"Oh my! You really manage to sound so righteous about sothing that has no basis, without a hint of guilt. Impressive."
Xuexue nearly fainted. Listening to Zi Xia earlier, it sounded so believable, she almost thought it was true. Turns out it was all just bluster, oh dear, when did this girl get so good at deceiving people?
Zi Xia leaned close to Xuexue’s ear and whispered, "Miss, you don’t understand. In the Itinerant World, you can’t show any lack of confidence when you speak. If you show weakness, others will see right through you, and you won’t have the leverage to negotiate."
"You really do know a lot."
"Of course. After all, I used to be soone who road the Itinerant World."
The two of them chatted as they walked, just about to exit the bustling market street.
"Wait a mont, young lady," a hoarse old voice called out.
Zi Xia and Xuexue turned their heads. At the far end of the market, an old man was squatting on the ground. He had spread a piece of paper on the ground with eight characters written on it: Divination, no charge if inaccurate.
Xuexue was puzzled. They didn’t know him, so why was he calling them? Besides, they were disguised as n, with no trace of femininity whatsoever.
To confirm, Xuexue asked, "Old sir, are you calling us?"
"Yes! Who else is there besides you two?" the old man smiled.
This old man looked to be in his sixties. His clothes were so worn you couldn’t tell their original color. His thin face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes shone brightly, staring intently at Xuexue.
"But we are n, not young ladies."
"Whether you’re male or female, you know in your heart, no need for to spell it out, right?"
Xuexue was taken aback. It seed this man was soone of great insight.
"We don’t want our fortunes told."
With that, Xuexue pulled Zi Xia, ready to leave.
Unexpectedly, the old man’s voice ca from behind, "If the young lady doesn’t listen to what I have to say, I’m afraid disaster will soon befall you, and the vendetta from your past life will remain unresolved in this life."
A shiver ran through Xuexue’s heart. This was her most secret secret, one even her closest, Long Rui, didn’t know about. Who exactly was this strange old man? How did he know her secret?
Before Xuexue could speak, Zi Xia lost her patience, her tone very displeased, "Hey, old man, aren’t you done yet? All this just to earn a few wen money? Do you have to curse my master for that?"
This ti, Zi Xia wised up and didn’t address her as ’Miss’ but as ’Master,’ making it hard for anyone to guess if they were male or female.
Anyway, in this line of work, it’s all about leaving others bewildered—three parts truth, seven parts lies, to keep people guessing.
The old man said, "Young lady, step aside please. I have sothing to say to your master."
Zi Xia glared, "Why should I? What if you harm my master?"
"I guarantee not to lay a single finger on her."
"Guarantee? What guarantee do you have?"
"I’ll stake my old head on it, is that enough?"
"Your head isn’t worth much."
"Why are you so sharp-tongued, girl? What’s wrong with saying a word to your master?"
"I don’t allow it."
"Oh my! What gives you, a maid, such authority?"
"How do you know I’m a maid?"
The old man chuckled upon hearing this, "There’s nothing under the heavens that I, the old man, don’t know. You, as a young maid, think you can fool ?"
"Pretending to be mysterious. I’ve seen plenty of con artists like you in the Itinerant World," Zi Xia clearly didn’t believe the old man’s words.
However, that one sentence about a past life’s vendetta from the old man deeply resonated with Xuexue.
User Comments
0 comments from readers