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nEditor: SimoB

nThe blind fortune teller’s surname was Zhang, so people called him Blind Zhang.

nOf course he wasn’t really blind. He just wore sunglasses and pretended to be blind so that customers would trust him more.

nHe grew up in the countryside. Although the scenery there was beautiful, the villagers were all poor. And since they also grew up there, the scenery that could only be enjoyed by the eyes and not the stomach was useless to them.

nThen the area was developed into a tourist attraction, which allowed the villagers to earn a bit more.

nBlind Zhang was an orphan and owned no land.

nWhen he was young, he didn’t do this fortune telling business. He was just an ordinary laborer. One day, he worked too hard and spent many days bedridden. From then on he could no longer do jobs that were too tiring.

nHe had no choice, so he started searching for other ways to make a living.

nHe was indeed raised by a real blind man, and the real blind man was indeed a fortune teller, but he did not learn the trade from him. Now that it was his way of making a living, he just had to learn as he went along. During the day he set up his stall, and at night he read all kinds of fortune telling books.

nEveryone in town knew that he has had a hard life. He was abandoned at a young age by his parents. Someone took him in, but they died when he was a teenager.

nHe was left alone to struggle to make a living. He later married and even treated his wife like a queen, but then she became ill and bedridden.

nThey didn’t have any children, so the medical expenses and the cost of hiring a caretaker fell on Blind Zhang.

nAlthough not everyone liked him, most people wouldn’t say much when they saw him swindling people.

nBlind Zhang wasn’t a professional by any means, but he had the basics down.

nAt ten dollars a session, he would basically cherry pick good things to say so that he didn’t cause any trouble.

nFor example, when a mother-in-law came to investigate her daughter-in-law, claiming that she seemed to attract misfortune to their family, he would say that the daughter-in-law was just an ordinary person.

nIf the parents of a sick child came to find him, he wouldn’t fool around at all. He would tell them that he wasn’t a doctor and that they should go to the hospital.

nBecause he had always been cautious with his words, nothing too bad had ever come of them.

nIf someone did start to suspect him, he would pretend to be blind and let his guide dog, Wang Cai, take him home. Most people didn’t want to bother with a blind man.

nMaking money was good and all, but you had to be alive to enjoy the fruits of your labour.

nAfter setting up his stall all afternoon, counting the two just now, he’s only seen five customers and made 50 dollars.

nBlind Zhang went home, and hugged Wang Cai and rubbed its head, “Good boy. You did good today. But next time when I call you Qing Long, you have to respond, okay? Qing Long sounds much more imposing than Wang Cai. Aiya, it’s also my fault. What was I thinking giving you a country bumpkin name like Wang Cai when I brought you back?”

nAs a result, the dog only responded to Wang Cai now and not Qing Long.

nThe black coloured mutt had its tongue out and looked at him with a dopey smile.

n“Forget it, why am I telling you this? It’s been more than ten years since I called you Wang Cai, so of course it’s not easy to change.”

nBlind Zhang sighed and rubbed his temples. With a tired smile, he patted Wang Cai on the head again and started cooking.

nHe left the food out to cool and went to wash his face again. He wiped the wet spots on his back as well. Looking himself up and down in the mirror to make sure he didn’t have a tired look on his face, he went to clean up his wife, change her clothes and opened the windows to get some fresh air inside.

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nHis wife couldn’t move much. She could only open her mouth to speak. When she saw him come in, she squeezed out a smile, “Are you…tired today?”

n“Not at all.”

nBlind Zhang was energetic as he wiped her down. He smiled as he told her. “Today was especially fun. There was a ten year old student, probably out traveling with his parents, who secretly came to me with money so I could tell him when he could stop going to school.”

n“I asked him his age and what grade he’s in now, and then told him how old he would be when he graduates from college minus his current age. When the kid heard he still had ten more years to go, his little face went grey.”

nHis wife laughed weakly, “How do you encounter such funny things every day?”

n“It’s ‘cause I’m lucky. I have the best luck in the whole town.”

nBlind Zhang continued, “Two men holding hands also came over today to have their fortunes told. Times really have changed, they didn’t bother to hide it at all! But they were really good looking… Ai, good looking men stick together I guess.”

nHis wife just listened to her husband’s funny stories about the outside world with a smile, nodding her head throughout with some difficulty.

nWhen Blind Zhang finished telling his stories, changing her clothes and airing out the house, the food that was left out had cooled.

nHe began to feed her.

nAs he fed her, he said, “Wang Cai is getting older, but he’s still as obedient as ever. Doesn’t he know how to catch fish in the river? He’s always done that when I’m at my stall. But he comes running back when I call for him. This dog’s smarter that we give him credit for. We raised him as a child, so maybe he sees us as his parents.”

nHis wife just laughed.

nBut laughing was exhausting too.

nAfter laughing and laughing, she found it hard to keep her eyes open.

nShe couldn’t even eat anymore, so she said to her husband in a daze, “Dear, I think it’s time for me to go.”

n“No no, how could that be? You’re only in your early forties! There’s plenty of time for you.”

n“Not for me. I’m just a burden like this. We’ve been married for twenty years, but I’ve been dragging you down for ten. I can’t do this to you anymore. You could’ve set up your own stall and had a good life. It isn’t fair to make you dress up like this and act like a fool because of me. I know you have the skills to make it. It’s all because of me…”

n“No! You’re not a burden!”

nBlind Zhang sniffled. “People say I’m unlucky, but I know that I’m lucky.”

nHe touched his wife’s stiff fingers, massaging them little by little. “You see, I was an orphan. I was thrown away as a child, but my Shifu picked me up and raised me until I was a teenager before he left, just the age when I could earn my own living.”

n“I lived alone until my early twenties, when I ran into you. Now I have a wife and a family. So tell me, how can I possibly be unlucky?”

nHe said a whole bunch of things, but his wife could barely hear them.

nWhen a person was dying, their mental state deteriorated.

nThe middle-aged woman stared straight up at the ceiling and let out a long, long sigh, “I can’t do it dear. I can’t hold on much longer. I have to go. You have a good, good life on your own.”

n“Don’t go! Don’t leave me!” Blind Zhang grabbed his wife’s hand and pulled the money out of his pocket, “Look, I’m making money! I’m making money, see?!”

n“I won’t look… I can’t look…”

nAs if his wife found a reservoir of strength within, her hand suddenly moved and grabbed Blind Zhang’s.

n“You’re the one I can’t let go of the most, ah!”

nShe stopped moving.

nBlind Zhang stiffened, “Dear? Dear?!”

nTrying to squeeze out a smile, he lifted the bowl again and delivered a spoonful of rice to his wife’s mouth, “Look, I stir-fried shredded potatoes today, isn’t that your favourite? I chopped it especially fine so you wouldn’t have any trouble eating it.”

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n“I didn’t put in any chilies because I know how much you hate them.”

n“I ran into Wang Shuhua today, aren’t you on good terms with her? She ended up exposing me today. What a vicious woman!”

n“Our Wang Cai was also strange today, he didn’t catch a single fish! He used to be very good at catching fish.”

n“Come on dear, open your mouth and eat quickly. The food is getting cold.”

nNo one answered him.

nHe slowly buried his head on the edge of the bed and sobbed quietly.

nFrom outside came Wang Cai’s fierce voice: “Woof woof woof!!!”

n“Woof woof woof woof woof!!”

nUnfortunately, his owner was so deep in his grief that he didn’t even think to come out and take a look.

n“What a good dog, don’t you think?”

nShi Qing touched this dog’s head and turned to ask Meng Qing, “Do you think your Shifu will like it?”

nMeng Qing hesitated.

n“Shifu, he…doesn’t seem to like dogs.”

nShi Qing: “It’s fine, I think he’ll like it when he sees it.”

nThey went into the house together.

nInside, Blind Zhang had stopped crying and figured out what he had to do.

nHis only ties to this world were his wife and Wang Cai.

nNow, when Wang Cai’s life was at an end, there would be no reason to go on.

nHe sobbed, and went to find a white shirt. He gently covered his wife’s face.

nBut he froze as soon as he saw his hand.

nThe hand that was holding the clothes were pale and swollen.

nAs soon as he reached Blind Zhang, Wang Cai wagged his tail and whined pitifully like a puppy.

nBlind Zhang looked blankly at him before petting him.

nWang Cai rarely whined like this.

nAfter growing up, this was only the second time he had heard it make such a noise.

nThe first time…

nIt was as if he had gone back to that rainy day.

nHe was walking on the bridge with Wang Cai when his foot slipped and his whole body slid down.

nTechnically speaking, he didn’t drown. He just hit his head on a rock in the river, and then floated down with the current.

nWang Cai jumped in after him and fished him out.

nThe dog had behaved then like he was now, calling out to him using a quiet, whimpering voice.

nHe remembered feeling his blood continue to flow and flow…

nHe had felt cold all over.

nHe’d wanted to sleep. He’d felt so tired.

nBut he couldn’t sleep. How could he sleep?

nIf he slept, then what would happen to his wife and his Wang Cai?

nHe couldn’t let go.

nHow could they survive with him gone?

nEspecially his wife. Without him, who would take care of her? Who would support her?

nWho would turn her over? Who would help her change her clothes?

nHe opened his eyes slowly, sat up, and led Wang Cai back home.

nWhen he got in front of a mirror, he wiped his face and grew more and more confused.

nStrange… Why was he this soaked?

nDazed, Blind Zhang stood up. He turned around and saw his wife looking at him.

nHe couldn’t leave because he couldn’t let go of her.

nShe couldn’t leave because she couldn’t let go of him either.

nThe Underworld guide outside carefully poked his head in and said to Shi Qing, “D-Daren, it’s time for us to leave…”

nNext to him, the lady in the colorful dress also poked her head in curiously. She clapped her hands when she saw the scene inside the house. “Aiya! Sister! Old Zhang! You’re both dead too! Quickly come and keep me company!”

nShi Qing asked Meng Qing, “Didn’t you notice that he’s a living corpse?”

nThe young cultivator shook his head with a bit of shame, “I didn’t expect it. This is my first time seeing a living corpse.”

n“Living corpses usually have to have an obsession in order to maintain their normal appearance. His obsession happened to be his wife.”

nThe demon asked his righteous companion, “Seeing this scene, do you have anything to say?”

nMeng Qing shook his head, “I don’t. Do you?”

n“Yep.”

nShi Qing yawned and leaned against the cultivator as if he had no bones.

n“A family needs to be neat and tidy.” he said, snapping his fingers. The black dog that had tragically lost both of its masters came running over.

nThe demon king pet its head, “You poor thing. They both died and left you here alone.”

n“But don’t worry, I’ll make you the first dog that can cultivate.”

nMeng Qing looked at his companion with bright eyes. “Living corpses can’t leave the Earth without someone to guide them, so their souls eventually dissipate. You came just to help them, right?”

n“Don’t read too much into it.”

nShi Qing raised his eyebrows, his hand touching the dog’s head, “I just wanted this dog. This just happened to be along the way.”

nMeng Qing didn’t call him out. He only blushed and crouched silently beside his companion.

n“Let’s go see my Shifu.”

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n“No!!! Absolutely not!!!”

nMeng Qing’s Shifu stroked his white beard in exasperation. “Meng Qing, come to your senses! How can you be with him! He’s a demon! A demon!!!”

n“You! I have worked so hard to raise a good seedling with a righteous spirit! How can you let yourself be tainted by him!”

n“I’m telling you, you can get married and have children, but you can never be with him!”

nMeng Qing blushed and bowed his head, embarrassed. “Shifu, Shi Qing and I are a fated pair. Our marriage is inevitable.”

nZheng Xing was so angry that he might vomit blood. “What?!!! Which son of a bitch said that!!!”

nMeng Qing: “If that’s not the case, why haven’t you let me get the certificate yet Shifu?”

nZheng Xing: “…A cultivator’s certificate requires academic experience! You’ve followed me since you were a child and didn’t go to school, so how are you qualified!”

nHowever, no matter how much blood he vomited or how red Meng Qing’s face was…

nHis voice might be quiet, but his demeanor remained resolute.

n“I want to be with Shi Qing! I love him!”

n“No! I will never allow it!”

nZheng Xing stood up sharply. “Even if he is a demon, I’m not afraid of him! I’ve been cultivating for 700 years! I’m not afraid of anything!”

nHe strode out majestically.

nMeng Qing hurriedly chased after him, “Shifu!”

nAs soon as they went out, the pair saw Shi Qing, who was holding onto Wang Cai’s leash.

nThe young cultivator’s eyes were bright, and on his face was a smile of unstoppable joy.

nAs for Zheng Xing, he was staring at Wang Cai, and his entire body had stiffened.

nShi Qing: “I heard that you don’t approve of me being with Meng Qing, ah.”

nZheng Xing: “…Right, right! I can’t agree! I! Am! A! Righteous! Cultivator!!! I won’t agree even if you kill me!”

n“Okay, cultivator. I might be a demon, but I respect you. Take this dog as a parting gift from Meng Qing and I. If you insist on breaking us up, you can have it.”

nMeng Qing was stunned. He couldn’t help but clench his fists and take a step forward. “Shi Qing…”

nThe demon winked at him and let go of the leash in his hands.

nWang Cai happily ran over.

nZheng Xing: “…”

nWang Cai was in front of him.

nZheng Xing: “……”

nWang Cai had his tongue out and sniffed him.

nZheng Xing: “………”

nZheng Xing: “…………”

n“Ahhhh dog!!!”

nHe collapsed to the ground and turned into a big fat field mouse.

nIt squeaked and ran away like the wind.

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nThe next part will be something lighter and sweeter!

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