When Xiao Yiquan left, dawn was breaking.
Back at the hotel, he sat in a daze for a while. Day broke, and it was time for the shift change.
Returning to his dorm, he flopped onto the bed but couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried.
Everything from last night played like a movie, replaying over and over in his mind.
"I actually slept with Scholar's girlfriend... If Scholar finds out... Well, it's not my fault. She initiated it... If I hadn't listened to her, she would've accused me of rape. I don't want to go to jail..."
It was as if he were explaining to Zhu Wenxiu, yet also soothing himself.
Explaining it a thousand times was useless. Sleep remained elusive, his mind buzzing like a bomb about to explode.
He climbed out of bed, grabbed a sheet of paper, poured a glass of water, then unhooked the blue feather pen hanging around his neck.
The blue feather pen had been passed down from his grandmother. Legend said it was a feather from a blue bird, passed through generations for over a thousand years.
The blue feather pen wasn't for writing. It was specifically used for spirit writing.
In the old days, people were superstitious. When faced with inexplicable events, they would resort to spirit writing to seek answers.
Xiao Yiquan's grandmother was a shaman who often helped others consult the spirits through spirit writing, using this very green-feathered brush.
After she passed away, she passed it down to Xiao Yiquan.
But Xiao Yiquan had never used it. Truth be told, he didn't really believe in it. He just wore it around his neck as a memento of his grandmother.
Today, he had no other choice.
He had slept with his old classmate Zhu Wenxiu's girlfriend—and it was Tian Tian who had initiated it. This left his mind completely muddled, utterly clueless about what to do.
Such matters couldn't be discussed with anyone. He could only resort to spirit writing, consulting the spirits.
First, he soaked the green feather pen in a cup.
The blue-feather pen possessed a peculiar quality: soaked in water for about five minutes, it could write on paper, leaving faint blue marks as clear as ink.
Xiao Yiqian focused his mind and calmed his heart.
"Grandma, your grandson Qianbao has run into trouble—a shameful one, you know. Last night, I slept with his girlfriend. She forced me into it. If I refused, she threatened to tell my girlfriend. I had no choice, but I feel so guilty toward Xiu Cai. If you have any spirit left in heaven, tell me what to do?"
After pouring his heart out to Grandma, he opened his eyes and gently pinched the green-feathered brush between his right index and middle fingers, placing it on the paper.
"Grandma, if you have a spirit in heaven, tell Quanbao what to do."
He prayed for a moment, calming his mind and composing himself.
Suddenly, a chill ran through him, and the hand holding the green feather pen froze.
Xiao Yiqian's heart skipped a beat.
He steadied his mind and relaxed his hand.
The green feather pen moved, guided by the hand.
Yes, it wasn't the hand moving the pen; it felt as though the pen was moving the hand.
The green feather pen wrote three characters on the paper: [Peach Blossom Calamity].
"Peach Blossom Calamity?" Xiao Yiqian repeated the words aloud, then asked, "Am I facing this calamity? How do I resolve it?"
The green-feathered brush moved again, writing: [To break this calamity, drip blood into a bowl]
"A blood curse?"
Xiao Yiquan was startled.
Spirit writing wasn't unusual—Grandma had often done it before.
But Grandma had told Xiao Yiquan that blood curses shouldn't be asked about lightly. Unless faced with an utterly insurmountable obstacle, one shouldn't touch them.
He hesitated for a long while, thinking of Tian Tian, thinking of Zhu Wenxiu.
He also thought of He Xue.
"Grandma, I can't get past this hurdle. Tian Tian told me last night that she'll come find me again, and she'll bring He Xue with her. I... I don't know what to do. What if Xiu finds out... What then?"
With this thought, he bit his middle finger and let a drop of blood fall into the cup.
He placed the green-feathered brush into the cup, and the blood thread vanished instantly, absorbed cleanly.
He moved the brush over the paper.
Calm and focused, the brush began to move—not to write characters, but to sketch a face.
This face had three eyes.
The middle eye stood vertically, like that of Erlang Shen.
The blue-feathered brush touched the pupil of the middle eye, and a drop of blood trickled out.
That eye snapped open.
Xiao Yiquan startled, meeting the gaze of that unyielding pupil. His mind reeled.
He saw a flood of strange thoughts, like a movie playing before his eyes.
A voice resounded: [The divine emperors Yao, Shun, and Yu; the ancient emperors of Xia, Shang, and Zhou; Qin Shi Huang, Han Gaozu, Tang Taizong, Song Taizu—the divine fortunes of these ten great emperors, combined with the legacy of the Celestial Witch, are bestowed upon the destined one.]
A green bird flew over, extending its long beak to peck sharply at Xiao Yiquan's forehead.
"Ah!" Xiao Yiquan cried out, snapping back to consciousness.
His mind was now flooded with new information.
This green feather pen was no ordinary writing implement—it contained the legacy of the Celestial Witch.
And by sheer coincidence, his blood-divination ritual had granted him this very legacy.
This was no longer mere spirit-channeling; it was a secret rite of the shamanic lineage. His grandmother had simply never revealed it to him.
Or perhaps she herself had never known.
The tales of blood curses and divination passed down through generations had likely frightened her and others, unaware that these were actually the keys to unlocking the Celestial Witch's legacy.
What astonished Xiao Yiquan most, however, was that fortune.
"The imperial fortune of the Ten Great Emperors... That's formidable... What kind of fortune could that be?" Xiao Yiquan muttered to himself. "Breaking the Peach Blossom Calamity—it wouldn't turn into a Peach Blossom Fortune, would it?"
Xiao Yiquan put away the green-feathered brush, poured himself some water, and sat cross-legged on the bed.
He calmed his mind and settled his thoughts, allowing the information in his head to settle.
The Celestial Witch inheritance encompassed everything—medicine, divination, astronomy, martial arts, talismans, spells, formations—truly nothing was excluded.
But transforming and absorbing all this knowledge required a process.
Techniques could be passed down, but cultivation must be done alone.
He began circulating his cultivation techniques...
After dark, he rose, took a bath, ate dinner, and went to relieve his shift.
Around 8:30 PM, his phone rang. He saw it was Zhu Wenxiu calling.
She hadn't contacted him since returning to the city that day. Why was she suddenly calling now?
"Xiu, did she... discover something?"
Xiao Yiqian hesitated before answering.
"Xiu Cai."
He called out.
His throat felt dry.
Even with the Celestial Witch's inheritance, this kind of thing still made him feel uneasy.
"Xiao Yiquan, you're in Haicheng?"
Zhu Wenxiu called.
Her voice was high-pitched, sounding very excited.
"Yes." Xiao Yiquan steadied himself.
"Did Sister He call you here?"
He didn't mention Tian Tian, and this made Xiao Yiquan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, drop suddenly.
"Yes." He answered again.
"Hahaha."
Zhu Wenxiu laughed on the other end.
In Xiao Yiquan's memory, Zhu Wenxiu had always been rather delicate, earning him the nickname "Scholar." But right now, his laughter carried a hint of madness, as if he'd taken some kind of stimulant.
During last night's intermission, Tian Tian had mentioned He Xue seeking him out.
It was simple: life was boring, and she wanted a bit of romance.
Yet the idea of He Xue seeking out a man stirred an inexplicable dark excitement within Zhu Wenxiu.
Now, from Zhu Wenxiu's almost manic laughter, Xiao Yiquan sensed it too.
"He Xue and I... why is he so happy about that? What's his mindset?" Xiao Yiquan couldn't fathom Zhu Wenxiu's thoughts.
"I'll be back in a couple of days. Let's get together then," Zhu Wenxiu said energetically. "Invite He Xue."
Xiao Yiquan didn't know how to respond.
Inviting He Xue wasn't the issue. The problem was, he still had a relationship with Tian Tian. If Zhu Wenxiu invited He Xue, she'd definitely bring Tian Tian along. How would he face that?
Zhu Wenxiu said a few more words before hanging up.
But his laughter lingered, echoing in Xiao Yiquan's ears.
I can't figure out why he's so excited.