Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 11 Su Chunyi
Upon hearing Chen Ye reveal that Wang Sanqi owed 520,000 copper coins, not only Wang Sanqi himself, but also the onlookers were shocked and gasped.

In the beginning, wasn't it just one penny for a fortune telling?

The second divination only cost two coins, so how could the amount have snowballed into such a terrifying hundreds of thousands after just eighteen divinations?

Chen Ye slowly counted on his fingers, explaining the debts to everyone: "One loss, one coin; two losses, two coins; three losses, four coins... By the tenth loss, you'll owe me over two thousand coins..."

As Chen Ye explained the messy situation clearly, everyone around was shocked, as if they had heard something unbelievable.

One penny, multiplied more than tenfold, could become 520,000?!
Wang Sanqi was so frightened by the number that his legs went weak and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

"You're a liar! You're a liar! I'm going to the authorities to report you!"

After uttering this blustering but ultimately cowardly remark, Wang Sanqi turned and ran away, his pathetic appearance causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Chen Ye did not stop them. Instead, he calmly bowed to the crowd and said loudly, "Thank you all for speaking up for me. If you want my fortune told today, I will not charge you a single penny."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in cheers once again.

They had just witnessed the young Taoist priest's skills firsthand, and now he was offering fortune-telling for free? Where else could they find such a good deal!
Without needing much prompting, passersby quickly gathered around, none wanting to miss such a golden opportunity. They inquired about the safety of their homes, the arrival of wealth, and the prospects for marriage; everyone harbored desires to seek divine intervention.

Chen Ye kept his promise and patiently told their fortunes and answered their questions one by one. Amidst the exclamations of amazement, he became a little-known deity in the eyes of the crowd.

Chen Ye spoke until his throat was dry, and even as the sun set, the crowd still hadn't dispersed. Helpless, he could only bow repeatedly and apologize, saying, "My magical power has been greatly depleted; I simply cannot make accurate calculations today." Only then did the crowd slowly and reluctantly leave.

Chen Ye had been busy all day and only had one extra copper coin in his pocket, but he was in a very good mood. He thought that after today, his reputation as a fortune teller would spread throughout Cui County.

If you want to make a lot of money in a short time, you can only try to get your hands on those powerful and wealthy people. Once you have a good reputation, people will naturally come to you.

Chen Ye hummed a little tune as he quickly tidied up his fortune-telling stall and then left.

He wandered through streets and alleys, turning left and right, making seventeen or eighteen turns before finally finding a dilapidated hut in a remote place.

Garbage piled up like a mountain in front of the house, stinking to high heaven. But what was most eye-catching at this moment was not the filthy and chaotic environment, but the fat man rubbing his hands and hunching his back, waiting like a servant—it was none other than the rogue Wang Sanqi.

Chen Ye glanced at him, a smile playing on his lips, and teased, "You're really in a hurry. We agreed to come at midnight so no one would see us. How come you couldn't even wait a few hours?"

Wang Sanqi hurriedly replied, "Please don't be offended, Daoist Master. My father is seriously ill. Taking the medicine a few hours earlier would have lessened his suffering. I think my performance in that scene was passable. Please keep your promise and bestow upon me the elixir."

“You are a man who steals chickens and dogs and bullies the good people. Apart from your filial piety, you are truly useless. You have ruined the reputation that your father and brothers have built up.”

While scolding him, Chen Ye took out a pill from his pocket and handed it to Wang Sanqi. He then instructed, "Your father is weak and frail. This medicine can replenish his deficiencies. Remember to take it with warm water and then sleep for a whole day without disturbing him. When he wakes up, he may have a great appetite, but he must not eat rich and fatty foods immediately. He needs to eat a light diet for three days to recover."

Wang Sanqi took the pill, ignoring the filth on the ground, and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing three times to Chen Ye.

"What's the use of kowtowing to me? Go and kowtow to the people you've bullied and apologize. Apologize however you should. From now on, do more good deeds. If I find out you're still doing evil, I'll personally punish you. Your father ate my elixir, and I'll cut out his heart and gut it to get it back."

Wang Sanqi was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly and said hurriedly, "I dare not, I really dare not, Daoist Master, please don't be angry, I will never dare to do evil again."

After saying that, he slapped his head three times, and then, as if he had found a treasure, Wang Sanqi stuffed Chen Ye's pills into his pocket and ran home.

Chen Ye watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and sighed softly, "If only there were true cause and effect, good people like me would deserve great blessings."

Chen Ye raised his hand and pushed open the door of the dilapidated house. Just as he was about to step inside to rest, he keenly caught a slight gust of wind behind him.

He turned his head alertly and saw a woman wearing a straw hat and a pale yellow long gown standing quietly at the entrance of the alley.

The woman's face was completely covered by a straw hat; the only way to tell that she was a young woman was by her elegant long gown.

When exactly did this person arrive?

Chen Ye was startled and instinctively gripped the white banner in his hand. She had appeared behind him so silently; if she were to strike him with a knife, he would likely be dead.

Before Chen Ye could even ask, the woman broke the silence, asking softly, "Fellow Daoist just said that good people should have great blessings. I have a question: if you help a villain, does that count as doing a good deed?"

His voice was cold and indifferent, like frost in a cold night, conveying a sense of aloofness that kept people at a distance.

Chen Ye did not answer the question directly. Instead, he respectfully cupped his hands to the woman and asked, "May I ask who you are, young lady?"

"Qinghe Sword Sect, Su Chunyi." Upon hearing this, Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat. Although he had known that the Qinghe Sect cultivators were here and had mentally rehearsed the situation many times, he still felt a little uneasy when he saw them in person, and unconsciously gripped the white banner in his hand even tighter.

Upon seeing this, Su Chun comforted him, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to worry. The magic weapon in your hand possesses its own spiritual energy, which is indeed rare. However, the disciples of the Qinghe Sect would not commit the heinous act of killing to steal treasures. I simply have some doubts and would like to ask for your guidance."

The girl's tone was quite sincere, and Chen Ye finally calmed down. It seemed his master was right; others would only see the white banner as a decent magic weapon and wouldn't associate it with demonic practices.

Calming down, Chen Ye said respectfully, "So you are a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect. I am Chen Ye, a rogue cultivator without a sect. My humble abode is not suitable for entertaining guests, so I invite you to the tavern for a drink."

Su Chunyi gently shook her head and declined, saying, "I'm sorry, but due to the sect rules, I cannot drink alcohol. Besides, it's the same everywhere in the mortal world, so you don't need to mind, fellow Daoist."

Chen Ye felt helpless and thought to himself: It's not that I really wanted to have a drink with you, it's just that I was worried that we were all alone and that you might kill me.

"Then let's have a cup of tea. My level of understanding is not as high as yours, and this place is too dirty to chat in."

As Chen Ye spoke, he slowly moved towards the alley entrance, his eyes carefully observing the Qinghe Sect swordsman.

Su Chunyi did not stop him, but followed Chen Ye at a leisurely pace, seemingly not minding going to crowded places with him.

Chen Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed this person really wasn't here to cause trouble.

With a heart full of worries, Chen Ye led Su Chunyi to a teahouse, chose a quiet corner, and invited her to sit down.

Chen Ye asked, "What kind of tea does Miss Su usually drink?"

"Water is fine."

Chen Ye: ...

The rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect are so strict that even the water they drink is not allowed to have any taste?
Helpless, Chen Ye could only casually order a pot of Pu'er tea and even gave the waiter a few copper coins as a tip.

Su Chunyi seemed quite surprised by this and asked softly, "To be honest, I have been secretly observing for a long time, but I really don't understand what you are doing. Could you please enlighten me?"

Chen Ye looked puzzled and asked, "Miss Su, why are you observing me?"

“I suspect you are involved in the forced recruitment of boys and girls in Cui County. I will come to investigate any unusual occurrences in Cui County, not because I am targeting you.”

Chen Ye explained with a wry smile, "You overestimate me. I'm just a rogue cultivator from an unorthodox sect, and I've only just reached the Qi Awakening Realm. How could I possibly have such abilities?"

"The Awakening Realm?"

Su Chunyi frowned slightly, her doubts deepening. "But your divination skills are extremely powerful. I thought you were a senior master who had been hiding your cultivation level."

Divination is an extremely profound art; with a mere flick of the fingers, one can know the past and future—a skill possessed only by immortals. For cultivators to master this art, the minimum requirement is the Profound Realm.

The Qiling Realm is merely the beginning of cultivation, and is not much stronger than ordinary people.

Chen Ye patiently explained, "If I could really predict the past and future, why would I need to act with Wang Sanqi? It's just a charade to fool passersby."

Su Chunyi pressed on, "That's exactly what I don't understand. Since you put so much effort into acting out this whole charade, why didn't you charge a single penny when you were divining for others? Besides, why were your predictions so accurate later on? Dozens of people consulted you; surely they weren't all in cahoots with you?"

Su Chunyi had been observing Chen Ye's acting career from the very beginning until he closed down his business. Everyone who sought Chen Ye's fortune-telling was extremely grateful to him, praising his unparalleled accuracy, which left Su Chunyi completely baffled.

Chen Ye could almost feel Su Chunyi's eyes piercing through his bamboo hat, staring at him with curiosity.

This gaze was so real, could it be what Master said, that a single look could cut off one's head?

Fortunately, Chen Ye had the foresight to give Zhao Hezhou all the items he had related to the Demonic Sect, so that he could use them to save his life and then throw them away once he found a safe place to stay.

Now that his master has gotten away with it and Chen Ye himself has never done anything wrong, even if Su Chunyi's gaze is sharp, he faces it calmly, his expression as serene as ever.

Chen Ye poured himself a cup of tea, took a small sip, and then said to Su Chunyi, "Miss Su, this is a secret technique that cannot be passed on to outsiders. If you want to know, you might as well make a deal with me."

Su Chunyi asked softly, "I wonder what you wish to exchange for?"

Chen Ye looked on with eager anticipation and asked, "If I can answer Miss Su's question, I wonder if I could exchange it for a Qi Condensation Pill?"

(End of this chapter)