“Not here. He went on a trip.”
Qingnu shook her head as she munched on a piece of fruit.
Hearing this, Ji Fa asked further, “How does the scenery of my Great Zhou compare to that of the Yin Shang?”
Qingnu swallowed the fruit and shot a glance at Ji Fa.
“A mountain is just a mountain, and water is just water. This world still belonged to the Shang three years ago; the tides of time don’t shift that quickly.”
“The Shang kings belonged to the Zi clan,” Ji Fa reminded her gently.
Qingnu fell silent for a moment, then snatched the fruit back from Ji Fa’s hand. “No more for you,” she muttered with feigned annoyance.
“Master, despite possessing a thousand years of longevity, your disposition remains as spontaneous and innocent as a child’s. It is truly rare.”
Watching Qingnu take the fruit away, Ji Fa managed a strained smile. He spoke slowly, “Speaking of clans and names, I have always had a question in my heart that I wished to ask you.”
“Ask, then. I might not answer,” Qingnu said, looking at Ji Fa. Seeing that his days were numbered, she did not refuse him.
“Your name is Shaodian Qingnu. Does this Shaodian clan have any connection to the legendary Huangdi?”
Ji Fa gazed intently at her.
If she truly had a connection to the legendary Huangdi, who was said to have ascended to heaven on a dragon, then wouldn’t she be a true exiled immortal?
Qingnu nodded. “Yes. He was the one who gave me my name.”
Her true form was a green snake, hence the name. At that time, she had even served as the totem for the Youxiong tribe!
However, as the tribe grew and more small clans were incorporated, the images of various totems gradually merged.
She had witnessed the birth of the 'dragon' herself.
“Master, you truly are an exiled immortal of this world!” Ji Fa sighed with emotion.
Qingnu waved her hand, her eyes crinkling in a smile. “What immortal? I’m a celestial snake.”
Ji Fa grinned, but then he hesitated. After a moment of stammering, he asked, “Master, in your view, have I… have I been a good king?”
A ruler cares about their legacy; Ji Fa was no exception to this worldly concern.
Qingnu thought back to the evaluations of future generations. “Capable, ambitious, and visionary. A chosen one.”
“Heaven-chosen, am I…?”
Hearing her evaluation, Ji Fa coughed several times.
“It was you who came to my Xiqi all those years ago to help me seize this world. So, Master, are you Heaven?”
Qingnu spread her hands wide.
“See? There you go, killing the conversation again.”
“Cough… cough…” Ji Fa laughed weakly.
As the night deepened, Ji Fa felt his consciousness growing increasingly heavy. He knew his end was near.
He looked at Qingnu with clouded eyes and whispered, “Master, in this world… is there truly no art of longevity?”
After asking, Ji Fa did not seem to expect an answer. His breathing slowed, growing quieter and quieter until it stopped altogether.
Qingnu watched him. After a long silence, she sighed. “I told you, there isn't…”
In the early morning, when the palace attendants entered the bedchamber, Qingnu had already departed. Ji Fa lay powerless on the bed with his eyes closed, his breath long gone. However, his hand still clutched a ripened red fruit.
“The King has passed!”
A shrill cry echoed through the halls of Haojing, inside and out.
The people were shaken.
Qingnu left Haojing and traveled east along the Wei River, eventually arriving at Yingqiu in the State of Qi.
Inside the palace of Yingqiu, she met Jiang Ziya.
“Ji Fa is dead.”
That was the first thing the snake girl said.
Jiang Ziya was so startled that the carving knife fell from his hand to the floor. He looked up in shock toward the doorway, and seeing Qingnu standing there made him even more surprised.
“Master, why are you…”
“I came from Haojing to see you.”
Qingnu stepped inside, surveying the room. “This palace of the Qi ruler is quite modest. There sure are a lot of books, though.”
Jiang Ziya frowned as he watched her enter.
“Master, did you just say the King…?”
“Dead,” Qingnu confirmed. “Half a month ago. The messengers are probably still on the road.”
Upon receiving confirmation, Jiang Ziya fell into a stunned silence. After a long while, he suddenly asked, “Does this matter have anything to do with you, Master?”
Qingnu shook her head.
“Nothing to do with me. He died of illness.”
Hearing that Ji Fa’s death was unrelated to her, Jiang Ziya breathed a sigh of relief, then sighed with regret.
“The King had been ill for two years; I was aware of this. I just didn't expect…”
“No, Ziya must go to Haojing!”
Jiang Ziya immediately called for his subordinates, ordering them to prepare a carriage for the journey to Haojing. Then, he bowed deeply to Qingnu with his hands clasped.
“Thank you for informing me, Master!”
Qingnu walked up to him and waved her hand to stop him. “Don’t be in such a hurry. I didn’t come just to deliver the news.”
“What else does Master require?” Jiang Ziya looked at her blankly.
Qingnu said, “I heard from Ji Fa that you predicted the Great Zhou would rule for eight hundred years?”
Jiang Ziya didn't understand her point, but he nodded. “Correct. I did indeed say this to the King. According to the results of my divination, the Great Zhou’s reign will indeed last eight hundred years.”
Qingnu’s eyes lit up. She pulled out a small piece of sacrificial meat and waved it in front of him.
“Could you teach me how to calculate the future?”
Jiang Ziya was even more bewildered.
“Master, have you not already perceived all future events? Why would you need to learn such mundane divination from me?”
When Qingnu first arrived at Xiqi, everything she predicted came true one by one. In Jiang Ziya’s eyes, she was an immortal who knew the past and future five hundred years. Now, this immortal wanted to learn mortal divination from him?
It was truly bizarre.
Qingnu wagged a finger. “It’s not the same.”
She had only been reciting events from history books she had read. That was the skill of a historian, not her own power.
Jiang Ziya didn't know what the difference was. While he was still confused, Qingnu produced several tortoise shells.
“I specifically went and asked a few turtle brothers to kindly donate these shells!”
“We can’t let their contribution go to waste!”
“This…”
Seeing that she truly intended to learn, Jiang Ziya could only nod. He said to her, “Learning the art of divination cannot be achieved in a day or two. I must go to Haojing. How about I teach you once I return to Yingqiu?”
“Then I’ll stay here in Yingqiu. Go and come back quickly!”
Qingnu put away the shells and did not hinder him further.
Jiang Ziya arranged accommodations for her and rushed off toward Haojing without a moment's rest.
Several days after he left, the messenger from Haojing finally arrived at Yingqiu. When the messenger learned that Jiang Ziya had already departed days ago, he was left in a daze.
He could only marvel that the man was truly worthy of the title Taigong Wang, possessing the power to foresee the future!
Jiang Ziya stayed in Haojing for over a month.
Upon returning to Yingqiu, he didn't even have time to wash up before heading straight to Qingnu’s residence.
At that moment, Qingnu was in the courtyard grilling seafood.
“You're back?”
Qingnu looked at the travel-worn and haggard Jiang Ziya and waved him over. “Don't just stand there. If you want to eat, go grab a stool for yourself.”
Jiang Ziya moved a stool over and sat down.
Qingnu generously shared some grilled seafood with him, but she noticed his expression was quite heavy.
She cracked open a crab leg, asking as she ate, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”
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