The outer hall was not a convenient place for conversation. Lang Jiuchuan invited them into a private room in the inner hall. Jian Lan served tea and then withdrew.

Lang Jiuchuan glanced first at Shen Qinghe and said with a smile, “Congratulations on your promotion, sir.”

Shen Qinghe waved a hand — why was she back to calling him sir again? — but he let it pass for now, and said, “That special Surveillance Division was established at my own suggestion and petition. His Majesty appointed me to serve as the Surveillance Commissioner. Whether that is a blessing or a misfortune, I honestly cannot say.”

As he spoke, he cast a hopeful look toward Lang Jiuchuan — the implication unmistakable, the silent hope that she might offer a reading.

Lang Jiuchuan said, “Sir, you carry an upright and uncompromising spirit. You are precisely the right person for this position. Whether it is a blessing or misfortune depends entirely on how you choose to see it. For an official, no matter which seat one occupies, there is always risk. There will always be political enemies one cannot get along with. All wealth and honor comes not by a road strewn with flowers — but by one of thorns and drawn blades. If you do not fear the cuts, if you do not fear bleeding, you will achieve the wealth and honor you seek.”

Shen Qinghe smiled. “Well said. But you know — I am nothing but an ordinary man. If I am to work alongside practitioners of the occult arts and encounter demonic entities, how am I to hold my own against them?”

“You might take up some Daoist physical cultivation techniques — they will strengthen your body. Even if you cannot fight, at least you’ll be able to run. As for protective talismanic objects — I’ll prepare some charms and protective instruments for you.” Lang Jiuchuan said. “In addition, I’ll teach you a few Daoist incantations. Even if they cannot drive away evil, having them on your lips in a moment of crisis ought to give such entities some pause.”

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony — prepare more of them, and I’ll pay you properly. I’ll bring them back for the staff under me at the Surveillance Division.” He was new to this appointment, and even as the head of it, he needed to build goodwill with the people beneath him. Give them something of value, and they would be willing to work hard and take risks on his behalf.

Lang Jiuchuan agreed. She had opened this shop precisely to accumulate karmic merit, and silver, while not unwelcome, was not without purpose — she could use it for charitable giving, which was itself a way to build merit. If those people went on to do good deeds with their talismans, some small portion of that goodwill might even find its way back to her.

Even a mosquito’s leg is still meat — accumulated bit by bit, it builds into a great store of merit, bringing her ever closer to the full restoration of her power.

Her true and complete rebirth — that was what she had always been working toward.

While Lang Jiuchuan spoke with Shen Qinghe, Zeng Jichuan kept close attention on her. From what old Shen had told him, the young woman before him was no older than the coming-of-age year of fifteen. Now that he was closer, even though he could only make out a blurry shape of a person, he could sense she was remarkably young and slight in frame.

Yet young though she was, the principles she spoke were entirely sound and to the point. Take what she said about officialdom — which position did not carry both blessing and misfortune in equal measure? True wealth and rank were always wrested from danger. Serving the people’s cause was no different. A small post brought no peace of mind either — high positions had their troubles, and low ones had their hardships. Rather than measuring fortune against misfortune, it was better to cast one’s whole self into the endeavor, hold nothing back, and commit entirely. What was the worst that could happen? Only death.

Zeng Jichuan thought of the countless dangerous straits he had navigated across his years in office, and felt a quiet sense of release. Yet when he fixed his gaze on Lang Jiuchuan again, a wave of frustration returned.

He had walked paths bristling with thorns and emerged unscathed from every one — and yet, in the end, he was going to be defeated by this ailment of his eyes?

He was only fifty years old. It was precisely now that he had accumulated enough standing to climb higher. To step down now — he was truly unwilling.

It was that very unwillingness that made him hesitate. Because to treat this eye ailment, there was a great deal riding on chance. He was afraid that if he lost the gamble, his eyes would truly be ruined by the procedure — and then there would be no point in speaking of ambitions at all.

Old Shen insisted on bringing him to see this young woman who practiced occult arts, saying she also had some knowledge of medicine and might have a better approach. But these eyes of his — when Director Ou had been in his prime, he likely could have managed the treatment. Now the Director was old, and his own eyes were not entirely reliable, so he did not dare attempt the operation himself.

Thinking of this, Zeng Jichuan felt a sudden wave of helplessness wash over him.

Lang Jiuchuan looked over at him and said, “This sir — you have developed cataract blindness?”

His eyes had clouded pupils, the irises murky and turbid with a pale, bluish-white film covering them like a grey mist — making it impossible for his eyes to focus, and naturally blurring his vision.

This was cataract blindness — also known as round opacity of the inner eye. The elderly were most prone to developing it, though some were born with it, and others developed it through deficiency of liver and yin, or through insufficient qi and blood leading to upward surging of liver wind, which could also cause clouding of the eyes.

Zeng Jichuan was not especially old — he had only just reached the age of knowing heaven’s will. To have developed this eye ailment at his age could only be due to a bodily condition.

Lang Jiuchuan observed that his complexion was slightly wan and his energy was lacking. She looked at his face — reading his physiognomy, she could see that in his youth he had passed through a mortal calamity of tremendous scale, one caused by an external injury. He must have lost a great deal of blood at the time, and the vital essence and energy that had been depleted was never fully restored — leading to a gradual depletion of the essence and blood within him.

Shen Qinghe, without waiting for Zeng Jichuan to say a word, jumped in ahead of him. “Yes, yes — Xiao Jiu, take a look at him, see if there’s anything to be done. It’s also a matter of fate, isn’t it — this sir shares the character chuan in his name as well, Zeng Jichuan. If you can help him, he has no shortage of fine things to offer — he has many treasures.”

Lang Jiuchuan smiled lightly. She could see it plainly — this person was wealthy, and not just ordinarily so. He was of great wealth and great rank, his official position high, and his origins distinguished — the kind of person who had grown up surrounded by wealth and comfort from childhood, with fortune and prosperity written into his very constitution.

“Around a year ago I could still make things out well enough,” said Zeng Jichuan, seeing that Lang Jiuchuan had already perceived his condition and dispensing with any roundabout approach. “Since the beginning of this year, things have grown increasingly blurry — I can no longer see clearly. And at only this age, already going blind — it is truly…”

Lang Jiuchuan said, “Has Lord Zeng suffered a severe wound in the prime of his life? At that time, it was not only your qi and blood that were gravely damaged — you also nearly did not survive that ordeal?”

Zeng Jichuan heard this and was visibly startled. He sat up slightly straighter, and instinctively turned his gaze toward Shen Qinghe.

Shen Qinghe said hurriedly, “I’ve said nothing — I’ve only met this girl a handful of times myself. I brought you here without any warning, entirely on the basis of an old man’s privilege. She reads these things herself.”

Lang Jiuchuan said with a faint smile, “I also know a little physiognomy. Your background is distinguished, sir, and you carry the blessings of both fortune and rank. Yet in your prime there was a mortal calamity — but with a benefactor’s aid, you were able to pass through it. After that, your path was smooth and unobstructed, and your official career has flourished.”

This was somewhat after the fact, of course — it concerned things already past. The man was now sitting here before her, perfectly well, already holding a second-rank official position. Unobstructed official career? That went without saying.

But Zeng Jichuan was also a stubborn one. He feigned a helpless air, shook his head, and sighed. “This young lady has some ability, but as for smooth and unobstructed — I cannot quite agree with that. As for my official career flourishing — I would only call that half-true.”

“Oh?”

Zeng Jichuan said, “You can see for yourself that my eyes are very nearly gone. Once I go blind, my official career naturally halts there. Given that, can you still say my official career is flourishing?”

Lang Jiuchuan replied with perfect lightness, “A mere case of cataract blindness — it can be treated. Why speak of going blind?”

Zeng Jichuan’s heart lurched violently. His breathing came faster, his voice carrying a slight tremor. “What did you say — not going blind? You have a way to treat it?”

Lang Jiuchuan made a sound of assent. “We are fated, you and I. While I am here — you will not go blind.”