Page 137

A tiny black bird emerged from the white mist, cawing twice alongside Dan Dan's shrill cry.

"Feiyang, you've forgotten about me! Don't come back!"

"That's how it happened."

Yu Feiyang sat at the fortune-telling stall, dressed in a green military uniform, his expression dazed as if he had just woken up from a dream. "I don't remember how I returned to the city; I only know that I woke up the next morning and ended up here."

The neighbors, upon hearing this continuation of the story, couldn't help but sigh.

"No matter what, Officer Yu's safety is the most important thing. It's good that you're okay."

"At least you didn't stay with the female ghost. Otherwise, Master Chu would have said you wouldn't last three days."

"Sigh, quickly buy two talismans with Ning Ning and put them by your bed. In a few days, you'll forget all about this."

"I was deeply devoted to that beauty," Yu Feiyang muttered, his soul seemingly lost. "But alas, she turned out to be a ghost."

It was his own fear to blame.

"Actually, what's the difference between a human and a ghost?"

Isn't it more important to be together, to share life, regardless of whether one is alive or not?

Chu Yuening disagreed.

"The paths of humans and ghosts diverge; there's no possibility for you two."

"To force a union goes against the natural order. Not only will you be punished, but your family will suffer as well." Chu Yuening stood up, pulled out a red plastic bag from under the stall, and took out a piece of paper and a calligraphy brush to write a calming charm.

After finishing, she lifted it up and slapped it onto Yu Feiyang's forehead with a loud smack.

The sound echoed loudly.

Lin Jiahua, at the adjacent egg tart stall, winced in sympathy and instinctively covered his own forehead.

The charm quickly turned to ashes. Amidst the crowd, many witnesses gasped in amazement at this miraculous sight.

Yu Feiyang gradually regained his senses. "Master Chu, I heard Dan Dan screaming back then. Did your charm injure her? Can you please help me?"

Yu Feiyang pulled out his bank card and handed it to Chu Yuening with a pained expression.

"Dan Dan truly is a good person. That night, the only dish that wasn't tainted was the green vegetable; she had no intention of harming me."

"Can you help me perform a ritual for her spirit?"

"Please, let her reincarnate!"

"Alright."

In the end, Chu Yuening agreed to Yu Feiyang's request and set a date to perform the ritual for Dan Dan. Only then did Yu Feiyang reluctantly leave the temple street.

Despite using the calming charm, Yu Feiyang still walked unsteadily, as if floating.

Lin Jiahua observed his gait, puzzled. "Why does he seem to be swaying while walking?"

"It's a symptom of being exposed to too much yin energy," Chu Yuening explained. "When a large amount of yin energy enters the body, it disrupts the balance of the five elements and upsets the order. The body becomes extremely sensitive to cold, and one's career and luck may suffer."

"Then isn't Inspector Yu in great danger?" Lin Jiahua pushed up his glasses, sighing. "A love that was finally on the right path, yet fate plays its cruel hand. Ah, he's really having a tough time."

"No worries, he'll recover once his yang energy regains steadily." Chu Yuening finished speaking and tied the red plastic bag into a bow before tossing it under the food cart.

"Ning Ning! Ning Ning!"

Chu Yuening followed the sound and saw Grandma Ding approaching with a straw basket in hand, waving at her from afar.

"Grandma Ding, where are you off to?" Chu Yuening's eyes curved into a warm smile as she greeted the elderly lady.

"Just grocery shopping. I bought some steak that my grandson loves today," Grandma Ding replied, glancing at the ice cream cart before reaching for her pocket. "Ning Ning, do you still have any Spirit Refreshing Talisman Syrup left?"

"Certainly." Chu Yuening lifted the lid of the box, took out the refreshing charm sugar water, packed it neatly, and handed it over with a smile. "Remember to drink it in the morning."

"I know, you young lady are always so thoughtful, remembering to remind me every time," Auntie Ding paid and left with the refreshing charm sugar water.

The mountain cat incident had passed, and the fortune-telling stall once again drew a crowd, albeit smaller than before, but business had picked up considerably.

An Acura Legend pulled up, and an elderly man alighted. He was dressed in a Zhongshan suit and leaned on a cane as he made his way to the front of the queue.

The person at the head of the line looked surprised upon seeing the elder. "Hey, we don't allow cutting in line here."

"Is that so?" The elderly man, with his hair as white as snow, leaned back upon hearing this. The accompanying bodyguard promptly took out cash.

"I'll give you ten thousand for your spot."

Supporting himself with his cane, the old man turned his head and asked, "Will that suffice?"

"Does money make you invincible?" The person at the front of the queue wasn't too pleased, but the prospect of ten thousand yuan convinced them to take the money and leave.

The other people in line grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"What's going on here?"

"Indeed, does money make one untouchable? He looks like he's almost ready for the coffin."

"Ah, I've been waiting in line for hours. If I had known money could buy a spot, I would have paid too."

"Hey, hey, hey, it's ten thousand yuan! Are you really willing to spend that much?"

"Well... actually, I'm not."

The sugar cane juice stall was bustling with customers, and in the haste, Chu Yuening merely cast a glance at the queue for the fortune-telling. Seeing that things had settled into an orderly pace, she didn't give it much thought.

After serving a few more cups, impatience finally seeped into the line.

"Boss, can we start with the fortune-telling now?"

It was none other than the elderly man with snow-white hair from before.

Chu Yuening raised an eyebrow, her tone indifferent. "If you're not keen, you're free to leave anytime. There are more fortune-tellers in Hong Kong than just one."

The old man, fueled by anger, struck his cane heavily against the ground several times until his temper gradually subsided.

Then he said, "I've read about your fortune-telling cases in the newspaper. You do possess some genuine skills. But aren't you a businessman? Is this how you treat your customers?"

"Oh, you don't have to if you don't want to," Chu Yuening replied with equal calmness.

"How can you have so many customers with such an attitude?" The old man was visibly angered again, his wrinkled face turning red from the effort.

"Indeed, you don't have to." Chu Yuening packed another bowl of sugar water for the customer, kindly reminding them to drink it soon before leisurely taking a seat at the wooden table. She didn't bother to remove the apron bearing the logo of Chu Ji's Sugar Water Shop around her waist.