This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

After a night of fussing, just before dawn, the two finally managed to completely move Wang Xiaoer's father's grave and rebuild the mound.

Back in that drafty, dilapidated house, Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen collapsed onto the bed almost simultaneously, too lazy to even wash off the mud on their bodies.

I slept straight through to the afternoon of the next day.

Wang Xiaoer was woken up by hunger.

He opened his eyes and felt aches and pains all over his body, with exhaustion permeating every bone.

Zhang Chen, who was sleeping sprawled out next to him, was drooling all over his pillow and smacking his lips, probably having some sweet dream.

"Gurgle—"

A long, strange cry broke the silence in the room.

It's not Wang Xiaoer's belly.

It belongs to Zhang Chen.

He was woken up by his stomach rumbling, rubbed his eyes, and sat up, looking utterly dejected.

"I'm starving..."

Wang Xiaoer also sat up, rubbed his empty stomach, and subconsciously looked at the earthenware pot in the corner.

In the earthenware pot, only a few bare chicken bones remained; even the last bit of broth had been drunk up while working last night.

The two looked at each other and saw two large characters in each other's eyes.

hunger.

"Walk!"

Zhang Chen jumped off the bed and dusted himself off.

"Go to town, sell your gold! Then treat me to a nice meal!"

Wang Xiaoer then remembered that he was carrying something heavy in his pocket.

He quickly pulled it out; the rough, quail egg-shaped piece of gold still gleamed alluringly in the dim room.

With the gold in their hands, the two took a bus to the town.

In an old gold shop with a sign that read "High-Price Gold Buyback," Wang Xiaoer experienced for the first time what it meant to become rich overnight.

The master craftsman, wearing reading glasses, used professional tools to burn and test, and finally spent a long time pressing buttons on a calculator.

"Young man, this piece of gold is of good quality, weighing a total of 206 grams. I'll charge you 58,000."

Before Wang Xiaoer could speak, Zhang Chen, who was standing next to him, objected.

"Hey old man, that's not fair of you. The price of gold must be around 300 by now, right? For good luck, here's a flat price: 60,000! One cent less and we're leaving!"

After a heated and frantic bargaining session, 60,000 brand-new banknotes were finally neatly stacked in front of Wang Xiaoer.

Wang Xiaoer's hands were trembling slightly.

He had lived for twenty years and this was the first time he had ever seen so much money.

That thick stack of bricks felt even more unreal to him than the thickest bricks in the village.

With this huge sum of money in their hands, the two men, like starving ghosts just released from prison, headed straight for the most impressive restaurant in town.

"Boss! Bring me one of each of your most expensive dishes!"

Zhang Chen slammed the menu on the table, exuding an air of grandeur.

Braised pork knuckle, stir-fried pork kidneys with soy sauce, steamed sea bass, braised prawns...

One after another, glistening, fragrant main dishes were served up in a continuous stream.

Wang Xiaoer buried his head and wolfed down his food.

He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten such delicious food; his mouth was stuffed full, and his cheeks were bulging like a hamster's.

Zhang Chen's eating manners weren't much better than his; the two of them devoured the food in no time, and the plates on the table were soon empty.

Only when he could no longer fit anything in his stomach did Wang Xiaoer lean back in his chair and exhale a long breath.

Satisfy.

An unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

He looked at the mess on the table, then touched the thick wad of banknotes in his pocket. The gloom that had accumulated over the past twenty years seemed to be washed away at this moment.

He looked up at Zhang Chen, who was picking his teeth across from him.

"Master Daoist."

This was the first time he had used that title so formally.

"You went to all this trouble to help me, cutting down trees and moving graves, what was your gain?"

This question had been weighing on his mind for a long time.

Zhang Chen paused in his teeth-picking motion.

He put down the toothpick, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly began to speak.

"Kid, to be honest..."

"At first, I was indeed just passing through your Kaoshan Village. I was short of money and wanted to find a sucker to 'beg' for some alms."

He spoke candidly about his original intentions, his eyes revealing the honesty of a businessman.

"Don't let the name 'Taoist' fool you; my profession is nothing like those who live in seclusion in the mountains. I'm just a poor Taoist struggling to make a living. I do all sorts of work: feng shui consultations, fortune telling, exorcisms, and rituals. As long as I get paid."

Wang Xiaoer listened quietly.

These words felt more real to him than those previous mystical theories.

"However..." Zhang Chen changed the subject, leaning forward slightly and staring intently at Wang Xiaoer.

"I changed my mind when I saw you."

"You kid, your fate...tsk tsk... In all my years of wandering the martial world, I've never seen anyone more extraordinary than you! Letting you stay holed up in that remote mountain valley is a complete waste of your talent!"

A flicker of excitement crossed his eyes.

"So, on a whim, I had an idea."

"I'll help you break out of this predicament!"

"Then, we'll recruit you!"

"Join?"

Wang Xiaoer was stunned.

"Otherwise what? Even if you change your luck now, you have neither skills nor education. Are you really going to rely on luck to make a living from now on?" Zhang Chen curled his lip. "But from another perspective, since you're blessed with good fortune and everything goes smoothly for you, and I know the ins and outs of the industry, if we join forces, wouldn't we be unstoppable, like a thunderbolt striking from the blue?"

"When you're alive, you have to find something to do, right?"

Wang Xiaoer fell silent.

He hadn't fully recovered from the dramatic turn of events in his life, nor had he thought about what he would do in the future.

Zhang Chen seemed to notice his hesitation and waved his hand.

"No rush, you can think about this slowly. Anyway, you're currently living a life of luxury... oh no, I mean you're incredibly lucky, you won't starve anywhere you go."

After the two finished their meal, they left the restaurant and strolled around the town's main street. Wang Xiaoer also bought himself a knock-off mobile phone with a loudspeaker.

This is the first home appliance he owns in twenty years.

As Wang Xiaoer passed a lottery shop, he stopped in his tracks.

As he looked at the red banner hanging at the entrance that read "Grand Prize of Five Million," an idea popped into his head uncontrollably.

He wanted to try it.

Try it and see if you've really changed your luck.

"Master, I'd like to buy a lottery ticket."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced at the lottery shop and scoffed.

"Are you kidding me? Don't get your hopes up."

"Feng shui and luck can influence your destiny, such as finding money on the street or meeting a benefactor."

"But lotteries have extremely rigorous lottery systems and data monitoring, so pure luck can hardly directly interfere with those few numbered balls."

"If you believe in this, you might as well go to a casino in Macau. With your luck, the chances of escaping alive are much higher than this."

Wang Xiaoer acted as if he hadn't heard.

He walked straight into the lottery shop.

Twenty years of bad luck have given him an obsessive desire for any opportunity to prove his luck has turned around.

He didn't understand trend charts, couldn't choose numbers, and didn't even know how to play the lottery. He had only heard the villagers talk about it, saying that you could win five million with just two yuan!

He used to scoff at it because he had no money.

But today is different.

He simply used his birthday and today's date to create a number and handed it to the boss.

"Boss, give me one bet using these numbers."

A thin piece of paper with seven red numbers and a barcode printed on it was handed to him.

Zhang Chen followed him in, leaned against the door, crossed his arms, and wore an expression of anticipation for a good show.

"Kid, I'll make a bet with you."

He held up one finger and shook it.

"If you win more than ten yuan, I, Zhang Chen, will eat this lottery ticket right here and now!"

Since it was getting late and there were no more buses back to the village, the two decided to stay at a cheap little hotel in town.

On television, the lottery draw was broadcast on time.

As the host read out each number clearly and precisely, Wang Xiaoer's heart was in his throat.

"The first winning number is 09..."

No.

"The second winning number is 21..."

still none.

……

"The last blue ball number is 05!"

All seven numbers have been announced.

The lottery ticket in Wang Xiao's hand completely missed all the winning numbers.

None of them were selected.

"Hahahaha!"

Zhang Chen was laughing so hard he was pounding the bed, tears almost streaming down his face.

"See? I told you so! I told you not to daydream! Now you believe me?"

Wang Xiaoer himself didn't feel anything.

He shrugged indifferently and casually tossed the scrap of paper onto the bedside table.

Perhaps I'm just overthinking things.

The next morning, the two checked out and prepared to leave.

While packing his things, Wang Xiaoer saw the lottery ticket that had somehow drifted to the windowsill.

He intended to throw it directly into the trash can.

But for some reason, almost as if possessed, he smoothed it out and put it in his pocket.

He went inside the lottery shop as he passed by.

"Boss, could you please scan this for me and check if I've made a mistake?"

He still couldn't give up and handed over the lottery ticket.

The shop owner behind the counter didn't even lift his eyelids. He was picking his teeth with a toothpick when he casually took the lottery ticket and skillfully scanned it at the machine's scanner.

"Beep—"

A normal, soft sound.

The shopkeeper glanced at the screen and was about to return the lottery ticket to him.

Just then, the old prize redemption machine suddenly emitted an unusually sharp beep!

"Beep beep beep beep—!"

The piercing sound drew the attention of everyone in the lottery shop.

The boss was startled and looked down at the screen.

The next second, his eyes widened suddenly, and his mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.

On the screen, a line of red, bold text clearly stated:

Congratulations! You've won the third prize! The prize money is 3000 yuan!

Even Wang Xiaoer was dumbfounded.

He snatched the lottery ticket and brought it close to the screen, comparing it carefully.

The winning numbers on the screen didn't seem to be the same as what he had seen last night.

However, the lottery numbers in his hand were five red and one blue.

Wang Xiaoer was completely dumbfounded. He pointed at the screen, then at the lottery ticket in his hand, and muttered to himself.

"This...this number is wrong!"