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What memories could a three-year-old have? But the pain of that experience was so profound that he would never forget it. The mark of abandonment had been deeply etched into his soul.

Fish was utterly astonished and couldn't help turning to look at their leader.

The underlings were subtly restless; they truly hadn't expected the ruthless Qiu Hao to have such a tragic side.

"Originally, your adoptive parents, who didn't have biological children, taking you in could be seen as a good thing. At least there was food to eat and books to read. Too bad." Chu Yuening sighed. "They adopted you only to borrow the fortune of having a son in hopes of conceiving a real one."

"In fact, four years after adopting you, their wish came true. With the firstborn being a girl, your position was relatively stable. But when the second-born boy arrived, you were completely treated as an outsider by your adoptive parents."

"When you were eleven, your adoptive parents felt that supporting an extra mouth was a waste of money, so they took you to a remote area..."

One of the underlings whispered a question, "What were they going to do in a remote place?"

"Surely they wanted to abandon him and sneak away secretly," another underling chimed in.

Brother Fish sighed, even his usually calculative heart couldn't help but sway with emotion. "Poor kid, to be abandoned multiple times at the age of eleven."

"His adoptive parents did indeed no longer want to raise him, but not through abandonment," Chu Yuening paused. "It was premeditated murder."

"They brought you to the riverbank and pushed you in."

Chu Yuening witnessed the ten-year-old boy desperately struggling against the roaring current.

The boy, already emaciated from hunger, clung to a rotting log by the bank, pleading with his foster father to save him, promising never to overeat again.

Yet, his foster father ignored his pleas and walked away.

The boy was swept away by the river's force.

"Luckily, fate had other plans for you. You managed to crawl ashore downstream. From then on, you lived a nomadic life with no home, eventually illegally migrating to Hong Kong."

Qiu Hao remained silent, allowing the narrative to unfold uninterrupted.

This deliberately buried memory stirred his pent-up anger anew, fueling his resentment towards both his biological family for abandoning him and his foster parents for their deliberate cruelty.

He felt like trash, discarded by everyone.

"After arriving in Hong Kong, you fought your way through bloodshed. The position you hold now is a result of the sacrifices you made back then."

Having reached this point in her calculations, Chu Yuening finally understood why Qiu Hao seemed indifferent to the impending calamity.

Living each day with the uncertainty of life and death, how could one still attach importance to such matters?

Qiu Hao forced a smile and clapped his hands. "As expected, your reputation precedes you."

"To me, calamities are as common as daily meals. Back when I was involved in fierce battles, lying in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life, and then waking up to see the sunrise the next day, wasn't each of those instances a calamity? Having lived so long, it seems as if calamities have become my very nature."

Though Chu Yuening had yet to reveal what the next calamity would be.

To divine so much was not an ordinary feat. Chu Yuening truly possessed remarkable skills, unlike those fraudulent fortune-tellers in the alleys.

Putting aside his prejudice, Qiu Hao held great admiration and respect for those with genuine abilities. His tone became significantly more serious.

"Master Chu, you mentioned that I would lose limbs. On which specific day will this occur?"

"In three days' time."

Chu Yuening manipulated the eight characters once more, her expression confident. "A major hurdle in life. If you can avoid it, happiness will follow after the bitterness."

Three days later...

Qiu Hao realized that on that very day, he was scheduled to negotiate with another gang over territory. Could it be related to that meeting?

In the past, he wasn't afraid of death because he had no weaknesses. Now, since he wanted to continue living peacefully with Chun Ling, fear naturally crept in.

"Master, what should I do?"

"It's simple," Chu Yuening stood up and walked over to the stall, bending down to pick up a red plastic bag. She turned back and said, "I'll write a protective charm for you."

She opened the red plastic bag, and Qiu Hao took a glance. Inside were only a few simple items: yellow talismans, a frayed brush, and a tiny vial containing a small amount of cinnabar.

When he had kicked down the fortune-telling booth before, Qiu Hao had observed the tools the fraudster used, which were all quite sophisticated.

Chu Yuening's tools, however, seemed... rudimentary, to say the least. Especially the brush; it was so worn out that it would likely be left untouched if discarded on the street.

Unmindful of Qiu Hao's thoughts, Chu Yuening picked up the brush, straightened its bristles against the lid, then dipped it into the cinnabar. With a held breath, she began writing a string of runes.

Golden light swiftly flashed.

Ever since her magical powers started to recover, her divine vision and foundation had also returned significantly. The more prominent the golden glow on the talisman, the stronger its effectiveness.

Looking at the golden light, Qiu Hao thought he had momentarily lost his sight. Before he could reach up to rub his eyes, Chu Yuening had already folded the talisman into a triangle and handed it to him.

The girl smiled slightly. "Don't let it get wet. Please keep it safe."

After some thought, Qiu Hao took the talisman and turned to look at Lin Jiahua at the custard tart stall. He put on his sunglasses, hiding the scar filled with resentment.

"Thank you very much."

Neither of them continued discussing Lin Jiahua's matter.

Chu Yuening allowed Qiu Hao to stand up. When he was about to pay for the divination and the talisman, she waved her hand, declining his offer with another serene smile. "What I want, Brother Qiu should be aware."

"I wouldn't have given you a reading based on our connection if not for this incident."

Qiu Hao didn't believe in fortune-telling in the first place, so there was no chance he would have visited her stall. Let alone have the opportunity to alter his fate.

Chu Yuening held her words there, leaving the matter subtly implied.

Qiu Hao grasped the hint and respectfully put the money away, his demeanor undergoing a remarkable transformation. He resembled a tamed fierce wolf, shedding his hostile aura.

He stated, "If the divination proves true, there will be no further issues with Lin Jiahua concerning the Lin family's debt."

The debt owed by the Lin family would no longer be pursued against Lin Jiahua. As for the lengthy repayment period of the Lin family's debt, it wouldn't align with the Fourteen Gang's annual accounting at the end of the year.