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"Disperse, everyone, and get back to work."

Only then did the stall owners gradually return to their respective stalls.

With the area cleared, Chu Yuening noticed the mess on the ground. Sweet potatoes, papayas, milk, and other ingredients used for making the dessert were scattered everywhere. The painstakingly cooked taro, which had taken much effort, was trampled into a mess, with large chunks stuck to the concrete floor.

To gather more funds, the original owner had purchased more dessert ingredients than usual and had worked through the night to prepare them. Now, less than a third had been sold, and the money needed for rent had already been taken by the thugs. Chu Yuening covered her forehead, feeling an immense headache.

Was she really going to sleep on the streets tonight?

"Are you really okay?" It was Lin Jiahua from the neighboring stall selling egg tarts. He straightened his crooked red-and-yellow striped apron, revealing a black-and-blue bruise under his silver glasses – a result of helping the original owner during the robbery.

"I'm fine." Chu Yuening wrung out the wet bottom of her T-shirt, borrowed a broom from the owner of Zhang's stall, and swept up the fallen ingredients, discarding them in the trash. Even after finishing the task, she still appeared troubled.

"But the dessert situation is worse than my own troubles."

Lin Jiahua, close in age to Chu Yuening and operating a neighboring stall, had always had a good relationship with her. Aware of her struggles with rent, he reached into a plastic basket and pulled out some loose Hong Kong dollars.

"I have one hundred and fifty here. Hold on for now."

Chu Yuening wiped the syrup off the cart and shook her head in refusal. "Forget it. There's also a family waiting for you to cook at home."

The original owner had searched for the cheapest housing in Hong Kong, and only Sham Shui Po offered affordable options. Even a tiny twenty-square-meter unit cost a hefty fifteen hundred per month.

Fifteen hundred was just a drop in the bucket, so it would be better for Lin Jiahua to keep it.

After some thought, Lin Jiahua insisted on giving Chu Yuening the money and offered to help her brainstorm. "How about this – you use the money to restock your inventory. Since there'll be more people around at night, you don't have to sell syrup only. You can sell toys for kids too. I'll give you my earnings from tonight."

Preparing syrup took time, but kids' toys were inexpensive and could be sold immediately. In such a critical situation, every bit counted.

Chu Yuening appreciated Lin Jiahua's kindness, but even if she doubled the price of the toys, the profit wouldn't cover half the rent. Perhaps she should fall back on her old expertise...

She was, after all, a prodigy in the Profound Sect, skilled in fortune-telling and feng shui. It didn't make sense that she would starve in a new place.

The more Chu Yuening pondered, the more feasible the idea seemed. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Lin Jiahua. "A Hua, do you have a pen at your stall?"

"A pen? Of course." Lin Jiahua turned to the stall and bent down to search. Finally, he held up a black marker and handed it to Chu Yuening, curious. "What do you need it for?"

Chu Yuening had no time to respond. Swiftly, she wiped the sugar water stall clean and arranged the bottles and jars underneath onto the preparation table. She removed the cardboard that had been used as padding for the ingredient jars and placed it on the ground, uncapping a marker pen.

Swish, swish, swish—

She wrote two large words on the cardboard: Fortune-Telling, Feng Shui.

Lin Jiahua peered over in disbelief. "You know fortune-telling and feng shui? I've never heard you mention this."

"I have some knowledge," Chu Yuening initially intended to be modest, but then recalled how uncertainty was frowned upon in the realms of fortune-telling and feng shui. This wasn't the time to be humble like she was back in her previous life in the Profound Sect. She straightened her back and promptly corrected herself, "No, I'm very skilled. Extremely skilled."

The girl's self-assured demeanor lifted Lin Jiahua's spirits. He had been worried that Chu Yuening would be disheartened, but it seemed she was stronger than he had imagined.

"Great then, I wish you a bountiful night."

"Thanks."

Chu Yuening propped the sign against the cart and crossed the street to ensure the letters were large and eye-catching enough. Satisfied, she returned to her stall and sat down.

Cars streamed by as the record store alternated between Beyond and Andy Lau. Streams of Hong Kongers, finished with their workday, passed by in groups.

The people who had initially approached the cardboard vendor reconsidered upon seeing Chu Yuening's youthful face and left with a shake of their heads.

Chu Yuening had always been a prodigy in the Profound Sect since she was young. In her previous life, a single fortune-telling session could earn her a hundred thousand, while setting up a feng shui arrangement could fetch millions. She had never lacked clients and had never experienced such defeat.

"It's truly challenging to start all over again," Chu Yuening sighed, looking up.

Suddenly, a cry caught her attention.

"Uncle Ken, Auntie Fan, out shopping?"

Chu Yuening followed the sound and saw an elderly couple supporting each other at the opposite street food stall selling carni. The middle-aged man's back was hunched, and his thin hands dangled beneath his loose striped shirt as he gruffly ordered, "Two servings of carni, please."

Chu Yuening couldn't help but look longer, her mind turning.

Carni was a street food, so why would a well-dressed couple be eating such inexpensive fast food during mealtime?

"Uncle Ken is an old neighbor of mine," Lin Jiahua explained, noticing Chu Yuening's gaze on the pair. "Don't let Uncle Ken's current appearance deceive you. He used to be quite the formidable figure when he was young, with great style. He was once a detective in Kowloon's major crime unit, known for fighting injustice and solving many significant cases. He even did quite a bit of charity work. Retirement gave him a pension, so his life was comfortable enough. Who would have thought..."

Chu Yuening interjected, "Who could have imagined that his daughter would be killed?"

"Eh?" Lin Jiahua was startled. "You know about it? But his daughter didn't die from murder, it was an accident."

Uncle Ken took the packed car noodle box and turned around. Only then did Chu Yuening see the emptiness in his eyes and the darkening of his forehead. As he walked, the dark aura gradually spread, soon engulfing half of the couple's bodies.

Passing by the dessert stall,

Chu Yuening suddenly asked,

"Uncle Ken, you should be enjoying the blessings of your daughter's care and grandchildren at your feet in your later years. Yet, here you are. Do you want to know how your daughter really died?"

Chapter 2

Many people at the stall recognized Uncle Ken. Seeing Chu Yuening stop him, especially after reading the message on the cardboard, they assumed she was desperate for money and trying to scam him.

"Uncle Ken's daughter passed away in an accident."

"What's the point? Dessert girl, don't reopen old wounds and pour salt on them."

"Are you here for money or do you just want to stay away? Uncle Ken is a good man, don't provoke him."