Street Stories: A True Account of a Group of Blind Men in the Underworld

Lin Hai, who had already figured out the trick, immediately spoke with a smile, but his words carried a sharp edge:

"Sister-in-law, judging by your age, your children must all be married by now, right?"

The woman was taken aback, then nodded and said, "I have a daughter who got married the year before last."

"Would you be willing to use the new policy as an excuse to have your daughter get a divorce and remarry?"

The woman's expression changed drastically, and she blurted out:

"How can that be! How can a perfectly good marriage just fall apart like that? If my daughter comes back divorced, where will I put my face?!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had misspoke and quickly straightened her back, trying to put on airs of a cadre, but the embarrassment in her eyes was already impossible to hide.

Lin Hai slapped his knee and laughed, "That's right! What parent in the world doesn't hope for their children and their spouses to be harmonious? They can't just fall in love with one person after another and be fickle; what kind of behavior is that?"

The woman, her face flushed with embarrassment, relied on her silver tongue, honed from years of traveling the streets, and forced herself to continue:

"But if she is mistreated or unhappy and wants to fight for freedom in marriage, I won't stop her. I can't just watch my daughter jump into a fire pit."

Seeing that her tone had softened, Qiao Yang took the opportunity to speak gently:

"We understand that, of course. We tell fortunes based on our conscience and reason. If a couple is truly irreconcilable and can't live together, they should separate, and we will never stop them."

However, even in a perfectly good family, if someone acts recklessly due to a momentary fit of pique or infidelity, we cannot allow them to behave as they please. We have always advocated for gender equality and family harmony, so you can rest assured about that. Fortune tellers may not have many other skills, but they can still offer advice and reasoning.

His expression was gentle, his smile faint, yet every word he uttered carried an undeniable force.

The woman opened her mouth, hesitated several times as if she wanted to say something, and in the end, she couldn't find a single word to refute it.

After sitting for a while, she had no choice but to get up, vaguely saying "Good to know" and "Let's talk another day," before hurriedly turning and leaving, her steps much faster than when she arrived.

Qiao Yang saw her to the door, watched her turn into the street corner, shook his head, and went back inside.

As soon as the two sat down, the innkeeper came in with a teapot to refill the water.

The innkeeper, over fifty years old, had run an inn in town for half his life. He'd seen all sorts of people and was quite shrewd. As he poured water, he asked with a smile:

"Was that matchmaker who came to see you two just now also for fortune telling?"

Qiao Yang was taken aback: "A matchmaker? She claimed to be a township official who came to explain policies."

The shopkeeper put down the teapot, pulled up a chair, sat down, and chuckled in a low voice:

"What kind of cadre is she? She's just a local matchmaker. She's all talk and no action, and she's black-hearted. She'll arrange a marriage for whoever pays the most. She's done a lot of despicable things."

Qiao Yang and Lin Hai smiled at each other, instantly understanding the whole story.

Yesterday, the young woman was unwilling to accept Qiao Yang's request to change the divination. She must have paid this matchmaker to impersonate an official and put on this show.

Lin Hai was both angry and amused: "No wonder she spoke so eloquently about the Marriage Law, but gave herself away as soon as she talked about her own daughter. Turns out she's an imposter!"

The shopkeeper gave a thumbs-up: "Gentlemen, your insights are brilliant! This matchmaker has caused trouble for many families in this area, but today you've silenced her with just a few words, which is quite a relief for the townspeople!"

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and the waiter poked his head out and called out, "Manager, we have a guest who wants to stay!"

The shopkeeper responded and left the room with the teapot.

Lin Hai stroked his chin and chuckled, "That young lady missed both of her moves; she should give up now."

Qiao Yang put down his teacup and sighed softly, "I hope so. We'll meet force with force and water with water. We've acted uprightly and honestly, so no matter what tricks she has up her sleeve, we're not afraid."

Lin Hai ultimately underestimated that young woman.

Seeing that the matchmaker had returned empty-handed, she turned around and found three of her own strong and lazy brothers, who were usually idle. They carried sticks and ambushed Qiao Yang and Lin Hai on the mountain path they were sure to take.

On this day, the last vestiges of red on the horizon were swallowed by the mountains, and the withered grass on both sides of the mountain road trembled in the wind.

Qiao Yang, leaning on his horse's pole, walked slowly along with Lin Hai, one in front of the other.

Lin Hai led the way, muttering, "Brother, it's terribly cold here. Let's hurry back to the inn and heat up some wine to warm ourselves up."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than three dark figures suddenly darted out of the bushes by the roadside!

"You blind bastard, know your place!"

The burly man at the head of the group, his face full of scars, swung the wooden stick in his hand and roared fiercely at Qiao Yang:

"Quickly take back what you said before. Just say that the man with the water element in his birth chart can only become rich and powerful after getting a divorce, and that he and my sister are a match made in heaven!"

Otherwise, I'll break your horse-drawn pole and cripple your legs today, so you can never go out and tell fortunes again!

The other two men flanked them from the left and right, slapping their sticks together loudly in their hands, displaying extreme arrogance.

The cold wind howled, and snowflakes danced wildly, as if even heaven and earth were setting the stage for this conflict.

Lin Hai's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively tried to rush forward, shouting, "Brother, run! I'll hold them off—"

"Big brother, don't move."

Qiao Yang reached out and pressed him down, his face calm and composed, showing no sign of panic. "Watch how I deal with them."

"Heh heh!" the burly leader sneered. "A blind man thinks he can take us down? Brothers, charge!"

The three exchanged glances, brandished their sticks, and charged forward together, the blows fierce as they aimed straight at Qiao Yang's head.

Qiao Yang didn't move an inch. Just as the wooden stick was about to fall, he suddenly raised the horse pole in his hand!

"clang!"

The pole collided with the wooden stick, producing a dull thud. The burly man felt a tremendous force travel through the stick, his hand throbbed with pain, and the stick flew out of his grasp, tumbling several times in the air before crashing with a "crack" onto a rock about ten feet away, breaking in two.

"How is this possible..." The burly man's pupils suddenly contracted, and before he could finish speaking, Qiao Yang had already moved.

He moved with agility, like a ghost, weaving between the three. The bamboo pole in his hand was like a drawn blade, sweeping and striking with precision, each move perfectly timed.

The man on the left had just raised his stick when his wrist was struck by the pole. With a crisp "crack," the stick fell to the ground, and he screamed in pain, clutching his wrist. His face contorted with agony.

Seeing that things were not going well, the man on the right gritted his teeth and launched a sneak attack from the side, smashing a stick at the back of Qiao Yang's head.

Without turning his head, Qiao Yang leaned slightly to the side, barely dodging the blow of the stick, and then struck Qiao Yang's knee with a backhand strike!

"ah--"

The man's knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, clutching his knees and wailing incessantly, unable to stand up again.

The burly man at the head of the group turned deathly pale, gritted his teeth, drew a short knife from his waist, and snarled, "I'll fight you to the death!"

His eyes turned red, and he raised his knife to stab!

Qiao Yang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold smile.

Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, his pole striking the burly man's wrist with pinpoint accuracy, like a nimble snake emerging from its hole.

"Snapped!"

The burly man's wrist went numb, and the dagger slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Before he could react, a horse pole was already pressed against his throat; the cold touch made his whole body stiffen, and he dared not move again.

In just a few moves, the three burly men were beaten black and blue, collapsing to the ground howling in pain, looking utterly pathetic.

"If you dare cause trouble again, next time it won't just be a matter of physical punishment!"

Qiao Yang retracted his horse's pole, his voice icy, carrying an air of unyielding authority:

"Although I, Qiao Yang, am blind, my heart is not. I can clearly distinguish between good and evil. Go back and tell your girl, if you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place."

If she dares to harass another woman's husband again, the bloodshed predicted in the divination next time won't just be a bluff.

The three were terrified and scrambled away, covering their heads and fleeing in panic. They didn't even dare to pick up the fallen sticks and daggers, fearing that if they were a step too slow, this "blind killer" would unleash his fury again.

Lin Hai, who was listening from the side, was dumbfounded and couldn't close his mouth for a long time: "Brother... your skills..."

"How can you survive in the martial world without some self-defense skills?" Qiao Yang smiled calmly, patted his shoulder, and said, "Let's go back to the inn for a drink, brother."

Lin Hai swallowed hard, his face filled with admiration, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Come on, come on, the drinks are on me tonight!"

After this incident, the young woman was completely terrified.

She witnessed her three brothers fleeing back with bruises and swelling on their faces, describing Qiao Yang as if he were the King of Hell. Recalling Qiao Yang's prediction of "bloodshed," she was terrified and anxious day and night, and dared not bother the water-element man who had already shown signs of reconciliation.

Under the scolding of his parents, the tears of his wife and daughters, and the warning from Qiao Yang's divination, the man finally gave up his evil intentions, and the family reconciled, cherishing each other even more than before.

When the news reached Qiao Yang, he was sitting in an inn drinking hot tea. He smiled faintly, gently put down his teacup, and silently thought: This divination has finally come to a satisfactory conclusion.