Fortune Diminishment

Zhu Rong wore a floral print dress under a brown coat, styled in a simple yet fashionable manner that radiated the poised elegance of a mature woman. "Well, well, isn't this Chi Yue'an's ex-wife? Are you here to avenge your ex-husband, or to thank our Yuanshi for doing Heaven's work and cleaning house for you?" Perhaps provoked by the woman's burning, covetous gaze, Guan Ya spoke with barbs concealed beneath a sweet smile, living up to her reputation as a seasoned driver. Zhu Rong reluctantly tore her eyes away from Zhang Yuanqing and looked at Guan Ya, asking coolly, "Who are you?" Zhang Yuanqing quickly interjected, "She's my girlfriend." Taking advantage of the moment, he slipped his arm around Guan Ya's slender waist. Guan Ya stiffened slightly. Without making a scene, she brushed his hand away with a huff, playing the part of an annoyed girlfriend whose boyfriend was being hit on by another woman. *Girlfriend...* Zhu Rong scrutinized Guan Ya's exquisitely glamorous, oval-shaped face, a thrill stirring in her chest. She had two great passions: keeping handsome young concubines, and seducing married men before whipping and torturing them right in front of their wives, forcing the women to watch their beloved husbands turn into groveling dogs. A fallen husband, a tormented wife, and a beautiful love tainted and shattered. Zhu Rong derived immense pleasure from that. This woman was truly gorgeous. She wondered what kind of expression Guan Ya would wear when she saw Yuanshi Tianzun kneeling humbly at another woman's feet—or laboring vigorously on top of another woman's body. Tearing apart the romance of such a stunning beauty was surely a delightful prospect. Putting on a tender smile, Zhu Rong said softly, "I am terribly sorry about Chi Yue'an. Though he and I divorced long ago, the Zhu family did indeed support him from behind the scenes. None of us expected he would commit such atrocities just to indulge his own selfish desires." *Huh? This woman can actually talk like a normal human being?* Zhang Yuanqing was somewhat surprised; he had assumed Zhu Rong came over to pick a fight. He studied Zhu Rong for a few seconds, showing no lingering fascination with her mature charms, before gazing toward the arena and saying impassively, "And so?" *No, the moment I look at her, I can't help thinking of the Demon Lord's training audio,* Zhang Yuanqing complained inwardly. It was just like running into a certain Japanese adult video actress in real life—your mind would instantly conjure images of her on her knees, facedown, or with her knees pressed up against her shoulders. Zhu Rong's brows twitched. Her words had been laced with the power of a Musician; no man should have been able to resist her. Who would have guessed that this Yuanshi Tianzun would remain completely unmoved? Taking a deep breath, Zhu Rong softened her expression, her tone carrying a delicate hint of coyness. "To express my apologies, I'd like to treat you to dinner so we can put the matter of Chi Yue'an behind us." At that, Zhang Yuanqing's face chilled. "Instigating Chi Yue'an to break laws and discipline, imprison innocent women, and force them into prostitution—and you think a single meal can brush that aside?" *Completely useless. My charms didn't work at all...* Zhu Rong's expression stiffened slightly. Quietly withdrawing her Musician skill, she said coldly, "You need to understand two things. First, the Bronze Sparrow Tower has existed for a full decade, and ten years ago, I wasn't even married to Chi Yue'an. Second, what Chi Yue'an did had nothing to do with me. "Since you refuse to give me face, then so be it." With that, she turned and walked away. Zhang Yuanqing watched her retreating figure. Her waist was supple and slender, and beneath her skirt swayed hips as full as a harvest moon, exceptionally alluring with every step. With such a voluptuous figure and enchanting face, no wonder the Demon Lord hadn't had the heart to kill her back then. "What is she really after?" Zhang Yuanqing asked the seasoned driver beside him. A Scout's sharp eyes ought to have caught something. Guan Ya snapped, "She wants to sleep with you!" Annoyed, Zhang Yuanqing retorted, "I'm discussing serious business with you. Stop steering everything into the gutter!" Guan Ya raised her brows and sneered. "I'm telling the truth. That woman has a fierce desire to conquer and mate with you. Believe me, if you just lay down on a bed and did nothing, she'd climb right on top and ride you herself." "There's really such a good deal?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, caught between shock and delight. Guan Ya let out a dry chuckle and smiled playfully. "If you knew it was such a good deal, why did you turn her down? What trick did you pull just now to resist a Musician's charm?" Zhang Yuanqing froze. His face suddenly drained of color, his heart turning to ash. "What's wrong?" Guan Ya asked, puzzled. "No... nothing." The topic was far too heavy for Zhang Yuanqing to dwell on, so he hastily changed the subject. "Has anyone ever tried emulating Fu Qingyang to master rule-based skills?" Guan Ya gave a firm confirmation. "Of course. The Fu family and the White Tiger Battalion once sparked a wave of members obsessively specializing in Insight. Many members of the Fu family even practiced drawing and slashing day after day. But no one succeeded. After all these years, only Crossing-River Pawn has truly crossed the threshold in the domain of Insight, earning him the nickname Little Qingyang." Pausing, Guan Ya added, "My guess is that when Insight specialization reaches the utmost peak, every possible response an opponent could make is laid bare before Fu Qingyang's eyes. At that point, he terminates all those responses through some method, giving rise to an unavoidable rule." "Is your guess accurate?" Zhang Yuanqing asked skeptically. "Fu Qingyang said the same thing." Guan Ya sniffed. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt a deeper agreement with Fu Qingyang's assessment of her. Guan Ya really was useless. Blessed with such tremendous talent, she chose instead to live as a lazy salted fish. *** After leaving, Zhu Rong did not stay to watch the rest of the matches, instead returning directly to the real world. She rose from her chaise lounge, took off her coat, and walked over to the bookshelf, where she lightly pressed a hidden mechanism disguised as a light switch. The base of the bookshelf was set on runners. Once the switch was pressed, it slid silently to one side. Behind it lay a secret chamber, illuminated only by two dim crystal lotus lamps. Inside stood a table draped in yellow silk. Upon it were two red candles set in candleholders. Beneath the candleholders sat a bronze basin filled with glutinous rice, copper coins strung on red thread, yellow paper talismans inscribed with cinnabar, a porcelain bowl filled with an unidentified liquid, as well as incense, a bronze bell, an octagonal mirror, three translucent leaves as crimson as rubies... And a palm-sized wooden puppet. The puppet had no facial features, carved into the crudest of human shapes. Zhu Rong walked up to the silk-draped altar and stared blankly at the tabletop. The item's name was the "Evil Altar Table." That was right—it was an item. An item left behind for her by the Demon Lord. Every object on the table was an integral component of the item. Zhu Rong raised her hand, lightly stroking the edge of the table. In her ears, that man's voice seemed to echo once more: *"One month is up, Eldest Miss Zhu. You've satisfied me immensely. As agreed, you may go. Ah, right—before you leave, I have a gift for you.* *"It's called the 'Evil Altar Table,' a Witch Doctor item of Saint quality. It possesses the abilities of cursing and Fortune Diminishment. As the saying goes, one night as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace. For this past month, we acted as husband and wife every single day, so consider this item a souvenir.* *"Besides, when I have the leisure in the future, I'll pay a visit to the Zhu family to find you."* That parting had been the final farewell between Zhu Rong and the Demon Lord. Later—just last month—Zhu Rong learned that the Demon Lord had fallen. "Demon Lord, you died too soon. How could you die so easily? You should have died by my own hands..." Zhu Rong murmured to herself, her eyes a tempest of sorrow and delight, hatred and resentment. *That promise-breaking bastard.* Zhu Rong took a deep breath, a morbid smile spreading across her glamorous face. "Still, it doesn't matter. I've found your substitute. I'll treat him just as you treated me back then—I will make him suffer agonizing torment, make him drown in carnal lust, strip him of his dignity, and make sure he never forgets me for the rest of his days..." She picked up one of the crimson leaves, tossed it into a brass mortar, and used a pestle to crush it gently with her fair hands. Next, she picked up the small porcelain bowl and poured its black liquid into the mortar, continuing to crush and stir. Once the black liquid and leaf fragments were thoroughly blended, she spread out a yellow paper talisman, dipped a fine-tipped brush into the mortar's "ink," and wrote out four characters: *Yuanshi Tianzun!* Setting the brush down, Zhu Rong pasted the yellow talisman onto the wooden puppet. Moments later, facial features sprouted on the puppet's blank face, morphing into the exact likeness of Zhang Yuanqing. Zhu Rong took the nearby coin sword and lightly pressed it down onto the effigy. The Fortune Diminishment was complete. From this day forth, Yuanshi Tianzun would be plagued by relentless bad luck—misfortune so absurd that even drinking cold water would get stuck in his teeth. Three days later, his good fortune would be thoroughly extinguished, and he would die in some freak accident. As long as he had not attained the Saint stage, escape was utterly impossible. Moreover, Fortune Diminishment did not inflict direct harm; it was silent, imperceptible, and untraceable. The victim would only wonder why their luck had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Zhu Rong did not actually intend to let the brat die. She wanted him to suffer two days of bitter torment before stepping in to coerce him. Originally, she had planned to seduce him first and coerce him later, which was why she had deliberately invited Yuanshi Tianzun to dinner. Who could have known the brat would turn a blind eye to her charms? In that case, there was nothing more to say. She would simply use sorcery to bend him to her will, and then violate him. *** His vision blurred before sharpening once more. Zhang Yuanqing returned to reality, appearing in his bedroom. It was seven-thirty in the evening. He twisted the doorknob, and the rich, savory aroma of home-cooked food washed over him. Seated around the dining table were his aunt in her cartoon pajamas, along with his grandfather and grandmother. Seeing him emerge, his grandmother immediately berated him, "What is with you locking your door all the time these days? Keep it up and see if I don't tear that lock right off your door!" "Grandma, I need my personal space..." Hearing this, Jiang Yu'er burst into laughter. "Mom, go search his wastebasket!" No sooner had the words left her mouth than her mother cuffed her upside the head, scolding furiously, "A grown woman talking about such indecent nonsense all day long!" Jiang Yu'er clutched her head, wrinkling her nose at her mother before turning to her approaching nephew. "Yuanzi, Auntie's taking you shopping tomorrow." Jiang Yu'er had tomorrow off, and her shopping cravings, suppressed for an entire week, were on the verge of overflowing. She had resolved to ruthlessly bleed her wealthy nephew today. "Not going. I have plans in the afternoon." Zhang Yuanqing rejected her cold-heartedly. He had tracked down Mr. Bill at the Gladiator Arena and arranged to meet tomorrow to negotiate a deal. He had only mentioned selling an item without specifying what it was, fearing Mr. Bill would refuse on the spot. He had already stopped finding Zhu Rong attractive. That was an extraordinarily alarming sign. "Come on, please?" His aunt wiggled her hips playfully, whining in coaxing appeal. "No!" Zhang Yuanqing remained ruthlessly firm once more. Yet the moment he spoke, as he was walking toward the dining table, his foot abruptly slipped. His body pitched forward, and his knees hit the floor with a loud *thud*, landing him in a neat kneel right before his aunt. Jiang Yu'er's pretty eyes widened in utter disbelief. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to go. There's no need to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness!"