After all, Liang Cha usually carried a sword and looked down on everyone with an air of absolute superiority, but now he was driving the tricycle with such extreme caution—the contrast was simply too stark.
Bai Mengmeng couldn't help herself and secretly started recording a video.
Liang Cha burst out laughing, though it was out of sheer exasperation: "Bai Mengmeng, is one bite from a venomous snake not enough for you?"
"Sorry, let me record just a little bit more."
……
The two arrived at the hospital. Liang Cha carried Bai Mengmeng inside and quickly rushed her into the emergency room.
"Ow..." Bai Mengmeng felt her stomach churning violently, hit with a sudden wave of nausea.
Fortunately, there weren't many patients. The doctor took one look at the photograph and immediately identified the creature that bit Bai Mengmeng as a local viper.
Because of the scorching weather, quite a few people had been bitten recently, so the hospital happened to have antivenom on hand.
However, just to be safe, she still had to be admitted for observation.
The money spent didn't matter as long as she kept her life. At the same time, a lingering fear gripped her heart—if not for her senior disciple, she probably wouldn't have survived.
Yet the agritainment business had just started picking up a little, only to be shut down again, and Uncle Xu would have to be asked to help take care of the courtyard vegetables.
Hearing that Bai Mengmeng had been bitten by a poisonous snake, everyone grew deeply worried and rushed over to visit. Hua Guduo even threw herself onto the bed.
"Sect Leader, what did I tell you earlier? Didn't I say you were going to have some bad luck recently? And yet you still dared to run up the mountain!"
Uncle Xu was also rather concerned: "Thank goodness you're safe and sound, otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable."
Wang Hao looked surprised: "You guys did divination beforehand? When it comes to divination, the bad omens always come true while the good ones never do!"
Bai Mengmeng shook her head: "It has nothing to do with divination. I just wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, so you guys don't need to worry so much."
Blessed with a natural Talent and a robust physique, Bai Mengmeng possessed an exceptional recovery ability, and the swelling had subsided in less than a week.
After her discharge checkup came back clear, she hurried home.
Staying another day meant spending more money, and since they were currently eating through their savings, she had to pinch pennies wherever she could.
When she checked out, the disciples all came over to help carry her things.
The sun was bright and warm, yet Bai Mengmeng felt a wave of bittersweet emotion. She remembered it was pouring rain when those two live-streamers arrived; a week had passed, and now the sun was blazing fiercely enough that pedestrians on the street had already changed into short sleeves.
Looking out at the peaceful scenery, coupled with the fact that nothing untoward had happened over the past couple of days, Bai Mengmeng began to think that divination stuff wasn't all that reliable after all.
"Just be careful from now on, you don't need to take divination results too seriously." Bai Mengmeng breathed a sigh of relief.
Hua Guduo frowned: "We can't let our guard down. What if the bad luck hasn't cleared away yet? Outside is bound to be even more dangerous."
No sooner had those words left her mouth than a signboard atop the hospital building broke loose and plummeted downward.
A lot of people were standing at the entrance, but the sign plunged directly toward the top of Bai Mengmeng's head. She scrambled out of the way in a hurry, only to realize that another signboard had somehow broken off as well, crashing precisely toward the direction she had dived to dodge.
This time she was done for!
At the split second between life and death, Liang Cha pulled Bai Mengmeng close to his side.
"Crash!"
The signboard smashed into the ground, shattering into pieces and shaking the pavement.
In the scorching heat of over thirty degrees Celsius, Bai Mengmeng felt a chill run through her entire body.
Could it really be that accurate?
Hua Guduo's face turned exceptionally pale as well.
Bai Mengmeng took a deep breath, slowly calming herself down.
She turned her head and said with a completely broken expression, "Are you certain you haven't awakened the Talent of the Jinx?"
Hua Guduo was stunned silly: "Sect Leader, absolutely not!"
Wang Hao wore a grave expression: "Sect Leader, as I said before, I also had Junior Sister Zhu do a divination for me, and she said I would suffer bad luck. Sure enough, I missed a step and tumbled down the stairs, breaking a rib."
"Later on, I had her test my fortune again, and it was still bad luck. Then I flipped my tricycle right over, plunged into a ditch, and smashed a huge hole in the door."
Everyone stared at Hua Guduo, their expressions turning terrified.
All the color drained from Hua Guduo's face as a flood of realizations washed over her in an instant.
In truth, the vast majority of the divinations she performed were for romance, but they were never accurate, which was why her live-stream had practically no followers.
Yet whenever she tested people's fortunes, the predicted good luck never seemed to materialize; instead, the bad luck turned out spot-on every single time!
"Could it be that I really am a jinx? But my ancestor was clearly Hua Min, the matriarch of the Dao of Divination—she didn't cast curses!"
At this thought, she reached into her bosom and pulled out a tortoise shell.
It was only the size of a palm, yet smooth and rounded, carrying a gentle magical glow that instantly marked it as anything but ordinary.
"This is a Magic Treasure passed down from my ancestors. If someone has awakened a Spiritual Root, it will light up the moment they hold it."
Clutching the tortoise shell for dear life, Hua Guduo felt a twinge of anticipation. But several minutes passed, and the tortoise shell remained completely unresponsive—it didn't light up at all.
Hua Guduo breathed a sigh of relief while simultaneously feeling a touch of disappointment: "It seems I truly possess no Spiritual Root, nor is it possible for me to awaken a Talent."
Bai Mengmeng understood as well: had she awakened a Talent, the changes would have been obvious—at the very least, her physical fitness would have improved drastically, leaving her with no doubt.
Could it really just be a coincidence?
After pondering for a moment, she could only instruct: "Let's hold off on divination for now. Though, I do suspect you definitely possess some related Talent."
Hua Guduo nodded hastily.
Liang Cha couldn't help asking: "What should we do if the bad luck keeps up? How can we turn our fortune around?"
Bai Mengmeng looked at Hua Guduo full of hope, only to find the other girl wearing a troubled expression, indicating she had no clue either.
Was she... doomed to be plagued by bad luck forever?
At that moment, Wang Hao suddenly remembered: "Sect Leader, back when I went to Phoenix Temple, I requested a Peace Talisman and things got better afterward. If your bad luck persists, I suggest you go request a Peace Talisman too."
Bai Mengmeng wore a solemn expression: "I will definitely find time to visit Phoenix Temple and ask them for a Peace Talisman."
Here she was, practicing Daoist immortality-seeking, yet relying on tarot card divination imported from the West when things went south, and now she had to go beg a Buddhist bodhisattva?
Bai Mengmeng's mind was in utter turmoil; as expected, faith was purely utilitarian—whoever worked was the one you prayed to.
Since staying outside might prove dangerous, the group hurried back home.
Upon arrival, Bai Mengmeng stared in absolute astonishment—it had only been a few days, yet everything had transformed completely.
The portulacas and evening primroses she had casually planted earlier were now in full bloom, forming a brilliant, multicolored tapestry under the sunlight with their sweet fragrances drifting through the air, making even the dilapidated restaurant look rather charming.
Reaching the backyard, the sight was even more astonishing.
The cucumbers and cowpeas had sprouted long vines, winding and climbing up the trellises. The beans weren't quite full-sized yet, and the cucumbers remained quite small, but as a gust of wind swept past, the yellow blossoms at their tips fluttered in the breeze, presenting a deeply heart-pleasing spectacle.
The greens, chives, and similar crops in the courtyard were thriving just as well; the tomatoes, green peppers, and eggplants had grown considerably larger. The tomatoes bore little green fruits, the eggplants looked plump and glossy, and the green peppers resembled tiny lanterns.
These vegetables were already ready for harvest; after two months of painstaking labor, the vegetable garden was finally ushering in a bountiful harvest.