After Zhuang Li gave the gold ingots and bracelets given by the woman to Zhuang Lao Er, he closed his eyes and began to rest.
7480 asked in his mind, "Master, aren't you trying to establish your authority? So many people are waiting for you to tell their fortunes, why aren't you doing it? Strike while the iron is hot. Hurry up and tell a few more fortunes, and show them how powerful you are."
Zhuang Li said nonchalantly, "These people are just here to watch the fun, they don't need help. Telling their fortunes is a waste of time. Not only will I fail to establish any prestige, I'll just become a street performer. I have to carefully select my clients."
As he spoke, a deep and rich voice suppressed all the noise, "Young man, how about you telling my fortune?"
The familiar voice hit Zhuang Li's eardrum like a drumstick, causing him to suddenly open his eyes and look straight ahead.
He saw a tall figure slowly coming against the sunlight, and a sharp-edged face appeared under the shadow of the street corner. Who else could it be but the lover he had been thinking about?
However, in this life, he was unusually thin. The wide brocade robe hung on his body like a flag, fluttering in the wind, making him look more and more like a wandering soul with nowhere to rest. His skin was pale, but his eyes were filled with dark fatigue.
He had a very good bone structure, and even though he was so thin that he looked unrecognizable, his appearance was still masculine and handsome. With the luxurious outer robe covering it up a little, he looked quite heroic.
However, Zhuang Li knew how handsome, courageous, and awe-inspiring he was when he was at his peak.
He was now like a sick tiger. He walked from one end of the street to the other in just a dozen steps, but his forehead was covered in cold sweat and his breath was slightly gasping. His physical condition was extremely bad, probably even worse than in his previous life.
What would have been his fate if he had not come here?
Zhuang Li looked at this person with mixed feelings in his heart. There was the joy of meeting him again, the anxiety about his physical condition, and the depression of having to pretend not to know him.
He blinked, dispelling the tears from his pupils, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What do you want to calculate?"
The man came closer surrounded by several guards. He did not speak but spread out his palms.
Zhuang Li remained seated on his small stool, while the onlookers stepped back a few steps, moving a little further away. Judging by the man's splendid attire and the guards he brought with him, everyone realized he must be someone extraordinary.
Fortune telling for an important person is no joke. If you say something wrong, you might get hit hard.
Zhuang Lao Er began to get nervous, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He was afraid of offending the nobleman's eyes, so he wiped them away hastily with his sleeves.
The guard standing behind the tall man also put a handkerchief into the man's open palm and asked him to wipe the sweat.
The man slowly wiped the sweat from his forehead, his chest rising and falling, but his nose never uttered a heavy breath. It was clear that he was in extreme discomfort, yet he was used to suppressing this discomfort.
Zhuang Li looked at him intently.
The man's breathing finally became rapid.
He took two steps forward, approaching the fortune-telling stall, his eyelids drooping slightly, avoiding the boy's focused gaze. Strangely enough, his body, which had been cold year-round, was actually warming up at this moment.
"Would you like to give me a word test as well?" the man asked gently.
Zhuang Li's eyes turned, and he pursed his lips and said, "Bring me a table and two chairs. Once everything is set up, I'll test you."
The man was stunned for a moment, then looked at the guard beside him.
The guard bowed slightly and left. After a while, a group of servants came out from Jin Manlou opposite, carrying a heavy eight-immortal table and two armchairs. Both were made of rosewood and the carvings were extremely exquisite.
Jin Man Lou was the most luxurious restaurant in Bazhou City, rumored to be owned by the Grand Steward of the Prince of Qi's palace. To have been able to produce such valuable furniture from Jin Man Lou, this tall man must have been someone extraordinary, either the Prince of Qi or a relative or official of the palace.
The crowd of onlookers retreated further away, swallowing their unbridled chatter. Even so, they were reluctant to leave, wanting to see how the scholar told the nobleman's fortune and whether the divinations were accurate.
Zhuang Laoer was really scared and kept winking at his son, telling him to stop while he was ahead.
But Zhuang Li walked slowly to the Eight Immortals Table, sat down with an open mind, stuck the banner into the crack in the floor behind him, and knocked on the tabletop, ordering: "Sit down and write a word."
Seeing his calm and composed, neither humble nor arrogant attitude, the tall man raised his eyebrows with a little interest. Finally, he sat down, picked up the pen and wrote the word "Li".
He had seen the banner with the inscription "Li Banxian" on it, which had brought this phrase to mind. As he wrote it down, he was momentarily stunned, a vague sense of familiarity flashing through his mind.
Zhuang Li pulled the paper out from under the man's hand and looked at it carefully with a frown.
The man finally broke free from his brief trance and looked at the other person.
The tall and strong guards standing behind the man crossed their chests, stared at Zhuang Li with murderous intent, as if they would draw their knives and smash his stall to pieces if he said a wrong word.
Zhuang Lao Er's sleeves were soaked from wiping away sweat. A commoner like him had never seen such a spectacle. Even the wealthiest merchants in Jin couldn't possess such a majestic aura.
Amidst everyone's breathless wait, Zhuang Li slowly spoke, "You're looking for someone."
The man's expression remained calm, and his eyes did not change at all, as if he had not heard these words.
The guards standing behind him were slightly stunned, and then showed expressions of surprise.
This young gentleman really got it right!
Zhuang Li looked at no one but the man, continuing, "To the left of 'Li' is the character '王', with three strokes connecting the middle. '王' represents heaven, earth, and man, signifying vastness and also implying nowhere to go. This character represents both your identity and the purpose of your journey. You must find someone, no matter where you go."
The man asked calmly, "Where is this person?"
Zhuang Li pointed to the right side of the character "理" and continued, "Li" means residence, composed of the characters "田" (field) and "土" (earth). You are the king, and the fields are all at your feet. This shows that this person is not far away from you."
The man pursed his lips and said nothing, his face showing neither surprise nor emotion.
Instead, a guard standing behind him asked anxiously, "Which direction exactly?"
Zhuang Li didn't answer. He stared at the man for a moment, then lowered his head to look at the character "理" (Li) and pondered, "From its shape, the character 里 (Li) resembles a soldier in armor, implying that your position is related to the military. However, the field character above it is too loosely written. The square in the upper left corner is wider than the other three, as if there is a blank space."
Zhuang Li tapped his chest and said firmly, "You are ill, and the illness is in your heart."
It was only then that the man showed a look of surprise.
The guard commander standing behind him could no longer hold back and hurried forward, asking respectfully, "Sir, you are truly a god. Could you please calculate where the person we are looking for is?"
"You are looking for a doctor." Zhuang Li had already guessed everything.
"That's right!" The guard didn't dare to say more and could only stare at Zhuang Li with burning eyes.
The other guards drew their swords and fiercely drove the crowd away. They hadn't expected this young fortune teller to be so accurate, revealing the prince's secret. It wouldn't be long before all the powerful and influential people in Bazhou knew of the prince's arrival.
However, in recent years, the prince has been living in seclusion, not caring about state affairs, and his body has been getting thinner day by day. Any smart person should be able to guess that there is something wrong with his health.
This matter will be revealed sooner or later, so there is no need to cover it up. Just drive the crowd away to prevent any assassins from appearing.
After the guards came back, they all looked at Zhuang Li with deep awe and eager anticipation on their faces.
Zhuang Li had already seen that his lover in this life had experienced the infighting in the court and suffered enough from illness. His heart had become hard and cold, and he would not easily trust anyone.
If he volunteered to treat his lover's illness, it would trigger the other party's defense mechanism and push him further away. It would be better for him to sit back and wait for the other party to come to him.
After thinking about it, Zhuang Li pushed the paper back to the man and said calmly, "Write one more word."
The man looked at the rough, yellowed rice paper, then at the boy's expressionless face. Somehow, he felt a little empty inside. He still liked the way the boy smiled.
He tried to ask in a gentle tone, "What's your name?"
"My surname is Zhuang, and my given name is Li."
The man looked at the flag fluttering in the wind and said, "So this is what Li Banxian meant."
He picked up the pen and wrote the word "Zhuang" neatly.
Zhuang Li looked at him with raised eyebrows, then picked up the paper, examined it carefully, and said thoughtfully, "Guang is a high house, Tu is the living things that come out of the earth. Things born from the earth have entered the high house, and the person you are looking for has appeared. And the vertical stroke you wrote is particularly long, representing something breaking through the earth. This shows that he is very close to you. He will definitely be found within a radius of a hundred miles."
The guard commander's first thought was the mage Xuan Zhenzi, who had recently refined an elixir, and he didn't even consider that the young man could cure the prince's illness. After all, compared to Xuan Zhenzi, the young man's prestige was far less.
He hurriedly bowed and thanked loudly. Finally, he opened his purse, took out two gold ingots, and presented them respectfully with both hands.
These two gold ingots were much bigger than the ones given by the woman before. One weighed ten taels, and two weighed twenty taels, which was equivalent to two hundred taels of silver. He became rich overnight!
The crowd watching the excitement immediately burst into envious noises.
Zhuang Li's suggestion fell through. Seeing the two gold ingots, he was furious and a look of depression appeared on his face.
The commander of the guards was completely unaware of his thoughts and helped the prince up and was about to leave.
On the contrary, the superior man hesitated for a moment as he turned around, then took out a huge night-shining pearl from his sleeve pocket, gently placed it on the table, and coaxed in a soft voice: "Take this and play with it. You can use it as a lamp at night. It won't hurt your eyes."
He looked at the noisy crowd, took off the jade pendant from his waist, and earnestly instructed: "A man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. If anyone is tempted by the treasure, take this jade pendant to the governor Qin, and he will help you. I will send him to visit your home every few days to prevent any thieves from targeting you."
After saying this, he asked casually, "Where do you live?"
Zhuang Li took the jade pendant and smiled, "I live in Luoxia Village."
In the end, this person still couldn't let him go and tried to find out his situation in a roundabout way.
The man nodded, then turned and left.
Zhuang Li whispered, "I'll wait for you here in the future."
The man paused slightly, then walked away without looking back.
Zhuang Li stared at his back for a long time, and only smiled softly when he completely disappeared around the corner of the street. Then he slowly picked up the scattered belongings on the table, including night pearls, gold ingots, and mutton-fat jade pendants, all of which were rare treasures that ordinary people would never see in their lifetime.
The crowd of onlookers erupted in envious roars, some even gulping. Many were tempted by the wealth, but none dared to act. This was partly due to the intimidating words of the nobleman, and partly due to Zhuang Li's unwavering judgment and unfathomable magic.
He is a real master, not a liar who pretends to be a god.
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