Early the next morning, he arrived at the bridge.
"Ancestral Taoism, bone reading, palmistry, character fortune-telling, marriage prediction, fate analysis, future forecasting, dispelling evil, demon subjugation! Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! Honest dealings for young and old!" Chu Hao advertised on the bridge.
A middle-aged woman passing by asked, "Young man, how much do you charge for a future forecast?"
Chu Hao held up one finger and calmly said, "Five hundred."
"Are you out of your mind?" The woman turned and walked away.
Chu Hao snorted coldly. "You’re worried about your son’s future, aren’t you? You haven’t been sleeping or eating well these past few days. If I’m not mistaken, your son is aiming to become an official, taking the civil service exam, right?"
The woman stopped in her tracks, surprised. "How did you know that?"
Chu Hao, with his arms folded, said, "This Taoist Master is born with a divine eye; I could tell what was happening just by looking at your face."
"That’s truly amazing! Well then, young man, please help my son see if he can really pass the exam."
Chu Hao extended his hand.
The woman said awkwardly, "I only have three hundred on me."
"Three hundred is fine," Chu Hao quickly replied.
Taking the three hundred, Chu Hao smiled and asked, "What’s your son’s name?"
Chu Hao pinched his fingers together, calculating. "Chen Tianyuan, he’s the second child in the family, right?" f(r)eew(e)bnovel.(c)o(m)
The woman was quite excited and nodded like a pecking chicken. "Yes, yes, Master, you’re so accurate!"
"Rest assured, your son will definitely pass. Your ancestors produced a Top Scholar. Go home, light three incense sticks, burn some Gold and Silver Treasures, and pray to your ancestor Chen Deyuan. I guarantee your son will pass."
"Thank you, Master! Thank you! So young yet so skilled, and so handsome too!"
Handsome! I love to hear that.
"Ding... Host has successfully shown off, earning 2 Pretentiousness Points."
See? Earning money while showing off. Can anything be better than this?
Putting away the three hundred, Chu Hao resumed his calling.
Most people who inquired about his services would turn and leave upon hearing the price. However, with just a few words, Chu Hao would leave them utterly stunned, compelling them to turn right back.
In just a short while, he had actually made two to three thousand!
He saw so much money, an amount he wouldn’t have even dared to dream of before. He had made two thousand three hundred in just two shichen—four hours. At this rate, ten days could mean twenty-six thousand!
"I’m rich! Haha..." Chu Hao kissed the money, looking every bit the infatuated miser.
Just then, a few people not far away were pointing and whispering about him.
A burly man led the way over, and four other young men surrounded Chu Hao.
The broad-shouldered, burly man said menacingly, "Kid, do you know whose turf this is? You dare come here to steal our business?"
Chu Hao was taken aback. Seeing their sturdy and ferocious appearances, he said somewhat sheepishly, "Brother, I’ve been setting up here for quite some time. I haven’t stolen your business, have I?"
"You can set up your stall here, but you have to pay a fee."
Chu Hao didn’t want trouble, so he asked, "Alright, how much?"
The burly man grinned. "Two thousand three hundred."
Hearing this, Chu Hao, who had exactly that amount, instantly flared up. He practically jumped. "Is there no end to your bullying?"
"Looks like you don’t know what’s good for you, kid," the burly man ordered. "Beat him up!"
Without another word, the five men attacked. Chu Hao was instantly furious.
You think I’m a pushover just because I haven’t shown my claws?
He drew his Peachwood Sword and executed moves from the Shushan Sword Manual. This swordsmanship was so deeply ingrained in his mind that it felt as natural as using his own hands, leaving the gang of burly men yelping in pain.
Of course, his swordsmanship wasn’t just about randomly hitting people; it was a majestic and graceful art that he executed with consummate ease and finesse.
"Just because a tiger doesn’t show his might, you think I’m Hello Kitty? I’ll chop you! Chop you to death...!"
"Ding... Host has successfully acted pretentious, gaining 2 Pretentiousness Points."
There were quite a few people on the bridge. They watched in awe as Chu Hao fought five men, some even taking out their phones to take pictures.
An overly dramatic youth exclaimed excitedly, "What I’ve sought all my life! I’ve finally witnessed a legendary Swordsman!"
"This young man is so awesome! He even knows how to use a sword. This fight is like something out of a movie!" an old lady commented, watching with great interest.
In a short while, the five burly men were thrashed until they were covered in welts. The Peachwood Sword couldn’t inflict lethal wounds, but being thrashed on the flesh with it was still very painful.
One of the brutes grabbed the Peachwood Sword and pulled hard. Chu Hao didn’t possess that much physical strength, and the Peachwood Sword was instantly snatched away.
Fuming, the brute snapped the Peachwood Sword in two and threw it on the ground.
Rubbing his backside, the man bellowed angrily, "Little bastard, that hurt like hell! Let’s see what you can do without your sword!"
Chu Hao sneered coldly and pulled out another Peachwood Sword from his inventory.
The five men gasped, their faces aghast. However, in the next instant, they turned and fled.
A few of them shouted from ahead, "You little bastard, you just wait! If you’ve got guts, don’t you run!"
Chu Hao arrogantly replied, "Humph... You think I’m easily scared? If you’ve got guts, then don’t run! Come on! Come on! Come on! Let’s go another three hundred rounds! I’m not done yet!"
The five big men scrambled away as if their feet were greased, SWOOSH! covering fifty meters in an instant.
Only when they saw Chu Hao wasn’t chasing them did they stop. Panting like dogs, they shouted, "You’ve got guts, kid! If you dare, just wait there and see how we’ll deal with you!"
Chu Hao, shouldering his Peachwood Sword, looked majestically impressive. Many onlookers captured the scene. He yelled, "What rubbish! Anyone can act tough. When I was mastering the art of showing off, you were still just a drop of liquid! Go back and study for a couple more years before you try to show off in front of me!"
"Ding... Host has successfully acted pretentious, gaining 3 Pretentiousness Points."
The bystanders were even more dumbfounded; some began to applaud and cheer.
"Well done, young man! Very imposing!" an old lady clapped excitedly.
The five men were seething with anger. They shot Chu Hao a fierce glare and then departed.
Seeing many people clapping and cheering him on, Chu Hao cupped his hands. "Just a minor skill, not worth mentioning. I could take down twenty more like them."
Seeing so many people, Chu Hao’s eyes lit up. He bellowed, "Ancestral Taoism on offer here! Bone reading, palmistry, character fortune-telling, marriage prediction, fate analysis, future forecasting, dispelling evil, demon subjugation! Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! Honest dealings for young and old!"
The overly dramatic youth said excitedly, "Hero! I’ve only got two hundred on me. Can you still do a reading?"
After doing readings for several people, he quickly earned another fifteen hundred, his face blooming with a smile.
Just then, a pleasant, clear voice asked, "Do you know feng shui?"
Chu Hao looked up. A beautiful woman stood before him, bathed in sunlight. She wore a light blue lantern-style shirt, simple yet elegant, exuding charm and grace.
Her eyes, bright as starlight, were a clear azure, like finely sculpted jade, and sparkled like colored glaze in the sunlight.
Chu Hao smiled and said, "Of course, I can. I have readings for three hundred, five hundred, one thousand, and two thousand. Which tier are you interested in?"
Feng shui knowledge? Of course the System store has it.
Luo Yan replied with a light smile, "The two-thousand one."
Chu Hao said, "Alright."
"Follow me, we’ll need to go to our company," she said.