Chapter 204: Divination

Dongfang Ji won the final batch of Red Potion with a bid of 1.1 million. At this price, it wasn’t just a markup—it was practically sky-high.

As the biggest beneficiary, Yun Qimu couldn’t stop grinning. Even the way she looked at Dongfang Ji, that proud little prince, had grown much gentler.

She’d taken a good look at him—this was one plump little lamb, and she could fleece him for wool as much as she wanted in the future.

Dongfang Ji didn’t disappoint Yun Qimu either. After winning the last batch of Red Potion, he didn’t rush off. Instead, he led his entourage of “lackeys” on a leisurely stroll around the Longteng base, then made a high-profile bid for the Green Frost Stone.

By the end of the day, everyone in Mercenary City knew that Dongfang Ji was a walking pile of energy coins—the richest of the rich.

In short, in just one day, Dongfang Ji’s name was already ringing throughout Chaos City.

Now, when people mentioned him, the first thing they talked about wasn’t his exquisitely beautiful face that even women envied, but his lavish spending—he was a bona fide golden goose.

As a result, a whole wave of young ladies flocked to the Longteng base, hoping to “accidentally” run into Dongfang Ji and strike up a connection.

Who wouldn’t fall for a handsome, rich young man? Even Yun Qimu was a little tempted.

Fortunately, she had Wu Xingyu by her side—a higher-spec version of Dongfang Ji—otherwise, she might have taken the initiative to befriend Dongfang Ji herself.

Still, fate seemed to keep bringing them together.

Because most of Longteng’s top fighters were still recovering from injuries, Zhong Teng and Kui Hai had ordered them to rest and not participate.

So even with Yun Qimu and a few other outside helpers, there was still a shortage of S-class espers.

As luck would have it, Dongfang Ji wasn’t willing to be outdone by Xun Min, and Tang Liangjun suggested that Longteng—a group with plenty of elderly and kids and a reputation for being much more moral than the other factions in Chaos City—would be a good fit.

So Longteng needed people, and Dongfang Ji’s group needed a team. The two sides hit it off and quickly formed a partnership.

On the day of the Senmuze Hunting Tournament, Yun Qimu ran into Dongfang Ji and his group at the gates of Chaos City as they came to regroup.

In the end, the teams representing Longteng were: seven from Earth Village, eight from Molan City, nine from Dongfang Ji’s group, and just six from Longteng itself—the smallest team among the four alliances.

This drew plenty of curious glances from the other factions in Chaos City.

Eyes kept darting toward their group, and everyone was speculating: Had the previous berserk beast tide really hit Longteng so hard that they couldn’t even field ten people?

Did this mean Longteng was on the decline, and others now had a chance to rise?

The surrounding small and mid-sized factions were all itching to make a move.

Dongfang Ji’s delicate brows furrowed, and he glared unhappily. “What’s with those looks? Are they looking down on us?”

He looked like a bristling little lion, ready to roll up his sleeves and start a fight at any moment.

Old Tang stepped out from behind Yun Qimu, slinging an arm around Dongfang Ji’s shoulders and offering some heartfelt advice: “Don’t be so hasty, kid. We can wait until we’re inside to settle things.”

Dongfang Ji froze, turning to meet the gaze of a man half a head taller than him, mature, rugged, and handsome. His flamboyant face twisted in awkwardness. “You—who are you?”

“Oh, almost forgot to introduce myself.” Old Tang grinned and introduced himself. “I’m Tang Hongmao. I’ve inherited a family beast-taming art—just a wave of my hand and I can summon a horde of berserk and mutant beasts. I heard about your duel with that sneaky-looking kid. When the time comes, I’ll summon the beasts, you do the killing, and we’ll win in no time.”

Dongfang Ji’s eyes widened. “Family—family inheritance? Like Tang Liangjun’s divination?”

“Divination?” Old Tang narrowed his eyes, a glint flashing within.

Divination—just hearing the word brought to mind the Han Dynasty.

The Han Dynasty was one of the eight great powers and eight royal authorities of the current interstellar era.

Unlike the other six royal authorities, which split off during the collapse and rebellion of the Norman Empire, the Han Dynasty had existed as a small kingdom even before the Norman Empire.

Its history stretched back even further than the Empire’s, and as a result, it was even more decayed and impoverished. Because it rarely interacted with the wider interstellar world, it was also considered backward.

But it wasn’t without its strengths. For example, it preserved ancient traditions that ordinary people without awakened abilities across the stars envied deeply.

Things like sealing arts, beast-taming, divination, swordsmanship, and also things like Gu insects and talismans.

These mysterious and ancient traditions were incredibly alluring. If used well, they could be even more formidable than psychic abilities.

Take, for example, Yi Beimeng’s Gu insects.

In Chaos City—and even across the entire Exile Star—everyone knew that Yi Beimeng of Red Lotus Stronghold had managed to become the leader as an ordinary person, leading the stronghold to become one of the three major powers in Chaos City, and making others wary of provoking them. It was all because he raised and refined Gu insects, using them in ways even more ruthless and domineering than espers.

Even S-class espers couldn’t get the better of him, which spoke to the terrifying power of the Han Dynasty’s ancient Gu arts.

Old Tang himself was from the Han Dynasty, an inheritor of ancient secret arts who’d escaped from there.

As it happened, he’d awakened a beast-taming ability, so he named his power “Family Beast-Taming Art,” making it clear where his roots lay.

Yes, the Han Dynasty was decayed, poor, backward, and overcrowded. In the end, because he inherited his family’s beast-taming art, he was hunted down and forced to flee the Han Dynasty, becoming a wanderer among the stars. But deep down, he still loved his homeland.

If he wasn’t worried that his brat Tang En would be targeted if he returned, he’d have gone back to the Han Dynasty to die, scattering his ashes on his native soil—fulfilling his wish to return home at last.

But for the sake of his son’s safety, he could only bury that wish and bring his son to this Exile Star.

He’d seen it all—nowhere in the interstellar world was truly safe. Tang En, despite being an A-class esper, would have a tough time surviving without him.

He could also sense that the mysterious organization hunting him had already tracked him here. If he died, Tang En would probably be caught and imprisoned.

And so, this special garbage planet—where you could only enter, never leave—became his last and best option. At least it was a whole planet for Tang En to roam.

All in all, coming to Exile Star was better than being captured and taken who-knows-where.

Now, Old Tang was actually glad he’d brought his son here.

Because they’d met Earth Village, and found the Light Potion that could save him—this trip had been more than worth it.

Other than being confined to this planet, there were no real downsides. Even the food and housing were far better than when he’d been drifting through the stars."