Ryan Thompson felt a chill in his heart when he heard this. He recalled the various scenes from Liaozhai movies—demons running amok, corrupt officials rampant, wars and natural disasters, the lives of common people as worthless as grass. It truly was an age of chaos.

　　Blind Preacher immediately chuckled again, “Not only did you kill a mountain sprite and gain some experience on your trip up the mountain today, but you also earned yourself a bit of romance.”

　　“Romance?” Ryan Thompson thought for a moment, then asked in surprise, “Widow Brooks?”

Chapter Six: Folding Paper into a Crane

　　“Indeed.” Blind Preacher stroked his beard and smiled.

　　“I just didn’t want her to be harmed by the mountain sprite, so I stepped in to save her, that’s all. There’s nothing more to it,” Ryan Thompson said.

　　“Romance is just like that—things happen when you least expect them. You just haven’t realized it yet. Earlier, I tried to divine Widow Brooks’s fate, to see if she would live or die, but I couldn’t get a reading. Do you know what that means, my disciple?” Blind Preacher said with a smile.

　　Of course Ryan Thompson knew. He was born with a mind of seven apertures, so no one could predict his fate or future. If anyone tried to force a reading, they would surely be punished by the heavens. Likewise, if Widow Brooks truly had a romantic connection with him, her fate would also become unreadable, because once the bond was formed, her destiny would be tied to his, making it impossible to divine.

　　“Maybe you just made a mistake in your calculations, Master.” He still didn’t quite believe that he and Widow Brooks were fated to be together.

　　Blind Preacher said, “Since you don’t trust my calculations, let me ask you: when you saved Widow Brooks, did you tease her with your words?”

　　“I couldn’t help but say something while carrying her on my back,” Ryan Thompson admitted a bit sheepishly.

　　Blind Preacher looked at him with a knowing smile, “There you have it. That’s it. Romance, at its core, is a matter of cause and effect. The moment you spoke, you planted the cause. And how did Widow Brooks respond?”

　　“I think she just acknowledged it and didn’t say anything else,” Ryan Thompson replied awkwardly.

　　“Exactly. She’s a widow and values her reputation. Not only did she not get angry when you teased her, she even responded, which means she tacitly accepted your teasing. That’s how the cause was planted,” Blind Preacher said.

　　“Cause and effect, cause and effect—so what about the effect?”

　　Blind Preacher chuckled, “Don’t be impatient, disciple. Once the cause is there, the effect will naturally follow. I bet that on the way, Widow Brooks must have shown her feelings for you, maybe just a small, almost unnoticeable gesture.”

　　“She wiped my sweat for me,” Ryan Thompson remembered.

　　“There you go. Widow Brooks wiped your sweat—only someone who sees you as her own man would do that. And you didn’t refuse, did you?”

　　“I didn’t think much of it,” Ryan Thompson said.

　　Blind Preacher nodded, “By not refusing, you accepted it. Widow Brooks naturally took it as your tacit approval for her to wipe your sweat. So, isn’t this a mutual affection? How could this not count as a romance?”

　　“I’ll go explain things to Widow Brooks.” Ryan Thompson immediately stopped in his tracks, intending to turn back.

　　But just as he turned around, the sky, which had been filled with the glow of sunset, was suddenly covered by dark clouds, and thunder rumbled.

　　Blind Preacher was so frightened that he yanked out several strands of his beard and hurriedly said, “Disciple, if you turn back now, I’ll be struck by heavenly punishment! The heavens will think I ruined your romance, and the karma for that would be enormous—enough to kill me several times over!”

　　He now had the urge to slap himself. He’d always known his disciple was born with a mind of seven apertures, a natural sage, and that he shouldn’t reveal heavenly secrets to him lightly. If things went wrong, all the karma would fall on his own head.

　　Ryan Thompson stopped and looked up at the suddenly changing sky. “It can’t be that supernatural, can it?”

　　“What do you think?” Blind Preacher was so anxious he was about to jump.

　　“Forget it, I’ll just let things take their course.”

　　Ryan Thompson gave up on the idea of returning to Xiahe Village. He didn’t want his cheap master to really get struck by lightning.

　　At that moment, the sky, which had been covered in dark clouds, quickly cleared up again.

　　“That scared me to death,” Blind Preacher let out a sigh of relief.

　　Ryan Thompson looked at Blind Preacher with an expression that clearly said, “You really are weak.”

　　“My cultivation is not as weak as you think. It’s just that no cultivator dares to mess with heavenly punishment,” Blind Preacher seemed to read Ryan Thompson’s expression and explained.

　　“Do you know how to send messages with paper cranes?” Ryan Thompson asked.

　　“That’s a piece of cake,” Blind Preacher replied confidently.

　　“Show me.”

　　Ryan Thompson picked a leaf from a nearby tree and handed it over, giving a provocative look.

　　Blind Preacher laughed heartily, “Today I’ll really open your eyes…” He rolled up his robe, ready to show off his skills, but the moment he took the leaf, his smile froze.

　　“You’re up to no good, disciple.” He immediately tossed the leaf aside and sighed, “None of my spells work when I’m around you.”

　　“Excuses,” Ryan Thompson said.

　　“A cultivator never lies,” Blind Preacher replied.

　　“If your spells don’t work, you must at least have reached a certain level, right, Master? Have you ever undergone a heavenly tribulation?”

　　“Well, I’m still far from that. But our grandmaster once transcended a tribulation and ascended. I still have to take him as my example and train diligently,” Blind Preacher said, the corner of his mouth twitching.

　　“You must have reached the Nascent Soul stage by now, right?”