Chapter 21

A gaunt, blind old man, leaning on a cane, appeared at the gate, supported by a bandit. Colonel Ma and his men looked puzzled. What was Tiger Sai inviting this fortune-teller for?

The fat man on the beam also changed his expression slightly. This old man was the blind half-sage who had felt his face and the back of his head earlier.

The half-sage, supported by the bandits, came into the hall. Tiger Sai treated the blind half-sage with great respect, bowing to him. It was unclear whether the half-sage could see, but he then turned and loudly said to everyone present, "The brothers who have been with me for some years should remember that five years ago, the half-sage read the bones of the Second Chief, predicting that his physiognomy was of the Water and Wood Clear and Elegant type, a configuration of two divine formations. In the future, he would need to marry someone with a unique bone structure to achieve the great opportunity of becoming an empress."

Tiger Sai paused and continued, "Last night, the Fourth Chief brought a person. This person has a face of wealth and a unique bone structure. I immediately had someone invite the half-sage to read this person's bones."

The bandit leaders in the hall began to murmur, and even the Eighth Route Army soldiers started to whisper. The most rational was Colonel Ma, a ten-year veteran of the proletarian revolution, with firm beliefs. He completely dismissed these feudal superstitions and instead frowned, thinking, "Do these bandits want to set up a new emperor?"

Wang Yi listened with great interest, out of curiosity rather than belief in physiognomy. She, like the other three doctors, had received a scientific education from a young age. She was a Western-trained doctor, so while she was curious, she did not believe in it.

The Second Chief, Sai Diaochan, sitting at the head of the table, frowned slightly. The physiognomy the half-sage had predicted for her after feeling her bones years ago was indeed what the Chief had just said. However, she had no prior knowledge of this arrangement today. Now, Tiger Sai suddenly mentioned this and invited the half-sage. Could it be that the person they had been waiting for had finally appeared?

"Tiger Sai, you must have guessed the reason for inviting you, old sage. Please tell the brothers," Tiger Sai bowed again to the half-sage and said.

"Cough, cough..." The half-sage deliberately coughed twice to draw everyone's attention to himself before saying, "I have been reading bones for decades and have never been wrong. Back then, Jiang Zhongzheng was just a street thug in Shanghai. I personally read his bones and predicted that within ten years, he would become a distinguished person."

"The half-sage is truly a divine being!" The bandits in the hall nodded in agreement. If the half-sage could predict Jiang Zhongzheng's fate, his skills in reading bones and physiognomy were indeed high.

The bandit leaders all knew about the incident five years ago. They understood the situation. The Second Chief was the Chief's favorite, and many matters in the bandit camp were led by the Second Chief. In the bandit camp, the Second Chief was essentially the Chief.

When the half-sage said the Second Chief had the physiognomy of an empress, it was the highest status a woman could have in this era. Moreover, the Chief took this matter seriously. How could they dare to say "no"? If they displeased the Chief, they would have a hard time.

The half-sage's reading of Jiang Zhongzheng's bones was not their concern. They only cared that the Chief did not get angry.

"The Chief invited me to read the bones of a person today. This person has a square forehead, a full Tian Ting (forehead), a face of wealth, and a unique bone structure at the back of the head, which is a rare occurrence every five hundred years, indicating the physiognomy of an emperor."

As the half-sage spoke, the hall erupted in chatter. Colonel Ma was speechless; this old blind man was more convincing than he was.

The fat man on the beam almost fell off. Damn, he had already guessed the general idea. It seemed he had the physiognomy of an emperor... but something didn't seem right!

According to Tiger Sai and the half-sage, his unique bone structure indicated the physiognomy of an emperor, which should match the Second Chief's physiognomy of an empress...

The fat man secretly observed Sai Diaochan. She had a beautiful face, the kind that could bring a nation to ruin, but her wheat-colored skin and neat male attire hid her beauty. One had to look closely to see her wild charm.

Sai Diaochan, leaning on the armrest with her elbow, supported her chin with her hand, and leaned lazily in her chair, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the half-sage, lost in thought.

"Throughout history, anyone with a unique bone structure at the back of the head has achieved great success. Xiang Yu, Liu Bei, and Li Zicheng all had such physiognomies. Therefore, this person with such a unique bone structure is the perfect match for the Second Chief!" The half-sage concluded, straightening his hunched back to appear righteous.

The hall began to murmur again. Yesterday, the Second Chief and the Fourth Chief captured a dozen Eighth Route Army soldiers, including a particularly fat man in a puppet army uniform. The Fourth Chief had taken this fat man to see the Chief, while the other Eighth Route Army soldiers were eating and drinking in the hall. Could the "emperor physiognomy" person the Chief and the half-sage were talking about be this fat man?

Although the fat man had guessed the result, he still found it hard to accept. It was too much to take in. He looked at Sai Diaochan and then at Wang Yi, comparing them. He still thought Wang Yi, the gentle woman, was more suitable for him. Sai Diaochan, with her martial skills and experience in battle, was someone he felt he couldn't handle. If she shot him, where would he go to complain?

"Bring the son-in-law in!" Tiger Sai laughed and shouted to the bandits outside. He then walked down to Colonel Ma, bowed, and said with a smile, "Colonel Ma, you should have guessed what I want to discuss with you."

"I'm sorry, I can't guess," Colonel Ma replied with a forced smile. He knew exactly what Tiger Sai wanted. After all the twists and turns, mentioning the story from five years ago and inviting the half-sage, it was clear that Tiger Sai wanted to keep Liu Meng.

The person he, Old Ma, had chosen, no one else could touch!

"Ha, let me tell you, Colonel Ma. The fat Japanese translator in your group is now my son-in-law, Tiger Sai. I will keep him. To compensate for your loss, I will give you twenty rifles and ten thousand silver dollars. From now on, we are friends. In Qingzhou, anyone who dares to harm the Eighth Route Army is my enemy. What do you think?"

Tiger Sai laughed. He believed that guns and money were the keys to survival. The bandit camp did not have enough guns for everyone, but he could offer twenty rifles and ten thousand silver dollars. In Qingzhou, apart from the Japanese and puppet army, the largest armed force was Tiger Mouth Bandit Camp. With his promise, it was like forming an alliance with the Eighth Route Army. This generous gift should earn him some goodwill from the Eighth Route Army.

"No!" Colonel Ma answered firmly. He knew the consequences of refusing Tiger Sai. His life was not worth much, but these dozen soldiers were the elite of the Third Regiment. They could fight to the death to protect the four doctors and get them out of the bandit camp. Although it was risky, he thought it was worth it for the fat man.

The bandit leaders, who had never seen anyone dare to oppose the Chief, all stood up, hands on their guns. They were ready to attack the Eighth Route Army at the Chief's command.

"You damn..." Tiger Sai glared, about to speak, when he heard a hurried report: "Chief, Chief, it's bad, it's bad, the fat man, the fat man has escaped!"