Even though the old man had seen many storms in his life, he was still intimidated by An Honghan's imposing presence. However, he was also a stubborn man, and he kept his teeth tightly shut, refusing to speak.
"Your Majesty killed me, do you intend to provoke a war between our two countries?" Old Man Xu revealed his identity for the first time, trying to gain leverage for himself.
An Honghan sneered instead, "What do I have to fear?"
An Honghan was warlike by nature and ruthless in his methods. He had instigated several wars of aggression and forcibly incorporated other countries' territories into the territory of Fengze Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, war between the two countries will not benefit either country. How about we each take a step back?" For the sake of the greater good, Old Man Xu said, "My abilities are not all-powerful, and my knowledge is certainly limited. Moreover, I am not a citizen of Fengze Kingdom and am not under Your Majesty's jurisdiction."
An Honghan glared at him coldly and said, "Although you are not a citizen of Fengze Kingdom, the place where you stand is Fengze Kingdom territory. So, Physician Xu, tell me, do I have the right to punish you?"
As long as it's within his Fengze Kingdom's territory, there's nothing he can't decide.
If you pin a crime on Old Man Xu, he'll surely die. Although killing him would definitely cause a breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries, An Honghan has always been willing to pay any price for his actions.
"Your Majesty, you are the ruler of a nation. Do you really want to disregard the lives of your people just for your own selfish desires? War only brings displacement, loss of family and death to the people." Old Xu tried his best to persuade him, partly because he was afraid of really angering An Honghan, and partly because he tried his best not to talk about that kind of thing.
"Stop spouting those grand, righteous rhetoric. I'm only asking you... what's the background of this little sable?" An Honghan was so angry that he wanted to slam his fist on the table. His hand was about to land on the desk, but he stopped abruptly in mid-air.
He glanced at the little ferret on his lap, saw that it was sleeping soundly, and slowly withdrew his palm.
Old Xu chuckled and stroked his beard. "Your Majesty, is the origin of Little Marten really that important? You yourself said that even if Little Marten cultivates immortality, you won't let it leave easily. Why don't we change the subject and talk about your future with Little Marten?"
Most cultivators are difficult to control, because they either prefer to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, detached from worldly affairs, or they are unruly and like to roam the world.
This question successfully captured An Honghan's attention. How could something that has already happened be more attractive than something that is going to happen in the future?
"You say it." Those two words already announced An Honghan's decision.
Old Xu breathed a sigh of relief. "The power of prophecy is ultimately limited. I can only tell Your Majesty what I know. Please do not take offense."
An Honghan nodded at him, but inwardly scoffed. This old man was extremely shrewd; even if he deliberately concealed some things he knew, An Honghan couldn't do anything about it. Because he wasn't a mind reader, how would he know what the old man was thinking?
Old Xu took out three copper coins from his sleeve, clasped them together, and shook them up and down in his palms, rolling them six times to form a hexagram. He then placed the coins on the table. Old Xu gasped in surprise, then pointed to the little white ball in An Honghan's arms, "According to the hexagram, this sable will have a very close relationship with His Majesty in the future."
"To be clear, I don't need to listen to nonsense." An Honghan ran his fingers through the little sable's fur, his mood rising accordingly.
Old Xu looked carefully at the arrangement of the copper coins, hoping to glean more information from them, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could only discern a trace or two.
Frowning, Old Man Xu paced back and forth, hesitating for a long time before shaking his head in frustration. Besides his superb medical skills, his most formidable ability was his prophetic ability, but this time… Old Man Xu couldn't predict anything.
Could it be that because the little ferret's origins are different from those of humans, its future destiny is unknown?
"Is this the nonsense you wanted to tell me?" An Honghan observed his expression, saw through the clues, and his face turned gloomy, his words carrying a hint of coldness.
Old Xu explained in detail: "Your Majesty guessed correctly... I had no way of knowing."
An Honghan sneered, "Are there really things in the world that Physician Xu can't detect?"
"I am not a god, of course I cannot know everything, otherwise how could there be natural disasters and man-made calamities in the world?" Old Man Xu remained calm and put away the three copper coins. The future of Little Marten was like a fog, hazy and unclear.
There are usually two reasons for this. First, the ferret's future is related to him; second, the ferret is too deeply connected to the royal family. If it is the second, then this ferret is destined to leave an important mark on history, and some things are preordained by Heaven, how can mortals possibly foresee them?
An Honghan also thought of this at the same time. Not one to suffer a loss, how could he give up? He then said, "In that case, should Physician Xu tell me the origin of the little sable? Because I didn't hear any actual details about the exchange you just mentioned."
Old Xu, unwilling to back down despite losing face, said, "Your Majesty, you are the ruler of a nation. How can you go back on your word? I have already cast a divination and have not concealed anything. Logically speaking, this exchange is already valid."
In An Honghan's eyes, promises were the least valuable thing. There were countless lies in the palace; if he were foolish enough to believe them all, he wouldn't be alive today.
Old Xu knew An Honghan's personality very well, and spoke first: "Your Majesty, rather than having this old man tell you the truth, it would be better to wait for Xiao Diao to tell you in person. Although the result is the same, the two methods have completely different meanings."
This reason was very convincing, but unfortunately An Honghan was a smart man who knew how to maximize his own interests.
"You make it sound so easy. But Physician Xu, tell me, when will this sable be able to speak human language? Will it be a year, ten years, or a hundred years...?"
After pondering for a moment and recalling the divination result, Physician Xu said, "No more than a month."
This time, An Honghan's anger gradually subsided. "You may leave."
His gaze shifted to the little ferret, which was snoring softly in its sleep. An Honghan couldn't help but smile as he thought of the timeframe Old Xu had mentioned. He never expected anything, but this time, a thought popped into his head: he desperately wanted to hear the little ferret's voice.
The sound of snoring filled the hall.
An Honghan deliberately picked up a clean, dried brush and brushed the tip of the brush across the little mink's nose.
The little ferret, fast asleep, suddenly sneezed, rubbed its nose with its paw, and then continued its sweet dream. Its tiny mouth mumbled a couple of curses, looking quite disgruntled.
Once An Honghan got into a bad mood, he wouldn't stop, repeatedly picking up his brush to tease the little sable.
The little ferret sneezed one after another, finally chasing away its drowsiness.
He opened his eyes and glared angrily at An Honghan, grinding his teeth!
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
Disturbing someone's peaceful sleep is a very immoral thing to do!
Hearing the chirping sound, An Honghan became even more eager for the 'little sable to speak'.
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