The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 617
Chapter 617: I Am Not Satisfied
“What is meant to be will be; what is not, should not be forced.”
“Seems like fate has no ties with the Escort Master.” The onlookers chuckled, as if even the old Escort Master would rise from the grave in outrage at this sight.
“Hurry, hurry, give it a shake!” Xie Yu Zhou was itching to try.
“Why don’t you go first?” Lu Chao Chao smiled teasingly at him.
Let all the celestial deities witness the reincarnation of the Buddha’s Child.
Xie Yu Zhou rubbed his nose. Since he was close to Lu Chao Chao, he did not hesitate further. He dropped to his knees on the prayer mat, murmuring, “A wife… I ask for a wife…”
“I won’t be greedy. Ten is too much, but eight, seven, six, five, four, or three would do.” He held the fortune stick cylinder reverently and shook it earnestly.
Ever since he had followed Lu Chao Chao and witnessed the filth of the Celestial Realm, he had stopped believing in gods and Buddhas.
But if someone could grant him a wife, well…
Perhaps he could believe again.
Principles could always be… adjusted.
Lu Chao Chao’s face darkened. Asking the celestial deities for a wife? He was bound to drive them to fury.
Sure enough…
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the cylinder in Xie Yu Zhou’s hands started creaking ominously.
“A stick is about to fall out?” someone gasped.
Just as the words were spoken—crack!
The cylinder in his hands split apart bit by bit, shattering before everyone’s eyes. Xie Yu Zhou scrambled to catch the pieces, but they slipped through his fingers, scattering blank fortune sticks across the ground.
The entire temple fell into stunned silence.
“The cylinder… broke?” A young novice monk picked up a piece, looking utterly baffled.
The high monk who interpreted the fortunes twitched his eyelids, hesitating before speaking. “This humble monk shall bring you another cylinder.” How odd—never before had one broken like this!
After some thought, he fetched another and handed it to Xie Yu Zhou.
Xie Yu Zhou knelt down once more and started shaking it again. But the moment he did—the new cylinder split apart just like the first.
“See? See? It’s not my fault! You monks—where did you buy these cheap goods? Even fortune stick cylinders need cost-cutting now? They break the moment I touch them!” Xie Yu Zhou was furious, wailing in indignation.
“Impossible!” The young novice monk shouted.
“The fortune stick cylinders of Lotus City are crafted by the master artisans from the mountains, carved from purple bamboo! Purple bamboo is firm, an excellent material for cultivation—it cannot be shoddy!”
The surrounding townspeople nodded. “Indeed. The masters frequently gift unused purple bamboo. I have a bamboo basket at home, and it has lasted sixteen years without breaking.”
Xie Yu Zhou glared at the shattered remains of the cylinder. “I’m done! I refuse to draw!”
Lu Chao Chao stifled her laughter. Hahaha! Asking for a wife? Keep dreaming.
The high monk retrieved another cylinder and placed it in Zhu Mo’s hands.
Zhu Mo silently prayed, Let me and A-Wu be together, year after year, for the rest of our lives.
After a long moment, he sighed and handed the cylinder to Lu Chao Chao.
Lu Chao Chao knelt before the prayer mat. Though usually unbridled and untamed, she now lowered her head in reverence.
Bodhisattva, please guide me. Tell me what I must do to save this disciple’s life.
She shook the cylinder. With a loud clatter, a single fortune stick fell to the floor.
The crowd gasped in excitement. “Another stick fell! And from the Escort Master’s descendant, no less! Pick it up! Let’s see what it says!”
More people gathered, their voices carrying through the temple. “Come see! Another divine fortune stick has fallen! It’s from the Escort Master’s heir!”
All eyes were locked on the blank stick as, before their very gaze, words appeared upon it.
A dire omen—worst fortune possible.
“A dire omen? How could it be a dire omen?” someone cried in shock.
Not in hundreds of years had anyone drawn such an ill fate.
Lu Chao Chao’s expression darkened, her small hands tightening at her sides.
The high monk furrowed his brows as he accepted the bamboo stick, his gaze landing on the ominous red characters. His heart sank.
What had this young Empress asked for?
The path she sought…
Was completely devoid of hope.
“Arriving empty-handed, leaving empty-handed. Nothing above, nothing below. Like drawing water with a bamboo basket—an utter loss.” The high monk’s voice trembled. It was a path with no way forward or back, no lifeline, no salvation, even from the gods themselves.
“Your Majesty, this fortune…”
Before he could finish, Lu Chao Chao once again knelt before the prayer mat.
The crowd: ???
The high monk: ???
Panicking, the high monk reached out to stop her. “Esteemed one… You can only draw a single fortune stick… Yours has already been cast.”
His voice was strained…
“Did the Bodhisattva decree that only one could be drawn?” she asked.
The high monk hesitated. “Well, no, but never has anyone drawn a second.”
Lu Chao Chao tilted her head. “Then why can’t I? I don’t like this fortune. I’ll draw another.”
She would keep drawing until she was satisfied.
That was what they called Man Can Conquer Heaven, was it not?
The high monk was dumbstruck. Could one simply ignore an unfavorable fortune?
Lu Chao Chao shook the cylinder again.
Another fell.
“Still a dire omen. Not satisfied.” She shook again.
One more.
“Again!”
The crowd was practically jumping up and down in excitement. “She drew another! And another!”
Fortune sticks—normally drawn once in decades—were now falling like leaves in autumn.
Soon, the ground was littered with bamboo sticks.
Dire omens, minor omens… medium fortunes…
“An auspicious omen! She drew an auspicious omen!” The crowd roared as the sticks piled up. Some even started betting on whether a supreme fortune would appear.
Lu Chao Chao picked up the latest one and handed it to the high monk.
“Through winding mountains and rivers, a hidden village emerges in the mist. An auspicious omen!” The high monk wiped his sweating brow, his heart pounding wildly.
What in the heavens was happening here?
Lu Chao Chao pondered for a moment, peering down at the cylinder. The high monk, flustered, quickly scooped it up with an awkward laugh.
“Your Majesty, please, this way…”
Oh mercy, she’s forcing the Bodhisattva’s hand.
Lu Chao Chao relented with a chuckle. “An auspicious omen is fine. Man can conquer heaven; fate is in our own hands.”
With a cough, she turned and called out, “Let’s go! Into the city!”
Xie Yu Zhou cast a wistful glance at his own empty hands, then at Lu Chao Chao’s.
Useless. Absolutely useless.
At just five and a half years old, the young Empress once again made a name for herself in the Brahma Kingdom. Not because of her youth, nor her title.
But because of her sheer shamelessness in drawing fortunes—forcing the Bodhisattva to grant her an auspicious one!
Lu Chao Chao entered Lotus City, utterly satisfied.
The city, ever adorned in blooming lotus flowers, carried their fragrance in the air. Vendors called out from all sides.
“Fresh lotuses for sale, blessed by the holy scriptures!”
“Offer a lotus to the Bodhisattva—gain divine enlightenment!”
“Lotus seeds, sweet and refreshing—Lotus City’s finest!”
“Ours are from the sacred pond—good for clarity and vision!”
The vibrant city bustled with life, a dazzling sight to behold.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation