happened to possess a mouth capable of making lotus flowers bloom with his words, bolstered further by a preternatural ability to read facial expressions and an exceptionally perceptive heart.

“What parameters is Heir Yan seeking to divine?”

“My future prospects.”

“And Heir Yan’s birth charts and eight characters are…?”

Yan Huai possessed zero belief that the shameless scoundrel before him could actually decipher the heavens, so he nonchalantly disclosed his exact birth details.

Ji Linxi closed his eyes, appearing genuinely lost in deep analytical contemplation for a long moment before opening them again, his face a mask of profound administrative awe. “A Jian Feng Jin (Sword-Edge Gold) destiny combined with a Qi Sha (Seven Killings) alignment. Heir Yan, your future prospects are boundlessly formidable.”

“Speak plainly,” Yan Huai cut in, entirely immune to the theatrical display as his voice dropped to a chilling register.

Ji Linxi continued his flamboyant breakdown. “Heir Yan belongs to the Metal element within the Five Phases, a designation symbolizing raw, piercing force and unyielding sharpness. Furthermore, your charts reflect a Seven Killings alignment, a secondary authoritative star. There will come a day in the future where Heir Yan encounters a cataclysmic, lethal danger. Should you successfully transform that calamity into a blessing, you are destined to forge a monumental empire. My observations indicate your personal fortune resides firmly within the military; entering the armed forces is the absolute correct path for Heir Yan.”

Yan Huai stiffened slightly.

He did, in fact, harbor deep personal aspirations to join the military, yet he had never voiced this ambition to a single living soul. To his surprise, this charlatan had managed to pierce straight to the core of his secret thoughts. For a fleeting moment, a wave of profound uncertainty washed over him: Could it be that this fraudulent Daoist isn’t entirely a fake, but actually possesses a fraction of true spiritual capability?

In reality, Ji Linxi harbored nothing but internal disdain. He had observed an immense volume of individuals over the course of his career; youths of sixteen or seventeen who permanently clutched a sword to their chests were almost exclusively driven by a romanticized, chivalrous impulse. As a royal heir, the boy carried himself with an innate, bloodthirsty aura while refusing to separate from his blade; if such a archetype harbored zero intention of entering a theater of war, Ji Linxi would eat his own robes.

“Does Heir Yan require further divination?”

Hurry up and say no!

Yet, how could Yan Huai possibly allow this utterly unprincipled scoundrel to achieve peace of mind?

“Let us divine my romantic prospects next.”

Ji Linxi was fundamentally a malicious character. The moment he allowed himself to become thoroughly smitten by the beautiful young master’s visage, his mind automatically categorized every single breathing entity around the beauty—regardless of gender—as a potential romantic rival. Hearing Yan Huai request a reading on his romantic destiny, Ji Linxi adopted a highly theatrical posture, scanning the young heir’s palm before slowly shaking his head. “Heir Yan… your romantic prospects… they are remarkably bleak.”

Yan Huai’s brow furrowed heavily upon hearing the verdict. “Explain.”

Ji Linxi stated smoothly, “The Seven Killings alignment inherently dictates severe marital discord. Should the individual who holds your affection be a man, your raw energy will actively bring ruin upon him. Should the object of your affection be a woman, given that your destiny resides under the Sword-Edge Gold alignment, your temperament is akin to tempered steel and rigid iron. You would require a partner of absolute, submissive tenderness—someone with a Water destiny who shifts entirely to accommodate your nature. Otherwise, should two blades collide directly, either one will be shattered completely, or both will perish together in mutual destruction.”

Yan Huai’s expression turned exceedingly dark as he responded icily, “My thanks for Master Xi’s evaluation. I shall etch your words into my memory.”

Finally, the stage was clear for the exquisite young master whom Ji Linxi had been salivating over.

A hand as pale and smooth as polished jade rested gracefully atop a soft silk cushion, while the other delicate hand effortlessly propped up his chin. His eyelids were elegantly half-lowered, and a stray lock of ink-black hair cascaded from his temple to drape softly across his shoulder, projecting a breathtaking, otherworldly beauty. “Please proceed, Master Xi.”

He then casually recited his own birth details.

“One moment, please. I must first cleanse my hands.”

Ji Linxi pushed himself up from his seat, instructing a servant to bring a basin of pristine water along with a fresh cloth. He methodically washed and dried his fingers, ensuring every inch was immaculate before shaking out his wide sleeves and returning to the table.

When handling the exquisite flesh of a beauty, how could he possibly allow his skin to carry the residual essence of another grown man? Would that not be an absolute desecration of the young master?

Under a gaze from Yan Huai that looked entirely capable of committing murder, Ji Linxi used his pristine fingers to gently clasp the creamy, alabaster hand into his own palm. Slowly closing his fingers, he began to meticulously trace the underlying bone structure, his movements deliberately decelerated by two full beats compared to his reading of Yan Huai.

This physical contact sent an instantaneous, intoxicating jolt straight through Ji Linxi’s soul.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down rhythmically as he fought to stabilize his racing pulse. Yet, with the beauty’s hand resting securely within his grasp, a dark fantasy whispered that with a mere fraction of physical force, he could pull those fingers straight to his lips, extending the tip of his tongue to taste the skin before drawing it deep into his mouth… Ji Linxi’s cognitive space completely flooded with vivid, debauched imagery, causing his breathing to turn noticeably shallow and rapid.

Chu Yu kept his gaze fixed upon him, a gentle, deceptive smile blooming across his lips as his voice emerged in a soft, melodic cadence. “Has Master Xi not concluded his evaluation yet?”

Ji Linxi swallowed hard, forcing his focus back to reality. “The assessment is essentially finalized.”

He reluctantly retracted his hand, his thumb unconsciously rubbing against his own fingertips as he savored the lingering, magnificent texture of the touch. Opening his mouth, he proclaimed, “The young master possesses a destiny of supreme, ultimate nobility. Within your chart, the official star indicates an ascension to the highest echelons of state governance. Tracing your pulse and analyzing your bone structure reveals a future that is brilliantly illustrious, an unbroken expanse of radiant glory that matches, if not completely eclipses, that of Heir Yan.”

He leaned in further. “In the young master’s future, whatever your heart desires shall materialize effortlessly. Every single matter will align perfectly with your wishes.”

“As for your romantic destiny…”

“My romantic destiny?”

Ji Linxi smacked his lips appreciatively. “The young master’s marital fortune can only be described as a match ordained by the heavens themselves! Though your significant other currently resides in entirely ordinary, humble circumstances, he is destined to ascend to immense wealth and magnificent glory in the future. Once the young master enters into matrimony with him, he will display absolute obedience toward you, surrendering completely to your every whim!”

“Setting aside minor, trivial virtues like being deeply intuitive to your needs—even if the young master were to declare a desire for the stars in the cosmos or the moon in the heavens, he would happily scale the sky to harvest them for you! His pure, unadulterated devotion toward the young master is more authentic than solid gold or refined silver! The young master shall share a profound, mutual affection with him, and your days following the wedding ceremony will be filled with ten parts of absolute bliss and exquisite harmony!”

Had it not been for the Crown Prince’s explicit prior instructions, Yan Huai would have already unsheathed his blade to hack this sniveling charlatan into pieces. He spoke through gritted teeth, his tone dripping with lethal intent, “Master Xi, open your eyes and see clearly. Our Second Young Master Shen is a grown man, not a woman—”

Such a detailed marital prophecy belonged strictly to a bridal reading; applying it to a gentleman was an absolute absurdity.

Ji Linxi adopted an expression of flawless, calculated innocence. “Yet the cosmic charts yield this exact architectural layout.”

Yan Huai let out a cold, mocking laugh. “If that is the case, I must trouble Master Xi to divine further: exactly how many women will our Second Young Master Shen house within his residential courtyard?”

His Highness was the exalted Crown Prince of the realm; upon his inevitable ascension to the imperial throne, the inner palace would naturally be filled with daughters of various powerful ministers.

Ji Linxi once again initiated a mock calculation.

“Exactly one.”

He announced with profound elegance, “That individual’s deep, unyielding devotion will eventually move the young master’s heart, prompting the young master to decree a lifelong commitment to a single partner, allowing only one soul to accompany you until old age.”

“You—!” Just as Yan Huai was about to violently denounce the fraudulent Daoist as a common thief, Chu Yu smoothly raised a hand, pressing it firmly against Yan Huai’s arm to stay his movement.

The physical touch instantly restored Yan Huai’s discipline. He cast a murderous, bloodthirsty glare toward Ji Linxi before heavily sinking back into his chair.

How could an individual of such unparalleled, infinite shamelessness exist within this world!

Chu Yu’s lips remained graced by that same serene, gentle smile. “So that is how the cosmos aligns. My thanks to Master Xi for expending such significant effort to divine the fortunes of myself and Heir Yan.” He casually smoothed the wide silk of his sleeve, concealing his hand from view.

“Think nothing of it, it was no trouble at all,” Ji Linxi replied smoothly. If he were to marry the beauty, would it not mean complete obedience in every matter, treasuring him above life itself?

“However, regarding those stars and that moon… how exactly does one go about harvesting them?” Chu Yu inquired, his tone light and airy.

Ji Linxi responded with absolute, deadpan seriousness, “By systematically stacking bricks beneath one’s feet every single day. Eventually, the foundation will elevate you straight into the heavens, allowing you to pluck them down.”

“Is that so,” Chu Yu murmured, letting out a soft, weightless chuckle. “But if one stacks the foundation too high, should they carelessly lose their footing and plummet downward… would they not be left entirely shattered, without even a corpse to bury?”