Chapter 127: Seeking Divination

Chapter 127: Seeking Divination

Dai Ze snatched the reins from the servant's hand, leaped onto the horse, and galloped away.

The two servants, without exchanging words, hurriedly chased after him.

The streets of the capital were never short of people coming and going. A young man was seen riding a horse at full speed, causing pedestrians to quickly scatter to the sides.

"Who is that rider?" an officer on patrol shouted at the man and horse that had just passed by, only to get a mouthful of dust.

A companion pulled him aside, "Forget it, forget it. From the looks of it, he might be some noble's son. Don't invite trouble."

Dai Ze didn't think much about it; his mind was filled with Xin You's words, eager to rush to Qingsong Bookstore.

"Watch out!" a cry of alarm rang out.

A little boy stood in the middle of the road, frozen in fear as the large horse charged towards him.

Dai Ze instinctively tugged at the reins, but the horse's speed did not decrease much. Fortunately, a figure dashed out and carried the child away at the last moment.

Amidst the screams, the galloping horse did not stop but continued forward.

The little boy finally came to his senses and burst into tears.

Soon, the boy's mother rushed over, hugging her child and repeatedly thanking He Qingxiao.

"Take care of your child," He Qingxiao said gently.

The woman thanked him profusely and left with her child.

He Qingxiao frowned, looking in the direction Dai Ze had gone.

"Sir, are you alright?" one of his subordinates asked.

"The one who just passed, was that the heir of Count Gu Chang?" He Qingxiao's voice was low, unsure if he was speaking to himself or confirming with his subordinate.

Two Jinlin Guards exchanged glances, one hesitantly saying it seemed like him, while the other hadn't seen clearly at all.

In that direction—though Qingsong Bookstore was there, it didn't necessarily mean the heir of Count Gu Chang was heading there. He Qingxiao hesitated for a moment but decided to check it out.

The distance from the residence of Count Gu Chang to Qingsong Bookstore wasn't far, and Dai Ze arrived soon, dismounting and rushing inside.

Suddenly, Liu Zhou and Shitou, moving faster than they thought, blocked him, and Hu Zanggu also instinctively raised his abacus.

Dai Ze was taken aback, "What are you doing?"

He was just a bit too fast; why did they look like they were about to beat him up? Was this how they treated guests?

Hu Zanggu silently put down the abacus, Shitou quietly retreated to the side, and Liu Zhou forced a smile, "Seeing it's Master Dai, I wouldn't dare to be negligent. I didn't expect Shitou to rush ahead to welcome you, sir."

The three in the bookstore couldn't help but think: With the way you barged in, we thought it was a robber. How could we not be nervous?

It was the aftermath of receiving a box of gold ingots.

"Where is your boss?" Dai Ze, not in the mood for small talk, looked around.

"Our boss has returned to the back courtyard," Liu Zhou replied respectfully.

"Have your boss—no, please have your boss come over. I need to speak with him," Dai Ze, thinking of Xin You's prediction, spoke more politely in front of Hu Zanggu and others.

Liu Zhou and Hu Zanggu exchanged shocked glances.

Was their boss a prophet? How did he know Master Dai would come again today?

Hu Zanggu recovered first and instructed Shitou, "Go tell the boss that Master Dai has arrived."

Shitou nodded and ran to the back.

Dai Ze sat down on the chair by the counter, frequently glancing at the door leading to the back, eager to see Xin You immediately.

The two servants finally caught up, panting heavily.

Dai Ze, used to having the two servants always by his side, said nothing.

One of the servants, after some hesitation, mustered the courage to remind him, "Young Master, do you want to wipe your face?"

Dai Ze was taken aback, his face changing dramatically.

Oh no, the bird droppings are still on my face!

"What are you standing there for? Quickly clean me up!"

After such a ride, the bird droppings had mostly dried, and neither Hu Zanggu nor Liu Zhou noticed anything when the servant mentioned it.

The servant wiped Dai Ze's face with a handkerchief, then wiped again.

Liu Zhou couldn't bear to watch and cleared his throat, "Would you like me to bring some water?"

By the time Liu Zhou brought a basin of water, Dai Ze had washed his face and hands, and Xin You had arrived.

"Master Dai."

Dai Ze pushed aside the servant blocking his view and stood up abruptly.

"Miss Kou!"

His excited reaction, following his sudden gallop earlier, was expected by the two servants, but Hu Zanggu and Liu Zhou were startled.

At first, they thought someone was robbing them and relaxed upon seeing it was Master Dai. Now, it seemed they had relaxed too soon. Could Master Dai be here to kidnap Miss Kou?

This speculation made the old shopkeeper secretly reach for his abacus again.

At the sight of Dai Ze's reaction, Xin You understood what was going on and said calmly, "Prince Dai, let’s talk in the guest room."

From childhood to now, unless she stayed at home, whenever she encountered many people, she would inevitably “see” a few who were about to suffer misfortune. But most of the time, she pretended not to notice. For instance, today with Dai Ze, if it weren't to make him believe in her ability to read faces, she wouldn’t have mentioned it at all.

It wasn’t that she was cold-hearted; rather, she feared that misusing this ability would come at a cost, one she might not even be aware of.

Perhaps, she had already paid that price.

Thinking of her mother’s death, Xin You felt a chill of sorrow.

How ironic, that despite being able to foresee others' impending misfortunes, she had missed it that one time because she had been out too long and saw nothing.

Xin You dared not indulge herself in such regretful thoughts; they would rob her of the courage to keep going.

Facing the son of the man almost certainly responsible for her mother’s death, she poured tea with a calm demeanor and placed it before him.

"Prince Dai, please have a cup of tea to moisten your throat."

Dai Ze grabbed the teacup and gulped it down in one go.

His boldness stemmed partly from genuine thirst and partly from still being in shock from Xin You’s words, making him subconsciously obey.

"Prince Dai, is there something you need?"

"Miss Kou—" Dai Ze reached out to grab Xin You’s wrist.

Xin You silently withdrew her hand and looked at him calmly.

Dai Ze’s hand grasped at air, and he awkwardly raised it to scratch his hair, his eyes fixed on Xin You’s face. "Miss Kou, what you said really happened!"

"Prince Dai, you mean the bird—"

"Yes, yes, as soon as I got home, I looked up and—” Dai Ze suddenly realized how embarrassing and disgusting this was and quickly stopped talking.

Xin You raised an eyebrow.

It seemed a bit different from what she had “seen.”

In her vision, the bird had defecated on Dai Ze’s head, angering him so much that he kicked a young maid.

But from Dai Ze’s words, it seemed he had looked up. Yes, he had looked up.

Xin You barely managed to control her lips from curling into a smile and took a sip of tea to hide it.

"In any case, Miss Kou, you were right," Dai Ze said with burning eyes. "Miss Kou, you really can read faces!"

"Yes," Xin You replied coolly.

"You’re even better than Daoist Qingfeng!"

"Daoist Qingfeng?"

"Daoist Qingfeng is the abbot of Qingfeng Temple, and it’s hard to get him to cast a divination, even for a thousand gold pieces," Dai Ze continued non-stop.

Xin You’s expression grew increasingly strange. "Prince Dai, are you trying to suggest I set up a stall to earn money?"

Dai Ze realized he had gone off-topic and cleared his throat. "No, I want Miss Kou to take another look at me and tell me why I’ve been so unlucky lately. Before, I was chased by a wild boar for no reason and got beaten. My mother specially spent a lot of money to have Daoist Qingfeng cast a divination for me. He said I’m under the influence of the Year Star this year and said a bunch of vague things, but nothing as specific as what Miss Kou mentioned today."

Xin You listened silently, her lips twitching slightly.

If she were to say, there was no need for divination; this spoiled brat’s misfortunes were clearly self-inflicted.

To still think he was chased by a wild boar for no reason, if that poor dead boar knew, it would surely strive to be reborn as a human to seek revenge.

"Miss Kou?"

"Hmm."

Dai Ze looked at her eagerly. "So, can you tell me why I’ve been so unlucky lately?"

Because you’re asking for it.

Xin You answered silently in her heart but put on a serious expression, staring intently at the person opposite her.

Dai Ze’s heart skipped a beat. "Miss Kou, just tell me, I can handle it."