Chapter 1

In Haicheng City, next to the train station, there is a small alley.

This alley has a lot of foot traffic, with travelers coming and going from all directions. Many small vendors operate here, selling mineral water, fruits, and vegetables, as well as fortune-tellers and vendors of adult products. The latter cater to the couples entering the row of small hotels in the alley.

The main road next to the train station does not allow street vendors, so this small alley has become a haven for them.

Tang Zhendong was sitting idly at his fruit stand, watching the people passing by. He neither shouted to attract customers nor tried to persuade them; if they wanted to buy, they would buy; if not, it was fine.

However, because Tang Zhendong had a fair complexion and a neat appearance, even though he didn't shout, people often bypassed the vendors who actively solicited customers and came from far away to buy from his tricycle fruit stand. They said this young man was clean.

Tang Zhendong's stall location was not good. According to Master Ye, the fortune-teller next to him, it was a poor spot. Indeed, those with good locations had paid for fixed stalls with the city management. Here, Tang Zhendong only had to pay two yuan when the city management came, and nothing if they didn't. However, the vendors here were generally fixed, occupying the spots closest to the train station, so their business was good. You had to go deep into the alley to find Tang Zhendong, but few people came to set up stalls here. Why?

There's a saying: "Eat until you're fat, walk until you're thin." Who wouldn't buy something nearby and then go to the train station hall to wait for their train? There are chairs, air conditioning, and you can sit and eat.

So, although Tang Zhendong's business wasn't great, he wasn't starving. Some people always preferred to go the extra mile, so Tang Zhendong could earn about 40 to 50 yuan a day. After deducting the days he couldn't set up his stall due to wind and rain, he could save about a thousand yuan a month. After paying 150 yuan for a small room in the urban-rural fringe and covering his food and drink, he could still save about 300 to 400 yuan a month.

Not enough to get fat, but enough to avoid starvation.

Next to Tang Zhendong was a fortune-teller surnamed Ye, who called himself Master Ye. According to him, he was the 51st-generation descendant of the Ma Yi School of physiognomy, skilled in face reading, eight-character divination, and feng shui, and could make accurate predictions for a thousand yuan per reading.

However, Tang Zhendong knew best whether Master Ye was truly skilled in divination. This self-proclaimed Master Ye was actually a complete fraud.

Tang Zhendong's stall was right next to Master Ye. During breaks from selling fruit, they often chatted. As Master Ye put it, "We're all in business, so we should help each other." However, Tang Zhendong didn't do much to help Master Ye, but sometimes a few words from him could hit the mark.

On the contrary, when customers came to Tang Zhendong, Master Ye always had something to say.

Smooth and shiny fruits were called "good-looking," while bumpy and cracked ones were called "sweet to the core," and those with wormholes were called "green and pollution-free." In short, no matter what kind of fruit, once it was in Master Ye's mouth, it became unique and excellent. This is why, although Tang Zhendong never shouted to attract customers, his business could still sustain him.

However, Master Ye was different. He embodied the saying: "Three years without business, one year to make a fortune." Master Ye's ability to persuade was truly remarkable. Although he often had no business, once a customer came, he could make them pay, sometimes even to the point of bankruptcy.

Tang Zhendong didn't help Master Ye's business at all, not because he didn't know how to reciprocate, but because he simply couldn't persuade people. Tang Zhendong's strength was his honest appearance. When he sat there, anyone who saw this young, clean man would feel that he was trustworthy and that his products were good.

When Tang Zhendong had no business, he liked to chat with Master Ye. In fact, Tang Zhendong was subtly learning Master Ye's persuasive skills. He didn't know how much business the small white cloth with "eight-character divination" and "hand reading" generated, but after getting to know Master Ye, he boasted that his monthly revenue was at least 5,000 yuan, and in good months, it could reach 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.

A revenue of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, with pure profit of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. Anyone who has run a business knows what this means.

Master Ye often joked with Tang Zhendong: "You're a young man, just running a fruit stand, what future do you have?" Tang Zhendong always smiled and countered, "If I don't sell fruit, should I go with you to tell fortunes?"

Master Ye grinned, "Hehe, you can consider going with me to tell fortunes. With your honest appearance, I guarantee you'll earn at least as much as me, but you have to be my apprentice for three years first."

Tang Zhendong was inwardly amused but said nothing.

Tang Zhendong, on the surface, gave the impression of being honest and trustworthy, but in reality, he was not as simple as he appeared. Compared to the purely fraudulent Master Ye, Tang Zhendong had genuine skills. He was a direct descendant of the Gui Gu School.

Speaking of Gui Gu, one cannot mention the founder, Gui Guzi, and his famous disciples, Zhang Yi, Su Qin, Sun Bin, Pang Juan, Mao Sui, and Xu Fu. Su Qin and Zhang Yi were famous strategists of the Warring States period, while Sun Bin and Pang Juan were outstanding military strategists. The idiom "Mao Sui recommending himself" tells the story of Mao Sui. Xu Fu was even more remarkable, able to bring the dead back to life and then make them die again, making people experience life and death.

Tang Zhendong was a descendant of Xu Fu's lineage. However, due to the changing times, Xu Fu's lineage had gradually declined. But how could a descendant of the Gui Gu School be ordinary? If Xu Fu were just an ordinary sorcerer, how could he have deceived the great Qin Shi Huang? Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, was a man of great talent and strategy. Whether as a hostage in the State of Zhao or as the ruler of the State of Qin, he unified the six states and brought peace to the land. The challenges he faced were greater than those of any other ruler, yet his achievements were unparalleled.

Such an invincible leader, a renowned monarch, and a powerful ruler, was no ordinary man. How could Xu Fu, who repeatedly deceived Qin Shi Huang, be just a simple charlatan? Xu Fu was the most talented disciple of Gui Guzi in his later years, and Gui Guzi passed on all his knowledge to Xu Fu.

Tang Zhendong often watched Master Ye tell fortunes. Master Ye's methods were essentially two: reading people's expressions and speaking ambiguously.

Reading people's expressions was Master Ye's specialty. He would engage in seemingly irrelevant conversations while observing people's reactions. For example, a middle-aged woman hurried past, and Master Ye called out, "Sister, even if you're in a hurry, you should walk slowly and watch your step!" The woman, who was walking quickly, paused and turned to look at Master Ye's fortune-telling stand, "Do you know I'm in a hurry?"

At that moment, Tang Zhendong also glanced over. "You're not just in a hurry; your worry is written all over your face. Anyone could see it."

However, Master Ye didn't respond directly but sighed, "Sigh!" This sigh made Tang Zhendong's heart tighten. Did Master Ye also see that the woman's husband was near death? As a direct descendant of the Gui Gu School, Tang Zhendong's knowledge was profound, but he lacked practical experience. Could a fraud like Master Ye really tell from a glance that the woman's husband was near death?

However, Master Ye's next words made Tang Zhendong realize he was just being deceptive again.

"Come, sit down, Sister." Master Ye patted the small stool opposite him, inviting the woman to sit.

The woman was in a hurry, but Master Ye was unhurried, "Sister, your family member is seriously ill, isn't he?"

Master Ye didn't say this at first because he wasn't sure. There are many reasons for being in a hurry: a family member is ill, the loss of a child, financial troubles, or ungrateful children.

However, the severity of the situation varies. The loss of a child in old age is a devastating blow that can crush a person. Financial troubles are not a big deal and wouldn't cause the woman to be so distracted. Ungrateful children would show anger and sadness.

Master Ye was methodically eliminating possibilities and thinking. That's why he spoke so calmly; his mind was working at high speed.

"Do you see it?" the woman asked quickly, clearly very anxious.

Master Ye nodded, "This illness is hard to cure."

Tang Zhendong almost kicked Master Ye. Of course it's hard to cure; if it were easy, the woman wouldn't be so worried.

"Master, please guide me," the woman said, calling Master Ye "Master." A slight smile appeared on Master Ye's face, indicating she was hooked.

Nowadays, people have a thick wall of skepticism towards so-called masters because there are too many frauds. No one wants to be deceived. However, the reality is: there are too many frauds and not enough fools.

Once hooked, the woman, under Master Ye's step-by-step guidance, gradually revealed the condition of her sick family member. Throughout the process, Master Ye never explicitly said who was ill, as he wasn't sure. If he got it wrong, the woman would leave.

However, Master Ye had the skill to make the woman believe him even without being explicit. In the end, the woman spent 3,000 yuan on Master Ye's so-called miracle cure and left happily.

If it were Tang Zhendong, he wouldn't have taken such a case because he clearly saw the woman's marital palace in her face, indicating she would lose her spouse in old age. This was the will of heaven, not something that could be changed by human effort.

"Work with me?" Master Ye, excited, waved the 3,000 yuan he had just received and winked at Tang Zhendong. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

Previous page AD starts

Previous page AD ends