Chapter 131: Master
Zhong Nianyao was frank. She stood there with her hands in her trouser pockets, a nonchalant smile on her face. "Grandpa, if I say I calculated it, do you believe me?"
This answer was clearly not what Mr. and Mrs. Zhong had anticipated. They had thought of many other scenarios, but not this one. They exchanged glances, each seeing suspicion and helplessness in the other's eyes.
"Yaoyao, if you don't want to talk about it, forget it." Madam Zhong shook her head. "There's no need to make up such an excuse."
On the other hand, when Mr. Zhong looked at Zhong Nianyao, his eyes were still sharp, "Yaoyao, you have changed a lot in this period of time!"
It seemed that since the last incident, Zhong Nianyao's personality had completely changed. Her former stubbornness and willfulness had completely vanished, replaced by a calmness she had never experienced before. Furthermore, Zhong Nianyao was the first to discover her second daughter-in-law was pregnant. She nearly miscarried, and even the doctors said she couldn't save the baby, but she managed to save it. Now, there was Zhong Mengfan's issue.
Each of these things revealed a hint of strangeness. Even if he didn't want to think too much, he couldn't help but think too much.
"Grandpa, no matter who it is, after experiencing such a life-or-death catastrophe, they will change. And—"
Zhong Nianyao paused, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "Grandpa, Grandma, the me I used to be wasn't the real me."
After hearing this, both Mr. Zhong and Mrs. Zhong were confused.
Zhong Nianyao thought for a moment before speaking, "Grandpa, Grandma, haven't I been coming home late recently? Do you know where I've been?"
"Didn't you say you went out to play with your classmates?" Mrs. Zhong frowned. "Could it be that you were lying to me?"
"Grandpa, grandma, actually I—" Zhong Nianyao said mysteriously, "I went to set up a stall over at Tongtian Bridge."
Since the old man was beginning to have some doubts today, she felt that she could reveal some of her abilities appropriately. After all, she would have many opportunities to show her abilities in the future, and she couldn't just find excuses to get away with it every time!
"Tongtian Bridge?"
Mr. Zhong and Mrs. Zhong obviously had not thought about such a thing, and their faces were full of confusion.
As a resident of the imperial capital, even if one has never been there, one must know about a place like Tongtian Bridge. However, in the eyes of many, the people there are all scammers. After all, no one with real skills would set up a stall there.
Seeing that Mr. Zhong and Mrs. Zhong were full of questions, Zhong Nianyao found a chair and sat down before continuing, "Grandpa, Grandma, you may find what I'm going to say a little unbelievable, but it's all true."
"Actually, I had a master in the past who taught me a lot. But I always felt confused and didn't understand anything at all. My master also told me that I didn't need to learn, I just needed to remember. He said that as long as I remembered, I would naturally be able to do it in the future."
"Why haven't I heard you mention this before?" Old Master Zhong frowned and asked, "Then what did your master teach you?"
"Grandpa, don't be anxious, just listen to me first!"
Zhong Nianyao continued, "Master once told me not to tell anyone about my encounter with him. He also said that the reason I couldn't learn was because my soul was incomplete. When I turn twenty, I will face a life-or-death catastrophe. As long as I can survive this catastrophe, my soul will be complete. Before this life-or-death catastrophe, I must never let anyone know about my encounter with him. Otherwise, it would very likely endanger my life."
Mrs. Zhong suddenly realized, "It was the time you fell into the water."
Then, she felt a lingering fear. "How could you hide such an important thing? What if you can't get over your great disaster? If something really happens to you, how are we going to explain it to your father? We...we..."
At the end of the story, the old lady almost cried.
Mr. Zhong quickly spoke to comfort his old wife beside him, "It's okay, it's okay, isn't Yaoyao fine now?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but glare at Zhong Nian Yao fiercely, as if blaming her for making his wife cry.
Zhong Nianyao touched her nose, feeling somewhat innocent, and quickly spoke, "Grandma, please stop crying. My great tribulation has passed! And this is a good thing! After that great tribulation, my soul has been restored. Now I am the most complete person I have ever been."
This was an excuse she had already thought of. Even if she lived according to the Zhong Nianyao in her memory, she couldn't pretend forever. So, it was time for Mr. Zhong and Mrs. Zhong to start accepting her changes. She was Zhong Nianyao, but she was not the same Zhong Nianyao she used to be.
It was impossible for her to keep her abilities hidden forever, so she took this opportunity to find a legitimate reason.
"That's why your personality has changed so much." Old Master Zhong sighed, "I really didn't expect there would be such a reason. By the way, Yaoyao, where is your master?"
A trace of pain and confusion flashed in Zhong Nianyao's eyes, and then she shook her head. "I don't know either. He left before the accident. He said there's nothing left for him to teach me. After I get through this life-or-death ordeal, I'll know everything he taught me."
Mr. Zhong nodded, and then continued to ask, "So what exactly did your master teach you?"
"My master is from the Xuanmen sect." Zhong Nianyao blinked and continued, "He taught me a lot of things, fortune-telling, ghost hunting, medicine, and many more."
Hearing Zhong Nianyao's words, Mr. Zhong and Mrs. Zhong's expressions immediately became formal.
"Yaoyao, now—" Old Master Zhong began, "Have you learned everything?"
"That's right." Zhong Nianyao nodded and smiled confidently, "That's why I said just now that I figured out what happened to Zhong Mengfan."
At this point, she paused. "So, before I left on my trip, I had subtly warned Grandma. I just didn't expect things to develop to this point."
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