Although the words were a bit nauseating, they were clearly effective. The master, who had her back to them, slowly turned around. Her gaze swept over the young woman, then looked at the two behind her, and she made up her mind.

Seeing the innkeeper about to lead the people out, Pan Sheng Cai raised her hand to stop them: “Wait a moment. This young lady’s arrival here can be considered fated with this poor Taoist. I’ll make an exception this time, but don’t let it happen again.”

The innkeeper nodded repeatedly in agreement and retreated to the side with the talismans.

Pan Sheng Cai’s face maintained a serene expression. She lifted her chin slightly and looked at the young woman again, saying, “This poor Taoist doesn’t usually calculate fortunes for people easily, as heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. But since we have this fate today, making an exception is fine.”

Before the young woman could speak, her tone suddenly changed: “However… revealing heavenly secrets will cost years of cultivation. For this poor Taoist to calculate your fortune, I’m afraid it will cost quite a few years of my spiritual practice.”

The implication was clearly reminding her that she should show some appreciation. Shen Yao Xing’s mouth twitched, almost believing it, and became more certain of her guess.

She didn’t expose it, but raised her hand to gesture to Bai Sha behind her. Bai Sha nodded in understanding and took out a silver ingot from the money bag, dropping it into the donation box in front of the deity statue.

That small silver ingot naturally couldn’t satisfy Pan Sheng Cai. She glanced at the young woman again from the corner of her eye, with a hint of contempt. Looking at how well-dressed this person was, she thought she had encountered a young lady out for sightseeing, whose spending should be lavish. Unexpectedly, she turned out to be so stingy.

In an instant, Pan Sheng Cai lost interest in dealing with them. But since she had already spoken, she couldn’t lose face in front of so many people. She could only pretend to raise her hand and calculate.

She immediately said, “Young lady, you may encounter a bloody disaster in the coming days.”

“……”

On the way back, the more Shen Yao Xing thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. She suddenly had the idea of wanting to take another look at last night’s “zombie”. A woman’s sixth sense told her that there might be some unsavory business going on here.

Extremely curious about last night’s strange events, Shen Yao Xing decided to stay another night. She looked at the woman beside her and suggested, “Why don’t we set out tomorrow?”

Meng Xin Yi wasn’t surprised by this. She had guessed the young woman would do this from her distraction when she woke up. Even after experiencing the blood and rain of the jianghu, she was still quite “kind-hearted”.

Seeing that the woman hadn’t responded for a while, Shen Yao Xing became curious: “What exactly are you going to Jiaohuang City for this time? Is it urgent?”

If it was really urgent, then they wouldn’t waste time here. This matter wasn’t something she absolutely had to investigate.

Meng Xin Yi glanced at her sideways and replied unhurriedly, “It’s not really an urgent matter. If you want to stay another night, then let’s stay.”

With that, the matter was settled. Bai Sha, following behind the young woman, had been frowning all the way, her mind full of the master’s words about “bloody disaster”. She was anxious and kept asking in a low voice, “Young miss, the master said you have a bloody disaster coming. Why didn’t you ask the master how to resolve it? Otherwise, shouldn’t we go back to the capital first and come out again after some time?”

Shen Yao Xing shook her head, suddenly thinking of something. She stopped and turned back, “Don’t sleep too early tonight. I’ll come find you at the hour of Zi (11 pm-1 am).”

Why find her so late? Bai Sha looked confused: “Has something happened, young miss?”

“You’ll know when the time comes.”

By the time the two finished talking, they had already returned to the inn. Before entering the room, Shen Yao Xing reminded Bai Sha again. After closing the door, she turned around and was shocked to see someone sitting at the tea table.

That feeling was even more heart-pounding than when she saw the “zombie” last night.

Shen Yao Xing leaned against the door, staring wide-eyed at the man who had appeared in her room at some unknown time. Her lips trembled as she said, “Y-you, why are you here!?”

The question blurted out in extreme fear was not expected to be answered by the man, but she saw him loosen his tightly pressed thin lips and point to the open window. His voice was soft and pleasant: “Your window wasn’t closed.”

Seemingly not expecting him to answer so seriously, Shen Yao Xing was stunned for a moment. For some unknown reason, she felt inexplicably panicked. Her hand groped behind her for the door, planning to slip out at the right moment.

Jiang Ming Yue’s eyes, as dark as night, clung tightly to the young woman, from head to toe, not missing an inch, as if wanting to swallow her whole.

Noticing the young woman’s small movements, he recalled her leaving without saying goodbye, and resentment rose in his heart. The palm hidden in his sleeve had already been scratched repeatedly by his fingertips.

Shen Yao Xing felt like her scalp was about to explode under his gaze. She gritted her teeth, not knowing how to break this awkwardness. In her heart, there was both unresolved guilt and an inexplicable aversion to him.

The ambiguous memories of that night suddenly became very clear in her mind, making her doubt their reality once again.

The man sitting there now looked like an abandoned large plush toy, his whole person seeming gloomy. His slightly narrowed eyes glanced at her from time to time, that somewhat awkward appearance looking pitiful.

It was as if he was waiting for her to speak.

His appearance like this made Shen Yao Xing unable to casually brush him off and leave. She withdrew her hand and scratched her neck, facing that eager gaze, and said dryly, “Have you… eaten?”

The man’s originally dark eyes instantly lit up. For a moment, Shen Yao Xing seemed to see a rapidly wagging large tail behind him.

Jiang Ming Yue suppressed the urgency in his heart and shook his head slightly with dignity.

“……”

Shen Yao Xing called for simple meals to be brought, then turned to leave, but was called back by the person in the room. She turned back to explain, “You can rest here today. I’ll go open another room.”

She didn’t want to ask him anything more, fearing that whatever came out would not be what she wanted to hear.

After the young woman’s figure disappeared from the room, Jiang Ming Yue’s face darkened. His tall, straight back stiffened for a moment, and he vengefully flung the wooden chopsticks in his hand to the ground, a hint of crimson flashing in his dark eyes.

Suddenly, he violently waved his sleeve again, sweeping all the food on the table to the ground. The sound of breaking porcelain echoed throughout the room.

Shen Yao Xing, who hadn’t gone far, heard the noise and stopped in her tracks. She turned back to look at the tightly closed door, her brows slightly furrowed. After a moment’s hesitation, she lifted her foot and left.