Si Mingjing didn’t stay long in the classroom late at night.
Ye Shen had lost his campus card, so he borrowed one from a classmate and gave it to Si Mingjing.
With the campus card in hand, Si Mingjing headed straight for the library at Imperial Capital University.
On the third floor of the library was the Newspaper Archive.
Si Mingjing buried herself in a mountain of old newspapers, flipping through them one by one.
After finishing his class, Ye Shen came looking for her and asked what she was searching for.
Si Mingjing replied, "Just looking around."
Ye Shen was bewildered. Who "just looks around" by flipping through each newspaper like that?
Ye Shen felt his sister-in-law was treating him like an outsider.
"Niece-in-law, if you’ve encountered some difficulty, why not ask for my help? Don’t you know that all these newspapers have digital versions? A simple search on the computer can find you the information you want. What are you looking for?"
Si Mingjing was looking for a fortune teller.
She had gone through many newspapers and found a fortune teller who frequently made the news and was highly respected in high society circles, known as Master Huixian.
"Ye Shen, do you know Master Huixian?"
"Yeah, what about him?"
"Is his fortune-telling accurate?"
"I don’t know how accurate he is, but I do know many high society families seek his advice when it comes to marriage and childbirth. My grandmother especially believes in Master Huixian’s words. She s enough incense money to Daying Temple each year to buy me two sports cars."
Si Mingjing’s eyes lit up. "So, is he easy to bribe?"
"As in, giving him money to make him tell lies."
Ye Shen understood. That was absolutely impossible!
"Master Huixian is a man of great integrity and cherishes his reputation, so forget about that idea."
Si Mingjing, however, was not willing to give up. "There is no one in this world who can’t be bribed. It’s merely a matter of not offering a price that’s tempting enough. What does Master Huixian desire the most?"
Ye Shen asserted confidently, "It’s truly impossible, trust me. Master Huixian has seen through the mortal world and desires nothing more than to ascend to immortality. Nothing else can sway him."
Si Mingjing thought, How would I know if I didn’t try?
"Take me to visit Daying Temple."
Ye Shen couldn’t argue with her.
"Then I’ll call my grandma. She s so much incense money to Daying Temple every year. If you really need Master Huixian’s help, maybe Grandma could persuade him."
Si Mingjing nodded. "Then make the call now."
Ye Shen went out to make the call.
After calling his grandmother, Ye Shen also sent a WeChat message to his brother.
"Big brother, sister-in-law insists on me taking her to Daying Temple to bribe Master Huixian, even though I told her he can’t be bribed. She won’t believe it. What should I do?"
Mo Yinhe replied with three words: "Got it."
It was brief and to the point.
Ten minutes later, another message came: "It’s done."
"Huh? What do you mean ’it’s done’?"
"Just take her." It was that simple and blunt.
Ye Shen gasped. Could his brother have really settled things with Master Huixian? Was Master Huixian that easy to handle?
Ye Shen was half-convinced, half-doubtful.
He personally drove Si Mingjing to Daying Temple.
Daying Temple is located in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital, a forty-minute journey away.
Ye Shen parked the car in the Daying Temple parking lot. As it was a popular tourist destination, it was particularly crowded, and it took a long while to find a spot.
Having finally resolved the parking issue, the two passed through a wooden gate marked "No Entry for Tourists" and arrived in the secluded backyard of Daying Temple, not open to the public.
As they walked, Ye Shen boasted, "My grandma has already given Master Huixian a heads up. He agreed to see us; otherwise, we wouldn’t typically be able to come in here."
As she walked, she scrutinized the ancient temple that had stood for a thousand years.
The backyard was serene and tranquil, in contrast to the bustling front courtyard.
Even the ginkgo trees in front of the buildings seemed like aged sages, watching over them with a benevolent demeanor.
Mingjing stopped under a ginkgo tree, feeling as if the forest breeze had cleansed her spirit, filling her with reverence.
Ye Shen halted and began to explain, "Let me tell you, this ginkgo tree is five to six hundred years old. Every November, when the leaves turn golden yellow, Daying Temple becomes a hotspot for tourists from all over to come and visit. It’s stunningly beautiful but also quite stinky—the smell can be overpowering."
Ye Shen had experienced it once and did not want to come a second time.
Mingjing, however, was somewhat curious. What kind of stunning beauty could that be?
At that moment, a lean old man with a full head of white hair, toting a wine gourd at his waist and the smell of alcohol still on his breath, approached them with a laugh, exuding an air of mystical wisdom.
"I hear young layman Ye wants his fortune told by this old monk?"
The lean old man was a monk, yet he did not have a shaved head.
He was 105 years old this year but still robust.
He seemed to have seen all life had to offer and no longer took the rules and precepts seriously, seeking only to live freely and unbound.
He didn’t restrict himself either.
He ate meat in large portions and drank when he felt like it.
Thanks to his fame cultivated over the years, even if his behavior was improper, no one dared to criticize him. Instead, people regarded him as genuine and believed he was truly an enlightened monk.
As Master Huixian approached, he shook his head. "Young layman Ye, of late your fate is marked by a great calamity, a great calamity."
Ye Shen felt a chill. "Master, don’t curse me, please. I’m perfectly fine; where would omens of great calamity come from? You might as well say I have the destiny of a ’Heaven’s Lone Star’ and must marry a girl who is extremely yin and pure to change my fate and turn misfortune into fortune."
Master Huixian pondered.
His gaze fell on Mingjing, who stood beside Ye Shen. Stroking his grizzled beard, he cracked a wizened smile.
"Young layman Ye has recently met a benefactor. Although it’s a sign of great calamity, as long as the benefactor acts, misfortune will surely be turned into good fortune."
Ye Shen scoffed with laughter. "I knew it, that’s how it’s always portrayed on TV, and then this benefactor is supposed to be my destined soulmate, right? Master, have you switched careers to become a matchmaker?"
But Master Huixian shook his head. "Not so, not so. This girl is unattainable. You’re not worthy."
Ye Shen felt quite annoyed being disparaged by Master Huixian.
"Master, aren’t you being a little harsh? I’m the Mermaid, the national treasure of A Country; what woman would I not be worthy of?"
"And by the way, for an enlightened monk, is it really okay for you to be drinking in front of us?"
"Drinking invigorates the body. How else is an old fellow like me supposed to ward off the chill?" Master Huixian retorted with conviction.
Mingjing stood by, laughing.
"Master, it’s me who came to have my fortune told. Why don’t you give me a reading?"
But to their surprise, Master Huixian feigned depth and shook his head.
"I dare not divine the young lady’s fate."
Ye Shen was curious. "Why is that? You insist on reading my fortune when I don’t want it, but refuse to read hers when she asks. Have you drunk too much and not sobered up yet?"
"...Phoenix Nirvana, a transformation of essence and form, born to be a monarch. The dragon lies hidden in the depths, and upon its return one day, it becomes unstoppable. How could we possibly presume to predict such things?"
Master Huixian rambled on in a tone that suggested the secrets of the heavens could not be revealed, yet he had disclosed everything important.