Mayi Physiognomy

"Little Western Heaven, Bottomless Cave?"

Hearing these six words, I was instantly dumbfounded. I asked Wang Junhui what he meant. He chuckled and said, "Exactly what it sounds like. Alright, are you free tomorrow? I'll pick you up, and we can discuss it in detail. By the way, how are things on your end? When you answered the phone earlier, you seemed a bit off."

When Wang Junhui asked about my situation, I recounted everything that had happened here, omitting the part about Xu Ruohui.

After listening, Wang Junhui laughed lightly. "My apologies. I was in a place with no signal today and just got out. If I'd gotten your call sooner, you wouldn't have had to suffer like this. You're a benefactor to our sect. If anything happened to you, I'd never be able to face my master."

Him saying that made me feel a bit embarrassed.

Before I could reply, Wang Junhui continued, "Though your Physiognomy School's method of dealing with ghosts is quite unique. Fingertip blood is vital essence blood. It probably takes a month to recover. We Taoists generally don't use methods that drain our vitality so severely."

I just gave a wry smile without responding. The Physiognomy School also has many powerful ghost-subduing methods that aren't so draining. Unfortunately, physiognomists prioritize divination and fortune-telling, with techniques secondary. Mastering powerful techniques requires deep divination skills as a foundation, which I currently lack the qualifications to cultivate.

Thinking about this, I suddenly recalled something puzzling about the suicide ghost I encountered. Initially, its speed and strength weren't particularly strong, but after a while, it suddenly became much more powerful.

I asked Wang Junhui why that was. He pondered for a moment and said, "Probably related to Yin energy. At night, before midnight, Yin energy gradually increases. With each increase in Yin energy, ghosts become fiercer. It's quite normal."

Hearing Wang Junhui's explanation, I understood.

After chatting for a while, Wang Junhui asked me directly if I agreed to join him on this mission. If I did, he could offer me very generous compensation. If not, he would contact someone else.

Xu Ruohui was moving out tomorrow. Having sustained this inexplicable minor injury, I was indeed at a loss for where to recuperate. Joining Wang Junhui on a mission would be a good way to change my mood and scenery.

Thinking this, I agreed. Wang Junhui happily acknowledged it and said he'd pick me up at noon tomorrow.

After hanging up, I looked at my bandaged hand and couldn't sleep. Honestly, I had never felt so reluctant to part with someone before. At twenty years old, I was finally truly experiencing the taste of liking someone.

Although this liking was unrequited and somewhat inexplicable, losing it still hurt deeply.

Lying in bed, tossing and turning, I couldn't sleep. My mind was filled with thoughts of Xu Ruohui moving out tomorrow.

The night passed quickly. Barely closing my eyes, dawn arrived. I got up early, tidied up a bit, and went to check on Xu Ruohui. She was already packing her luggage. However, the bedding and some daily necessities were untouched. I asked her, "You're not planning to move anymore, right?"

Xu Ruohui glanced at me. "No, these are things I bought later. I don't need them now. I'll buy new ones when I move to the new place. Things that have been in your house... I'm afraid they might have picked up something unclean."

Her words were deeply hurtful. Just as I was about to flare up, she suddenly added, "But, Chu Yi, you're actually a pretty good person. You're a good landlord. We can still be friends. However, I definitely won't stay in your house anymore. It's too frightening."

We can still be friends? Did that mean Xu Ruohui and I still had a chance?

I was about to speak when Xu Ruohui pointed to a duffel bag. "Help me carry this out, will you? Here's your key, back to you."

I shook my head. "Keep the key. Come back for a visit if you ever want to. Of course, I know you probably won't. I don't have anything to give you. Consider it a parting gift."

Xu Ruohui suddenly giggled. "Giving a girl the key to your house? That's quite the unique gift! Alright, I'll keep it. As long as you trust me."

This was the first time Xu Ruohui had given me such a bright smile, catching me off guard. Moreover, she had slapped me last night, yet today she acted as if nothing had happened. It made her hard to figure out.

I quickly glanced at Xu Ruohui's facial features. Her recent fortune looked good, with no signs of disaster or illness. I felt relieved.

As I walked her out, I asked where she would be living. She told me it was at a classmate's place, emphasizing it was a female classmate.

Xu Ruohui and I didn't say any formal goodbyes. I saw her into a taxi, waved, and that was it. Our brief relationship as landlord and tenant had come to an end.

After seeing Xu Ruohui off, I went back home and slept in the room she had occupied. Having not slept the previous night, I slept straight through until noon.

If Wang Junhui hadn't come in to wake me up, I might have slept until dark.

Upon entering the room, Wang Junhui looked around curiously. "Huh? Why is there a woman's fragrance in this room? And so many women's things? Kid, you weren't hiding a beauty in a golden chamber, were you?"

I smiled bitterly. "I wish. But what beauty would let a poor guy like me keep her? This room was rented by a tenant. She moved out because of last night's ghost. I was actually thinking about moving back in here myself."

Wang Junhui probably sensed something from my expression and didn't press further. He told me to pack my things and come with him.

I had already packed my stuff last night during my sleepless hours. When he said it was time to go, I went back to my grandfather's room, shouldered my backpack, and followed Wang Junhui out.

Wang Junhui said the car was parked at the end of the alley. Before we exited, he told me, "The place we're going is deep in the mountains. Conditions might be tough. Bear with it."

I waved my hand dismissively. "No problem."

When we reached Wang Junhui's car, I saw someone already sitting in the passenger seat. A beautiful woman, looking about twenty-five or twenty-six, with long hair loose and wearing sunglasses. Seeing me, she waved in greeting.

Out of habit, I glanced at her face. Apart from her hidden eyes, her other features indicated a good fortune, free from disaster or illness.

Wang Junhui introduced her: "This is my fiancée, Li Yajing. She's coming along this time as a doctor. We're heading deep into the mountains; who knows what might happen. Having a doctor with us is safer."

After exchanging greetings, I got into the back seat. Li Yajing turned around and said to me, "Junhui's mentioned you. A very skilled fortune-teller. Find time to give me a proper reading, alright?"

I smiled and said, "Definitely."

In my impression, Wang Junhui seemed like a rather rigid person, so I imagined his fiancée would be a classical, demure type. But Li Yajing felt completely different. She was lively and stylish.

As the car drove off, she talked about many medical topics, though she focused on Western medicine – something I didn't understand well and couldn't contribute to. Wang Junhui occasionally chimed in with a few professional terms.

Then the two of them started sharing medical-themed inside jokes. Each time, they'd laugh for ages while I sat there blankly, completely missing the punchline.

Seeing me silent for so long, Li Yajing turned and asked if I knew any traditional Chinese medicine. I paused and said, "Only a bit related to acupoints that overlaps with physiognomy. Pharmacology and other stuff? No, I don't understand that."

Li Yajing smiled. "Oh? Well, do you know about Heart-drilling Grass?"

I shook my head. "Never heard of it."

Li Yajing continued cheerfully, "This grass only grows in one place: near the Bottomless Cave. Its leaves are long and thin, with tiny serrated edges. If your hand accidentally brushes against them, it's easy to get cut. Those serrations secrete a fluid that stimulates the nerves. Getting cut makes you feel pain ten times worse, or even more – a truly heart-drilling pain. Hence the name, Heart-drilling Grass."

Before I could respond, Wang Junhui explained to me, "That name is something Yajing came up with herself. Besides being a medical master's graduate, she's also studying botany. She claims that grass is a new species."

Li Yajing had tried to draw me into the conversation, but it still ended up being a dialogue between her and Wang Junhui, with little room for me.

Once we left the county town, we headed west. Wang Junhui said we were crossing provincial borders, and just the journey itself would take seven or eight days.

I asked for the specific location, but he just said, "You'll know when we get there."

Wang Junhui was being very secretive about this mission, which only heightened my curiosity and desire to go.

After driving for about another hour, Wang Junhui and Li Yajing stopped talking, probably tired.

Just as the car had finally quieted down, my phone rang. I saw it was an unfamiliar number and instinctively assumed it was someone seeking a fortune-telling. I hung up.

But soon, they called again. Reluctantly, I answered and said directly, "I'm out of town. If it's about a reading, talk to me when I get back."

There was silence on the other end. Puzzled, I said, "Hello?"

Then I heard a voice say, "Chu Yi, it's me. My mom wants to ask you for a fortune-telling."

It was Xiao Hua's voice. My ex-girlfriend who had dumped me.

My little shop had some reputation in the county town, especially among the more affluent circles. It wasn't strange for them to find out about me.

I didn't have any special feelings for Xiao Hua anymore. I told her, "It's not that I won't do it for you, I really am out of town. We'll talk when I get back. Could be three to five days, might be a month or so. If you can't wait, find another fortune-teller."

Before I could hang up, I heard Xiao Hua's mother yelling in the background: "Look at him getting all high and mighty just because someone gave him that 'Thousand-Gold Fortune-Telling' nickname! He's just a stinking fortune-teller!"

Just as I was about to yell back, Xiao Hua hung up on her end. I could only mutter at the phone, "Damn it!" I was left stewing in silent anger!

Just as I was fuming, Li Yajing suddenly turned around and asked me coldly, "By the way, can you read the faces of corpses?"