Chapter 15: Within Half a Month, Your Family Will Be the First to Die

This was not the first time Fu Qiqi had thrown her arm around Shen Du’s shoulders in the manner of a good brother. Shen Du was already accustomed to it. Yet, his body betrayed him—his muscles tensed slightly.

Seeing Shen Du so nervous, Fu Qiqi let out a soft chuckle. “Captain Shen, it’s too late for regrets now.”

Shen Du, a bit out of sorts, asked instinctively, “Regret?”

“Yes! We agreed on three meals a day, and I’m the one putting in the labor!”

Hearing this, he paused briefly, then replied firmly, “No regrets whatsoever.”

Fu Qiqi smiled mischievously, retracting her hand and tapping his left shoulder with her fingertips, a faint ripple of spiritual energy emanating.

After about ten minutes, the two settled down at a small stir-fry restaurant nearby. The place was modest but tidy, and since it was past peak mealtime, it wasn’t crowded. The dishes mostly leaned toward medium spiciness and were reasonably priced.

Both favored spicy food, so this spot was perfect.

“Xiao Li and the others often come here for late-night snacks; the taste should be decent,” Shen Du said as he pulled out a napkin to clean the chopsticks he handed over, then poured a cup of barley tea.

Fu Qiqi took off her snake-patterned hat, set it aside, and sipped the tea while speaking, “The hospital’s matters are difficult to handle; it might take some time.”

The Taoist Association’s failure to investigate the hospital’s affairs was due to insufficient ability.

Shen Du never expected Fu Qiqi to resolve everything on her own.

The president once mentioned that each elder possessed different strengths. The Second Elder excelled in divination and prediction, but Fu Qiqi had only grasped a fragment of that knowledge.

“Perhaps other elders in the association could assist you.” But that would require her to visit the association personally.

Fu Qiqi shook her head. “The time hasn’t come.”

Shen Du didn’t press further. “I read a book before that mentioned the Floating Cloud Taoist Temple.”

He left it at that, trusting Fu Qiqi to understand his implication.

She smiled gently. “It’s all true. Our temple was once at its peak, you know?”

If not for certain events later on, it wouldn’t have fallen into such ruin.

She had a hunch that a deeper conspiracy lay beneath it all.

Perhaps connected to the Taoist Association’s decline.

The stir-fry restaurant’s landlady quickly brought out the dishes.

Shen Du served two bowls of rice himself, sat down, and said, “I believe in your abilities, Miss Fu, but I also hope you won’t have to bear this burden alone.”

He wished that when difficulties arose, Fu Qiqi would be willing to accept help from others.

Fu Qiqi nodded perfunctorily, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the pickled fish. “Do I look like someone who fights alone? I hate it—I hate not being able to find free labor.”

Turning sorrow into appetite.

Once they lifted Wen Yanfeng’s curse, she could finally reap the rewards from her own efforts.

Shen Du looked at Fu Qiqi, a flicker of realization in his eyes. Was she scheming something?

He had a good appetite and finished his meal quickly before saying, “This afternoon, I’m heading to Luo City. Deputy Captain Hao and his team are making slow progress; their return date is uncertain.”

Fu Qiqi nodded. “Captain Shen, you don’t need to report your schedule to me.”

“You live at my place, so I have to keep you informed. While I’m away, Xiao Li will deliver your meals on time. Here’s his number.”

She took the business card and slipped it into her pocket, contemplating whether she should buy a phone.

After finishing the meal, Shen Du paid the bill and left, while Fu Qiqi nibbled on a carrot.

Just how many fruits and vegetables was she carrying? Wasn’t she full yet?

As she pondered this, Fu Qiqi opened her empty hand.

“Captain Shen, a safety talisman.”

He took it calmly, slipped it into his pocket, then pulled out a bunch of keys. “Miss Fu, these are the keys to my place, plus the community access card.”

There was something oddly off about how he said that.

He glanced at his phone; it was getting late. After a quick word with Fu Qiqi, he hurried away.

Fu Qiqi, deep in thought, looked at the house keys, brushing aside the strange feeling, and walked for over half an hour until she reached a small phone shop.

The young man at the counter had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, fingers tapping loudly on the keyboard without lifting his head. “Pick whatever you want yourself. The boss isn’t here if you need phone or computer repairs.”

Fu Qiqi didn’t mind his attitude and browsed the shop.

It was a small place, with glass cabinets on either side displaying various phones, prices labeled beneath. Some were expensive, others affordable.

In the end, she chose an old-fashioned phone for two hundred yuan—just being able to make calls was enough.

“Hello, will you sell that phone for a hundred?”

“Damn, do you have eyes growing in your backside or something?!”

Fu Qiqi was speechless.

Even knowing he wasn’t cursing her personally, she still felt insulted.

“You’re so hopeless, you’ll never reach the top rank in your next life. Even playing cards, people think you’re brainless.” The man spat a few more insults until the opposing team successfully destroyed a tower.

He slammed the keyboard, cigarette clenched between his teeth, and finally looked up. “What did you just say?”

His expression froze when he saw it was a young woman. Bai Zekai cursed under his breath.

She was seriously attractive.

Fu Qiqi had originally intended to haggle, but after seeing his face, she changed her mind. She propped one hand on the table. “Want me to read your fortune?”

“Read my fortune?” Bai Zekai ran a hand through his hair, striking a self-assured pose. “That’s a pretty novel way to start a conversation. No problem, I’m happy to add you as a friend.”

While speaking, he unlocked his phone and brought up a QR code.

Fu Qiqi said nothing, calmly picking up an orange from the table.

Bai Zekai: ?

She was eating his orange right in front of him?

Then, in the calmest voice imaginable, Fu Qiqi uttered something truly audacious.

“In less than half a month, the first death in your family will occur.”

Bai Zekai’s dazzling smile stiffened.

His fluttering heart sank abruptly. He laughed mockingly, “Miss, you’re not some kind of fraud, are you?”

Being cursed out of the blue by a girl, he wouldn’t resort to violence—but his attitude certainly wouldn’t improve.

Especially after seeing her eat his orange right in front of him; that only made him angrier.

“You…”

“Your village used to be called Baize Village because of a legend: your ancestors were blessed by the divine beast Baize, possessing its bloodline.”

Bai Zekai swallowed his anger, caught somewhere between disbelief and shock. “How do you know that?”

His grandfather had clearly said it was a village secret, never to be told to outsiders.

Had a traitor emerged among them?

“You liar! Are you secretly involved with someone from our village?”

Bai Zekai’s eyes flashed with panic.

“Hey—” Fu Qiqi gave him a mature, reproachful look, as if gazing at a wayward child.

“Unbelievable. I don’t change my name or identity. I am Fu Qiqi, the current head of the Floating Cloud Taoist Temple.”

Her dramatic declaration did little to ease Bai Zekai’s skepticism.

Though the name Floating Cloud Taoist Temple sounded vaguely familiar, as if he’d heard it somewhere.

“The storytellers can’t stop talking, but don’t think I’m dumb or easy to fool. The whole street calls me Master Bai for my smarts. Don’t think you can trick me just because you’re pretty. No chance.”

Fu Qiqi scratched her ear, tossed the orange peel into the trash, and looked him squarely in the eye. “Then why don’t you just open a window?”

Bai Zekai was speechless.

“I don’t care how you learned this information; you’d better explain it right now!”