Chapter 436 - 241: Divination and Deduction, It’s a Boy
The Emperor paced back and forth. ’Why would Tu Lei try to assassinate Lu Yuan?’
’Did they have some conflict before the tournament? Or was he holding a grudge from the fight?’
’It just doesn’t seem worth taking such a huge risk—lying in ambush for two days straight, dead set on killing Lu Yuan!’
Seeing the Emperor’s skepticism, Jinyiwei Commander Mao Xiang fanned the flames.
This finally made the Emperor resolve to avenge his future son-in-law. "Tu Lei’s family cannot be spared," he said. "Take your men and handle it personally."
Mao Xiang cupped his hands. "As you command!"
That very night, while Lu Yuan and Su Liyan were in the throes of passion, Tu Lei’s entire family—all seventy-eight of them—was annihilated by the Jinyi Guard.
For the next few days, when Lu Yuan wasn’t being affectionate with his wife, he was dual cultivating with her.
Su Liyan’s mother rarely disturbed her daughter and son-in-law, often going shopping in the Imperial City by herself.
With the money her son-in-law had given her out of respect, Su Liyan’s mother could buy whatever she pleased.
Su Liyan was fascinated with cultivating the *Celestial Master* Secret Manual from Lu Yuan. As for Lu Yuan, his progress with *Celestial Master* was already far more advanced than with any other secret manual.
Lu Yuan gazed at the deep blue flame in his hand. This flame was much stronger than his previous purple one, but it had a critical weakness: it was afraid of rootless water.
So-called rootless water was simply unfallen rain or moisture in the air.
The reason Lu Yuan had reached a stalemate with the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace was because the Grand Elder had used his Object Control Skill to draw well water to attack him.
The well water itself couldn’t extinguish Lu Yuan’s deep blue flame. However, the vast amount of water vapor created when they collided was a form of rootless water, which actually suppressed the flame he controlled. This meant that if the stalemate had continued, Lu Yuan would have gradually lost the upper hand.
’I have to refine a new flame,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’One that isn’t afraid of rootless water. To do that, I’ll first have to absorb and refine a flame from the natural world.’
Such an opportunity could only be chanced upon, not sought out, so it wasn’t something Lu Yuan could focus on cultivating at the moment.
Over the past few days, Lu Yuan had become captivated by the Secret Manual, the *Pushing Back Diagram*. The Divination and Deduction Skill it described was incredibly profound and esoteric.
Lu Yuan was a firm believer that the system never gave out useless rewards. So far, everything the system had given him had eventually proven useful; it was just a matter of how often they were used.
When Lu Yuan delved into the *Pushing Back Diagram*, he could perceive a boundless, vast, starry cosmos. Within the trajectory of each planet, he could deduce the very things he wished to see.
After just a few days of practice, Lu Yuan had already reached the threshold of the Divination and Deduction Skill. His talent was truly astonishing.
For anyone else, it would likely take two or three years just to grasp the basics of a secret manual, and another ten to twenty years to become proficient. It was even harder for ordinary people who lacked access to good secret manuals; they had little hope of ever making a name for themselves.
This was also why Celestial Masters and Grand Celestial Masters held such lofty statuses.
Yet Lu Yuan only needed a few days to grasp the basics and a few months to become proficient.
At just over twenty years old, he could already go toe-to-toe with the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace. His potential was truly immeasurable.
Lu Yuan decided to test his progress. The trajectories of several planets appeared in his mind as his right hand made a series of pinching motions.
Su Liyan, who was cultivating *Celestial Master* nearby, noticed a faint glow emanating from Lu Yuan.
’What is he doing?’ Su Liyan wondered, but she didn’t say anything to disturb him.
Beads of sweat formed on Lu Yuan’s brow. Even though he had grasped the fundamentals of the Divination and Deduction Skill, performing a detailed calculation was still strenuous and consumed a great deal of Spiritual Power.
"Someone with the surname Lan?" Lu Yuan’s eyes snapped open. He had figured out who was behind the assassination attempt from a few days ago.
"Are you okay?" Su Liyan asked with concern, stepping forward as soon as she saw him open his eyes.
Lu Yuan was still reeling from the after-effects of the Divination and Deduction Skill.
Su Liyan brought over a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead and popped a piece of pastry into his mouth.
"You’re covered in sweat," Su Liyan said. "Here, eat a snack to get your strength back."
The pastry in Lu Yuan’s mouth was sour!
Lu Yuan asked, "Wifey, what did you just give me?"
"It’s nothing serious, just a preserved plum!" Su Liyan said.
’I can’t say I’ve figured out exactly who it is,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’Only that their surname is Lan.’
Lu Yuan recalled the tournament. Lan Ying was highly skilled in Martial Arts and seemed like an upright person, not the type to resort to underhanded tactics.
’Then who could it be?’
Unfortunately, Lu Yuan couldn’t deduce the exact person just yet.
Lu Yuan chewed on the preserved plum. Savoring it, he found it was actually quite delicious. "Wifey, when did you buy these preserved plums?" he asked.
’Su Liyan hasn’t left my side for days,’ he thought. ’She wouldn’t have had time to buy snacks.’
Su Liyan popped one into her mouth. "I got them from Aunt Song," she said. "She gave me a whole bag. They were a nice snack to have on the road here, so I’ve already eaten quite a few. If you like them, I’ll stop eating them. The rest are all for you."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan’s eyes lit up. "Aunt Song... she’s been pregnant for a few months now, hasn’t she? I confirmed her pregnancy by taking her pulse before, but I haven’t been able to determine the baby’s gender yet."
Given how much time had passed, Lu Yuan was now skilled enough in medicine to determine if Aunt Song was having a boy or a girl just by taking her pulse.
Unfortunately, since Lu Yuan was away, he couldn’t take her pulse in person.
Su Liyan had a sudden realization. "Craving sour means it’s a boy, craving spicy means it’s a girl," she said. "Aunt Song has been enjoying these preserved plums lately, which means she’s probably having a boy."
"That’s probably it," Lu Yuan said. "But let me perform a divination, then we’ll know for sure." In front of his wife, he opened the *Pushing Back Diagram* to a random page and very seriously began again.
Su Liyan didn’t understand what he was doing, but seeing that he had already entered a meditative state, she found a cushion, sat down beside him, and resumed her cultivation of *Celestial Master*.
A moment later, Lu Yuan let out a long breath. He recalled the image from his mind, but it hadn’t directly given him the result he wanted from the divination.
’Did I do something wrong? Is my cultivation not deep enough?’ Lu Yuan muttered to himself, flipping through the *Pushing Back Diagram*.
Lu Yuan recalled the image that had just appeared in his mind: a piece of modern clothing. It was a leather jacket!
’If a little padded jacket represents a girl...’
’...then could a leather jacket mean it’s a boy?’
The divination hadn’t given him a direct answer, which meant Lu Yuan still needed much more practice.
’If I can one day master the *Pushing Back Diagram*, I’ll be able to stay one step ahead of everyone. This thing is an incredible tool!’
Unable to hide his excitement, Lu Yuan tugged on Su Liyan’s sleeve. "Wifey, I figured it out!" he said gleefully. "I know if Aunt Song is having a boy or a girl."
Su Liyan’s eyes sparkled. "You did? What’s the result?"
"It’s a boy!"