Chapter 2
After Xia Sheng hung up the phone, she slipped the old mobile back into her pocket.
Outside the high-speed rail station, there were food stalls. Xia Sheng’s stomach rumbled a few times, so she walked over to a stall selling fried noodles and ordered a portion.
She finished her lunch at a low table nearby. When she reached into her pocket-
Two fifty-cent coins.
Xia Sheng fell silent.
She looked up with a tense face. “Boss, do you allow credit here?”
The stall owner smiled kindly. “What do you think?”
After the Old Charlatan died, Xia Sheng’s life became even more frugal than before, but there was still five hundred yuan at home.
Well, it was still at home.
She’d forgotten to bring it.
Perhaps seeing her hesitate to produce any money, the stall owner had already come out from behind the stall, just in case the young girl tried to run off.
Xia Sheng hesitated for a moment, then said, “I can tell fortunes and read faces. Let me do a reading for you to pay for the meal, is that alright?”
The stall owner looked at her with even more suspicion.
Not only was she trying to eat for free, she was also promoting feudal superstitions. No matter how you looked at it, she didn’t seem like a good person.
Just as Xia Sheng was about to say something else, a voice came from behind her: “Young lady, do a reading for me. I’ll pay for your meal.”
Xia Sheng turned around and saw a tall, thin middle-aged man standing behind her. His eyes were full of doubt and distrust, clearly not sincerely wanting a reading.
Xia Sheng glanced at him and said, “You’re from the army. While you were working, your wife and child were attacked and killed by criminals in retaliation. You retired from service because of this, never remarried, changed your name, and now live alone.
“After retiring, you started an industrial company, and business has been booming. But as the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind-lately, you’ve been plagued by troublemakers.
“You’ve attracted disaster because of wealth. At noon today, the southeast direction is extremely unlucky. The Li Family will cause a car accident, and someone surnamed Wang will die in your place.”
Jiang Zhongqing had originally just wanted to expose this little swindler, so the stall owner wouldn’t be harmed by her.
But after hearing her words, all the suspicion in his eyes instantly vanished.
He had been on a business trip in another province these past few days, but due to a conflict of interest between his company and the Li Family, he had rushed back to the Imperial Capital to resolve the matter.
And today, the place he was heading to was precisely in the southeast direction.
His driver’s surname was Wang.
Most importantly, his identity in the army had been special; aside from his comrades, no one knew he had retired because of his wife and child’s deaths.
Jiang Zhongqing knew several Masters from the Mystic Sect and believed in spirits and deities himself.
Now, hearing Xia Sheng say all this, he realized the young lady truly had some skills.
Jiang Zhongqing’s expression grew serious. He asked, “Little Master, do you have a way to resolve this?”
Xia Sheng extended her fair hand. “Fortune-telling pays for the meal; disaster resolution is extra.”
Jiang Zhongqing was stunned at first, then burst out laughing. “Little Celestial Master, you’re truly genuine. How much do you want?”
Xia Sheng raised her index finger, indicating ‘one’.
Jiang Zhongqing said, “That’s a bit much. I can’t transfer that amount on my phone. I’ll call my finance department to wire it to you later.”
His company’s net profit per quarter was over a billion; one million was nothing to him, it was just a hassle to transfer.
Xia Sheng was puzzled. “No cash?”
Do rich people not even carry a hundred yuan in cash anymore?
Jiang Zhongqing shook his head. “No.”
Who would carry a million in cash around?
Xia Sheng saw that he didn’t seem like someone who would default, so she said, “Liao’an Pedestrian Street, turn left at the intersection and take a detour, and you’ll arrive safely at your destination. In half an hour, you can send someone to confirm if there’s been a car accident there.”
Jiang Zhongqing nodded, then asked, “Little Celestial Master, where are you headed? I’ll give you a ride.”
There were quite a few people from the Mystic Sect in the Capital City, and Jiang Zhongqing knew many Masters.
But there were very few who, like Xia Sheng, could see through a person’s entire life at a glance.
Such talent was naturally someone he wanted to win over.
Xia Sheng was not polite with him and asked, “Do you know where in the Imperial Capital I can buy Yellow Talisman and Cinnabar? The Li Family failed to plot against you today, but you’ll still face misfortune soon. You’ll need a Misfortune-Dispelling Talisman to resolve it, but I’ve run out of materials for drawing talismans and need to restock.”
Jiang Zhongqing replied, “I know a few Masters from the Mystic Sect. I’ll ask them and find out. Come get in the car with me first.”
Xia Sheng nodded. Jiang Zhongqing took out his phone and scanned the vendor’s code to pay.
The vendor glanced at Xia Sheng, then whispered in Jiang Zhongqing’s ear, “Sir, that young lady is a Charlatan. You’d better get your money back before she cheats you.”
Jiang Zhongqing didn’t argue, only replied politely, “Thank you for the reminder.”
Seeing that he didn’t believe him, the vendor sighed.
This gentleman was well-dressed and carried himself with poise. Who would have thought he’d believe in something as unrealistic as fortune-telling?
He’d already given his warning. If the gentleman didn’t listen and got cheated, it was no longer his concern.
After paying, Jiang Zhongqing and Xia Sheng left.
The vendor remembered that his wife, who had gone home to get some condiments, should have been back by now, but she was still nowhere to be seen. He decided to call her.
Just as he took out his phone, he heard the young lady say, “Your wife’s electric scooter broke down and she won’t be able to come for a while. You’d better buy some condiments from the nearest convenience store for now.”
The young lady didn’t look back. She kept walking, her voice drifting away on the wind.
The vendor was stunned.
How did this young lady know his wife had ridden home to get condiments? He didn’t remember mentioning it to her.
As he was thinking this, his wife called.
“My scooter just broke down. I have to go to the repair shop. You go buy some condiments at the store first…”
He couldn’t hear what his wife said after that. He was so shocked that he couldn’t recover for a long time.
It turned out she wasn’t a Charlatan, but a little immortal!
If he’d known earlier, when the little immortal offered to tell his fortune in exchange for a meal, he should have agreed and asked her to read his luck!
The vendor regretted it deeply and wanted to chase after Xia Sheng, but she had already disappeared into the crowd.
……
The car drove into an ancient alley and stopped in front of a two-story building with a classical style.
Antique shops and stores selling wedding and funeral supplies lined the alley, and there were many stalls by the roadside offering fortune-telling or selling jade Buddhas. The strong contrast with the modern city outside was striking.
Xia Sheng got out of the car and followed Jiang Zhongqing inside.
A child holding a pinwheel ran out of the shop, and Xia Sheng instinctively stepped aside.
She hadn’t noticed when someone had appeared behind her. As she stepped back, she bumped right into him.
A faint, cool fragrance filled her senses, wrapping her in a calming aura from behind.
Before she could apologize, a nervous voice sounded behind her, “Sir, are you alright?”
From above her head came a steady, magnetic voice: “It’s nothing.”
She turned around and saw the man’s face.
He stood tall and straight, his features refined and aloof.
His expression was cold at first, but when their eyes met, the chill in his gaze seemed to melt instantly, replaced by a hint of gentleness.
Shen Yanchen lowered his eyes to look at the young lady before him and asked, “Did you get hurt?”