Chapter 32: Time to Make a Run for It

I immediately masked my nervousness and said, "Brother Wang, I blacked out from drinking last night. My apologies, truly."

"Haha, you're a man of genuine character, little brother."

"Brother, please don't mock me. I just got carried away and had a few too many." I sat down next to Wang Qiang and added, "Sigh, drinking really leads to trouble. I must drink less in the future."

My eyes swept over the surroundings, and my heart sank again. Two men were sitting at the table nearby. Their presence was not as intense as Wang Qiang's, but they were clearly with him. I froze for a split second, and Wang Qiang noticed my surprise.

"Brother, you noticed them?"

My heart wasn't just pounding; it was churning. *Are they targeting me?* I wondered.

"Xiao Huang, go get some breakfast for our little brother." The man nearby frowned slightly, stood up, and walked away.

"Brother Wang, did I do anything out of line when I blacked out last night?"

Wang Qiang was taken aback, then laughed instantly. "Haha, little brother, you’ve misunderstood. We were handling business late last night, so we decided to grab breakfast together today. It has nothing to do with you."

Watching his expression, I knew he wasn't lying. I nodded and stopped talking. For some reason, the aura around these men made me anxious; even though I hadn't done anything wrong, I couldn't help but feel tense.

"Little brother, you were a bit too drunk last night. Could you help me read my fortune today?" Boss Zhang suddenly interjected with a smile.

I didn't look at him immediately; instead, I glanced at Wang Qiang and caught a flash of surprise in his eyes. I turned to look at Boss Zhang. There was an innate murderous aura about him—not one he had cultivated himself, but something born within him.

According to my grandmother’s manual, people who carry a murderous aura usually accumulate it over time. Such people have heavy karmic burdens that are easy to injure them and harm their families, much like Wang Qiang. But there is a rare exception: those whose killing intent is innate, passed down from their ancestors.

"Killing one is a crime; ten is a cruelty; over a hundred makes a demon; but thousands make a king."

Boss Zhang’s aura was of this latter type. I suspected the red glow I sensed about him was an ancestral legacy—a light so fierce that even ghosts would fear it.

I only took a single glance before lowering my head. "I wouldn't dare read Boss Zhang's fortune. I can only say this: whatever evil spirits or crooked paths there may be, they should give you a wide berth."

Boss Zhang froze and looked at Wang Qiang. Thinking I was merely being modest, Wang Qiang laughed and said, "Little brother, don't decline. Since Boss Zhang is interested, just take a look. Boss Zhang isn't short on money, and like I said before, money is the most impartial judge."

I shook my head. "Brother Wang, it’s not that I’m declining. Some people's fates don't need reading. As long as you don't deliberately run headlong into a stone wall, you will have no worries about food or clothing for your whole life. Any trouble you encounter is just a minor interlude; otherwise, life would be too bland to be interesting."

"Little brother, which wall is this 'stone wall'? Are you implying something?" Boss Zhang spoke again. He hit the nail on the head immediately. If he kept questioning me like this, I’d end up reciting his whole life story for him.

I hesitated, but I spoke anyway. I didn't want to offend a man like him, for my own life is fragile, and he was, in effect, my stone wall.

"Let me tell you a story, Boss Zhang. If you understand it, you understand it. If not, I'm afraid I can't explain it any more clearly."

Boss Zhang nodded. "I've heard that great masters love using other people's stories to gain insight into their own lives. So, let me listen to a story and see if I can find insight into my own."

I was stunned. I had said those exact words to Li Si earlier, though it had only been a joke at the time. I shook my head and smiled. "Once, there was a scholar named Wang Sheng. He went up the mountain to learn the Tao. No sooner had he learned the art of passing through walls than he rushed home to show off to his wife and children, only to end up with a huge bump on his head after hitting a stone wall."

"I know this legend, but I don't know which wall is the 'stone wall' here," Wang Qiang asked, seeing that Boss Zhang remained silent.

I gave a bitter smile. "Brother Wang, you really do like to get to the bottom of things!"

"Hahaha, I can't help it! Your words are too profound, little brother. If I don't get it, how am I supposed to understand?"

I sighed inwardly. Wang Qiang’s thirst for power was too great; he had taken on too much karma for others. If he didn't turn back soon, his family would surely suffer the consequences.

"Brother Wang," I said with a smile, "I don't know if Wang Sheng ended up with a bump on his head, but you should spend more time at home with your family. You've already accumulated quite a few bumps of your own."

Wang Qiang went blank, staring at me blankly. It took him three seconds to come to his senses. He chuckled and said, "Don't change the subject, little brother. I’m still in the dark. If I don't figure out which wall is the stone wall, I won't be able to sleep tonight."

I sighed. "In the story, the stone wall is a wall of Feng Shui. It is a wall that wards off baleful spirits—the defensive wall of a home. As long as this wall stands, the house will not fall."

Boss Zhang frowned, staring at the soy milk cup in his hands, his fingers slowly tracing the rim. Seeing Boss Zhang in deep thought, Wang Qiang turned around. Xiao Huang had returned with a tray of breakfast items, which Wang Qiang took and placed in front of me.

I picked two items and began to eat. Three minutes later, Boss Zhang sighed and shook his head. "Sigh, it's too profound. I just don't get it!"

I didn't look at him. I couldn't keep this up; if I continued, I wouldn't be able to hold the facade together.

"Little brother, I heard your fee for a consultation is three hundred thousand."

I stopped eating instantly. My heart began to pound wildly again. That was a joke Li Si had made with me, and only three people had known about it.

Boss Zhang continued, "I don't have that much cash, so let me start with thirty thousand. Consider the rest a favor I owe you."

I was stunned. The scene was a replay of what had happened at Li Si’s villa. Li Si had claimed my fee was three hundred thousand, while in my heart, I had thought thirty thousand would be plenty.

Boss Zhang looked at Wang Qiang after speaking. Wang Qiang paused for a moment, turned to the two men, took a black briefcase, and produced three stacks of cash, laying them before me.

I stared at the money, stupefied. I wasn't stunned by the joy of earning thirty thousand from a fortune reading; I was genuinely frozen. My mind raced, trying to process the events of the last two days. I didn't touch the money; I just sat there like a fool for ten seconds.

A tremor went through the bean-soldier in my mind, and I snapped back to reality. I reached out, plucked a single bill from each stack, and tucked them into my pocket.

"To understand one's own life by looking at the stories of others, and to speak of others' lives, one must bear their karma. This is my remuneration; I accept it."

Boss Zhang was taken aback. He looked at me and smiled. "Little brother, is my money not clean? Why take only one note from each?"

"Passing through a field of ten thousand flowers, yet not a single leaf clings to one's clothes," I recited, the poem fitting the moment perfectly.

"Hahaha! What a line—'Passing through a field of ten thousand flowers, yet not a single leaf clings to one's clothes.' A master's ways are truly extraordinary."

Just as my heart began to calm down, a voice inside me screamed, *Oh, cut the crap! I'm just using the experiences from Grandma's manual to bluff my way through this. If I keep playing this game, I'm going to collapse. The wind is picking up—time to run!*