Song Lian remembered that when Yuyin was injured, what he had offered her was his hand, not a knife. Why was she trying to mess with him on purpose? If his reflexes hadn't been sharp enough to brake in time, both the vehicle and the people inside would have ended up in the ditch.
"I think... there’s a misunderstanding between us. I had just been in a car accident and my head wasn't clear, so it was inevitable that I gave the wrong directions," Yuyin hurriedly explained, shifting the blame onto the bus that had nearly cost her her life.
Song Lian stared at her for a few moments, sensing that even if he persisted in questioning her, she wouldn't necessarily tell the truth. He lowered his gaze, took a slip of paper from his pocket, and handed it to her. "A fortune I requested six months ago."
Yuyin sighed. A master’s debts are paid by the disciple—another debt collector.
"Give me your date of birth and the time of your birth. What do you want to have divined?" Yuyin intended to settle this debt for her Master so she could leave the mountain with peace of mind.
Song Lian looked at Yuyin’s youthful, reluctant face, then crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into the trash. "Master Huian is dead; forget the divination."
Yuyin’s eyes widened. "Looking down on me, are you?"
"Yes," Song Lian replied calmly.
This man had no tact whatsoever; he was blunt and unlikeable.
Staring at him for a few moments, Yuyin’s brow furrowed deeper, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him. "You and Cheng Fangnan must have some connection..."
Once her own luck slowly returned, everyone in the Cheng Family would be implicated. Black mist was already gathering on Song Lian, indicating he had been caught in the crossfire.
"Can you actually tell fortunes?" Song Lian finally looked at her properly. His indifferent gaze sharpened, with a hint of hesitation.
Yuyin pursed her lips and smiled, revealing a row of neat, white teeth. "I am the successor of Lianxi Taoist Temple; physiognomy and fortune-telling are a piece of cake. But I advise you: stay away from Cheng Fangnan. The Cheng Family's luck has run out. Anyone close to them will be struck by misfortune, perhaps even lose their life."
She thought that since Song Lian didn't share the Cheng surname, it wouldn't hurt to warn him. It would be a shame for such a talented illustrator to be dragged down by the Cheng Family.
Song Lian looked up, surprised. Thinking of Yuyin’s identity, he seemed to understand something. It appeared Master Huian had taken her on as his final disciple because she truly had the ability.
"Thank you for the warning." Song Lian’s footsteps were unsteady; he nearly tripped over the threshold.
"Hey, didn't you want your fortune told?"
"I already know the answer."
Watching Song Lian leave, Yuyin retrieved the slip of paper from the trash.
Number 502.
Song Lian had actually used his own birthday as the number. It seemed their paths would be entangled in the future.
Just as she was deep in thought, a message from Cheng Songbai arrived on her phone.
*Cheng Songbai: Yuyin, Uncle will be in Pingcheng soon. Stay put at the temple and be a good girl.*
Seeing this, Yuyin didn't want to stay for another second. She quickly locked the temple gate, headed down the mountain, and sent a reply to Cheng Songbai.
*She: Uncle Cheng, my place was trashed, so I have to go into hiding. Otherwise, your son is going to kill me.*
After sending the message, Yuyin removed the SIM card from her phone and tossed it at the foot of the mountain.
Today was Sheng Feiyan’s twentieth birthday, and her father, Sheng Anguo, would surely be there. As long as she could get a strand of his hair and conduct a paternity test, she could rightfully return to the Sheng Family and claim the wealth and status that belonged to her.
Once she had the backing of the Sheng Family, she wouldn't have to fear the Cheng Family forcing her into an engagement with Cheng Fangnan.
Lacking a car, Yuyin could only ride the temple's only mode of transport: an old, rickety bicycle down the mountain.
Word was that tonight, Sheng Anguo had rented out the top-tier Dream Star Sea Club in Pingcheng to host a birthday banquet for his beloved daughter, Sheng Feiyan. The guests included not only internet celebrities and stars but also business magnates and bigwigs from the Mystic Gate.
The doors of Dream Star Sea were hard to enter, and the invitation checks were extremely strict. Yuyin failed to sneak in and sat dejectedly in a drink shop across the street, eating ice cream.
Suddenly, a figure caught her attention.
It was Chen Shujing!
The woman was so focused on her phone call that she didn't even notice Yuyin, who was just a few feet away.
By the light of the streetlamp, Yuyin saw Chen Shujing’s face clearly. In just half a day, her physiognomy had changed again. Her eyes were murky, her teeth were blackening, and her complexion had a gray, decaying air; even her shadow under the streetlamp had dimmed and blurred.
*Sigh,* she had warned her to leave Cheng Fangnan, but she insisted on walking down a dead-end road.
Yuyin took a bite of her ice cream, keeping an eye on Chen Shujing’s movements, when a black car came speeding from the distance, heading straight toward her.
Thinking of the invitation in Chen Shujing’s hand, Yuyin darted forward and pulled her aside—saving her was effectively saving herself.
"What are you doing?" Chen Shujing stumbled from the force of Yuyin’s pull, her phone falling to the ground and shattering.
At that moment, the black car raced by, crushing the phone and slamming into the wall nearby. Chen Shujing was so terrified that her legs gave out, and she huddled on the ground, unable to stand.
"How did you know that car was going to hit me?" She was crying from fear, clutching her stomach and hiding behind Yuyin, terrified of further danger.
After this, she believed in Yuyin implicitly. If not for Yuyin, she and her child would be dead.
"Someone doesn't want you marrying into the Cheng Family. If you can't let go of this child, you will end up with nothing but death." Yuyin said only that; she didn't want to leak any more secrets of heaven.
Chen Shujing hugged her designer bag and wailed. She wasn't willing to give up.
To get involved with Cheng Fangnan, she had pulled out all the stops and let several scumbags take advantage of her. If she gave up now, wouldn't she be left with nothing?
Yuyin sighed; crying wouldn't solve anything.
Chen Shujing grabbed Yuyin’s leg, crying piteously. "Master Yu, you're so powerful, you must be able to break this curse! As long as you can help me marry in, I’ll drain the Cheng Family dry, and we can split it all."
Yuyin looked at Chen Shujing in a new light. She had thought the woman was just a lovesick fool, but it turned out she was a money-grabber.
"It can't be broken. If you don't want to be dragged down by misfortune, get far away from Cheng Fangnan." Yuyin glanced at her, her gaze fixed more firmly on the Dream Star Sea.
She had just seen Cheng Fangnan and Song Lian walk in.
Chen Shujing looked like she’d lost her soul, staring silently at Yuyin’s back. She had already burned her bridges; she couldn't afford to lose both the person and the profit.
Right, tonight at Sheng Feiyan’s birthday party, they were inviting a Mystic Gate Master who had been very popular in recent years. Perhaps she could get that master to help her resolve it.
"Since you know Sheng Feiyan, help me get an introduction. I need to see Sheng Anguo," Yuyin said, looking toward Dream Star Sea.
*Sheng Anguo!*
Hearing the name, Chen Shujing stood up straight with a jolt, her thin eyebrows knitting together. "Great-aunt, are you trying to make things hard for me? Sheng Anguo is famous for being devoted to his wife. There’s no need for you to go be a mistress to an old man..."
"Shut up!" Yuyin barked.
That old man named Sheng might just be her biological father.
"Is there a way or not? If not, get lost!" Yuyin yawned, urging her impatiently.
Chen Shujing nodded vigorously, desperate to make sure Yuyin saw the invitation in her hand. The gold-stamped invite had a large "Sheng" character on it, elegantly and luxuriously designed.
"Today is Feiyan’s twentieth birthday, and Uncle Sheng rented out Dream Star Sea to celebrate for her. I got an invitation from Fangnan, and I can bring you in with me."
Yuyin grabbed her bag and dragged Chen Shujing forward.
After Chen Shujing brought her inside, she vanished, leaving Yuyin wandering around alone.
Fearing her identity would be exposed, she tricked a server in the restroom and donned her uniform to go find Sheng Anguo.
Passing a private room halfway there, she saw the door was ajar and heard voices from within.
"Mr. Song, I’ve already examined Yuyin’s face. She’s just a stupid, incompetent amateur. She talks a big game but has absolutely no skill. If you really want a divination, you must see my master."
Yuyin frowned. Someone was reading her face? Weren't they afraid of losing years off their life?
In the Mystic Gate, it was highly taboo to perform divinations or physiognomy on one's peers. Doing so could result in bad luck at best, and karmic backlash or shortened lifespan at worst.
Therefore, even when exchanging pointers, they usually made a point to avoid each other and focus on strangers.
Just as she was about to listen a bit more, her body was yanked into the private room. The grip on her wrist was heavy, bruising her elbow.
"Let go!" Yuyin was about to erupt in anger when she realized the person who had grabbed her was Song Lian.