After Mao Can left, Jiang Mingyu came out of the kitchen.
“Did he say anything?” she asked.
“No. Just said those people were caught, and he came over to freeload a meal,” Huo Mingfeng replied calmly.
“Oh.” Jiang Mingyu smiled. Then she asked, “Why didn’t you let him into the kitchen just now?”
Huo Mingfeng said, “If he sees what’s in there, he’ll start making wild guesses.”
“I see. But there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
The two of them tidied the table while talking. Just as they sat down again, a sudden cry of pain came from outside.
“Ow! Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I’m not a thief! I told you—I’m here to find someone!”
Then Mao Can’s voice followed sharply.
“Hmph, finding someone? Who squats at someone’s doorstep in the middle of the night looking for someone? Say it—who are you really?!”
“Not good. Something’s happened.”
Huo Mingfeng glanced outside. He and Jiang Mingyu walked into the courtyard together. Using a flashlight, they shone it toward the gate.
“Mao Can, who is it?” Huo Mingfeng asked.
Mao Can chuckled and tossed something onto the ground at their feet.
“Brother Feng, sister-in-law, perfect timing. I just caught a thief at your door!”
He had originally been about to leave, but had unexpectedly spotted this man crouching suspiciously at the gate, peeking inside.
So he had given him a beating.
The young man on the ground looked miserable, clutching a bruised eye as he stood up.
“I’m not a thief! Huo Mingfeng, don’t you recognize me? I’m the fortune-teller, Master Yi!”
Master Yi?
Jiang Mingyu’s eyes shifted slightly when she saw his face.
In her mind, she recalled the old man from her past life who had given her the silver ring.
This young man actually bore some resemblance to that old man.
But unlike the elder, this youth was restless and impetuous, lacking that deep, composed aura.
She glanced at Huo Mingfeng.
He also looked slightly surprised—clearly he knew the man.
Jiang Mingyu said, “Brother Mao Can, thank you. You should head back first. Your Brother Feng and I will talk to him.”
Mao Can wasn’t worried about anything happening here with Huo Mingfeng around, so he waved his hand.
“Alright, I’ll head back after buying a pack of cigarettes.”
After he left, the courtyard fell quiet.
Only the young man and the couple remained facing each other.
Luckily, the children had already gone into the room to play and hadn’t noticed anything.
Huo Mingfeng spoke first. “Come inside.”
“Ah—okay!” the young man hurriedly said.
As long as he wasn’t mistaken for a thief, anything was fine.
Jiang Mingyu poured him a cup of hot water. “I’ll go cut some fruit.”
She then went into the kitchen, giving them space to talk.
Inside the room, a small USB night light replaced the usual kerosene lamp, casting a much brighter glow.
It revealed the young man’s nervous expression clearly.
He kept glancing toward the kitchen while sipping his tea, then said to Huo Mingfeng:
“The ring has been delivered. But the things I predicted were all correct, weren’t they? You got married, right? Does your wife have some unusual abilities—like being able to produce things out of thin air?”
To be honest, Huo Mingfeng had once suspected Jiang Mingyu might be some kind of spirit or fox.
Only such beings would possess the ability to conjure things out of nowhere.
But those items she produced were clearly modern, carrying the essence of another era.
So he believed she was human.
Just… a very unusual human.
He looked at Master Yi.
“You said I wouldn’t survive this year unless I got married, so you used that as a reason to take my ancestral silver ring.”
“Hey, don’t make it sound so bad,” Master Yi protested quickly. “I only took it after my predictions came true, didn’t I?”
He carefully took out the silver ring from his chest.
“I told you already—your ancestor really was Huo Qubing. This ring was passed down from him. He died young, at twenty-four. This silver ring is both your protective charm and your death curse. Giving it to me actually saved you!”
Huo Mingfeng smiled faintly. “By your logic, the one who saved me should be my wife.”
“Ahem… well, you’re not wrong,” Master Yi said, glancing toward the kitchen nervously.
Making sure no one was listening, he lowered his voice.
“Let me tell you something else. Your wife has a fate of immense fortune, but her aura of wealth is too strong. Yours is filled with killing energy. When you two are together, her fortune neutralizes your killing aura, and your aura suppresses her excess fortune.”
“If you treat her well, you’ll both live peacefully and happily your entire lives.”
“If luck is good, you might even have your own children.”
Pfft—
He suddenly choked, as if realizing he had said too much, and spat out the tea he had just swallowed.
He quickly stopped himself and changed the subject.
“Hehe… helping you is helping myself. I accumulate merit so I can cultivate and eventually ascend, following my master.”
Seeing that he refused to continue, Huo Mingfeng said, “Finish your tea and leave.”
“No! I’m staying here!”
The young man placed his cup down seriously, eyes bright.
“To be honest, coming here today was only part of my reason. The second reason is I need to find that girl and give her this silver ring.”
He stood up and tried to walk toward the kitchen—
Huo Mingfeng raised an eyebrow and grabbed him back.
“So your intention is to stay here?”
“Yeah. Otherwise why would I travel all the way from the county town?”
Master Yi blinked innocently.
“But don’t worry, I won’t freeload. In exchange for letting me stay, I’ll help you avoid misfortune and bring good luck. On the first and fifteenth of every month, I’ll even go—”
Whoosh—thud!
Huo Mingfeng kicked him straight out the door.
Jiang Mingyu just happened to come out carrying a fruit plate.
Seeing the empty room, she asked, “Where is he?”
“He left,” Huo Mingfeng said, closing the door, completely ignoring the shouting outside.
“Hey! Let’s talk properly! Open the door! Huo Mingfeng! Don’t force me to swear!”
“You’re so ungrateful! This is pure betrayal!”
“Please~ just let me in!”
“Fine! I’ll work for my meals, okay?!”
Outside, Master Yi rubbed his backside while knocking on the door, sounding utterly wronged.
Hearing the last sentence, Jiang Mingyu’s gaze shifted slightly. She looked at Huo Mingfeng.
“Is he trustworthy?”
From earlier, she had heard him mention fortune-telling and the silver ring. Since they knew each other, they were clearly acquainted.
And since they were acquaintances… that made things easier.
As for trustworthiness…
Huo Mingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing outside.
“We may trust him,” he said slowly. “But others may not.”
Not getting beaten up and chased away would already be considered lucky.
Besides, in this era, superstition was strictly suppressed. How many real masters would dare openly practice fortune-telling?
Hearing this, Jiang Mingyu’s eyes flickered.
She opened the door again and looked at the pitiful figure outside.
“You can stay here,” she said.
“But there’s a condition.”