Sundering Nature-Volume 8 Chapter 31
Original and most updated translations are from volare. Please don't read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.
TL: Zhao
Editing: Krisaia
'Did the lines on my palm change?' Li Yiming was not well-versed in palm reading, but he did understand the basics, such as the basic trio consisting of the love line, the career line, and the lifeline.
As Li Yiming examined his palm, he realized that his love line was split into two halves, his career line gradually faded away as it progressed, and his lifeline was split into seven parts, one of which was barely visible.
"The person you're looking for is… here!" The fortune-teller pointed at the middle of Li Yiming's palm and slowly pushed Li Yiming's fingers back into his palm to form a fist.
"This…" Li Yiming interpreted the message in two ways: the first was that the key to finding Liu Meng lied in the changes of his palm, and the second was that ultimately, he was able to take control of his own destiny.
"Master…"
"Say no more…" The fortune decided to stop with a smile, fearing that he might misspeak.
"Thank you, master." Li Yiming said as he saw the man staring at the sky. He knew just what the master "implied" and expressed his gratitude.
"It's good that you're so understanding." The fortune-teller let out a sigh of relief as he resolved to master the basics of fortune-telling so he would never have to face such a predicament again.
As Li Yiming pondered over the fortune teller's words, he turned around and started walking away.
"Wait!" The fortune-teller suddenly yelled out.
"Is there anything more you want to say?" Li Yiming asked in confusion.
"Didn't you forget about something?" The man was even more baffled by Li Yiming's reaction.
"Forget about what?" Li Yiming's mind too preoccupied with swirling thoughts for him to understand what he might have forgotten.
"Well…" The man did not want to ruin his image by outright demanding for compensation.
"You need to leave me with something."
"Something? What?" Li Yiming still could not understand what the fortune teller wanted.
'Are you serious? Is this guy dumb?' The man was growing impatient.
"Please master, if you need anything, just say the word and I'll do everything I can." Li Yiming uttered — he was willing to do anything to pay back a favor.
"I…" The fortune teller cannot believe how dense Li Yiming was. 'What do you think I'm going to ask for? Your kidneys?'
"Uh, I'm talking about money." The fortune-teller could bear it no longer.
"Money?" Li Yiming first thought about the magical bronze coin which contained Thunderous Strike. However, the equipment had already been turned to dust when he absorbed the technique.
"Yes! Money! Bills!" The fortune-teller finally cried out and pointed at a small wooden box below his stand. Inside the box was a bill of fifty Yuan and two of one hundred Yuan, which served as "guidance" for payment.
"Is that all you want??"
"What do you think?" The man wanted to laugh at the whole situation.
"What do you need money for?" Li Yiming could not understand how someone with extraordinary powers required money.
"Ah? I want to play around with it, is that okay?" The fortune-teller laughed.
"Uh…" Li Yiming could only understand it as some kind of special obsession the fortune teller had.
"Well I don't have much, is that enough?" After a flash of light, a black suitcase appeared.
"Oh?" The fortune-teller rubbed his eyes, as he could have sworn that the suitcase appeared out of nowhere.
The fortune-teller opened the suitcase, unsure what to expect. The moment he laid eyes on the pile of banknotes worth several million, he began to tremble. Being a thug that made a living mostly from doing not-so-ethical jobs, seeing this much money was a first for him. He instantly took out a flashlight to verify for any counterfeit bills. After going through a few notes, he concluded that each and every one of them was real.
Li Yiming looked at the fortune teller and waited for his response.
"Is all of this mine?" The fortune-teller finally dared to ask.
"Is that enough?" Li Yiming asked back.
* * *
"As I thought…" Ying Mei's frown turned into a confident expression. She looked at a projected image on the wall in front of her, which contained all of the major events that occurred in Wu Jia's life.
"Hiding her from the world and the heavens… Not bad. Exactly as I expected," Ying Mei let out a long sigh, relieved at finally reaching the decisive breakthrough on the last two days of the investigation.
"Ms. Ying, should we continue to investigate?" Her subordinate, a man dressed entirely in black, asked with reverence.
"Of course. Continue your investigation. Do not let a single lead slip by, and above all, do not arouse Li Yiming's attention," Ying Mei ordered as she squinted her eyes. After confirming that Wu Jia was a cherished friend of Li Yiming, Ying Mei's plan was to track her down and use her as leverage against Li Yiming to find out who the mastermind behind him was. At this point, there was nothing that could stop her from exacting her revenge.
"As you wish." The subordinate nodded and made for the exit.
"Wait, are there any new developments? Are you still keeping an eye on him?" Ying Mei asked just as he was about to leave the room.
"We still have a team on-site, but we are observing him from afar, as you've instructed."
"Give them a call," Ying Mei said as she signaled with her left hand.
"Yes, ma'am." The man gave out orders through the transmitter pin on his shirt before handing it over to Ying Mei.
"What's going on?" Ying Mei asked.
"What?" Ying Mei suddenly cried out. "Tell me every single detail of what you just witnessed."
"Li Yiming just consulted a fortune-teller?"
"You have a video? Send it to me right away." Ying Mei took a deep breath to regain her composure — she was sure that Li Yiming was up to something.
A set of windows popped up on her computer screen. The footage was taken from a far distance and the quality was left to be desired, but it was enough to notice a fat man dressed in traditional clothing.
"This is the fortune-teller?" Ying Mei did not recognize the person.
"Yes."
"What about Li Yiming?"
"He left after leaving behind that suitcase"
"What were they talking about?"
"I'm not sure, but Li Yiming did hand over a note which contained information about his birthday. After that, he gave his hand to the fortune teller, so we suspect that…"
"It can't be that simple," Ying Mei interrupted, "Send a team of people to investigate this fortune teller."
"As you wish." The man in black nodded before rushing out of the room.
Ying Mei stared at the fortune teller, whose oily face could be seen trembling with excitement and euphoria as he held the suitcase.
'The one behind Li Yiming… Are you the one I'm looking for?'
