Chapter 1: The Female Physiognomist of Fengyang County
In a small mountain village under Fengyang County, Tailing Commandery, there opened a dusty fortune-telling shop.
When it first opened, people in the street spread the rumor that this shop was magical. It was said that there lived a female fortune teller who was very good at reading people's faces, touching bones, determining blood divination, and exorcising demons. She was almost omnipotent.
But she has three principles.
First, don’t look at wealth; second, don’t look at marriage; third, don’t help the evil.
Simply put, if you want to get rich, get married, or want to avoid disaster after committing a crime, a female fortune teller will not give you any advice, no matter how much money you spend.
This sounds very ethereal and fresh, but in fact, when ordinary people go to have their fortune told, who doesn't want to pray for wealth and ward off disasters?
You, a female fortune teller, are nothing. What use are you?
In the end, only those who have a seriously ill family member, suspect that someone is possessed by evil spirits, or have suddenly fallen on bad luck and suspect that their ancestors have bad feng shui will come to seek help.
Before long, this fortune-telling shop became deserted and few customers came.
…
So when Xiao Yu brought people over, this was the scene he saw.
At the foot of the mountain stood a dilapidated wooden house with weeds growing in front of the door. Under the eaves one could faintly see a dark flag with the word "Gua" on it, which had obviously been weathered by wind and rain.
Apart from this, there is no fortune-telling sign. If you don’t pay attention, you might think it is an abandoned mountain toilet.
But if you look closer, you can also see signs that the house is occupied.
The most obvious thing is that there is a long wooden board nailed in front of the door, with six large characters written on it in a casual manner.
"Talk about evidence, not superstition."
Seeing this, the followers following Xiao Yu couldn't help but laugh.
"Sir, in my opinion, we should go back," the attendant said. "This female fortune teller is too unreliable. She's a charlatan herself, yet she still teaches people not to be superstitious. What a twisted theory... If people weren't superstitious, who would come to her?"
After he finished speaking, he realized that he had said something wrong and quickly lowered his head.
Speaking of not being superstitious, in the vast Xia Dynasty, there was no one less superstitious than his son Xiao Yu.
Since childhood, Xiao Yu has believed that everything is in the hands of man, that heaven and earth are righteous, and he does not believe in ghosts and gods.
If it weren't for the government's recommendation, he would never have come to the fortune teller for help even if he hit a wall.
"Now that I'm here, there's no reason not to go and find out." Xiao Yu waved the folding fan in his hand. "It is said that this female fortune teller has her own principles for fortune-telling. Who knows, she may be an otherworldly expert."
Just as he was about to knock on the door, the tattered wooden board creaked open strangely.
Behind the door stood a thin girl in a Taoist robe. She looked ordinary, except for her pair of almond-shaped eyes that looked him up and down excitedly.
"You really are a distinguished guest. I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person. Please come in!" As he said this, he exaggeratedly wanted to help Xiao Yu in.
Xiao Yu frowned slightly and did not accept the girl's warm welcome. He consciously kept three steps away before slowly going up.
There was only the girl in Taoist costume in the shop. In the middle of the shop were a few mismatched wooden tables and chairs that had been dragged from somewhere. In the back were wooden cabinets stacked in a mess, and the whole place looked shabby.
Even so, Xiao Yu still sat down generously and took the... wooden board handed to him by the girl?
【Fortune Telling Price List】
Praying for peace and happiness - two cents
Palmistry - Five Coins
Fortune telling: one coin
Catching Little Ghosts - Two Strings of Coins
Catching Old Ghosts - Five Strings of Cash
Catching evil spirits – negotiating prices in person
Feng Shui - face-to-face negotiation
Other matters——negotiate in person
(Note: This shop does not provide wealth, marriage, or disaster relief. Criminals will not be sent away unless they turn right when leaving the house.)
Xiao Yu held the old wooden board in his hand, staring at it silently for a while before finally saying, "Your shop... your prices are really fair."
The truth.
Although he never believed in these ghost and god stories, the fortune tellers he knew in the capital would ask for dozens or hundreds of taels of silver as long as they opened their mouths.
Moreover, the dishes served are based on the customer, the rich earn more and the poor earn less, and there is no price set in advance.
This shop not only has clearly marked prices, but also calculates prices by the string, which is really ridiculously cheap.
But it doesn’t matter, Xiao Yu has never been short of money.
"That's right." The girl in the Taoist robe raised her eyebrows proudly. "Our prices are clearly marked, and we are fair to everyone. What can I do for you, sir?"
"In that case, I'll get straight to the point." Xiao Yu put down the wooden board. "You must be the fortune teller Xu Chuchu, as everyone knows. My surname is Xiao, and my given name is Yu. I've come here to ask you to come down from the mountain and assist the government in investigating a long-standing missing person case."
After saying this, he waved his folding fan again and said, "As long as the fortune teller has real skills, the reward can be negotiated. What do you think, fortune teller?"
"Oh?" The glint of money-making in Xu Chuchu's eyes disappeared, replaced by helplessness. "Young Master, are you a government official?"
Xiao Yu chuckled: "Yes, and no. It doesn't matter. You can think of it as a way to see justice for the people down below."
Xu Chuchu felt depressed when she thought of the past.
Half a year ago, an extremely brutal murder and dismemberment case occurred in Fengyang Town. The government was unable to catch the murderer, causing panic among the people.
Later, when he couldn't bear it anymore, he came to her for help in solving the case.
The case was solved successfully, but the two taels of reward agreed upon at the time has not been paid yet... I didn't expect that another case would be introduced to her. Did they really think she was working for free?
But the one in front of me is fair and handsome, with an extraordinary temperament. From head to toe, his clothes and accessories reveal the aura of a rich young man who grew up in wealth and is "chivalrous, foolish and rich". He should not default on his debts.
If you can get some wool from someone, you have to get it. You have to know that it has been almost a year since she traveled from the modern era. She has been eating tofu and cabbage every day and has not even had any meat.
If you want to improve your life, you have to rely on him.
"Facetitis master?" Xiao Yu called out.
"Oh, sure, sure." Xu Chuchu agreed quickly this time. "But whether the case can be solved or not is hard to say now. We'll know after we go to the scene."
"Okay, then you're welcome." Xiao Yu smiled slightly.
…
Xu Chuchu simply packed up the bamboo sticks and copper coins needed for divination, carried a wooden sword on his back, and went down the mountain with Xiao Yu and his group.
On the way, Xiao Yu also introduced the ins and outs of the case to Xu Chuchu.
Initially, the Fang family in the town came to report the case, saying that their eldest son’s wife was missing and might have run away with another man, and they wanted the government to help find her.
Originally, the family consisted of five people, including the parents and two sons. The eldest son was married, but the youngest son was still single and not yet twenty.
Life was going smoothly until the eldest son suddenly fell seriously ill and was bedridden. The family spent all their savings and fertile land on his treatment, but to no avail.
Not long after, the eldest daughter-in-law disappeared.
This seems to be an ordinary case, because there are many wives from other places in Fengyang Town, and some of them are unhappy with their lives and run away secretly.
The government also investigated the case as a missing person, but unexpectedly, the eldest son who was bedridden passed away suddenly within two days of the report. The head of the family, Lao Fang, fell to his death while chopping firewood in the mountains, and Lao Fang's wife somehow fell into the well in the backyard of her home and drowned.
Of the five members of the family, only the youngest son was left alive, all within ten days.
The government also found it strange, but after checking several scenes, they found no signs of foul play. They wanted to close the case as an accident, but the town was in an uproar again. Some said that evil spirits were at work, while others said that a criminal was at large.
The government was unable to suppress public opinion, so the case was shelved.
--
The author has something to say:
A new book has been released! Thank you for your support of my previous book, "The Empress Wants a Concubine Again"! Please support the new book by reading along, commenting, and wishing you all a happy day!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
