Chapter 99: Tianming Pavilion Incident - Small Customer
Mu Hongling quickly stood up and went to greet him.
When she saw the small figure coming in from the door, she paused and her expression became a little strange.
The person who came in was a little boy about ten years old. He was dark and thin. The coarse cloth clothes he wore were patched and pale in color, but they were washed very clean.
Could it be that the first guest of Tianming Pavilion is such a young child?
Mu Hongling was muttering to herself, and the little boy stopped timidly and looked at her.
"I saw it written outside that I can ask for divination here...Excuse me, can I find someone?"
Mu Hongling turned to look at Yun Qingqing, then turned back after receiving a signal and nodded to the little boy:
"Okay, come with me."
Hope flashed in the little boy's eyes. He followed her cautiously and was taken to a room.
Yun Qingqing sat behind the desk and lit a burner of incense in an orderly manner.
At Mu Hongling's signal, the little boy sat awkwardly at the table, staring at the tea in front of him with his fingers twisted together.
"Don't you want to ask for divination?" Yun Qingqing took a sip of tea and said to him.
The boy looked at her hesitantly:
"Sister, are you going to tell my fortune for me?"
The look in his eyes clearly showed disbelief.
According to legend, the masters who are good at fortune-telling are either elderly monks or Taoist priests, or white-bearded hermits. This sister is so young and beautiful, does she really know how to tell fortunes?
Yun Qingqing narrowed her eyes and looked at him for a moment, her expression somewhat solemn:
"What you want to ask is where your mother went, right?"
The little boy looked at her with his mouth wide open for a moment, then stood up suddenly and nodded heavily:
"That's right! How do you know, sister? Have you seen her?"
"Of course I calculated it. I have never seen your mother." Yun Qingqing said frankly.
The little boy looked at her for a moment, then made up his mind and said:
"elder sister……"
"I am the owner of this Tianming Pavilion. You can just call me Pavilion Master."
The little boy pursed his lips and nodded:
"Sister Pavilion Master, my name is Shitou. My mother hasn't been home for three days. She's the only relative I have. Can you figure out where she is?"
Yun Qingqing looked straight at him:
"Yes, but if you want to ask for divination, you must pay the corresponding fee."
Shitou's face turned pale, he took out a few copper coins from his pocket, and said with his head down:
"These are all I have now... but I'm very strong. Once I find my mother, I will definitely go out to work and pay her back. Can you help me find my mother first..."
"My Tianming Pavilion doesn't charge compensation in cash."
"What you are asking for is of great significance to you. It needs to be exchanged for something equally important to you, such as..."
A clear light flashed in Yun Qingqing's eyes, and her gaze fell on the stone, and she said:
"The amulet you always wear close to your body."
"Is it really okay?" Shitou raised his head and took out a wooden talisman from his arms and handed it to her without hesitation.
"Yes." Yun Qingqing took the jade talisman, took out a stack of indentures from a box on the table, flipped through them quickly, and pulled out two.
She stood up and said, "Let's go. I'll take you to find someone."
After walking out of the door, she handed the indenture to Mu Hongling and said:
"Tell them to come along."
The names on the indentures were Tao Yu and Leng Yu. When they heard that they were assigned tasks on the first day, they followed with both surprise and trepidation.
After all, the princess had said that if one followed her, he would have the opportunity to accumulate merits and return to good status soon.
They are very positive:
"King... ahem, if the Pavilion Master has any instructions, just give them to us!"
"We will definitely complete the task given by the Pavilion Master!"
The first rule of Tianming Pavilion is to keep secrets, so naturally, you cannot call her princess, but you have to call her Pavilion Master.
Yun Qingqing nodded and walked out the door with Shitou, Taoyu and Lengyu.
Soon, led by the stone, they arrived at his home.
This is a very small courtyard. The furnishings in the house are very old and there are no valuable furniture, but it is very tidy and has a sense of life.
On the way, Shitou told his own experience.
He said that his father died when he was very young, and he depended on his mother for everything. Although the family had no money, his mother still worked and saved money to send him to school.
He felt sorry for his mother and promised her that he would study hard, pass the imperial examination and let his mother live a good life. His mother would always touch his head with a smile and praise him for being a sensible child.
Although this kind of life is hard, it is also solid and warm.
But since three days ago, when he came back from school, he prepared a simple dinner by himself as usual.
But he never waited for his mother who was working outside to come home.
He was worried, thinking that his mother might have gone out for something urgent and didn't have time to tell him, and might be back tomorrow.
As a result, my mother still didn't come back the next day.
He was so worried that he couldn't sleep all night. As soon as the sun rose, he started looking for people everywhere and didn't go to school anymore.
But there was no follow-up.
In his anxiety, he suddenly saw the sign outside the Tianming Pavilion, which said that people could ask for divination or ask anything here. He was only looking for his mother, so he went in without thinking much.
Yun Qingqing stood in the courtyard and looked around, then said to Shitou:
"Find something your mother would use every day. The longer she uses it, the better."
Shitou thought about it, then ran into the house and dug out a pair of scissors and a bag of needle money.
"My mother sews for others every day to earn money for the family. These things have been used for several years without replacement."
Yun Qingqing glanced at these things, reached out to pick up a thimble from the bag of needle and thread, held it in her hand and made a hand gesture.
Then she told a fortune, and her face, which had been expressionless all the way, became more solemn.
One cannot be disturbed when fortune-telling. Shi Tou looked at her expression and became more and more uneasy, clenching his fists tightly.
Seeing him like this, Tao Yu walked over, squatted down, and looked at the boy at eye level and whispered to comfort him:
"Don't worry, the Pavilion Master is very powerful, she will definitely find your mother."
As she spoke, she pulled over his clenched fist and pried open his fingers bit by bit. Deep marks had already been scratched inside by his nails. If she held on any longer, blood would probably be seen.
Shi Tou lowered his head and nodded slightly.
"There's a result." Yun Qingqing's voice rang out.
Shitou immediately followed and asked:
"Did you really figure out where my mother is?"
Yun Qingqing nodded and looked at Tao Yu and Leng Yu:
"We need to report to the police now. Which of you two will go?"
When he heard the words "report to the police", Shi Tou's face froze and he became obviously even more frightened.
While Tao Yu was watching Shi Tou hesitate, Leng Yu had already bowed slightly:
"Let me go, Master. Please explain in detail."
Yun Qingqing pulled her aside and whispered a few words in her ear.
Leng Yu looked at Shi Tou with shock and pity, then immediately nodded and left.
Yun Qingqing didn't wait here, and took Shi Tou and Tao Yu out directly. After walking for a while, they arrived at the gate of a courtyard across the street.
Shitou looked at the door with a pale face.
"Isn't this Jiang Quezi's home? My mother... is she here?"
Yun Qingqing didn't say anything and just walked up and knocked on the door.
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