Go all out

Chapter 7: The Woman in the Mask

I had analyzed his facial features last time and concluded that this man named Zhang Hao was the kind of person who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. So it made sense that he’d been implicated in a murder case—when you do enough bad things, you’re bound to face retribution due to the law of cause and effect. But clearly, his retribution hadn’t truly begun yet. This time was more of a “preview”—the real show hadn’t even started. The red pimple on the right side of his brow had turned a dusky red, indicating that the murder case he was implicated in this time would resolve itself—no further intervention was needed. The problem, however, is that he thought he was being clever. From his “Palace of Wealth”—that is, the tip of his nose and the outer corners of his eyebrows—I could see a dark, bluish hue, clearly indicating a financial loss. This suggests that, in an effort to avoid being implicated, he spent money to grease the wheels and pull strings, which is why he now shows signs of financial loss. This was something that would have resolved itself naturally, but by insisting on using connections to fix it, he naturally achieved the opposite result. This financial loss is likely just the beginning of his future “karma.” Also, there are white spots at the corners of his mouth—he’s been engaging in excessive sexual activity, which has caused him to struggle in certain areas. I’ll need to address this later, but I’ll have to be a bit tactful about it. Zhang Hao noticed that I had been staring at him with a serious expression for quite some time, but he showed no sign of rushing me. After a few minutes, I began to speak. “Mr. Zhang, judging by your facial features, you should stay at home for three days after you return. You don’t need to do anything—the situation will resolve itself.” “Is it really that simple?” Zhang Hao was taken aback. “Yes, it’s that simple.” I nodded. “Also, you should avoid getting involved in shady dealings—they’ll backfire.” “Shady dealings?” Zhang Hao looked somewhat surprised. “Are you saying I don’t need to handle this myself?” “Right. Your facial features show that ‘autumn frost has arrived, and spring breeze is not far off.’ In other words, even if you do nothing, someone else will handle this matter. You don’t need to worry about anything else.” I nodded. A murder case is no small matter. It wasn’t your business to begin with, but your eagerness to run around making arrangements would naturally draw attention from certain people. Sometimes, doing nothing at all is the best way to resolve a situation. Zhang Hao pondered for a moment before muttering to himself with a look of sudden realization, “No wonder Old Zhang is only charging 100,000 this time. So that’s how it is.” After saying that, the expression on his face turned somewhat respectful—a marked change in his attitude toward me. “What is your surname, young master?” “My humble surname is Li, and my given name is Tian,” I said with a smile. Zhang Hao seemed to be in a much better mood; he started addressing me as “Master Li” at every turn. I hurriedly waved him off—after all, “Master Li” was the title others used for my master; I wouldn’t dare, nor did I have the right, to use my master’s title for myself. “You’re too kind. Just call me Li Tian,” I said, waving my hands hurriedly. “All right, then. If I need anything in the future, I’ll come back to see you,” Zhang Hao said with a smile, pulling a stack of red bills from his bag and placing them on the table. I was taken aback. At a glance, there were at least two thousand. My master, at his level, only charges three hundred each time—how could I possibly accept this much? Wouldn’t that tarnish my master’s reputation? “Mr. Zhang, that’s way too much.” “It’s not too much, not too much.” Zhang Hao shook his head with a smile. “I’ve got plenty of things coming up in the future, so I hope you’ll give me plenty of guidance then.” I caught the implication in his words. He knew he’d done plenty of bad things and was probably trying to buy some peace of mind with money. I hesitated for a moment, then said thank you and put the money away. My master was still in critical condition—money was absolutely crucial to me right now. Zhang Hao said his goodbyes and turned to leave, but I hesitated for a moment and called him back. Zhang Hao turned around, looking puzzled. “Is there something else, Young Master Li?” I paused for a moment and said, “Well, Mr. Zhang, you might experience some changes in your marriage soon.” “What do you mean, Master Li?” Zhang Hao was taken aback. I didn’t speak, but instead gave a subtle nod toward a paper hat inside the room. Zhang Hao looked slightly surprised, then took a deep breath. A flash of anger crossed his face before he said to me, “Thank you, Master Li, for your guidance,” and hurried away. I let out a sigh of relief. There were some things I simply couldn’t say outright. Zhang Hao was a bit thin in that department, so the top of his head was a sea of green—probably more like a prairie… After Zhang Hao left, I was pleasantly surprised to take out the money and count it—a full three thousand! If I got two more customers this afternoon, I’d have enough to cover today’s medical bills. “Master, I’ll work hard to earn money. I’ll definitely make sure the hospital doesn’t stop your medication because of a lack of funds!” At lunchtime, I went into the kitchen, grabbed a cucumber on the fly, and ate a little rice to get by. I went back to sitting in the shop, and sure enough, in the afternoon, a rather pretty woman walked in. She was dressed very fashionably, in very short shorts that revealed a pair of long, white legs—quite a sight. I was a bit surprised; it was rare to see women dressed like that in our village. What’s more, she was wearing sunglasses and a mask, her face completely covered. What was she doing coming in like that? Puzzled, I stood up and asked, “Beautiful lady, is there anything I can help you with?” The woman glanced at me, sat down immediately, and said bluntly, without beating around the bush, “My husband beat me. I want a divorce, but he refuses. I want you to help me figure out when my husband will die.” “Huh?” I was taken aback. What kind of request was this? Predicting someone’s death? But since business had come knocking, I had no reason to refuse. Clearing my throat, I asked tentatively, “Did you bring a photo of your husband? What about his birth chart?” “I didn’t bring any.” The woman shook her head. “Aren’t you fortune-tellers supposed to be able to see my husband’s future just by looking at my marriage? Then just read it for me like that.” “Um, okay. Would you mind taking off your mask?” I nodded. The woman took off her glasses and mask. When I looked at her, I was startled. Her husband must have really gone to town on her. Judging by her great figure, she must have been quite a pretty girl, but now her face bore several clear handprints, both cheeks swollen like buns. She’d been punched in the eye, and there was a blood blister at the corner of her eye—it was a truly gruesome sight. I really couldn’t make out much like that, and it was a bit unsettling, so I could only say awkwardly, “You should put your mask back on first, then hold out your hand so I can take a look.” The woman put on her mask and held out her right hand. Hand reading is actually quite similar to face reading, though no single feature provides as much information as a person’s face. Since she wanted to know about her marriage, I had no choice but to examine her marriage line. However, upon examining her palm, I was first drawn to the raised area at the base of her middle finger—what we call the “Mound of Saturn”—which is an indicator of a person’s loyalty. The lines here were chaotic and disorganized, and three of them extended into her marriage line—these are considered branch lines. This means she’s been very unfaithful in her marriage; she’s cheated with at least three men. As for how many times she’s been unfaithful, I couldn’t tell. It’s no wonder a woman like this gets beaten by her husband. To cheat and then wish for her husband’s death—that’s pretty selfish and heartless. As for the break in the middle of her marriage line—it looks as if it were split open by a knife—I couldn’t help but glance at her, because this indicates she will have only one marriage, and her husband will indeed die. I felt a bit uneasy and paused before saying, “Your husband will die, but the exact timing isn’t clear—that depends on your face. However, even as it stands now, it’s evident.” “As long as he dies, that’s enough.” The woman nodded, her voice surprisingly devoid of any sadness. I couldn’t help but think to myself: any man who ends up with a woman like this is truly unlucky. “So will I get married again?” the woman asked. “No, you’ll only be married once in this lifetime,” I replied. The woman fell silent for a moment, then suddenly took off her glasses and fixed her gaze on me. “It’s surprisingly accurate, isn’t it?” “Really?” I was taken aback. What did she mean? This was getting a little strange. “Excuse me, what do you mean by that?” I asked instinctively; as far as I could tell, this was the first time I’d ever seen her. “Have you forgotten? This morning, you read my husband’s fortune and specifically warned him that I was cheating on him. Have you already forgotten so soon?” the woman said with a cold laugh. I was startled. Shit—was her husband Zhang Hao, the guy I’d read the fortune for this morning? I groaned inwardly. Why the hell did I have to say that just now? Given the way she’s acting now, is this woman trying to cause trouble for me??