Chapter Seventeen: Resolving Fate

  Pan Yulian's smile faded, and she returned to her usual faint smile. "Hanwen, you must tell me the story of Zhu Yingtai tonight. I want to know which girl has been on your mind all this time."

  Xu Xian lowered his head and drank tea, responding vaguely.

  "Excuse me, how do you know which day the First Snow Festival is?" The First Snow Festival isn't a fixed date like Chongyang or Qingming, but rather the day of the first snowfall each year. However, weather forecasting is not always accurate, even in ancient times, and that's what they mean by "heavenly intentions are hard to predict".

  Li Si Ming looked at the two of them and said, "I think this matter still has to fall on your shoulders!" However, in his heart, he was sighing. Having a beautiful appearance was originally a good thing, it's easy to get people's favor, and making friends is also easier, but when it reaches Pan Yu's level, where even men can't help but have thoughts, it becomes a kind of restraint instead. Moreover, Pan Yu always gave Li Si Ming a strange "illusion".

  Li Si Ming still remembers that whenever people gathered, Pan Yu was always the center of attention, but even in the midst of laughter and conversation, that feeling of emptiness and loneliness never diminished, instead it grew thicker. It was as if he were a skilled actor on stage, expressing all kinds of emotions to perfection, yet not a single movement, expression, or even glance belonged to him alone.

  It's been a long time since Li Si Ming has seen such an opening like today.

  Xu Xian lazily leaned back in his chair and said, "Are we going to calculate our fortunes? Can we even know when it will snow?"

  Li Si Ming took a sip of tea and said: "You naturally won't calculate the divination, you can go find someone who will!"

  "Huh?"

  "It turns out that there really is weather forecasting in this world!" Xu Xian stood in front of a Taoist temple and sighed deeply. With 20 taels of public funds in his pocket, Xu Xian had come on an unbelievable mission - to find a fortune teller to calculate when it would snow.

  Isn't it absurd to talk about supernatural powers? However, in a world where thousand-year-old snake demons exist, even if "Zi" came, there's nothing that can be done! After all, the Four Books and Five Classics cannot predict the weather.

  The gate of the Taoist temple hung a black plaque with three large characters "Xuanji Guan", which seemed extraordinary. It was said that this was the most famous fortune teller in Hangzhou, and the fee was not low, twenty taels of silver for one calculation, it really made Xu Xian want to devote himself to this industry.

  This ancient Taoist temple is not located in any famous mountains or rivers, but rather in the midst of the bustling city of Hangzhou. The sounds of the city are incessant and can be heard everywhere. At the entrance to the small temple, several people are milling about, including wealthy individuals dressed in fine silks and poor men clad in simple cloth, each with an air of anxious expectation in their eyes as they gaze at the gate, yet not a word is exchanged between them.

  Pan Yugan sighed: "Practicing in such a place is either extremely elegant or extremely vulgar, but I don't know which kind the master of this place is."

  The arrival of Xu Xian and the other person immediately attracted the hostile eyes of these people, Xu Xian was puzzled, Pan Yu explained on the side: "This fortune-telling is limited to three times a day, they are probably afraid that we will compete with them!"

  "What should we do then?"

  Pan Yuxiao smiled but didn't answer, and walked forward. Xu Xian once again witnessed the extraordinary aspect of Pan Yuxiao, which was no less than the severity of magic. After all, even magic can hardly change a person's mind.

  Pan Yuxian asked a stout rich merchant-like man: "May I ask if you are here to seek divination?"

  The rich merchant saw Pan Yu's elegant demeanor and extraordinary conversation, and didn't dare underestimate him either. "Exactly."

  "Counting wealth?"

  The rich merchant thought to himself: "You can't even guess what's going on, it's not like it's anything impressive." He decided to tell them, "I have a business deal that I'm having trouble deciding on, and it affects my fortune for the whole of next year. You two look like scholars, surely Confucius taught you about the importance of timing? His expression was somewhat arrogant, as during the prosperous summer months, commerce had developed greatly, unlike in the Ming and Qing dynasties where agriculture was heavily emphasized over commerce, so merchants held a relatively high social status. He freely showed off his air of superiority in front of the two poor scholars.

  Pan Yu didn't get annoyed, but instead continued to ask: "I also understand a bit about business, it's just that I don't know what kind of business."

  The rich merchant was thinking of showing off a bit, but it didn't involve any business secrets, so he spoke freely. He was a ceramics merchant who planned to set up a new kiln factory, but the investment would be substantial. If he lost money, he would truly go bankrupt.

  "Definitely profitable."

  The rich man glared at him with his beady eyes and said, "Scram! You don't understand, so don't spout nonsense!"

  Pan Yu simply asked: "Do you know Jin Wancheng?"

  "Who doesn't know the name of Jiangzhe's wealthy Jin Wancheng? I've also had a lot of dealings with him in business." The rich merchant said proudly.

  "Do you know he recently bought two big ships?"

  "Of course, I was invited by the first flight myself." The rich businessman's face was full of pride, but he had no bottom line in his heart. In fact, he only received a lowest-level invitation and didn't even talk to Jin Wancheng, just joining in the excitement.

  "Do you know why he bought the boat?"

  "This rich merchant looked embarrassed but didn't want to lose face 'Of course the business ship is for trade!'"

  "That's well said, but his ships are already numerous enough, and for transporting goods, such a large ship can't be used."

  "You mean by sea?" The rich merchant's face showed a thoughtful expression.

  "It was indeed you who met a group of ambassadors from Balana on your way through Hangzhou last year."

  "Remember, remember, one by one, as black as coal balls, if you don't know, you'd think they're the Rakshas from hell."

  "The envoy we sent back last month has already returned!" Pan Yu smiled slightly at the end.

  "Are you talking about the new trade route?" Under Pan Yu's hint, the rich merchant connected the heavy clues together and came to a surprising conclusion. This wealthy man from Jiangnan was going to take a big risk, although the risk was extremely high, but the profit from sea transportation to foreign countries would be hundreds or thousands of times higher. At that time, not only porcelain, but also the prices of silk and tea would rise. Of course, he wouldn't take this risk himself, nor did he have the qualifications, but following along and getting a share of the profits was no problem.

  "I'm no god of calculations, I haven't said anything, and I don't dare guarantee anything."

  The rich merchant, Chu Pan-yu, made a big bow and completely lost his haughty demeanor. He shouted at the sedan chair bearers waiting by the road: "Lift the sedan! Lift the sedan!" At the same time, he said to Chu Pan-yu: "Sir is truly a great talent, I will definitely invite you to sit in the seat of honor at my home another day. This is my name card, please do me the honor of visiting." After finishing speaking, he quickly ran into the sedan chair and left with a swaying motion.

  Nothing is more convincing than the information in one's own hands. People only rely on luck when they are powerless, and most of the time they prefer to believe in judgments based on solid evidence.

  Xu Xian exclaimed: "You've known this news all along?"

  Pan Yuxiao said, "I've been cooped up reading books all day, how would I have the leisure to care about this? The steward of the Jin family did send over an invitation card, which I declined." It was a seat of honor next to Jin Wancheng that could warrant the steward's personal delivery, but it couldn't be allowed to waste half a day of Pan Yuxiao's reading time on such a commotion. He had his sights set on an official career, the widest, most profound, and most treacherous path in the world.

  "How come he left in such a hurry."

  "There are many wise men in the world, and news will spread quickly. Acting early is worth countless gold and silver, and he can't help but be anxious." Pan Yudan explained calmly to Xu Xian.

  Xu Xian muttered to himself: After all, is it you who crossed over or me who crossed over? I completely can't understand the thinking of high IQ groups!

  In this way, Pan Yu solved the problems of the remaining people one by one. The last one was helpless. A thin and weak rural man had recently contracted a strange illness with his whole family, spending countless medical expenses but to no avail. His old mother was already on her last breath. Although Pan Yu was wise, he wasn't a doctor after all, and he couldn't help the man either.

  The rural man begged: "Please, two sirs, have a kind heart! Look at my hair, it's almost all fallen out. I've already calculated the divination twice today, and I don't know if I can make it to tomorrow. Even if I can hold on, my children back home won't be able to!"

  Pan Yu thought and thought again. Finally, he sighed and said to Xu Xian: "This is what they call 'human strength being exhausted at times'!"

  "When you're ill, you should seek medical help. If the treatment doesn't work, it's because of the doctor's or the medical book's inadequacy. Coming here is like trying to find fish by climbing a tree."

  Xu Xian's ears perked up at this, and he thought of a possibility, asking: "Is your illness hair loss and loose teeth?"

  "Huh, how did you know?"

  Xu Xian became even more convinced of his judgment and said: "Recently, haven't you picked up something on your way home, like a stone?"

  The villager's face tightened, revealing a defensive expression, but his mouth said: "Nothing, nothing, what thing?"

  Xu Xian furrowed his brow and said: "Do you want your whole family's lives? If so, then tell the truth."

  After being pressed for an answer, the villager finally revealed the truth. Some days ago, he had picked up something from the field - a stone-carved cicada, crystal clear and translucent, resembling jade but not actually jade, looking quite valuable.

  "Could it be that Ice Cicada?" Pan Yu interrupted.

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