IMMFBCG Chapter 78

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Face Reading

Yu Qi drove the car to the parking lot.

As they wandered nearby, Ye Xue noticed a temple not far away in the crowd, realizing it was the Bai Niao Temple White Willow had mentioned before.

Bai Niao Temple was bustling with activity, with many devotees coming and going.

Yu Qi noticed her gaze and asked, “Do you want to go inside and take a look?”

Even though Yu Qi was a Daoist priest from the Fire lineage, he rarely wore a robe. Ye Xue didn’t dress in clothing related to Daoism either, mostly carrying her Heavenly Master certificate to prevent fraud.

“No,” Ye Xue shook her head, smiling with squinted eyes, “White Willow has always wanted to come here to burn incense.”

Yu Qi looked at her curiously, obviously questioning why a Daoist would be so attached to a Buddhist temple.

Ye Xue continued, “He wants to ask the goddess for blessings to get rich soon.”

Yu Qi’s eyes softened with a smile, “That fits White Willow’s character.”

The temple was crowded, so to avoid the large crowd, they wandered towards the side streets and soon spotted a familiar figure nearby.

It was Bao Wenxuan.

He was setting up his stall under a big tree. Unlike the messy setup with assorted items during their first encounter, Bao Wenxuan’s stall now only displayed simple divination tools. The “Know the World” banner from before was replaced with “Face Reading and Fortune Telling”.

The stall looked much more reliable now.

As Ye Xue and Yu Qi approached, Bao Wenxuan already had a new customer.

The lady appeared to be in her forties. From their conversation, Ye Xue guessed she was asking about her child’s studies.

Bao Wenxuan examined the lady’s palm before responding, “Don’t worry, Madam. Your two children’s exam fortunes are quite good, and they’ll get into their desired schools.”

The lady was surprised, “I just asked about the child’s studies, didn’t mention having two kids, and you can tell?”

Bao Wenxuan smiled mysteriously without saying much.

His serene, almost mystical demeanor gave him a slightly Daoist vibe.

Ye Xue glanced at him as well. The customer’s family appeared harmonious with two children and close sibling relations, suggesting the possibility of twins. Despite occasional family conflicts, overall, it was a peaceful and harmonious household, and the children’s career lines were straightforward, not intermingled with any other lines, indicating smooth paths ahead.

Bao Wenxuan seemed to have nailed it this time.

Usually, people consult diviners for peace of mind. After getting the answers they wanted, the lady paid Bao Wenxuan and left.

As Ye Xue approached the stall to get a clearer look at the palm reading, Bao Wenxuan noticed them and, panicking, quickly dropped some bills on the table.

Without delay, he hurriedly stood up and assured, “Daoist, I swear I’m not scamming anyone this time!”

Ye Xue, seeing Bao Wenxuan so anxious, couldn’t help but smile, “It’s okay, I overheard. Congratulations, old Bao, you finally got one right.”

Bao Wenxuan, flattered by Ye Xue’s praise, started to correct himself, “No, Daoist, I’ve changed! Bao Wenxuan is not the old me anymore, most of my fortune-telling is accurate now…”

His voice trailed off as he got slightly sheepish, “But sometimes it’s not perfect.”

Ye Xue handed him a few bills, her curiosity piqued, “Why did you move your stall here? Didn’t you use to set up near tourist spots?”

Bao Wenxuan explained, “There’s been a crackdown nearby, plus I don’t have a business license, so I moved here.”

Noticing the growing crowd nearby, he quickly packed up his stall and suggested Ye Xue and Yu Qi move away.

After struggling to squeeze out of the crowd, Bao Wenxuan noticed Ye Xue and Yu Qi were unflustered and even attracted more attention. A bit envious, he remarked, “Being good-looking sure has its advantages, standing there attracts so many people.”

Ye Xue glanced at him and offered a bit of advice, “If you shave your beard and tidy up a bit, you might…”

Bao Wenxuan was quite pleased with the suggestion, “So you mean, I could attract people too? Wow, being good-looking must come with a high perspective, seeing things at their core!”

“…That’s not what I meant.” Ye Xue clarified, “Maybe you’d just look like a kind-hearted old Daoist.”

Bao Wenxuan was a bit disappointed, “I’m not that old, am I?”

Ye Xue suppressed a laugh.

Yu Qi chuckled lightly, his eyes full of indulgence.

Later, Bao Wenxuan invited Ye Xue and Yu Qi to dinner, celebrating his first bucket of gold earned through “real” efforts instead of scamming.

The three found a nearby restaurant.

Initially, Bao Wenxuan intended to ask Ye Xue some deeper Daoist questions, but in the end, they ended up eating a lot of dog food instead.

As Ye Xue picked more dishes closer to Yu Qi, he noticed and would often pass them closer to her.

When the steamed fish arrived, Yu Qi even carefully picked out all the bones and placed them in Ye Xue’s bowl.

Bao Wenxuan watched the scene in surprise.

He never expected the seemingly aloof Yu Qi to have such a tender side.

About to ask a question, Bao Wenxuan swallowed the “When did you guys get together” query.

The unspoken bond between them made such a question seem less relevant.

After dinner, Bao Wenxuan went to settle the bill. The cashier informed him that the bill was already under Yu Qi’s name.

Bao Wenxuan was momentarily surprised, asking instinctively, “You mean the friend who came with me?”

The cashier nodded.

Bao Wenxuan scratched his head, confused. He still wanted to treat Ye Xue and Yu Qi to dinner, so why did Yu Qi settle the bill?

Then he noticed the restaurant’s sign above, which read “Yu’s”, and realized it was a Yu family business.

Yu Qi’s family was quite prosperous…

When the sky had darkened sufficiently, Bao Wenxuan respectfully suggested taking his leave, not wanting to intrude on their private time any longer.

Before leaving, he remembered something and turned back to speak to Ye Xue, “Master Ye, when I read your fortune at the Xuanzhen Temple, I thought maybe it was because I had a little too much to drink that the reading was off. But after refining my skills in facial reading, I did it again and got the same result.”

Ye Xue was taken aback. Bao Wenxuan was aware of her background and seemed to be deliberating whether to share this information. After some consideration, he decided that Ye Xue deserved to know the truth.

Ye Xue recalled what Bao Wenxuan had said at the temple. He had mentioned that she was born into a wealthy family, with a prosperous fate. Yet, Ye Xue had grown up in Fengyang Village, far from any affluent background. She had always believed she was an orphan, adopted by her master.

But if Ye Xue’s parents were still alive, her fate shouldn’t show a weak connection with them; instead, it should reflect a strong bond. Growing up, she had often wondered why she was the only one without parents, but as she got older, she stopped questioning it. Despite lacking parental support, Ye Xue had the love of many, particularly the villagers of Fengyang who respected her master and cared for her as a child.

The village’s tough conditions hadn’t affected Ye Xue, and she didn’t crave parental attention like other orphans might have. Now that she knew her parents might still be alive, she felt a complex mix of emotions. Were they neglecting her on purpose? If not, why hadn’t they come to find her all these years? Or perhaps they were still searching for her, just without success?

A hand gripped Ye Xue’s, bringing her back to the present. The warmth from the palm reminded her to refocus. Ye Xue looked up and met the concerned gaze of Yu Qi, who had noticed she was lost in thought.

Yu Qi gently squeezed her hand and spoke earnestly, “No matter who your parents are, you are still you.”

Ye Xue relaxed slightly and unconsciously smiled, “I know.”

She returned the grip and they walked out of the restaurant.

As they passed a nearby cinema, the young man suddenly stopped. Yu Qi looked up at the cinema’s sign.

At first, Ye Xue only found the place a bit familiar until she saw the words “North Lake Cinema” and remembered the cinema where she mistakenly dialed Yu Qi’s phone number.

Ye Xue glanced at Yu Qi, who noticed her gaze and met her eyes.

Looking into Yu Qi’s eyes, Ye Xue saw a hint of anticipation.

She suggested, “Should we go watch a movie?”

Yu Qi’s grip on her hand tightened slightly, as if afraid she might change her mind, and quickly replied, “Sure.”

They bought tickets for the latest horror movie, which was just starting.

When Ye Xue saw the ticket stub, she looked up and smiled, “Last time I came here with my roommate too.”

Yu Qi’s lips curled into a faint smile, “Seems like we’re meant to have this place in common.”

Ye Xue nodded in agreement, “It’s a sign of fate.”

Ye Xue referred to their shared experience at the cinema, but Yu Qi seemed to interpret it differently, smiling softly.

Then, Ye Xue noticed the subtle implication in her words and, seeing how pleased Yu Qi seemed, leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Yu Qi quickly glanced at her, noticing the inappropriate setting but tenderly caressed her cheek instead.

Hand in hand, they walked into the theater.

When they arrived, others hadn’t yet entered the screening hall.

Ye Xue recounted an earlier story to Yu Qi, “I remember, last time I came here to watch a horror film, there was a ghost who didn’t want to be reborn, just wanted to watch movies.”

Hmm?

Ye Xue noticed a familiar ghost sitting in the back row.

She tried not to react too obviously.

After all these years, she thought the ghost would have moved on by now, but he was still around.

The ghost remembered Ye Xue and waved at her with familiar ease, “Hey, Master, you’re here to watch a movie too? No need to be shy, just treat it like home.”

Ye Xue laughed at his familiar tone.

Yu Qi was a bit puzzled, “He’s always this familiar?”

Ye Xue replied, “Not exactly, but I scared him pretty badly that time, didn’t I?”

The ghost corrected himself, “Scared enough to retreat, not to be paralyzed.”

The first version could be interpreted as showing respect for the sorcerer, while the second seemed a bit too cowardly.

Ye Xue rephrased, “Okay, he was scared enough to retreat.”

But it didn’t make much difference.

The ghost was briefly silenced and then his gaze fell on the young man beside Ye Xue. Noticing they were holding hands, he casually teased, “Master, is this your boyfriend?”

Ye Xue wasn’t shy, smiling and saying, “Yes, he is.”