Cheng Ji bought two cups of soy milk and egg-filled pancakes nearby.
He strode up to Shangguan Qing and handed her a copy.
"Thank you." She took it.
There was still steam coming out of the packaging bag, and water condensed on the bag to form droplets that flowed down.
Shangguan Qing took a bite and found it tasted good.
The two stood at the entrance of a busy city, inside which was a commercial street. Some shops had just opened and the owners were standing at the door yawning.
There were only a few tourists walking in.
Cheng Ji saw oil on the corner of Shangguan Qing's mouth and took out a tissue to wipe her mouth.
The movements were natural and skillful, as if the two had returned to the time when they lived together.
Shangguan Qing was startled by his action and took half a step back. Cheng Ji noticed her avoidance and withdrew his hand angrily, with his eyes drooping in disappointment.
"What are you going to do with me?" he asked gently.
Shangguan Qing finished his meal in a few bites and threw the packaging bag into the trash can.
"Give me a piece of paper, thank you." She stretched out her hand and Cheng Ji handed her a tissue.
Shangguan Qing said casually, "Go find a fortune teller and have your fortune told."
I heard before in the underworld that there was a fortune teller here who had opened half of his third eye.
Maybe he could figure out whether Cheng Ji was the person she was looking for.
"You believe this?" he suppressed, "Then what do you want to count? Wealth, health, or... marriage."
He said the last two words quietly.
"Neither." Shangguan Qing pulled his clothes and walked away, "You'll know when you get there."
This was the first time Shangguan Qing opened this commercial street. He looked around for a long time before he found the location of the fortune-telling shop.
The divination house is very small, with the entrance only two meters wide, just enough for two people to enter and exit at the same time.
The decoration is also very ordinary, all in the style of a commercial street, with grey brick and tile exterior walls and neo-Chinese style doors and windows.
The plaque on the door reads: "Qian's Fortune Telling".
Next to it was a triangular flag with yellow lace, which read: "No money if you are not sure."
When Cheng Ji read these words, he felt that they were... quite... unbelievable.
He followed Shangguan Qing into the store.
A man in his sixties wearing a long-sleeved gray robe and round-framed gold-rimmed glasses stood inside the counter. Most of his hair was gray, with less than a third of it black.
When he saw someone walking into the store, he tucked his chin in slightly, pulled his glasses down with his index finger, glanced upward, and his behavior had an indescribable sense of stealth.
Cheng Ji was even more convinced that this old man was most likely a charlatan.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, and now you're finally here." The old man said in an expected tone, "But I advise you not to be too impatient. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. In the end, you will end up with nothing."
Shangguan Qing sat down on the stool in front of him with a heavy expression.
Cheng Ji also sat next to her.
"Mr. Qian, do you know what I want to ask?" Shangguan Qing wanted to confirm whether what he said was the same as she thought.
Qian Xiaoguang laughed twice, "There is no door to heaven, there is a way to hell, but there is no exit, trapped in a dark place."
"Alas, this is your fate." He shook his head and sighed.
Mr. Qian said that she could only stay in hell, unable to be reincarnated or become a god.
He is indeed a person who has opened half of his third eye.
Cheng Ji was confused by what he said and didn't understand a word.
"But I don't want to admit my mistake, and I don't want to miss it." Shangguan Qing looked at Mr. Qian firmly, "I don't want to hurt others because of mistakes."
What is admitting mistakes, missing out, and hurting?
Hearing these words, Cheng Ji's brows furrowed, his intuition told him that this was not a good thing.
Mr. Qian looked at Shangguan Qing with a complicated expression, and then his gaze fell on Cheng Ji.
It was like seeing the myriad connections between the two of them, crisscrossing and tangled.
"This is your calamity, Shangguan Qing. It will do you no good to take a shortcut and solve the mystery in advance." He finally advised Shangguan Qing, "You have to think carefully."
The two of them were playing a riddle and Cheng Ji was kept in the dark and had no idea what was going on.
But he could feel that the atmosphere of the conversation was becoming increasingly tense and depressing.
"Yes." Shangguan Qing nodded solemnly, "Please trouble you, Mr. Qian."
She didn't want to be entangled between Cheng Ji and Mu Cheng.
If it was Cheng Ji, she would get along well with him. If it was Mu Cheng, she would stay away from Cheng Ji and have nothing to do with him anymore.
She didn't want him to fall too deeply in love, but she was also afraid that she would fall too deeply in love.
"Forget it. It's hard to persuade a dead ghost with kind words."
Mr. Qian pointed at Cheng Ji and said, "Put your hand on the counter, palm facing up."
Cheng Ji glanced at Shangguan Qing, who nodded.
Although he didn't believe it, he still did it obediently.
The strong and tight arms were placed on the counter, the fingers were slightly curled, and the lines on the palms were clear and distinct.
Mr. Qian held his hand and studied it over and over again.
Probably a few minutes passed.
Cheng Ji was a little skeptical, "Are you sure you can just read my palm? Not draw a lot or something?"
Mr. Qian raised his eyes and put down his hand. "The lonely star became a great good man. You are the first person in the world."
When he heard the word "Gu Shaxing", Cheng Ji's eyes lit up instantly.
This charlatan actually knew this.
"There have been lonely stars before, but because they had no one to accompany them and had experienced hardships, they eventually became cynical people, either criminals or out of tune with the world and chose to commit suicide."
Mr. Qian took off his glasses and praised sincerely, "Young man, you are quite capable. At least in this respect, an old man like me admires you."
After being suddenly praised, Cheng Ji didn't feel very happy, just sad.
"Shangguan Qing, as your memories gradually return, the things he lacks will also gradually appear."
The red spider lily will gradually appear along with her memory.
It will also disappear as her memory disappears.
"So...it's Cheng Ji." She began to get emotional.
"That's all I have to say. Choosing to bypass obstacles will only make your future journey more difficult. Good luck."
"Thank you." It was enough for her to know that it was Cheng Ji.
......
And on the other side.
Youxuan went to Mu Cheng's house to find him as instructed by Lord Shangguan.
But by then the little house was empty.
He stood in front of a whole wall of knives, stunned in shock. Each knife was exquisite and from a different era.
Suddenly the door to the living room opened from the outside.
It’s Mu Cheng coming back.
Youxuan turned his head and looked at him.
"Rare guest, what's the matter with your sudden visit?" Mu Cheng asked in a mixed tone.
Youxuan walked forward, standing no more than half a meter away from him, "My master has told me to come to you for something."
"What's up?
Before he could finish his words, Youxuan had already taken action.
A tiger claw stretched forward and hooked back with force, but Mu Cheng turned around and dodged it. If it weren't for his quick reaction, his neck would have been bleeding.
"Shangguan Qing asked you to kill me?!" His face was murderous and his tone was angry.
Youxuan didn't want to say so much, so he transformed into a white tiger and pounced towards Mu Cheng with a leap.
No matter how fast Mu Cheng's reaction ability is, he can't defeat the king of the jungle.
"Ah!" he screamed in pain.
There was a claw on the arm, and three slashes were eye-catching and bloody.
Youxuan saw blood coming out and changed back to human form, "Mission accomplished, let's go."
After saying that, he left with a swagger.
Mu Cheng fell to the ground alone, covering his arm with one hand, blood flowing down through his fingers.
The pain made him grit his teeth and persevere, and today's humiliation made him even more angry.
"Shangguan Qing, you forced me this time."