Chapter 364 Two Lives

Gu Qianning was very puzzled when she saw that Liu Nanshi had also received a very bad fortune. Why did they all get such bad fortunes? She got a very bad fortune, her second brother got a very bad fortune, and Liu Nanshi got a very bad fortune.

Aren't there just too many bad fortune slips coming from Fazhen Temple?

Only Shen Wantang drew the best fortune stick.

Gu Qianning even suspected that nine out of the ten fortune sticks in that container were the worst possible outcomes!

When Shen Wantang saw Liu Nanshi's terrible fortune, she also found it strange. The fortune-telling box must not have been tampered with today, so why did everyone draw such terrible fortunes?

In her previous life, Liu Nanshi married the son of an imperial inspector, a man of equal social standing, and her life was relatively smooth. It's understandable that Gu Qianhan received the worst possible fortune, but why did Liu Nanshi receive the worst possible fortune?

While Shen Wantang was wondering what was going on, Gu Qianning pulled Liu Nanshi away: "Nanshi, go to the meditation room to rest first. We need to go in and ask the abbot to interpret our fortune sticks. We'll talk later."

After she finished speaking, she let go of Liu Nanshi, then took Gu Qianhan's hand with one hand and Shen Wantang's hand with the other, and entered the palace.

After entering, she made sure to close the palace door to block Liu Nanshi's view.

The heavy palace doors not only blocked the view but also the sound. Once inside, the hustle and bustle outside disappeared, leaving only a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Gu Qianhan handed the fortune stick to the abbot: "Please interpret this fortune stick, Abbot Master."

The abbot observed for a moment, then sighed softly: "The aura of malevolence is overwhelming, a sign of great misfortune. What you seek is difficult and perilous, and the chances of survival are slim."

Gu Qianning looked at Gu Qianhan in utter astonishment. What exactly did her second brother ask for? Whether it was for marriage or peace, how could there be any ominous energy? And how could there be such a bleak chance of survival?!

Does this bald abbot even know how to interpret fortune sticks? What nonsense is he spouting?!

Shen Wantang was also startled. She finally realized that Gu Qianhan had drawn a fortune stick not for the safety of the Gu family!

What he's seeking is very likely treason and rebellion!

Only Gu Qianhan remained completely unmoved by the abbot's interpretation of the divination. He calmly asked, "The abbot said the chances of survival are slim, not that there are no chances at all. In other words, I have a chance of success."

"Yes, it exists, but..."

"Where is the hope? Please enlighten us, Abbot."

"Far away, yet right before my eyes."

Gu Qianhan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly turned his head to look at his sister.

Then, his gaze fell on Shen Wantang's face.

If there is any chance of survival, it cannot be Gu Qianning. In her previous life, she died even earlier than him.

Only Shen Wantang was that special person.

So far, everyone he knows who has been reborn is related to Shen Wantang!

He didn't know the rules of rebirth; he only knew that getting close to Shen Wantang was the only way for a miracle to happen.

However, he was unwilling to drag Shen Wantang into his blood feud, and even less willing to treat her as his only hope for survival—she shouldn't have to endure this, she had already helped him enough.

He looked away, suppressing the surging emotions within him, and asked in a calm voice, "May I ask, Abbot, is everyone's fate predetermined?"

"Yes, and no."

"If I don't believe in fate, how can I change it?"

“Your assumption is invalid. You have never believed in fate, have you? You came to draw lots not to seek answers, but simply to verify your own ideas.”

"How did the master know I don't believe in fate? I think I came here to draw lots with great sincerity."

The abbot smiled calmly: "If you have one life, you don't believe in fate. If you have two lives, why would you believe in fate? Benefactor, you are indeed devout, but not to Buddha, but to someone else."

The indifference on Gu Qianhan's face disappeared. He looked at the abbot seriously and solemnly, his heart trembling.

After a long while, he bowed to the abbot and then turned and walked outside.

The palace doors opened, and warm sunlight streamed in, falling on Gu Qianhan.

He turned to the abbot and asked, "Master, are you also a person with two lives?"

The abbot's usually calm tone carried a hint of helplessness: "Benefactor, this old monk is not so lucky; I only have one life."

Gu Qianhan suddenly smiled: "Well, I'm lucky, better than the abbot."

The abbot has been giving lectures and interpreting divination slips for decades, encountering countless peculiar people and hearing countless strange things, but he has never been as speechless as he is now.

What's the point of someone with two lives showing off to someone who only has one? Does he think having two lives is a good thing?

He probably doesn't know why he has two lives.

Outside the hall, Gu Qianhan was already leading Gu Qianning and Shen Wantang toward the meditation room.

His mood was not affected by the unlucky fortune slip, nor by the abbot's interpretation. He was as he was when he arrived as he was now, as if the unlucky fortune slip and the abbot's words had never existed.

Gu Qianning admired him from the bottom of her heart: "Second brother, how can you be so calm? When I got the worst lot, I was so sad, how come you weren't sad at all?"

Gu Qianhan's voice was indifferent and low: "Because you haven't experienced enough. Once you've experienced more, you naturally won't take a bad fortune slip to heart."

Gu Qianning glared at him: "You talk as if you've experienced a lot. You're a genius, and your life has been much smoother than mine. From childhood to adulthood, I've never seen you suffer any setbacks. Everyone flatters you and praises you! On the contrary, I've been scolded by my father and harassed by my tutor. I've clearly experienced more than you!"

"That's not called having a lot of experience, that's just pure stupidity."

"Gu Qianhan! You think you're so great just because you're smart?! I'm not going with you, and you're not allowed to come with me either!"

After Gu Qianning finished speaking angrily, she pulled Shen Wantang around a corner and walked away along another path.

"My second brother is so annoying. He thinks he's a genius, but he always complains that I'm stupid. I'm already quite smart among ordinary people, but compared to him, I'm the stupid one. It's so infuriating!"

Shen Wantang chuckled lightly: "Of course you're very smart, the word 'stupid' doesn't apply to you at all. We certainly can't compare to your second brother, and you don't need to take his words to heart. Geniuses are all different."

“He’s not just different, he’s an anomaly! His behavior and speech used to be bizarre, but in recent years he’s learned to pretend. He pretends to be a normal person so he can make one or two friends!”

As Gu Qianning spoke, she remembered the abbot's words and became puzzled: "The abbot seemed to say that my second brother has two lives? That's strange. How could my second brother have two lives? I think the abbot is also acting strangely. I can't understand what he's saying, and my second brother is even talking back and forth with him. Tell me, is my second brother an anomaly?"

Just as Shen Wantang was about to say a few good words for Gu Qianhan, Gu Qianning suddenly shushed her: "I think I heard Prince Xiao's voice. Has he come to Fazhen Temple too?"