Section 1

The child bit his finger and mumbled, "Thank you, Uncle." The young man laughed and said, "There is nothing here for you to thank me for. My wife asked me to take down two pieces of cured meat that were made last year from the beam, you see...

Shen Li looked up at Xing Yun for a moment and silently walked towards the backyard. This Xing Yun, who could save a child for the sake of two taels of meat, could also watch an old woman cry without any reaction.

An hour later, the man still had not arrived. Wang Banjian laughed and said, "Kid! You should admit defeat now, hand over the meat chicken to me."

Watching the young man and the child walk away, Xing Yun turned his head leisurely to look at Wang Banxian and said, "Ten wen."

The clouds drift with an inscrutable smile: "Today, you are destined for a calamity involving blood."

The middle-aged man was taken aback, quickly nodding in apology, half pulling and half persuading the woman away. He closed the door with indifference, just as he usually did, and walked into the kitchen to cook. Shen Li followed at his feet: "You noticed something, didn't you? Why won't you tell that woman? Is her husband dead?"

Shen Li followed the scent all the way to the entrance of a small courtyard. Just as she was unsure how to enter, the courtyard door suddenly creaked open. Shen Li quickly stepped back and hid in the shadows.

The middle-aged man, with a smile, said: "I apologize for the trouble." He made a gesture of seeing off his guest, "I need to prepare dinner now."

Shen Li fell silent for a moment and said, "Revealing the secrets of the heavens may invite divine retribution"

The man agreed, turned, and walked away, the courtyard gate closed once more. Just as Shen Li was anxiously wondering how to get in, the door opened again, and the woman inside rushed out holding a cloak: "Da Lang, your cloak, it's cold at night, don't catch a chill."

A man dressed in a night watch uniform stepped out with a lantern; he was the middle-aged man who had been sought after during the day: "It's almost time for my shift, so I will head out now. Please keep an eye on your sister-in-law; it's late at night, and don't let her run out again to look for some kind of fortune teller."

Knock, knock, knock! In the backyard, two people were chatting when they suddenly heard a series of urgent knocks at the door. Xingyun responded and slowly walked to the front yard to open the door

Shen Li fell silent, indeed... he is a guy who wouldn't even buy meat, so how could he have the leisure to add any medicinal herbs to the steamed buns... However, she has been recovering her strength in this room much faster than usual; over these days, her internal energy has gradually stabilized, and perhaps restoring her health will be a matter of just a few days...

Wang Banjian was left dumbfounded, slapping his forehead and saying, "Hey, this is truly uncanny, it can actually be predicted like this." He took out ten wen from his bag and placed it in Xingyun's palm, and before leaving, he added, "How about you give me another divination."

So she is a soldier's wife, Shen Li lowered her head slightly, she was well aware that once a person went to the battlefield, if they died, perhaps not even their bones could be found. No matter how much their loved ones yearned day after day, searching day after day.

The man appeared to be no more than forty years old, yet the woman looked like an old hag of fifty, hunched over with a face full of weariness, clearly having been severely worn down by life. She paid no attention to the man, only gazing at the passing clouds and saying: "Immortal, please help me! I beg you to tell me where my husband, who has been in the military for fifteen years, is now."

The force of that person seemed immense, pushing the clouds back two steps, nearly trampling Shen Li, who was standing right behind him.

"Um... I might be the person you are looking for," Xingyun said, "but..."

The door swung open, and only then did Shen Li see that it was an elderly woman who had grabbed hold of Xing Yun. She appeared agitated, her expression somewhat dazed: "Immortal, immortal..." She called out hoarsely a couple of times, "Are you the immortal they say can calculate the past and predict the future?"

One day, feeling bored, Shen Li looked at Xing Yun, who was lying by the pond, and asked, "You possess such extraordinary talent; with this ability, why do you not make a living through fortune-telling?" Someone like him, who has genuine skills, could easily take the high-end route, specifically fortune-telling for high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals. Even if he only did it once a year, it would allow him to live a life ten times better than he does now. However, Xing Yun remained excessively indifferent. Throughout these days of interaction, apart from earning those two pieces of cured meat and ten copper coins, he had hardly utilized this ability.

Shen Li could not possibly be unaware of this principle; she simply realized in a daze that his short life had come about in this manner. She was also astonished that a mere mortal could glimpse the secrets of heaven and do so with such meticulousness. One can imagine that the backlash he experienced must have been immense, yet he, against the heavenly principles, had managed to survive until now

Behind the woman, a young man dressed in tattered light armor was gazing intently at the clothes she was mending. His expression was gentle, and his gaze tender, as if he were looking at the most cherished thing in the world. However, he had no feet. In the bright daylight, his body was invisible, but by nightfall, it ultimately became apparent.

Shen Li raised an eyebrow, not expecting that this mortal would possess such awareness. Since he saw through it so clearly, Shen Li no longer wished to continue discussing this matter. Instead, she changed the subject and asked, "Xing Yun, in the meals you prepare every day, um, is there any ingredient that can replenish vitality? Please bring it to me for research."

"You actually can tell fortunes," Shen Li expressed her astonishment

Shen Li did not expect that her sigh would cause the armored man to suddenly turn his head. The moment his pair of black eyes met Shen Li's, they turned a fierce red. He opened his mouth, and a wave of sinister energy spilled out, leaving Shen Li no time to react as he charged at her with a terrifying expression. Shen Li flapped her wings in a panic, saying, "Stop! Wait..." Before she could finish her words, the spirit rushed past her body, and the overwhelming sinister energy caused her to stumble, rolling several times until she crashed into a clay pot in the corner of the wall and finally came to a stop.

Wang Banjian glanced in the direction of the road and exclaimed, "You little brat, what nonsense! Where did these people come from!" As soon as he finished speaking, a father and son appeared at the corner of the road. It was the young man from earlier and his small son. As soon as he approached Xingyun, he immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you very much, brother! If it weren't for your advice to go back, my little son would have likely been burned to death in the woodshed. Huzai, why don't you thank this uncle!"

Not long ago, Shen Li heard that after Wang Bansian returned home that day, he was struck in the face with a shoehorn by his wife for the reason that "he didn't earn a single cent." As for why Shen Li would hear about such trivial matters, it is because, since that day, the news of a true fortune teller in the capital has spread throughout the streets and alleys.

This is quite unusual. Since Shen Li arrived here for so many days, apart from the girl who climbed over the courtyard wall, she had not seen anyone else come to seek out Xing Yun. Curiosity arose in her heart, and she eagerly followed along. As soon as Xing Yun opened the door, Shen Li suddenly sensed an inexplicable aura. Her expression turned serious, and she saw a withered hand reaching in from outside the door, tightly grasping Xing Yun's arm.

Xingyun gently opened the woman's hand and said with a faint smile: "Madam, I cannot interpret this divination for you, please return."

No," Xing Yun said lightly, "I didn't see anything at all"

Time slowly slips away, and after noon, the young man still has not returned. Wang Banjian gradually shows a look of satisfaction, while Xingyun remains unhurried, occasionally glancing at the nearby butcher shop, carefully listening to see if the prices of the meat have dropped.

With a smile like drifting clouds, he turned to look at her and said, "Do you think I can afford such things?"

I know, so am I not taking medicine every day?" Xingyun replied calmly, but seeing Shen Li staring at him intently, he smiled and said, "There are gains and losses; it is the way of nature. Everything is ultimately balanced.

This is not a commendable skill. Xingyun said lightly, "Harming others does not benefit oneself; without relying on it, I still live quite well."

From the unclosed courtyard door, a faint sigh could be heard: "This chicken is too idle"

The woman inside responded, "Be careful."

Wang Banjian was greatly frightened, hurriedly grabbed his banner, and rushed home in a flurry

Shen Li took a glance and saw that the courtyard door was open. The two people were also at a distance from each other. She swiftly darted into the courtyard and immediately spotted the woman's room, as the light was still on. The woman was sitting by the window sewing, her silhouette cast on the paper window, exuding an indescribable solitude. The door to her room was not closed, and Shen Li quietly peeked through the crack. Upon seeing this, she suddenly understood why she felt an inexplicable aura from this woman today.

Shen Li was in a daze: "But... but..." She mumbled for a long time without knowing what to say. It was not wrong for Xing Yun to refrain from interfering with nature using his own strength; she had even admired this approach before. However, in such circumstances, she could not help but want to lend a hand. If the soldiers she had previously led were to die on the battlefield, she would never allow their families to wait in despair, unaware of what had happened.

Shen Li's eyes lit up, and Xing Yun followed suit, decisively nodding in acceptance: "I will not be polite."

The identity of this fellow, Xingyun, is becoming increasingly elusive to grasp

The old woman looked astonished: "Aren't you a deity? Why won't you help me find out? I just want to know where he is... If you won't help me find out where he is, at least tell me about his life and death, so that I have something to hold on to!"

In the night, the surroundings were silent and still. The drifting clouds had no habit of locking the door, allowing Shen Li to quietly slip out through the crack in the door. Relying on the little bit of magic she had regained, she hurried towards the end of the alley, following the scent of the woman from earlier that day, making a "rustling" sound.

As the words of the speaker faded, several urgent calls came from the other end of the alley: "Sister-in-law!" Just then, a middle-aged man approached from behind, grabbing the woman and saying, "Sister-in-law! Stop causing a scene! Come back with me!"

He lives in a manner that is quite unconventional, or one might say... rather indifferent

The rumors from the outside world have become increasingly exaggerated, yet this seems to have little impact on Xingyun's life. He continues to tend to his small courtyard, feeding the fish and basking in the sun each day

It feels truly wonderful

Oh dear sister-in-law! Haven't you been deceived enough by those charlatans from the rivers and lakes? Don't ask anymore, it's been so many years... This statement seemed to touch upon the woman's hidden pain, and she scolded loudly: "No matter how long it takes, I must ask! Even if he has been gone for many years, he is still my husband! As long as I cannot find him, I will keep searching! Day after day, there will surely come a day when I find him!"

Shen Li looked up at her, only to feel an inexplicable aura surrounding this person. However, her current magical power was insufficient to discern the reason behind it

Has he truly transformed into a spirit... Shen Li could not help but let out a sigh. The woman could no longer find her husband, nor did she need to search for him, for that man had never left her at all

"Why should I give it to you?" he said nonchalantly, "Isn't he on his way here?"

Can speak a little