Following Miss Jing into the courtyard, Xu Zimo glanced around.
The place wasn’t particularly large.
Two quiet little houses stood to the side, with a Yin-Yang disc set in the center of the courtyard.
Around the yard, five trees had been planted, each positioned according to the five elements, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
These trees seemed specially cultivated; Xu Zimo had never seen their like before.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he frowned slightly.
It felt as though a few invisible threads reached out toward him, wrapping faintly around his limbs.
If he hadn’t been carefully attuned, he might not have noticed them at all.
They had no real effect on him, but the sensation still made him vaguely uncomfortable.
“Don’t mind it,” Miss Jing said with a smile. “This whole courtyard is covered by my master’s Celestial Mechanism Formation. Everyone who steps inside is linked by the threads of fate. It won’t harm you, and it’s not aimed specifically at you.”
Xu Zimo nodded and walked deeper into the yard.
At the far end stood a small pavilion.
Gongyang Ce sat on a stone stool, placing the jar of Immortal Brew at his side. He then patted the stone table before him and said, “Jing, come here.”
Miss Jing smiled at Xu Zimo and moved to stand behind her master.
“I already know your origins,” Gongyang Ce said slowly, fixing Xu Zimo with his gaze. “I cannot help you. But for the sake of the Immortal Brew, I’ll let you make another request, and I’ll do my best to assist.”
“I only want news of the Xuanyuan Clan,” Xu Zimo replied, shaking his head. “You have old ties to the Xuanyuan Clan?”
Gongyang Ce shook his head lightly.
“It’s not that I don’t want to help you, it’s that my ability is insufficient. Even I cannot divine their whereabouts.”
Xu Zimo’s brows furrowed tightly. He turned slightly, looking toward Miss Jing.
“Master, isn’t your Celestial Mechanism Art supposed to foretell everything under heaven?” she asked.
“Before leaving, the Grand-Pivot Emperor disrupted the clan’s fate lines. Now the threads of destiny are in chaos, I cannot trace their position,” Gongyang Ce explained with a shake of his head.
Without the Grand-Pivot Emperor, the clan was no longer as powerful. But they still held the Grand-Pivot God-Sword, ranked third among the Grand Thousand Treasures of the world.
Everyone understood the principle of a man’s wealth being his downfall. Naturally, the Xuanyuan clan would not be easy to find.
“You must have a way, don’t you?” Xu Zimo pressed.
“I do, but why should I help you?” Gongyang Ce countered. “You should know, my price is very high. A single jar of Immortal Brew is hardly enough.”
“In the end, it’s just about interest and profit. What’s your condition?” Xu Zimo said evenly.
The bustle of the world was nothing more than the exchange of benefits. Everyone knew that truth.
“You couldn’t accomplish it even if I told you,” Gongyang Ce said.
“Don’t bother trying to provoke me. Whether I can or not is for me to decide,” Xu Zimo replied.Consider it returning a favor.”
“The Celestial Mechanism Art…” Xu Zimo murmured, then asked, “Do you know where the final chapter is?”
“Right here, in North River City,” Gongyang Ce said with a faint smile. “Otherwise, why do you think I’ve stayed here so long? When you acquire the final chapter, come find me again.”
With that, Gongyang Ce rose and returned to his room, deliberately leaving the details unsaid.
“My master just doesn’t want to say it outright, he clearly means for me to tell you,” Miss Jing said with a smile. “The one who holds the final chapter is an old man named Zhuo Qiu. He and my master have long been rivals. Both are famed for their calculations of fate, and throughout the Azure Frontier they’re known as the Twin Sages.”
“Elder Zhuo Qiu,” Xu Zimo nodded. “Where is he in North River City?”
Miss Jing pointed to the courtyard directly opposite theirs and whispered, “That old man has a strange temper. Don’t try to force anything, it won’t work, same as with my master.”
Xu Zimo nodded, took his leave of her, and crossed the way.
He knocked gently on the gate.
Footsteps sounded within.
The door opened to reveal an old man.
He wore a purple robe, short and frail-looking, thin as if the wind might blow him away.
The robe wrapped almost his entire body.“Come in,” the old man said after glancing at Xu Zimo, stepping aside to let him enter.
In the yard, an iron stove made of bricks boiled a kettle of tea.
The lid rattled noisily as steam surged out.
The old man poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xu Zimo, then stared at him intently.
“What is it?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Alike… far too alike,” the old man muttered, stepping closer, scrutinizing him. “Practically identical.”
“Have we met before?” Xu Zimo asked.
“We have. More accurately, I’ve met the you from before,” the old man said with a smile.
“The me from before? I don’t understand,” Xu Zimo shook his head.
“You will, in time,” the old man chuckled.
“You must be Elder Zhuo Qiu?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Just call me Elder Zhuo,” he nodded. “That old goat Gongyang must have sent you, right?”
As he spoke, he waved his hand.
A book appeared in his palm.
“That old fellow has coveted this for a long time.”
“What conditions do you have, Elder Zhuo?” Xu Zimo asked.
“No conditions. The Celestial Mechanism Art is yours,” Elder Zhuo said, placing the book before Xu Zimo.
Though it was handed over freely, Xu Zimo’s doubts only deepened.
He felt strongly that this old man knew something, but was withholding it.
“Why help me?” Xu Zimo asked instead of taking the book immediately.
“Because you once helped me too,” Elder Zhuo replied with a smile. “Don’t question too much. Just take it, I won’t harm you. Some things will be clear to you when the time comes.”
Xu Zimo finally accepted the book and said, “Miss Jing told me you too are one of the Twin Sages. Could you help me locate the Xuanyuan clan?”
“I could find them, but I cannot help you,” Elder Zhuo said mysteriously. “Go to Gongyang Ce. He’s the only one who can aid you.”
Xu Zimo fell silent for a moment, then prepared to leave.
But Elder Zhuo suddenly called after him.
“Be wary of Gongyang Ce… and that girl.”
Xu Zimo knew he meant Miss Jing.
His mind was in chaos. He had no clear grasp of these people or their true intentions.
Since entering the Nine Heavens, he had realized the complexity of things far exceeded his imagination.
“One day, I’ll find the answers,” Xu Zimo said to Elder Zhuo before departing.