“I want you to divine for my youngest daughter. Half a year ago, she went out with a friend and eloped with someone. There’s been no news of her since. Her mother has been dreaming of her every day lately, saying she’s dead. I just want to know where she is now.” Second Master Chen, the steamed bun seller, sighed, his face showing a resigned expression.
Second Master Chen was over fifty years old. He and his wife ran a steamed bun shop and had one son and two daughters. The youngest daughter who eloped was named Chen Xiaowan, only sixteen this year. Because she was born to them in their later years, both he and his wife doted on this little girl, granting her every wish.
Half a year ago, Chen Xiaowan went out to play with the youngest daughter from the neighboring family and never returned. The neighbor’s girl said she had run off with a man. Though he didn’t want to believe it, after several days passed with no sign of Chen Xiaowan’s return, and after searching Xiaoqiu Mountain where they had gone, he finally accepted it. In his heart, he decided to disown this daughter.
But these past few days, his wife kept dreaming that their daughter was dead, unsettling him deeply. Yesterday, he saw Old Mrs. Chen’s divination and witnessed how accurate it was. So today, he came to have his fortune told—just ten copper coins for some peace of mind.
Someone in the crowd recognized him. The incident at his home had caused quite a stir back then. When the girl who went out with Chen Xiaowan returned and told the story, everyone on the street knew about it. A woman chuckled teasingly, “Second Master Chen, didn’t you say you disowned your daughter? Still looking for her now? If you ask me, a girl with no conscience who elopes just like that—why do you still care about her?”
Second Master Chen let out a deep sigh but didn’t reply. After all, she was still flesh of his flesh.
He fixed his intense gaze on Jing Wu, hoping she could give him an answer.
“Give me her birth date and time characters,” Jing Wu said. Though she could see from his children’s palace that his youngest daughter was likely in grave danger, she needed to combine it with the eight characters to see more.
Second Master Chen immediately provided them.
Upon receiving the birth date and time characters, Jing Wu calculated and confirmed her earlier thoughts. She then looked up at him and said, “Your wife’s dreams are true. Your daughter is indeed dead. She died on the day she went out half a year ago. Her Corpse lies at the foot of Xiaoqiu Mountain.”
“How could that be?!” Upon hearing this, Second Master Chen sprang to his feet, his fists clenched and trembling uncontrollably. “Master, who… who killed her? Was it that lover? Tell me, where is that lover? I’ll go settle the score with him! My Xiaowan followed him away—why would he kill her?!”
Jing Wu looked up at the tears welling in the man’s eyes and spoke truthfully, “There was no lover. Your daughter was killed by bandits during the outing. She could have escaped unharmed—after handing over her valuables, the bandits intended to let both girls go. However, the girl accompanying her was so terrified that she pushed your daughter and ran away herself. Enraged and fearing she might call for help, the bandits decided to finish the job. They killed your daughter and threw her off the Mountain Cliff. Chen Xiaowan’s companion was too frightened and kept the matter hidden, only saying Chen Xiaowan had run off with someone.”
“What did you say?!” Mother Chen stumbled into the crowd, staring at the young girl before her. “What did you just say? Our Xiaowan… is really dead?”
Jing Wu glanced at her, confirmed her identity, and nodded. “Yes. The Corpse is at the foot of Xiaoqiu Mountain, under that phoenix tree.”
Upon hearing these words, Mother Chen felt a surge of blood rushing to her head, her vision went dark, and she completely fainted.
Second Master Chen trembled uncontrollably, furious at his daughter’s companion for spreading rumors and fabricating stories, and angry at himself for so easily believing others’ words and concluding that his daughter had eloped. But now, seeing his wife faint, he immediately stepped forward to support her.
Not forgetting to give Jing Wu ten coins as the divination fee, he then helped his wife back to the bun shop to rest.
Once he saw that his wife was not seriously harmed, he immediately gathered some relatives and headed to Little Autumn Mountain to search for his daughter’s remains.
When he truly saw a skeleton under the phoenix tree, Second Master Chen stumbled, and upon spotting a pouch embroidered with his daughter’s name on the skeleton, he couldn’t hold back his tears.
The relatives quickly supported him and helped collect the remains. After the group brought Chen Xiaowan’s bones home, they went to the home of the girl who had gone on the outing with their daughter.
Second Master Chen knocked on the You family’s door with anger. When Mother You came to answer, he said, “Where is your daughter? Call her out. I want to ask her why, after causing my Xiaowan’s death, she still hid the truth and spread rumors that my daughter eloped!”
Mother You was stunned by this barrage of words but quickly regained her composure: “What nonsense are you talking about? How is your Xiaowan’s elopement my daughter’s fault?”
Hearing this, Second Master Chen immediately jumped up: “Call your daughter out! Does she dare to say in front of Xiaowan’s remains that Xiaowan eloped with someone else?”
Upon hearing this, Mother You realized that the Chen family had discovered her daughter’s lie.
She herself hadn’t known the truth, but over the past six months, her daughter had been having nightmares, repeatedly calling out Xiaowan’s name. After careful questioning, her daughter finally told the truth.
Mother You’s eyes shifted, knowing she couldn’t deny it, so she loudly declared, “Your Xiaowan was foolish and couldn’t escape—how can you blame my daughter for that?”
Hearing this self-righteous statement, the Chen family members swarmed around her, pointing at her nose and demanding she repeat herself.
Seeing so many people, Mother You immediately grew fearful. Her eyes darted around, knowing she was in the wrong and had no chance of winning, so she could only settle the matter by offering five taels of silver.
Second Master Chen knew there was no evidence for this matter, and even if he took it to the authorities, they wouldn’t do much, as Xiaowan wasn’t killed by her—she had merely run away.
The relatives who had come along also advised him to accept the silver and give Xiaowan a dignified funeral.
Second Master Chen held the heavy five taels of silver, feeling deeply unsettled.
He went to the spot where Jing Wu had set up her stall and saw her about to pack up and leave. He immediately approached her and took out three taels of silver.
“Master, this is a token of gratitude.”
Jing Wu accepted the silver, blinked, and seeing the despondent look on his face, knew what he was thinking.
She patted his shoulder and said softly, “Karmic Ties will bring retribution. Just wait and see.”
Hearing this, Second Master Chen’s eyes immediately lit up. He wanted to ask more, but the master had already walked away.
Jing Wu placed the three taels and ten coins she had earned that day into a blue pouch and saw Shao Che approach to ask.
“A Wu, what did you mean by what you just said?”
Jing Wu walked toward Ciyouyuan as she replied, “The You family shows no remorse and wants to settle the matter quietly, but that depends on whether Chen Xiaowan, the one involved, is willing.”
Chen Xiaowan held onto her obsession, and her soul had not gone to the underworld. Instead, it remained in the You household, entering their dreams day after day, questioning their daughter about why she had done what she did.
The authorities could not convict the woman of the You family, but she trembled with fear every night in her sleep and would not last much longer. At most a year, she would be utterly drained and perish.
Shao Che only half-understood and wanted to ask more when he saw his niece walk into the Ciyouyuan and give half of the day’s earnings to the matron there.
Afterward, she came out and headed toward another street, where she bought tables and chairs for future fortune telling, along with rice, flour, and a pound of pork.
Jing Wu instructed the shopkeeper to deliver the tables and chairs to the Chen Family Bun Shop in five days, then followed her uncle home.
Her calculations were precise. Five days later, the Chen family would have already held Chen Xiaowan’s funeral. And during those five days, she would not set up her stall on South Street again. When it was time to return, she could simply retrieve the tables and chairs from the bun shop, which was far more convenient than moving them home and back again.