Su Guoyu was even more confused.
He had sought a prediction for his future prospects, and that’s what Jiangli had divined, so how had it changed to ’not asking about future prospects’?
Feeling as bewildered as a monk who couldn’t figure out what to do, Su Guoyu turned to Chen Yeming for help.
Chen Yeming discreetly waved him off, indicating that he hadn’t understood what Jiangli meant either.
Seeing this, Su Guoyu looked towards Jiangli, opened his mouth, and was just about to ask again.
Jiangli, preempting his question, said, "I have said all that there is to say, the choice is yours to make."
Su Guoyu could only swallow the words he was about to say and forced a smile, "Okay, okay then, I’ve got it, thank you, Abbot!"
No matter what, the result was good.
He now felt much more relieved.
"Is there anything else?" Jiangli glanced at them, clearly signaling he wanted to dismiss them.
Chen Yeming hurriedly said, "The main reason we came here was to burn incense and to express our gratitude to the Abbot."
"Burning incense is fine, but there’s no need for thanks; instead of that, let’s settle the fee for the divination first." Jiangli said, "In consideration of the child, I didn’t charge you, but since you’re here now, you should pay."
Chen Yeming’s face stiffened.
He hadn’t expected it to come back to money again.
Clearing his throat, Chen Yeming said, "Of course, it’s only right. Abbot, you saved my life; I should pay you these ten thousand yuan."
Jiangli’s smile blossomed instantly, "Xia Xin—"
"Got it." Xia Xin quickly took out his phone.
Chen Yeming thought of Su Guoyu’s earlier embarrassment and hadn’t expected it would be his turn so soon.
He shook his head in wry amusement, took out his phone, and paid the ten thousand yuan.
Ten thousand yuan was not a significant amount to him or Su Guoyu, but neither had expected Jiangli to be so money-minded.
It was somewhat amusing.
"Now that you’ve paid, go burn the incense," Jiangli said, his smile growing more genuine as he saw the payment on his account.
He was a little money-grubber through and through.
But Chen Yeming said, "Actually, I would also like to ask the Abbot to do a reading for me, if you could please—"
"Your fate doesn’t need to be divined," Jiangli interrupted. "A person’s life is predestined; some suffer initially and enjoy later, others enjoy first and suffer after, and some lead a life of tranquility. If you want to improve your fortune, you need to accumulate blessings and avoid sins."
Chen Yeming’s face turned subtly complex, "Abbot, I’m somewhat at a loss with your words."
Jiangli glanced at him and took a sip of tea, "As a person, you need to be self-aware. Accumulating emotional debts is not a good thing. It’s bound to lead to trouble sooner or later. Moreover, accruing emotional debts not only harms oneself but others as well. I don’t believe you don’t understand what I’m saying."
Chen Yeming’s complexion turned from red to pale to green, an absolute palette of embarrassment—he knew full well what Jiangli meant and wished he could vanish into thin air.
Chen Tianxu’s look towards his father also contained subtle nuances of regret and complexity.
Neither father nor son said anything further.
Jiangli’s words had made it awkward for the three to stay any longer at Jiaoyang Temple.
Jiangli had Xia Xin lead them out to burn the incense, and Chen Yeming, as if his buttocks were on fire, practically dashed out, too ashamed to stay another second.
However, speaking of burning incense for the ancestral spirit, Xia Xin remembered something. Seeing Chen Yeming and the others heading out, he quickly tugged at Jiangli’s sleeve and whispered, "Ancestor, the patriarch seems to be upset. When I passed by the main hall just now, it looked like he had turned his back to us again, probably because we haven’t burned incense in these past few days since we were away? It didn’t seem to happen like that before..."
Listening to Xia Xin’s murmur, Jiangli remained unconcerned, leisurely enjoying his tea. "Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems. Just take them for the incense," he said.