Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

In just a moment, Shen Jingshu used her own cultivation to carefully examine the situation and noticed that something was wrong.

Although this bronze tripod is indeed an ancient artifact with a long history and a faint spiritual aura accumulated over time, a faint, cold black aura lingers inside, seeping into its texture.

Ordinary people with mortal eyes cannot detect it and will only see it as an ordinary old object. If one rashly buys it and stays with it for a long time, the negative energy will slowly erode one's fortune, easily leading to illness and misfortune.

The stall owner continued to boast, "Young lady, this bronze tripod is a rare find, a true treasure to protect your home and bring peace. Don't miss out!"

The stall owner was still enthusiastically promoting the small bronze tripod, but Shen Jingshu's expression remained unchanged as she slowly turned her gaze to him.

With her keen eyesight, she could clearly see a faint wisp of black energy swirling around the stall owner's forehead. It seemed that his long-term exposure to this ancient artifact tainted with yin energy had subtly allowed the yin energy within it to permeate his overall fortune.

Shen Jingshu slowly spoke, "Boss, have you been having a run of bad luck lately?"

Wang Dali was taken aback, his eyes filled with surprise: "Hey? Little girl, what you're saying is exactly the same as what Zhang the blind fortune teller at the stall next door is saying. Could it be that you also know how to read faces?"

He looked Shen Jingshu up and down, a hint of probing in his voice: "Young lady, do you perhaps know fortune telling and face reading?"

"I know a little bit," Shen Jingshu replied casually.

"Interesting! In that case, can you help me see what kind of bad luck I've been running into lately?"

The stall owner, Wang Dali, had been setting up his stall on the antique street for over ten years and was familiar with all the other vendors. Recently, he had indeed been plagued by misfortune, encountering setbacks in everything he did. In desperation, he even went to the blind fortune teller Zhang next door for divination. Zhang gave him a talisman for protection, and for the first few days after wearing it, things were peaceful. However, not long after, misfortune struck again.

No one came to his business, and he was plagued by bad luck. He couldn't do anything right, and he even choked on his water.

Wang Dali had been preoccupied with this matter and was planning to take some time to visit a temple to offer incense and pray for blessings, and to seek out a wise person to resolve it. Having spent many years in the antique business and coming into contact with all kinds of antiques, they naturally held a certain degree of awe towards the concept of ghosts, gods, and fortune.

Seeing that the young girl in front of him had seen through his current situation, Wang Dali became interested and decided to test her to find out if she was really capable or just an amateur trying to fool him.

"Sure. If I'm right, consider this little item as payment for your divination."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dali couldn't help but chuckle: "Oh, this young lady has quite the appetite. This is a genuine antique; it could easily fetch tens of thousands of yuan elsewhere!"

"If I told you that all your recent bad luck stemmed from this one thing, would you still consider it a valuable treasure?"

This item of yours probably doesn't come from a very clean source.

Wang Dali's expression changed slightly. He subconsciously lowered his voice, his expression showing a hint of panic: "Don't make things up! Are you saying this item came from an ancient tomb? All my goods are acquired through legitimate channels; I can't just spread rumors out of thin air!"

"You know perfectly well where this bronze tripod came from. Think back carefully, didn't the series of unpleasant things that happened in your family only start after you acquired it?"

Wang Dali frowned deeply, carefully recalling the past misfortunes as Shen Jingshu spoke. After a moment, his pupils dilated slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.

She was right.

All the misfortunes indeed began after he acquired this antique. Could the problem really lie with this ornament? But he had spent nearly 20,000 yuan to buy it; how could he so easily give it away based on just a few words from a young girl? He was truly unwilling to accept it.

Shen Jingshu saw through his inner turmoil at a glance and continued calmly, "Your name is Wang Dali, and you are forty-two years old. Your parents passed away many years ago. You have two sisters, and you are the second oldest, with an older sister and a younger brother. From childhood to adulthood, you were the least favored by your parents, who always doted on their younger son. But you are filial by nature. When your parents were alive, you always did your best to help your brother, contributing money and effort to help him get married and start a career. In the end, you are still single at forty-two."

Wang Dali stared blankly at Shen Jingshu, completely stunned. He had never publicized these private family matters to the outside world.

Before he could recover, Shen Jingshu continued, "However, you've been having a lucky streak lately, meeting a woman you've developed feelings for. You both have a good impression of each other, but you're just one step away from making your move."

"Master, you can see through even these private matters at a glance; you truly have extraordinary abilities!"

Wang Dali's expression changed drastically. His previous doubts vanished completely, and his attitude instantly became respectful. Looking at the young woman before him, he realized she was clearly a highly skilled but unassuming person. He quickly asked, "Young Master, could you please tell me if we can be together, and if she is my destined soulmate?"

Shen Jingshu nodded slightly: "She is your destined one. If you miss this opportunity, you will be alone for the rest of your life, lonely and helpless in your old age. If you cherish this opportunity and come together, I see that you are destined to have children."

"What?!" Wang Dali exclaimed excitedly, his voice trembling slightly. "Master, you mean... I can still have a child of my own in this lifetime?"

"That's true. You're forty-two now, which isn't too late. Just seize the opportunity."

"Excellent!" Wang Dali was overjoyed and immediately said without hesitation, "Master, based on your divination alone, this bronze tripod is yours!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out and picked up the small bronze tripod from the stall, handing it to Shen Jingshu.

Shen Jingshu took the object, her fingertips touching the cool bronze surface, feeling the dark, malevolent energy swirling within. She calmly said, "I won't take advantage of you for nothing. I know you spent 20,000 on this item, so I'll give you a protective talisman. Wear it close to your body for a long time to dispel any remaining malevolent energy, ensuring your bad luck disappears and everything goes smoothly for you."

As she spoke, she took out a neatly folded yellow talisman from her crossbody bag and handed it over.

Wang Dali carefully accepted the amulet, treating it like a priceless treasure, and repeatedly bowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you so much, Master! Thank you so much, Master!"

Shen Jingshu put the bronze tripod into her bag, said nothing more, and continued walking slowly along the antique street.

She kept the most important purpose of her trip firmly in mind, glancing occasionally at the street corner, quietly waiting for Old Master Mo to appear. As for the ancient artifact imbued with malevolent energy, she would purify it when she had the time.