Both stopped in front of the stall.
Luo Tian Qiu smiled lightly, stepped forward: "Don't you think, four years from now will also be the time I step onto the peak of glory?"
The old woman frowned: "My fortune-telling has never been wrong."
Tian Qiu nodded, about to leave, when she called out:
"Stop. Meeting is fate."
"Then I have a little insight into the dao of divination, consider it a gift for the fated one."
Tian Qiu paused, intending to ask what counted as fated, when he saw the old woman pull out a book, place it on the stack of old books, and hand it to him.
His mouth twisted: "Understood. Everyone is a fated one. I am not special."
"Then... give me one more."
The old woman was not stingy, pulled out another book and handed it over.
Then added a sentence in her heart: "If you want, you can also ask."
Beside him, Luo Wu Chang opened one, examined it for a long while then said very softly: "The cover is really beautiful. The content must also be very good."
At that moment, Luo Yun Ge also arrived: "What are you looking at?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the fortune teller pointed straight at him, her eyes sharp as knives:
"Tsk tsk… a bleak fate. The person you are closest to will die in the near future. Even you yourself are confused. Follow heaven and live. Defy heaven and die. Where fortune prospers, the heavenly dao will be there."
Before she finished speaking, a young girl walked past.
She wore a green dress, beautiful enough to stir the heart, around her radiated a cold aura, strangers should not approach, you will be frozen.
Luo Yun Ge pointed at her, his eyes sharp as knives: "Are you cursing my little sister to die early?"
On one side, Luo Yun Han heard it, only snorted coldly.
The old woman was startled and stood up abruptly, her body swaying, her hand trembling as she pointed back, her voice both panicked and hurried:
"I did not!"
The air instantly became heavy.
She gritted her teeth, as if forcing herself to calm down, then slowly said, each word heavy like nails hammered into stone:
"The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed. But I reveal them, because I follow heaven."
Luo Wu Chang slightly tilted his head, leaned close to Tian Qiu and whispered: "Could it be… she is cursing you to die soon?"
Hearing that, Luo Tian Qiu was not only not angry, but instead revealed a gentle smile. He turned, handed the book to Wu Chang.
"You hold the book."
Tian Qiu stepped forward, beckoned with one hand. The old woman instinctively stepped aside, her body slightly trembling.
He calmly sat down in her former seat, raised his head and looked around once, his tone indifferent: "I also have a little insight in the field of divination. Then let me divine for you, each person one hexagram, free of charge."
After speaking, Tian Qiu raised his hand and pointed toward the old woman: "You will not live long."
Turning around, he pointed straight at Luo Yun Ge: "You also will not live long, Luo Yun Ge."
He stood up abruptly, his cold gaze swept across each face like a sharp blade. His imposing aura pressed forward, like a monarch proclaiming an edict: "You three… will all die."
Then the more he pointed the more fervent he became: "You will be robbed of spirit stones."
"You die."
"That one also dies. This one is finished. That one is done."
Whoever displeased him, he pointed and pronounced sentence without the slightest mercy.
Someone had just stepped to the gate of the academy, not yet understanding what was happening when he heard him say in a low voice: "You die."
That person's face turned pale, stepping back while trembling.
Someone panicked and shouted: "Luo Tian Qiu is angry. Everyone run. If he goes mad, he will give each of you a punch."
In the Luo family academy, there was an unwritten rule.
You could speak ill of Luo Tian Qiu, even in front of him. But only when Luo Wu Chang was standing beside him.
If Wu Chang was absent, and he became angry, then run.
Thanks to that rule, many people had tried to climb onto his head and sit. But no one sat for too long.
By the side of the dusty road, a young girl about twenty years old was setting up a small stall. Everything was originally very normal, if not for the fact that this stall carried a few parts of heterodoxy.
Her name was Song Yun Ji. Tall and slender, long black hair loosely tied with a five-colored string, the ends slightly burnt. Her black eyes were deep, her gaze dreamy, but when focused became strangely sharp.
She wore a white-gray dao robe patched everywhere, wide sleeves stuffed with all kinds of tools. The cloak was modified into a storage pouch, the hem stained with the smell of incense and talisman powder. Her whole person exuded a sloppy, lazy air.
In front of her was a man. Behind him, several others stood watching curiously. Song Yun Ji propped her chin, spoke lazily:
"The pig in your house just gave birth, my guess is not wrong right?"
As soon as the words fell, the man immediately burst into loud laughter: "You guessed wrong. My house does not raise pigs. Everyone be careful, this woman is a fraud."
As soon as he finished speaking, murmurs rose around the stall.
"She is a fraud? One look and you can tell she is not trustworthy."
"The dao of divination, who can truly master it."
"A daoist? Isn't that just a bunch of swindlers."
Voices and laughter intertwined, as if precisely igniting the pile of anger in her heart.
Song Yun Ji slammed her hand down on the table, producing a loud bang: "If you are not divining, then shut up, let others divine."
Her gaze swept to that man. The mocking smile still hung on his face. She spoke each word clearly, neither high nor low:
"And you, don't you always tell your close friends and even those mistresses on the bed that your wife looks like a pig? Then where did I say it wrong?"
As soon as the words fell, the crowd immediately changed tone.
"What? His wife just gave birth and he dares to say that?"
"Did not expect such a person!"
"Truly a beast!"
The man's face turned pale. Seeing the situation unfavorable, he hurriedly took out money, his voice urgent: "Fine fine, consider you lucky!"
Song Yun Ji did not even bother to look: "Not enough."
He panicked: "Wasn't it ten spirit stones?"
She only shook her head, her tone even: "Reputation loss fee, mental damage fee. Added together is fifty."
"Robbery?"
Song Yun Ji rolled up her sleeves, one foot stepped on the chair, the other braced on the table, her gaze cold: "That's right. I am robbing, so what?"
His face turned green, not daring to argue further, hurriedly threw the bag of spirit stones onto the table then fled.
After that commotion, more customers gathered.
"I am about to meet a noble person right?"
"Yes." She answered briefly. "A group of bandits."
She grinned, then pointed to another person.
"You are about to have a noble son."
"Really? I am about to become a father?"
"No." She glanced at him. "You are about to raise another man's child."
She divined while conveniently collecting spirit stones, then turned to the next person.
"You, do not rush to break through your realm."
That person was startled: "Indeed someone wants to assassinate me!"
"No." Song Yun Ji said plainly. "It is because your vitality is too abundant, you could not restrain yourself and secretly went to Zui Xiang Lou. After finishing, you forcibly broke through when your qi and blood were not stable, the result is qi deviation."
Laughter sounded again. Some half believed, some blushed at being exposed.
Divining small matters was fine. Big matters required a price.
After a while, the stall was empty. Song Yun Ji took the opportunity to divine a hexagram for herself.
She drew a wooden stick, put it into the box, shook it wildly as if wanting to mix even fate. When drawing it out, she deliberately closed one eye, opened one eye, as if playing a game of swapping heaven's mandate.
"In the near future I will meet a noble person." She muttered. "And even be fed and housed. Ten thousand? One hundred thousand? Hmph… perhaps even a million!"
She asked herself: "Who is that person?"
She tried to divine further, but the result was still vague.
"If it does not work, I change method." She gritted her teeth. "My lifetime without worry for food and clothing is all placed on that noble person, how can I easily let it go."
She sat cross-legged, tightly closed her eyes.
The qi around her body slightly fluctuated, her cultivation wavered, as if about to fall a small segment.
Each time like this, her mind would be covered by a thick layer of fog. Thoughts could not penetrate, all directions were blurred. Heavenly secrets were like a cold wall, inviolable.
After a while, blood flowed from her nose. In her mind flashed a star, very small, very faint, but clear enough to wake her.
In an instant, she understood.
"I divined it. I divined it!"
She jumped up, like a child who had just found a lost item.
"Someone will die. Then I get rich!"
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
"My effort was not wasted!"
At this moment, two youths about fourteen years old walked over. One frowned and complained, the other smiled lightly to comfort.
"Do you know, that Luo mad dog is too excessive. What did I even do to him, yet he played tricks on me."
"Ha ha." The other laughed lightly. "Probably saw you too outstanding, could not resist provoking trouble to attract your attention."
Song Yun Ji saw the two and her eyes immediately lit up. Without a word, she rushed over, pointed, laughing excitedly.
"One of you two will die!"
She clapped and laughed loudly: "Die wonderfully. Die wonderfully!"
"Then which one of you will pay me spirit stones?"
She pointed randomly between the two, laughing like a madwoman, unable to distinguish who was who.
Yi Wu Shuang frowned, gritted his teeth: "Who are you cursing to die?"
She had not yet realized the seriousness, calmly replied: "I divined that one of you will die."
"And after dying, I will not need to worry about food and drink for life." She grinned. "Tell me, isn't it worth it?"
"One life exchanged for a lifetime of wealth. Dying like that isn't wonderful?"
Yi Wu Shuang was so angry he almost spat blood: "Look at your nosebleed. Flowing like that, if not lustful then what!"
"Have some shame!"
The shout made Song Yun Ji pause, as if just waking from a dream.
"Oh?" She tilted her head. "You just scolded me?"
"Of course." Yi Wu Shuang said through clenched teeth. "Walking normally, you suddenly jump out cursing that one of us will die. Are you crazy?"
Song Yun Ji was not one to swallow anger: "So what if I scold you. Old woman."
Yi Wu Shuang flew into rage, pointing at her chest: "Having two lumps of extra flesh and you think you are great? All the nutrition went there so your brain is muddled, talking only rubbish. The nutrition does not even reach properly!"
Her face turned purple with anger: "Brat, dare call me old woman? Believe it or not I will slap you and send you straight to see Yan Wang!"
Yi Wu Shuang sneered: "Try."
"If you dare, slap."
Song Yun Ji was not polite. She truly slapped, and very hard.
Just as her palm was about to touch his face, the youth beside hurriedly rushed over: "Stop!"
It was Yi Ji Yu.
He pulled Yi Wu Shuang aside, but himself received the full slap.
Even though she had restrained her strength, the slap was still enough to knock him unconscious on the spot.
Before fainting, he still managed to groan: "Damn it… what did I do wrong?"
Yi Wu Shuang knelt down holding his elder brother, crying: "Brother, are you alright? I will definitely make that vicious woman pay!"
He cried while trembling, as if Yi Ji Yu was about to die.
"I will carry you to find the clan elder." He sobbed. "Let him refine pills to save your life!"
Yi Ji Yu trembled and raised his hand, gently stroked Yi Wu Shuang's face, his gaze seeming to say: why don't you refine for me yourself.
Yi Wu Shuang choked: "Because… I do not know how to refine pills."
While the two brothers dramatized a single slap, Song Yun Ji had already packed up tables and chairs, disappeared without a trace, as if she had never existed.
Behind them, Yi Wu Shuang still shouted: "It is all your fault, Luo Tian Qiu. If not for handling your candle wax, we would not have been bullied by that vicious woman."
He was not wrong.
If not for being blocked by the candle wax, even after Song Yun Ji finished divining, they would have already walked past.