"Oh?" Yuan Zheng looked at Ye Wanmian in surprise. "Does the young lady have other uses for them?"
Ye Wanmian said, "Since the Taoist priest plans to leave Dongli Town, it means it will be difficult for us to meet again in the future. If the talismans get wet, where can we find the Taoist priest to draw another one? It's better to prevent problems before they happen."
Yuan Zheng thought it made sense and generously drew four more talismans. Together with the one in Ye Wanmian's hand, there were a total of five.
After drawing these talismans, Taoist Priest Yuan Zheng's face became visibly paler. It seemed that he had exhausted too much energy tonight.
Ye Wanmian saw this and took out the one - hundred - tael silver note she had fetched from her room just now from her sleeve and held it out.
"This is the reward we agreed on with the Taoist priest before, one hundred taels. With this money, the Taoist priest can buy as much wine as he wants."
Yuan Zheng didn't stand on ceremony with Ye Wanmian. He immediately took it with a smile and carefully put it into his pocket.
"The young lady is generous and true to her word. She will surely enjoy great wealth and prosperity in the future."
The three oil lamps had to burn for three days and three nights without going out. Ye Wanmian assigned the task of watching the lamps to Qi Wen.
"Why me?" Qi Wen was still thinking about his storybook and tried to object.
Ye Wanmian said confidently, "I have to watch the medical clinic and treat patients during the day. How can I have time for such trivial matters? The clinic can do without you, but not without me."
There should be a proper distance between men and women. She wasn't related to that person in any way. What would it look like if she stayed there day and night? Moreover, she didn't want to have more to do with that person.
Qi Wen had no way to refute this and could only agree.
After a long and tiring night, Ye Wanmian said to Yuan Zheng, "It's getting late. Why don't the Taoist priest stay here tonight and leave tomorrow?"
Yuan Zheng thought for a while and agreed. "That's a good idea."
Qi Wen had to stay in the room to watch over Xiao Jingcheng, so Ye Wanmian went to another empty room next door and tidied it up a bit so that Yuan Zheng could stay.
Yuan Zheng stuffed his hands into his sleeves and smiled. "Thank you for your trouble, young lady."
Ye Wanmian watched Yuan Zheng yawn. She clenched her fingers, took a deep breath, and said, "Actually, I'd like to ask the Taoist priest for another favor."
Having received the one - hundred - tael silver note, Yuan Zheng was in a good mood. He said, "The young lady may just say it."
"The Taoist priest always says that I seem to have a life of great wealth and good fortune, but..." She bit her lower lip. "But my life hasn't been that good."
"What do you mean by that?" Yuan Zheng was also curious. He took another careful look at Ye Wanmian's face.
"The young lady has a full forehead, round ears, clear pupils, and a kind heart. It's a face that can turn bad luck into good, gain wealth from water, and have many noble helpers. I can't be wrong."
"I won't hide it from the Taoist priest. I was抱ed away by mistake since I was born and separated from my biological parents. I lived with my adoptive parents. But I didn't know my true identity until I was sixteen. My adoptive parents told me the truth when I was sixteen."
"Two years ago, I accidentally offended a noble person. To appease the noble person's anger, my adoptive parents knocked me out and tied me into a sedan chair. They married me off as a second wife to a man who was a full twelve years older than me."
"I wasn't willing to submit to my fate. I managed to escape. I've been living in hiding and under an assumed name for the past two years."
Taoist Priest Yuan Zheng looked solemn. "There's such a thing? Please write down your birth chart. I'll take a look for you. Don't worry. I won't charge you this time."
Ye Wanmian went back to her room to find some paper and a brush. She wrote down her birth chart and pushed it in front of Yuan Zheng. "Please take a look, Taoist priest."
Taoist Priest Yuan Zheng closed his eyes and started calculating again, muttering something under his breath. No one knew what he was saying.
Ye Wanmian quietly tightened her grip on her dress and waited nervously.
After a while, Yuan Zheng opened his eyes, frowning tightly.
"It's not right."
Ye Wanmian was stunned and asked, "What's not right?"
"This birth chart doesn't match the young lady's face." Yuan Zheng pointed at the note with the birth chart on the table. "The person with this birth chart has a face of an early death. Their lifespan won't exceed sixteen years. But the young lady has lived well until now, so this can't be the young lady's birth chart."
This wasn't her birth chart?!
Did it mean this wasn't her birthday?!
She shivered all over. After thinking for a while, she picked up the brush and wrote down another birth chart on the paper.
"Then, please take a look at this, Taoist priest?"
Yuan Zheng calculated quickly with his fingers. After a while, he opened his eyes and said, "This shouldn't be the young lady's birth chart either. This person will have a shallow family relationship in childhood and will be in conflict with their parents. They need to live separately from their parents until they grow up and then can be taken back to be raised by their parents. After getting through this difficult period, they can enjoy great wealth and glory in the future."
Of course, what Ye Wanmian gave Yuan Zheng wasn't her birth chart but Ye Wanxing's.
She remembered that when the Ye family found Ye Wanxing, they told her that Ye Wanmian was born just a cup of tea later than Ye Wanxing. It was just this cup of tea that crossed a time period.
And what Yuan Zheng said matched Ye Wanxing's childhood experience.
She originally thought that the Ye family had deliberately tampered with her and Ye Wanxing's birth charts, but now it didn't seem to be the case. Suddenly, she remembered what Xiao Yixuan had said. Ye Wanxing and Ye Huan had come to Dongli Town this time and also wanted to go to Ling'an Temple to thank the abbot there.
"Has the Taoist priest ever heard of Abbot Huaihai of Ling'an Temple?"
Yuan Zheng said, "I've heard of him a little, but this abbot of Ling'an Temple has been traveling for many years and hasn't returned yet. I've never met him."
She always felt that there was an invisible fog surrounding her life experience. She just couldn't see the secrets hidden inside.
"Can a person's fate be changed?" Ye Wanmian asked.
Yuan Zheng looked at her deeply. "Of course it can. Although the birth chart doesn't match the young lady's face, a person's actions come from their heart. A person with a pure heart only does good deeds and never submits to fate. Even if they have a bad background, they can still reverse their fate."
"On the contrary, even if a person has a good background but has evil intentions, acts recklessly, and hurts others to pave the way for themselves, no matter how good their fate is, they will eventually be punished."
Ye Wanmian forced a smile. "I thought the Taoist priest would say that fate is the most powerful and human strength is hard to fight against it."
"The young lady should remember that the birth chart, face, and palmistry can't determine everything. Only the heart can." Yuan Zheng said meaningfully.
"Then, will there be a day when I can reunite with my family?" Ye Wanmian asked.
Yuan Zheng didn't answer Ye Wanmian's question. Instead, he yawned, stretched, and said, "I'm sleepy. I'll go to bed first. The young lady can do as she pleases."
Ye Wanmian returned to her room with a heavy heart. Just as she was about to go to bed, she saw Dahuang running towards her with its tail wagging. It circled around her anxiously, whining. It looked very worried.
"Dahuang, what's wrong with you?" Ye Wanmian asked curiously.
Dahuang scratched at her dress with its paw, bit the corner of her skirt, and shook it anxiously. The room was filled with its whimpers.
Little Purple, who always stayed with it, was gone!
It disappeared all of a sudden!
Mom, come with Dahuang to find Little Purple!
Ye Wanmian: What does this mean?