Along the way, Ji Shan had come to understand the situation of the Ji Family, which was quite an ancient family, or rather, remnants of the previous dynasty. Unfortunately, they had almost completely declined, evolving from the original Qintian Bureau and Ministry of Rites, most of them practicing the Three Changes Technique, which could be used even without the recovery of Spiritual Energy.

Of course, this was limited to divination, the kind that might reduce one's lifespan.

The man in green before him, Ji Sheng, was the Family Head of the Ji Family, currently the only person in the family who had successfully cultivated, integrating the Three Changes Technique with the cultivators' system to form a native cultivation practitioner.

Unfortunately, the entry difficulty was too high, almost catching up to one-tenth of "The Book of Changes," so the others in the Ji Family also failed to get started. After all, normal cultivators only needed to circulate energy, and it didn't even matter if they were illiterate, as long as they were not fools and had the aptitude.

Therefore, when Ji Shan managed to use divination as a guide to form spells, Ji Sheng was quite surprised, and it was for this reason that he brought the man back without even investigating.

They talked a lot on the way, and Ji Shan learned quite a bit, as did Qin Muye following along.

As for the Three Changes Technique, it could not be given now but needed a background check and registry in the ancestral records before that could happen. Necessary processes still had to be followed.

Nowadays, the Ji Family was also very tightly bound with Yan Country, basically having a "share weal and woe" status, all thanks to Ji Sheng. The Ji Family was not like those ancient families with great ancestors; since the Ji Family had declined early on, it didn't have such an ancestor. In fact, if time was really taken into consideration, perhaps even the Liu Family would not compare.

It was a very young family, not even worthy of being called an ancient family. Its rise was indeed thanks to Ji Sheng. Even before the recovery of Spiritual Energy, Ji Sheng had made a living by divination, the so-called remnants of the Qintian Bureau and Ministry of Rites left only some books and were almost completely disintegrated.

Three years before the recovery of Spiritual Energy, Ji Sheng predicted the recovery of Spiritual Energy through divination, which cost him ten years of his life.

It almost scared him to death, but he quickly recovered and used the information he obtained to plan ahead. Step by step, he embarked on the path of politics, secretly seizing the cultivation of a few still-dormant ancient family ancestors, which gave him his current strength.

He could be considered a man of the generation, but Ji Shan felt that the man seemed to be nearing the end of his lifespan.

This made him secretly wary, suspecting that Ji Sheng wanted to harm him.

Just because his name was Ji, was that why he was giving him gifts?

Perhaps there were other intentions, but as long as he obtained the Three Changes Technique, Ji Shan didn't care about his thoughts.

The two quickly returned to the Ji Family, which was not like the Liu Family in that it was not a manor, but a villa. Although still pricey, it was a far cry from the Liu Family.

Ji Sheng had three sons and twelve grandsons, with the youngest son being forty years old. Now, each of these descendants of the Ji Family had benefitted from Ji Sheng's fortune, all holding high official positions.

This made Ji Shan increasingly cautious. Although he couldn't feel any malicious intent from Ji Sheng, on closer thought, the Ji Family, despite having a bit of an ancient family's demeanor, could not really be regarded as one in terms of population and heritage and was more like an ordinary family.

After all, according to Ji Sheng, the Ji Family had dispersed a long time ago, with some members even untraceable, more like a surname shared by separate individuals rather than an ancient family linked by bloodline.

It's not like there weren't any; Ji Sheng also found quite a few family members to help and managed to hold it together.

But there was still a clear division between relatives, how could he possibly give the family heirloom to a stranger instead of his own offspring?

Although Ji Sheng spoke very sincerely, claiming his offspring did not have the talent, Ji Shan also noticed slight emotional fluctuations in him. Even though Ji Sheng hid it well, he still showed his hand.

Joining the family registry went smoothly, without any temples or the like. A family genealogy was taken out, and Ji Sheng wrote Ji Shan's name on it, smoothly incorporating him, indicating legitimate Ji Family lineage.

This genealogy had been transformed by Ji Sheng into a Magical Treasure. It listed many people, including Ji Wuming, but it was not recorded by Ji Wuming himself but by his father. After his father's death, Ji Wuming was sent to an orphanage, and Ji Sheng naturally never visited again.

Ji Shan found something odd, first, he was not Qin Muye's biological child, second, Qin Muye was not Ji Wuming, yet it could still be written down, thus proving that the Magical Treasure likely depended not on bloodline, but on legality.

If according to this world's situation, Qin Muye was Ji Wuming, and by adopting Ji Shan, even if he did not carry the Ji Family bloodline, he still held the status of the Ji Family.

It was obvious from the fact that no blood or other medium was needed, that it was a Magical Treasure with divination as its core, not a conventional Magical Treasure.

"Indeed, you are the orphan of the Ji Family, but I recall your father Ji Wuming also came with you to Mirror City?" Ji Sheng suddenly remembered, not because he had paid attention before, but because he just had someone gather information about Ji Shan, which mentioned Ji Wuming.

"Yes, but after he joined the Cultivation Academy of Xuanqing, I had him return to the countryside first, since staying here was too dangerous," Ji Shan said indifferently.

Ji Sheng nodded, indifferent, "Indeed, he is just an ordinary person; Mirror City is too dangerous."

Ji Sheng was quite satisfied with the blind Ji Wuming's return, sparing the burden.

'No... My dad is in the most danger in Mirror City...'

Since leaving Mirror City, Ji Shan knew that Qin Muye had truly broken free from his shackles. When he was around, they dare not make big moves, but now, it hadn't been long, and the elder of the Liu Family had turned into a flood dragon, significantly weakening the Primordial Qi of Yan Country.

If he really completes that "Mystical Lord Seven Chapter Secret Scroll," it will directly lead to the severance of Spiritual Energy.

Ji Shan was naturally indifferent to Qin Muye's actions because he himself did not rely on cultivating with Spiritual Energy.

Instead, he enjoyed the drama without worrying about the outcome, as long as Qin Muye didn't betray him; he could do whatever he wanted.

"In that case, you should read through the inherited 'Three Changes Technique' of the Ji Family. In a few days, I will come to check on your progress," Ji Sheng said as he led Ji Shan into a secret room, then took out three books, which were not very thick, and looked hardly comparable to Qin Muye's "The Book of Changes."

"Yes, Family Head," Ji Shan naturally agreed.

If Qin Muye had dug deeper into his identity back then, he might have received this reward, but Qin Muye did not care for it anymore.

It was Ji Shan, coincidentally obtaining it due to his identity as the Child of Destiny.

"This item is a treasure, extremely valuable. Spend these days in the secret room studying it, and do not go out," Ji Sheng said.

This situation made Ji Shan tense, as he realized that the other party wanted to restrict his personal freedom rather than truly ensure his safety, because he sensed a bit of malice and greed from Ji Sheng, specifically targeted at him.

Then he unhesitatingly agreed.

If there were any real danger, he could entirely call his dad.

After agreeing, Ji Sheng left, locking the secret room as expected, and even imposing a confinement with the Art of Numerology, making it impossible to leave.

As for food and the like, someone would bring it.

'Interesting, this isn't just about fortune-telling, but more about some principles summarized in ancient times.' Qin Muye's voice emerged in Ji Shan's mind: 'Flip the page quickly, I've finished this one.'

'Dad, what does Ji Sheng want to do?' Ji Shan glanced over the page, finished reading it, then flipped it while asking.

'Oh, he might be coveting the Talent of the Child of Destiny. As a fortune-teller, your face betrays you directly. Without a corresponding concealment method, even if people do not know you are the Child of Destiny, they can tell your destiny is unspeakably noble,' Qin Muye said casually.

'Is he planning to swap fates? To replace my status as the Child of Destiny with his son?' Ji Shan narrowed his eyes, revealing a trace of murderous intent.

'That's unlikely. I think he's planning to swap it for himself. Although cultivating has made him younger, it doesn't mean his life is also replenished. The life spent cannot be regained, so he's thinking of living another life,' Qin Muye said.

'I see, so that's it. Tsk, the conflict between longevity and progeny,' Ji Shan turned another page: 'It turns out I've become his treasure-delivering boy.'

If Ji Sheng could become the Child of Destiny, he indeed might go further, but unfortunately, he didn't count on Qin Muye.

Moreover, even if it was the original Ji Wuming, it seems that Ji Sheng would still end up like a treasure-delivering boy for the protagonist Ji Sheng, given that he didn't have the protagonist's fate but still suffered from the protagonist's syndrome.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com