Chapter 2: Mr. Tan

The tourists by West Lake, upon witnessing a fatal incident, all exclaimed in shock and hurriedly fled the scene

Everyone was taken aback, and one of them hurriedly said: "But, my lord, you...!"

Xue Poya felt a sense of disdain: "Just like those police officers, they only show up after everything is over, a bunch of worthless people"

The old man stroked his beard and said: "I am surnamed Tan, you may call me Mr. Tan. May I ask what your name is, young brother?"

The four attendants scattered not far away noticed the unusual situation here and all rushed over

The beauty rushed over in an instant, her originally lovely and pure face revealing a fierce expression, seemingly filled with immense hatred. In her hand, she tightly gripped a small dagger, stabbing at Mr. Tan from the side.

Each of these yamen runners is as fierce as a wolf or a tiger, coming forth with great courage

"Xue Poya?" Mr. Tan murmured it once, then smiled and said, "This name is not only not vulgar, but I find it quite elegant!"

The fortune teller felt somewhat awkward and chuckled sheepishly, saying, "Sir, you are too kind. I am not sure what you wish to inquire about!"

After listening, Mr. Tan closed his eyes, seemingly in contemplation of something

Three people surrounded the handsome man, and a servant came over to assist Mr. Tan in cleaning and bandaging his wounds

The diviner Xue Poyue chuckled and said, "Mr. Tan, you flatter me. Just now, you mentioned wanting to calculate something; may I ask what aspect you wish to inquire about?" After speaking, he tugged at the divination banner beside him, straightening it out. It bore the inscription, "Knowing the past and future above, understanding destiny and wealth below"

Be careful! Xue Poyue exclaimed, and in a moment of panic, he instinctively grabbed the inkstone on the table and hurled it towards the handsome man.

"Oh my, I never expected the social atmosphere of this era to be so open!" Xue Poyue murmured to himself

It was somewhat awkward; I set up this stall mainly to seek out those foolish rich young men to swindle. Little did I know about the mysteries of fate. This old fellow suddenly came over to tell fortunes; he seemed to be a shrewd character, likely difficult to deceive. Sighing, I shook my head and said: "Old sir, the lifespan of each person is predetermined, and this is the true secret of heaven. As fortune-tellers, we must not reveal the secrets of heaven; I cannot predict this, please forgive me"

Xue Poya touched his nose and said leisurely: "When things go smoothly, they are not smooth; when they are not smooth, they are smooth!" Unable to respond, he could only play with the Zen riddle and let it pass.

Mr. Tan was stabbed in the shoulder, blood gushing forth, and his entire shoulder was soaked in crimson. However, his aged face showed no signs of pain; instead, it was ashen, filled with resentment as he glared at the handsome man being besieged by several subordinates

The handsome man's movements were originally swift and urgent, but he did not anticipate that the master would throw the inkstone, which suddenly obstructed his path. He slightly shifted his body and narrowly avoided the inkstone.

Watching Young Master Qiao leave joyfully with his servants, the accountant displayed a look of disdain on his face and muttered, "What a brainless pig!" He glanced at the banknotes in his hand, totaling one hundred and forty taels, which could be considered a substantial windfall. Only such an uneducated fool of a young master could be deceived like this. After stuffing the banknotes into his pocket and preparing to close up shop, he suddenly heard a calm voice say, "Young man, wait a moment. It is still early; why not help me take a look as well?"

A few people slowly walked by from the side, at the front was a thin old man, who appeared to be in his fifties, dressed in a blue long gown, gently stroking his beard and smiling as he sat down

The old man smiled and said, "Go on, go on!" His words seemed to carry some kind of magic, as the few individuals no longer spoke further, dispersing and surrounding the area not far away.

The young man seems to be closing up shop, so I hope you don't mind my interruption. Could you please help me with a calculation? I would greatly appreciate it! The old man smiled, his eyes sparkling with vitality as he fixed his gaze on the calculator.

The diviner noticed that his gaze was exceptionally sharp, making him feel somewhat numb, yet he remained composed and said: "Since you truly wish to know, I shall not hide it any longer. My surname is Xue, and my given name is Poye"

"Do not kill him, leave a live one!" Mr. Tan said coldly

Xue Poya took out a silk handkerchief and said to Mr. Tan: "Old... old sir, you are seriously injured, let me bandage it up!"

Damn it, who is fighting here...! In the distance, a commotion could be heard, and among the voices, a tall constable was leading a group of officers as they hurried over.

Seeing that old man seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, Xue Poyue felt a bit anxious. This old fellow did not appear to be a person of poverty, as he was accompanied by several strong attendants. He must be someone of considerable status, yet at this moment, he still did not take out any silver. Truly, he did not know how to conduct himself.

Looking at that flower-like beauty, once delicate and enchanting, now has faded away, her life extinguished, truly resembling a nightmare

Although Mr. Tan is of advanced age, his movements are remarkably agile. He swiftly seized the divination banner and swept it towards the beautiful woman, shouting, "You demon folk truly have great audacity!" The divination banner whipped through the air, carrying a fierce momentum as it struck at the woman's waist. Surprisingly, she did not flinch at all and continued to charge forward, undeterred by the impact of the banner, her offensive momentum unabated.

Mr. Tan seemed taken aback by the woman's unexpected tenacity. Just then, the handsome man lunged at him with a dagger once more, forcing him to raise his banner to fend him off. Although he managed to stop the man, the beautiful woman had already closed in, and her dagger plunged fiercely into Mr. Tan's shoulder. His eyes bulged in shock as he let out a furious roar, striking out with his right palm against the woman's chest. She screamed in agony, her graceful figure resembling a wilting flower as she was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground. A large spurt of blood erupted from her mouth, and after a few convulsions, she lay still.

That pair of handsome man and beautiful woman has approached. Xue Poyue gazed at the beauty's gracefully swaying waist, resembling a water snake, extremely alluring

The four attendants were all individuals of remarkable martial prowess, each wielding different weapons: there were long whips, wolf-toothed clubs, double rings, and one person even used an iron rod. These weapons had not been seen before, nor did anyone know where they were concealed on their persons

Xue Poya was taken aback; is this old fellow calculating his lifespan

Xue Poya watched in fear and trepidation, wanting to run, but his legs felt weak. He had seen this scene on television before his time travel, but he never expected it to unfold right before his eyes today

Xue Poya gazed at the swift-moving boats on West Lake, where numerous talented scholars and beautiful women were enjoying the spring scenery together, truly a sight that could make others feel embarrassed. He couldn't help but feel quite uncomfortable and spat.

Mr. Tan let out a sound of "oh" and revealed a peculiar smile: "This doesn't count, so let me ask again, was my journey smooth or not?"

His actions were entirely instinctual, devoid of conscious thought; a lover, who was previously engaged in a romantic exchange, suddenly transformed into an assassin, which was truly unexpected

The old man seemed to sense the diviner's doubts, waved his hand dismissively, and said lightly: "It's a beautiful spring day, why don't you all go for a stroll?"

Mr. Tan glanced at the divination banner, smiled faintly, and a look of melancholy appeared on his face. He said softly, "I no longer wish to know about the fate of wealth and nobility; rather, I would like to know how many days I have left to live. Young brother, why not lend a hand and calculate it for me?"

The handsome man was even more audacious, suddenly thrusting one hand directly into the beauty's bosom. Just as Xue Poyue was left dumbfounded, the handsome man's hand had already retracted, revealing a gleaming dagger in his grasp. At that very moment, he leaped into the air and lunged forward, aiming the dagger straight at Mr. Tan.

The handsome man’s eyes were blood-red as he cried out in despair: "Seventh Junior Sister! Seventh Junior Sister!" Like a madman, he lunged at Mr. Tan

Not far away, a handsome couple was walking together. The beauty's face was radiant with springtime glow, and the handsome man whispered something in her ear, causing her delicate face to flush with embarrassment.

Although the handsome man was not weak in martial arts, he was repeatedly hit under the siege of the four great masters and ultimately could not hold on any longer, collapsing to the ground

Mr. Tan glanced at Xue Poye and smiled, saying, "Young brother, thank you very much!" It was unclear whether he was thanking him for the earlier warning or for his silk scarf

Mr. Tan's expression darkened, his eyes widened in surprise. Seizing the opportunity when the handsome man was momentarily distracted, he rose from his chair, bent down, and with his right hand grasped the leg of the chair, forcefully hurled it towards the handsome man.

Four robust attendants followed behind. The sorcerer noticed that the expressions of these four men were severe, and amidst the spring flowers and lush willows by the West Lake, they were filled with an air of vigilance, which was indeed quite unusual

The fortune teller chuckled and said, "My name is quite vulgar, better not to mention it, better not to mention it!" Mr. Tan replied calmly, "What if I truly want to know? Are you really unwilling to tell me, young brother?"

Mr. Tan's four attendants have rushed over, one of whom is holding a long whip. He leaps into the air, swings the whip, and it wraps around the neck of the handsome man. Then, with a pull backward, the handsome man is immediately thrown to the ground.