Lin Hao showed a brilliant smile. “Sir, you still remember me? What excellent memory!”

The sugar figurine seller nearby curled his lip.

What excellent memory—when only a few people come all day long, anyone could remember this young lady.

“Sir, can you read my fortune?” Lin Hao sat down on the small stool in front of the fortune-telling stall and asked with a smile.

Daoist Mingxin frowned. “Didn’t you have your fortune told a few months ago, young lady?”

Lin Hao glanced at the area under the bridge and said quietly, “I had that fortune-teller read my fortune, but he was inaccurate!”

When she lowered her voice, several nearby peddlers instinctively pricked up their ears. Hearing what she said, their expressions immediately turned peculiar.

How had Old Li, the fortune-teller under the bridge, offended this young lady?

Lin Hao paid no attention to what these peddlers thought. She sighed helplessly. “So I still want to have you read my fortune, sir.”

“What does the young lady wish to have read?”

Lin Hao smiled. “Marriage destiny.”

The peddlers: “…” This young lady really has thick skin.

“Sir, can you help me read it?” Lin Hao calmly gazed at Daoist Mingxin.

She was a young woman in the prime of her youth—of course she should seek knowledge about marriage destiny.

Daoist Mingxin’s fingers twitched. He stood up. “I’ve said before that the more one’s fortune is told, the thinner it becomes. It’s not suitable for young ladies like you. If you wish to seek marriage destiny, you’d be better off offering incense and worshipping Buddha.”

Seeing Daoist Mingxin skillfully pack up his banner and leave, Lin Hao led her little donkey and chased after him. “Sir, sir! Could it be that my fate is extraordinary and I’ll have great fortune in the future, so you dare not read it?”

Daoist Mingxin’s footsteps paused. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Young lady, don’t flatter yourself.”

“Then why won’t you read my fortune?”

Daoist Mingxin looked deeply at Lin Hao, then shook his head. “Because there’s nothing to read.”

Having said this, he paid Lin Hao no further attention and walked quickly forward.

Lin Hao led Lin Xiaohua, following unhurriedly behind.

Du Qing, who was secretly protecting Daoist Mingxin, cast murderous glances several times. Without Daoist Mingxin’s signal, he could only refrain from action.

“Young lady, if you keep following, we’ll arrive at my home.” Daoist Mingxin stopped, his expression somewhat darkened.

Lin Hao bit her lip, showing some stubbornness. “If you read my fortune, sir, I won’t follow anymore.”

Daoist Mingxin frowned. “Why is the young lady so insistent on finding this old man?”

Lin Hao shook her head. “I don’t know either. In any case, upon seeing you, sir, I felt you were a master hidden among the common people.”

Daoist Mingxin’s gaze as he stared at Lin Hao deepened somewhat.

Lin Hao acted as though she hadn’t noticed. She looked left and right, then lowered her voice. “To be honest with you, sir, I come from the General’s Mansion. If you read my fortune, I’ll give you a generous fee.”

Hearing her reveal her background, Daoist Mingxin’s expression relaxed somewhat.

He had sent Du Qing to investigate Lin Hao’s identity and knew she wasn’t lying. This being the case, his suspicions that she had ulterior motives were somewhat dispelled.

“Young lady, you come from wealth and nobility. What more could you seek?”

“Marriage destiny!” Lin Hao frowned with distress. “To be honest, sir, both my mother’s and my elder sister’s marriage destinies haven’t been very smooth. When I think about my own future, I feel discouraged.”

Daoist Mingxin looked steadily at Lin Hao for a moment, then said, “This old man observes that your brow is full, your cheeks rosy. Though you may encounter obstacles in marriage, you will ultimately find fulfillment and joy, meeting a good match.”

“Obstacles?” Lin Hao’s pursuit of Daoist Mingxin to read her marriage destiny was just an excuse, but hearing him say this still aroused her curiosity.

Daoist Mingxin extended one finger. “There is one romantic tribulation.”

Lin Hao’s eyelids trembled.

Romantic tribulation—could he be referring to the Crown Prince?

Ptui, ptui, ptui! How could that deserve to be called a romantic tribulation? That was called rotten bad luck.

“This tribulation… is it difficult to overcome?”

Daoist Mingxin smiled. “If you can maintain your current clarity of vision and heart, it won’t be difficult to overcome.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Young lady, go home. Stop pestering this old man.” Daoist Mingxin quickened his pace.

“Sir, sir.” Lin Hao followed closely. “You haven’t collected your fortune-telling fee yet.”

“Then make it one tael of silver.” Daoist Mingxin said casually.

Lin Hao pulled one tael of gold from her pouch and handed it over.

In the sunlight, the gold gleamed brilliantly, dazzling to the eyes.

Daoist Mingxin had already sensed several burning gazes.

“That’s too much.”

Lin Hao smiled sweetly. “Sir said I would meet a good match. How can one tael of gold be called too much?”

She stuffed the gold into Daoist Mingxin’s hand, mounted her little donkey in one movement, and said, “Sir, when I have more confusion in the future, I’ll find you again to read my fortune.”

Seeing Lin Hao wave and ride her donkey away, Daoist Mingxin breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Finally rid of this troublesome girl.

Daoist Mingxin quickened his pace. After turning a corner, someone suddenly blocked his path ahead.

His expression unchanged, he turned around, only to discover the way behind was also blocked.

One person closed in from the left, another from the right.

“Old fool, hand over the gold!” one person said viciously.

Daoist Mingxin took the gold from his sleeve and tossed it into that person’s arms. “May this old man leave now?”

“That won’t do. You gave up one tael of gold so easily—clearly you have more money on you!”

The several people surrounding him showed greedy expressions.

“Let us search you, then we’ll let you go!”

The one who got the gold reached out to grab Daoist Mingxin when suddenly a miserable scream rang out.

“My hand, my hand!” He clutched his wrist and shouted, shaking it as blood splattered everywhere.

Taking advantage of their shock, Daoist Mingxin strode away.

When the several men recovered and wanted to chase him, a young man appeared before them. “Hand over the gold you just robbed.”

“Who the hell do you think you—ahhh—” The threatening words turned into a scream.

Du Qing expressionlessly broke that man’s wrist and looked toward the others.

The others scattered like birds and beasts.

Having retrieved the gold, Du Qing took a winding route, repeatedly checking behind him, finally stopping before an unremarkable residential house.

He knocked on the door with a particular rhythm.

The door opened, and standing inside was none other than Daoist Mingxin.

Daoist Mingxin stepped aside, letting Du Qing enter.

“How was it?”

“This subordinate interrogated them. They’re just local idlers from the neighborhood who targeted you purely out of greed at seeing wealth.”

Daoist Mingxin shook his head. “That young lady really knows how to stir up trouble.”

“Master, what should we do next?”

Daoist Mingxin slowly swept his gaze over the furnishings in the room and sighed. “Let’s move.”

Though the robbery was coincidental, they couldn’t be careless.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows—with Daoist Mingxin’s caution, he had seven or eight places to stay in the capital. The two said they would move and moved immediately, quickly gathering their essential belongings and quietly leaving the place.

As dusk fell, Lin Hao met with Uncle Liu in the General’s Mansion garden.

“The fortune-teller that Second Miss had me watch moved in a hurry.”

This was within Lin Hao’s expectations.

Given her teacher’s caution, encountering anything abnormal would certainly make him avoid it.

The piece of gold she gave would be hard for street thugs not to covet once they saw it. For her teacher to escape trouble, Du Qing would certainly take action.

What she wanted was precisely that brief moment when Du Qing acted—for Uncle Liu to track her teacher to his residence. By lying in wait ahead of time, he could quietly follow the two to their new dwelling.

Du Qing was indeed skilled at tracking people, but Uncle Liu was no slouch either. Sometimes, the difference lay in having the initiative, in a moment of inattention during haste.