The elderly man heard this and let out a cold laugh,
"I am aware of the extent of my Ninth Uncle Master's abilities. Merely relying on the power of our Tongxuan Sect alone to find him would be like looking for a needle in the ocean. Even after so many sects have searched for over twenty years, haven't they also found nothing? However, since he dared to steal the treasure of our sect, naturally, we cannot let him live too peacefully. That's why I will not reveal our sect's secrets to others!"
At this point, he let out a cold laugh,
"According to what I know... over these years, he has been scurrying around like a rat, hiding here and there, not living an easy life. Now, I reckon that the old man is not far from kicking the bucket, his mana declining, hence unable to conceal the spiritual energy of the Treasure Mirror...."
Heh heh! More than twenty years have passed, Ninth Uncle Master, it's about time that the treasure returned to its original owner!
After saying this, he turned to the young man with a warm smile, looking affectionately at his handsome face,
"Tiantian, I will tell you a secret that only the Sect Leader of our sect knows..."
"Oh..."
The young man named Tiantian perked up upon hearing this,
"Master, please speak..."
The elderly man said,
"The Grand Master, that immortal of our ancestors, possessed a rare Heavenly Spiritual Root attribute, and he left behind a set of the Mirror Mastery Technique that can only be cultivated at the Nascent Soul Stage. Only by practicing this technique can one unleash the full power of the Treasure Mirror. Now, you are the first disciple since the founding of our sect with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, so once this matter is settled, I will take you to meet with the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Unity Sect myself and ask him to accept you as his disciple. From then on, you will set foot on the path of Great Cultivation. With your talents, your future accomplishments will be limitless. Once you reach the Nascent Soul Stage, return to our sect to take control of the Tongxuan Bright Mirror. With the Immortal Sects' treasured items, it won't be difficult for our Tongxuan Sect to enter the Great Cultivation World of Great Yue. Furthermore, with your clever aptitude, you are destined to carry forward our sect's prestige, becoming legendary for a thousand years!"
The young man called Tiantian was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly thanked him,
"Thank you, Master, for your meticulous planning for your disciple!"
The old man smiled faintly and stroked his beard,
"Good child, you are my disciple, just like my own child. Planning for you is only right and proper, there's no need for thanks!"
While the master and disciple were conversing in the cart, the merchant ship where Gu Shi Yi was sitting had already traveled ten miles away from Li City.
Traveling by waterway has always been more comfortable than by land; sitting on the ship, one could cover dozens of miles a day without much effort. Gu Shi Yi, having nothing better to do apart from feeding the horses, spent her time socializing around. With her smooth talk, she quickly became friendly with the other passengers on the ship. On the second evening after boarding, she had already started fortune-telling by reading bones, predicting the passengers' fortunes and misfortunes,
"This young man... observing your facial features and the fullness of your lips, your rounded nose, and ears that droop to your shoulders, you are certainly a person of good fortune. However... "
She glanced around at the boatman in front of her,
"If you wish to know more clearly, well... let me feel your bones..."
Having said that, she reached out to touch the young man's chest. Squeezing the firm muscles there, she moved her hand towards his waist and abdomen, then turned around and gave a firm pat on his backside,
"Good, good, good... Not bad! Not bad!"
Gu Shi Yi touched her chin where there was no beard, squinting her eyes with a smile,
"You're asking about your marital prospects, right?"
"Yes... hehe... yes..."
The honest boatman, his face red with embarrassment from the touching, scratched the back of his head and nodded. Gu Shi Yi smiled and said,
"Your luck in love will change next year; you should head north. Your destined partner is in the north..."
The young boatman thought for a moment and looked up in admiration,
"Master Gu speaks truly, my distant cousin lives north of our village. I heard she's turning eighteen next year, and my mother has mentioned matchmaking us... Do you mean to say she will become my wife?"
Gu Shi Yi chuckled and neither confirmed nor denied, patting him on the chest again,
"Well... you just wait patiently, next year you'll definitely be able to take a wife, and the year after next, you'll be holding a son!"
"Thank you! Thank you for your auspicious words, Master Gu!"
The young boatman took out five copper coins from his pocket, after a moment's hesitation and a pained expression, he took back two. Seeing this, Gu Shi Yi snatched them away,
"Young man, for five copper coins I'll give you another divination..."
Having said that, she pretended to count on her fingers,
"I predict that within three moments, a villain will stir trouble with his words, causing you pain due to physical harm. The only way to save yourself is to leave here quickly..."
"Really... is that true?"
The young boatman looked stunned; could she really predict such immediate events?
Gu Shi Yi nodded solemnly,
"You'll see if you believe me!"
Seeing the young boatman still hesitant,
"If you don't go now, the villain will soon arrive!"
The young boatman quickly uttered agreement and got up to leave, but as soon as he stepped out of the cabin, he was caught. A voice screeched out,