Xin Ya was Xin Guangnian's father. It was not surprising for a son to be like his father. However, he was an old man in his sixties with a ruddy complexion. Other than a few strands of white hair, he did not show his age at all. This made Yu Shu curious.
Xin Ya and Xin Guangnian had the same appearance, but the way he behaved was very different from the unscrupulous businessman. As a junior, Yu Shu stepped forward to greet him. He saluted back politely and invited her to take a seat. He played with a pair of tiger head walnuts in his palm. He asked the servant to serve tea and spoke kindly to her,
"I invited you to my house today to thank you for saving Feifei last time. The other reason is that I was curious and wanted to meet the rumored female fortune teller for a long time. I want to see what kind of person she is. Now that I have met her, she is indeed worthy of her name."
His words were nice but it sounded like an exaggeration. Yu Shu also knew how to say cheap words,
"Left Judge, you flatter me. I have been rude. I should have come earlier to visit you several times. I beg for forgiveness."
Xin Ya would not blame her. He said that Yu Shu did not come to visit him but even if she did, he would still have the time to see her.
Today, both of them were well aware of each other's intentions. After a few words, they even changed the way they addressed each other. Xin Ya called her "Miss Lianfang" and Yu Shu called him "Master Xin".
After a while, Xin Ya found an excuse to send Xin Liu out.
"I heard that you have been preparing the dishes since early in the morning. Go to the backyard and have a look. Someone will stay for lunch later. Don't be slow."
Xin Liu did not think much and went out.
Only Xin Ya and Yu Shu were left in the teahouse. The servant changed the tea and fruits and quietly retreated to the door.
Yu Shu saw the situation and knew that it was time for serious business. Sure enough, Xin Ya looked at her with a smile and said,
"I heard from Feifei that you have been in the capital for less than a year? You used to be from Yiyang in Jiangnan. "
"Yes," Yu Shu said casually, "Last year, I went to the capital for Dayan. By chance, I was able to settle down."
Xin Ya nodded and said with a tinge of emotion, "Things are different now. Back then, you were just a commoner. Now, you're a female fortune teller that everyone envies. Back then, I was just a bastard son of an aristocratic family. Later on …"
Xin Ya reminisced about the past. When Yu Shu heard the beginning, she could already guess that this was an inspirational story of a bastard son's struggle. Logically speaking, such a topic could easily resonate with a scholar from a poor family, but Yu Shu was a person with a lot of thoughts, so how could she be moved so easily?
When Xin Ya was done talking about herself, she looked at Yu Shu and said,
"I suffered a lot when I was young, so I'm happy to promote ambitious young people like you. My Xin family isn't at the top among the twelve families, but our reputation is well known outside. Every year, when the Da Yan Rankings are released, the teachers of various professions will be replaced. Many people volunteered to serve under me. Today, a portion of them have a bright future ahead of them."
Xin Ya smiled and said proudly, "Our Xin family's Great Change Shop has the most customers in An Ling. From the nobility to the martial arts scholars, the number of divinations we receive every day can fill up an entire book. There are three experienced Great Change Masters overseeing the shop. Those inexperienced Great Change Masters who serve in our Great Change Shop for a month will learn as much as what they learn in the Great Change Shop. On the contrary, it will be more convenient and the rewards will be more generous."
When Yu Shu heard this, she roughly understood the reason why Xin Ya asked her to come today. It was to invite her to serve in Xin Ri's Great Change Hall. Even though she had already planned to reject the offer, she could not help but be tempted now.
She did not care about the reward, but it was a rare opportunity to come in contact with more difficult divination questions and exchange knowledge with experienced Great Change Masters.
She had studied the Law of Time of Calamity for so long and she already had a way to make up for it. The only thing she lacked was time. This was the foundation of her life and there were many uses for it.
This was a breakthrough in her learning of Great Change, but it also reminded her of the bottleneck she was about to face. After completing the Law of Time of Calamity, she had to learn what she should study next.
The Chaotic Sky Divination Record that she got from Jing Chen was an amazing book on astrology. However, without Jing Chen's guidance, it would be difficult for her to improve in this field.
As for the rest, such as the Law of Rain and Feng Shui, these were all small skills. As for physiognomy and writing, she was just a beginner and could not even be considered a dabbler.
Thinking about it this way, other than the Law of Time of Calamity, she had no other skills that she could use.
Of course, the Art of Six Trigrams was not inferior to the Chaotic Sky Divination Record. However, her innate talent was extremely poor, so she could not comprehend it deeply. At that time, Daoist Qing Zheng taught her the Art of Six Trigrams only so that she could perform divination herself and make up for her eight characters.
Otherwise, it would definitely be a powerful weapon.
The principles of the Six Lines and Six Lines could predict natural disasters and ask about national affairs. Even if it was only 50% accurate, it would be enough to make her wake up laughing even in her dreams.
Just as Yu Shu was reflecting on her actions, Xin Ya finally returned to the topic at hand.
"I know that you have not been on good terms with any mansion or aristocratic family in the capital. You only have a name in a restaurant and manage some accounts. However, listen to my advice. Those who learn Great Change should avoid wasting their talents. In the long run, it will not be good for their reputation. Moreover, you are a genius. Why don't you find a Great Change Hall in the capital?"
Yu Shu thought about it and smiled bitterly.
"It's not that I have never thought of working in a Great Change Hall. To tell you the truth, before I finished my studies, I set up a stall in the south of the city to tell fortunes when I first came to the capital. I earned some traveling expenses. However, after I passed the Dayan examination, I offended the Sage Fortune Teller, Han Wenguang. I believe that many Great Change Halls did not look for me because of this reason."
Xin Ya's eyes flashed. Naturally, she brought up the topic.
"I have also heard about this. Previously, I was busy with work and did not manage to invite you. If Miss Lianfang is willing, you can come to our Great Change Hall. We will definitely guarantee you a place."
Xin Ya's plan was well thought out. Yu Shu was a master of disguise, and the moment she entered the Xin Family's Great Disguise Hall, in the eyes of outsiders, she would become a member of the Xin Family. With this stamp, even if she did not do anything, she would be able to use her Death Sealing Art to bring her family's reputation to a whole new level.
In the future, if anyone mentioned the Art of Death, they would look for either the female fortune teller or the Great Change Hall of the Xin Family. They would ask for many benefits.
In comparison, it was not worth mentioning whether Han Wenguang would mind.
Xin Ya knew that Yu Shu was not a fool. After hearing his invitation, she hesitated for a moment and shook her head.
"Thank you for your kindness, Old Master Xin. However, I am currently studying at the Taishi Library. I have no other distractions."
Xin Ya smiled. He switched to the pair of walnuts with his right hand. He lifted his sleeve and pointed a finger at her.
"If Miss Lianfang is willing to come to our Great Change Hall, I can promise you a great benefit. Why don't you listen?"
Seeing that he had a card up his sleeve, Yu Shu could not help but be curious about what he had in mind.
Xin Ya stood up and pointed behind the curtains, "Please follow me inside."
Yu Shu hesitated for a moment before following.
This was a side room of the tea hall. It was not as bright as the outside. The windows on both sides were tightly shut and only light shone through the curtains. In the room, there was a round table and two armchairs. However, the first thing that Yu Shu saw was something on the table that was covered with a white animal skin. She did not know what it was, but it must be the "benefit" that Xin Ya promised.
"Please sit."
Xin Ya walked to the table and waited for Yu Shu to sit down on one of the armchairs. Only then did he remove the white animal skin, revealing a small and exquisite bronze incense burner.
This incense burner was the size of a hand and was seven inches tall. It had three legs and two handles. It had two layers and a round mouth and a fat belly. It looked adorable and had a bright green luster. It did not look like an incense burner, but a collector's item.
Xin Ya was not in a hurry to reveal it. She placed the Tiger Head Walnut in her hand aside and untied the sachet that she carried with her. She opened the sachet and poured the sachet into the small green burner. A hollow golden ball the size of a coin rolled out and landed at the bottom of the burner.
Yu Shu looked at it carefully. There was something in the ball. She suspected it to be some kind of spice.
Xin Ya took out a match and lit the bottom layer of the small green burner. When she saw the sparks, Yu Shu discovered that there were two thin pieces of green charcoal at the bottom layer.
After doing this, Xin Ya sat down on another chair and let the small green burner burn. She picked up the walnut and turned it around twice. She said,
"This old man is bold enough to ask if Miss Lianfang has learned the True Six Lines Scripture other than the Death Sealing Technique."
Yu Shu's expression changed and she looked up at him.
She had never publicly announced that she knew the Six Lines Scripture. Even Xin Liu did not know that she had this skill. How did this Xin Ya find out about it?
"You don't have to look at me. This old man and the former Celestial Commissioner, Right Judge Ji Huaishan, were colleagues. After he was imprisoned, his family came to me to plead for him. I heard from his son that you and the Hidewon Miss from the Ji family had the same master. The master taught you the True Six Lines Scripture. It was only because Miss Ji went to the capital to study that half of the process was delayed. But you managed to learn everything."
Xin Ya explained this part of the past and hid the name of the Ji family. She promised him that as long as Ji Huaishan was safe, she would exchange the True Six Lines Scripture for that place.
Yu Shu did not know whether to laugh or cry when she heard this.
Daoist Qing Zheng only had two disciples in total. One was her, who had a dog sh * t life, and the other was the talented Yunhua Yi Zi. The Ji family threatened and bribed her to get the Six Lines Scripture. After Ji Xingxuan learned it, she dared to tell others about it. It was really shameless.
"That is what the Ji family said. I did have a master as my master, but my master has only accepted two disciples so far. Not including me, who is useless. The last time was twenty years ago. As for where Miss Ji became his disciple, I am not sure."
Yu Shu did not explain in detail. She only let Xin Ya know that she and Ji Xingxuan were not from the same sect.
Xin Ya nodded. It seemed that he was more willing to believe in Yu Shu. He did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he changed the topic and returned to Yu Shu.
"I am proficient in the art of physiognomy. I am used to judging people. Miss Lianfang, please do not mind me. In my eyes, you are smart, but your talent is naturally lacking. If you were not diligent, you would not be where you are today. However, the True Six Lines Scripture is recorded in the books. It is a unique skill. If you do not have the best talent, it will be difficult for you to make a divination. If I am not wrong, although you have learned the Six Lines Scripture, you cannot predict other people's affairs. At most, you can predict yourself. "
"…" Yu Shu was speechless when he hit the nail on the head. This was one of her regrets in life and she could not refute him.
Xin Ya observed her expression and smiled. She pinched the toy in her hand.
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