Liu Bansian was stunned. How could she come to a conclusion so quickly? When he used copper coins for divination, he would never do it in such an open place like this bridge. He would go back to his residence, wash his hands, light incense, and be solemn in his thoughts before starting. Then he would toss the three copper coins on a tortoise shell, record the results, think for a minute, toss again, record the results six times, and then refer to the I Ching to interpret the hexagram, comparing it with the celestial stems and earthly branches. Sometimes the results were accurate, but more often they were not.
This little girl finished her divination in just two minutes. How could anyone believe it? Normally, it would take him at least half an hour. Was she really capable, or was she just fooling people? But if she was scamming, why risk ruining her reputation? Then again, she had no reputation to ruin in the first place...
Liu Bansian felt conflicted, unsure whether this girl was really skilled or just a con artist.
Jiang Cheng, after receiving the result, was silent for a while. He didn't know whether to believe it. His father's business was big—he wasn't exactly unscrupulous, but he had often been involved in murky dealings, like bribing high officials. If someone exposed it, it could lead to legal trouble, and he couldn't be sure if this girl was accurate or just lucky.
Gu Qin could tell from Jiang Cheng's face that he wasn't a bad person, and his family wasn't involved in any major crimes. She only read the faces of those without malice. She said, "No situation shows its result immediately. There's always a process before things become clear. If you want to trust me, you can come to me, but my fee is high."
Jiaojiao couldn't hold back anymore. "Chengzi, don't believe her. How could a young girl like her predict something that will happen twenty days later? She's just trying to scam you for money."
Jiang Cheng was still unsure. This girl made it all seem too easy. He didn't speak but reached into his pocket, pulled out a thousand yuan, and handed it to Gu Qin. She returned four hundred to him. "It's six hundred as agreed, no more."
Jiang Cheng took the four hundred and gave Gu Qin another glance before walking off with his girlfriend.
Once they were gone, Liu Bansian couldn't help but laugh. "Little girl, I told you, when you're reading fortunes, at least make it look like you know what you're doing. How could anyone believe you when you finish in just two minutes?"
Gu Qin smiled. "I didn't fool anyone. If they don't believe me, there's nothing I can do." She looked at Liu Bansian's face and couldn't help but laugh a little. "Be careful today, Bansian. You're going to have an accident. It won't be serious, but you'll still feel some pain."
"You little brat," Liu Bansian said, getting up and grumbling, "I was trying to give you some advice, and you're giving me a reading now?"
"If you don't believe it, it's fine," Gu Qin shrugged, a helpless look on her face.
There were no more customers for the rest of the day. Gu Qin had been setting up her stall on the bridge for a month, but she had only earned 56,000 yuan. Honestly, she was a little discouraged. This era was so different. In her past life, even if you were young, saying you were a Feng Shui master would earn you respect. Now, she was just laughed at.
She was about to pack up and go home. Tomorrow was the first day of school. The acceptance letter said she had to report on August 21st. Afterward, the students would be assigned to classes and dorms. Military training would start on the 22nd and last for half a month, ending on September 6th. Coincidentally, September 6th was the date of the court hearing, and she would need to ask for leave that day.
Gu Qin had some vague memories of military training—marching, drill exercises, and rifle shooting. She was curious about those things. She wasn't worried. The month-long training would make her physically stronger, and all the drills wouldn't be difficult for her. She was more interested in military boxing and shooting. She had trained in martial arts in her past life and had reached the stage of refining her strength. She was quite skilled, but now, she was starting from scratch again. She had only recently started practicing martial arts, and though she was already fairly skilled, she hadn't even mastered basic strength yet.
Shooting was something she had never done. In her era, only cold weapons existed—guns were a whole different category with much more power. She was really curious about them.
Since she hadn't prepared her things yet, she decided to pack up early today. Before noon, Gu Qin packed her stuff and headed home. When she passed by Liu Bansian, he smiled and asked, "Little girl, why are you leaving so early today?"
"Tomorrow I have to report for school," Gu Qin smiled, looking excited.
Liu Bansian was taken aback. "You're still a student?"
Gu Qin nodded and walked down from the bridge, carrying her bag. Just before leaving, she couldn't resist calling out, "Bansian, be careful on your way back today. You really do have an accident coming."
Liu Bansian laughed. "You little girl." He still didn't fully believe Gu Qin.
Once she got home, Gu Qin started preparing for school. She felt a bit lost, not really knowing how to pack. She had been accepted into Daishan No. 1 High School, the best school in Daishan. In the past, Fu Hanru had attended this school. Gu Qin's own score barely met the cutoff for admission, so she got into Class 17. The class had around seventy students, and both she and Lin Xinxin were assigned to that class.
Gu Qin didn't live on campus. Since she lived in Daishan City, it would be inconvenient for her to board. Lin Xinxin had called to say she was also a day student, so Gu Qin wouldn't need to worry about dorm assignments. The next day, she just had to prepare for military training.
She didn't know exactly what to bring for the training. She had checked online, but the advice was all over the place. Fortunately, when Cheng Yinxiang came home that night, she brought a lot of things with her, and Gu Jia gave her some pointers. "I remember when I was in high school, we didn't need to bring bedding or anything. We went straight to the Daishan Training Base, which is outside the city. Just bring toiletries. The bedding there is uncomfortable, so be sure to bring anti-itch medicine, insect repellent, and some sunscreen. It's been really hot, and standing in formation will make you burn."
Cheng Yinxiang was still concerned about her daughter. "I bought all that for you. Just pack it up now. You have to gather at school at eight tomorrow. I also packed some food for you in case the meals aren't good. If you're really struggling, I can talk to the teachers for you." She had always been worried about her daughter's health.
Gu Qin shook her head. "No, Mom, I want to go through military training." She was actually looking forward to it.
Cheng Yinxiang didn't insist. She went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Gu Qin didn't make much money, mostly cooking vegetables, but meat dishes weren't her strength. Whenever there were meat dishes, Cheng Yinxiang would cook them.
The family of three had a pleasant dinner, while Liu Bansian was not so lucky. He never expected that the little girl really had some skill. He had an accident that day.
Liu Bansian had been setting up his stall on the bridge every day, moving to the shaded area when the sun was too strong, and always returning home by six in the evening. He had been doing this for several years and had gained some reputation. He made a decent income, usually earning one or two thousand yuan a day. That day, he was thinking of going to his favorite distillery for some drinks. He wasn't used to bottled liquor, so he always went to a little distillery in an alley.
Unfortunately, just as he entered the alley, a battery-powered car with faulty brakes crashed into him, throwing him several meters. His head hit the ground, and he had to go to the hospital to get checked. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries, just some skin abrasions. Sitting in the hospital while getting bandaged, Liu Bansian couldn't help but mumble to himself, "That little girl really is a master." Then he slapped his thigh. "D*mn it! I've spent my whole life looking for a true master, and I finally meet one, only to let her go!"
This little girl was so skilled in divination. She wasn't scamming anyone—she was genuinely capable. The way she could see the red marks on the temples of a young man indicated fate. Only a true master who had reached the level of refining energy could see such things. He had spent his whole life trying to refine his energy but hadn't gotten anywhere. Yet this girl had already reached that stage. How impressive! How could they have missed this?
He regretted letting her go.
Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng went home, still unsure about the fortune-telling, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. He didn't dare tell his father, who would
disapprove of fortune-telling, believing it would only make things worse. But he couldn't resist looking up the post again. The last reply was from Zhao's son: "If you don't believe it, that's fine. I don't care to say much, but don't blame me later."
After hesitating, Jiang Cheng still replied, "I saw the girl today. She seemed to know what she was doing, but I don't know if she's just lucky. She said something would happen in twenty days. I don't know if I should believe it."
Moments later, Zhao's son replied, "I suggest you believe her. Go see her again and try to resolve it. You'll regret it if you don't."
Jiang Cheng didn't reply. He stared at his computer screen for a long time.
The next morning, Gu Qin woke up at four o'clock, riding her bike to Daishan's mountains to meditate for two hours. Cultivating in the mountains was much more effective than in the bustling city, so she preferred to go farther out.
She returned by 7:30 AM, still with half an hour to get to Daishan No. 1 High School. She had already known the route from her past life, where she had walked it every day. It was a short trip.
In less than half an hour, she was at the school, where she met Lin Xinxin in Class 17. Since there were no assigned seats yet, Lin Xinxin saved a spot for her. As they sat down, the two chatted softly.
Before long, the homeroom teacher, a middle-aged woman in her forties with short, messy hair, came in. After introducing herself, she informed the class that military training would start immediately, and they would be boarding a bus to the training site.
The class of seventy students was loud and chaotic as they gathered outside, ready to leave.