Chapter Forty: Mystery: An Explanation of Destiny

As the Immortal Armor of Yunlan fused with his body, Wood noticed that within the liquefied true essence of his dantian, there appeared a fist-sized object—a miniature version of the Immortal Armor itself.

Master Xiaoyao spoke, “When you achieve the Golden Core stage, this armor will naturally manifest outside your body as defensive armor, controlled by your true essence. But for now, your cultivation isn’t sufficient; it can only ward off attacks aimed at your soul. Remember this well.”

Wood was overjoyed and quickly replied, “Thank you, Master!”

Xiaoyao smiled, mounted his sword, and soared into the sky. “You should return now. I’ve given you all that you need. I must begin my own seclusion. If anything important arises, just leave me a message!” With that, he disappeared into the clouds.

Wood watched his master ride his sword into the sky, his heart filled with envy. But thinking that he too would one day reach such heights, he could not help but feel secretly delighted. Lost in thought for a moment, he then activated the Dimensional System to return home.

“Ah! A ghost… Wait, it’s Brother Mu, how did you appear out of nowhere?” The voice belonged to Qiao’er, who seemed to be tidying up the room.

Wood smiled but didn’t answer. “Are you here alone?” he asked.

“Brother Mu, is that you?” As Qiao’er spoke, Mu Siyu and Mu Siqing entered the room. “We heard Qiao’er scream from the living room and thought a thief had broken in,” Mu Siyu said. “Brother Mu, you’ve been gone so long without even letting us know.”

Qiao’er chimed in, “Yes, where have you been? Why didn’t you take us with you? We thought you’d abandoned us!”

Wood reached out and playfully tapped Qiao’er’s nose, chuckling. “I didn’t know I’d be gone so long. Besides, how could I bear to leave behind such beauties as you?”

At this display of affection, Mu Siqing suddenly snorted coldly and turned away, leaving only Mu Siyu and Qiao’er in the room. Seizing the moment, Wood wrapped an arm around each of them, grinning mischievously. “I’ve been gone a few days—did you miss me?”

Mu Siyu blushed and whispered, “It’s broad daylight, and my sister’s here…”

But Qiao’er said, “You’ve been gone for over ten days. Someone’s called you many times!” Before she finished, the phone rang again. Qiao’er obediently handed it over.

Wood glanced at the number—it was unfamiliar. “Is this the number? Someone’s called twice every day looking for you,” Qiao’er said.

Perplexed, Wood answered. On the other end, a familiar voice spoke, “Is Brother Mu back?”

“It’s you! Uncle Li,” Wood responded, recognizing the heavy Hong Kong accent.

“Brother Mu, you’re finally back! Where have you been? You were gone so long!” Uncle Li exclaimed in delight.

“Uncle Li, is something wrong?” Wood asked.

“Well… It’s hard to explain over the phone. How about we meet? You might be interested. Even if you’re not, it wouldn’t hurt to catch up,” Uncle Li warmly invited. “Where are you? I’ll send someone to pick you up!”

Wood hesitated, guessing it was about that script again. “Uncle Li, if it’s still about that script, I’ve already told you—I really don’t recognize those characters.”

Uncle Li laughed. “Wood, you’re overthinking it! I’m looking for you about something else, something that might interest you. Even if not, let’s just meet.” Unable to refuse, Wood gave his address. Soon, a luxury car pulled up at the villa. The two bodyguards Wood had met previously, always by Uncle Li’s side, had come to fetch him.

“Mr. Wood, my boss has reserved a private room at the Tea House and invites you to join him,” the bodyguards said. Though burly and imposing, they spoke with remarkable courtesy.

Wood nodded and was about to leave when a silvery voice rang out, “Brother Mu, I want to come too!” It was Mu Siqing, who had suddenly appeared. “I’ve been bored waiting at home these days. I want to go have some fun too.”

She stood at Wood’s side, clearly intent on not letting him leave without her. Wood glanced at Mu Siyu, who pretended not to notice and returned to her room. Wood gently explained, “Siqing, I’m going to discuss business, not to play. Next time, I’ll take you out, alright?”

Mu Siqing pouted and protested coquettishly, “You said so yourself—no backing out!” Only then did she step aside.

Wood followed the bodyguards out, pondering, “Why has she been acting so strangely lately?”

At the Tea House, Uncle Li greeted him enthusiastically and let the bodyguards wait at the door.

“Brother Mu, I’ve been waiting for you!” Uncle Li beamed. “It’s been over ten days!”

“So what brings you here, Uncle Li?” Wood asked.

“It’s like this,” Uncle Li said, sipping his tea as he organized his thoughts. “Do you remember the Daoist you met last time—Daoist Xiuyuan? He found that object in the sect’s archive room. You said you didn’t recognize the script on it, right?”

Wood thought, not only did I not recognize it, even those from the cultivation world didn’t, though I know its purpose—you just never asked.

“Daoist Xiuyuan found, in the sect’s ancient records, the location where the object was stored. As you said, it turns out to be a fragment from some artifact. I wanted to invite you to join me in searching for it.”

“Oh?” Now Wood was truly intrigued. After all, this was a mythical artifact, at least an S-class item. Though he didn’t know its purpose, the runes etched all over it suggested it was closely tied to the path of cultivation.

“Where is it? When do we leave?”

“It’s somewhere in the Qinling Mountains, but we don’t know the exact spot,” Uncle Li frowned. “Daoist Xiuyuan has gone ahead to scout the area. He thinks he might find it using celestial navigation.”

Just as he finished speaking, the phone rang. Uncle Li smiled at the caller ID. “Speak of the devil! Xiuyuan? What? You’ve found the spot already? What should I bring? Got it. We’ll set out tonight and meet you in the town at the foot of the mountain!”

After hanging up, Uncle Li said, “Brother Mu, I need to prepare a few things. We’ll leave tomorrow. I’ll book the tickets and let you know.” Wood nodded, and Uncle Li ordered the bodyguards to take him home before making arrangements for their journey.

While Uncle Li busied himself with preparations, Wood returned home and contacted Lu Daoxuan through the Dimensional System.

“A current S-class item, as expected. Don’t worry, you should be able to obtain it,” Lu Daoxuan said, habitually pushing up his glasses with a blank expression.

“As expected? What do you mean?” Wood asked in surprise.

“Don’t you think the rewards we’ve received for completing hidden quests have been too few?” Lu Daoxuan replied.

“But we got an SS-class item—surely that’s not a small reward?” Wood was content.

“No, I’m not talking about the trial quest, but about the 'Emblem of the Pact.' After receiving it, aside from the contract bonus, we gained nothing else. That’s completely inconsistent with how seriously the Temporal Management Bureau pulled you and me into the temporal management dimension,” Lu Daoxuan said coolly. “I suspected then that agents who obtained the 'Emblem of the Pact' would receive a special reward. Now, it seems I was right.”

“A special reward?” Wood was puzzled. “What reward? Why don’t I know about it?”

“In fact, you’ve already received it; you just don’t realize it.” Behind his glasses, Lu Daoxuan’s eyes flashed with a profound light. “Haven’t you noticed how conveniently this S-class item appeared—almost as soon as you formed the Pact Team, you received a lead for an S-class item?”

“Well…” Wood was skeptical. “Coincidences happen all the time.”

“That’s true, but why don’t these 'coincidences' happen to anyone else—only you?” Lu Daoxuan cut off his doubts. “My analysis is, the hidden reward from the Temporal Management Bureau is: fortune.”

“Fortune?” Wood echoed in amazement. “Are you saying that, because I received the Emblem of the Pact, the Bureau rewarded me with ‘luck’—something intangible and invisible? That’s a bit much!”

“Hmph, is it? Is quantifying physical attributes any less mysterious? Are skill cards that can be learned instantly any less miraculous? The Temporal Management Bureau deals in the extraordinary. I suspect fortune is a hidden attribute everyone possesses, but the Bureau simply never shows it. As the chosen one, the bearer of the Emblem, the leader of the Pact Team, the Bureau has high hopes for you, so of course you’re granted greater fortune. Don’t underestimate this luck—it can grant us advantageous timing, terrain, or allies during missions.”

Lu Daoxuan’s words shook Wood to his core. Indeed, luck is intangible, but it’s something people talk about constantly. Most often, you hear: “Damn, that guy is so lucky—he casually buys a lottery ticket and wins,” or, “Hell, I’ve had terrible luck today—played mahjong all afternoon and didn’t win a single hand.”

Luck seems to follow a person their whole life. Some people are always lucky—winning at cards, finding business success easily. Others always lose, facing endless obstacles. Personal effort matters, but luck plays a crucial role.

Luck is like talent—innate, unchangeable. A famous person once said genius is 99% hard work and 1% talent, yet that 1% is more important than all the effort. In a person’s attributes, luck is no less vital than talent.

“You mean the Bureau changed my luck?” Wood felt utterly stunned.

“It strengthened your aura, your fortune—not mere ‘luck’,” Lu Daoxuan corrected. “It’s something beyond words, unreachable by ordinary mortals.”

“If ordinary mortals can’t reach it, how do you know about it?” Wood muttered to himself.