Chapter 31: Finding a Fortune Teller, the Kind Who Is Truly Divine

The old man examined Zhang Hao with great interest before crouching down to inspect the fleece-flower root and gastrodia. Nodding, he remarked, "These appear to be a three-year-old fleece-flower root and a two-year-old gastrodia. Both are indeed wild."

He was clearly an expert—likely either a specialized medicinal herb dealer or a veteran practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. The man, whose identity hovered between the two, picked up the herbs to study them more closely.

"Still fresh. You dug these up yesterday, didn't you?" the old man asked.

Zhang Hao nodded. "Yes, just yesterday. I left them at home overnight and let them sit in the sun for a while this morning."

"Mhm." The old man brought the herbs to his nose to sniff them, then examined them once more in detail.

After a moment, he stood up, leaning on his cane, and said with a smile, "Young man, please wrap these up for me. I’ll take them both."

A sharp intake of breath hissed through the air. The man at the neighboring pork stall gasped, his eyes bulging and pupils constricting. To think those few herbs were worth over twenty thousand yuan—he would have to sell a mountain of meat to make that kind of money.

Zhang Hao nimbly wrapped the herbs and handed them to the old man along with his pack. "That comes to 23,800. Just give me 23,000; you can keep the 800."

Since the old man had been so straightforward, Zhang Hao didn't want to appear stingy.

After the transaction was completed, the old man didn't leave immediately. Instead, he asked, "Young man, is this your full-time profession?" He gestured toward the fleece-flower root and gastrodia in the pack.

Zhang Hao didn't feel the need to hide anything and simply nodded. "I suppose you could say that."

The old man looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Let’s exchange contact information. If you find herbs like these in the future, give me a call. I will pay you above the market rate."

"It's a deal!" Zhang Hao was naturally delighted. Now he would have a reliable outlet for the herbs he gathered while trekking in the mountains.

After all, Zhang Hao’s biggest worry had been finding a quick way to sell his harvests. Medicinal herbs possess a certain spiritual quality. While they might not be rare treasures, everything in the mountains holds a spirit of its own. If these herbs were left sitting around for too long, their medicinal potency would diminish, and their value would inevitably drop. With this old man as a buyer, he no longer had to worry about where to sell his future finds.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and the old man departed with the pack.

"Young man, is this business really that profitable?" the pork vendor asked, his eyes gleaming with envy.

Zhang Hao waved his hand. "Well, brother, if you happen to find them, it’s profitable. But if you don't? Besides, these things take two or three years to grow; the time cost is just too high."

The vendor pursed his lips and nodded. "That’s true. Better for me to just keep selling my pork."

"Oh, right, brother, let me ask you something," Zhang Hao said, his brow furrowing slightly. "Is there anyone in this town known for being an incredibly accurate fortune teller?"

The vendor paused, stroking his stubble as he thought for a moment. "There is one, supposedly. I’ve only heard others talk about him, though."

"They say there’s an old Taoist who is remarkably gifted. You just sit there, and without you saying a word, he can calculate your name and your past experiences. You don't even need to give him your birth date or time. And the most legendary thing about him is that they say he can communicate with ghosts and spirits!"

"Oh?" Zhang Hao’s interest was piqued. "Is he really that good?"

The vendor chuckled. "How would I know? I’ve never consulted him myself."

"Do you know where to find him?" Zhang Hao asked.

The vendor considered this. "People say the old Taoist often sets up a booth in Wulong Park. He’s quite ugly—about as ugly as they come—and wears a tattered Taoist robe. But he isn't always there."

As ugly as could be, wearing a tattered robe... this Taoist certainly sounded distinctive.

Just as Zhang Hao was pondering this, the vendor spoke up again. "Hey, young man, your wife is back."

Zhang Hao pulled his thoughts back to the present and looked up. Li Siyu, dressed in a sky-blue *ruqun*, approached slowly, holding a few lab reports in one hand and gently lifting her skirt with the other.

Regardless of the time or place, Li Siyu in her traditional Hanfu was always the center of attention. She looked exactly like a woman who had stepped right out of an ancient painting.

"Tsk, tsk, young man, you are truly a lucky fellow!" the vendor said, gritting his teeth while forcing a smile.

Zhang Hao didn't linger. "Alright, brother, let’s have a drink some other time. I’ll be heading off now."

With a brief farewell, he trotted over to meet her.

When he reached Li Siyu, Zhang Hao asked with a bright smile, "How were the results?"

Li Siyu paused, looking at him thoughtfully for a moment before saying softly, "It’s quite strange. The doctor said my condition has improved significantly of a sudden. We’ll see what the next check-up shows."

"Suddenly improved?" Zhang Hao was elated. He nodded to himself, then asked suspiciously, "Could it be because of the *Xuduan* decoction from last night?"

Li Siyu blinked, shaking her head to indicate she didn't know. After leaving the hospital, she had already been considering that possibility. Yesterday, she had been coughing incessantly with a tight chest. But after drinking that bowl of *Xuduan* decoction, she had broken into a sweat and fallen into a deep sleep; when she woke up this morning, the cough and the chest tightness were gone.

Could her recovery really be linked to the *Xuduan* decoction?

But... she had sought help from both Chinese and Western doctors since the beginning of her illness, and had taken countless medications without any improvement—at best, they had only managed to slow the progression of her symptoms.

Could a single bowl of *Xuduan* decoction really have brought about such a significant improvement? That seemed rather unlikely to her. Unless that bowl of decoction had been some sort of miraculous elixir. Yet, other than that, she hadn't consumed anything else, and her life had gone on as usual.

Zhang Hao murmured to himself, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe it really is. I’ll look for more things like that when I go into the mountains again, and I’ll come back and keep brewing them to nourish your body."

Li Siyu gazed at the man in front of her, watching the genuine smile on his face and the joy in his eyes. Though she wasn't certain if it was truly related to the decoction, she felt his sincerity with absolute certainty.

"Thank you..." she whispered, her voice no louder than a fly's buzz.

"What was that?" Zhang Hao asked reflexively, having not quite heard her.

Li Siyu shook her head. "It’s nothing. Did you sell your herbs?"

"Yes, I did. Sold them for over twenty thousand." Zhang Hao’s mouth curled upward uncontrollably. Having earned his first pot of gold through his own hard work, he couldn't help but share the news—especially with the woman who was his fiancée and would be his partner in life.

Li Siyu’s eyes widened slightly, her lips parted, and a smile followed. "Mhm. You keep the money; spend it wisely. If you need more, just tell me."

"Let's go home."

With that, Li Siyu turned to walk toward the bus station. But Zhang Hao didn't move. "It’s still early. Come with me to one more place."

With those words, he took hold of Li Siyu's hand, which was tucked into her loose sleeve, and flagged down a passing taxi.

"Get in."

Li Siyu looked puzzled, completely bewildered as to what he was doing, but she climbed into the car, lifting her skirt as she stepped inside.

Once the door was closed, Zhang Hao said to the driver, "Sir, Wulong Park, please."

"You got it," the driver replied.

The taxi pulled away, heading straight down the road ahead.