Destined to Be Broke - Chapter 1

I slept until I woke naturally, then strolled into town and planted my banner at a street corner.

The scrap of cloth read: **One Fortune, Three Coppers.**

I set up the table I had acquired by giving the shop next door a free reading, then lounged in the sun and waited for customers.

Before long, two women arrived together and stopped in front of me.

“Daoist priest, would you read my fortune?”

“What would you like to know?”

“My prospects in love.”

I asked for her birth date and hour.

“Take more walks by the river next month. You’ll meet your destined partner there.”

The other woman also produced three coppers.

“Master, I’ve just become pregnant. Can you tell whether it’s a boy?”

“Do you want a son?”

She stroked her still-flat belly, worry clouding her face.

“A boy or a girl would both be wonderful, but my husband’s family… Life would simply be easier if it were a boy.”

I counted on my fingers.

“This child is a star of good fortune. Treat the child well, and your entire clan will be blessed. Treat the child poorly, and you will have thrown away the greatest opportunity of your lives.”

Her face brightened. “Thank you, Master!”

By sunset, the flagstones had turned a warm orange, and everyone on the road was hurrying home.

I had given eleven readings and earned thirty coppers. Several customers had come in groups and insisted on haggling.

After eating a bowl of hot noodles at a nearby stall, I ambled out of town.

I could not afford an inn, so I had built myself a makeshift shelter beyond the city walls.

I wondered when my own destined opportunity would appear.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, birds and beasts scattered from a dense bamboo forest outside the city. Demonic energy surged into the sky.

I immediately turned around and headed the other way.

I was a fortune-teller. There was no reason for me to join that sort of excitement.

I had only gone a few steps when something stirred in my heart. I turned back toward the violently swaying bamboo.

After a moment’s thought, I cast a reading for myself.

The result was astonishing.

My thread of romance had moved.

When I looked toward the churning demonic energy again, determination entered my eyes.

A maiden in distress had to be waiting for me to rescue her, beginning a love story for the ages.

I yanked the banner from its pole, wielded the staff like a spear, and charged.

A vast section of bamboo had been flattened into a clearing. A monster darted back and forth while countless broken stalks, wreathed in demonic energy, flew at the young man standing in the center.

Sword in hand, he blocked the assault in an instant.

I crouched some distance away and watched.

There was no woman in sight. Perhaps she was hiding too.

The monster moved so quickly that only its afterimages remained. Its true position was impossible to pinpoint.

I calculated silently. The moment I found it, I shouted, “Strike southeast!”

In the blink of an eye, the monster fell beneath his sword. Black smoke dispersed, revealing its true form: a wolf demon half the size of a man.

The young man did not spare the corpse a glance. He crossed the distance to me in a few strides.

“Who are you?”

Still crouching, I looked up—and froze.

He was extraordinarily handsome, like a bodhisattva carved with exquisite care from white jade. Subtle, intricate patterns covered his black robes. Every inch of him radiated nobility.

I rose and smiled. “Just passing through.”

He stared into my eyes. “Are you blind?”

Only then did I remember. With a flick of my finger, I dispelled the spell over my eyes, turning my pupils from white back to black.

“A trick for making a living.”

“How did you know where it was?”

I pointed to the compass hanging at my waist.

“A diviner?”

“That’s right. Fellow Daoist, have you seen a woman around here?”

“The wolf demon was female. Does that count?”

I waved both hands. “No, no.”

“Then I haven’t.”

He suddenly tossed me a silver ingot.

“You look like a beggar in those rags. Bury it for me, and the silver is yours.”

I caught it without thinking and stared at it in my palm. It had been ages since I had touched so much money. I agreed at once.

“Of course! My name is Shen Qingle. What should I call you, Fellow Daoist?”

“Mo Guishan.”

I immediately began digging.

Mo Guishan leaned lazily against a bamboo stalk.

“Which sect are you from?”

“The Qingling Sect.”

“Never heard of it.”

“It’s a small sect. We aren’t famous.”

He asked another question. “Do you know why so many cultivators have appeared recently?”

“The sect tournament. You didn’t know?”

“I haven’t been back in a long time. Why would a sect tournament be held in the mortal realm?”

“I heard the elders think our generation has no ambition and is worse than the one before it. So this contest is about ‘entering the world.’ Whoever does the most to protect ordinary people and kills the most demons and monsters wins.”

“They must have too much time on their hands.”

I finished burying the wolf demon in short order, then stood there covered in dust before the immaculate Mo Guishan.

“What sect are you from? You’re incredibly strong—you even subdued a monster like that.”

“A small sect as well. Not worth mentioning.”

“All right. I’m done, so I’ll be going.”

Mo Guishan nodded.

Pleased, I tucked away the silver and left.

After walking for a while, I sensed something was wrong. I turned and found him still following me.

“Is there something else, Brother Mo?”

Mo Guishan inclined his head.

“I gave it some thought. I didn’t bring any attendants on this trip, and you happen to need money. Why not come with me?”

“What do you need to do?”

“Nothing in particular. I’ll wander around. Whatever you do, I’ll follow.”

“All I can do is set up a fortune-telling stall and handle minor evil spirits for ordinary people.”

“That will do.”

I had no idea what he wanted, but I possessed nothing worth scheming for. So, for the time being, I agreed.