"In the courtyard, having breakfast," Housekeeper Sun asked.
"Still having breakfast..." Mu Nan glanced at the sky, it was already late in the hour, why were they still having breakfast?
Filled with curiosity, Mu Nan and the others followed Mu Hanyan to Qu Shanling’s courtyard.
On a table over three feet wide, laid out with chickens, ducks, fishes, and ats - so roasted, so fried, so stewed - and right in the center, there was a golden, glistening roast suckling pig. Qu Shanling sat behind the table, his left hand holding a roast chicken and his right a pig leg, stuffing his mouth with a bite from the left and then a bite from the right as if his life depended on it.
The sunlight poured down, making his hands shine with grease, and his old face was also sared with oil, giving him a sowhat younger appearance.
"Master Qu, hadn’t you said you needed to bathe, burn incense, and fast for a few days?" asked Mu Nan, staring dumbfounded.
"Bathing and burning incense, fast for a few days... You need energy to do that," replied Qu Shanling between frantic bites, his words muffled and unclear. It’s the sa principle as gaining weight before trying to lose it, though one wasn’t sure if it was the truth or nonsense.
"Master Qu, didn’t you eat enough last night?" asked Mu Nan as he eyed Qu Shanling’s round belly. They had dined together the previous evening, and he rembered that the old god-man hadn’t skimped on food, so why was he so ravenous again?
"Burp... I was full, but it wasn’t enough," said Qu Shanling, belching satisfactorily and rubbing his belly. It seed he truly couldn’t eat another bite; he put down the pig leg, now only a bone, and sighed.
Mu Nan was sowhat puzzled. Was carrying out the Star Divination Skill really that exhausting for the average Star Divination Master, requiring them to eat so much? Why hadn’t he heard of this before?
Soon, he realized he had been mistaken.
"Are you done eating? If so, let’s get started," Mu Hanyan said.
"Mhm, finished," nodded Qu Shanling. Even if he wasn’t, there was no helping it; he simply couldn’t eat anymore.
Having said that, Qu Shanling took out the Star Illusion Thousand chanism Technique and handed it to Mu Hanyan.
"Wait, let’s finish that hand formation from yesterday first," said Mu Hanyan, not reaching out to take it.
Those hand formations were just for divination for Qu Shanling, missing one or two might not be a big deal, but for her, they were the best supplentary practice for cultivation – missing even one was unacceptable.
"Let’s talk about that one later," said Qu Shanling, still apprehensive.
"No, Star Divination Skill and Cultivation are similar; both require a gradual and orderly process, you can’t rush it – missing one is not okay," said Mu Hanyan, taking on the air of a master with firmness.
"Alright, I’ll try again," Qu Shanling said with a grimace.
Mu Hanyan perked up, intently watching Qu Shanling perform.
This ti, Mu Hanyan didn’t bother hiding it from Huayue and Zirong; after all, they wouldn’t be able to understand it anyway – they might as well treat it as an educational experience.
"My lord, should we leave for a mont?" asked Huayue, sensing that what Mu Hanyan and Qu Shanling were doing must be related to the Star Divination Skill and offering to step aside.
"No need, no need, just stay here and watch," said Mu Hanyan before Qu Shanling waved them off generously.
Weren’t the ultimate skills of a Star Divination Master supposed to be a closely guarded secret? How could the old god-man be so open about them? Huayue and the others were sowhat puzzled.
Despite their confusion, they were all curious about the legendary Star Divination Skill. Seeing that even Qu Shanling didn’t mind, they stayed to satisfy their curiosity.
Taking a deep breath, Qu Shanling began to perform the hand formations from the previous day.
Ard with the experience from the day before, and the improvents made by Mu Hanyan using the Heavenly Heart Technique, the initial hand formations flowed more smoothly and pleasingly to the eye. However, as he approached the critical last hand formation, his expression visibly soured and his breathing quickened.
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