Chapter 689: Charlatan!

The Subversion Mission!
It was the most confidential and top-level mission that Kai Xin received from the Murong family.
Oh no, rather than a mission assigned by the sect, it was actually a private task entrusted by the current head of the Murong family along with several senior elders.
This mission had no record in the sect’s mission system!
Moreover, it was received by Kai Xin after he had mastered “The Shift of Stars and Planets,” in the dead of night, in a desolate area he didn’t even know where it was.
Three elders, carrying the head of the Murong family’s handwritten letter and tokens, exuding noble authority, appeared before him—their strength likely on par with the two guardians of the northern clans.
At that moment, Kai Xin was truly shocked. If it weren’t for the lack of murderous intent from them, he would have fled without hesitation the moment he sensed their approach.
Time proved that fleeing might have been a wise and correct decision…
The Subversion Mission required him to activate the legendary “Yang Gong Treasure Vault” and bring back its most valuable supplies.
This mission not only conflicted with the goals of the protagonist “Kou Zhong” in “The Legend of the Two Dragons,” but he would also face hostility from “Li Shimin,” “Du Fuwei,” “Ci Hang Jing Zhai,” as well as the entire demonic sect, and finally, the omnipresent imperial court.
To put it bluntly, this mission meant putting Kai Xin against the entire world!
So, after arriving in Yangzhou, his first thought wasn’t to carry out the mission but to do something unrelated to it—like drinking.
But what he never expected was that this damned mission seemed to stick to him.
After entering the tavern, Monk Qingyuan appeared, then Hou Xibai, followed by the male and female demons… and then… familiar faces, one after another—Wanwan, Shi Feixuan, Yang Xuyan, even the Yin Queen.
There were also several other twisted experts who hadn’t shown up before!
“Why is my life so hard?”
Although the Central Plains martial world was now under the control of the Murong family, which had seized a large portion of it—thanks to its monopoly over the Heavenly Demon Caves, some territories originally held by the four top gangs naturally fell under their control, making them the foremost force in the martial world.
Yet Kai Xin felt that his living space was being squeezed…
In most areas, he couldn’t gain experience.
This was the downside of being the first to break through to the Liberation Realm!
It had become extremely difficult for Kai Xin to obtain experience or even loot from NPCs below the Liberation Realm…

The higher one’s martial arts level, the less experience even NPCs in the realm of liberation can provide. But how many NPCs are in the realm of inaction in the world? At least, there aren’t any large numbers of experts at that level yet.
Tasks…
I still have to focus on the tasks! Without carrying out tasks, it’s impossible to find a place to practice peacefully for a day or a few days as before—some NPCs would panic and run away the moment they saw him using his skills, which is utterly pointless.
On the path of cultivation, if you don’t move forward, you fall back.
If it weren’t for the considerable experience he had accumulated from his past life, his internal energy would likely have remained at the same level throughout these past half month…
But thinking about the task he had now, Kai Xin couldn’t help but want to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He felt frustrated—“Damn perverted old man! I’ve spent over a year cultivating hard, and yet he threatens to destroy my martial arts skills…” If it weren’t for the threats from those perverted old men of the Murong family, Kai Xin might have just ignored it. But now… as long as he left Yangzhou City for a while or failed to intervene in plot-related tasks, it could provoke those hidden perverts and bring unnecessary trouble.
If “Dou Zuan Xing Yi” and “Can He Zhi” were abolished, his internal energy would drop by forty or fifty points… He would lose two masterful skills outright. Even worse, his status in the Murong family and everything he had accumulated would also be lost.
That heartless old man wasn’t as easy to reason with as Clan Head Murong or Miss Murong—for them, using every available resource and sacrificing whatever could be sacrificed was completely normal on the path to reviving the Great Yan Dynasty.
Coincidentally…
Kai Xin’s current strength and status in the martial world could help them with some things.
…
“Warning!”
A stern system alert sounded in Kai Xin’s ears: “You’ve been away from Yangzhou City for some time! If you don’t want the task to fail, return to Yangzhou City immediately. Time left: ten minutes!”
“…Fine! You win.”
Upon hearing the system’s alert, Kai Xin helplessly rolled his eyes and turned to leave without stopping—Yangzhou City was indeed quite far away.
…
Yangzhou City.
Walking on the streets, Kai Xin still held a wine pot he had taken from a tavern. Sitting alone by the river, he drank idly, watching the boats passing by, feeling rather relaxed.
But before long, a Taoist priest who looked somewhat ethereal, carrying a white sign that read “Iron Mouth, Divine Judgment,” walked along the riverbank step by step, calling out from time to time:

“Promotion and wealth, more children and a longer life, bringing good fortune and avoiding disaster—those who are lost can all come for a fortune-telling!”
“Predictions as accurate as iron—no payment if not true.”
His gaze shifted, but it landed on a young man on the slope who was ignoring everything and continuing to drink. Letting out a soft “Huh,” he paused and turned toward the young man:
“Sir.”
Before his words could finish, with a crack, a wine pot shattered at the fortune-teller’s feet. Startled, he stopped immediately. Before he could scold, another piece of shiny silver landed at his feet:
“Don’t disturb the young master’s drinking mood. I have no time to listen to your nonsense…”
The seemingly serene fortune-teller’s eyebrows furrowed. He quickly glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, bent down and grabbed the silver from the ground at a speed even martial arts experts could hardly match, stuffing it into the bag on his shoulder:
“Hehe, my apologies.”
This action completely ruined his serene demeanor. But his speed was so great that after finishing it, he immediately regained his aloof attitude, turned away, and continued walking.
“Stop.”
Seeing the fortune-teller about to leave after taking the money, Kai Xin called out to him. Under the fortune-teller’s surprised gaze, he lifted the hem of his robe, stood up from the slope by the river, and, facing the setting sun in the distance, patted his bottom:
“I’m idle anyway. You might as well tell me my fortune.”
“Oh, what would you like to know, sir…”
“My fortune!”
Kai Xin replied promptly.
The fortune-teller was slightly taken aback but replied without hesitation, “Sir, you’re joking. You treat money as nothing; troubles never follow you; whatever you desire appears and disappears at will. Your fortune is not only profound but has reached a level where it can even defy fate—unattainable by anyone else…”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that the depth of one’s fortune depends entirely on their own will. Ordinary people cannot measure it.”
Hearing this, Kai Xin frowned:
…Sorcerer!