CHAPTER 435: CHAPTER 196: WORD DIVINATION_2

"Come in." As Elder Ba’s voice echoed, the door outside automatically swung open, and the bamboo curtain hanging on the door of the wooden hut also fell down on its own, obscuring the scenery inside the hut.

Through the bamboo curtain, one couldn’t see anything inside the hut from outside, but from within, the view outside was clearly visible.

Moments later, two women walked around that row of bamboo and approached, one tall with long legs and striking features; the other petite, charming, and graceful — unmistakably Li Qingyi and Bai Ying.

"Li Qingyi and Bai Ying pay respects to Elder Ba." Li Qingyi and Bai Ying arrived in front of the central wooden hut, stood before the door, and bowed, but showed no intention of lifting the curtain to enter.

"What brings you here?" Elder Ba casually asked.

"We came to see you, Elder Ba, hoping for your assistance in divination," Bai Ying replied.

"Do you understand the rules?" Elder Ba asked.

"Yes, Elder Ba, please have a look." Bai Ying said, as she took out two fairly small boxes from her bag and placed them open on the stone steps by the door.

Li Xiu and Chu Jun couldn’t help but look down, and through the bamboo curtain, they saw these boxes brimming with gemstones — one filled with rubies, the other with sapphires.

Judging by the size and quality of those rubies and sapphires, they were definitely of a superior grade.

"Not bad, each of you can divine one word. Who will go first?" Elder Ba glanced at the gemstones in the boxes and spoke indifferently.

Li Qingyi and Bai Ying exchanged a few words, and Bai Ying eventually spoke, "I’ll go first."

"Alright, there’s a bamboo pole stuck in the ground next to you, use it to write a word on the ground." After speaking, Elder Ba picked up a bowl and continued eating the leftover noodles.

Bai Ying pulled out a bamboo pole stuck in the ground and started drawing on the ground with it. She wrote many strokes, seeming to form a complicated character.

Li Xiu and Chu Jun were curious, eager to know what word Bai Ying was writing.

Soon, they saw Bai Ying had written the character "装" (armor).

"Please enlighten me, Elder Ba." Bai Ying put the bamboo pole back and addressed the door.

"What do you wish to divine? Good or bad fortune, or marriage fate?" Elder Ba asked.

"I’m not here for fortune or marriage divination; I’m looking for someone. I hope Elder Ba can guide me." Bai Ying spoke mildly but carried a somewhat authoritative presence.

"Armor covers, upright above and beneath clothing, indicates that the person you’re looking for must be a young adult wrapped in attire, likely a male Magic Armor Master?" Elder Ba said, looking at the word on the ground.

Li Xiu and Chu Jun turned their gaze towards Bai Ying, curious if Elder Ba’s guess was correct.

To them, it seemed a shot in the dark — how could one conclude from a single character that the person being sought was a male Magic Armor Master? It seemed absurd.

"Indeed, it’s a Magic Armor Master. Elder Ba, could you divine who this Magic Armor Master is and where he is now?" Bai Ying hurriedly asked.

"Wow, he really guessed right! That guessing was spot on; could Bai Ying be setting a trap? If she’s acting, for whom is it intended? Could it be for the two of us?" Li Xiu and Chu Jun exchanged glances, both seeing the wariness in the other’s eyes.

Elder Ba, however, ignored them, staring at the word "armor" on the ground, calculating with his fingers before saying, "Armor has twelve strokes, perfectly matching the twelve branches of Earth, indicating a cycle of reincarnation. This suggests that the person is located not far from you, but no matter how you turn around, you still can’t see him. Let me give you a few lines of divination: ’Though in close proximity, finding him requires effort; such ambiguity knows no bounds, stand up and await the turn.’

"Elder Ba, as a girl, I can’t decipher these; could you please interpret the divination for me?" Bai Ying asked with a smile.

"It means there’s no need to search; searching won’t lead to finding him anyway. Maybe when you stop searching, he will naturally appear before you. Alright, next person." Elder Ba seemed to already be a bit impatient.

Bai Ying wanted to say something else but was stopped by Li Qingyi.

Li Qingyi picked up the bamboo pole and wrote a character, then bowed before the door and said, "Elder Ba, I am searching for someone too, please provide guidance."

Li Xiu looked down and found the character "李" (Li) written on the ground, causing a slight internal alarm.

"Previously, Bai Ying was searching for someone dressed in magic armor, likely myself, and now Li Qingyi wrote the character Li. Has she figured out I’m the Magic Armor Master who stole the Super Spirit Gemstone? This could be troublesome." Li Xiu couldn’t help but frown.

He himself does not fear the Long Life Heaven, but with so many people in the City of Light, if he were truly targeted by the Long Life Heaven, the consequences could be severe.

"Seems like I need to quickly head to Red Sand City; joining the Long Life Heaven is the only way to avoid these troubles." Li Xiu pondered.

"Li has down stroke, you are seeking a man too, and his surname is Li." Elder Ba looked at the character "Li" and said.

Chu Jun, hearing this, couldn’t help but look towards Li Xiu, who shook his head indicating there was no connection to him.

"Indeed, could Elder Ba divine where he might be now?" Li Qingyi asked.

"Cannot divine." Elder Ba abruptly replied.

"Elder Ba, by saying this you’re being a bit much, isn’t it known that your celestial inscription linked to super spirit can even divine matters concerning the Demon Kingdom; we merely wish to divine the whereabouts of ordinary people, yet you give answers equivalent to nothing. Aren’t you unjustly taking these two boxes of gemstones?" Bai Ying couldn’t help but speak.