Volume One, Chapter Sixteen: Reaping What One Sows

"What? There's a problem with the brakes!"

After quite a while, a teacher from the kindergarten finally responded.

Upon hearing this, the landlord’s face turned ashen in an instant.

"We're so sorry, parents. This was a failure on our part. We've already had all the buses thoroughly inspected and those with issues have been repaired. We truly apologize for worrying you, and from now on, we'll pay even closer attention to safety hazards like this," the teacher apologized repeatedly, her voice full of remorse.

The landlord was so shocked that he was at a loss for words.

It had actually come true!

Just as the young woman predicted, the bus his grandson's class rode on did indeed have a problem with the brakes.

He could hardly imagine—if that bus had gone on the road as usual, amidst all the traffic, what kind of tragedy might have occurred!

If there had been a serious accident, wouldn't all the children on the bus have suffered?

His grandson could have been injured or even left disabled!

The thought left him weak at the knees, barely able to stand.

At that moment, the way he looked at Yun Mojiu changed entirely.

She was now, without question, the savior of his grandson's life.

"Miss, I'm so sorry I misunderstood you earlier. Thank you for saving my grandson's life!"

His grandson was still so young—if he’d lost his legs, it would have been as if his life had ended.

"No need to thank me. Our meeting was fate; it means that your grandson was destined to avoid this calamity. Moreover, in the cycle of cause and effect, you need only pay the divination fee to resolve this outcome," Yun Mojiu replied calmly.

"Of course, of course! How much is the fee? I'll pay it right now," the landlord said eagerly.

Yun Mojiu held up a single finger. "One thousand."

"Alright, alright, I’ll transfer it to you right away."

"No need. You can just deduct it from the rent."

"How could I do that?" the landlord protested anxiously. "No, what I mean is, after what you did for my grandson, how could I possibly still charge you rent? Tell you what, I’ll waive a whole year’s rent as a token of my gratitude for saving his life."

Yun Mojiu waved her hand. "That’s not necessary. The divination fee is enough."

"No, no, one thousand is far too little!" The landlord shook his head stubbornly. "If a whole year is too much, then how about eleven months?"

Yun Mojiu sighed helplessly. "Really, there's no need."

"Ten months!"

"Well..."

"Nine months!"

"..."

"Three months at the very least. If you refuse again, I simply won't rent the storefront to you!" the landlord declared with a huff, his tone brooking no argument.

Yun Mojiu fell silent for a moment, then could only agree with resignation.

At once, the landlord’s face lit up with a broad smile. "That's better!"

He wasn't foolish—befriending a woman with such uncanny abilities was worth far more than a few months’ rent.

"By the way, miss, do you sell amulets or the like here? I’d like to buy some for my family," he asked.

"I do," Yun Mojiu replied.

"Great! I’ll take ten!" the landlord said excitedly.

Yun Mojiu couldn't help but laugh. "These charms aren’t cabbages you can buy by the sackful. One is enough to ward off danger and ensure safety. Since your family has five members, I will sell you at most five."

Each charm required spiritual energy to craft; they weren't something that could be made casually.

When Yun Mojiu accurately stated the number of people in his family, the landlord's faith in her abilities only deepened.

"Alright, five then. How much for each?" he asked, smiling.

"No need to pay. These five are my gift to you," Yun Mojiu said.

"That won’t do!" the landlord protested, waving his hands.

Yun Mojiu pressed her lips together. "If you insist, I won’t rent you the store."

Fighting fire with fire—how effective it was!

The landlord was instantly rendered speechless.

After signing the contract, the landlord left beaming, clutching the charms.

Having witnessed the entire exchange, Zhang Shufen walked over to Yun Mojiu, curiosity written all over her face.

"Young lady, could you do a reading for me?"

She produced ten crisp hundred-yuan bills, clearly prepared in advance.

Yun Mojiu accepted them without hesitation and asked, "Of course. What would you like to know?"

"I want to know if my son can get into a good university," Zhang Shufen said.

Yun Mojiu studied her features, calculated with her fingers, and frowned slightly.

Seeing Yun Mojiu’s brow furrow, Zhang Shufen grew anxious.

"What is it? He won’t get in?"

Yun Mojiu shook her head. "He will, but…"

"But what?" Zhang Shufen tensed immediately.

"Someone with ill intentions is around your son. That person will try to steal his achievements and take his place in the university admission," Yun Mojiu explained.

"What? What should I do?"

"Don’t worry. I’ll give you a charm. Have your son carry it at all times and never take it off. Only then will he safely pass this trial."

"That’s wonderful!" Zhang Shufen exclaimed excitedly.

She had just seen Yun Mojiu’s abilities with her own eyes; now she trusted her completely.

After giving Zhang Shufen the charm and discussing the handover date for the shop, Yun Mojiu left.

[Zhang Shufen’s son—what happened next:

The day before the college entrance exam results were released, Zhang Shufen’s son came home in low spirits, with visible injuries on his face.

Zhang Shufen hurried over. "What happened?"

Her son recounted the incident: He had been out with classmates when one of them, the principal's own nephew, boasted arrogantly that he was sure to get into Imperial University, while Zhang Shufen’s son would certainly fail. His tone was full of condescension and mockery.

That classmate, though never a top student, wasn’t bad either, but certainly not Imperial University material. His words were cutting, dripping with ridicule that no matter how hard Zhang Shufen’s son worked, he’d still end up at a second-rate university.

Unable to stand it, Zhang Shufen’s son got into a fight with him.

Hearing her son’s story, Zhang Shufen immediately recalled Yun Mojiu’s warning. Given the classmate’s arrogance and his being the principal’s nephew, it was entirely possible for him to pull strings and swap their exam papers.

She asked anxiously, "The charm I gave you, are you still wearing it?"

Her son pulled out the triangular charm hanging around his neck. "Yes, I’ve kept it on."

Relief flooded Zhang Shufen.

"Good, just keep it on."

Despite her words, she remained unsettled.

She prayed silently that the charm would work.

The next day, results day finally arrived. The family of three crowded around the computer, nerves on edge.

When her son entered his exam number and pressed 'Enter,' Zhang Shufen was so tense she could hardly breathe.

But as soon as she saw the score and city ranking, she shouted with elation.

"Third place! Amazing! My son is in the city’s top three!"

The charm had truly worked!

Meanwhile, at the principal’s nephew’s home, the entire family was dumbfounded at the results—he hadn’t even made the undergraduate cutoff.

But hadn’t the papers been switched?

What on earth had happened?

The classmate smashed the computer in fury.

He had deliberately left many questions unanswered, knowing about the plan to swap papers, hoping that Zhang Shufen’s son would miss even the basic cutoff.

But the switch had failed.

The miserable score was now his own.]