"Young man, I can see that the space between your brows is dark, your gaze is vacant, and your soul is scattered. I fear you will soon meet with a bloody calamity!" A voice suddenly rang in his ear.
Yang Kai turned his head to look and saw a tall, lean half-aged man standing before him with a smile. The man wore a tall hat, a plain hemp robe, and held a cloth banner on which a single character was written: Fortune!
"My Eldest Senior Brother's just had a bit too much to drink. What nonsense are you babbling about, you old fool?" Yang Kai hadn't even reacted yet when Wan Yingying glared and snapped from beside him.
Yang Kai raised a hand to stop her, smiling at the half-aged man. "A fortune-teller?"
His memories told him that such people did exist in the Divine Weapon World—mysterious and cryptic, their claims impossible to verify. This was the first time Yang Kai had actually encountered one, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of curiosity.
"This old man is Shen Suanzi. I peer five hundred years into the future and divine five hundred years into the past. I know all things under heaven and beyond the earth. Young man, if you wish to avert this disaster, you might as well let this old man cast a divination for you—perhaps I can keep you safe."
"Quite the boast!" Yang Kai chuckled. "Very well, then. Go ahead and divine for me."
"Excellent!" Business in hand, Shen Suanzi's spirits immediately lifted. He set his cloth banner aside, took a seat, and asked, "Would the young man like a character reading or a palm reading?"
"Something simple—palm reading will do. Left hand or right hand?"
"Either will do! When this old man divines, there's no need for tedious formalities." Shen Suanzi grinned, revealing a row of yellowed teeth.
Beside them, Wan Yingying hesitated, wanting to tell her Eldest Senior Brother that this whole lot of fortune-tellers were nothing but swindlers living off scamming people—there was no need to believe a word. But then she reconsidered. Her Eldest Senior Brother had been in low spirits for the past year, and it was rare to see him interested in anything. No harm in letting him be—it was only a bit of money lost, so long as it made him happy.
Thinking this, she quietly shot Shen Suanzi a warning look, signaling him to watch his tongue.
Whether Shen Suanzi saw it or not, he paid no mind. He picked up Yang Kai's hand and studied the lines on his palm, then raised an eyebrow. "Young man, your palm reading doesn't bode well. Your life is filled with disasters and tribulations. If this old man is not mistaken, you must have recently suffered some heartbreak, yes?"
Wan Yingying huffed from the side. "Spare us the obvious—who can't tell that much?"
"Heh heh…" Shen Suanzi chuckled softly, unfazed, and continued studying. Suddenly his eyebrow shot up as though he had discovered something extraordinary, and his expression turned grave in an instant.
Wan Yingying gnashed her teeth watching from the side, silently deciding that if this old fool said one more inappropriate thing, she would beat him thoroughly and throw him out.
"Elder?" Yang Kai called softly.
Shen Suanzi gripped his hand and stared at it for a long time, frozen in place as though time had stopped. After quite a while, he slowly released Yang Kai's hand, rose to his feet, snatched up the cloth banner by the table, and retreated while cupping his fists. "My apologies, my apologies! Forgive the disturbance!"
Wan Yingying stared at him in bewilderment, having no idea what the old man was playing at.
The half-aged man backed his way to the door, turned, and tried to flee—only to crash straight into someone.
It was a strikingly handsome young man with a beautiful woman nestled in his arms, one large hand resting indiscreetly on her waist. The collision sent him staggering backward.
Furious, the young man seized Shen Suanzi by the collar and hissed, "Are you blind, old fool? Don't you watch where you're going?"
Shen Suanzi apologized profusely, but then suddenly looked up at the young man and spoke. "Young man, I can see that the space between your brows is dark, your gaze is vacant, and your soul is scattered. I fear you will soon meet with a bloody calamity!"
Wan Yingying: "…"
The young man grew even more enraged. He slapped Shen Suanzi hard across the face, sending the old man sprawling to the ground, then strode forward and kicked him twice, each strike drawing a wail of pain.
After venting his fury, the young man sneered. "You say I have a bloody calamity coming? I'll give you a bloody calamity right now!"
Shen Suanzi could offer no resistance, curling into a trembling ball.
The young man called out, "Pull out his teeth and teach him what happens when he runs his mouth!"
"Sir!" Two attendants immediately rushed forward, seized Shen Suanzi by the arms, and hauled him off to the side.
The young man then wrapped his arm around his companion and strolled into the restaurant.
Wan Yingying's face had gone slightly pale. She stood beside Yang Kai and grabbed his arm. "Eldest Senior Brother, let's go. Quickly."
But Yang Kai stood like a bolt in the ground, utterly immovable no matter how she pulled.
At the entrance, the young man had already come in with his companion and attendants. His gaze swept the room and locked onto Yang Kai at once. He let out a cold laugh. "Well, if it isn't Yang Kai of the Void Spirit Sword Sect. What a small world."
The woman in his arms, who had been laughing sweetly moments before, stiffened slightly at his words. She turned her head toward Yang Kai, and her expression immediately became awkward. "Young Master Zhan, this place isn't very nice. Let's find somewhere else."
The young man called Young Master Zhan scoffed. "Is it that the place isn't nice, or is it that seeing an old lover makes you uncomfortable?"
The woman's face flushed with embarrassment, and she fell silent.