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Zhang Jiande stood at the entrance of the restaurant, holding his pipe and gazing at the morning sunlight while reading the Hong Kong Morning News.

When he came across the section on mysticism, he thought he was experiencing presbyopia. He emptied the ashes from his pipe into the trash bin by the door, stuffed the newspaper into his pocket, and brought it closer to his eyes to read every word meticulously.

"What kind of mystical power could surpass Ning Ning's?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a crisp voice greeted him.

"Brother De, good morning."

Turning around, Zhang Jiande saw Chu Yuening smiling brightly at him. He returned the greeting and approached her with a secretive air, handing over the newspaper.

"Yuening, to be honest, were you involved in the Golden Reach Bank case?"

Chu Yuening smiled and blinked playfully.

Between these two old friends, much was understood without the need for words.

"Woah!" Zhang Jiande rolled up the newspaper and tucked it under his arm, raising both thumbs together. "Superb!"

Then, he couldn't resist asking with a hint of schadenfreude, "Was Liang Wenlin that unlucky guy there?"

"Yes," Chu Yuening replied honestly.

"Hahaha." Zhang Jiande could already picture Liang Wenlin's expression and chuckled gleefully. "Let's see what he has to say about not believing in mysticism now!"

After chatting for a while, Chu Yuening took out the shop keys. "Brother De, I'm going to open the store."

Zhang Jiande retrieved the newspaper from under his arm and waved. "Go ahead. You're a shop owner now. We'll talk another day so as not to hinder your work."

"Bye."

Without her food cart, Chu Yuening resorted to walking.

The distance from her apartment to Temple Street wasn't far, and she arrived in just over ten minutes. After bidding farewell to Zhang Jiande and taking another dozen steps, she turned the corner and saw her feng shui shop.

The neon sign stood out prominently amidst the row of smaller signs. It was still early, but quite a crowd had already gathered outside.

Upon seeing her arrival, many neighbors greeted her with joy.

Chu Yuening returned their greetings one by one.

Ascending the steps, she spotted Wei Yanlin squatting at the entrance of the feng shui shop with his red hair tousled. His long robe dragged on the ground as he still seemed half-asleep, his fluffy crimson locks swaying gently with each yawn.

Chu Yuening was surprised. "You're here so early?"

As she asked, she opened the door to the feng shui shop.

Wei Yanlin abruptly snapped awake, shaking off his hair with a chuckle before standing up. Carrying a book, he followed behind her. "I promised to help you, so I can only arrive early, not late."

Inside the shop, he was proactive. First, he placed the ancient books he had brought onto the lowest shelf of the display rack. Then, he took a broom to clean and proceeded to open the glass window in the dessert section.

Once his tasks were done, Wei Yanlin found a moment to retrieve a book from the shelf. Flipping to a page filled with obscure ancient script, he carefully held it out to Chu Yuening, who was portioning the desserts. "Ning Ning, could you help me read this?"

Chu Yuening glanced at the ancient book and, after setting down the sweet soup, eagerly took it over. "The Dragon-Shaking Scripture? I've heard of this one. It mainly discusses feng shui formations. One of the three major ancient texts on feng shui, I didn't expect you to have such a valuable item."

"Sigh, Master left behind many ancient books. But what's the use if I can't understand a single one?" Wei Yanlin sighed, but his spirits lifted when he thought that Chu Yuening could read them.

The Dragon-Shaking Scripture wasn't lengthy, containing only ten feng shui formations, though each was highly refined. After Chu Yuening confirmed she knew them all, she closed the book to fulfill her promise and explained two of the formations first.

Upon finishing, she closed the book, allowing Wei Yanlin time to absorb the information. She then went to the display stand, grabbed a cardboard sign, and picked up a marker to write a new price.

Fortune-Telling: 1000 yuan.

Feng Shui Consulting: 10,000 yuan.

Afterward, Chu Yuening stepped out and placed the sign at the entrance of the shop.

At that moment, a group of neighbors who had just finished their breakfast were lingering outside. Upon seeing the prices Chu Yuening had set, they not only expressed no dissatisfaction but instead praised her.

"Ning Ning is right, you should've raised your prices a long time ago with how accurate your fortune-telling is."

"Exactly, I heard so many rumors yesterday. People were saying that the Temple Street Oracle gives cheap lottery predictions, and they're planning to form groups to get readings."

"It's infuriating just listening to it. Aren't you supposed to alleviate people's troubles? Yet, they all want shortcuts and even fantasize about using two hundred yuan to predict a two million lottery win?"

"Better yet, I've heard of scalpers demanding extra money for a spot in line."

"In this day and age, there truly are all sorts of characters around."

Chu Yuening understood this principle well.

With fame came those who sought to take advantage. By raising her prices, she aimed to deter opportunists.

If someone genuinely needed help but lacked the funds, she would still be willing to give them a consultation.

Suddenly, an unhappy voice sounded from nearby.

"Are you kidding me? We lined up before dawn, and now the price has gone up fivefold?"

Chu Yuening followed the sound to see who had spoken.

The one who spoke was a man standing at the front of the queue for fortune-telling. He was of short stature, rather thin, and his face was covered in freckles. He was also holding the hand of a young boy who appeared to be a few years old.

The little boy seemed listless, just as frail as the man. His small face was pale, devoid of any healthy color, and he leaned weakly against the man's leg, giving the impression of a long-term illness.

Mazi pleaded with a bitter smile, "Master, can you not increase the price? My son is seriously ill, and our daily expenses are already heavy. I've exhausted all my savings. A thousand dollars per reading is really beyond my means."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Chu Yuening.

He had heard that the fortune teller on Temple Street was compassionate and willing to help the poor. It was said that Miss Hong Kong, Lu Qing, had once sought a reading penniless and then soared to success.

However, to his surprise,

Chu Yuening first looked at the little boy, then at Mazi, and shook her head. "A thousand dollars per reading. If you're unwilling, you should let the person behind you have your turn."

"Can't it be a bit less?" Mazi asked, astonished.