Bai Yongyan said with an animated expression, "If Brother Wei is afraid of pain and reluctant to act, I can take his place. I assure you, you’ll die comfortably, die happily."
"Such sarcasm! I think I should make you die first!"
Old Spider Dancer’s face twisted fiercely. He slapped the bamboo tube at his waist, and its lid instantly burst off. From within, wolf spiders covered in needle-like bristles crawled out. Growing with the wind, they rapidly inflated to the size of wolfhounds in a single breath. Amid the fearful cries of the guests, their eight legs worked furiously as they charged towards Bai Yongyan.
"Why such agitation, Brother Wei? I rely offered a minor suggestion," Bai Yongyan shook his head and slapped the ground with his palm. "Be careful not to get overexcited. With blood rushing to your head like that, you might depart from us before an hour has passed."
As his palm struck the wooden floor, nurous slender branches instantly sprouted from within. They spread outward from Bai Yongyan, unfurling towards the front. In the blink of an eye, they transford into barrier poles, entangling the spiders’ legs and leaving them suspended mid-air, their thin legs flailing uselessly.
"Enough! This is my banquet! Are you two plotting rebellion?!" the Shu King shouted.
Old Spider Dancer and Bai Yongyan simultaneously ceased their actions. Glaring at each other, they snorted coldly and withdrew their hands.
The wooden barrier branches retracted and withered.
The grounded wolf spiders retreated slowly, gradually shrinking, and crawled back into the bamboo tube at Old Spider Dancer’s waist.
"Hmph."
The Shu King snorted, his fat quivering a few tis. He turned his gaze towards the Ape Man in the cage and asked in a deep voice, "What you just said, are you referring to everyone’s remaining lifespan?"
"Yes, and no," the Ape Man said softly. "I can only see a negligible part of Heavenly Fate, and that part might not represent the complete truth. Besides, fortunes can change, and people determine their own outcos. If one can find that elusive glimr of hope, defying destiny might not be impossible."
Pancreatic ginseng chicken? Ginseng chicken, I understand. Adding ginseng to chicken makes for an exquisite taste. But what’s this about a pancreas? That doesn’t go with chicken soup at all. Bai Yongyan was montarily stunned upon hearing this, murmuring to himself.
Fortunately, the Shu King didn’t hear Bai Yongyan’s muttering, or his blood pressure might have risen again.
"Hmm..." The Shu King frowned and pondered for a mont. "I asked if I could live to be a hundred. Why did you state others’ lifespans but skip over mine, Yu Qianhu’s, and the others’?"
The Ape Man did not answer, instead closing his eyes to rest as if he hadn’t heard the Shu King’s question.
"Perhaps..." a high monk from Yongling Temple interjected, "Your Highness, you are of imperial lineage, protected by dragon qi. Your fate is intertwined with that of the nation, rendering you inviolable. As for Yu Qianhu, he is a high-ranking minister of the West Factory, wielding great power and deeply trusted by His Majesty. Coupled with his profound cultivation, his fate is also difficult to predict."
"Imperial lineage? Heh." The Shu King patted his round belly and chuckled with mixed emotions, while Yu Qingqiu lifted his eyelids, indifferently sweeping a glance at the Auspicious Beast.
"And what about ?" Bai Yongyan raised a hand high like an inquisitive child. "I am neither a royal relative nor a senior court official, so why is my remaining lifespan not visible either?"
"This..." The high monk from Yonglin Temple found himself in a dilemma. He didn’t actually understand the specifics of the Auspicious Beast’s prediction chanics and had said that just to give the Prince an out. He hadn’t expected Bai Yongyan to be so persistent.
The monk’s mind raced, trying to co up with an excuse to bluff his way through. But Bai Yongyan had already smacked his fist into his open palm as if he’d had an epiphany. "Master, I understand now! The Auspicious Beast ans that if I start studying diligently from this mont on, poring over the words of sages, I can pass the imperial examinations and earn a title! Then I can enter service at court, beco a high official, even marry a princess, beco the Prince Consort, and thus a relative of the imperial family? Understood! I shall go and tackle the Four Books and Five Classics imdiately!"
???
The monk’s face stiffened, completely baffled by Bai Yongyan’s train of thought.
"As the saying goes: ’Once there was a mountain, on the mountain stood a temple. In the temple lived an old Monk, quite handso indeed. Though handso, he vied not with spring’s beauty, but rely announced its coming. When mountain flowers blood in splendor, he’d be there, smiling amongst them.’" A look of realization dawned on Bai Yongyan’s face. He put his palms together and said sincerely to the monk from Yonglin Temple, "Master, once I pass the imperial examination at the top of the list, I will certainly donate funds and materials to build a temple right next to Yonglin Temple. I’ve even thought of a na: Yihong Temple, signifying the ’delight of spring.’ What do you think?"
???
That na sounds a bit off. It doesn’t quite sound like a proper temple, does it?
The monk stood awkwardly, only able to chant "Namo Amitabha Buddha."
The Ape Man looked eastward, his eyes slightly narrowed as if gazing into the distance. "Another has died..."
"Who died?" Bai Yongyan pressed in a low voice. "Brother Ape Man, you’re an Ape Man, not so charlatan. Can’t you stop being so vague and just tell us clearly?"
The Ape Man turned his head to look at Bai Yongyan, his eyes unfocused. He muttered to himself, "You... are strange. I cannot see where you ca from."
"Of course, you can’t. I just ca from the latrine. There were no lights in there; it was pitch black, couldn’t see a thing," Bai Yongyan nodded. "Next ti, I should suggest the cook add so fluorescent green to the Royal Mansion’s dishes. That way, everyone wouldn’t need to carry a lantern to the latrine. After all, fumbling in the dark like that is just courting death!"
The Ape Man ignored Bai Yongyan’s attempt at humor, his eyes vacant. He murmured, "It’s awakening..."
"Who’s awakening?" Bai Yongyan pressed. "My goodness, old pal! For Hao Heavenly God’s sake, can you stop talking in riddles? Oh, I an, if you keep talking in that tone, watch out, or I’ll give you a swift kick with my boot! I swear, I really will!"
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