Chapter 5 005 Fortune Telling: That Man's Mouth!

Yun Tianjiao eventually gave in to Yun Tianqi's persistent pleading and finally took only Zhiwei with him as they left the palace incognito.

The autumn sky was clear and crisp, as blue as if it had been washed clean. The young emperor, dressed in a light blue casual robe, looked around like a young nobleman, finding everything fascinating.

Yun Chi is a country with an open culture, and women can move around freely outside. Therefore, Yun Tianjiao still dressed as a woman, wearing a pale yellow cross-collar ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and a golden orange shawl.

Zhiwei also took off his black Taoist robe and changed into clothes that Yun Tianqi had never worn. Logically speaking, Yun Tianqi was still a young man and not as tall and upright as Zhiwei, so the clothes did not fit him well. Fortunately, although Zhiwei's divine power was weak, he had the ability to alter the size. Therefore, even in the emperor's moon-white ordinary clothes, he still looked handsome and dashing.

The three of them were all dressed in bright and colorful clothes, except for the last one, who was dressed in a gray robe and brown trousers, looking lifeless and out of place with the group.

"Brother Hengzhen, oh dear, why are you walking so slowly? Come on, come on! Look at this huge pot of steamed buns, they're almost ready!" Yun Tianqi picked out a steamed bun shop and stood next to a steamer half his height, as if he had discovered some rare delicacy.

The summoned young man was Shen Hengzhen, the only son of Prime Minister Shen and the elder brother of Shen Qiongzhi. Although he could not compare to Zhiwei's stunning beauty, he was still outstanding among people and had a cool and upright air about him.

However, compared to the leisurely and carefree attitude of the other three, he was clearly not in high spirits. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he had been angered by someone and might lose his temper at any moment.

"Mmm, smells so good!" Yun Tianqi fanned himself lightly with one hand, peeked into the steamer and smelled the aroma of the buns. He generously tossed a silver ingot to the shopkeeper, "Give us three steamers!"

The steamed bun shop owner immediately beamed with joy.

Shen Hengzhen said, "Young master, these aren't the xiaolongbao from Jiangnan, where one bun is the size of two fists. Why do you need so many? It's a waste if you can't finish them."

"If you can't eat it, you can feed it to the dogs. Look at all the stray cats and dogs we've seen along the way. As human beings, we should have compassion."

Shen Hengzhen held back for a moment, but ultimately said nothing more.

Yun Tianjiao found seats for the group and said to Shen Hengzhen, "Don't mind him. If he can't finish it, take it with him. I'll have Lai Shun heat it up for him every night until it's all gone. If he refuses to eat, I'll go to my parents' memorial tablets and complain."

The late emperor and empress were frugal and loved the people throughout their lives, and they especially couldn't stand people wasting food. Yun Tianqi suddenly felt guilty and quietly asked the shopkeeper to change the three baskets of buns to one basket.

When the steamed buns were served, he ate one and then stopped, smacking his lips and saying, "Hmm, it smells good, but it's still not as good as the imperial chef's cooking."

Yun Tianjiao gave a forced smile: "You think life is so easy as an ordinary citizen? The food you look down on is something most people would never get to taste in their entire lives. Now you're not thinking about running away anymore, are you?"

Yun Tianqi, however, did not care. "Just because the food is inferior doesn't mean there aren't other novelties."

The four left the steamed bun shop and went to browse the market.

Yun Tianqi would buy anything that looked interesting, but he would quickly get tired of it and casually throw it away or stuff it into the arms of a passerby before going to buy something else. He did this like a bear picking corn, buying and throwing things away as he walked, until he came to a fortune teller's stall, where he was finally attracted again.

"Seeing through the three realms, surpassing even Heaven by half a move? Wow, quite the boast!" Yun Tianqi read the words written on the fortune-telling banner and suddenly became interested, saying to the stall owner, "Why don't you take a look at my fortune?"

The fortune teller was an old man with gray hair, a long beard and eyebrows, who at first glance had a somewhat otherworldly air about him.

He squinted his beard, looking at Yun Tianqi for a long time, and then said leisurely, "This gentleman... is a dragon among men, his nobility is beyond words, truly beyond words!"

Yun Tianqi thought to himself, "That's pretty accurate," and then pulled Shen Hengzhen over again, "Then what about him?"

The old man looked at him and said, "This gentleman... is an exceptional person, his nobility is beyond words!"

Yun Tianqi: "..."

Yun Tianjiao burst out laughing.

The fortune teller was drawn by the sound, and then glanced at Yun Tianjiao with his rat-like eyes. Before he could speak, he was interrupted by Yun Tianqi.

"I know what you're going to say, 'A dragon among men, of immeasurable nobility,' right?"

The old man's wrinkled face stiffened, his dignity as a fortune teller offended. As if to prove himself, he stroked his beard a few more times and said to Yun Tianjiao, "I observe that this young lady is burdened by a karmic entanglement, destined for a short life, not living past nineteen, and... she will not live past nineteen in any of her lifetimes!"

Yun Tianjiao's expression changed slightly, and his smile froze on his lips.

Meanwhile, Yun Tianqi was so angry that he jumped up and kicked the old man's fortune-telling stall over.

"Go to hell! What nonsense are you spouting! You old geezer, you're tired of living, talking nonsense here! I... I'm going to wipe out your entire family, exterminate your nine generations!"

The fortune teller knew he had offended someone, so he scrambled to his feet and ran away. He had a limp in one leg, so he had a hard time running. Fortunately, Shen Hengzhen blocked his way, which prevented Yun Tianqi from catching up with him and beating him up.

"Hey, why are you stopping me! Didn't you hear the filth that man was spewing? I'm going to beat him to death and tear his mouth, which is spewing nonsense, to shreds!"

While trying to restrain Yun Tianqi, Shen Hengzhen whispered in his ear, "Since Your Majesty knows that person is talking nonsense, why bother? There are many people here, and if you make too much noise and expose your identity, it will inevitably cause a lot of trouble."

Seeing that she still couldn't dissuade him, she resorted to her trump card: "If my father finds out that you sneaked out of the palace, he'll probably lead all the officials in submitting a petition. Aren't you afraid of being bothered to death by that?"

Yun Tianqi finally gave up, still cursing under his breath, "You old bastard, if I see you again, I'll skin you alive and pull out your tendons!"

In fact, not only Yun Tianqi, but also Shen Hengzhen was very angry.

How could you say such vicious things?

Although the royal siblings seemed to be a pair of naive and extravagant rulers, both destined for national ruin, Shen Hengzhen, as their childhood playmate, understood that Yun Tianqi had not yet become a tyrant, thanks to the support of Princess Yun Tianjiao.

She was intelligent and perceptive from a young age, and was adept at understanding human relationships, but for some reason, she insisted on defaming herself under the guise of being a womanizer.

Shen Hengzhen still remembers that at the palace banquet when she turned fourteen, Yun Tianqi asked her what she wanted as a birthday gift. In front of countless high-ranking officials and nobles, she said frankly that she wanted to select many handsome men to serve her in bed.

After the banquet, Shen Hengzhen angrily stopped her and questioned her about why she had done that.

Slightly drunk, she half-jokingly said, "The death of a notorious princess despised by the world will have a far smaller impact on Yun Chi Kingdom than the death of a dignified, virtuous princess remembered by the people."

Back then, Shen Hengzhen couldn't understand her words, but now, combined with the old man's prophecy, a bizarre thought suddenly arose in Shen Hengzhen's mind—

Your Highness, could it be that you already knew your life was coming to an end?

Seeing that everyone around them was looking at them, Shen Hengzhen came to her senses and comforted Yun Tianqi, and also comforted herself: "Young master, don't worry, Miss is a lucky person, she will naturally not be affected by the slander of these villains."

Yun Tianjiao was still standing by the fortune-telling stall, ignoring the two people who went to chase after the fortune-telling old man.

This curse-like prophecy, only she knew, was not mere wild speculation. Even compared to the curse in his dream, it lacked the second half: "The country is destroyed, the family perishes, and he dies at the hands of his beloved."

Suddenly feeling a shadow overhead, Yun Tianjiao turned around and saw Zhiwei conjure an umbrella from somewhere, holding it over her head to shield her from the increasingly scorching afternoon sun.

"Is Your Highness troubled by the old man's words?"

Zhiwei looked down at her. He was half outside the umbrella, standing between light and shadow. Half of his handsome face was brightly lit by the sunlight, and the other half was covered by the umbrella in shadow, creating an ambiguous effect that was difficult to discern.

Yun Tianjiao pretended to be relaxed, her bright eyes smiling as she looked up at the celestial being holding an umbrella for her: "It's alright. I've enjoyed all the riches and honors of this world. I've spent the money I wanted and seen the beauties I wanted. Even if I live a few years less, it doesn't seem like I'm unfortunate."

"Is just looking enough?"

The man asked sincerely, and Yun Tianjiao was taken aback, thinking of the story he had told her last night.

In broad daylight, the space shielded by an umbrella surprisingly evoked an ambiguous feeling, like that between lovers in a boudoir or on a bed.

But his expression was innocent and pure, and Yun Tianjiao even thought for a moment that he was just having lewd thoughts and was overthinking things.

"If that's not enough, what else can we do?" she asked with a smile.

From afar, they heard Yun Tianqi's voice; it was the two who had returned.

That was the end of it.

Yun Tianjiao's face flushed slightly. He turned around, took out a handkerchief to fan himself, and then heard a slightly deep and gentle voice coming from behind him—

"I am also knowledgeable in fortune telling. In my opinion, Your Highness is destined for great wealth, honor, and good fortune. You will surely live to be a hundred years old and live a life free from worry."

Yun Tianjiao turned around to look at him, a half-smile on his face, "If what you said doesn't come true, you'll be punished."

The man's dark eyes stared intently at him, every word he uttered sounding like a solemn vow.

“Your Highness is a precious pearl. With you here, the world has color. If anything happens to you, as long as I have a bit of divine power left, I will protect you with my life and will not let this pearl be tarnished or lose its luster.”

Yun Tianjiao: "..."

Knowing full well that this was just a god in dire need of offerings and that the sweet words of the few remaining worshippers in the world should not be taken seriously, Yun Tianjiao had to admit at this moment that she really wanted to build him ten or eight temples and burn thousands or tens of thousands of incense sticks.

This man's mouth...

That's fucking amazing!