Chapter 17 - defy the decree of fate

Xiaojiu was really going all out for the money. Xiaojiu planned to change the feng shui pattern of the place where the Heavenly Dog and others were buried from the original one to a pattern of encircling the bright moon, which symbolized both good fortune and prosperity. Such an act against the will of heaven was something that only Xiaojiu dared to do. No cultivator would ever dare to do this, for it would surely invite the wrath of the heavens and result in being struck by lightning. Any capable feng shui master also wouldn't dare to undertake it, as the karmic consequences were too great to bear. Those who claimed they could change it were just fraudsters trying to swindle money. Xiaojiu, a young and inexperienced fellow, dared to do it for the sake of money. It was precisely because he hadn't received any lessons or beatings that he had the audacity to proceed. Boss Xu was also straightforward. He directly took his two brothers to the bank to transfer 52 million yuan as an advance payment. The remaining 50 million yuan would be given after the child was born. In fact, Boss Xu would have agreed even if Xiaojiu had asked for 100 million US dollars. After all, Xiaojiu came from a small mountain village, and 100 million yuan in RMB already seemed like an astronomical figure to him, and he was quite content and thought it was worth doing. If Xiaojiu had known how difficult it would be later, he would never have done such a stupid thing even if he were threatened with death. Xiaojiu began to ask Boss Xu to have two unicorns crafted, a male and a female, and placed them in front of his parents' graves. Xiaojiu also selected an auspicious day and erected two tombstones for Boss Xu's parents. After waiting for two days, when the two unicorns were transported to the top of the mountain, Xiaojiu started the spell to change fate against the will of heaven. There was no other way; since he had accepted the money, he had to do the job. Liu Heping had no idea of the danger involved. He only knew that the two brothers had made a fortune. He didn't know that Xiaojiu had almost met his end this time. He thought that changing fate against the will of heaven was really that easy and believed that it was a piece of cake for Xiaojiu. He had complete trust in his younger brother. Xiaojiu chose a good day and began to set up the altar and perform the magic. At the beginning, the sky was clear without a single cloud, presenting a peaceful and harmonious scene. However, when the spell started, dark clouds suddenly gathered, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled, creating an apocalyptic atmosphere. Xiaojiu was also taken aback, but now that the spell had been initiated, it couldn't be interrupted, so he had to continue. But at the final stage, nine bolts of heavenly thunder descended from the sky and headed straight for Xiaojiu. Fortunately, Xiaojiu's Yang Spirit had a connection with the immortals and had once eaten the Soul Grass. Otherwise, the nine bolts of heavenly thunder would have directly destroyed Xiaojiu's Yang Spirit. Although Xiaojiu was injured, he still persevered and completed the spell. When Xiaojiu finished the spell, blood was flowing from all his orifices, indicating that he was severely injured. All of this happened in an instant. Everyone closed their eyes to avoid the blinding light of the lightning and thunder. They had no idea what had happened. When they looked again, they saw that Xiaojiu's clothes were all charred, and with blood flowing from his seven orifices, he no longer looked human. Liu Heping was terrified. He rushed over and hugged Xiaojiu, fearing that if something happened to his younger brother, he wouldn't be able to explain it when he got back. At that time, his mother would break all his limbs. Xiaojiu endured the pain and said to his elder brother, "Stop shaking me. If you shake me any more, you'll shake my life away." Xiaojiu felt that he had suffered a great loss this time. He had underestimated the power of the heavenly punishment. If it hadn't been for his fortuitous encounters, he would have really been finished this time. His Yang Spirit had eaten the Soul Grass, and his body had consumed the milk of the ten-thousand-year stalactite. The effects of these two medicines were repairing his damaged Yang Spirit and body. Otherwise, he would have died long ago. Boss Xu also came over and asked, "Is the young master magician all right? If he dies, I won't be able to explain it either." Xiaojiu forced himself to say, "The spell has been completed, but I almost lost my life. I miscalculated this time, and I've suffered a great loss. This money is really hard to earn. I'll never do such a thing again. Boss Xu, you've made a great profit, and you must increase the payment." Boss Xu nodded and said, "No problem." He had also witnessed the terrifying scene just now. Even he was afraid of the earth-shattering lightning. But since the young master magician had survived being struck by nine bolts of thunder, his cultivation level must be really high. Boss Xu decided to raise the payment to 200 million yuan. In this way, not only was he increasing the money, but he was also trying to win over Xiaojiu, this outstanding person. Xiaojiu didn't bother to say more and directly told his elder brother to carry him back to take a bath and that he needed to rest. This time, he would at least need to recuperate for a year or two. The loss was too great, and it wasn't really worth it for such a sum of money. He had almost lost his life, and Xiaojiu would never dare to do such a thing again in the future. Cultivators all emphasize following the will of heaven and adhering to the principle that the way of heaven is in harmony with nature. However, Xiaojiu had the audacity to go against the will of heaven. Even immortals wouldn't dare to do that. Xiaojiu didn't know the depth of the matter but still dared to take the risk. It was just his good luck that he didn't die. Liu Heping carried his younger brother down the mountain and bathed him at the village chief's house and changed his clothes. Now the whole village was abuzz with the news that the young master magician was so powerful that he had survived being struck by nine bolts of thunder. What they didn't know was that although Xiaojiu hadn't died, he had almost lost half of his life. Now his whole body was as paralyzed as if he couldn't move. After Xiaojiu fell asleep, Boss Xu took Liu Heping to the bank to transfer the money. This time, he directly transferred 200 million yuan in RMB. Unlike before when he was still somewhat skeptical, he had witnessed with his own eyes the lightning as thick as an arm striking Xiaojiu, and yet Xiaojiu not only survived but could still speak. Without profound cultivation and magic skills, it was simply impossible to achieve this. Boss Xu now had full confidence that Xiaojiu wouldn't deceive him. Liu Heping received the money, but he didn't feel the joy he had expected. This money was earned at the cost of his younger brother's life. He didn't know how to explain it to his mother when he got back. So he just went back to the village, picked up Xiaojiu on his back, and asked Boss Xu to send them home. Boss Xu asked his driver to send the two of them back and gave them hundreds of thousands of yuan in cash for their journey. Boss Xu also said to Xiaojiu that he would come to visit him later. Xiaojiu blinked his eyes but didn't say anything. It was really difficult for him to speak at the moment. After a three-day long journey, the car finally arrived at their doorstep. Liu Heping carried his younger brother into the house. The driver brought the things in and placed them in the living room, then bid farewell to Liu Heping and left. Zeng Wenxiu came downstairs and saw her eldest son carrying her youngest son. She asked what had happened. Liu Heping didn't dare to hide anything and told her the whole story. Zeng Wenxiu was furious and scolded her eldest son, "Don't you know the seriousness of this matter of changing fate against the will of heaven? How could you let your younger brother do such a thing?" Liu Heping felt wronged. How could he have known that the heavenly punishment would be so severe? If he had known, he wouldn't have let his younger brother do it. This was risking his life for money. Xiaojiu woke up upon hearing the commotion and said to his mother, "Don't blame my elder brother. He didn't know anything. How could he have stopped me? It was I who didn't know my place and insisted on doing it." He also said that he was all right and just needed to recuperate for a while. He asked his elder brother to put him on the sofa and bring him the water kettle that was frozen in the refrigerator. Liu Heping quickly went to the refrigerator, brought the water kettle, and opened the lid. Xiaojiu took it and drank two gulps. The magical medicine was truly extraordinary. Even when frozen in the refrigerator, it didn't freeze. After drinking two gulps of the milk of the ten-thousand-year stalactite, he felt much better, and his body was gradually repairing itself in all aspects. It was indeed a miraculous medicine for healing. Xiaojiu felt as if he had come back to life. Without this thing, Xiaojiu felt that he might be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Zeng Wenxiu saw that her youngest son was in such a state, and scolding him more wouldn't help. Zeng Wenxiu asked Xiaojiu whether he could really get better and if he needed to go to the hospital. Xiaojiu said, "Mom, you're also a cultivator. How can a hospital cure this kind of injury?" Zeng Wenxiu was worried and confused. After calming down, she asked Xiaojiu what he could do to heal himself. Xiaojiu said, "Mom, there's no need. With this thing in my hand, I'll be able to jump around in less than a month." Zeng Wenxiu was very curious. She took it and smelled it. She thought the fragrance was very pleasant. She asked Xiaojiu what was in it. Xiaojiu said, "Just take a sip, and you'll know." Zeng Wenxiu took a small sip and felt the fragrance lingering in her mouth. As it entered her mouth, it turned into a stream of energy that directly reached her internal organs. She felt as if her whole body had been elevated. She felt that the rheumatism she had before was completely cured, and she felt extremely relaxed. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a miraculous medicine. Zeng Wenxiu closed her eyes and savored this energy. She thought that this thing must be a rare treasure of heaven and earth. She wondered where her youngest son had obtained it. When she opened her eyes, she asked Xiaojiu what it was exactly. Xiaojiu had to tell the truth and said that it was the milk of the ten-thousand-year stalactite.