A Minor Lesson to Deter Future Misbehavior

The beautiful woman was wandering aimlessly, looking listless and clearly lacking interest. As she passed in front of Yang Rui's shop, her footsteps paused slightly. She cast a sidelong glance at the oddly styled shop owner—a large, low-brimmed hat遮ing half his face, paired with a pretentious pipe, making him look like a botched-up comedian. A trace of undisguised sarcasm curled the corners of her lips, and with a light snort, she turned to leave.

This hint of contempt was like a spark igniting Yang Rui's heart! Looked down upon by a beauty? This directly violated his supreme taboo! An urge for mischief surged up instantly.

"Miss, please stay!" Yang Rui's voice was not loud, yet carried a deliberately profound tone. "Observing your glabella is dark and murky, the divine light in your eyes is scattered, and your footsteps are unsteady and weak... Tsk, I'm afraid disaster and bloodshed are right before your eyes!" This was pure nonsense, spoken solely to exact revenge for that contempt.

The beauty paused, slowly turning around. Her beautiful mixed-race eyes were filled with mockery. "Ha, an outdated cliché! Can't you charlatans come up with something fresh? Such a ridiculously clumsy trick!"

"My, my," Yang Rui spread his hands in feigned surprise, "you seem like an educated and respectable person, why are your words so harsh? I was merely offering a kind warning. Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you." He wore an expression of regret that loyal advice was hard to swallow.

"Save your breath! This lady eats well and sleeps even better!" The beauty retorted, turning to leave.

"Please, please!" Yang Rui made a flamboyant gesture of invitation, striking the pose to perfection.

Having already started walking away, she was provoked by his feigned magnanimity into stopping once more. Taking a few steps back into the shop with her chin slightly raised, she challenged, "How strange. Is this street yours? This lady comes and goes as she pleases; is that any of your business?"

Oh ho, a spicy one! Yang Rui was amused inside. The night was long, and teasing her would help pass the time.

"Business? Of course not!" Yang Rui chuckled, flashing a row of white teeth, and casually bit down on his pipe, radiating a roguish aura. "However..." He lowered his voice, adopting a mysterious tone as he motioned with his chin toward the pitch-black, deep alley behind him. "Let me kindly remind you, this neighborhood hasn't been peaceful lately! Just a few days ago, right inside that alley..." He intentionally paused to build suspense, "...there was a rape-murder case! Tsk, tsk, such a lively, vibrant young girl, and just like that, she's gone! Her beauty withered and she perished!"

"What?!" The beauty's expression shifted slightly, and she instinctively wrapped her coat tighter around herself. "How come I haven't heard about this?"

"There are plenty of things you haven't heard about!" Yang Rui shook his head with affected solemnity. "I heard that night, many people heard the girl's piercing screams, yet no one dared to step forward! Unable to bear the humiliation, the girl committed suicide right on the spot!" His voice was ethereal, as if telling a ghost story. "What's even weirder is that her resentment is said to be towering, her grievance lingering! Whenever midnight arrives..." He deliberately slowed his pace to build a terrifying atmosphere, "...she wanders back and forth in that alley, weeping and wailing, refusing to rest in peace..."

The beauty's originally fair cheeks instantly drained of all color, turning as pale as paper. She couldn't help glancing toward the dark mouth of the alley, her eyes filled with terror.

"And what's more," Yang Rui struck while the iron was hot, lowering his voice even further with a seductive tone, "the elders say this lingering spirit specifically preys on pretty girls like you! Once she sets her sights on you, she clings like a shadow, entangling you day and night until..." He suddenly tilted his ear, pretending to listen. "Shh! Listen... Is there some sound? ... It seems... she's come out again... right over there..."

"Ah—!!" A piercing scream tore through the night sky! Terrified out of her wits, the beauty spun around and bolted toward the brightly lit crowd. In her panic, a dull thud echoed as she tripped heavily to the ground, apparently twisting her ankle. Yet ignoring the pain, she scrambled up in a clumsy, limping scramble, fleeing desperately toward the distant light without ever looking back, the sound of her high heels striking the pavement chaotic and panicked.

Watching her panicked fleeing figure, Yang Rui was immensely amused, slapping his thigh and laughing heartily. "That'll teach you to judge people by their covers! A minor punishment to let you see what I'm capable of! Look, I told you danger was coming and you refused to believe me. Retribution is swift, isn't it?" His heart was filled with the satisfaction of a successful prank.

Just as he was basking in triumph, a cold, clear voice sounded by his side without warning, scaring him so much he almost jumped right out of his grand master's chair:

"It really is you! You've made me search everywhere!"

Hearing the voice, Yang Rui turned his head. Under the dim halo of the streetlamp stood Wu Yun! Accompanying her was a slightly younger woman whose appearance was not a whit inferior to Wu Yun's. Yang Rui secretly praised in his heart: Tsk, what kind of day is it today, beauties gathering in flocks?

"Can't your 'studio' pick a slightly brighter spot?" Wu Yun rubbed her slightly chilled, reddened hands, exhaled a puff of white vapor, and unceremoniously sat down in the armchair opposite Yang Rui, completely ignoring her female companion.

"That is where you are mistaken!" Yang Rui slightly lifted the brim of his hat, revealing a confident smile. "As the saying goes, 'True gold fears no fierce fire, fine wine fears no deep alley.' My reputation as 'Master Yang' is not propped up by location!" His tone was natural, without a trace of embarrassment.

"Oh, give it over! I reckon you're just afraid of being targeted by the anti-vice bureau!" Wu Yun unmercifully exposed him.

"Ahem, ahem!" Yang Rui dry-coheghed to cover his awkwardness, swiftly cutting to the chase. "Did you bring it?"

"Bring what?" Wu Yun was momentarily stunned.

"The consultation fee!" Yang Rui said solemnly. "Though we are colleagues, feng shui divination and fortune-telling follow the rule that 'the dharma is never practiced for free.' Taking not a single penny means the heavenly dao won't respond!"

"Alright, alright! You'll get what's yours!" Wu Yun waved her hand impatiently. "Hurry up! By the way, take off that wretched hat of yours. What kind of mystery are you trying to put on in the middle of the night? And this pipe of yours, bought from some street corner stall, do you even know how to use it?" She cast a disdainful glance at the pipe beside Yang Rui's hand.

Yang Rui initially wanted to retort, but realizing arguing with a woman was entirely futile, he grudgingly removed the fedora that concealed half his face. The moment his eyes were revealed—they were clear, bright, devoid of a single impurity, as if capable of reflecting the human heart.

Wu Yun nodded with satisfaction. "Hmm, now you look somewhat human!"

Her companion beside her also froze slightly, clearly not expecting this "charming charlatan" to possess such clean eyes. Tilting her head, she playfully winked at Wu Yun, the two of them exchanging a tacit, knowing smile.

Under normal circumstances, Yang Rui would have indulged in some glib banter, but in "work" mode, he maintained his own "professional ethics"—teasing beauties was a trivial matter, but smashing his own signboard was a grave one.

收敛起惯常的散漫 (Restraining his habitual casualness), Yang Rui's expression grew exceptionally solemn. Fixing his gaze on Wu Yun's face, his eyes were as sharp as blades: "Miss Wu, examining your physiognomy closely today, while there is no impending disaster of bloodshed, you are entangled by minor misfortunes, with dark energies coalescing. If left unchecked and unmitigated, as time passes, I fear it will brew into a lifelong regret, too late for remorse!"