Watching the two walk towards the car, the smile on Yu Daochen's face vanished in an instant, replaced by seriousness.
It was just as he had seen.
The moment he first saw Feng Ru, Yu Daochen noticed the black aura surrounding her 'ming gong' (命宫 - a facial feature indicating destiny).
This black aura was terrifyingly heavy, already affecting her career and wealth, and even threatening her loved ones!
To put it bluntly, it meant family ruin and even the end of her own life.
He was also certain that Feng Ru's facial appearance hadn't been like this for just a day or two; it might have been present since birth.
Yu Daochen had noticed the black aura around Feng Ru's face before, but he had lost his memory and understood nothing then.
Now, however, he was certain that this was a 'si ju zhi xiang' (死局之相 - a facial appearance indicating a hopeless situation).
And it wasn't a sudden misfortune; it had been there from the moment she was born.
Could it be... a 'si jie' (死劫 - a fatal tribulation)?
Yu Daochen's expression changed drastically, his fists clenching.
No, it absolutely wasn't a 'si jie', nor could it be.
He had seen 'si jie' before, and they didn't manifest as this kind of facial appearance with a black aura.
But if it wasn't a 'si jie', why would it show such a facial appearance?
Generally speaking, when a facial appearance shows a black aura, something bad happens soon after, but his sister hadn't experienced anything bad yet.
But why this facial appearance?
Damn it, why wasn't he a fortune teller!
Yu Daochen's fists clenched with a creaking sound. All his life, those around him had met with misfortune.
Absolutely nothing must happen to his sister!
Seeing Yu Daochen standing still, Feng Ru suddenly called out, "Why are you just standing there? Get in the car."
"Okay."
Yu Daochen smiled and stepped into the car.
Feng Ru started the engine and said, "Destination, Food City."
"Yay~"
Yu Yijun, in the passenger seat, was already eager.
The car slowly drove off towards Food City.
Soon, Feng Ru drove to Food City, found an empty parking spot, and looked at Yu Yijun in the passenger seat, smiling, "Little girl, where should we start eating?"
Yu Yijun blurted out without hesitation, "Let's start with hamburgers."
Feng Ru nodded, got out of the car, and led Yu Yijun towards McDonald's.
Yu Daochen, following behind, smiled faintly and made up an excuse, "My stomach hurts a bit. You guys go ahead, I'll find you later."
"Okay, call us later then."
Feng Ru nodded.
This kid had been quiet since earlier, so it was a stomachache.
"Mm, I'll find you later."
Yu Daochen replied, and Feng Ru pulled Yu Yijun into Food City.
After the two left, Yu Daochen immediately flipped to a number and dialed.
"Ring... ring... ring..."
The call was answered, and a man's voice came through, "Master Yu, I was just looking for you."
Yu Daochen didn't give him a chance to speak and said, "Old Shi, I have a question for you, and you must answer me truthfully."
Hearing Yu Daochen's serious tone, the person on the other end replied, "Sure, ask away."
Yu Daochen immediately asked, "Is it possible for a 'si jie' facial appearance to have a constant black aura?"
Shi Bingzhi on the other end thought for a moment and answered affirmatively, "No, if there's a constant black aura, it's definitely not a 'si jie'."
Hearing this, Yu Daochen was overjoyed.
Shi Bingzhi was a 'she dao ren' (赊刀人 - a term referring to fortune tellers who sell their services on credit or make predictions), so what he said was absolutely correct.
As long as it wasn't a 'si jie', he would find a way to break this tribulation.
Yu Daochen then asked again, "What does this facial appearance mean, and how can it be broken?"
Shi Bingzhi, hearing the urgency in Yu Daochen's voice, pondered for a moment and said, "I can't make a definitive judgment without seeing the person. Let me come over and take a look."
"Okay."
Yu Daochen nodded excitedly, "Great, I'll send you my location in a moment."
"Mm."
Shi Bingzhi replied, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Master Yu, I have something to tell you."
"Mm, go ahead."
Yu Daochen hummed, having heard that he had something to tell him earlier.
Shi Bingzhi organized his thoughts and slowly began, "Master Yu, the Yan Shu Sect seems to be colluding with the Divine Religion."
Upon hearing this, Yu Daochen's face turned pale with shock, and his smile became strained. "Brother Shi, that's not a funny joke. You can eat anything, but you can't say anything."
Shi Bingzhi on the other end replied, "Master Yu, do I look like someone who makes jokes?"
Hearing this, Yu Daochen fell silent.
In fact, he already knew that given Shi Bingzhi's personality, he wouldn't say something like this without absolute certainty.
Colluding with the Divine Religion, what did that mean? It meant taking a stand against the entire martial world, no, the entire human realm.
The Divine Religion was an enemy of all, and if they were truly colluding, then the sect's destruction would be inevitable.
Although he and Zhang Xiaoqiang were not on good terms, this was no small matter.
Given his character, he wouldn't do something like this.
But Shi Bingzhi wouldn't joke about such a thing.
"Is there conclusive evidence?" Yu Daochen asked.
Shi Bingzhi didn't elaborate over the phone, "This matter is complicated. I'll explain in detail when I get there."
"Okay."
Yu Daochen hummed, then hung up the phone and sent his location to Shi Bingzhi via WeChat.
Putting his phone in his pocket, Yu Daochen fell into thought.
Qiangzi, are you truly colluding with the Divine Religion?
If it were the Qiangzi of the past, if anyone dared to say he was colluding with the Divine Religion, he would be the first to stand up for him.
But the current him... he couldn't guarantee it.
But why would he need to collude with the Divine Religion?
Things were definitely not as simple as they seemed!
With this thought, Yu Daochen immediately took out his phone and found the number labeled 'Qiangzi'.
His finger was about to tap it when he hesitated.
What tone should he use to speak to him now?
Or rather, how should he start the conversation?
His finger hovered over the screen, unwilling to press down.
After much deliberation, Yu Daochen finally put his phone back into his pocket.
Whether it was not knowing how to start, or the intention to speak to him in person.
In the sect leader's residence in the backyard of the Yan Shu Sect, Zhang Xiaoqiang, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked at himself in the mirror, touched the shocking scar on his face, and wore a bitter expression.
Just then, Su Qing walked over, placed a hand on Zhang Xiaoqiang's back, and spoke softly, full of tenderness, "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have this scar on your face. I..."
Before she could finish, Zhang Xiaoqiang turned around, embraced Su Qing, his eyes full of tenderness, "Silly girl, we're about to get married. Don't overthink things. Trading this scar for you is the most worthwhile thing I've ever done."
Su Qing looked at Zhang Xiaoqiang, her happiness evident, and tentatively asked, "Will Su Lai and Da Hu come?"