Jiang Yi’s eyes lit up when she saw Lian Hao.
Two types of golden light swirled around this man, already intertwined and indistinguishable from each other.
The deep, rich gold was the light of merit—it would take several lifetimes of being a good person in reincarnation to accumulate so much golden light enveloping one’s body.
The pale gold was the glow of wealth.
It seemed this big brother was a wealthy man!
But aside from that, there was a faint blue-green aura at the man’s forehead—a sign that misfortune was about to befall him.
While Jiang Yi was observing them, Lian Hao and Zheng Xiaofeng were also sizing up Jiang Yi.
Their first impression: she was too beautiful!
The girl was slender and tall, with fair skin and a pair of black eyes sparkling with liveliness.
She wore the most ordinary T-shirt and jeans, even washed to the point of fading white edges, yet it did nothing to diminish her aura in the slightest.
The two men snapped out of their daze after a moment, feeling a faint sense of disappointment.
It was true the girl was beautiful, but they hadn’t come here looking for a pretty girl—they were here to find a capable master.
Sister Chen, experienced in dealing with guests and adept at reading expressions, quickly interjected as soon as both sides had finished their observations.
“This is Master Jiang.”
“And this is…”
Lian Hao had initially felt a bit uncertain upon seeing how young Jiang Yi was.
But when he noticed Sister Chen’s attitude, his worries eased.
Having navigated the business world for years, he could tell whether someone’s respectful attitude was genuine or feigned just by observing their eyes.
This inn owner didn’t dare straighten her back in front of the young girl, keeping her head lowered and her eyes downcast, never daring to meet Jiang Yi’s gaze directly.
It was clear this respect had reached the point of submission.
Lian Hao quickly took over Sister Chen’s introduction, “My surname is Lian, Lian Hao. This is my assistant, Zheng Xiaofeng. Greetings, Master.”
Seeing how straightforward he was, Jiang Yi smiled and said, “I’ll take on your family’s matter and do my best.”
Zheng Xiaofeng tugged at Lian Hao’s sleeve from behind, winking and making faces.
It seemed as if he was saying: Don’t agree, don’t agree! We don’t even know if she’s genuine!
Lian Hao ignored him completely. “To be honest with you, Master, my father is currently on a ventilator, so he’s still in the hospital in Huashi.
I’ll have to trouble you to come with me to Huashi.
If you can truly resolve this matter, I will certainly reward you handsomely!”
This was exactly what Jiang Yi had been waiting for all this time!
Handsome reward? How handsome? Could he give her a jin of red bills?
A whole jin—how many bright red bills would that be? She felt as if money was already floating before her eyes.
Truth be told, Jiang Yi had never attended school in her life.
All her knowledge was learned from Ancestor Grandma in her dreams. Because she had to memorize those obscure and difficult talisman incantations, her grasp of language was actually better than that of an average high school student.
But her math skills were truly poor.
Even simple English like “e” for coming, “go” for going, and “hello” for greetings were things she picked up from the catchphrases of her village friends.
The farthest she had ever walked was into the mountains to look for sheep, and the farthest she had ever traveled by vehicle was to Liaoping County.
The most money she had ever earned was from Sister Chen’s job.
So a jin of money—she couldn’t even imagine how much that would be.
Actually, ten thousand yuan weighs about 125 grams. Five hundred grams is a jin, which is roughly forty thousand yuan.
The Lian family was wealthy and influential, and for Lian Hao, this amount of money was something he might impulsively spend on a pair of underwear.
Although Jiang Yi didn’t specify how much money she wanted, she had already made up her mind. Clearing her throat lightly, she said, “Alright, when shall we leave?”
Zheng Xiaofeng thought to himself, This scammer is in quite a hurry for the money.
Jiang Yi peeked at Zheng Xiaofeng and immediately sensed his distrust. She said slowly, “Assistant Zheng, is it? Your ‘Deceit Gate’ is damaged, with red threads piercing through the pores. You’ve recently encountered a villain.
Don’t blame me for not warning you—watch your step when walking.”
Zheng Xiaofeng’s face stiffened. Who was she trying to scare? Did she think he was easily frightened?
Lian Hao turned and glared at Zheng Xiaofeng, signaling him to watch his attitude.
When he turned back, his expression softened as he asked, “Master, my father’s situation is urgent. If it’s convenient for you, could we leave now?”
Jiang Yi replied, “Wait for me to pack up.”
She returned to her room, carefully wrapped the sleeping Spirit Tablet, placed it in her backpack, and added the talismans she had recently drawn before heading out.
Sister Chen looked reluctant to see her go.
With the master around, she felt at ease.
Now that the master was leaving, her heart felt empty.
Jiang Yi smiled and said, “Sister, no need to see me off. Let me leave you with a piece of advice: do more good deeds, and your blessings will come later!”
Sister Chen quickly agreed, “Alright, alright, I’ll definitely do more good deeds. Master, take care on the road!”
Lian Hao and Jiang Yi waited at the entrance while Zheng Xiaofeng went to get the car.
There was no parking space in front of the small inn, so the car was parked across the street in front of a breakfast shop.
Zheng Xiaofeng hurried over without paying attention to his feet, only to step on a palm-sized round stone.
His foot slipped, and he fell to the ground, his head hitting the steps directly.
Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain. He reached back and felt a large bump on the back of his head.
He got up and continued walking.
Dazed from the head injury, his vision blurred, and he walked straight into a lamppost.
He spun 360 degrees on the spot before falling flat on his face.
Zheng Xiaofeng whimpered. Damn it, she really was a genuine master.
She had warned him to watch his step, but he hadn’t listened. Served him right.
Lian Hao and Jiang Yi saw Zheng Xiaofeng fall twice from a distance and hurried over.
Jiang Yi, accustomed to running in the mountains since childhood, moved swiftly and reached him first.
Lian Hao watched her back and wiped his forehead with his hand.
Thankfully, he had good judgment and hadn’t offended her.
If he had been like Zheng Xiaofeng, he would be the one lying on the ground right now!
This master really had some skills.
In truth, Jiang Yi was wronged.
Zheng Xiaofeng really had encountered a villain—it had nothing to do with her.
She had even kindly reminded him. Could he really blame her?
Zheng Xiaofeng’s forehead was bleeding, and his head felt dizzy and heavy.
Lian Hao drove him to a small clinic to bandage his wound before they set off.
As soon as the car entered the highway, Jiang Yi handed over a Protective Talisman.
“I see a dark aura between your eyebrows. You might be in for some bad luck. Carrying this will provide some insurance.”
Lian Hao’s situation was far more serious than Jiang Yi had let on, but with the car on the highway, she didn’t want to scare him.
Zheng Xiaofeng, with layers of gauze wrapped around his forehead, grinned ingratiatingly, “Master, didn’t you say I encountered a villain? Could I have one too?”
Jiang Yi glanced at him and replied bluntly, “Are you paying for it together with him?”
Zheng Xiaofeng blinked his big, innocent eyes and looked at Lian Hao through the rearview mirror.
His hopeful gaze seemed to say, “Boss, this is a work-related injury. Aren’t you going to cover it?”
Lian Hao carefully tucked the talisman close to his body, completely ignoring Zheng Xiaofeng.
Zheng Xiaofeng was heartbroken.
Scumbag Man!
When you need me, you call my name eight hundred times a day—Xiaofeng, Xiaofeng!
Now that I’m in trouble, you won’t even give me a talisman.
Cheapskate!
Fine, if you won’t give it, I’ll buy it myself.
“Master? I want one too. How much?”
Jiang Yi pondered for a moment before opening her mouth to say, “Two thousand!”
Jiang Yi’s Protective Talisman could ward off three calamities. If wealthy people knew about this, it wouldn’t just be two thousand—it could easily be bid up to twenty thousand, or even two hundred thousand.
But at the moment, Jiang Yi was simply too poor. Poverty had limited her imagination.
When Zheng Xiaofeng heard it was only two thousand, he immediately flaunted his wealth. “Give me three!”
Jiang Yi: …
Damn, she’d undersold it again.
“Master, I’ll transfer the money to you!”
While fiddling with his work phone to reply to messages, Zheng Xiaofeng pulled out his personal phone, ready to pay.
Oh my.
Two smartphones. Jiang Yi was utterly envious.