Ye Xi didn't really know how to tell fortunes by reading faces. So, she didn't set up a small stall waiting for customers or wave a banner around to draw attention. Instead, she just strolled around with Sai Xing, looking for her targets.
Ye Xi was lucky. Before long, she noticed a commotion inside the Qunying Tower.
The Qunying Tower was the largest restaurant in the capital. The people who came here on weekdays were either rich or noble, and they rarely got into conflicts.
If there was a dispute, there must be something hard to explain. And if there was something hard to explain, her mind - reading ability would come in handy.
Thinking of this, Ye Xi quickly squeezed into the tower with Sai Xing.
Sure enough, she saw a simple - looking man in a blue robe and a fair - faced young gentleman dressed like a merchant tugging at a package. They were arguing red - faced.
The man looked anxious and aggrieved as he said:
"This is a family heirloom of mine. How could it be yours? Even the fabric of this package is the same as that of my clothes. Everyone can verify this!"
The fair - faced young gentleman looked angry and roared:
"This kind of fabric can be found everywhere on the street. How can it be unique to your family? You've been shouting for so long but can't even tell what's in the wooden box inside the package. It's obvious that you're lying!"
The man stamped his foot in frustration and shouted:
"How could I not know my family heirloom! If it weren't for the treasure exhibition at the Qiwan Hall, I wouldn't have brought it here from so far away. And you, looking so wealthy, why are you coveting the treasure of a declining family like mine?"
"Nonsense!" The young gentleman jumped up in anger. "This is clearly the treasure I brought for the Qiwan Hall exhibition. How can you distort the truth like this!"
As they bickered back and forth, Ye Xi got the general idea. She asked a few questions of the people around her and finally learned the whole story.
It turned out that the owner of the Qunying Tower accidentally found a package. Since it was lost in the main hall of the tower and the owner couldn't be found for a while, the owner put it behind the counter. He planned to return it to the owner as long as the person could describe the contents accurately.
Not long after, the man in the blue robe came. He could describe all the items in the package, except for a wooden box. He just mysteriously said that it was a secret. The owner saw that he could describe all the other items correctly. Thinking that the wooden box might be someone's privacy, he didn't ask any more questions and gave the package to the man.
But unexpectedly, just as the package was handed to the man in the blue robe, the fair - faced young gentleman came. As soon as he saw the man holding the package, he immediately stopped him. He blamed the owner for being careless and giving the package to just anyone. He could also describe all the items in the package and also refused to talk about what was in the wooden box.
Seeing two people claiming to be the owners of the package, the owner was stunned. But the package had already been given away, and he couldn't get it back.
So the two started arguing.
The onlookers were whispering. Most of them sided with the honest - looking man, but no one could tell who the real owner of the package was.
Ye Xi thought for a moment, then stepped forward in a low voice and said:
"Gentlemen, since you can't reach a conclusion, why not let this poor nun do a divination for you? Maybe we can get a result this way."
As soon as she said this, everyone around turned to look at her.
Ye Xi felt a little uncomfortable, but since the words were out, she straightened her chest to look more like a divine being.
The two men in the argument sized Ye Xi up and down. They thought she was just a swindler trying to make some money.
The man waved his hand impatiently and said:
"Get out of here. Go cheat someone else."
The young gentleman also said:
"Where did you come from, nun? This matter can't be solved by your little tricks."
"Right. I've never even heard of you. Moreover," the man continued,
"Just because you say you can do a divination doesn't mean anything. How can we prove it? What if you're his..." The man pointed at the young gentleman, "accomplice? Then I won't be able to get justice."
"I could say the same about you being his accomplice!"
As they were about to start arguing again, Ye Xi raised her voice slightly:
"Sir, you have a point. My Dharma name is Man Ping. As for whether I have the ability, we can find out by trying. Since you two suspect each other, among the people here, only the owner of the tower can be more trusted."
She scanned the crowd casually. Seeing that the two men had calmed down for the moment, Ye Xi continued:
"I've been practicing for many years and have created a technique called Divination by Appearance. By asking questions and looking at the palm of the relevant person, I can learn what I want to know. This technique is only for divining the past, not the future. It's just right for today's matter. Everyone here can witness this. How about it?"
The two men looked at each other. Since they couldn't think of a better way for the moment, they nodded in agreement, thinking that it was worth a try.
The owner of the tower was already anxious because the two men were affecting the business in the restaurant. Now that Ye Xi came out to help and mentioned a divination method he'd never heard of, as a businessman who believed in some things, he was quite excited and readily agreed.
The two men walked to the table and sat down. Ye Xi first bowed and said:
"Today, since it's only to prove my ability, I won't explore the owner's secrets. I'll just check some small things that others don't know."
The owner nodded repeatedly, thinking: This immortal nun is really nice. She even considers others' privacy. If she really has the ability, I'll come to her for any other problems in the future.
Ye Xi didn't know what the owner was thinking. She just made some random hand gestures, gently held the owner's hand, and said seriously in a mysterious tone:
"May the Heavenly Lord bless us. Today, I come to ask. At what age did the owner meet his wife? How did they meet? Show me quickly in your palm."
It was the first time for everyone to see such a way of divination. For a moment, they all craned their necks to look, hoping to find something from the owner's palm.
The owner was a little nervous and subconsciously recalled according to Ye Xi's questions.
[How old was I? It seems I was twenty - three.]
[I had just achieved a little success at that time. Life was hard before, and no one was willing to marry their daughter to me. Later, after struggling all the way, I gradually established myself in the Qunying Tower. Then my second aunt introduced Xiaoyun to me. Now that I think about it, it's been more than twenty years.]
Thinking of the past, the owner couldn't help sighing.
After getting the information she wanted, Ye Xi made a few more random hand gestures, withdrew her hand, and said:
"May the Heavenly Lord bless us. This poor nun already knows."
Everyone looked blank, and even Sai Xing was very skeptical.
Is that it? What does she know? It looks like a scam.
Ye Xi ignored the skeptical looks and whispers of the crowd. Instead, she turned to the owner and said:
"To prevent any changes, please write down what I just asked on paper. After you finish writing, I'll tell everyone what I've seen. We can compare them, and the truth will be clear."
Seeing Ye Xi so confident, the owner was still hesitant. But he still wrote down exactly what he had recalled.
The onlookers were already very curious. After reading what the owner had written, they eagerly looked at Ye Xi.
Ye Xi was wearing a veiled hat and couldn't see the expressions of the people outside clearly, but she could guess them more or less.
Seeing everyone looking at her now, Ye Xi slowly repeated every detail of what she had read from the owner's mind.
It was exactly the same as what the owner had written!