Young Master Liu sat on the small stool he had pulled out, looking at him coldly: "What exactly do you want?"

Seeing that Young Master Liu was utterly defeated, the fortune teller opened his half-closed eyes and smiled: "You believe we are kindred spirits now, don't you!"

"I believe you now. Just tell me what you want," Young Master Liu felt as if he were an ant caught in the palm of the man’s hand, completely at his mercy.

"That jade pendant around your neck—someone gave it to you, correct?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

The fortune teller gave a cold chuckle. "Have you forgotten what I do for a living?"

Young Master Liu directed his gaze to the paper on the cement ground beside him, where the characters for "Fortune Telling" were scrawled alongside a drawn Bagua symbol. "You could figure that out too?"

The fortune teller forcefully suppressed the surge of pride and confidence within him: "If I couldn't figure it out, you wouldn't have turned back, would you?"

At this juncture, Young Master Liu had no choice but to nod in admission and admiration. All resistance had vanished. He spoke to the fortune teller calmly and equitably, "There's no need for hostility; we can discuss anything. If you would kindly return the jade pendant, I would be grateful. That piece is profoundly important to me! Otherwise, I wouldn't have come back looking for you, would I?"

"Is it only because you are the destined owner of this jade?"

"How do you know everything!" Young Master Liu was even more astonished than before. Knowing about the jade was one thing, but knowing he was its fated owner was astounding. No matter how accurate the divination, it shouldn't reach this level. Young Master Liu began to suspect the old man might be a spy chief sent by the Kuomintang to the mainland—otherwise, how could he know so much?

The fortune teller noticed Young Master Liu's shock and chuckled, "I know much more than that."

Young Master Liu was desperate for the jade back and pleaded, "Please return the jade first. We can discuss whatever else slowly."

The fortune teller smiled again. "I never picked up your jade, so what is there to return? And you never lost your jade, so why demand it from me?"

Young Master Liu repeated the man's words in his mind, feeling thoroughly toyed with by the charlatan before him. Impatiently, he reached a hand to the front of his shirt and pressed down. It was utterly unbelievable; he was dumbfounded.

Young Master Liu nearly bolted upright. Before he turned back, there had clearly been nothing around his neck. Yet, now the jade was somehow back on him, resting against his chest, distinctly cool to the touch. The entire sequence defied comprehension. It was like watching a magic trick where he hadn't even registered the action.

The fortune teller nodded toward Young Master Liu. "I told you it was still on you!"

"Are you a magician?" Young Master Liu lowered his hand from his chest. The jade was intensely cold, almost too much to bear, and resting against him for so long was deeply uncomfortable.

The fortune teller stated, "I am merely a soothsayer, not a stage performer."

"Then what just happened?" Young Master Liu watched the man who inspired fear in him with strained intensity. Who was this person? How could he possess such formidable supernatural power?

The fortune teller spoke slowly, "What the eyes see is not always real, and what is seen in dreams is not always illusion. Truth mixed with falsehood, falsehood mixed with truth—who can truly distinguish between them? Perhaps only personal experience can illuminate the path."

Young Master Liu felt today was exceptionally strange, though he couldn't pinpoint why. The fortune teller before him was clearly not someone he could easily dismiss or escape. So, he got straight to the point: "You have something you need to tell me, don't you?"

"What makes you say that?" the fortune teller inquired.

Young Master Liu replied, "If you didn't have something important to impart, why go to such lengths to make me return?"

The fortune teller nodded enthusiastically. "Since you think that way, it proves we truly share a strong destiny. Shall we try a divination?"

Since Granny Fan had already handled a full reading for him, Young Master Liu stroked his chin and suggested, "Then please, let’s try a character divination."

"Offer the character!" The fortune teller waved his hand at Young Master Liu, signaling it was time.

A sudden thought struck Young Master Liu as he had just sat down, and he blurted out, "Let's go with the character 'Sit' ()!"

Upon hearing this, the fortune teller immediately narrowed his eyes, extended his right hand, and wrote the character '' on his left palm, mumbling something under his breath. Young Master Liu couldn't understand a word and could only wait patiently for the result.

"Ah!"

After a moment, he opened his eyes and addressed Young Master Liu. "The character 'Sit' () is composed of two 'Person' radicals () and one 'Earth' radical (). This character holds a deep meaning. Two people sitting on the earth—the vertical stroke of the 'Earth' is too long, causing it to separate the two 'Person' radicals. Young man, it seems you are about to part ways with someone recently, and this person is someone you cannot bear to let go."

"Part ways? How?"

The fortune teller noticed the change in Young Master Liu's expression and nodded gravely. "A person radical above an earth radical—it suggests a return to the yellow earth for burial!"

He finished speaking and fixed his gaze sharply on the young man. Young Master Liu felt as if he had been exposed. He didn't know exactly who the fortune teller's "closest person" was, but he could only nod. "I understand."

The fortune teller laughed heartily. "Are you truly so accepting, young man?"

Young Master Liu managed a wry smile. "Everyone dies. Why must you frame it as something predestined? Do you tell this to everyone who comes here for a reading?"

"No, no, no. I only speak this way to those with whom I share a connection." With that, he replaced his dark glasses. Young Master Liu saw his own reflection in the lenses, vague and distorted.

"You will understand in time."

"Oh?" Young Master Liu stared at him steadily. "Then tell me, what is my fate?"

"Since the end is already determined, why cling to attachment? Alas, what is destined to be will come; what is not destined, do not force it!" The fortune teller sighed repeatedly after speaking.

Young Master Liu could not grasp his meaning at all and asked, "Old sir, what exactly does that mean? And why the continuous sighing?"

"Offer another character!" The fortune teller spread his hands out before Young Master Liu once more.

"The character 'Cause' () from 'Cause and Effect.' I said it loudly in case you misheard."

The fortune teller stared at him for a long moment before beginning, "Young man, you still cannot let go!"

"What do you mean by that, old sir?"

The fortune teller smiled. "I know exactly what is on your mind just from the character you offered."

"The character 'Cause' () is composed of the 'Mouth' radical () plus the 'Big' character (). The 'Mouth' radical represents four walls, and the 'Big' character, when broken down, is a 'Person' radical () on top of a 'One' radical (). This signifies a person trapped inside walls, unable to emerge. Since the character 'Cause' only contains a single 'Person,' it foretells that you are struggling within walls you built yourself."

"Is there any way to change all of this?" Young Master Liu asked, clinging to a final thread of hope.

The fortune teller replied, "There are methods, certainly, but... but..." The rest of his words seemed choked off, as if his throat had been seized.

Hearing this, Young Master Liu smiled at the fortune teller. "Master, please rest assured. If the money is the issue, we can certainly discuss increasing the sum."

The fortune teller’s expression remained serene, lacking the joy Young Master Liu expected. "Young man, I think you misunderstand. Wealth is external. If a problem can be solved with money, it isn't a real problem."

Young Master Liu no longer wished to listen to the man’s veiled language. "Master, if you have something to say, please just say it directly."

"Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed!" These words emerged from the fortune teller's mouth.

Unprepared for this response, the result he had hoped to hear, Young Master Liu felt an urge to grab the stool leg and smash it against the man. Damn it! He only told me half—no, not even half! It would have been better if he’d said nothing, just teasing my appetite. I despise people who only speak in fragments.

A gust of wind swept through the alley, causing the large piece of red paper weighed down by the stone to flip over. Young Master Liu casually placed the stone on the corner of the paper. "Since it's a heavenly secret, it’s best not to reveal it, lest you suffer divine retribution later." Saying this, he pulled a dollar coin from his pocket, placed it on the paper, and stood up to leave.

"Young man, all of this is fixed by fate! It is best to let nature take its course!" The fortune teller’s earnest words followed Young Master Liu.

Young Master Liu stood with his back to him and replied faintly, "I think I already know what I need to do."

"That is good, then." The fortune teller picked up the stone and slowly tucked the creased Bagua chart into his robe. "Young man, I will be living in the small room across the way from now on. We are neighbors, so please look out for me when you have time. By the way, my name is Zhang Enpu."

"Mm, goodbye, Old Man Zhang," Young Master Liu paused before saying.

"Why the past life, why this present birth? Five deficiencies and three lacks in fate, widowed, orphaned, crippled, solitary. One must inherit the Dao line, experiencing trials in cycles. Later days shall see the dragon and the tiger, passed down through sixty-four generations."

"Alas! Life and death, death and life again. Life and death, death and endless life. Born yet not dead, dead yet reborn. Ghosts dream in foreign lands, serving the moment, following always. All grievances and affections scatter with the wind, scatter completely with the wind!"

The fortune teller's words echoed again in Young Master Liu's mind. This time, he didn't turn around to ask why the old man was reciting such an incomprehensible passage to him. However, Young Master Liu secretly committed every word to memory, though he only understood fragments of it. At this moment, he did not know that this poem was, in fact, the very blueprint of his entire life.

He could finally leave this place that felt so oppressive. The moment he stepped out of the alley, Young Master Liu felt a sudden sense of rebirth, as if he had escaped from hell itself.

The main street was mostly deserted now, with only a few scattered figures rushing home. A cold wind blew through, stirring up paper scraps and leaves on the street, making them roll in a dusty vortex toward the other side before vanishing without a trace.