Amidst a throng of vagabond children, Jian Yumei caught sight of that individual, the one who had later shared life and death with him.
However, at that moment, Jian Yumei's initial reaction upon seeing him was that this person seemed rather slick.
Meanwhile, Lin Li had already produced her purse. She distributed a few copper coins to each child, but soon more children crowded around.
Lin Li found herself illuminating all her copper coins.
Then, she presented her gleaming purse to everyone, saying, "All gone, now. Take the money I just gave you and buy yourselves something to eat!"
"Okay!" Those children dispersed in excitement. Before leaving, they didn't forget to express gratitude to Lin Li, saying, "Thank you, sister. A good person like you will surely marry a good man and live happily ever after with riches every day!"
Afterwards, those children ran off happily, shouting and laughing. Jian Yumei and Lin Li saw them quickly surround another lady who appeared quite affluent.
At this point, Jian Yumei smiled at Lin Li.
"They're still children, having lost their homes and families at such a young age. Don't you find them pitiful?" Lin Li remarked.
"Pitiful indeed!" Jian Yumei looked at those children, heaving a sigh.
"Brother, why the sigh?" Lin Li inquired.
"How can we stop these children from wandering like this? How can we ensure they receive an education, have decent clothes to wear, and enjoy a warm home? How can we accomplish that?" Perhaps due to his own experiences of displacement since childhood, Jian Yumei particularly yearned for a warm home. Therefore, as he looked at these children, he also pondered how to help them.
"One day, it will happen, Brother! Believe it!" Lin Li said.
"Yes, indeed," Jian Yumei replied.
At that moment, a peculiar individual approached. Jian Yumei kept staring at him.
This person was dressed in a robe, but it didn't fit him well, making it seem like the clothes didn't belong to him.
He had a beard on his mouth, but Jian Yumei always felt that it wasn't a real beard, more like a fake one stuck on.
His eyeballs kept rolling, as if he were thinking about something, or perhaps looking for something, but Jian Yumei didn't know what.
When he noticed the crowd gathered around Jian Yumei, he suddenly became spirited.
"Fortune-telling, fortune-telling! Although not blind, better than the blind!" That person shouted.
He walked towards Jian Yumei while swinging a bamboo pole in his hand, with a yellow cloth hanging on it, on which was written "Non-blind Fortune Teller!"
Jian Yumei couldn't help but want to laugh.
Then, seeing Jian Yumei laughing there, he became even more enthusiastic. He rolled his eyes, mimicking those blind fortune-tellers, while joking around and swinging his bamboo pole back and forth.
As he passed by the row of fortune-telling stalls, he paused. He looked at the few people displaying signs advertising blind fortune-telling, observing their faces intently.
"What are you looking at?" one blind fortune-teller finally couldn't bear it any longer.
"Are you saying you're blind? You're not a blind fortune-teller, are you? Why can you see me? No blind person can see me!" That person laughed.
The surrounding people burst into laughter all at once.
The old man ignored him and rolled his eyes, pretending to be confused.
"Impressive, truly impressive. You're quite the seasoned player. It seems thriving in this trade isn't easy!" the man remarked.
But after wandering around for a while, nobody came to him for fortune-telling. He muttered to himself, "My eyesight is fine, and I can speak. Why isn't anyone coming to me for fortune-telling? It's strange!"
He continued to wait there, eventually opting to sit down and wait. Occasionally, he would lift his bamboo pole and shake it to attract attention to his sign, but the effect was minimal!
Jian Yumei watched him, as did Lin Li. Then, Lin Li quietly said to Jian Yumei, "This person is quite amusing!"
"Yes, indeed, quite the character!" Jian Yumei replied.
Perhaps after waiting for a while without any business, he stood up.
He first shouted, attracting many people to gather around him.
Then, addressing the crowd, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, coming early is better than coming late, and eating well is better than eating full. Therefore, today, I, Danyun Bi, have arrived at this auspicious place, merely seeking a livelihood!
Let me be honest with you all. This robe isn't mine; I borrowed it. These shoes are mine, but unfortunately, I've worn them for two years already and should have replaced them long ago! However, I haven't because of sentimentality. To cut to the chase, I am a genuine disciple of the closed-door sect of Emei. If any of you wish to learn martial arts from me, come find me immediately!"
With that, he displayed some light skills, lightly tapping the ground and flying up. Jian Yumei was astonished. Although Lin Li's light skills were good, she still admired this person greatly.
The man loudly asked, "How about it, do I have real skills?"
The surrounding people burst into laughter, agreeing that he did indeed have skills.
"Then will you give me money? I'm new here and have no money to eat. Gentlemen, thank you. Feel free to give me some reward, and I'll show you even more genuine skills!" With that, the man bowed deeply, bending his body completely below ninety degrees.
He thought that by treating people with sincerity, they would treat him better in return.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, the large crowd surrounding him dispersed rapidly.
As he stood up, expecting to be met with a crowd eager to reward him with smiles and applause, he saw that there was no one around him.
Reality was cruel. Faced with the empty scene, he could only force a bitter smile.
At this moment, the old blind fortune-tellers nearby chuckled.
"Go on, what are you laughing at!" the man said with frustration.
"You're still young, and your days in the jianghu are short. Take your time to learn!" said one person whose eyes blinked slowly.
Looking at the blind man, Dan Yunbi remarked, "Your eyes keep rolling. Are you truly blind or just pretending? Although I didn't earn any money today, at least I won't sit here pretending to be blind! It's exhausting, old man! Won't you try opening your eyes to do fortune-telling?"
As soon as the old man heard Dan Yunbi's words, he immediately opened his eyes.
"You call me foolish, so I must be foolish. How were you just now? Did you really think that speaking the truth would make people give you money? Young man, learn a lesson. When you realize that it's better to pretend to be blind than not, you'll join us blind folks!" The blind man concluded, closing his eyes and ignoring Dan Yunbi.
Just then, a middle-aged man accompanied an elderly woman to get their fortune told.
"Right here, this is the one. This blind man's fortune-telling is very accurate. Whenever I was troubled before, it was always him who helped me with fortune-telling. Every time, he was spot on. Come, child, don't worry about your business affairs. Let this blind master give you a reading. It will surely turn out well!" the elderly woman said.
"Alright, mother. I've heard that blind fortune-tellers are very accurate. They're more accurate than those who can see. It seems it's better to find a blind one for fortune-telling!" the middle-aged man remarked.
At that moment, the old blind man kept his eyes closed, facing Dan Yunbi with a smirk that seemed to mock him.
Dan Yunbi was unbothered at this moment.