With Jiang Zhengqing, the dignified head of the family, around, no one dared to act recklessly.
A short while later, surrounded by servants, an old woman with almost completely white hair walked in.
Everyone stood up and bowed. Yuan Qi kept staring at the old lady and noticed a trace of death between her brows and a malevolent aura surrounding her. She didn't have many days left to live.
After the old lady sat down, her gaze lingered on Yuan Qi. Although the girl was very pretty, she couldn't bring herself to like her, and there wasn't a trace of a smile on her face: "You are the daughter of Liu Qingzan, the mistress?"
Yuan Qi clasped her hands together, her little feet fidgeting restlessly. She was torn between reminding the old lady that, by blood, this was her biological grandmother. But the old lady clearly didn't like her.
Should we remind them or not?
Her conflicted appearance appeared to the old lady as nervousness and unease; she seemed afraid of her elders and so nervous that she couldn't even speak when asked questions.
The old lady's impression of her worsened.
Jiang Bailu was very disdainful, but still kindly reminded her, "Seventh Sister, Grandmother is asking you a question."
Yuan Qi then stepped forward, stared at the old lady for a few seconds before speaking: "Yuan Qi greets Grandmother. Grandmother has some evil energy on her body, which is extremely detrimental to her health. If it is not dispelled, it may endanger her life."
Old Mrs. Bai's face turned ashen: "How dare you! You wish me dead? All I did was make you suffer in the Taoist temple for a few years, and you hate me that much?"
Jiang Zhengqing was also very angry and shouted, "Kneel down and apologize to your grandmother!"
Yuan Qi felt extremely wronged, pouting and tears streaming down her face. It wasn't that she wanted to cry; it wasn't worth it. But she just couldn't control herself.
Jiang Bailu saw this and thought that Yuan Qi was trying to do something stupid in front of his elders just because he was good-looking. Who among the younger generation of the Jiang family would dare to do that?
Such reckless individuals deserve severe punishment.
She ran up to Grandma Bai and pleaded, "Grandmother, don't be angry. Seventh Sister has suffered in the Taoist temple since she was little, so it's understandable that she feels wronged. Besides, she's been in the temple for so many years, she must have learned some real skills. Please let her explain in detail, what if she's right?"
Grandma Bai snorted, getting even angrier: "Don't try to be nice to her. What could she possibly learn at such a young age? She's just resentful that we didn't bring her back sooner."
Jiang Songlu, who always stood by Jiang Bailu, chimed in, "Grandmother, I know that Seventh Sister must resent us, but she shouldn't have cursed you to die young. She probably didn't learn any rules at the Taoist temple, so she's just spouting nonsense. Why don't we let her kneel in the ancestral hall and teach her the rules of the Jiang family, so she won't embarrass us in the future?"
When Old Mrs. Bai saw her two beautiful and sensible granddaughters, her anger immediately dissipated: "Fine, they grew up outside and have no manners. I, this old woman, won't stoop to your level. Someone, take her to the ancestral hall to reflect on her actions. Give her all one hundred rules of the Jiang family and let her learn them properly. Once she has learned them, give her food and let her out."
Yuan Qi's face was streaked with tears, but she did not elicit any sympathy from the Jiang family members, nor did anyone speak a good word for her.
An old woman with gray hair took her away and locked her in the ancestral hall.
A night passed, and no one brought Yuan Qi food. Her stomach was growling with hunger, and this couldn't go on.
She took out a paper figure from her cloth bag, made a hand seal, and with a flash of golden light, the paper figure came to life, slowly rising from the ground and bowing to her with its hands clasped.
Then the paper figure slowly grew larger, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into the likeness of Yuan Qi, kneeling in the ancestral hall in her place.
She simply changed into her Taoist robe and, without further ado, slipped out when no one was around. Finding a secluded spot, she lightly leaped over the wall and escaped.
Tianshui Street was the most prosperous street in Shangjing, the capital of Rongguo. Merchants gathered here, and there were vendors and laborers everywhere. The people strolling along the street were shoulder to shoulder, making it extremely prosperous.
She found a noodle stall, ate a bowl of noodles, and then went to a large locust tree to take out her equipment from her cloth bag.
A cloth banner held up by a bamboo pole, with the words "Three divinations a day, ten taels per divination" written on it, was gently pushed off the stone slab by her with a light touch, landing steadily on the bamboo pole.
There was also a three-foot square piece of white cloth with a Bagua diagram drawn in the center, which looked quite old.
There was a stone behind him, and Yuan Qi sat down. He didn't know which vendor had moved it there.
She was dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, with a wooden hairpin in her hair. She sat behind the stall at a young age, her dark eyes watching the passersby with a clear and innocent look. Coupled with her extremely beautiful face, she looked like she had been forced out to make a living by her parents. Anyone who passed by couldn't help but take a second look.
However, almost an hour had passed and no one had asked her to tell their fortune. Some people, seeing that she was young, assumed she was begging and threw a few copper coins at her stall.
With a "thud," a silver ingot rolled to her feet.
Then a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old squatted down.
The young man was dressed in a blue brocade robe with cloud patterns. He had a slightly hunched back and a roguish air about him. He was clearly a playboy, but he held a folding fan in his hand and pretended to be a refined gentleman.
The boy's eyes were dark and bluish-black. Yuan Qi initially judged that this person had indulged in excessive sexual activity at a young age, and that there was a strong ghostly aura surrounding him.
He was accompanied by two boys in dark blue robes, about the same age as him, who also had malicious expressions.
"Fortune telling." Bai Youhui closed his folding fan.
Feng Zhaolin on the left spoke bluntly: "Do you know who we are?"
Yuan Qi looked over and saw that all three were dressed in rich clothes. Not to mention anything else, their headdresses alone were very valuable. In particular, the one sitting in the middle was wearing a purple-gold crown, which was not something that ordinary wealthy people could afford.
Before Yuan Qi could speak, Feng Zhaolin spoke up again: "I am one of the three tyrants of the capital, and this is our eldest brother, Master Bai."
So it's the Bai family. What good luck today, running into someone who's rich but foolish right away.
"Third Master Bai, you've had dark circles under your eyes for several days now and haven't slept well. You've met a woman you really like, who is gentle and understanding, and you wish you could spend the whole night with her. Moreover, you've felt increasingly weak these past two days, with no appetite and poor sleep, and you keep thinking about that girl?"
Bai Youhui's first thought was: What kind of indecent things is this little brat saying? At such a young age, she's already learning bad habits and can even say such things. Does she secretly watch her parents practice martial arts every day? But she was right.
He blurted it out without even realizing it.
Yuan Qi's face flushed red as she pointed at him and angrily shouted, "Does it count or not? If it doesn't, then get out!"
"Hey, little brat, you've got quite a temper." Feng Zhaolin pulled out a dagger from his waist to scare her.
"Put it away!" Bai Youhui pretended to scold Feng Zhaolin.
Feng Zhaolin obediently put away the dagger and reminded Yuan Qi, "Young lady, you'd better be more polite. We, the Three Tyrants of the Capital, are not to be trifled with."
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