Chapter 146: Fifty Years Shorter Lifespan!

Guan Mingtang looked at Ye Tianci with a frown, pondering, "Brother Ye, Shucheng is a martial artist. Even if he has some minor ailments, it shouldn't be anything serious."

"How can you casually say that today is the day of his demise?"

"Hurry up and explain to Brother Shucheng, just say that what you just uttered was a lie."

Ye Tianci’s expression remained calm as he looked at Guan Mingtang and said, "Since ancient times, those who divine do not show mercy, and those who show mercy do not divine accurately."

"He was the one who insisted on me calculating his lifespan. I have spoken only the truth, so how can there be any talk of falsehoods?"

"Smack!"

Luo Shoucheng slammed his palm heavily onto the table and stood up, his face contorted with fury.

Seeing that he was about to erupt, Guan Mingtang placated him, "Calm your anger, Brother Shucheng. Let me have a word with Brother Ye."

Guan Mingtang looked at Ye Tianci and said, "Brother Ye, you might see that Brother Shucheng is only in his early thirties, but he is the chief martial arts instructor of the Shucheng Sky-Wandering Pavilion. Even Pavilion Master Su shows him courtesy."

"Brother Shucheng's father is the president of the Shucheng Martial Arts Alliance and a towering figure in Shucheng!"

"You can say whatever you like, but how can you casually strip away fifty years of Brother Shucheng's mortal life?"

At that moment, the private room door opened, and Xia Dong walked in.

Seeing Luo Shoucheng's livid and furious expression, Xia Dong smiled and said, "Brother Shucheng, today is your birthday after all. Mingtang and I specially invited Mr. Ye to introduce you to each other and celebrate your birthday."

"What is wrong with you? Why are you so angry?"

Luo Shoucheng briefly recounted what Ye Tianci had just told him during their divination.

Xia Dong sat down at the table, frowning. "He directly shaved off fifty years of lifespan? How could that be?"

If anyone else had given Luo Shoucheng such a reading, Xia Dong would have flown into a rage long ago.

However, since these words came from Ye Tianci, Xia Dong found it hard to criticize him. In fact, he believed it just a little bit.

Back at Tiger Roar Villa, Ye Tianci had completely blown him away, and he trusted Ye Tianci's abilities.

Luo Shoucheng’s face remained livid, his gaze fixed sinisterly on Ye Tianci. "Even if you know Brother Guan and Brother Xia, you must still apologize to me!"

Ye Tianci replied with a calm expression, "Luo Shoucheng, you seem to have forgotten your promise from just a moment ago."

Luo Shoucheng’s expression froze.

It was he who had begged Ye Tianci to calculate his lifespan moments ago.

Ye Tianci had made it very clear that they could remain friends without a divination, but calculating his lifespan might cause him to flip out, and he had personally promised not to turn hostile.

Luo Shoucheng’s anger subsided slightly, and he sat back down in his seat, his gaze remaining icy cold.

No matter who was told they had lost fifty years of life and would die today, they would find the anger unbearable.

"Fine! Since that's the case, I'd like to hear how you interpret this hexagram!"

"You want an interpretation? Have someone bring three sticks of incense."

Guan Mingtang stood up immediately and asked a waiter for three sticks of incense.

Ye Tianci instructed him to hand the incense to Luo Shoucheng, telling Luo Shoucheng to light them himself and place them on the table right in front of him.

Luo Shoucheng leaned in close to the three sticks of incense, his face a mere ten centimeters away from them.

A bizarre scene unfolded!

The smoke and heat from the incense, which normally rose in a straight line, suddenly bent at a 180-degree angle right at a point three inches above Luo Shoucheng’s head!

Instead, they plunged straight down!

"Shouldn't the smoke rise? Why is it going down?"

Guan Mingtang stared in utter astonishment.

"What is the meaning of this?" Xia Dong also blurted out in shock.

Luo Shoucheng was equally dumbfounded and couldn't help asking, "How can this be? What does this mean?"

All three of them turned their gazes simultaneously to Ye Tianci.

Ye Tianci spoke indifferently, "Luo Shoucheng, your entire body is currently shrouded in an aura of death, and that death aura has already formed a crushing, mountain-like pressure above your head."

"Once these sticks of incense are lit, the rising smoke represents the mortal realm, also known as the aura of life."

"Your death aura is far too heavy, entirely suppressing the aura of life, forcing it to reverse and travel downward."

"The smoke fails to rise even three inches above your head, which means you do not have much time left to live."

He did not mince words, delivering the verdict with brutal frankness.

Guan Mingtang and Xia Dong, seated at the table, widened their eyes in disbelief, utterly shocked by his words.

Meanwhile, Luo Shoucheng’s expression shifted through shades of pale, white, and red, twisting into an indescribably ugly grimace.

"Utter nonsense! Pure fabrication!"

Luo Shoucheng gritted his teeth fiercely, killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Ye Tianci remained completely unmoved, saying calmly, "If you don't believe it, you can let Director Guan and President Xia sit in your seat and try."

Naturally refusing to believe it, Luo Shoucheng stood up and said, "Brother Guan, sit in my seat and try this."

Guan Mingtang stood up, took the seat, and brought his face close to the three sticks of incense.

The bizarre phenomenon of the smoke bending and plunging downward did not repeat itself. The smoke from the three sticks of incense rose steadily in front of Guan Mingtang without the slightest alteration, drifting upward until it vanished into the air.

"How can this be?"

Luo Shoucheng anxiously pulled Guan Mingtang up and hurriedly sat back down. The moment his face drew near the sticks of incense, the smoke once again executed that eerie, dead-straight downward turn!

"Brother Xia, your turn!"

Luo Shoucheng’s voice had altered slightly.

He stood up and had Xia Dong sit in front of the three sticks of incense.

Just like with Guan Mingtang, the smoke before Xia Dong rose in a straight line and dissolved into the air without any bending whatsoever.

"You see? President Xia and Director Guan are both brimming with vitality; their auras of life are exceptionally strong," Ye Tianci said calmly.

"How... how can this be?"

Luo Shoucheng’s eyes widened in horror, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end!

"Brother Ye, what on earth is going on here?"

"Yes, why would this happen? Brother Shucheng is clearly stronger than both Lao Guan and me, and he's a martial artist to boot."

Guan Mingtang and Xia Dong were both filled with fearful bewilderment.

Luo Shoucheng stared at Ye Tianci, his eyes rolling before he suddenly roared furiously, "I get it! You must hold a grudge against the Luo family!"

"You're just putting on a mysterious front, spouting nonsense to scare me!"

"Or perhaps you tampered with these three sticks of incense to play tricks and hoax me!"

Ye Tianci looked at him calmly and said, "Had Director Guan not cordially invited me, I would not have come here, nor would I have ever met you."

"The three sticks of incense were requested from the waiter by Director Guan. You took them with your own hands and lit them with your own hands. I didn't touch them even once from start to finish."

Luo Shoucheng’s mouth was dry, his emotions in turmoil.

He froze for a moment, fixed his gaze on Ye Tianci, and spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "I want a detailed explanation of the hexagram! I want to see what kind of nonsense you can possibly spin!"

Guan Mingtang and Xia Dong both looked at Ye Tianci with eager expressions, equally wishing to hear his explanation.

Ye Tianci took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "Luo Shoucheng, it is true that your physiognomy indicates a destiny of great wealth and nobility, and you are fated to live a long life. However, you committed a few unforgivable wrongs, which has left your mortal lifespan incomplete."

"This is also what I perceived from the incense before you the moment I stepped through the door."

Luo Shoucheng glared at him. "Bullshit! I have always walked tall and upright; I never commit wicked deeds!"

"Is that so?"

Ye Tianci offered a cold, detached smile and stated cleanly and decisively, "If my eyes do not deceive me, when you achieved fame and success at the age of eighteen, you had a romantic relationship. You fell in love with a young woman in the Western Frontier and left her pregnant."

"Yet, to return and claim military honors, you ruthlessly abandoned her. That young woman died while carrying your child—two lives lost!"

"This is the first wicked deed you committed."

Luo Shoucheng abruptly shot to his feet, his body trembling uncontrollably, his eyes filled with terror!