Chapter 45 Fortune Telling

The day after New Year's Day, as the sky began to lighten, Shang Yuji vaguely regained consciousness.

With her eyes closed, she reached out and rummaged through the pillows on the bedside table. She touched something warm and vaguely realized that this person was Jiang Xi. She searched again and finally found a brocade pouch.

As Shang Yuji moved, the already close distance suddenly closed, but her attention was focused on finding something, so she didn't notice a soft, warm touch on her neck.

Using the dim light filtering through the window, Shang Yuji slightly opened her eyes, frantically opened the box with her fingers, and took out the black jade hair ornament inside.

I almost forgot, Jiang Xi gave me her birthday gift.

She struggled to crawl out of her warm bed; leaving the warm blankets in the cold winter was truly a test of willpower.

Just as she propped herself up and tried to get off the bed, her movements were stopped by the arms wrapped around her waist.

Jiang Xi is much more difficult to deal with in her sleep than when she's awake; after all, how can one communicate with a sleeping person who cannot respond?

Helpless, Shang Yuji chose to bend down, reach out, and place the hair ornament on the wooden cabinet next to the bed.

She wanted to reach for the rouge in the corner of the counter, but it was too far away, so she had to lower herself again.

As for pressing her waist and abdomen against the head of the person beneath her, it's not fair to blame her for bullying a sleeping person. If he had loosened his arms and let her get off the bed to get paper and pen to write, she wouldn't have resorted to this tactic.

Shang Yuji stretched out her five fingers, barely reaching the rouge box, and bent her fingertips to try to hook it over.

I got it!

The person below her waist suddenly buried their face in her belly, sniffing and rubbing against her like a cat, almost causing Shang Yuji to drop the rouge box she had just picked up.

...Forget it, why bother arguing with someone who's asleep?

She dipped her index finger in rouge and slowly wrote "Ji Lejiang's Birthday" on the handkerchief. She originally wanted to write his full name, but the rouge didn't look good on the handkerchief, so she only wrote his surname.

To be precise, the day after New Year's Day is not his actual birthday.

I remember last year on New Year's Day, there was a great commotion of gongs and drums outside Hongyun Garden, which was just a wall away. I saw him looking curiously at the dilapidated courtyard wall, as if he could see the lively scene behind it through the wall.

She gritted her teeth, pocketed the loose change, climbed out of the cave, and bought him a bamboo dragonfly as a New Year's gift.

When I got back, I explained to him that it was a festive occasion, so the people were all in high spirits. The New Year's Day was a festive occasion, as was the Lantern Festival and birthdays.

Unexpectedly, Young Master Jiang was unreasonable. In order to have a few more days of fun, he couldn't change the already set holiday, so he said that the second day of the new year was his birthday.

When he asked her about her birthday, it just so happened that the next day was her birthday.

Now that we know it's not his birthday, it doesn't matter; the joke eventually became the truth.

Shang Yuji placed the handkerchief under her hair ornament, felt the chill of the quilt, and shivered as she moved back into bed.

Seemingly sensing her return to his embrace, his arms, like tendrils, wrapped tightly around her, and his long legs, not to be outdone, joined in, hooking and entwining, weaving a knot that was difficult to untangle.

Before closing her eyes and falling asleep again, she thought deeply: Did this person install a tracking device on her? Why is he always able to accurately capture her?

As dawn broke, the riverbank, where he had practiced martial arts on those days, awoke from its slumber.

He lingered in bed for a while, holding the still unconscious Shang Yuji, before finally getting off.

Jiang Xi got up to change his clothes and noticed a black jade hair ornament on the mahogany cabinet beside the bed. Lifting the hair ornament, he saw a handkerchief underneath, with the words "Happy Birthday" written on it in broken characters, along with his surname. It was clear that it was written by A Ji for him.

He didn't see it when he entered the house last night, but when he woke up this morning, he saw the gift. It was a surprise that Aji had prepared for him.

He clutched his chest, his rapid heartbeat causing him to bend over. He didn't want to go to the backyard to practice martial arts anymore; he wanted to stay quietly in the house with Ah Ji.

But no, if Aji wakes up and sees him still there, she'll definitely be unhappy. He can do whatever he wants, but Aji can't be sad.

Jiang Xi hurriedly dressed, picked up her hair ornament and held it up to the bronze mirror, then carefully put it back in its place. She also folded the handkerchief with the congratulatory message on it and put it on her person.

He can't wear the hair ornament; it's easy to accidentally injure it while practicing martial arts. This is a birthday gift from Aji, and he has to treasure it carefully!

When it was time to practice martial arts, Jiang Xi went to scout out the location and arrived at the backyard.

In the backyard, besides his master and Xiang Fei, there was an elderly man with a similarly robust physique to Xiang Fei.

"My master has come to see how I teach people," Xiang Fei explained.

Yi Sha snorted: "He's clearly here to see my good apprentice."

Xiang Fei scratched his head. His master had suddenly decided to come and see for himself, and he couldn't stop him.

The old man looked over frequently, then stepped forward and began to pinch Jiang Xiqu's arms, back, and leg bones.

He looked up, glancing at Yi Sha out of the corner of his eye, and said ambiguously, "You really have taken on a good disciple."

I thought she was just bragging, but she's actually a genius. Even I want to teach her.

It's not that it's impossible; he's more famous than his apprentice, and many people want him to teach them but he won't.

"Cough..." Xiang Fengyun covered his face with his fist, coughed lightly, and got up.

"What, itching to teach you yourself?" Yi Sha said, directly stating what was on his mind.

“I charge extra for teaching,” Xiang Fengyun added. “Not much, just three more jars of wine.”

Trading three jars of wine for a piece of Fengyun's guidance is naturally a good deal, and Yi Sha replied, "Deal."

Jiang Xi stood aside, watching the two complete a transaction concerning himself right in front of him.

Xiang Fengyun asked Xiang Fei, "Where are we in the lesson?"

Xiang Fei: "Physical training."

Xiang Fengyun was silent for a moment, then punched Xiang Fei in exasperation, making him stagger: "He's not like you bunch of rascals with your tough skin. He should be training his bones instead!"

It sounded like her apprentice had been practicing in the wrong direction, so Yi Sha seized the opportunity: "In that case, you have to give me back two jars."

"Don't even think about it! I'll just teach you for a few more days!" Xiang Fengyun reacted quickly, and as a heavy drinker, he immediately objected.

Since it would be beneficial for them to teach for a few more days, Yi Sha agreed to his suggestion.

The four people in the backyard were arguing about practicing swordsmanship. This had nothing to do with Shang Yuji, who woke up to find her handkerchief missing but her hair ornament still there. She could probably guess that Jiang Xi had gone to collect it again.

She knew Jiang Xi had a habit of keeping her things safe, and didn't expect that she wouldn't wear the congratulatory gift Jiang Xi gave her.

If you don't wear the hair crown, then you've wasted your money, haven't you?

She spent so long choosing a wedding gift, and the black jade hair crown is very expensive!

We need to find a way to get him to wear it.

After washing up and having breakfast, Shang Yuji went out to see if she could buy some food as a birthday gift.

As soon as she left the mansion and walked through two streets and alleys, Shang Yuji had a vague feeling that someone was following her. She quickened her pace, trying to shake the person off.

The three people following behind her, afraid of losing her, also quickened their pace.

Unexpectedly, Shang Yuji turned around from the street corner and caught the three people following him on the spot.

There were two adults and one child... three Taoist priests?

One of them was carrying a flag that read "Fortune telling and face reading, bringing good fortune and avoiding misfortune."

The clever young Taoist priest bowed and smiled ingratiatingly: "We think you and the young lady are destined to meet. Would you like to have your fortune told?"

As soon as the divination was finished, the two Taoist priests beside him nodded repeatedly. The three of them seemed to have reached a consensus and asked Shang Yuji to perform a divination together.

Shang Yuji: Do fortune tellers nowadays have to chase after customers and force them to buy their services?

Also, don't think that just because she's covering her face with a fan, she won't recognize that this Taoist priest is the one she bumped into during the parade last night!

Seeing their persistence, Shang Yuji decided to consult the oracle, hoping the matter could be resolved quickly.

Upon hearing her agreement, the two Taoist priests exchanged a glance. The priest who had bumped into her yesterday stepped forward, his lips stiffly turned up in a forced smile. He seemed to be someone who didn't usually smile, and was only improvising to make her feel more approachable.

Perhaps it was his awkwardness that made Shang Yuji lower her guard a bit.

"The girl was born into a poor family and left home for some reason..."

Shang Yuji initially intended to just listen and forget about it, but to her surprise, the first thing the man said was about her childhood experiences, which made her expression turn serious.

"By chance, a sudden change occurred, and fortunes turned around."

If the anomaly is her recalling memories from the book...

She fell silent and listened to what he had to say.

The Taoist priest gazed at her with his deep eyes and said, word by word, "Young lady, you are destined for greatness. Although you may encounter setbacks, everything will go smoothly afterward, and your wishes will come true. You will surely rise to a high position."

She understood.

This is a fortune teller who says nice things to make people want to give him a tip.

She was very pleased with what I said, and she gave it to me!

Shang Yuji took out one tael of silver: "Well said, here you go."

He thought his words would earn her trust, but her reaction surprised Xuanqing.

Xuan Qing stood there stunned, and Xuan Ming behind him was equally astonished: "My senior brother comes from Longhu Mountain and rarely performs divination for others..."

Shang Yuji, whose sources of information about the martial arts world were limited to casual conversations with Senior Yi, asked: "Is one tael of silver too little?"

These days, is saying a nice thing so profitable?

Given how often Jiang Xi compliments her, it's a good thing he doesn't charge her; otherwise, she would be indebted to him.

She took out another two taels of silver and stuffed it into Xuanqing's hand: "That's the most I can give you. Take the money and remember to buy the child a warm coat. You can endure the cold, but the child can't."

In the dead of winter, wearing only a simple Taoist robe, he looked like a hermit with an air of otherworldly grace and superior demeanor, but the child couldn't stand the cold.

As for whether they would spend the money on the Taoist boy, she couldn't care less. She was just a poor customer who had been stopped by three strange Taoist priests to have her fortune told!

Let's leave first and talk about it later.

After saying that, he turned and left quickly without waiting for their response.

When the young Taoist heard her mention him, he looked up curiously, wondering if he was even included.

When she left, the way she looked at them was as if she were looking at some evil people who mistreat children. When Xuanming tried to stop her to explain, Shang Yuji was already far away.

Wearing less clothing is simply a technique they practice, allowing their internal energy to be generated and circulate within their bodies. When the energy is stable and does not dissipate, it is unaffected by external influences.

Xuanqing suppressed his uncomfortably cheerful expression, glanced at the young Taoist boy who reached his waist, and sighed, "She's right, we should buy Qingfeng a thick outer garment."

Qingfeng was at a loss: "Master, Qingfeng can use his internal energy to dispel the cold."

Xuanqing shook his head: "We will see her again later. If she sees that you are dressed warmly, she should be willing to talk to us again."

"Senior brother, are we still going to follow her?"

"No need. Let's go back to Fulai Inn and ask the manager to introduce us."

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Author's note: Xuanqing: May all your wishes come true.

Xiao Shang: Then let the world explode.

Bang--

Xiao Shang: What's going on?

Xuanqing: The world is exploding!

Small business:

An irresponsible little skit [rose emoji]