NOVEL NEXT Chapter 382: Little Girl_2
"What are you all standing around for? Didn't he just say to line up on the footbridge tomorrow at 1 PM?"
After scolding her subordinates, Liu Piaopiao got into the car, fuming.
Meanwhile, Xia Liang, who had returned home to eat, picked up a newspaper. A headline in the most prominent section immediately caught his attention.
"Customs officials in our city just seized a batch of cultural relics intended to be smuggled out of the country. The suspects include the city's deputy director, Mr. Liu Zhaoguo. Weiyuan Jewelry Company has been named the primary suspect company, and the case is currently under investigation."
Xia Liang snorted. Hmph, there are all kinds of people in the world. He's already in such a high position, so why get involved in smuggling? In the end, it all comes down to one word: greed. Greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, and doubt are the head of the five poisons. How many people can truly let them go?
The next day, Xia Liang slept in as usual, not waking up until noon. After getting ready, he went to the footbridge to set up his stall, just like always.
He was now the only Fortune Teller left on the footbridge; the other charlatans had already moved their operations elsewhere. They knew very well that as long as Xia Liang was here, they would have practically no business. Some clients would rather queue for hours just to have Master Xia tell their fortune.
It was so difficult to get a reading that some people would start queuing on the footbridge early in the morning.
"Look, everyone! Master Xia is here."
"Yes, yes."
"I came last night. I wonder if I'll get my turn today."
"Sigh... just have to leave it to fate. I heard that when it comes to Master Xia's fortune telling, if you're not fated to have a reading, you have to wait until the next day."
Xia Liang casually set up his sign and stall, then leisurely took a carton of soy milk from his backpack. A long line had already formed in front of him, with at least twenty to thirty people, most of whom were women. Some came to ask about marriage, others about their financial luck or family matters. Some were just there to catch a glimpse of Xia Liang's style. Everyone's gaze was fixed anxiously on him, their eyes wide with anticipation, as if they were waiting in line at a bank.
"So handsome. A master is a master. Even the way he drinks soy milk makes it look like the finest ambrosia."
Xia Liang ignored them. He first took out numbered paper cards he had prepared and had them passed down the line, starting from the first person, until everyone had one.
He then began drawing lots from the bamboo tube in front of him. Whose number would be called depended on fate for the day. Liu Piaopiao nervously clutched card number eighteen. She had queued all morning, and all she got for her effort was a slim chance of her number being called. If her luck wasn't good today, she would have to wait until tomorrow. After finishing his soy milk, Xia Liang stretched languidly, then reached his left hand into the bamboo tube. After shaking it for a moment, he pulled out a small slip of paper.
"Number twenty-two."
"Who is number twenty-two?"
"Here!"
An old man dressed simply, holding a little girl in his arms, struggled through the crowd.
"Excuse me, please make way. Sorry, just passing through..."
The old man carefully sat down. He appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, with graying temples and slow movements, but he still seemed quite robust.
"Master Xia, please, can you take a look at my granddaughter? Recently, she's been drowsy all the time and very listless."
After speaking, the old man gently pulled back the collar that was covering the little girl's face.
"Darling, get up and let the Master see. Come on, be good, and we can go home after this."
The little girl, who seemed to be about eight or nine years old, had a neat ponytail and kept her back to Xia Liang.
"Little friend, can you talk to me? What's your name? Will you turn your head and look at me?" Xia Liang smiled, his voice soft and magnetic. "Come on, be a good girl and let me take a look."
But no matter what he said, the little girl seemed frightened, curling into her grandfather's embrace and refusing to turn around.
"Master, she's been like this for several days. We've taken her to several major hospitals in the city, but the doctors said there's no problem and told us to go home and let her rest. But it's obvious something is wrong!"
As he spoke, tears began to fall from the old man's eyes. The little girl was the apple of his eye, and his heart ached as if it were being sliced by a knife. He gently patted the girl's back, comforting her.
"My dear, don't be afraid, Grandpa is here. Turn around and let the Master have a look. Tell the Master your name, be a good girl."
The little girl just shook her head, refusing to utter a word as she burrowed further into her grandfather's embrace.
"Sir, does the child have some kind of speech impediment?" Xia Liang asked curiously.
The old man shook his head. "She doesn't have any impediments. For some reason, she just stopped talking recently, and she barely eats. It's almost driven me mad."
Thinking about this made the old man's eyes well up with tears again.
"If anything happens to her, I won't be able to go on living. Even if I go down below, I will still look after her."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for triggering the mission: Rescue.]
[Mission Description: Save the young girl in the flower of her youth.]
[Mission Reward: 160 Work Points, Skill: Time Regression!]
Xia Liang nodded when the mission triggered. Children are their parents' whole world. How could they not be heartbroken to see her like this?
He gently moved his seat forward and reached out, pulling down the collar on the back of the little girl's head.
"Yan Town!"
Seeing the black aura coiled on the back of the little girl's neck, seeping out from her very bones, Xia Liang frowned. Could it be? No way, the chances are too slim.
No matter how he looked at it, Xia Liang was reluctant to believe the girl was afflicted by a Yan Town curse. A Yan Town is not a physical entity but something condensed from Yin energy. Simply put, it can be classified into two types. The first is what you often see in dramas: someone makes an effigy, writes the enemy's full birth date and time on it, pierces it with silver needles, and buries it in a location that astrologically clashes with the victim. After twenty-one days, the enemy will simply stop breathing and die. The second type is what this little girl has. She was likely born with Yin-Yang Eyes, able to see things ordinary people cannot, which makes her especially prone to attracting unclean entities. Once she's afflicted, the entity will seal her throat, rendering her unable to speak.
Xia Liang was now almost certain of the girl's problem. She was definitely the second type.
"Sir, please don't worry. I already know what your granddaughter's problem is."
A spark of hope finally ignited in the old man's eyes.
"Oh, Master, then please, I'm begging you to save her."
Xia Liang nodded and spent 50 Work Points to purchase a talisman from the Shop. If it weren't for the noisy crowd, he would have drawn one himself.
What a waste of 50 Work Points. It looks like I'll need to draw a few extra talismans to keep in reserve when I get back today.
With a flip of his hand, the talisman appeared in his grasp. On its face were the vermilion decrees of The Three Pure Ones: Primordial Venerable, Lingbao Venerable, and Lord Master. This kind of talisman had no offensive capabilities, but its defensive power was incredible.
Xia Liang folded the Thunder Purple Lightning Talisman into a small triangle, strung it with a red cord to make a pendant, and handed it to the old man.
"Sir, put this pendant on her immediately. It will take effect within an hour, so you don't need to worry so much."