Chapter 032: She Is No Harbinger of Disaster

It was too late for regrets now. She was already tied to the Li family, and her only hope was that Li Yuan might one day make a comeback. For now, however, she had to ensure her own survival; otherwise, she would never live to see that day.

"Brother Yuan, I would like to go buy some necessities for a woman."

Li Yuan did not doubt her. The bailiffs, seeing that she was a pregnant woman in shackles, assumed she had no chance of escape and were naturally willing to turn a blind eye in exchange for a bribe. Li Yuan gave Lin Siyan five taels of silver, fretting that she might deprive herself of something, though he still added a cautious warning to spend it wisely.

He did not see the way Lin Siyan rolled her eyes to the heavens the moment she turned around. If she had wanted to live a life where she had to count every penny of five taels, would she have bothered with him? As it turned out, instead of becoming a general’s wife, she had become a prisoner’s consort.

By nightfall, the buyers from both families had returned. Li Rong was wailing, demanding accountability from Gu Yuru, though her true motive was clearly to extort money. While the two families were locked in a heated argument, Li Mumu slipped out of the inn. Sure enough, she spotted a charlatan with a goat-like beard, rolling his eyes and holding a fortune-telling sign, pacing outside the inn entrance. She curled her lips into a smile and ran over to him.

By the time she returned, the argument was still ongoing. Usually, the families wouldn't have blinked at a hundred or two hundred taels, but this was now survival money. After all the vile things the Li family had done, the Gu family had lost all trust in them. Li Rong insisted that Gu Yuru had pushed her and caused her miscarriage, while Song Qiang defended Gu Yuru and berated Li Rong for her shameless premarital pregnancy. But if Li Rong were a woman who cared about her reputation, she wouldn't have been crawling into the bailiffs' tents to begin with. Such insults meant nothing to her.

"A thousand gold pieces for a single reading, a reading rarely granted."

Amidst the bickering, the charlatan drifted into the inn's courtyard. Li Mumu cast a glance at Lin Siyan and, as expected, saw a flicker of triumph in her eyes. The Gu family members didn't even look his way; if they had money to spare, wouldn't it be better spent on steamed buns? Besides, in their current situation, what was the point of fortune-telling?

But the old Matriarch Li was different. Her daughter was important, but her own future was paramount. "Sir, sir, please stay."

The blind man stroked his goat-beard. "Which noble soul is speaking?"

"A noble soul? Yes, it is I, it is I! Sir, are you calling me a noble soul?" The old Matriarch was overjoyed, wondering if the fortuneteller was hinting at something.

"You possess the countenance of great wealth and nobility, madam."

The old Matriarch was ecstatic. She never stopped to consider that the blind man couldn't even see her, let alone whether his claim of her being destined for wealth was believable. Even a master would need to feel her bone structure first.

"But I have fallen into hard times now. It was fine before."

"Hiss, that is impossible," the blind man said, drawing a sharp breath. "I sensed a person of great wealth and nobility here, which is why I came. That person must be you, madam. How could you have fallen into hard times? It shouldn't be, truly it shouldn't."

"I really have fallen into hard times," the old Matriarch said, her face collapsing. "My old life is nearly at its end, yet you say it isn't. What is going on?"

"Hiss, madam, give me a character to look at, and I shall see where this misfortune stems from."

A character? The old Matriarch was illiterate. She thought for a moment and said, "The character for 'tired' (lei). I am truly exhausted now!"

"Hiss..."

"What is it, sir? Everyone, stop your arguing!" the old Matriarch shouted.

Lin Siyan curled her lips. Everything was going exactly as she had planned; the old hag was hopelessly superstitious. She subconsciously glanced at Li Yunchao and the others, her eyes flashing with malice when they landed on Li Mumu. *You foolish girl, aren't you trying to spite me? Aren't you ruining my good plans?*

"Look at this character for 'tired.' It contains the radical for 'field' and 'small.' You should belong to a wealthy and prosperous family, with many descendants. But... this fortune comes from the small, and misfortune also comes from the small."

Lin Siyan stifled a laugh. *This guy is quite the con artist; if I hadn't paid him two taels of silver, I might have almost believed him myself.*

"Small? Which one? I just lost a grandson."

The blind man’s expression turned solemn. "It is fortunate that I arrived. This 'small' element begins from the bottom, strangling everything above like silk threads, until eventually, the entire family fortune is ruined."

"Then... am I also... Sir, please save me!"

Song Qiang and the others scoffed. Could anyone actually believe this? Aside from Li Yuan, the Li family was uneducated and truly bought into it.

The blind man calculated on his fingers. "Madam, there must have been signs of this yesterday, correct?"

"Yes! Yesterday I was attacked by a wild beast and was nearly eaten alive."

"That is it, then. This decline is all caused by this 'small' one."

"Small one? All of you, come here! Let the immortal take a look and see who it is that dares to curse me!" the old Matriarch called her grandchildren over.

Mrs. Zhao curled her lip. "Does that even need asking? It must be that idiot. She even curses herself."

The old Matriarch had already concluded it was Li Mumu; after all, Li Yunzhe had died because of her. Regardless of who harmed whom, she was involved.

Lin Siyan curled her lips in a way that was barely visible. "Brother Yuan, can we trust this? How could the children have such power?"

Li Yuan frowned. He was skeptical, but the blind man had been hitting a bit too close to home.

"If it really is true, then who could it be?" Lin Siyan asked with intentional feigned distress.

Li Yuan remained silent, gently stroking her belly. "It certainly isn't our child."

Lin Siyan nodded. After today, the child in her womb would be the lucky star of the entire Li family.

"Not this one, not this one, and certainly not this one." The blind man shook his head at Li Fengzhu, Li Fenghua, and the three brothers of the Li Yunchao line.

"I am telling you, if you dare to spout nonsense, we will not spare you," Gu Mingjing warned.

Anyone with eyes could see where this was going—he was pointing toward Li Mumu.

"Come here, you little fool! Immortal, is it her? It's her, isn't it? My grandson was killed by her..."

"Old hag, your grandson tried to harm others and got bitten by a snake; he deserved it! What does that have to do with Mumu?" Gu Mingjing retorted, unable to stand by while they bullied the little girl.

Li Mumu was pulled over by the old Matriarch, the force nearly sending her stumbling.

"Hiss... ouch!"

"I told you she was a disaster star! Even the immortal says so now," Mrs. Zhao sneered. "It would have been better if you had listened to me and abandoned her."

Gu Yuru’s sharp gaze pierced her; so it was her idea to get rid of the girl. Mrs. Zhao pouted, "She is a disaster star. We are in this state because of her. If you had listened to me earlier, we would still be enjoying ourselves in the capital."

"A disaster star?" The blind man shook his head. "No, no, no. It is not her. The disaster star is someone else."

Lin Siyan’s expression stiffened. "Not her? Did you get it wrong? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Gu Mingjing let out a scoff. "That’s right—isn't there one more person? Doesn't your Li family have another child?"