Starting Cultivation During a Trip

Chapter 535 - 265: The Emperor of the Mortal World Controls Fortune and Misfortune! Human Xiao Has Yet to Rise, Tai Sui Proclaims Himself King

"Are you human?!"

Such a question seems to come from the depths of the soul, deafening and thought-provoking. Everyone in this world should ponder this question.

However, when this question reached Li Yishan’s ears, it made him show an unusual expression. He stared at Zhang Fan, was silent for a while, then couldn’t help but speak.

"Are you insulting me?!"

"..."

"I mean..." Zhang Fan muttered.

"You should know best whether I’m human or not." Li Yishan glanced at Zhang Fan and said calmly.

The two of them grew up together since childhood; they’re not brothers, but they’re as close as siblings.

"Besides, does it really matter if I’m human?"

Li Yishan picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of fresh lamb from the boiling pot, dipped it in the sauce, and stirred it.

"To be honest, even if I’m human and you’re an animal, what difference does it make? Aren’t we still sitting together, drinking and eating meat?" Li Yishan mixed the fresh lamb in the bowl with the sauce and sent it to his mouth, chewing it quickly.

"..."

"What kind of truth is that, damn it?"

Zhang Fan rolled his eyes.

"Aren’t you cultivating? What’s that old saying?" Li Yishan shook his wine glass, squinted his eyes, and stared at Zhang Fan.

"True or false, it’s neither true nor false; who cares if the immortal deer becomes a wild horse!"

Zhang Fan heard this and remained silent.

All phenomena are illusions; seek truth within the heart.

Indeed, is that answer important? Perhaps, compared to what he’s thinking, that answer doesn’t matter anymore.

"Looks like your illness has improved; after such a big illness, you even had some enlightenment, damn it." Zhang Fan raised his wine glass.

"Of course, I am human." Li Yishan chuckled softly.

Clink...

The two clinked glasses, the liquor rippled, they drank in one go, everything unspoken.

"Is your illness completely cured?" Zhang Fan put down his wine glass, picked up a piece of lamb, and asked.

"Is it that easy?" Li Yishan shook his head.

"Once a person falls ill, it’s hard to recover fully from a major illness."

While speaking, Li Yishan’s gaze slightly darkened, and he continued, "Though my illness isn’t a big deal, my family’s business has run into trouble."

"How can your family’s business have trouble?" Zhang Fan asked.

"Several employees aren’t being obedient, and now they’ve been let go, so we’re short on people for the business." Li Yishan said calmly.

"Then just find more people." Zhang Fan ate the meat with sauce.

"Is it that easy? Our family has many rules for hiring. First, they must be born in the year of the Tiger or Dog."

This sentence made Zhang Fan’s actions slow down for a moment.

"Year of the Tiger, year of the Dog... that’s quite hard to find."

"Help me keep an eye out, if you find suitable candidates, recommend them to me." Li Yishan sighed.

"There are quite a few old employees in our family business, if I want to really take over, I might need to do a thorough clean-up to kick out those who aren’t on the same page as me."

While speaking, a chilling glint flashed in Li Yishan’s eyes, like the severe ice of winter, like the blood-stained refined blade.

"Your family has a big business, very mixed, it does need a good cleaning, but don’t rush it, wait until you’ve healed, otherwise, if those employees get the better of you, it would be a loss." Zhang Fan said lightly.

"I understand." Li Yishan nodded, his eyes slowly retracting the expression.

"By the way, do you have any employees born in the year of the Rabbit?" Zhang Fan shifted the topic suddenly.

"Of course, but that Rabbit employee is new, I don’t have much impression of her." Li Yishan said casually.

"Is there a way to get her to come chat?" Zhang Fan pressed on.

"You know, my health has always been a problem, I haven’t been very involved in family business, and Yun Ma also dislikes me interacting with those old employees. The most crucial thing is..."

"Our family business has another major shareholder."

"Major shareholder?!" Zhang Fan was stunned for a moment, showing an unusual expression. This was the first time he’d heard of this.

"What do you mean?"

"You’re born in the year of the Snake, right? This year is your birth year—"

At that moment, Li Yishan suddenly shifted topics.

"Is there a problem?"

"Then you’re offending Tai Sui this year." Li Yishan said with deep meaning.

According to traditional lunar calendar, twelve earthly branches correspond to twelve zodiac signs, with each year denoted as a flowing year to calculate months and years.

Just like this year, the zodiac sign that rotates is the flowing year zodiac, which is Si Snake.

Tai Sui is a legendary deity, also known as "Year Lord," "Year Star," calculated according to the sixty-year cycle, each year has a Tai Sui rotating, corresponding to the year’s earthly branch zodiac.

Meaning, there are sixty Tai Sui rotating in the heavens, governing the fortune and misfortune of the mortal world for each year, thus they are called "Emperor of the Year," symbolizing supreme power.

Legend has it that the leader of sixty Tai Sui is the son of King Zhou of Yin of the Shang Dynasty, later ennobled as Earth Department Tai Sui General Yin, Yin Jiao.

The so-called offending Tai Sui means an individual’s zodiac sign has adverse relations like conflict, clash, breakdown, harm with the flowing year Tai Sui.

Some worry their birth year won’t have good fortune, which isn’t true. Think about it, the year you were born is your first birth year; coming into this world, transitioning from death to life, isn’t it such a great fortune? How could it be unlucky?

However, encountering the year when Tai Sui rotates, which is the so-called birth year where zodiac matches the flowing year Tai Sui, the fate fluctuates considerably in that year, with ups and downs.

On the contrary, some zodiac signs may have adverse relations with the flowing year Tai Sui.

For example, this year, the Pig zodiac conflicts with Tai Sui, causing changes and conflicts.

Monkey zodiac offends Tai Sui, likely to encounter disputes.

Tiger zodiac undermines Tai Sui, leading to hidden losses caused by deceitful people.

Rabbit zodiac breaks Tai Sui, causing fluctuating and declining fortunes.

"Zodiac rotates annually; Tai Sui manages the year’s fortune, impacting the rise and fall of zodiac signs." Li Yishan said lightly.