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Xie Bi'an was quite pleased with Yao Yao's perceptiveness. She had truly taken his words to heart, and he didn't feel the need to give her any further instructions as he escorted her out of the Gates of Hell.
Afterward, he didn't accompany her on the return journey.
Meanwhile, Yao Yao returned to the mortal realm with a contented smile on her face. Reuniting with the old Taoist master had left her feeling fulfilled. Back in her room, she quickly removed her hair accessories, changed into the silk pajamas her mother had prepared for her, and snuggled obediently into her large bed.
She made up her mind then and there: every week, she would visit the old Taoist master to keep him company, ensuring he wouldn't be lonely in the underworld. Besides, now that he was an immortal spirit, could he also partake in the golden ingots she had folded for him? If so, she'd have to bring some snacks along next time.
Yao Yao continued mulling over these thoughts, planning what else she might need to bring on her next visit. Perhaps because her musings were so detailed and mundane, it wasn't long before sleep overtook her, and she drifted off into a deep slumber.
When Yao Yao woke up again, it was due to the loud growling of her stomach. Hunger had roused her from her rest. After freshening up, she headed downstairs to find something to eat. No sooner had she descended than she spotted her mother sitting in the living room.
Yao Yao froze for a moment, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her mother. She scurried over and leaned into her embrace, softly calling out, "Mommy."
Chen Hui's gaze softened as she gently patted her daughter's shoulder and smiled. "Finally awake?"
Knowing that her daughter had gone to visit her master the previous night and likely returned late, Chen Hui had deliberately refrained from sending the nanny to wake her. Instead, she let Yao Yao sleep in until she naturally awoke.
Hearing this, Yao Yao nodded obediently. "Mm-hmm, I'm awake now!"
Just then, her stomach let out another loud rumble, drawing attention in the otherwise quiet living room. Yao Yao flushed bright red with embarrassment.
"Hungry, are we?" Chen Hui chuckled, her eyes crinkling with amusement. Turning to the maid, she instructed, "Xiao Wang, please have the kitchen bring out Miss Yao's breakfast."
Having anticipated her daughter's appetite, Chen Hui had already arranged for the kitchen to keep her breakfast warm. The moment Yao Yao woke up, the food would be ready without delay.
The maid hurried off to relay the message, and soon platters of delicious dishes began arriving, filling nearly half of the eight-sided dining table.
Chen Hui guided her daughter to the table. Seeing the spread before her, Yao Yao couldn't contain her excitement. She glanced hopefully at her mother, who laughed and said, "It's all for you—dig in!"
Without hesitation, Yao Yao picked up her chopsticks and happily grabbed a crystal shrimp dumpling. The fresh, sweet flavor made her squint her eyes in bliss. From there, she enthusiastically devoured bite after bite.
Watching her daughter eat with such gusto, Chen Hui occasionally reached over with her own chopsticks to help serve dishes that were out of Yao Yao's reach. Despite eating quickly, it still took half an hour before Yao Yao finally patted her full belly and stopped. She was satisfied.
The reason she felt full so quickly was due to the lingering effects of her accumulated merit, which significantly reduced her appetite during this period. Even so, the amount she consumed in one sitting was equivalent to five or six adult meals.
For a three-and-a-half-year-old child, such an appetite was extraordinary—and prohibitively expensive for most families to sustain.
After finishing her meal, Yao Yao hopped down from the table, intending to practice a set of qigong exercises to aid digestion. However, before she could step outside, she noticed her seventh brother rushing back home. As soon as he spotted her, he quickened his pace.
Yao Yao immediately realized he needed her for something and stood still, waiting.
Sure enough, Gu Yu approached her with an urgent tone. "Yao Yao, Seventh Brother has a favor to ask. Will you come with me to handle something?"
"I'll explain the details on the way."
Seeing the urgency in her brother's expression, Yao Yao didn't hesitate and simply nodded.
With that, the two siblings left the house. Gu Yu's car was parked outside. Once they were inside, he began explaining the situation.
It turned out that a friend of his—a person he considered relatively close within his social circle—had been experiencing a string of strange occurrences over the past two months. At first, the friend thought it was just bad luck. But after watching Gu Yu's live streams about fortune-telling, she realized that her troubles might not be explainable by science alone. Unfortunately, her attempts to secure a spot in his livestreams failed repeatedly, leaving her no choice but to seek help directly.
Gu Yu listened to her description and concluded that something unusual was definitely going on. Moreover, since this friend had once helped him when he was starting out in his career, he couldn't refuse her request. Left with no other option, he came to ask for his little sister's assistance.
"Seventh Brother, do you have her photo?" Yao Yao asked, knowing that assessing someone's fate through their image wouldn't be too troublesome.
"Yes, yes," Gu Yu replied, visibly relieved that his sister agreed to help. If not for the fact that this friend had assisted him in the past, he wouldn't have dared impose on Yao Yao. Though she was exceptionally talented, he hated burdening her with repaying favors on his behalf.
"Oh well, just this once," he thought to himself. "I'll swallow my pride and play the fool."
With that resolved in his mind, he pulled up the chat records on his phone. Knowing his sister's process, he had already requested a photo beforehand. Since the friend was a public figure, she had repeatedly emphasized not to share the photo publicly, lest her image be ruined. This insistence had left Gu Yu slightly exasperated, making him feel as if he were overly eager to obtain it.
As Yao Yao looked at the photo displayed on the phone, her gaze focused intently. The woman in the picture had delicate features, but dark circles under her eyes and sagging bags gave her an overall exhausted appearance.
Upon examining her astrological chart, Yao Yao noted that there was no sign of malevolent spirits affecting her Life Palace, ruling out possession by negative entities. Her attention then shifted to the Career Palace—but here, Yao Yao paused abruptly.
Something was amiss. The woman's Career Line showed the presence of Zǐwēi (a symbol of imperial authority), indicating she should achieve remarkable success in her career. Yet, her Life Palace revealed a stark contrast: her destiny suggested only modest wealth and no great blessings.
Normally, the two palaces should complement each other—if the Life Palace is weak, the Career Palace suffers, and vice versa. A discrepancy like this pointed to only one possibility: someone had tampered with her fate. Such interference explained why the two palaces didn't align.
Furthermore, the fact that Gu Yu's friend dared to seek help openly proved her integrity. Only someone with a clear conscience would approach them so boldly.
There was another telltale sign of whether someone was a victim of fate alteration: extreme misfortune. When something rightfully belonging to a person is stolen—such as their good fortune—their life takes a sharp downturn. The more significant the loss, the heavier the streak of bad luck becomes.