Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Spending Money for Three Divinations!
The crisp sound of a slap startled all of them.
"Chu Wenyao, why are you hitting yourself?" Liu Yi was dumbfounded.
In broad daylight, Chu Wenyao felt a chill all over his body, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
He was more confused than anyone, and quite frightened, "I, I don’t know, my hand just seemed out of control."
Pei Yuncheng, who had witnessed Yu Nianzhao’s abilities before, recalled the image of Pei Yunqi slapping his own face and immediately glanced at Yu Nianzhao, quickly guessing that it must have been her doing.
Luu Shaoqi swallowed hard and took two steps back, "Could you have seen a ghost? I’ve seen this scene before; it’s when someone gets possessed and is controlled by a ghost."
Upon hearing his words, Yu Nianzhao couldn’t help but look at him more intently, "You sure know a lot."
"Hehe, I’ve seen it once, and I never want to see that again; it’s a bit scary." Luu Shaoqi scratched his head, his silly smile endearing.
Chu Wenyao bristled, "What do you mean by possessed? How could I be possessed? Stop bluffing here; I don’t believe in such things. Besides, isn’t this a temple? Yu Nianzhao, didn’t you claim to be the King Yan of the temple here? How can there be ghosts?"
Yu Nianzhao glanced at him indifferently, "You don’t believe, so why should they protect you?"
"Hmph, exactly, you’re just how old, using yourself as a golden statue—isn’t that shameful?" Chu Wenyao scoffed, "That was just an accident; I was not possessed by a ghost!"
If it weren’t for the slight tremble in his voice, one might truly believe he didn’t care.
Yu Nianzhao sneered coldly, "My temple only welcomes sincere believers. If you don’t believe, what are you doing here? Why don’t you get lost?"
"Zhaozhao, we’re here to show support, don’t be so aggressive in your words." Pei Yuncheng found himself in a dilemma, his brotherly gesture made Yu Nianzhao somewhat nauseous.
"Ugh—" She even dry-heaved to show her ’respect’ for Pei Yuncheng.
Seeing more and more devotees gathering around, Chu Wenyao maliciously said, "Since you claim to be King Yan, shouldn’t you show some skills?"
"How do you want me to? Fortune-telling? Sure, but it’s not cheap if I do the divination myself," Yu Nianzhao said deliberately, "If you can’t afford it, better not."
"I have plenty of money!" Chu Wenyao immediately took the bait, throwing out a silver pouch, "If your fortune-telling is accurate, this silver is yours. If not, you can close this temple."
He was flaunting his wealth, intending to embarrass Yu Nianzhao.
"Brother Wenyao, this isn’t right," Pei Yuncheng frowned, realizing they truly came to cause trouble; he wished he hadn’t come.
Recently, the Pei Family hadn’t been peaceful due to Mrs. Pei embezzling twenty thousand taels of silver, and Pei Yunqing specifically warned him not to trouble Yu Nianzhao.
If Pei Yunqing found out about today’s events, even Pei Yuncheng might suffer.
"What are you afraid of? She’s not married to Prince Su yet. Prince Su might just have her around because she can get close; the wedding date isn’t even set. The position of the Princess Consort might still change."
Chu Wenyao knew about Chu Wenxin cousin’s admiration for Prince Su; Chu Wenxin often spoke ill of Yu Nianzhao to him. He came to the temple this time specifically to cause trouble.
"Alright." Yu Nianzhao agreed lightly, spreading out her palm, "Pay up first, one thousand taels per divination."
"What? A thousand taels per session?" Chu Wenyao stared wide-eyed, "You’re robbing me!"
"If you don’t have money, get lost."
"Who says I don’t have money? There are a total of three thousand taels in this silver pouch. Give each of us a divination." Although it hurt, Chu Wenyao had to bite the bullet in front of the crowd.
"Alright, Jing Rui, collect the money." Yu Nianqian laughed warmly.
Jing Rui quickly moved forward and snatched Chu Wenyao’s money pouch.
"Hey! You haven’t done the divination yet; why are you taking my money?" Chu Wenyao’s heart followed the money pouch away.
"Tsk, our young lady will definitely be accurate." Jing Rui, safeguarding the money pouch, flashed a brilliant smile, preventing anyone from taking it.
"Who goes first?" Yu Nianzhao looked at the three of them.
"Let him go first." Chu Wenyao, feeling stifled in his chest, pushed Liu Yi forward.
He wanted to see how Yu Nianzhao would embarrass herself.
After examining Liu Yi for a moment, Yu Nianzhao spoke coldly, "Have you been feeling short of breath lately, and getting up frequently at night?"
Liu Yi, originally with a dismissive attitude planning just to listen casually, was shocked when he heard Yu Nianzhao’s words, wide-eyed, "How do you know?"
Quickly covering his mouth in embarrassment, he laughed awkwardly, "Well, the frequent urination isn’t that exaggerated, just been waking up at night often. Shouldn’t be a symptom, right?"
Yu Nianzhao asked him, "Have you been to any ominous places recently? Burial grounds? Cemeteries? Or Yizhuang?"
Her words made all three stunned.
They felt an eerie sensation, as if Yu Nianzhao had seen through all of them.
"Yizhuang..." Liu Yi started to panic, "We snuck a visit once to test our courage."
"Indeed brave of you, but you caught evil spirits in Yizhuang, and these are merely initial symptoms. As time passes, you might experience dizziness, fatigue, limb weakness, and symptoms akin to critical illness."
As Yu Nianzhao spoke, Liu Yi felt her mentioned symptoms arising, dizziness engulfing him, legs weakening, almost stumbling to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Luu Shaoqi rushed to support Liu Yi, his face paling too.
They were doomed; he had also gone to Yizhuang.
"My chest is tight, body devoid of strength..." Tears clung to Liu Yi’s eyes, panting heavily.
Chu Wenyao’s heartbeat raced, instinctively denying, "How can this be? I handed out Exorcism Talismans to you all back then; it’s impossible to catch spirits. Liu Yi, pull yourself together; it’s definitely an illness, not spirits."
Liu Yi gritted his teeth, "Honestly, during the frequent urination phase, I’ve had a doctor examine me. He says I’m healthy, just weak lately, like my energy has been drained. Better to believe than doubt."
Chu Wenyao cursed angrily, "Fool!"
He pleaded, "Princess Consort Su, am I really tainted with evil spirits? Can you help me?"
"Show me your talisman!"
"Alright!"
Liu Yi obediently pulled out a talisman, a dull, pale scribble, Yu Nianzhao took it mockingly, "This thing, can exorcise? Where did you buy this shoddy item, sticking it on a ghost’s head only gives a tickle!"