"Teacher Wang, I have something to discuss with you." said Suizi straightforwardly.
Teacher Wang lived next door to Suizi’s family. Wang Cuihua declared them foster siblings and often gathered to discuss supernatural and metaphysical topics.
The two families got along pretty well, mainly because Suizi’s family were experts at maintaining relationships, frequently giving food to their neighbors. With such generous neighbours, it was difficult for others not to get along with them.
"Teacher Xiaochen, just say it, no need to be so polite."
"I just want to ask, is there any black magic that involves using fetuses or newborns as sacrifices to prolong one’s lifespan?"
Teacher Wang’s eyes and nostrils widened at the same time, he looked at Suizi in horror, his gaze shifting to her belly shaking his head like a wagging rattle drum.
"Teacher Xiaochen, you mustn’t do something foolish! I know about your husband Tiegen’s situation, your mother told me. I’ve been using divination to figure it out..."
Teacher Wang thought she wanted to use the child in her belly to summon spirits to exchange for Yu Jingting’s life, which frightened him out of his wits.
"What was the result of your divination?" asked Suizi.
"The situation is dire but with a hint of hope. If you can’t overcome this crisis, there’s nothing to say. If you make it through, your family’s fortune will be astronomical."
This statement could be interpreted in multiple ways, it amounts to saying nothing at all.
When a fortune teller makes a statement, a hundred listeners would interpret it in a hundred different ways.
With an unwavering belief that Yu Jingting is alive, Suizi interpreted Teacher Wang’s words as a prediction of smooth sailing and greater prosperity than in her previous life.
"Well, I’ll take your auspicious words. When Jingting returns, we’ll invite you over for a drink."
"Uh ——" Teacher Wang thought to himself, where did she get the confidence? He never claimed that Yu Jingting was definitely alive.
Divination can only reveal a general direction, and it’s impossible to accurately predict life or death.
"You haven’t answered me yet. Is there such a black magic?"
"Why do you ask? Such deceitful and harmful practices are often avoided within our profession."
"To be honest, I’m asking because someone has my belly on their radar."
Upon hearing this, Teacher Wang shivered, hastily pulling out a small booklet from his pocket. It was filled with traditional Chinese characters and was thread-bound.
Upon seeing it, Suizi realized it was something passed down from the previous generations and it was likely used for selecting auspicious dates.
"Look at these two dates. In the Four Pillars, the day stem is the master. Five days from now, the day stem will be—"
"Teacher Wang, can you speak in terms I can understand!"
"In five days, at 9:09 am, a child born at this time will have a star of fortune in his life. If his parents’ destiny includes the Lucky Star, then this child will surely bring good luck."
"Also, six days from now, the Heavenly He star will enter the life. The Heavenly He star is a blessing, a symbol of luck that can ward off disaster. Whoever is born with this destiny can avoid hardship and disaster in their life. If a official has this fate, they can rise to high position; if a commoner has this fate, they will live a life of minimal effort yet maximum gain."
"So you mean ——"
"In the upcoming days, there are two exceedingly rare auspicious destinies. If someone harbors ill intentions, they might try to ensure your child is born on either of these two days. If such rare destinies are misused by malevolent people, the possibilities are endless..."
"So, if someone wants to exploit my child’s fortune, they need my consent, right?"
"Borrowing someone’s fate to change one’s own destiny is inherently an evil intention. The mere thought of such a thing is already damaging to one’s moral integrity. Nevertheless, this is merely the delusion of some unscrupulous people. If you hold upright thoughts and accumulate blessings, you can naturally ward off all evil thoughts."
This obscure statement from Teacher Wang seemed clueless, but an important piece of information had been conveyed to Suizi.
The other party definitely had some kind of heinous means, and Teacher Wang’s current level of knowledge was not sufficient to comprehend it. He could only resort to consoling Suizi with phrases like "With sincere intentions, one will be invincible."
"Then let’s think about this another way. Is there a possibility that they know this method harms their yin virtue, so they’re tricking me into doing it instead so that it’s me who harms my yin virtue, while they reap the benefits? The reason they chose my child could be due to our blood relation, which might make it more effective?"
Teacher Wang gasped for air, and he looked at Suizi differently.
"Teacher Xiaochen, you are much more insightful than your mother-in-law. Have you ever thought about studying metaphysics with me?"
This was essentially an acknowledgement of Suizi’s speculation.
"I don’t believe in these things. I only believe that socialism can save the people of China, and that hard work and kindness are the true paths to happiness."
Then why the hell have you been discussing metaphysics with me for so long! Teacher Wang smiled on the outside but was actually cursing on the inside.
Before talking to Teacher Wang, Suizi’s heart was full of uncertainty.
But after the talk, she felt much more at ease.
It was like the proverbial boot hanging in the air had finally fallen.
Surely, Fan Gao was out to no good, his intention to win Suizi’s trust was merely a deception.
He wanted to exploit Suizi’s child’s fortune and then push the karma onto Suizi herself.
Suizi scoffed at them. This whole family, from top to bottom, was totally rotten.
Always thinking about these despicable tricks and not striving for betterment, their days were numbered.
Teacher Wang only calculated the two nearest dates. There is no guarantee that there won’t be more good dates in the future.
The other side was prepared.
But Suizi was not ready to sit back and die.
"The things I told you, don’t spread them around, and don’t tell your mother-in-law." Teacher Wang cautioned.
"I won’t say it, but my mother-in-law probably already knows, right? Isn’t that right, mother?" Suizi raised her voice.
The door opened, Wang Cuihua walked in with a glass in her hand, she had been eavesdropping with the glass against the door.
Teacher Wang was dumbstruck.
"Sister, you... how could you...?"
How could such a grown-up be eavesdropping at the door like this!
"This concerns my daughter-in-law and my grandchild, why wouldn’t I listen!" Wang Cuihua justified herself.
"Teacher Wang, what should we do now?" Wang Cuihua was desperate.
Someone was after her grandchild! How could she accept that?
"The secrets of Heaven must not be revealed, I can’t say, I can’t say." Teacher Wang shook his head.
"Just admit that you can’t outsmart them, what’s with the ’can’t say’?" Wang Cuihua bluntly unveiled.
Teacher Wang felt awkward. Sister was a nice-looking person, but she’s too straightforward when speaking.
"I represent an orthodox lineage, emphasizing righteousness and uprightness. I do not study those crooked and evil ways, we’re not on the same path..."
The implication was that he truly didn’t know how to deal with such wicked and insidious methods.
After sending Teacher Wang away, Wang Cuihua looked deeply worried.
"Why not, we could go back to the village, where we can keep an eye on our lands, get away from all these troubles, the two of us would manage just fine by farming."
"Mother, at this point, it’s useless to step back. They’ve targeted us now, even if you returned to the village, they’d still find us."
Suizi now truly understood her mother’s feelings.
No wonder her mother in her previous life broke ties with her. And she’d rather disown Suizi than get her involved.
This Fan Family indeed clung on like sticky toffee, impossible to shake off once attached.
"What should we do now then? Your mother there is also probably being harassed, and Tiegen... Ah."
"Mother, don’t cry just yet. Go check what we’re lacking at home, make a list so that he can buy them tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"If he wants to catch this fish, he needs to be alive to leave our city first. From now on, I will play the ghost!"
"What kind of ghost?"
"A, poor — ghost!"