Mu Yin was preparing to return to the Five Skandha Sect.
Although she had no family there, compared to the Nine Stars Gate, she still felt that being the young mistress of the Five Skandha Sect held more promise.
Just the fact that she could spend money freely every day upon waking made the Five Skandha Sect far more suitable for a slacker like her.
Since she intended to leave, she had to settle the remaining matters at the Nine Stars Gate.
When Mu Yin pushed open the door, the corner of her eye caught a fleeting shadow in the corner so swift she almost thought she’d imagined it.
Ever since the Mu Yuefeng family’s tragedy, the ghosts in the southern courtyard had become far more active than before.
In the past, they would only wander around after midnight, but now they dared to appear even in broad daylight.
With no master of the household left, Mu Yin had dismissed all the stewards and servants, leaving only Jiang Fan and the other Nine Stars Gate disciples to reside there. The vast estate now felt even more desolate.
Si Lingqing yawned and stepped out from beside Mu Yin’s feet, crouching by the door and murmuring softly, “The vengeful spirits of your family have already returned to the underworld for reincarnation. The ones left here are just wandering souls passing through. Leaving them be won’t cause any major issues.”
She had already informed the ghostly authorities. These spirits meant no harm, they just enjoyed scaring people without taking lives so they were free to stay if they wished.
If Mu Yin found them unlucky, she could simply drive them away.
“As long as they don’t hurt anyone, they’re welcome to stay in the southern courtyard.” Mu Yin bent down to pick up the little black cat, stroking Si Lingqing’s tiny head and scratching her chin. “The backyard is spacious enough. As long as they don’t disrupt the Nine Stars Gate’s operations, it’s fine.”
Si Lingqing loved being petted by Mu Yin, narrowing her eyes contentedly and flicking her tail.
After playing with Si Lingqing for a while, Mu Yin said to her, “I’m going to see if that fortune-teller, Priest Zhang, has arrived on the back street. I haven’t seen him since our last meeting.”
Passing through the overgrown courtyard to the back gate, she pushed it open and spotted Zhang Maozhi setting up his fortune-telling stall not far away.
“Priest Zhang.”
Mu Yin walked over with the cat in her arms, sitting down familiarly in front of Zhang Maozhi. She smiled and said, “I’m leaving the Nine Stars Gate tomorrow. I thought I wouldn’t get to see you before I left.”
Zhang Maozhi was quite fond of this young lady as well, his beard twitching as he grinned. “I had to leave for a while due to a summons from my sect. Did everything go smoothly for you, miss?”
“Thanks to your blessings, everything went well.”
“That’s good, that’s very good.”
Zhang Maozhi stroked his short beard and said to Mu Yin, “Would you like me to cast a divination for you before you leave?” He added, “Free of charge.”
Mu Yin didn’t believe in fortune-telling. She simply thought Priest Zhang was a decent person, good for a chat and friendship, but divination was unnecessary.
She didn’t believe in fate.
“No need for divination. I just came to say goodbye.”
“Even so, this humble priest must say a few more words.”
Zhang Maozhi smoothed his short beard and said to Mu Yin, “The reason my sect summoned us back was primarily due to one matter.”
Mu Yin looked at him curiously, urging him to continue.
Zhang Maozhi said, “I am a disciple of the Divine Calculator. Our sect’s patriarch gathered us to warn that a calamity threatening the Nine Provinces will soon arise, and its origin lies in the west. So, miss, in the future, avoid heading westward in your travels.”
A calamity threatening the Nine Provinces?
Mu Yin looked at him curiously. “What kind of calamity is it?”
“This is a matter of heavenly secrets, and even this humble Daoist does not fully understand,” Zhang Maozhi said. “However, our master instructed us to offer guidance to people while performing divinations, doing what we can within human limits.”
Mu Yin nodded.
She actually believed that fortune-telling was something you either had faith in or you didn’t. But she was just a lazy person, once she returned to the Five Skandha Sect, she might never come down the mountain again. Whatever disaster was brewing in the west would have nothing to do with her.
With that thought, Mu Yin’s mood relaxed considerably. She took out a gold ingot from her sleeve and placed it on the table. Zhang Maozhi’s eyes lit up, but he still waved his hand and asked, “Miss, what is the meaning of this?”
Mu Yin found it amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Elder Zhang has helped me greatly. If not for you, the vengeful spirits of the Nine Stars Gate would have been trapped there forever. This money is what you deserve.”
Zhang Maozhi continued to decline, but after some back-and-forth, he eventually accepted it.
“Will the young lady be setting off tomorrow?” Zhang Maozhi asked her.
Mu Yin nodded.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Maozhi rummaged through his small coat and finally pulled out a jade slip, handing it to Mu Yin. He added, “This is a jade slip from our Divine Calculator lineage. In the future, no matter which city or town you visit, as long as you encounter a fortune-teller and present this slip, any disciple of our Divine Calculator sect will assist you with your questions. It’s not a valuable item, so please accept it.”
Mu Yin took the jade slip. It felt cool to the touch, though it wasn’t made of particularly fine jade. Carved on it were strange and unique runes, with a faint glow surrounding it, clearly a secret token of their sect.
Being able to receive help from Divine Calculator disciples in every city was indeed useful. While they might not offer martial prowess, a few words of guidance could save her from many detours.
It really was a good thing.
“Then I thank Elder Zhang.”
“You’re too kind, miss.”
After bidding farewell to Zhang Maozhi, Mu Yin returned to the Nine Stars Gate.
Everyone was busy packing. After staying here for half a month, they had accumulated quite a few belongings. Hong Zhuang had also arranged for someone to feed the horses so they could set off first thing in the morning.
Seeing Mu Yin return, Hong Zhuang handed the task of feeding the horses to someone else and walked over to her.
“Young Madam,” Hong Zhuang said. “Jiang Fan has been looking for you. Where did you go earlier?”
“I just went out for a stroll,” Mu Yin replied, setting Si Lingqing down from her arms. The little black cat leaped into the room without looking back and hopped onto the bed.
Hong Zhuang glanced at the little black cat and sighed helplessly. “This kitten is far too familiar, isn’t it?”
Si Lingqing ignored her, circling twice on Mu Yin’s bed before curling up with her tail and falling asleep.
Mu Yin thought to herself, This is your family’s young mistress, of course she’s familiar. But she only smiled and sat down at the tea table, asking, “What did Senior Sister Jiang want to see me about?”
At the mention of serious matters, Hong Zhuang snapped back to attention. “I’m not entirely sure. I’ll go fetch her right away. Young Madam, please have some tea first.”
Hong Zhuang left and soon returned with Jiang Fan.
When Senior Sister Jiang Fan saw Mu Yin, she smiled, her expression much more relaxed than when they had first met. It seemed that eliminating Mu Yuefeng had lifted a great weight from her heart.
“Third Young Miss,” Jiang Fan said, stopping in front of Mu Yin. She took out a palm-sized jade pendant from her sleeve and handed it to Mu Yin.
Mu Yin felt the object looked familiar. She instinctively took it and glanced at it, asking, “What is this?”
Jiang Fan smiled and said, “This is the sect leader jade pendant.”