Chapter 233: Destined to be a Widow

The old Taoist priest’s eyes instantly gleamed with sharp light upon hearing about the divination.

"One hundred yuan per reading. Pay first, then I'll divine."

Before Su Yan could speak, Ma Chulan beat her to it.

"One hundred yuan? Are we crazy?"

Though they certainly had money, they couldn't be played for fools!

The old Taoist's face instantly slumped, and he gave her a disdainful glance.

"Watch your mouth, girl, or you won't be able to marry in the future. And this is the price—take it or leave it!"

Ma Chulan was about to continue the confrontation when she was stopped by Ma Chulong.

Ma Chulong had been paying close attention to Su Yan's reaction the entire time; Su Yan would never act like this without a reason.

Unless...

Sure enough, without a word, Su Yan reached into her Qiankun Bag, pulled out two bills, and placed them on the table in front of her.

The old Taoist's eyes went straight as he saw the hundred yuan.

Ma Chulan felt like he was about to drool and looked at him with extreme disgust.

However, she also realized that Su Yan actually believed this old Taoist, so she decided to wait and see what kind of nonsense he could actually come up with.

If he was just making things up, she would smash his stall and ensure he could never swindle anyone again.

"Master, can you read my fortune now?"

The old Taoist unhurriedly pocketed the money, muttering under his breath, "I forgot to collect the money before and ended up being chased by the police and having to pay a huge fine. I can't be so foolish again."

Su Yan immediately thought of that time outside the park; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had fled in panic.

The old Taoist claimed not to know her, yet he remembered the details of his loss so clearly. This money-grubbing personality seemed strangely familiar.

Only after the old Taoist had put the money away did he look at Su Yan again.

"What do you want to know? Marriage or future prospects?"

That was all people ever asked for in a reading.

The young asked about their future, and the old asked about their lifespan.

Seeing the opportunity, Ma Chulan quickly interjected, "Then just look at everything. If you're wrong, don't blame us for being unkind."

The old Taoist gave her an impatient glare.

Why was this girl so noisy?

Clearing his throat, he said, "You have no affinity with marriage; you are destined to be a widow."

Originally, Su Yan wanted to ask about her origins and the things he had mentioned last time, but she hadn't expected the old Taoist to suddenly blurt out such a sentence. Even she found it difficult to remain calm.

Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan felt like they wanted to slap this old fraud.

"You liar! Aren't you afraid of being beaten for just opening your mouth and predicting someone's marriage will end?" Ma Chulan could no longer hold back.

They had just met Su Yan's fiancé yesterday. To say Su Yan would become a widow was essentially cursing Gu Yang to die young!

What shocked them most was that after hearing the old Taoist's words, Su Yan's expression actually turned extremely grim.

She was likely infuriated by his words.

"Do you mean... if I marry him, he will die?"

Ma Chulong:...

Ma Chulan:...

The siblings never imagined that Su Yan would actually believe him.

"Su Yan, since when did you become so superstitious? Besides, what he said is completely contradictory. First he says you have no marriage affinity, then he says you'll be a widow. Isn't it obvious that something is wrong?" Even Ma Chulong couldn't help but remind her.

"Hmph! What do you two juniors know, babbling like that? This girl truly has no marriage affinity in her fate, because her man dies, so she naturally counts as a widow!" The old Taoist was very dissatisfied with the siblings' reaction and actually went so far as to explain—a rare occurrence.

Su Yan's heart sank, and even her hands clenched into fists.

So Gu Yang would die?

No, perhaps it wasn't Gu Yang. After all, they were no longer in a relationship as fiancé and fiancée.

Watching her constantly shifting expressions, the old Taoist added another sentence, "You don't need to be too sad, because you won't live long either."

If they could tolerate what he said before, they truly could not tolerate this sentence.

"Nonsense!" Ma Chulong barked.

Ma Chulan reached out to pull Su Yan, "Su Yan, let's not listen to this old fraud's nonsense."

It was simply paying money to buy misery.

"Can you two just go find somewhere else to hang out? Don't get in the way of this old man making money!" The old Taoist's attitude was equally unpleasant.

Su Yan pushed Ma Chulan aside and looked at them.

"Don't be in a hurry, let me finish asking."

Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan truly didn't know what else there was to ask, but seeing her persistence, they could only stand to the side unhappily.

Su Yan looked at the old Taoist with an incredibly complex expression. "Master, you say I will become a widow. If I don't have a man I love and I don't get married, then wouldn't that point be invalidated?"

Regardless of whether that person was Gu Yang or not, she did not want to implicate anyone.

The old Taoist laughed, as if she had asked the most foolish question in the world.

"Debts from a past life are paid in this life. Karma is something no one can escape. Girl, you should worry about yourself instead." The old Taoist seemed unwilling to reveal too much and changed the subject.

Su Yan's mood grew even heavier; she understood what he meant.

"My fate is determined by me, not by heaven."

This answer caused the Ma siblings to give her a simultaneous thumbs-up.

This was how exorcists were—never admitting defeat, never accepting fate.

"Heh, quite the arrogant little girl. Originally, I had a life-saving talisman here, but last time it was tricked away by a little girl just like you. It seems she didn't listen to my words either," the old Taoist said to himself.

Su Yan felt that he had clearly recognized her and was just pretending.

"Master, regarding the marriage matter, do you have any way to break it?"

The old Taoist was very dissatisfied that she had steered the topic back, and his eyes glared, "Do you think I am a Great Immortal? Arbitrarily changing a mortal's fate would bring divine retribution!"

Su Yan thought for a moment, then took out two more large bills from her Qiankun Bag and placed them on the table.

The corner of the old Taoist's mouth twitched slightly. "You are looking down on this old man. I have been divining for over fifty years, when have I ever..."

This time, Su Yan pulled out a thick stack and placed it on the table.

Watching her actions, Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan felt she had truly gone mad.

The old Taoist took a deep breath, and his speaking speed slowed down significantly. "Are you using money to humiliate me?"

Hearing this, Su Yan continued to rummage through her Qiankun Bag.

Then, two bright, shining gold bars appeared on the table.

"Ahem." The old Taoist's expression changed again, remaining profound. "I am already at such an age; if I were to suffer divine retribution, I probably wouldn't have much time left anyway."

Having said that, he waited for Su Yan to increase the stakes.

However, after hearing his words, a trace of guilt actually surfaced on Su Yan's face.

"Master, it was my lack of consideration. You are right; you are already so old, and I am actually asking you to face divine retribution. If it is truly impossible, then I won't trouble you further."

As she spoke, she prepared to take the money and gold bars back.

(End of Chapter)