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Her niece was so well-behaved and sensible—how could Li Chunhua bear to scold her even a little?

Li Chunhua gently tugged at her niece’s hair bun. "No matter, let’s go in."

Xingxing nodded obediently, took Li Chunhua’s hand, and they headed back into the temple together.

The two adults and two children waited for nearly another quarter of an hour before a portly, kindly old Taoist priest in Taoist robes slowly ambled in from outside.

Li Chunhua and Su Rouer, who’d been waiting impatiently, hurried forward to greet him. "Taoist Master, we’d like to offer incense."

The old Taoist priest pointed to the incense table. "Go right ahead."

After speaking, his gaze quickly scanned the group before finally settling on Xingxing.

Hearing that the incense was free, Li Chunhua and Su Rouer exchanged a glance, delighted, and immediately knelt on the kneeling cushions to pray for blessings from the gods.

Ju Geer was also dragged over by Su Rouer.

Xingxing alone remained standing at the temple entrance.

Just as the old Taoist priest was about to speak, he suddenly noticed the string of jet-black Buddhist prayer beads on Xingxing’s wrist.

A flicker of recognition crossed his face, as if recalling something.

He remembered the prophecy left by that eminent master many years ago.

Back then, after his young master met with misfortune, his lord had asked when his son would return to normal.

The master had left only five words in response:

*Await the game-changer.*

At the time, his lord had also asked the master how they would recognize this person.

The master had simply extended his hand, letting his lord glimpse the string of small prayer beads on his wrist before taking his leave without another word.

The priest had been standing too far away back then to see the beads clearly.

But now…

This little girl wore a string of prayer beads on her wrist.

Could this be…?

The old Taoist priest said nothing, merely putting on a kindly smile as he started chatting with Xingxing. "Little girl, where did you get that bracelet of prayer beads on your wrist?"

Hearing the old Taoist priest address Xingxing, Li Chunhua assumed he was offended by the Buddhist object in a Taoist temple.

She quickly hurried up from her kneeling position to apologize. "Taoist Master, those beads were given to my niece by an itinerant monk… She’s always worn them on her wrist. Please don’t blame her."

The old Taoist priest felt a jolt of surprise but quickly regained his composure.

Many are given prayer beads—it didn’t necessarily mean this child was the one fated to resolve his young master’s predicament.

The old Taoist priest smiled benevolently. "It’s no trouble. We Taoists are not overly concerned with such worldly matters."

Li Chunhua thought admiringly, *Now that’s a true Taoist master!*

She hadn’t finished voicing her earlier wishes, so she quickly knelt back on the kneeling cushion to burn incense and pray.

Xingxing stood quietly to the side, watching.

Meanwhile, the old Taoist priest secretly observed Xingxing.

His young master had been born with the jinxed constitution of a lone star of calamity, bringing relentless misfortune wherever he went—whether walking, eating, or even sitting quietly.

The strangest thing was that anyone who came into contact with his young master would suffer, from stumbles to serious injuries.

In recent years, this condition had worsened. Thus, following the advice of a sage, his master had sent them deep into the mountains to escape the curse's effects.

Earlier, his young master had mentioned how a little girl had touched his arm.

The old Taoist priest worried that such a small child might meet with violent misfortune, possibly fatal—adding to his young master’s karmic debt.

That was why he had hurried over.

Yet, after watching the little girl for a long time, he saw no signs of misfortune befalling her.

How very strange.

Chapter 82: Be Careful on the Way Back

However, even after Li Chunhua and Su Rouer finished their long prayers before the ancestral shrine and prepared to leave, the old Taoist priest still found nothing unusual about Xingxing.

Logically, the curse's effects should manifest within half an hour at most.

The old Taoist priest grew more and more unsettled.

Could she truly be the one to break the curse mentioned in the prophetic words?

Then again, if she was indeed the one to break the curse, she would appear when the time was right—there was no need to rush.

With this thought, the old Taoist priest relaxed.

Still, considering the little girl had touched the young master, the curse might strike on their way back. So, he warned cautiously Li Chunhua and Su Rouer, "Be careful on the way back."

The two women exchanged puzzled glances, their eyes filled with unease, unsure of his meaning.

On the descent, when traversing the steep mountain path, Li Chunhua and Su Rouer felt their hearts pounded. They clung to each other while each using a free hand—Li Chunhua holding Xingxing, and Su Rouer gripping Ju Geer.

The two children had been walking steadily, but the adults' tight grips made their footing precarious.

Fortunately, they made it through safely.

Once past the dangerous stretch, the two women broke into relieved smiles.

The county town wasn’t far, so Li Chunhua and Su Rouer took the children there to buy some supplies.

Shortly after entering the town, Li Chunhua noticed Xingxing staring at a stick of candied hawthorns. Assuming the child wanted some, she cheerfully fished out coins from her waist pouch. "Xingxing, do you want some? Auntie can afford it—I’ll buy it for you! What about you, Ju Geer? Do you want some too?"

"Auntie, I don’t want to eat it," Xingxing shook her head, then pointed to a narrow alley behind the candy seller. Tilting her head, confused, she said, "I think I saw that uncle who visited our house last time..."

"Uncle? Which uncle?"

Li Chunhua was confused at first, then suddenly alert. "It couldn’t be Li Jinnan, could it?!"

That damned man—wasn’t he supposed to be marrying into the Zhao family?!

Was he causing trouble again?

Luckily, Xingxing shook her head. "Not him. It’s..."

She scrunching her little brow, groping for words to describe the person.