Chapter 374 The Temperature of Asahi
Clearly, the fortune teller had seen through Ma Zao's jinxed nature.
For fortune tellers and other powerful figures who can directly see fate, concealing Mazao's jinxed constitution would be extremely difficult, so I simply didn't put much effort into it. Now, I've also begun to possess the ability to protect Mazao under the command of these powerful figures, so even if one of them takes a liking to the jinxed constitution, I won't be completely helpless.
Furthermore, while the "jinx" constitution does help the Great Impermanence anchor itself in the supernatural world, it's not unique. Aside from the fact that this constitution, which frequently drags those around them into bizarre events, would be incredibly troublesome for other Great Impermanences besides me, the Great Impermanence itself has more than one way to anchor itself. Aside from the fact that Mingzhuo values Asao's "resurrected" attribute, Asao is merely an added bonus for other Great Impermanences, not a lifeline; there's no need for them to oppose me for that.
“What an unfortunate fate.” The fortune teller looked at Mazao with pity. “You are destined to be unable to escape the strange things in your life. Although most demon hunters are like this, your situation is a hundred times worse than theirs.”
"Even eating and drinking can attract strange things, and taking a walk outside can lead to unknown strange events. If strange events are accidents in the lives of other witchers, then for you, being able to spend a day like a normal person is the real accident in your life."
I asked, "Can you tell what influenced her fate to occur?"
Although Asahi's fate of attracting strange events has always been referred to as a "constitution," I don't think it's something he was born with.
It's hard to imagine someone living such a life of frequent encounters with strange things since infancy and still surviving to this day. It's like someone who, before they could even walk, was forced to fight like an ancient gladiator against muscular adults, or even man-eating lions and tigers, in a limited space, and yet still managed to live to this day with all four limbs intact.
"From what I've observed, her unfortunate fate stems from her own power," the fortune teller replied.
Asahi couldn't help but ask, "Power?"
The divination master nodded, observing Ma Zao as he continued, "The special ability you possess is a regressive power that can correct all things in the universe to their original form. Am I right?"
"Perhaps this power is very similar to the 'power of time reversal' in its manifestation, but fundamentally they are different concepts. Rather than 'reversing time,' it is more like 'rejecting the present.' The phenomenon of time reversal is merely a byproduct of your power. However, in many situations you can indeed treat it as a temporal power and apply it, because the two powers are equivalent in most cases."
"But... why would this power attract strange things?" I asked. "Could it be a power that comes at some price?"
The concept of "power comes with a price" is not uncommon; some supernatural combat stories even specifically emphasize this concept. However, the causal relationship between power and price is not always obvious. For example, if the power is to create explosions, and the price is to drink hot milk, there is clearly no causal relationship between the two.
But the fortune teller shook his head.
"This fate of attracting strange things is not the price of her power, nor is it some kind of curse; it is simply a natural phenomenon. Just as an object with a strong magnetic force will inevitably affect surrounding magnetic objects, her fate has naturally become this way because she possesses the power of return," he said.
“But I don’t understand what the natural causal relationship is between ‘having the power of return’ and ‘attracting strange things’,” I said.
The fortune teller looked thoughtful. I didn't interrupt him rashly, perhaps he was making a connection to something; and Asa looked at him expectantly, seemingly very eager to know how the jinx constitution that had plagued her for so long came about.
A moment later, the fortune teller looked up at Ma Zao, then shook his head again.
“Unfortunately, the universe we live in was not formed to cater to human reason and logic. Therefore, there are many causal relationships in nature that even the wisdom of the Great Impermanence cannot understand,” he said. “Because of the power of return, strange things are attracted—now we can only accept this causal relationship as it is.”
"I see..." Asaha was dejected.
“However, even if we cannot understand this cause-and-effect relationship, it does not prevent us from solving this problem.” The divination master changed the subject. “Just as the ancients did not understand the chemical principles of fire, but could still extinguish flames with water and sand. I know a little about manipulating fate, and with my power, I can remove your fate.”
Asaha asked uncertainly, "If you intervene, I won't have to keep encountering these strange things?"
"Yes." The fortune teller nodded. "Not only you, but those around you will also no longer be implicated by you."
Upon hearing this, I immediately had a very bad feeling.
Is Mazao's jinx constitution going to be removed?
Mr. Zhu is currently developing my influence to strengthen my anchor in the supernatural world. Since it's just starting out, removing Asahi's jinxed nature now might cause me to lose my anchor and my connection with the supernatural world.
However, as long as it's not removed immediately, but rather after a few days or ten days, there shouldn't be any need to worry about that possibility. At the same time, that would be the best outcome for Ma Zao.
The problem is that, for me now, with my immense power of unpredictability, merely maintaining a basic connection with the supernatural world and occasionally encountering one or two insignificant strange events is essentially no different from returning to my daily life. I still can't accept losing Asahi, who has a knack for bringing bad luck.
The doomsday, which I don't know if it will be stopped by the Great Impermanence, and the whereabouts of Yama Ryougi, whom I still don't know, are all just empty promises in my heart. Only Asahi, who personally drew back the curtain of the magical world for me and brought me adventure after adventure, is the truly important and irreplaceable person in my heart.
And I know perfectly well that this is nothing more than my selfish desires at work. My jinxed nature is both a symbol of my good fortune and the source of Asaha's misfortune. Letting Asaha continue to have her jinxed nature is tantamount to letting her continue to be unfortunate.
Zhu Shi's sharp questioning echoed in my heart.
—If one day you come across an opportunity to help Ma Zao get rid of her jinxed constitution…
—Would you help her?
This opportunity came so quickly; I wasn't prepared at all!
But I'm not naive enough to think that complaining will change reality. Now, this opportunity has undeniably presented itself to me. To help Asao or to maintain the status quo, I must make a decision immediately.
Amidst intense conflict, I tried my best to maintain a calm facade and forced myself to provide an answer.
Just then, I felt my hand being grasped. Turning my head, I saw Asahi staring into my eyes.
Then, Mazao looked at the fortune teller and replied, "I don't want to remove this fate right now."
"are you sure?"
The fortune teller shifted his gaze slightly downwards, then returned it to its original position, revealing a strange smile. "By now, you've suffered enough and shed enough tears. Now you have this opportunity to eliminate it, yet you choose to give it up?"
“In the past, I was always cursed by my own fate, and at the same time, I cursed my own fate. Why did so many unreasonable misfortunes befall me? Why me of all people?” Asaho said, “But now, I no longer curse my fate. I am even grateful for this fate and can believe that my journey has been meaningful.”
"Even if everyone says I'm a jinx, there will be people who see me as a lucky star. Maybe I'm still alive today because of that person."
Mazao's unwavering voice and the warmth of her hands reached the depths of my heart.
"I hope you won't regret it in the future." The fortune teller nodded. "Then... let me tell you some more good news."
"Good news?" Asahi asked, puzzled.
"Your fate of attracting strange things has actually been curbed to some extent. No, I don't know if I should call it curbing... perhaps 'transfer' would be more appropriate," the fortune teller said. "Have you recently felt that, even though you should be encountering strange things frequently, you're not actually doing so as often as you imagine, while someone around you is experiencing more events than you are?"
His words got my somewhat sluggish mind working again.
The fortune teller continued to speak to Ma Zao: "Your fate is now shrouded in a huge, strange shadow. Any other strange things that want to touch you must first pass through this shadow that shrouds your fate."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com