This Damned Thirst for Survival

As usual, when the lodgers stepped into the temple of the true god, they found the empty temple relit with incense.

He froze, and then his eyes lit up. Quickly, he walked to the door and bent down to pay his respects, "Elder has returned?"

The ethereal, mist-like voice of the True God rang out faintly, "Hm."

The Fated One settled down, and he smiled as he talked about what had happened in the past half month since the True God had left. When some small sesquicentennial matters were finished, the Fatalist turned his words and said with a sigh, "During the half month you have been away, junior has figured out some things."

The True God said with some indifference, "Oh?"

"You were right to instruct my junior earlier, and I have decided to learn from my mistakes and admit them to those who were once deceived by me," said the predestined man, "and after I have repaid my faults, I ask that you continue to instruct my junior to fulfil my wishes."

Jiang Luo said slowly, "If you will truly change, I will naturally help you."

As far as the fatalist can see, all he can see is the invisible word "God". The word spirits corrupted the Fatalist's sanity day and night, making his obsession to become a god grow again and again. After receiving an affirmative answer, the Predestined Man said simply, "In seven days Tian Shifu will open his pulpit and I will admit my mistake on that day to show my determination."

"Go on then," said the true god without a care in the world, "and let me see how far you can go."

When the predestined man had left, Sai Liaoer gave a heated smile, "Jiang, are you sticking up for Chi You by wanting him to admit his mistake so badly?"

Jiang Luo grunted as he busily called to deploy his staff, "For him? Guess if I'm doing it for him."

Sai Liaoer bristled, and Jiang Luo, having explained everything with a frown, suddenly smiled grimly, "Fatalist, I've finally waited for this day."

His smile startled Sai Liaoer, who always thought Jiang Luo looked like a devil now.

......

The seven days passed in a flash.

Tian Shifu gives two to three open lectures each year, and each lecture is well attended.

Jiang Luo's sensitive status meant that he did not come to the venue and had to stay at Jokhang Temple.

While he couldn't go, his partners could blend in and pass on the site information to him and the logisticians of the scientific research bureau.

Dean Xu took Lu Youyi and the others into Tian Shifu and met the Old Master before they had gone a few steps. He greeted the Old Master warmly and he glanced behind him, "The boy didn't come?"

Dean Xu knew it by heart, but played dumb and said, "Which child?"

The old celestial master lost his smile, "Don't you play dumb with me ...... forget it, it's better if he didn't come."

Lu Youyi had cameras attached to them, allowing Jiang Luo to see everything through the surveillance. Jiang Luo was bored watching them politely and shared the video with Chi You, "The Predestinarians are up to something big today, don't you want to go and see for yourself?"

Chi You sent Jiang Luo a photo of the scene.

Jiang Luo wondered, "Yo, you really went there? You haven't recovered yet, aren't you afraid of being found out by the big boys?"

Chi You said slowly, "I have many puppets."

He did not need to go to see everything by borrowing the puppet's eyes.

Even a bird or a worm can be the eye of an evil spirit.

Jiang Luo is jealous in real name.

A few minutes later, Chi You sent him another video.

When Jiang Luo clicked on the video, he saw Feng Li with a cold face and a few of Zhou Wudu's disciples in a hurry. He rushed up to President Xu and after a glance behind him, he asked in a colder tone, " Why didn't Jiang Luo come."

The tone of voice could well be described as a question.

Dean Xu looked as normal, "Master Tian, Jiang Luo, he is not available today."

Feng Li sneered, "He's afraid to come and see me?"

This is the end of the video. Chi You also sent a few seconds of audio, which consisted only of a soft, unintelligible laugh from him.

Jiang Luo: "......"

Jiang Luo laughed so hard that his goose bumps were raised.

He returns to the live surveillance video.

The atmosphere was silent and stagnant as Dean Xu said something to Feng Li. The Old Master spoke slowly, "Dean Xu is right. Jiang Luo no longer has anything to do with you or Tian Shifu, and it is not for you to ask whether he had time to come and what he went to do."

Feng Li has lost a lot of weight, his face has a deeper profile and his eyes are deeper than they should be. His aura is much sharper and there is an invisible pressure when he stares at people. He is now like a dagger with a sharp edge, with an outward attack that is so strong it makes people uncomfortable.

Feng Li's expression didn't even change when he heard the old master's words, "If you don't come to such a big event as the opening of a lecture, you will only spoil his talent. Is this how you at Bai Hua University are so accommodating to your students?"

Dean Xu laughed out loud, "It's better than pulling the plug."

Feng Li gave him a deep look and turned to leave with his disciples.

The old celestial master sighed again.

The last time Tian Shifu gave a lecture, it was given by Old Master Tian. This time it was Feng Li himself.

It was clear to the naked eye that many more people came to Tian Shifu this time than last time. Feng Li is now the pillar of the metaphysical community.

Dean Xu told the students to disperse and go play, and looking at Feng Li's distant back, he made a rare remark of great truth: "When you are alive, you can still control him, but when you are dead, he can do whatever he wants, and then who will be able to hold him down?"

The Old Master laughed, "Are you worried about Jiang Luo?"

President Xu wondered, "You said it's just a disciple, how many people would like to be Feng Li's disciple? Why does he hold on to Jiang Luo? This master-disciple relationship is similar to that of a husband and wife, a melon twisted by force is not sweet."

"You don't have to hint at me," said the old celestial master, "did I tell him he had to hold on to Jiang Luo?"

Dean Xu also knew that the Old Master had done his best, but he had to think of his students for the future, "See if you can think of a way to put an end to the problem."

The old celestial master was silent for a moment, "You don't have to worry, he, ah, can't move Jiang Luo."

*

Half an hour later, Jiang Luo received a message from Zhuo Zhongqiu, "The fatalist is here."

Jiang Luo clicked on the video and in the middle of the scene, the Fatalist found the Old Master of Heaven. The old celestial master did not expect the fatalist to come, and his expression hides his shock. Immediately afterwards, the two of them enter a room alone.

Zhuo Zhongqiu waited outside for a while, and soon the old celestial master and the fatalist reappeared. With a suspicious cloud on his face, the old celestial master summoned a disciple to whisper a few words and led the predestined man to the place where the lecture was being given.

Feng Li is giving a lecture.

As Tian Shifu's youngest Master of Heaven, Feng Li rarely lectures in person. His words are concise, succinct and light in tone. What could be said in nine words would never be said in ten.

As a result, his words were extremely obscure and difficult to understand, and the young people at the bottom were too dazed to ask questions or call for a halt, but could only bury their heads in their notebooks and write down every word Feng Tian Shi said with their heads full of questions.

But even though they were trying so hard, Feng Tian Shi was still disappointed. He swept his eyes over the people burying their heads in their notes, the corners of his mouth slightly pressed down. Although he did not say anything, he seemed to have written the word "waste".

Jiang Luo looked on and all began to sympathise with the people on the scene.

Feng Li is a very unsuitable person to be a teacher.

His disciples were talented enough that Feng Li might have taught them some superior knowledge of feng shui to cure ghosts, but there was never a master-disciple relationship with his disciples, not even a close one.

-- Only Jiang Luo ...... Jiang Luo's face sank slightly as he pushed down the memories that revolted him.

The thing he hated and loathed the most was when someone approached him as a friend or family member only to have other thoughts about him.

It was so disgusting that he couldn't stop thinking about Xia Qin.

The lecture was originally scheduled for two hours, but Feng Li covered everything in half that time.

Zhou Wudu and Wang Santan followed close to the Master, and Wang Santan cautiously said, "Sir, have you seen anyone of great talent?"

Feng Li said coldly, "What did the Old Master say to you again?"

Wang Santan shuddered, looked at each other and Zhou Wudu, gulped and said, "Old Heavenly Master said ...... that if you can't let go of your previous young disciple, then you can take in another one. Let you, let you quickly restore the original."

Feng Li wiped his hands and turned sideways, just as he was about to say something, when he saw that the named disciples around the Old Master were hurriedly inviting some of the patriarchal figures of the metaphysical community to the inner courtyard.

What's going on here?

Feng Li asked Zhou Wudu to go up and ask. Zhou Wudu soon returned and said honestly, "Sir, they said that the Old Master had invited some friends to sit in the backyard."

Feng Li furrows his brow.

The Old Master did not tell him that this would still be the case.

But Feng Li was always submissive to the Old Master in his affairs. He didn't think much of it and led the way back to the study.

*

Dean Xu was one of those invited to the inner courtyard.

Before he went, Wen Renlian gently patted the button on his sleeve and placed a monitor on Dean Xu's body, smiling, "You go and return quickly."

Dean Xu gave him a meaningful look and lowered his voice, "Kid, let me ask you, is this thing safe?"

Wen Renlian likewise replied in a low voice: "Don't worry, it's from the state, it's written in a formation, no one will find it."

Not to mention the fact that those attending the meeting were a bunch of old men and an ancestral hangover who had lived for two hundred years. None of them could spot the device, which was as small as a button.

Dean Xu nodded thoughtfully. Wen Renlian added a reminder, "Whatever you see and hear, don't be afraid."

Dean Xu had a point in mind. He went to find Ji Yaozi and went with Ji Yaozi to the Old Master of Heaven.

Ji Yaozi was somewhat distracted, just as Dean Xu was also pondering the Old Master's purpose, and the two came quietly into the parlour.

The parlour was already filled with a dozen elderly people, each one of the leading figures in the world of metaphysics.

Among them were Master Cheng De, several patriarchs from the Xuan Ling Office, and several retired presidents of the twelve universities.

Dean Xu was acquainted with them all and after greeting them one by one asked, "This is not a simple formation, do any of you know what the Old Heavenly Master is going to say?"

Ji Yaozi was startled when he looked over.

These are the people who knew the prediction of the predestined man back then. Only there are no more people from the Qi or Chi families in them, or from the Lian family.

He knew from Jiang Luo that something had happened to the Lian family, but he didn't know what it was. Ji Yaozi subconsciously asked, " Didn't Daoist Master Wei He come?"

Dean Xu gave a "Huh", "That's right, how come I haven't seen the Lian family junior?"

Someone said carelessly, "The Lian family has been avoiding the world for a day or two, don't mind them. I'm just curious what the Old Heavenly Master wants, why hasn't anyone come yet?"

No sooner had the words left his lips than the old celestial master said in a loud voice, "Here it comes."

Two figures walked in.

The crowd who hadn't taken it seriously revealed their surprise after seeing the Fatalist beside the old Heavenly Master. One by one, the old men trembled and rose to their feet, "The Fatalist?"

Ji Yaozi's eyes uncontrollably began to flicker after seeing the predestined man, and there was even some chilling fear in his heart.

He took a step back and stood at the back of the crowd.

The fatalist looked the crowd round, smiled gently and said without haste, "It is I who have asked the old celestial master to invite you all here to catch up and talk about the past."

Outside the window a bird flew over and stood on a branch. Dark, beady eyes looked in through the window.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the basement.

Liao Si smiled and sat next to Taoist Master Wei He, tapping on the video on his phone and embracing him in a brotherly embrace.

"The master specifically asked me to show you this thing, Wei He Daoist, let's see it together?"

When the video clicked on, it was a dozen large acquaintances, and Wei He Daoist froze, unable to stop fighting.

When he saw the Fates appear in the video, Master Wei He had mixed feelings. Although he had already surrendered to Chi You and Jiang Luo, he was still ashamed and weak when he saw them again.

But soon the words of the predestined broke through these guilt-ridden words of his.

"As all of you here know, I once made a prophecy thirty years ago," said the Predestined One, "and I told you what that prophecy was about. I said that Chi You would destroy the metaphysical world."

This scene overlaps with thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, the predestined man used the spirit of speech to make those present believe his prophecy in order to make himself a god.

Thirty years later, also for the purpose of becoming a god, the predestined man is trying to overturn what he once said.

The words seemed to be the beginning of a nightmare, and the old man who heard them could not help but ask in a frightened voice, " Aren't Chi You dead? Hasn't the prophecy disappeared?"

"Yes, he's dead! Didn't he get killed by Chi Zhongye and the others?"

A few old men from the Xuan Ling Office said in a deep voice, "Don't be in a hurry, guys, listen to the Predestined One first. Fatalist, why did you suddenly mention this prophecy?"

The predestined man still smiled as if the words that came out of his mouth were not important, just a trivial matter, "There is no need to be nervous, gentlemen, what is in the prophecy is not going to come true anymore."

The dozen elderly people who had tensed up their nerves were suddenly relieved, and even Dean Xu could not help but put his heart back.

Thankfully, thankfully it won't happen.

But the predestined man followed up with, "For what is in that prophecy is all false."

The others stiffened and looked incredulously at the predestined.

"I have never prophesied the future for the occult community, I have only prophesied the future for myself," the Predictor sighed, as if in true self-recrimination, "and in my prophecy he would be a threat to me. So I changed the content of the prophecy and deceived you so that you would eradicate the threat for me."

The birds outside the window stared at him intently.

Before the video, Wei He Daoist's breathing increased so steeply that it was as if he couldn't breathe, as if he had a huge fish spike stuck in his throat. It made him dizzy and his head sweat.

At this moment, his perseverance over these thirty years, his whole clan's dedication to the Predestined, and what he had done to Chi You souls ...... all came tumbling up in a raging mass wrapped in a sinful veneer.

Unparalleled pain and anger instantly flooded his limbs, Wei He Daoist's eyes turned red as he sprang to his feet and lifted the table, "Sui, Fate, Man-!"