Chapter 16 Trouble
Xuan Lingzi met her gaze, stood up enthusiastically, and said with a smile, "Miss, would you like to have your fortune told?"
"I can predict good or bad fortune, and calculate marriage and future prospects. My reputation speaks for itself. I dare not guarantee that it will be 100% accurate, but it is 98% accurate."
Tao Tao: "I would like to ask where the old Taoist priest who was here a few years ago went?"
His smile suddenly faded a little. "Perhaps he's traveling the world."
She nodded thoughtfully.
I understand. Taoist priests are bound to travel the world, it's normal for them.
"That…"
She looked up at him and suddenly noticed that he was staring at her with a strange look in his eyes and a serious expression.
"W-What's wrong?"
As someone who works in the funeral industry, she was still a little afraid that the Taoist priest's appearance might indicate that something unclean was involved. Previously, she had believed in scientism, not feudal superstition.
But since she's already standing there, she doesn't seem to have much persuasive power.
Xuan Lingzi frowned: "Has the young lady been in contact with the dead for a long time? There's always an aura of death surrounding you."
"Moreover, the dark area between your eyebrows indicates an ominous sign is about to occur."
When she heard him say that he had been in contact with dead people for a long time, she didn't think much of it; on the contrary, she thought his predictions were quite accurate.
But when he said she would have bad luck, she felt like he was just talking nonsense.
Xuan Lingzi suddenly walked to her side, circled her, and looked her up and down.
"But your brows are black and your whole body is filled with deathly aura. Logically speaking, you should be extremely unlucky. However, there is a faint purple aura wrapped in the black aura. This purple aura is something that only the most noble and powerful people can possess."
What's going on?
He stroked his chin, completely baffled.
“I run a funeral shop, so I’m naturally in constant contact with it. Not to mention things related to the dead, I’ve even handled dead people this morning.”
He suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."
But after a few seconds, he shook his head again, "No, there must be other reasons."
"Never mind those things. You're a Taoist priest, you should know how to perform an altar to summon the soul, right? Set it up in front of the mourning hall, I'll pay for it."
"That's the bare minimum, of course I know how. So how much are you willing to pay?"
"Let me make it clear first, I won't do it for less than ten taels of silver."
Xuan Lingzi sat back down, twirling a white folding fan with black characters in his hand, and looked at her with a mocking expression.
"I'll give you sixty taels, and this is ten taels as a deposit. I have a funeral shop on Chengnan Street. Wait for my notification, and I'll send someone to find you then."
After saying that, Xuan Lingzi was stunned and asked incredulously, "Sixty taels?!" His voice cracked with shock.
How long would he have to set up his stall here and do countless fortune telling to earn this much money?
He said that he had inexplicably consulted a fortune teller today, and it turned out that the God of Wealth had come!
"Sit down, sit down! I'll give you a divination, and you can calculate it carefully."
Xuan Lingzi quickly stuffed the ten taels of silver on the table into his sleeve and excitedly and enthusiastically gestured for him to enter.
Tao Tao glanced at him hesitantly, then sat down.
"Let me calculate what major events will happen to you soon."
He picked up three copper coins from the table, clasped them tightly in his palms, closed his eyes and pondered. After three seconds, he tossed the coins into the divination plate.
The copper coin spun continuously on the divination plate, and Xuan Lingzi kept a close eye on the direction the coin took.
In contrast, Tao Tao rested her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands, looking utterly bored and indifferent.
The coin landed, and he remained silent.
Then he picked up the copper coins and threw them into the divination plate again.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong? Just tell me, I'm pretty good at accepting things."
Xuan Lingzi frowned, looked up with a strange expression, and then said, "There's nothing seriously wrong, just be careful these days, your luck isn't very good."
She smiled and said, "I'm not very lucky, but I always manage to escape danger. Thank you for your advice."
"I'm leaving now. I'll let you know."
She waved to him, turned around, sat on the cart, cracked the whip, and the cart started moving.
On her way back, she passed a sugar painting stall and, thinking of her younger brother at home, bought several of them, along with some pastries and candied fruits, before heading home.
Just as she was happily heading to her shop, she suddenly noticed that a large crowd seemed to have gathered in front of her store.
She couldn't help but wonder, could it be another big deal? It seems her luck is pretty good, not so bad after all.
She became furious when someone threw her family's paper figures and gold ingots into the street, and her haggard-looking mother hurriedly picked up the mess while protecting her younger brother.
With a flick of the whip, the horse reared up and neighed, charging forward at top speed.
"Hurry up, hurry up!"
"A carriage is coming!"
Faced with the sudden appearance of the carriage, passersby panicked and scrambled to the side, but still managed to secure the best spots to watch the spectacle.
Tao Tao tied the carriage to a big tree and hurriedly stepped forward to stop the group of people in the shop who were throwing and smashing things.
"Stop! Stop right now!"
She stepped forward and shoved those people, but they were all strong men who shoved her to the ground, causing her to fall hard on her buttocks.
A surge of anger welled up inside her, and she pulled a kitchen knife from under the counter, wildly slashing at them. They dodged in fright, and the onlookers at the door gasped in surprise.
"You Tao family not only refuse to pay back the money, but you also dare to kill people?!"
Enraged, gambling den owner Xie Ming strode over, ripped apart the frail Tao's mother, and grabbed his younger brother by the neck.
The younger brother immediately burst into tears and struggled.
"I've given you so many days of grace, you should be grateful! Let me tell you! If you don't pay back the money, this place belongs to our Wufu Gambling House."
They turned out to be from the gambling den.
Tao Tao calmed down, but felt even more annoyed.
How could I have forgotten about this?
She immediately put on a smiling face: "Brother, I'm sorry, it's our fault, please don't be angry."
They were in the wrong first, so it's understandable that the people at the gambling den are so angry. If anyone is to blame, it's her father for leaving such a mess.
Xie Ming spat disdainfully: "Stop grinning like that, you're not bad looking at all. I might as well send you to a brothel to sell yourself for money!"
Tao Tao's smile vanished instantly, her brows furrowed, and she tossed the purse she was holding over.
Xie Ming let go of his hand, took the purse, opened it and saw that it contained very little, at most twenty taels of silver.
He said fiercely, "And the rest?!"
"This is all I have, but I've taken on a job from the Privy Council. I'll have money once it's done. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay it back."
"I'm not listening to your nonsense now. You'd better pay up today, or this shop will belong to our Five Blessings Gambling House, and you'll all get out!"
She sneered, "I have the deed to this property. Do you believe I'll sue you for trespassing?"
The fact that the property deed was in her hands was truly the only thing to be thankful for.
Fortunately, the gambler had a change of heart and didn't pay, otherwise she would have cursed him day and night.
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