Inside the tranquil small courtyard.
A girl in a white ruqun sat quietly.
The girl held a sieve in her hand.
She was gently shaking it from side to side.
The sieve contained many small particles of god and demon marrow.
She would sift out the coarser ones, pour them into the mill, and as the paper donkey turned the millstone, the god and demon marrow would be ground even finer.
The ground was covered with a layer of crushed god and demon marrow.
As Fang Xin pushed open the door.
The girl looked up.
A pair of watery eyes gazed in Fang Xin's direction.
"You're here?"
Fang Xin looked at the girl's watery eyes.
A long, long time ago, Chu Xinyao had taken Fang Xin to Fengming Temple, next to Lan City, to find an Old Woman.
At that time, the Old Woman's eyes were also a watery expanse.
Although one was old and one was young, and their appearances were vastly different.
The ruqun girl in front of him and the Old Woman Fang Xin had seen by Fengming Temple had almost identical demeanors.
Fang Xin immediately realized that the ruqun girl in front of him was also a top-tier sensory existence.
"Come in!"
The ruqun girl, busy with what she was doing, smiled sweetly at Fang Xin.
After a moment of thought, Fang Xin walked towards the ruqun girl.
But as Fang Xin lifted his foot and stepped into the small courtyard.
The fine sand of god and demon marrow covering the courtyard was black, but as Fang Xin took a step, the black god and demon marrow sand beneath his feet transformed into scarlet lotuses.
Each step bloomed a blood lotus.
The paper donkey pulling the mill let out an anxious, uneasy bray, its four legs speeding up, seemingly shouting for its dead legs to run faster.
The ruqun girl slightly lifted her head, her watery eyes fixed on Fang Xin's feet.
Fang Xin stopped.
The ruqun girl seemed to notice Fang Xin's unusual reaction and smiled at him, "Don't be nervous, everyone's changes when they step on this are different, and I won't tell anyone about their changes!"
Fang Xin thought for a moment, then still walked towards the ruqun girl.
The ruqun girl raised her hands and felt around, then found a small stool and handed it to Fang Xin.
After a brief thought, Fang Xin sat down.
The ruqun girl was not one to stand on ceremony; she immediately grabbed a sieve, opened a bag nearby, which contained crushed god and demon marrow fragments.
"Little Mangfu, help me for a bit!"
Fang Xin gritted his teeth. Damn it, why does everyone have to criticize us Strength-based types!
Holding the sieve, he glanced at the ruqun girl again.
Isn't this Big Sister a bit too familiar?
The girl showed a sweet smile, the dimples on both sides of her cheeks were very pretty, "Are you grumbling about me in your heart?"
"No, how could I be? Am I that kind of person?"
Fang Xin shook the sieve, then looked at the ruqun girl.
"My name is Long Fuling."
The girl shook the sieve, a calm and serene smile on her face.
"My name is Fang Xin."
"I know."
Fang Xin's movement of shaking the sieve paused slightly.
Long Fuling smiled, "There's no need to be so nervous. I have no ill will towards you. I invited you in because I have something to ask of you."
Fang Xin, while shaking the sieve, looked at Long Fuling's profile, "You only told me your name, and then you tell me you have something to ask?"
Long Fuling smiled, "You must have met that Old Woman at Fengming Temple, right?"
Fang Xin was startled. Sure enough, there was a connection.
"I imagine that Old Woman told you that there are three people in the entire Long Kingdom who can discern your identity: one is her, one is the Diviner in the Imperial Capital, and the other is me."
Fang Xin recalled when he met that Old Woman before; she had indeed said those words. At the time, that Old Woman had also said that one day he would meet the last one.
He hadn't expected to see her today.
Long Fuling concentrated on her work, "As for my identity, I am the High Priestess of the Eternal Night Army."
Fang Xin shook the sieve in his hand, waiting for Long Fuling to continue.
Long Fuling gathered the larger particles of god and demon marrow, then poured them under the mill, letting the paper donkey turn the millstone to crush them.
"I invited you here because I want to ask you for three yuanying fruits."
"Three?" Fang Xin's eyes widened. My yuanying fruits have only been planted for a few days, and you're already eyeing them. And that thing can only produce a maximum of nine fruits each time. You're asking for three in one go. Do I look like those three yuanying fruits?
Long Fuling sorted through the god and demon marrow, a smile playing on her lips, "If you give me three yuanying fruits, I can answer one question you want to know!"
"No, three is too many. I don't even know how many yuanying fruits my first crop will produce."
Long Fuling's watery eyes stared at Fang Xin. After a moment, she said two words flatly, "Three fruits."
Fang Xin was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened, "I've been taking care of them day and night for so long. Giving you all three yuanying fruits that ripen? No, that's too many!"
"Then what's your acceptable limit?"
Fang Xin spoke nonsense with a straight face, "I've always adhered to the principle of spending less to do more, spending little to do big things, doing things without spending money, and ideally, spending other people's money to do my own business."
Long Fuling couldn't help but laugh, "I learned a xiēhòuyǔ from Kou Tianlin a while ago that fits your principle perfectly: you're really an Old Lady wearing black stockings, you made me laugh."
Fang Xin looked at Long Fuling's profile. He hadn't expected this seemingly gentle Little Girl to have such a subtle contrast.
Long Fuling cupped her hands, grasping the air, stretching and relaxing her fingers, "If not three, then one. But for one, I can't tell you whatever you want to know. Instead, it will randomly show you a projection of a certain future, revealing a certain mystery in your heart."
Fang Xin asked, puzzled, "So it's like opening a blind box? What if it's not what I want to know, can I regret it?"
"Don't worry, what you see will definitely be what you want to know!" Long Fuling looked back, her watery eyes calmly fixed on Fang Xin.
After a moment of thought, Fang Xin said, "Then just one!"
"Alright."
"Do I need to write a note or anything?" Fang Xin asked.
Long Fuling's smile was serene, "No need. I still trust your character; you're much better than that smooth-talking Bai Mao Zai."
Fang Xin was stunned when he heard that, "You've met Zhuge too?"
Long Fuling resumed shaking the sieve, sifting the varying sizes of god and demon marrow, "Of course I have! A figure who plays an important role in the long river of history, naturally one must meet him."
Fang Xin couldn't help but be taken aback. He had to admit, that Bai Mao Zai always managed to show off in unexpected, pervasive ways. Sometimes, he didn't even have to open his mouth to make a grand display.
Long Fuling said softly, "First, help me sift the god and demon marrow for a while. Once these two bags are sifted, I'll show you."
Fang Xin immediately sped up, perfectly demonstrating the talent of a Muscle-bound Brute.
Long Fuling turned her face, looking at Fang Xin with her watery eyes.
"Muscle-bound Brute, terrifying indeed!"
In a short while, he had sifted and crushed the two bags of god and demon marrow, and according to Long Fuling's request, he scattered the fine, sandy god and demon marrow into the small courtyard.
Fang Xin sat back on the small stool, looking expectantly at Long Fuling.
Long Fuling raised both hands, "Place your hands in my palms."
Fang Xin did as he was told.
"Close your eyes!"
Fang Xin closed his eyes, and the light and shadows before him began to intertwine. Fang Xin felt as if he was falling into a dream vortex.
Before long, Fang Xin saw that familiar scene again.
Corpses piled up like mountains, and at the peak of the mountain of corpses, a throne lay horizontally.
Fang Xin looked down, and a light sword emerged from his chest.
A familiar scene.
Fang Xin turned his head.
He saw that on the exaggerated pectorals of the other party, the Hexagram mark was particularly clear.
And this time, Fang Xin clearly saw the other party's face.
