"Little Sister Yue is truly adorable!" Ye Tianyu laughed, wondering why he hadn't noticed before how amusing Yun Qianyue could be. She seemed different ever since that day in the palace.
Master Lingyin sighed helplessly, giving a bitter smile. "Miss Qianyue, I don't recall offending you."
Yun Qianyue thought to herself, You haven't offended me, but you're still a charlatan. I'm a soul from another world residing in someone else's body. By fate, we're destined to clash unless your divination skills aren't sharp enough to expose me. She steadied herself, putting on a fake smile. "I have a natural aversion to charlat— no, to monks. So, please, keep your distance."
Rongjing seemed to chuckle softly.
"And there you are, laughing again. Aren't you worried about laughing until your teeth fall out?" Yun Qianyue scolded him.
Under the sunlight, Rongjing's elegant features looked even more striking. Smiling at her, he said warmly, "Alright, I'll stop."
Master Lingyin looked at Yun Qianyue and sighed, "Miss Qianyue, your dislike for monks is understandable. But my search for a fated individual to draw my last divination has been a long one. Miss Qianyue, you are that fated person. Would you grant me this and allow me to complete my journey as a hermit, free from worldly affairs?"
"No way!" Yun Qianyue stepped back immediately. "I am not your fated one!"
"This reading would only reveal the path ahead, not the past. It does not involve past lives, only this life's causes and effects. Miss Qianyue, I assure you, this reading will bring you no harm," Master Lingyin said earnestly.
"I still don't want it!" Yun Qianyue shook her head.
"Many people long to know their fate but are denied. Why won't you consider it?" Master Lingyin asked.
"My fate is in my hands, not in the hands of the heavens! I don't believe in destiny, so there's no need for a reading," Yun Qianyue scoffed. She then added seriously, "No more talk—I'm not interested. Forcing someone against their will isn't what an honorable person would do."
"'My fate is in my hands, not in the hands of the heavens.' This is the first time I've heard such a phrase. Indeed, I was too forceful," Master Lingyin praised without any hint of displeasure.
"Since that's settled, I'll be on my way," Yun Qianyue said, waving him off.
But before she could take two steps, someone grabbed her arm firmly. Yun Muhan's earnest voice spoke, "Master, please draw a reading for her. My sister is willful, but I can't allow her to act so recklessly."
What the heck! Yun Qianyue realized she had forgotten about Yun Muhan, who had other ideas. She glared at him. "Are you really my brother? How can you disregard your sister's wishes?"
"You're free to ask Father, Grandfather, or even Auntie in the palace to verify if we share the same mother. If they all say no, I'll let you go without a reading," Yun Muhan said sternly, still holding her wrist.
Yun Qianyue looked up at the sky, feeling helpless.
"Master, please proceed with the reading," Yun Muhan addressed Master Lingyin.
Feeling trapped, Yun Qianyue turned to Rongjing for help, but he stood there, smiling as if it were none of his business. She growled, "Hey, are you really going to watch me get detained?"
"It's not me being detained," Rongjing replied.
Yun Qianyue nearly exploded from anger. She threw him a fierce look before turning to Ye Qingran. "Ye Qingran, help me out here!"
Ye Qingran stepped forward to intervene, "Muhan, if Little Sister Yue doesn't want to, don't force her. It's not good to treat her like this."
"This is a family matter of the Yun clan. Prince Qingran, it would be wise to stay out of it. Grandfather also wants her to have this reading. If she doesn't go through with it because of you, Grandfather will be furious, and you probably won't get to see her again—or have any horse races with her, for that matter," Yun Muhan warned.
Ye Qingran immediately stepped back, shrugging with a helpless smile. "Little Sister Yue, it's not that I don't want to help. I still want to be able to see you in the future."
Yun Qianyue glanced at Ye Tianyu, but after just one look, she gave up any hope of his help. With a sense of resignation, she closed her eyes and, looking like a martyr, declared, "Fine, do the reading! But you better come up with something real, or I'll rip your monk's robes and feed them to the dogs. I won't let you keep deceiving people and disturbing the world!"
Before her words had even finished, Yun Muhan's hand landed heavily on her head.
"Hey! Why'd you hit me?" Yun Qianyue glared at him furiously, wondering how she had such a brother.
"Watch your mouth! Master Lingyin is a revered monk. Having him read your fortune is a blessing. Don't take it for granted. Insulting him like that could bring you serious trouble if word gets out," Yun Muhan reprimanded her.
Yun Qianyue pursed her lips. This charlatan was indeed well-respected. Realizing her words were indeed outrageous, she decided it was better to stay silent, although her face still showed reluctance.
"Amitabha! No need to blame Miss Qianyue, Yun Gongzi. I am not offended," Master Lingyin said with a gentle smile.
Seeing Master Lingyin's smile, Yun Qianyue felt an uneasy chill, as if her very soul wanted to escape her body and flee to the farthest reaches of the sky.
"So Little Sister Yue is indeed the fated person Master Lingyin has been searching for," Ye Tianqing's voice sounded from behind.
Hearing him, Yun Qianyue's face turned even darker.
"So Qianyue is the fated person you've been seeking for your final reading?" the Yun Prince, who had come out after Ye Tianqing, asked in surprise.
"Just get on with it already! My wrist is about to break," Yun Qianyue ignored them, feeling increasingly annoyed. It was as if she'd been plagued with endless troubles ever since she arrived. She wondered if the original soul of this body had also lived in perpetual hardship.
"Amitabha! Buddha seeks the fated one, but there must also be a willing heart. While I am willing, it seems Miss Qianyue is not. Forcing her would not be in the spirit of compassion, and a reading taken by force would lose its power. It seems the time is simply not right," Master Lingyin said, clasping his hands together. "Let us leave it for another day."
YOU ARE READING
The Dandy's Duchess
Chick-Lit"The Dandy's Duchess" tells the story of the youngest and most talented general of the National Security Bureau, who sacrifices his life for his country and finds his soul transported to another world, where he is reborn as Yun Qianyue, the only leg...
