Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: Zhang the Fortune Teller

Bai Dewei drove everyone out, and I also asked Man He to leave first. Man He looked somewhat unwilling and reluctant.After everyone left, I took out two copper coins and handed them to Bai Dewei and his wife."Besides the four of us here, there's one more person in this room. You can't see her now, but you can see her through the square holes in these coins."They had to see Meimei; otherwise, even if Bai agreed, this couple might not take what I said seriously.The two hesitated but took the coins in their hands, then looked through the square holes in the center.Bai Dewei's wife suddenly let out a scream, dropping the coins to the floor. She must have been frightened by Meimei's appearance.Bai Dewei, having been through a lot, remained relatively calm and didn't shout, but his face was full of fear. I glanced at the two and said directly,"You've both seen her. Just now, your daughter confessed that this little girl Meimei was killed by her.""I already made a deal with her just now. As long as you agree to her conditions, she will spare your daughter's life."Bai Dewei frowned, "Master, my daughter…"He wanted to argue, but I stopped him. Narrowing my eyes, I leaned toward the two of them, "Your daughter has already admitted everything. If you persist in your stubbornness, I won't be responsible for what happens today. Tonight, your entire family won't survive."Cold sweat immediately broke out on Bai Dewei's forehead. "Master, you have to help us. It's all our fault—we spoiled our child too much, indulged her.""Whatever conditions you set, I'll agree. I'll agree to anything."Only then did I nod and repeat the conditions once more. Bai Dewei didn't say anything further, but his wife was unwilling."All other conditions are fine, but you can't send Tingting to the nunnery. She's so young—how could she bear the hardships there?"Hearing his wife's words, Bai Dewei slapped her hand sharply. "At a time like this, you're still worried about the hardships she might face? What's more important—her life or some hardships? If you had been stricter with her before, would she have made such a big mistake?"I nodded. Bai Dewei seemed to understand the gravity of the matter.Bai Dewei's wife hugged her daughter, lowered her head, and didn't say another word as tears fell.I sighed lightly, "Originally, I didn't want to get involved, but this little girl was killed by your daughter—she's already pitiful enough. If she turns into a restless spirit, it will be a sin."At this point, my expression grew stern. "After you send your daughter to the nunnery, you must not visit her. Only sincere repentance can help atone for her sins.""If you secretly take her back because you pity her, your whole family will be doomed.""Also, she must be sent to a harsh nunnery—that's the only way to show your sincerity," I warned.Sending Bai Tingting to the nunnery was to make sure she received the punishment she deserved. If her parents sent her somewhere comfortable and well-off, it would be meaningless.Bai Dewei nodded repeatedly and promised he would comply.Finally, I told Bai Dewei to do more good deeds in the future and not to bully others with his power; otherwise, the laws of heaven and earth would eventually come down on him.Bai Dewei promised he would.I then took Meimei's soul out of the Bai household. Before leaving, Bai Dewei gave me a large red envelope. This time I didn't refuse and accepted it directly. The money wasn't for me—it was needed for Meimei's reincarnation process.On the way back, Man He looked at me as if I were a stranger."What are you looking at? Is there a bruise on my face?" I rolled my eyes at him."Taiping, tell me, how many things are you still hiding from me? You studied medicine, right? So how do you know how to exorcise ghosts?" Man He asked, full of confusion."I know quite a few things. You'll find out over time," I smiled, dodging the question. I wasn't unwilling to tell him, but sometimes knowing too much isn't good for him.Seeing I didn't want to say more, Man He stopped pressing. On the way, he kept asking me to tell stories about how to exorcise demons and spirits.I made up a few stories to smooth things over.When we got back to our courtyard, I released Meimei's soul and asked her to visit her parents in a dream to explain the truth of what happened.Originally, I could have told her parents directly, but they might not have believed me. Only their own daughter's words would be trustworthy.To help Meimei reincarnate back with her parents, their cooperation was necessary.The next day, before dawn, someone knocked on Man He's door.We had worked half the night at the Bai household yesterday and were sleeping soundly. Hearing the knock, Man He called out impatiently, "Who is it, knocking so early?""It's me. I'm looking for Master Chen," a man's voice came from outside."There's no Master Chen here." Man He didn't react at first, but after hearing the name, he woke up, kicked me, and said, "Taiping, it's for you."I got up, put on my shoes, and opened the door.Outside stood a man in his thirties, with an honest and simple face. Upon seeing me, he immediately knelt down."You must be Master Chen—I pay my respects to you."I quickly helped him up and invited him inside."You're Meimei's father?" I asked.He nodded. "Last night, Meimei visited us in a dream. She said you helped settle the matter, and she said you would help her return to us."I nodded. "Yes. Once the issues with the Bai family are resolved and Meimei's resentment has dispersed, I will help her return to you."Hearing this, the man tried to kneel again, but I stopped him."I feel guilty enough that I stopped Meimei from taking revenge. Please don't do this," I said."I understand. Meimei is a kind child. She wouldn't even step on an ant, let alone kill someone..." The man sobbed uncontrollably.Man He wiped tears silently beside me.I comforted the man for a while before he left.After he left, Man He asked angrily why I didn't let Meimei kill Bai Tingting.I explained that it would be easy for Meimei to kill Bai Tingting, but if Bai Tingting died, their feud would end too easily, which would be too cheap for Bai Tingting. Also, if Meimei killed someone, she wouldn't be able to reincarnate properly and would either become a restless ghost or her soul would scatter.Man He nodded, saying he understood.Man He didn't go to work today—not because he wanted to keep me company, but because Bai Dewei had given those who helped him a few days off to rest at home.Man He asked me what I wanted to do—stay home and sleep or go out shopping.I thought for a moment and said, "Is there a well-known Feng Shui place in Haicheng?"Man He looked puzzled, "Why do you want to find a Feng Shui expert? Are you going to get a reading?"I smiled and said it was related to Meimei's matter.After some thought, Man He said, "Haicheng has an antique street with some Feng Shui and fortune-telling shops. Let's check it out."Actually, I wasn't really looking for a Feng Shui master but a "Guo Yin Shi" — someone who can travel between the living world and the spirit world.Many skilled Guo Yin Shi also hold positions in the spirit realm.To help Meimei reincarnate and return to her parents, I needed the help of a Guo Yin Shi.Such people are hard to find, but some Feng Shui masters who have been around a long time might know some.Man He and I took the bus to Haicheng's antique street. The street was long, with more than half of the shops selling antiques, and only a small portion offering fortune-telling and Feng Shui.I didn't rush to find a Feng Shui master but strolled around first. Nowadays, many people pose as Feng Shui masters to scam money without real skills.Like that Master Mo—we saw he had little real ability; otherwise, Meimei wouldn't have possessed him and almost died.We walked the entire street before I stopped in front of an inconspicuous shop."Taiping, look, those shops over there have many customers. They must be real experts. But this shop has no one—definitely a scam," Man He said.Just then, a voice came from inside, "Young man, you've got dog poop on your shoe and you're talking nonsense here."I couldn't help laughing. On the way here, Man He had indeed stepped in dog poop and had been trying to wipe it off for a while.Man He looked surprised, "Is he following us?""That's a real expert—he can tell everything. Let's go in," I said, leading the way.Inside, the small shop was clean and tidy. A white-bearded old man with reading glasses sat behind a desk, smiling at us."Sir, you're quite skilled," I gave him a thumbs-up.The old man chuckled, "No skills at all—just nonsense. Look, there's not a single customer here. What does that tell you?""You're joking," I said quickly."You came to find someone? Let me guess what kind of person you want?" The old man scrutinized me.I wasn't offended but looked at him calmly. My master once said that because my destiny was changed while I was still in my mother's womb, my fate is hard to see through.The old man frowned the more he looked at me. "Young man, you're a fellow traveler."I laughed, "Something like that.""Since that's the case, what's your purpose here?" the old man squinted.It was remarkable he could tell I came to look for someone."My name is Chen Taiping. Yesterday I took a job helping someone reincarnate. But I can't do it alone—I need to find a Guo Yin Shi. I wonder if you know any experts in this field?" I spoke politely."There are quite a few Guo Yin Shi, but those who can help with reincarnation are extremely rare and hard to find," the old man stroked his beard thoughtfully.Hearing this, I hurriedly said, "If you can help me find one, I definitely won't let you work for nothing."The old man laughed heartily, "Young man, do you think fortune teller Zhang is greedy? If I were, fortune tellers on this whole street would be out of business."