redvbooks Chapter 347 - 349: Jianghu Swindler
Chapter 347 - 349: Jianghu Swindler
Su Nian didn’t mind. The other woman, quick on the uptake, also deftly plucked a bill from Su Nian’s hand.
She chuckled and said, "We don’t need that much. Two hundred a question is fine!"
Su Nian nodded and continued, "Besides that, have you noticed anything else out of the ordinary?"
"Any rumors about ghosts or ghouls?"
Hearing this, the two women were clearly taken aback for a moment, as if finding the question incredible. But a second later, they started rubbing their fingers together in a gesture of blatant suggestion.
They snickered.
Su Nian handed each of them another hundred-yuan bill.
Only then did one of the women speak. "I heard that the first girl who jumped has come back to claim more lives!"
"That’s right! And I heard that Blind Chen saw it too. Said there was a ghost standing on the roof of that building!"
’A blind man saw it?’
Su Nian furrowed his brow, starting to doubt the women’s credibility.
But before he could say anything, the women understood and started rubbing their fingers together again.
Su Nian pulled out another two hundred yuan.
"That Blind Chen... they say there’s something wrong with his eyes. He can’t see ordinary people, only... unclean things!"
"Yes, yes! That Blind Chen lives right here in the market. He’s actually been right about a lot of things before. Many people call him Chen Banxian and flock to his stall every day just to watch, but I don’t buy any of it!"
Su Nian nodded. He didn’t ask any more questions, deciding instead to find this Blind Chen himself.
The market ran in a straight line. As the two women had just said, Blind Chen lived right here.
Su Nian entered the market and walked down a rather grimy little alley, flanked on both sides by vendors hawking their wares.
According to the women, he should have a stall set up here, and plenty of people sought him out for fortune-telling.
Sure enough, before he had gone far, Su Nian spotted a stall surrounded by a crowd of people.
A tattered banner hung next to it. It read, "Seer of Destiny," with two smaller words in the bottom-right corner: "Blind Fortune-Teller."
’That must be Chen Banxian, Blind Chen.’
Sitting at the stall was a middle-aged man of about thirty-something. He wore sunglasses and a Tang suit, looking somewhat old for his age, yet full of worldly experience.
He was currently sitting at a table, speaking with a man across from him. Su Nian couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the other man was listening with rapt attention, nodding from time to time as if in agreement.
Su Nian moved a little closer and could hear them more clearly.
He saw Blind Chen stroke his beard and say, "This year has not been kind to you. You’re prone to misfortune, and your wife has run off with another man, correct?"
Upon hearing this, the man’s face lit up with surprise. He nodded repeatedly, saying, "Master, you’re truly a master!"
"It’s true, my wife did run off!"
Blind Chen stroked his beard again, his expression serene. "I have already divined it. This year, you are fated to be undermined by petty people."
This made the man even more excited. He asked bluntly, "Master, is there any way to break this curse?"
Blind Chen let out a sigh, as if helpless. "The Mandate of Heaven cannot be defied!"
Hearing this, the man swiftly pulled several hundred-yuan bills from his bag and stuffed them into the fortune-teller’s hand.
"Banxian, you have to help me! I want to find a new wife soon!"
Blind Chen’s hand moved smoothly, pocketing the money without a fuss. He then reassumed the air of an enlightened master and continued.
"Ah, do not be anxious. Your true love has simply not appeared yet. Wait patiently."
Having received this assurance, the man was naturally delighted and nodded again and again.
Su Nian, however, got a clear look at the man’s face and narrowed his eyes. A moment later, his expression turned cold, and his voice rang out, crisp and clear.
"Hmph. A common charlatan!"