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Chu Yuening had already torn off a yellow talisman and placed it on the table, but she paused, then opened the medicine bottle to add cinnabar into the lid. "Buy the talisman, you can't have your fortune told today."

"Why not?" Su Yinyin was puzzled.

Chu Yuening shook her head, not bothering to answer.

"I get it, you must have already done one reading today and exhausted your energy," Su Yinyin ventured hesitantly, revealing the reason for her desire to buy the talisman. "Lately, when I come home at night, I feel like someone's following me. But my friends think I'm being paranoid. Have you heard about the female body found in Sham Shui Po a few days ago?"

Without waiting for Chu Yuening's response, Su Yinyin continued narrating her troubles as if pouring her heart out to someone. With only her grandparents left at home, she didn't want them to worry, so she bore all the stress alone.

"The victim was my best friend. We grew up together, attended the same kindergarten and primary school. I don't have any siblings, so she was like my emotional support. We promised to support each other and enter the same university, but she's suddenly gone."

"I dream about her every night; she just keeps crying at me." Su Yinyin bit her lower lip, tears swirling in her eyes. "She must be trying to tell me something, that's why she keeps appearing in my dreams."

"I'm so scared, feeling like someone wants to harm me like they did to Ah Xiang. The lack of sleep and stress are affecting my life. Master, do you think a calming talisman would help in this situation?"

After listening, Chu Yuening dipped the bristled brush into the cinnabar liquid. "A calming talisman won't do; an amulet for safety would suit you better. It'll ensure your well-being whenever you go out."

After a moment, Su Yinyin nodded in agreement. "Then it'll be the safety amulet."

Focusing her energy, Chu Yuening pressed down on the yellow talisman with one hand. The red liquid soaked the paper, saturating it from top to bottom, and soon the entire talisman was complete.

A faint golden glow flickered.

She folded the yellow talisman into a triangle and handed it to Su Yinyin. "When you shower, keep it safe from water. Thread it with a red string and wear it around your neck."

Finished speaking, she looked at the young girl whose face was gradually being enveloped by black aura and emphasized, "Don't ever take it off. After tonight, come find me for another reading."

Confused, Su Yinyin took the triangular talisman and held it gently in her palm. In that instant, her barren and anxious heart seemed to regain its steady rhythm, as if a surge of energy had been infused into her body.

Su Yinyin exhaled deeply.

"Two hundred yuan, thank you for your business."

"Two hundred yuan?" Su Yinyin was taken aback, not expecting such a high price.

However, after receiving the talisman, she did feel much more reassured.

For that alone, it was worth it.

Su Yinyin placed all her living expenses for the next week on the table and politely expressed her gratitude.

Chu Yuening accepted the money and watched Su Yinyin's departing figure.

The little girl, now reassured by the talisman, left happily, no longer displaying her previous timidity.

"Ning Ning, were you just having your fortune told?"

Chu Yuening snapped back to reality and smiled at Shanpo. "I was selling talismans."

Upon hearing that Chu Yuening could also draw talismans, Shanpo slapped her thigh repeatedly. "Perfect timing! My sister has been dreaming about ghostly encounters every night lately. Draw one for her to calm her down, would you?"

Mrs. Li swatted Shanpo's hand away. "I told you not to talk about it! How can I show my face around here if everyone knows that my sister is having ghostly rendezvous every night?"

Shanpo disagreed. "I only promised not to tell your card-playing friends. Ning Ning is family; she's here to help us, isn't she?"

Chu Yuening looked at Mrs. Li and noticed the lifeless expression on her face. She frowned slightly.

One who was destined for a long life, why did they have the appearance of someone on their deathbed?

Only then did Li Shi look at Chu Yuening. "Ning Ning?"

Chu Yuening replied with a smile. "I still need to thank Auntie Li for the nourishing soup you sent over last night."

"Aww, no need to be polite." Auntie Li waved it off casually, her movements weak as she lacked energy after just a couple of sways. "Anyway, whether it's for one or two, I still have to cook."

Aunt Shanpo was surprised that the two knew each other. Recalling that she had bumped into Chu Yuening in Yuan Zhou Estate earlier that morning, she found it less peculiar and decided not to intervene.

"Could you show me your hand?"

Auntie Li obediently extended her arm without asking too many questions about why Chu Yuening knew feng shui – everyone had their secrets.

The skin on Auntie Li's hand was loose. Chu Yuening held her wrist and turned it over, gently tapping it.

In an instant.

A dark red line suddenly appeared on the previously clean hand. It started from the center of the ulna on her wrist and spread upward, reaching all the way to her upper arm.

Mrs. Li had never noticed the red line on her hand before and was utterly startled, almost collapsing to the ground. It was Shanpo who caught her in time, preventing her from falling.

"What is this?!"

Chu Yuening observed the red line with a furrowed brow. "What has happened to you recently?"

Thus, Shanpo calmed the frightened Hongmei while narrating the incident.

"You said you agreed to marry a man in your dream last night?" Chu Yuening realized that the situation seemed complicated.

"But he's a ghost. Wouldn't you have to die first to become a couple in the afterlife?"

Mrs. Li's weak face displayed a mix of embarrassment and helplessness. "He was so handsome, twenty years younger than me, and full of vigor. I had to go on ten blind dates in one night, and I couldn't resist the last one."

It wasn't until she woke up that she realized what she had agreed to, trembling in fear.

Early that morning, Mrs. Li had gone downstairs to pay respects to the local earth deity, hoping to ward off evil spirits.

"Ning Ning, is there any way to resolve this?"

"I need to check on your place first." Chu Yuening hastily removed her apron and called out to Lin Jiahua, who was selling egg tarts next door. "I'm going to visit Auntie Li. Can you spare some time to tend the stall for me?"

Lin Jiahua, bent over packaging the egg tarts, gave a thumbs-up. "Go ahead with peace of mind. I'll take care of the stall."

Auntie Li inserted the key into the lock and swung open the door. "Come in."

The moment Chu Yuening stepped in, she was hit by a strong scent of incense. As expected, she spotted a statue of the Kwan Yin sitting on a lotus flower from the South Sea, illuminated by a red lamp, placed in a corner of the living room.