After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

The next morning.

As dawn broke and the thin mist had not yet dissipated, the alley in the west of the city was quiet.

Wang Dazhuang yawned as he pushed open the door, intending to stroll to the alley entrance to buy two steaming hot meat buns and enjoy a delicious bite.

He looked up and was so startled that he swallowed back half a yawn, choking and coughing.

"Cough! Cough cough!"

In the small open space in front of the gate, there were a large group of twenty people gathered.

Men, women, and children were all there, craning their necks to look at the tightly closed door, but no one dared to knock on it; they just talked in hushed tones.

"Oh my goodness!" Wang Dazhuang patted his chest, composed himself, mustered his courage, stepped forward, cleared his throat, and tried to put on a show of authority:

"Who are you? What are you doing in front of our master's residence? What do you want?"

The crowd immediately fell silent, all turning their attention to the handsome young man.

A quick-witted middle-aged man tentatively asked, "Sir, are you... are you Steward Wang Dazhuang from Master Jiang's residence?"

Upon hearing that the other party knew his name, Wang Dazhuang unconsciously straightened his back slightly and nodded reservedly, "That is indeed me. And you are...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the crowd stirred and surged forward, chattering excitedly:

"Manager Wang! We've come to ask Master Jiang to tell our fortunes!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I heard Master Jiang is incredibly effective; he can even handle...that stuff in the palace!"

"I was here first! I've been waiting here since before dawn! Manager Wang, you have to be my witness!" an old woman carrying a vegetable basket shouted hurriedly.

"Nonsense! I crowed for the first time right here!"

The crowd was pushing and shoving, and it looked like they were about to start arguing.

Seeing this, Wang Dazhuang quickly came up with a plan and raised his hands abruptly, shouting, "Quiet! Quiet! Listen to me!"

The crowd gradually quieted down, watching him expectantly.

Wang Dazhuang's mind raced, and then he noticed a few thin bamboo twigs lying on the ground nearby. A sudden idea struck him, and he coughed twice, saying loudly:

"Everyone! Our Master Jiang is compassionate, but his energy is limited, so he should not overwork himself."

He held up three fingers, shook them vigorously in the air, and emphasized, "Therefore, I will only accept three divinations per day!"

"To ensure fairness and avoid any disturbances caused by everyone waiting here for so long, we will now use a lottery to determine the order!"

He bent down to pick up the bamboo twigs, then took out a small knife from his pocket and quickly shaved the twigs into thin bamboo skewers of almost uniform thickness.

Then, turning his back, he used his fingernails to pinch three deep indentations at the ends of three of the roots.

Turning around, he gathered ten bamboo skewers in his hand, holding the ends of the skewers in his palm, only revealing the neat tips:

"Look, everyone, all the bamboo sticks are the same length. Three of them are 'destiny sticks,' and whoever draws one can enter the mansion today to have a fortune teller tell their fortune."

"Each person is only allowed one draw. Those who are drawn, please register your name here. After the master gets up, you will be seen in the order drawn. Those who are not drawn, please come early tomorrow. You can also register first and have priority for the draw tomorrow. Do you all understand?"

The crowd looked at each other and agreed that it was fairly fair.

"Alright, now start lining up, one by one! No pushing! Anyone who pushes will be disqualified!" Wang Dazhuang commanded with great authority.

Soon, the three people who had drawn lots were led into the Jiang residence by Wang Dazhuang and arranged to wait on benches in the courtyard.

After settling the three people in, Wang Dazhuang jogged across the courtyard and arrived at Jiang Dusheng's door.

He knocked lightly, lowering his voice, yet unable to conceal a hint of excitement and a desire for credit:

"Master! Master! Are you awake? The fortune tellers have arrived! I've chosen three; they're waiting in the courtyard!"

Inside the room, Jiang Dusheng buried his face in the pillow and let out a muffled moan.

Three divinations? I should have said I'd only do one divination per day.

With Xie Jinchen by her side, there was no need to rush to suppress the evil aura. Once the tension in her heart, which had been stretched for too long, was released, her lazy habits spread and grew uncontrollably like wild grass in spring.

Jiang Dusheng dawdled for a while before reluctantly getting up.

After a quick wash, I changed into a simple long dress and casually tied my long hair up with a wooden hairpin, letting a few strands fall lazily down my neck.

As soon as the door opened, Wang Dazhuang's face, which was filled with a mixture of pride and trepidation, came into view.

"Master, do you think... I did a good job? I didn't embarrass you, did I?"

Jiang Dusheng sighed softly, patted his shoulder, and said, "Dazhuang, you did a good job. But..."

She then changed the subject, saying, "Starting tomorrow, the rules will be changed to only one divination per day."

After listening, Wang Dazhuang nodded vigorously, "I understand!"

Then, Wang Dazhuang looked aggrieved and muttered under his breath, "Master, really, you didn't explain to me beforehand how many divinations I would have each day, or what the rules were..."

"When I opened the door this morning, the sheer number of people there scared the crap out of me!"

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the courtyard gate.

One of Xie Jinchen's guards entered carrying an exquisite multi-tiered food box and bowed respectfully to Jiang Dusheng.

"Miss Jiang, the young master instructed his subordinates to bring you breakfast, which was prepared by the chef according to your taste."

He paused, then added, "The young master specifically instructed that you must eat on time."

Jiang Dusheng casually pointed to the stone table under the corridor next to him: "Put it there."

Then, turning to Wang Dazhuang, he said, "Dazhuang, you keep this for now. I'll eat it after I finish calculating these three divinations."

Upon hearing this, the guard looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, but still mustered his courage and said:

"Miss Jiang, the young master has specifically instructed me several times that you have an upset stomach and need to eat on time, as eating cold food will be even more harmful to your health..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Dusheng waved his hand dismissively, indicating that he understood.

Jiang Dusheng walked to the stone table in the next courtyard and sat down, his gaze calmly sweeping over the first young man in brocade robes.

He was in his early twenties, with a decent appearance, but there was a frivolous air about him, and his eyes darted around, as if he were in real trouble.

"What is it you wish to ask?" Jiang Dusheng asked in a calm voice, without any pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

The young man seemed taken aback by her directness, paused for a moment, then feigned politeness by cupping his hands in a respectful bow, forcing a smile onto his face, and deliberately softening his voice:

"I have long heard of your extraordinary abilities, young lady, which can overcome all suffering. There is something I cannot understand, and it has kept me tossing and turning at night. I have come here to ask you for your guidance."