Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 5

The news that Liu the Scabby had been smashed head-bloody by a window frame and knocked unconscious spread like wildfire, covering the entire Wushui Town in less than half a day.

Along with it, the young girl who set up a fortune-telling stall at the bridgehead instantly became the town’s hottest topic.

“Did you hear? That little fortune-telling girl at the bridgehead is truly divine!”

“Isn’t she though! She said Liu the Scabby would suffer a bloody calamity within three days, and look, on the third day, Liu the Scabby took such a huge fall!”

“I saw it with my own eyes! That window fell, precisely, right on his head! It’s spooky, truly too spooky!”

“What spooky? I think that girl is simply a living immortal descended to earth! Otherwise, how could she predict so accurately?”

In teahouses, taverns, fields, and by the women’s laundry stones, everyone was discussing this matter.

Though few knew Su Mingyue’s name, “the young fortune-telling girl at the bridgehead” and “Daoist Buyu” (this title gradually spread due to the old malt candy seller’s promotion) became household names in Wushui Town.

The rumors grew increasingly fantastical.

Some said the girl could perform divinations, knowing five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future.

Some said she could not only tell fortunes but also exorcise evil and cure illnesses; once she acted, there was no illness she couldn’t cure.

Even more embellished versions claimed to have seen the girl flick her finger, causing Liu the Scabby’s two thugs to fall flat on their faces—clearly an immortal’s magic!

For a time, the entire Wushui Town was abuzz.

Countless people were inquiring about the whereabouts of this “living immortal.”

“Hey, do you know where that fortune-telling girl lives? My old mother hasn’t been well lately, and I want to ask her to take a look.”

“I heard she lives at the Yuelai Inn, but I don’t know if she’s still there now.”

“I need to go quickly! My son is taking exams this year, and I want her to tell him about his future prospects!”

The plump proprietress of the Yuelai Inn had an unbroken smile on her face these past two days.

Since Su Mingyue’s “one divination, instant fame,” the threshold of her small inn was almost worn out from visitors.

People came incessantly to inquire about Su Mingyue, some genuinely seeking help, others purely curious to see the “living immortal.”

Unfortunately, Su Mingyue had stayed in her room ever since she returned that day, rarely showing herself.

The plump proprietress, following Su Mingyue’s instructions, merely told outsiders that “the Daoist is in seclusion and not available to see guests,” turning away the overly enthusiastic townspeople. Even so, a crowd of people often lingered outside the inn, refusing to leave.

Su Mingyue was content with the quiet.

Apart from eating, she had basically stayed in her room these two days.

She wasn’t in seclusion, but rather meticulously analyzing the increasingly dense aura of death hanging over Wushui Town.

She discovered that the source of this death aura seemed to subtly point towards the eastern direction of the town.

And the eastern part of the town was precisely where the mansion of Huang Baiwan, Wushui Town’s richest man, was located.

“It seems the Huang family’s matter is more troublesome than I imagined,” Su Mingyue thought.

She was not in a hurry to act.

She knew that sometimes, waiting was also a strategy.

When a person reached a dead end, only then would they truly let go of all their defenses and doubts, offering the utmost sincerity to their last glimmer of hope.

And at this moment, the Huang family was indeed at its wit’s end.

Huang Yingying, the eldest daughter of the Huang family, had been suffering from a strange illness for almost a month.

Initially, it was just continuous nightmares and lethargy at night.

Gradually, it escalated to the point where every night at midnight, she would suddenly change, crying and screaming, speaking incoherently, and possessing such strength that even several sturdy matrons couldn’t hold her down.

During the day, she was drowsy and wouldn’t eat or drink, visibly wasting away day by day. What was once a vibrant, beautiful girl was now gaunt, reduced to skin and bones.

Huang Baiwan was burning with anxiety, spending his family fortune to seek medical treatment for his daughter.

He invited all the famous doctors from hundreds of miles around, both Chinese and Western.

So-called tranquilizing soups and soul-settling powders, when ingested, were like stones dropped into the sea, showing no effect whatsoever.

Western doctors were even more helpless, unable to find any pathological cause, merely saying it was a mental problem and suggesting she be sent to a large hospital in the provincial capital.

But in her current state, how could Huang Yingying endure the rigors of a long journey?

Huang Baiwan even invited monks from nearby temples and Daoists from local temples to perform rituals, hoping to drive away the “evil spirits” from his daughter.

Much incense was burned, many sutras chanted, and much money spent, but Huang Yingying’s illness showed no improvement; instead, it tended to worsen.

The night before last, when Huang Yingying had an attack, she even used her fingernails to scratch bloody marks on the wall, and strange, unsettling, genderless laughter emanated from her mouth, terrifying Mr. and Mrs. Huang out of their wits.

“Master, what are we to do! Yingying… she hasn’t really been possessed by something unclean, has she?”

Madam Huang cried daily, her eyes almost blind from tears.

Huang Baiwan was also deeply troubled, seeming to have aged more than ten years overnight.

His vast family estate, his immense wealth, seemed so pale and powerless in the face of his daughter’s strange illness.

Just as the entire Huang household plunged into despair, the Huang family’s old butler, Huang Zhong, brought back news from outside.

“Master, Madam,” Huang Zhong ran into the main hall, breathless, a hint of unbelievable excitement on his face, “I… I heard some news! Perhaps… perhaps the young miss’s illness can be cured!”

“What news? Tell me quickly!” Huang Baiwan asked eagerly, as if clutching at a life-saving straw.

Madam Huang also stopped crying, looking at the butler expectantly.

Huang Zhong caught his breath and said, “Master, do you still remember the commotion about Liu the Scabby two days ago in town?”

Huang Baiwan frowned: “I’ve heard a little, what about it?” His mind had been entirely on his daughter these past few days; he had no time to concern himself with such trivial matters.

“It’s that fortune-telling girl!” Huang Zhong said excitedly, “Everyone says her predictions are incredibly accurate! She said Liu the Scabby would suffer a bloody calamity within three days, and as a result, Liu the Scabby really did suffer a bloody head injury! Now it’s spread throughout the town that the girl is a living immortal descended to earth, able not only to tell fortunes but also to exorcise evil and cure illnesses; there’s no illness she can’t cure!”

“A living immortal?”

Huang Baiwan was half-believing, half-doubting.

He had invited so many famous doctors and experts who were all helpless; what ability could a young fortune-telling girl from the streets possess?

“Uncle Zhong, do you believe such charlatan talk?”

Huang Mingyuan, Huang Baiwan’s son, who had studied at a new-style school in the provincial capital, walked out from the side hall, his face full of disapproval.

“I think it’s mostly exaggerated rumors. Father, we should still find a way to send little sister to a big hospital in the provincial capital. Those so-called ‘living immortals’ are all swindlers!”

Huang Zhong grew anxious: “Young Master, that’s not right! That girl is no ordinary charlatan! I specifically inquired, and they all say her abilities are great!

Moreover, Liu the Scabby’s incident happened in plain sight; it couldn’t be faked! Now, people in town who want to ask her for treatment have almost worn out the inn’s threshold, but that girl rarely sees guests.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Huang’s eyes rekindled with a glimmer of hope: “Master, why don’t we… invite her to try? Anyway… anyway, we’ve already tried so many methods; one more won’t hurt. What if… what if she truly has abilities?”

She was now desperate, willing to try anything as long as there was a glimmer of hope.

Huang Baiwan pondered silently.

He was a businessman and had never believed in these supernatural things.

But his daughter’s illness was simply too bizarre, even Western doctors couldn’t find a cause, which made him begin to wonder if she truly had been entangled by something evil.

Moreover, what the butler said made sense; since it was rumored so divinely in town, perhaps there was some truth to her abilities.

“Where is that girl… now?” Huang Baiwan asked.

“She lives at the Yuelai Inn at the end of town,” Huang Zhong quickly replied. “However… I heard she has a peculiar temper and rarely acts easily. Should we… should we prepare a generous gift and go invite her ourselves?”

Huang Mingyuan scoffed from the side: “Father, you actually believe it? I think she’s just putting on airs, trying to raise her value. I’ve seen too many of these charlatans!”

“Mingyuan, shut up!” Huang Baiwan glared at his son. “Your sister is in this state now; as long as there’s a sliver of hope, we must try! Uncle Zhong, prepare a generous gift, and bring a few capable men. We will personally go to the Yuelai Inn! No matter what, we must invite this ‘Daoist Buyu’ to the mansion!”

He no longer cared about his dignity or reputation; as long as he could save his daughter’s life, he would do anything.

“Yes, Master! I’ll go prepare immediately!” Huang Zhong acknowledged the command and hastily retreated.

Huang Mingyuan watched his father and the butler hurrying off, shaking his head helplessly. However, he secretly made up his mind that when the so-called “Daoist” arrived, he would expose her deception face to face, lest his family be swindled out of their money and his sister’s condition be delayed.

The rain in Wushui Town drizzled all day, as if mourning the Huang family’s plight.

Behind the tightly closed window on the upper floor of the Yuelai Inn, Su Mingyue quietly watched the rain curtain, tossing three coins onto the table.