Mystic in Hempen Robes

One physiognomy reading decides the win and loss.

**(Continued from previous section)**

It was still early in the evening. The streets were relatively busy. Logically, hailing a taxi shouldn't have been difficult, but I waited on the curb for a long time. Most passing taxis were occupied; I couldn't see any empty ones.

I waved several times but couldn't stop a single car.

Just as I was getting worried, an empty taxi drove up from the distance. I waved frantically, and the driver slowly pulled over in front of me. The driver was a woman with long hair. I could only see half her face, but she looked beautiful.

I thought to myself, *a female taxi driver this pretty? First time seeing that.*

As I was stunned, the woman driver asked, "Need a ride?"

Her voice sounded icy cold. Finally catching a taxi, I couldn't miss it. I said "Yes," opened the door, and got into the passenger seat.

Once inside, I said I wanted to go to the city.

Hearing it was a long-distance trip, she said, "Long-distance night trips cost extra. Daytime is one-fifty, nighttime is three hundred."

Three hundred! Doubling the price.

Hesitating, the woman driver asked, "Going or not? If going, pay first. I'm a woman. If we get to another place and you run off without paying, there's nothing I can do."

Before I could speak, she added, "If you pay first, I can let you see what I look like."

See what she looks like!?

Hearing this, I felt a twinge of unease. I turned to look and saw the long-haired woman suddenly reveal Xiang Li's face.

"Ah!"

I screamed in fright. Then, my whole body shuddered, and the scene before my eyes instantly changed. I wasn't in a taxi; I was sitting on the edge of an evergreen shrub planter by the roadside—exactly where I'd called Wang Junhui earlier.

What was happening? Was all that just now an illusion?

Then I remembered: after finishing the call, feeling tired, I'd sat on the planter edge to rest, watching for passing taxis. Then I dozed off and slipped into a hazy sleep. All that just now was a dream.

Even though it was a dream, it still felt terrifying.

So, when I stood up to hail a taxi, I was apprehensive, afraid I'd actually get into a taxi driven by Xiang Li.

Thankfully, my luck wasn't as bad as in the dream. In less than two minutes, I hailed a taxi. The driver was a man, looking to be in his thirties or forties, with a kind and gentle face. Judging by his face, his recent financial luck and family life were both quite good. Riding with him shouldn't bring me bad luck, right?

The driver saw me holding the door open, staring for a long time without getting in. He asked, "Bro, where to?"

I said, "To the city. Can you go? How much?"

The driver said, "Sure, but it's extra at night. Two hundred. Deal?"

Compared to the three hundred in the dream, two hundred was quickly acceptable. Once we agreed, I got into the passenger seat and told the driver to go.

He asked where in the city. I thought for a moment and first called Ning Haoyu, saying I was coming to see him tonight. Hearing I was coming immediately, he gave me an address and told me to call him when I was close so he could pick me up.

I gave the address to the driver. He acknowledged, "Got it. I know the place."

Next, the driver chatted with me about various topics while driving. At first, I responded a bit, but soon I felt overwhelmingly tired and involuntarily fell asleep.

Grandpa said that when ordinary people encounter ghosts, their vital energy rapidly decreases. Then people become listless, sleepy, and might even faint or fall into a coma.

I don't know how long I slept. In my deep sleep, I heard someone beside me calling, "Hey, hey…" I struggled to open my eyes and heard the driver say, "Bro, we're here."

"That fast?!" I opened my eyes and mumbled, confused.

The driver said, "Fast? You've been sleeping for almost three hours."

Dazed, I paid the driver, got out, and found myself at the entrance of a residential complex. The name at the gate matched the one Ning Haoyu gave me. Confirming it was correct, I called him.

The call connected quickly. Hearing I'd arrived, he came downstairs to get me, wearing just shorts and flip-flops.

It was already midnight.

Seeing me, Ning Haoyu patted my shoulder. "You've really had bad luck. You must be exhausted. Come on, let's go upstairs and rest. For the next few days, you can help my uncle. If you do well here, don't go back to the county town. You won't make much money there anyway."

I nodded gratefully at Ning Haoyu.

Upstairs, Ning Haoyu's uncle's family was already asleep. He and I didn't chat much. After a few words, we went to bed.

Because of the ghost encounter, I was quite exhausted. I collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep quickly. I slept until dawn.

After getting up, Ning Haoyu formally introduced me to his uncle and aunt.

I'd heard Ning Haoyu mention his uncle's name: Xiong Jiu, a well-known figure in the antique furniture trade. Meeting him today, he indeed had the air of a businessman, around forty, slightly overweight. But his facial features were excellent—a sign of great wealth and status. However, according to his face, he would face some challenges in his forty-third and forty-fourth years.

Ning Haoyu's aunt, though middle-aged, took great care of herself. Her skin was still good; though wrinkles in some places couldn't be completely hidden, her overall demeanor remained elegant. From her face, her life wouldn't be too difficult, and she had a "husband-prospering" appearance, likely Xiong Jiu's supportive partner.

During introductions, I quickly assessed the general facial features of Xiong Jiu and his wife. Of course, this time I didn't dare say too much, afraid of inviting more trouble.

After introductions, Ning Haoyu mentioned Xiong Jiu had a daughter, but she was in high school, living on campus. She only came home on weekends. Since it was Tuesday, she wasn't home.

After getting acquainted, Ning Haoyu's aunt went to prepare breakfast. The three of us stayed in the living room chatting.

After some casual talk, Ning Haoyu brought up my fortune-telling skills. Xiong Jiu casually asked, "I heard from Xiao Yu you're quite accurate. Interested in doing a reading for me?"

From his tone, I could tell he didn't really believe I could tell fortunes. He was just looking for entertainment, as waiting for breakfast could be boring.

Ning Haoyu chimed in, "Yeah, Chu-yi, do one for my uncle."

I smiled apologetically at Xiong Jiu. "Uncle Xiong, I can read your face, but I can't do a full divination."

Xiong Jiu smiled and asked why. I said, "No reading without sincere intent. Uncle, if you treat it as a joke, the result naturally won't be accurate."

Xiong Jiu wasn't offended. He smiled and said, "Alright. First, tell me what you see from my face. If it's accurate, I'll sincerely ask for a divination. If that's also accurate, I won't let you do it for free."

I nodded and first mentioned what I'd observed earlier. Xiong Jiu said, "I'm forty-two this year. According to you, I'll face challenges next year and the year after. But what kind of challenges? Do you know?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. That requires divination! Uncle Xiong, don't rush. Regarding your face, I haven't finished."

Xiong Jiu told me to continue. I went on, "Uncle, today, the spot between your eyebrows has light but isn't bright. This means you have a big business deal to discuss today. However, the progress isn't smooth; it might even be encountering obstacles. If handled slightly improperly, this big deal might fall through."

Xiong Jiu's expression changed slightly. "Go on!"

I nodded. "Also, Uncle, your Palace of Wealth and Treasure has a dark shade today, meaning you'll lose some money. But within this darkness, there's a thread of light. This means after losing this money, a larger sum will come in. If this applies to your business deal, the general situation is likely this: you need to spend some money first to do something, then the deal can succeed. The money lost earlier will also be earned back. As the saying goes, 'No output, no input; with output comes full input.'"

After speaking, I saw Xiong Jiu had fallen into deep thought. Ning Haoyu, listening beside me, looked confused. He turned to me and said, "Chu-yi, I think you might be wrong. My uncle has a big deal? How come I didn't know?"

I looked at Ning Haoyu. "Right or wrong, only Uncle Xiong can say."

Xiong Jiu thought for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight. "Chu-yi, you're right. I do have a big deal encountering difficulties. Not only does Xiao Yu not know, I haven't even told my wife. I'm curious—how did you deduce this just from my face? And even saw the countermeasure. I must say, Chu-yi, you're more impressive than any face-reading master I've met before."

I smiled at Xiong Jiu. "Uncle, you flatter me. I just got lucky and guessed right."

Xiong Jiu said, "Chu-yi, I now sincerely ask for a divination. How should I spend my money to close this deal today?"

I looked at Xiong Jiu. The energy between his eyebrows was already brightening, meaning he already had a strategy in mind—and the right one. So I smiled and said, "Uncle Xiong, you already have a good plan in mind. I don't need to divine further. Let me congratulate you in advance on your business thriving."

"Oh!" Xiong Jiu looked at me, then said to Ning Haoyu, "Xiao Yu, when you get to the shop today, give Chu-yi five thousand. That's the payment for today's reading!"

Though I really wanted that money, I was here because my home was haunted, seeking refuge. Having a place to stay was already good enough; taking money on top of that…

But it was *five thousand*!

While I was conflicted, Ning Haoyu said, "Sure, Uncle. I told you Chu-yi is amazing."