Chapter 1

At the age of thirteen, I fell seriously ill. My parents took me to many hospitals, but none of them could cure me. Apart from the fever, they couldn't even determine the cause of my illness.

After hearing about my condition, my grandfather ordered my father to bring me back to our hometown.

Upon returning to our hometown, my grandfather took just one look and knew that I had lost my soul!

My grandfather was a fortune-teller who had been in the business all his life. My father, who didn't believe in my grandfather's methods, moved to the city with my mother and me after we got married.

I could only come back to visit my grandfather during the winter and summer holidays! My grandfather's business was very good, and I remember that there were always many people lining up to have their fortunes told.

That night, my grandfather took a piece of meat, incense, and candles, and had my father take me with him to a crossroads in our village. My grandfather said he would perform a soul-calling ritual there!

In our local belief, when a person loses their soul, it goes to a crossroads to wait for the owner's call. All crossroads are connected, so no matter which one the ritual is performed at, the lost soul can hear it.

When we arrived at the crossroads, it was already past eleven o'clock at night! My grandfather lit the candles and burned four incense sticks, placing them at the crossroads. Then he began the soul-calling ritual for me.

I don't remember the details of the ritual, but I do remember that my grandfather tied ink lines around my neck, feet, and hands.

That night was strange; the sky had been clear and the stars bright, but as the ritual was about to end, there was a sudden thunderstorm, and it started pouring heavily.

The day after the ritual, my illness was cured, but I lost all my memories from before the age of thirteen. I couldn't even remember my parents or my grandfather. If they hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known they were my closest family.

After I recovered, my grandfather wanted to keep me with him. My parents refused, and a big argument ensued. I remember that in the end, my grandfather said that the soul he had called back that night wasn't mine, but someone else's.

He said that if I wanted to continue living, I had to listen to him.

Only after he said this did my parents stop arguing!

From that day on, my parents left me with my grandfather. My grandfather enrolled me in a middle school in town, and I transferred from the city to the town's middle school.

My parents said that my grades used to be very poor, with my total score in Chinese and math not even reaching one hundred points! But after the transfer, my grades improved dramatically, and my total score in both subjects reached 180 points.

My parents were amazed by my grades but also felt relieved.

After living with my grandfather for half a year, he started giving me books on the Four Pillars of Destiny. Strangely, when I read these books, it felt like I had seen them before, and I understood their meanings immediately.

After finishing the Four Pillars of Destiny, my grandfather had me read the Five Secrets of Geography, a book on feng shui. It seemed I had a natural talent in this area, and I remembered everything I read.

In three years, I learned the Four Pillars of Destiny, feng shui, physiognomy, and traditional Chinese medicine. However, my grandfather never let me use these skills on others. I didn't know why, but I trusted my grandfather because he would never harm me.

Three years later, my grandfather took out an abacus and started teaching me how to read fortunes! From that moment on, he no longer gave fortunes to anyone, regardless of how much money they offered or their status.

It took me two years to learn my grandfather's fortune-telling skills.

Before I knew it, I was eighteen.

On my eighteenth birthday, my parents came! We had a very happy family dinner. My parents praised my college entrance exam scores and asked which school I wanted to apply to.

My parents were happy, but I noticed that my grandfather looked very upset and didn't say more than five words throughout the meal.

After dinner, while we were chatting, my grandfather suddenly said something serious: he said I couldn't continue my studies!

Hearing this, I was confused and didn't understand why. My parents were also shocked and asked my grandfather why.

My grandfather didn't explain why, but he said very seriously, "I said you can't, so you can't! Not only can you not continue your studies, but you can't stay here anymore!"

After saying this, my grandfather walked up to me and said solemnly, "Li Yao, you might resent me, but I can only do so much for you. From now on, I can't accompany you anymore! I left a letter under your pillow; open it three days from now!"

"Remember the contents of the letter."

At this point, my grandfather suddenly hugged me. I had lived with my grandfather for five years, and he had always been cold and distant, but now he hugged me, expressing his love in this way.

When he let go, I saw that his eyes were red!

I didn't know what was happening, but it seemed like a farewell.

"Grandfather, where are you going?"

My grandfather looked into the distance and murmured, "Far away. Remember, don't come looking for me!"

After saying this, my grandfather resolutely walked out. I didn't know where he was going, but I knew he would never come back.

My parents were bewildered by my grandfather's departure because they hadn't gotten an answer to why I couldn't go to college.

The next day, the third day, my grandfather indeed didn't return. My parents organized many people to search, but they couldn't find him within a ten-mile radius. From that day on, my grandfather never appeared again.

Three days later, I opened the letter my grandfather had left.

The letter contained my grandfather's words to me: "Li Yao, I'm gone, and this might be a permanent farewell! Child, it's I who have wronged you. If it weren't for the soul-calling ritual five years ago, we might not have met, and we wouldn't have been grandfather and grandson for five years.

You always asked me about your past, and I didn't tell you, not because I didn't want to, but because I didn't know.

Perhaps it was fate that brought you into my grandson Li Yao's body. These years, I have treated you as my own grandson and tried my best to understand your destiny, but my abilities are limited, and I couldn't figure it out.

I can only teach you all my skills and hope that one day, you will understand your own destiny and the meaning of your life. You have a unique talent, and I believe you can figure it all out!

Child, I have three things to tell you!

First, leave the village and go south, keep going! Stop only when you meet a woman in black who speaks to you.

Second, the skills I taught you can help you make a living, but you can only use them after meeting a woman surnamed Huang.

Third, remember, never read fortunes for anyone surnamed Ma!

After reading the letter, I felt a mix of emotions! Tears involuntarily streamed down my cheeks. I knew that my grandfather had died for me, for the soul-calling ritual five years ago. It was all my fault!

The next day, after packing my things, I set out!