The Law of Heaven

Chapter 3 Alaya Consciousness
In the living room of the Misty Tower, Aihara and Ruan Qi sat facing each other at the coffee table.

"I never imagined that the Mirage would be hidden in a place like this."

Ruan Qi had already adjusted her mindset, looked around, and pretended to be calm: "Doesn't anyone want to destroy this place? It looks very old."

Nowadays, there are very few otherworldly beings in the city; most have been found and destroyed by hunters. She was a little curious about how this place had been preserved.

Aihara shrugged: "Oh, this place was indeed doomed to fail, but my neighbors are very capable. Those people came once and never dared to come again."

This neighborhood is indeed within the city's planning area, but the old men and women living here are really too fierce. Whenever unscrupulous developers come to discuss demolition matters, they wave feather dusters and rolling pins to fight them, and no matter how many people are on the other side, they are beaten to a pulp.

Ruan Qi was shocked; she hadn't seen a single living person along the way.

"I didn't know you had neighbors?"

"of course."

"But I didn't see anyone along the way."

"They go to bed early and are usually quite noisy."

"So that's it."

Ruan Qi felt that she was still too ignorant and didn't know how those so-called neighbors escaped her perception. They must have had unique methods. It was truly terrifying.

"Can I see your keepsake?"

"it is good."

Ruan Qi sat opposite him, took the token out of his pocket and placed it on the glass tabletop.

Aihara glanced at the token and nodded slightly: "The token is fine, but you came to visit in such heavy rain late at night. Is something urgent? Did you have a conflict with your family?"

His second uncle had taught him that so-called fortune telling also requires adapting one's approach to different people, and sometimes one has to play the role of a psychologist, learning to read between the lines.

If a girl of this age has any troubles, it's either family conflicts or relationship problems.

Ruan Qi gave a soft "hmm." She wasn't surprised that her secret had been exposed. If the owner of Misty Tower couldn't even figure this out, then he was just a name without substance.

Aihara continued to inquire, "What exactly happened?"

Ruan Qi seemed a little hesitant: "Hmm..."

Aihara sensed that she had something difficult to say: "Don't worry, there are rules here. I won't tell anyone what you told me. I'll only listen to gossip, and I'll never spread it around."

Ruan Qi said in a low voice, "I'm just afraid you can't accept it."

Aihara shrugged: "How could that be? The customer is king."

Ruan Qi was silent for a moment, then seemed to have mustered up her courage and took off her hat and mask: "Okay, ever since I became like this, I left home. There's no place for an outcast like me there anymore, I have to find a new place to live."

She saw her own profile reflected in the transparent coffee table.

Her white hair cascaded down like snow, and her snow-white skin was covered with fine, iron-gray dragon scales that seemed to breathe, opening and closing, with her veins slightly bulging.

She removed her gloves, revealing hands also covered in scales, with fingernails that curved like claws and gleaming with a scarlet hue.

It still looks close to human, but it has the appearance of a half-human, half-dragon, showing the characteristics of a dragon, and is ferocious and terrifying.

"As you can see, this is what the monster looks like."

She spoke expressionlessly, her teeth sharp and pointed.

During this time, Ruan Qi sought help from many people, including many high-ranking and powerful figures, but no one dared to help her; some were even frightened by her appearance.

In the brief silence, Aihara looked at her without saying a word.

Just when Ruan Qi thought the other party seemed to be looking down on her depravity and even planning to kick her out of the store, the silence was finally broken.

"I think it looks pretty good."

Aihara hesitated for a moment: "What's the problem?"

From his perspective, she was a sweet and innocent girl, completely unrelated to monsters.

The customer bleached her hair white, put some glitter on her face, and also got a red manicure—it was just a bit unconventional.

What era are we living in? Dyeing hair, putting on makeup, and getting manicures are perfectly normal now. Girls everywhere dress like this.

The girls in their class are all like that too.

"Huh? It looks good?"

Ruan Qi was taken aback. This was the first time she had been praised for her appearance since her transformation. Her boss's aesthetic sense seemed a bit abstract.

"The hair color is beautiful, and the makeup on your face is a bit over the top but still quite nice. However, your nails don't really suit you."

Aihara waved his hand: "My sister is pretty much the same as you, and I've always thought it's normal. Sometimes living is just a personal matter, and there's no need to be afraid of other people's opinions."

Ruan Qi recoiled as if she had been electrocuted, her hand resting on her knee. She had thought that monsters like her were unique, but she never expected that there were others in the world who were just like her, that she had her kind.

There really are always people more capable than you, no wonder the boss was willing to accept her and turn a blind eye to her alienation.

Ruan Qi felt a little relieved, thinking that she had found the right person.

"What do you want me to help you with?"

Aihara turned around and took out twelve copper coins from the counter, skillfully playing with them in his hand.

"Now that you know what kind of person I am, stop keeping me in suspense."

Ruan Qi raised her eyes and glanced at him: "I've heard that the Mirage Tower can calculate a person's past and present lives. Perhaps I have no secrets in your eyes at all. You know better than I do what I need."

"What the hell did I see?"

Aihara's eye twitched slightly. Her second uncle was really good at bragging.

But having been put on this pedestal, there's no choice but to bite the bullet and keep going.

He casually scattered the copper coins on the table, making a crackling sound.

What kind of algorithm is this?

Ruan Qi asked curiously.

"This is called Xia Ji Bu Suan."

Aihara stared intently at the arrangement of the copper coins.

This is a unique fortune-telling method from the old fortune-telling family that my second uncle taught me. As for why he was given this name, you can find the answer by putting the first letters of these four characters together.

His ten fingers intertwined like butterflies flitting among flowers, flipping and changing the position of copper coins in his hands, just like a master pianist playing a piece of music, with a kind of inexplicable rhythm.

"I see."

Ruan Qi was puzzled but impressed. She could vaguely see that the arrangement of the copper coins conformed to some kind of feng shui principle, but it was too profound and dazzling.

The name sounds like it originated from the Xia Dynasty. I never expected that the owner was proficient in such an ancient divination technique. He truly lives up to his reputation.

Snapped.

A copper coin landed on the table.

Aihara looked at the arrangement of the copper coins, recalling what his second uncle had told him, and frowned as he said, "Your family doesn't seem to treat you very well. No, they treat you extremely badly. They did very terrible things to you, so you ran away."

"Yes."

Ruan Qi echoed, "They're just using me as a tool."

That was a painful time that she could never face directly; even the occasional flashbacks in her memory were enough to make her feel suffocated with sadness.

It was during that time that she became the way she is now.

So she escaped.

Aihara was taken aback, not expecting that the method taught by her second uncle was quite accurate, but this algorithm was still based on observation of the girl in front of her.

My second uncle often said that one's appearance reflects one's heart.

You can get a general idea of ​​a person's past just by looking at them from your first instinct.

Therefore, his second uncle often took him to the streets to let him meet all kinds of people, thereby training his judgment, which is also the core of Xia Ji's divination.

feel.

As for the arrangement of those copper coins, it was set according to the other party's information; to put it bluntly, it was a scientific method of induction and summarization.

At least that's what Aihara thought.

"Well."

Aihara fell into deep thought.

It seems things are much more serious than he imagined.

I don't know if it was domestic violence or something even worse.

“You’re an adult now, right? Given the current situation, you really shouldn’t go back. If you do, you’ll encounter some very bad things. If I’m not mistaken, there are still people pursuing you, and they’re quite powerful.”

Aihara thought of a classmate from her first year of high school.

The girl developed symptoms of depression after her mother remarried, and was later sent to a mental hospital for electroconvulsive therapy by her stepfather. She ultimately committed suicide by jumping from a building. For many people, home is a safe haven.

But for some people, home is a den of iniquity.

"Yes, I need a safe place."

Ruan Qi replied.

"Yes, I suggest you go east; the east is auspicious for you."

Aihara continued his divination without looking up, saying, "This is a business card. The other party is a very reliable shady real estate agent who can help you rent a house without verifying your identity. Ideally, it should be near Taishan Road, nestled against the mountains and by the water, suitable for recuperation."

He pulled out a business card and pushed it over.

This is a place my second uncle used to find for some bosses who needed to hide from their debts.

"Thank you."

A new sparkle appeared in Ruan Qi's eyes. This truly solved her immediate crisis. The hunters were chasing her everywhere, and she had nowhere to escape.

The hiding place recommended by the boss might actually be a different side.

Aihara continued his calculations, his brow furrowing even more deeply: "No, you didn't escape on your own, did you? Someone helped you escape, right?"

Ruan Qi remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"But those people are not your real friends; they have ulterior motives."

This was also deduced by Aihara, but it can also be determined through logical reasoning.

If Ruan Qi had reliable friends, he wouldn't have ended up having to come to a feng shui shop for fortune telling in the middle of the night. How utterly helpless he must be.

"Yes, they just think I'm useful..."

Ruan Qi hesitated, knowing that those people were undoubtedly criminals who would kill for money. They hadn't released her by accident; they just wanted to use her. She wasn't stupid; she could see that.

Aihara nodded slightly, feeling that his summer divination skills were becoming increasingly refined.

The situation is quite clear: a group of thugs are trying to incite and control this runaway girl, and their next step is probably to ask for money.

"Don't accept their help anymore, and don't give them anything."

Aihara spoke in a tone that sounded like he was admonishing a wayward girl: "I'll remember that."

"I see."

Ruan Qi made up her mind that even if those guys offered her something else, she wouldn't give back any of her power.

"Also, are you not feeling well?"

Aihara glanced at her: "Are you sick?"

Ruan Qi's pupils suddenly contracted. She hadn't expected the other party to see through her weakness at a glance. She had thought she had disguised herself perfectly.

"Your complexion is clearly not good. If it were just a physical illness, that would be fine, but the most troublesome thing is that you have a mental problem, which is difficult to treat."

Aihara sighed: "You have a mental illness."

Ruan Qi was speechless.

Indeed, ever since she was transformed into this form, her will has been crumbling every day. The fact that she can maintain her rationality at this moment is already a result of the medication.

"Don't take medicine indiscriminately."

Aihara said earnestly, "Some things you have to overcome on your own."

"By one's own will?"

Ruan Qi pursed her lips. The other person seemed to be implying that she was taking those banned drugs to quench her thirst, and she had not yet made up her mind to quit.

"Never mind, you can have this."

Aihara sighed and got up, took a box wrapped in gold thread from the alcove, carefully blew off the dust, and placed it in front of her.

Out of respect, Ruan Qi also stood up.

"This is one of the few valuable things left to me by an old friend. It's a rare, discontinued type of incense, originally from Southeast Asia, made by a high-ranking monk. If you're feeling unwell, you can light it before going to bed at night."

Aihara Yuu said softly, "This box will last you for half a month."

This is one of the few valuable collections left by my second uncle.

Under normal circumstances, Aihara would not give it away.

Considering that Ruan Qi was his first customer, he decided to be generous this time.

Ruan Qi accepted the box of incense with great care. She had vaguely heard that not every customer could receive a gift from Misty Tower. Those seemingly insignificant little things often played a crucial role at certain moments and were rare treasures.

Although the boss looked intimidating, he was surprisingly friendly.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Ruan Qi bowed slightly.

"You're welcome, but that's all for today."

Aihara pointed to the top of his head: "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed too much. Of course, I must also say that fortune telling should not be taken completely seriously; your life is ultimately up to you to decide."

Of course, the real reason was that he couldn't figure anything out.

This is all the information available can be used to calculate.

"I understand, that's enough."

Ruan Qi hesitated for a moment. Since the other party was so generous, the reward she had prepared was not enough.

After thinking it over, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing a string of bracelets.

"This is my reward, and it's also the most valuable thing I own."

Aihara was stunned.

The bracelet seemed to be made of some kind of bone, its entire body gleaming with a chilling pale white, yet flowing with a jade-like luster, like a coiled dragon.

It's easy to understand at a glance.

"Old man?"

Aihara felt a little guilty; he felt unworthy of the honor.

"It's a new item, I made it myself, but the material is pretty good."

Ruan Qi explained tactfully and took off the bracelet, handing it to him.

"Oh, that's fine then."

Aihara smiled silently.

This deal was closed.

·
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The black taxi turned on its lights again.

"Thank God you're back."

The driver, hidden in the shadows of the driver's seat, asked in a low voice, "How is it?"

As the car door closed, a pair of blood-red vertical pupils rose from the darkness, and a slightly hoarse voice said, "The owner of Mirage Tower is very unfathomable. He didn't even notice my deeply mutated appearance. He even praised my current appearance. If I'm not mistaken, he must have come into contact with many beings like me in his daily life."

The driver continued to ask, "He meant no harm?"

Ruan Qi shook his head: "Not at all. He not only saw through my situation at a glance, but also provided me with a way to protect myself. That address, if nothing unexpected happens, is also a hidden side. He even saw that I was being sacrificed by a group of dead apostles, and that my spirit was being eroded."

She picked up the box wrapped in gold thread and said softly, "The owner of Mirage Tower is very friendly; he even gave me a solution."

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, the raindrops hitting the car roof with a rapid sound. The empty street was already flooded, and the water reflected the lights of the traffic lights.

"What's the owner of Misty Tower after?"

The driver said in a low voice.

"I think he must have figured out my bloodline."

Ruan Qi narrowed his eyes: "So I gave him the Alaya consciousness."

The driver was taken aback: "That's your original soul essence! That stuff can cultivate a top-tier immortal being. Its value is enough to give you leverage to negotiate with anyone. You just gave it to him like that, don't you think you're losing out?"

Ruan Qi glanced back at the deep alley: "Is Mirage Tower some ordinary little power? This place is more complicated than you can imagine. Now that I'm like this, that thing is of little use to me."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Let's go."

The driver said nothing more and silently started the car.

The taxi disappeared into the vast curtain of rain.

Rain poured down from the sky, washing away the mud in the alley. Terrifying footprints remained in the soil, as if trampled by a giant dragon.

(End of this chapter)