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

The old woman quickly took out a folded piece of paper from her bosom, carefully unfolded it, and wrote a birthday on it in crooked handwriting.

She handed it over with both hands: "This is it."

Jiang Dusheng took it, glanced at it, and immediately understood.

She looked up at the old woman, her voice clear and indifferent:

"This birth chart indicates that the person died by hanging, and that they were wronged and filled with resentment. Is that correct?"

Upon hearing this, the old woman abruptly covered her mouth, her eyes widening, and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes!"

She stopped calling her "girl" and quickly changed her address, "Great Immortal! You are truly amazing! She...she just couldn't think straight and hanged herself in her room!"

"Then, does she still have some unfulfilled wish? Or is she reluctant to part with my son? Please tell me, how can we put her at ease?"

Jiang Dusheng looked at her, who seemed eager to get rid of trouble but showed no real remorse.

Jiang Dusheng slowly shook his head, his tone calm to the point of being almost cold:

"She didn't have any unfulfilled wishes."

The old woman was taken aback.

Jiang Dusheng continued, "She's still harboring resentment and wants to take you all with her. Especially... you."

She spoke the last two words very softly, yet they sent a chill down the old woman's spine, making her hair stand on end.

"Master, please save me! Save my whole family!"

The old woman's legs went weak, and she almost knelt down. Her face drained of color, and her eyes were filled with terror.

Jiang Dusheng stopped looking at her frightened face and instead focused his gaze back on her harsh features, his voice devoid of any emotion:

"You have a narrow forehead and furrowed brows, indicating a narrow-minded and intolerant nature; high cheekbones with little flesh, suggesting a mean and ungrateful character who is adept at bullying; deep nasolabial folds and a fierce look at the corners of your mouth, indicating that your words are like knives and you are most skilled at stabbing people in the heart."

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze seemingly able to pierce through the skin and look directly into the soul:

"Your daughter-in-law probably suffered a lot from your mistreatment and harassment before she died. You would beat and scold her at the drop of a hat, mistreat her food and clothing, and even drive a wedge between her and her husband."

"Ultimately, you drove him to the brink of despair, and he ended his life with a rope. Am I right?"

"You...you're lying! You're spouting nonsense!"

The old woman jumped up suddenly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Her face turned from white to green, then from green to red. Enraged and embarrassed, she pointed at Jiang Dusheng and shrieked:

"I'm not counting anymore. I think you're just a charlatan!"

As she spoke, she grabbed the piece of paper with the eight characters written on it, turned around, and tried to squeeze through the crowd to escape.

"Why!"

Wang Dazhuang, quick as a flash, moved sideways, using his lithe figure to block the old woman's path, hands on his hips, and speaking in a high-pitched voice:

"Halt! You think you can leave? Have you asked my young lady? Do you know the consequences of owing money to a cultivator?"

He tried to make a fierce expression, which was somewhat comical, but combined with his sinister tone, it actually worked quite well.

"At best, you'll be plagued by bad luck; at worst... hmph, that vengeful ghost might be haunting your bedside tonight, settling scores with you!"

The old woman was so frightened by his words, and remembering the ghost in her house, she was instantly terrified and asked with a mournful face, "How...how much?"

Jiang Dusheng then slowly spoke: "Judging from your dark complexion, death is imminent, and your days are numbered. This divination will only cost you one tael of silver."

One tael of silver.

The price is ridiculously low, it's practically free.

But combined with the preceding phrase "his life is nearing its end," it is even more chilling than accepting one hundred taels from her.

The old woman's legs went completely weak, and she plopped back down on the stool. Gone was her earlier determination to escape; only fear and a sliver of hope remained. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded:

"Master! Master, I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! It was me... I was foolish before, I treated her badly. Please, have mercy and save me! I don't want to die!"

Jiang Dusheng looked at her ugly state of tears streaming down her face, but his eyes remained completely unmoved.

She gently shook her head, her voice clear, "I save all living beings from suffering."

She paused, her gaze sharp as a blade, "Unfortunately, she doesn't save...the wicked."

"This divination is complete. Leave the money here and please proceed."

After saying that, she stopped looking at the ashen-faced woman and turned her gaze to the crowd.

The crowd fell silent. Many people's gazes toward the old woman had changed from initial sympathy to disgust, and a few even uttered low curses.

The old woman, filled with fear and shame, tremblingly pulled out a coin, placed it on the table, and scrambled out of the crowd, disappearing from sight.

After the old woman scrambled away and disappeared around the street corner, the murmurs from the crowd rose again like boiling water.

This time, however, the voice was lowered even further.

"This...could this be a pre-arranged scheme? A staged performance?"

"It doesn't look like it to me. That old lady was so scared, could it be an act?"

"It's true! That old woman's surname is Wang, and she lives in the alley next to mine. Her daughter-in-law died less than half a month ago, and she's really causing a huge scene. Several monks and Taoist priests she hired before all ran away looking disheveled..."

"Hiss... So, this girl can really see those things?"

"What she just said... about a narrow forehead and furrowed brows, a petty mind—did you see that? That old woman Wang has exactly that mean face!"

"But she said she wouldn't save wicked people, that's too..."

Amidst the discussions, many people's gazes toward Jiang Dusheng changed; they were no longer simply watching the spectacle or looking down on him, but rather a mixture of awe and curiosity.

Having been deeply impressed by the first divination, the second person who wanted their fortune told dared not hesitate any longer and quickly stepped forward.

He was a young man wearing faded coarse cloth clothes, with a sorrowful face but clear eyes.

He mustered his courage, pushed through the crowd, and walked to the stall.

He appeared to come from a poor family, but he stood upright and possessed the refined air characteristic of a scholar.

"Master," he bowed respectfully, his voice tinged with bitterness, "you say you help people, so can you help me?"

Jiang Dusheng's gaze fell on his face.

This young man has clear features, a straight bridge of his nose, and clear eyes that, though tinged with sorrow, are devoid of evil thoughts. He is a kind-hearted person who values ​​loyalty and righteousness.

"What is it?" she asked.

The man sighed and spoke fluently, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube:

"I have fallen in love with a girl, and we love each other. Although she comes from a poor family, she is gentle, hardworking, and filial."

"But my mother... disliked that her family was poor and was afraid of being a burden, so she threatened to kill herself and resolutely refused. I could neither disobey my mother nor let down my loved ones, so I was tormented and could not eat or sleep."

"Master, what should I do? Is this marriage... truly beyond hope?"

His eyes were filled with pain and confusion.

Jiang Dusheng listened quietly, then tapped his fingertips lightly on the table twice, as if he were making a deduction.

After a moment, she spoke, her voice still calm, but with a subtle softening compared to before:

"Filial piety is not a shackle; affection is not a delusion."

Upon hearing this, the man perked up and listened attentively.

Jiang Dusheng continued, "Judging from your face, the bridge of your nose is stable and upright, indicating that you are a person of strong character and not one to be fickle. Although your marriage palace is temporarily covered by dark clouds, its foundation is not damaged, and the auspicious sign of the Red Phoenix Star is still present."

She then changed the subject: "But what's suppressing your marriage is not fate, but people's opinions and stubbornness."

"Your mother's obstruction stems from her fear of future livelihood and her obsession with marrying someone of equal social standing. This is human nature, but it is not insurmountable."

"Then how should I resolve this?" the man asked anxiously.

Jiang Dusheng did not answer directly, but instead asked, "How do you make a living now?"

The man replied, "I work as a copyist at Li's Bookstore in the west of the city, and occasionally I also take on letter-writing jobs for others."

"Do you hold any official title or rank? Or do you possess a skill that allows you to make a living?"

The man blushed and said with shame, "I am not very talented. I passed the preliminary examination two years ago, but failed the provincial examination... Apart from knowing a few characters, I have no special skills."

Jiang Dusheng nodded, his gaze seemingly piercing through his current predicament and looking into the distance:

"If you stay confined to one corner, your vision will be limited, and you will find it difficult to make any progress. Since you are literate, why not broaden your horizons? I see auspicious light in your Travel Palace, indicating that there will be opportunities in distant places."

She paused for a moment, then gave a more specific direction: "About a hundred miles to the southeast, there may be vacancies for clerks or accountants. Although it will be difficult to leave one's hometown at first, it is stable and one can establish a foothold and accumulate wealth through hard work."

"When you are financially secure enough to support yourself and no longer completely dependent on your parents..."

She looked into the man's suddenly bright eyes and slowly said:

"Then return home with sincerity and ability, and have an honest discussion with your mother. By then, you will have proven that you can weather the storms and support your wife and children, and her fears will be greatly reduced."

"If that girl truly cares for you, she will wait for you; if your mother sees that you have become successful and independent, her attitude may change. This is not a violation of filial piety, but rather breaking the deadlock through growth and gaining recognition through responsibility."