Chapter 33: The Cinema (Part 1)

“Nothing… nothing’s wrong…”

Upon hearing Ye Tian’s words, an awkward expression surfaced on Feng Kuang’s face. That strange look was so obvious even Ye Dongping could tell something was off.

“Feng Zi, is there something you can’t tell Uncle Ye?”

Ye Dongping inquired. He felt he couldn’t let Feng Kuang go out without getting a clear answer, as his son’s reading of fortunes and divination seemed to never have been wrong before.

“Well… well, Uncle Ye, I met a girl. We agreed to go to the movies tonight.” Feng Kuang lowered his head, his voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, easy to miss if one wasn’t paying attention.

“Hehe, Feng Zi has a girlfriend now?” Upon hearing this, Ye Dongping chuckled. A young man in his early twenties was naturally curious about the opposite sex; it was normal for him to have a girlfriend.

Having spoken up, Feng Kuang lifted his head and said, “She’s not exactly a girlfriend. More like a friend. We’re just getting to know each other first. If things feel right later, then we can talk about being together…”

In these times, if a man and a woman spent time together without the intention of courtship, it was considered improper. Of course, Feng Kuang did have intentions of courting her, but the girl hadn’t agreed yet.

“This…”

This wasn’t something easy to forbid. Even Ye Dongping hesitated, turning to look at Ye Tian as he asked, “Xiao Tian, are you sure you weren’t mistaken? Will Feng Zi really encounter a Blood Disaster if he goes out today?”

Hearing Ye Dongping’s question, Feng Kuang also looked at Ye Tian nervously. He was well aware of Ye Tian’s skill in Fengshui Geomancy. While he hadn’t witnessed his fortune-telling before, if Ye Tian said it, it was probably close to true.

“Ye Tian, is this Blood Disaster you mentioned… serious?”

Feng Kuang had really taken a liking to that girl. If Ye Tian said it wasn’t serious, he would probably still insist on going. But if the divination indicated a life-threatening situation, Feng Kuang would definitely turtle up and stay at the Recycling Station.

“Brother Fengzi, it’s a minor misfortune, not very serious at all. At most, there might be some bloodshed. But it might actually lead to a blessing in disguise…” Ye Tian honestly explained the divination.

“A blessing in disguise?” Feng Kuang was confused. Having bloodshed and it still being a good thing?

“Mm. The Divinatory Symbol also mentions ‘Returning Maiden,’ which can deepen the feelings between a man and a woman…”

Ye Tian repeated the explanations from the books. He was still young. While he had played bride-and-groom games with a bunch of kids in the countryside, he didn’t really understand adult relationships.

“Really?”

When Feng Kuang heard Ye Tian’s phrase “can deepen feelings between a man and a woman,” his eyes widened. “No way, Uncle Ye, I still have to go. How can I, a grown man, break a promise?”

As he said this, Feng Kuang took on a stance as if ready to face any peril. Of course, this was only because of Ye Tian’s earlier words about it being a “minor misfortune.” Otherwise, Feng Kuang definitely wouldn’t have had the courage.

“Xiao Tian, since you can predict fortune and misfortune, can you avoid it?”

Ye Dongping looked at his son. Even though he didn’t like Ye Tian delving into these things, over the past two months, he had come to understand that what Ye Tian studied wasn’t Feudal Superstition; there was profound reasoning behind it.

“The best way is just not to go out…”

Seeing the disappointed looks on both Ye Dongping and Feng Kuang’s faces, Ye Tian continued, “There’s another method. That is, I go with him and see if I can help him avert the misfortune.”

“No. Don’t risk another Primordial Qi Backlash…”

Before Ye Tian could finish, Ye Dongping cut him off. The incident where Ye Tian suffered a Qi Backlash after reading his physiognomy was still fresh in Ye Dongping’s memory.

“Dad, it’s fine. Neutralizing such minor misfortunes is simply a trivial matter for practitioners like us. It won’t cause Primordial Qi disorder.”

Ye Tian’s words were half-truth, half-falsehood. For some genuinely skilled Jianghu fortune-tellers, dealing with such things truly wasn’t a big deal. They could sense things ahead of time based on the Divinatory Symbol and eliminate the trouble before it happened.

But when it came to Ye Tian himself, it was a bit unreliable. The reason was simple: although Ye Tian understood these principles, he had never actually practiced them. His timing could not be that precise.

“Really?” Ye Dongping put on a stern face. He knew that only this way would Ye Tian tell the truth.

“Dad, of course it’s true. With me following Brother Fengzi, I guarantee nothing will happen to him…” Ye Tian puffed out his small chest, making a promise. In truth, his desire to go with Feng Kuang wasn’t entirely for this reason.

This was the first time Ye Tian used Divination to predict a misfortune for someone. He wanted to see for himself if it was accurate. Another, even more important, reason was that Ye Tian was extremely interested in the flying “Superman” movie Feng Kuang mentioned.

“Well… alright, then. Both of you be careful. Come back quickly after the movie. Feng Zi, there’s plenty of time. Don’t scare the girl.” After thinking for a moment, Ye Dongping nodded in agreement.

Initially, Ye Dongping thought about going with them himself. But besides the valuable Wen Zhengming chess painting worth several thousand yuan, there were also the Old Taoist’s two chests of precious Calligraphy and Paintings at the Recycling Station. Someone had to stay and watch over things no matter what.

“Okay, Dad, don’t worry.”

Hearing Ye Dongping’s words, Ye Tian smiled happily. He immediately rushed into the room and dug out a blue-striped, white-bottom naval jacket he thought was quite fashionable and put it on.

…

The Cinema was located in the Xicheng district of the County Town, quite a distance from the Recycling Station. After making another promise to Ye Dongping not to cause any trouble, Feng Kuang wheeled out his bicycle and rode out of the Recycling Station with Ye Tian.

Peddling the bicycle with effort, Feng Kuang turned his head to ask Ye Tian behind him, “Ye Tian, will I really have a Blood Disaster tonight?”

As the cool night breeze hit him, Feng Kuang’s brain, earlier filled with male hormones, gradually cleared. Although he often got into fights in the countryside, in the city, his confidence inevitably waned a bit.

Ye Tian knew at most there’d be a minor conflict that night. As long as he sensed it ahead of time and pulled Feng Kuang away to avoid it, nothing would happen. Trying to act like an adult, he patted Feng Kuang’s shoulder and said, “Brother Fengzi, with me along, you can rest easy.”

“Okay, Ye Tian. If nothing happens tonight, tomorrow Brother Fengzi will buy you a pork chop and make pork chop noodles for you…”

Hearing Ye Tian’s words, Feng Kuang’s heart settled a lot. Following this little master who could even find the dead buried for decades, what did he have to fear?

Thinking of the time he agreed to meet, Feng Kuang glanced at the Shanghai brand watch on his left wrist and pedaled the bicycle faster. The old, worn-out bicycle emitted an unpleasant “creaking” sound as it moved through the small Jiangnan town.

“Come on, hurry up, or we won’t get tickets.”

By the time they reached the Xicheng Cinema, the sky had turned completely dark. Feng Kuang parked the bicycle and, taking Ye Tian’s hand, ran towards the cinema’s ticket window.