Mayi Physiognomy

Hearing Zhao Kuan's words, I felt a pang of emotion and instinctively looked at his face.

His facial features still showed nothing remarkable. The life aura around his Wealth and Property Palace was very weak. Even if he encountered financial luck, it would be minimal at best – likely just the payment for guiding us into the mountains this time.

Moreover, judging from his overall facial features, he was between fifty-two and fifty-three years old. His fortune for the current year is observed at the "Xianku" gates on either side of the nose.

Both his Xianku gates held a trace of black energy, indicating his fortune for the past two years hadn't been good. Considering his reality – little family income, a son at university requiring money – his household situation was undoubtedly strained.

Furthermore, and most importantly, looking at the Children and Descendants Palace, specifically the "Tear Hall" gate: it was deeply sunken, its life aura pitch black. This signified a lack of children – in other words, the son he had studying at university didn't seem to be his biological child.

Seeing this, I asked Zhao Kuan: "Do you have any other children?"

Zhao Kuan shook his head. "No, just the one son!"

As he said this, his expression seemed slightly unnatural, which only strengthened my confidence in my physiognomic deduction.

Combining this with Zhao Kuan's age – already fifty-two or fifty-three – and his only son just starting university, his situation was likely this: he failed to have a child before the age of thirty. After thirty, he adopted a child – the son now attending university.

I deduced the child was adopted, rather than born to his wife with someone else, because Zhao Kuan's Spouse Palace was quite good, indicating his wife was a homemaker and virtuous person. Moreover, the position of his "Adultery Gate" was very clear and bright, showing no signs of his wife having an affair.

Seeing all this, I took a deep breath. Others wouldn't know that in just a few short minutes, I had deduced most of the significant events of Zhao Kuan's life through his face.

I kept staring at Zhao Kuan, which eventually made him uncomfortable. After walking for a while, he said, "Little brother, you keep staring at my face. Is there something on it, or are you reading my fortune?"

I smiled without answering and slowed my pace, falling back beside Wang Junhui and Li Yajing.

Zhao Kuan wasn't a talkative man and didn't press further, continuing to lead the way.

Wang Junhui asked me quietly, "What did you see on Zhao Kuan's face? Can his wish come true?"

I shook my head, equally quietly. "The golden toad is destined to have nothing to do with him. Or rather, that golden toad simply doesn't exist."

Wang Junhui countered, "Then what about my face? Can I achieve my goal?"

I shook my head, saying I couldn't tell. He asked why. I explained, "Because you're not sincere. I don't even know what you're seeking. How can I divine your fortune or predict your fate?"

Wang Junhui chuckled and patted my shoulder. "Then don't read mine. Leave it to fate. We're here now; we'll try regardless of whether we succeed or not."

He still hadn't planned on telling me what he was looking for.

We walked on, stopping occasionally. We didn't encounter any wolves or wild boars, but we did see a few snakes. Zhao Kuan told us they were local earth snakes, not very venomous, and their bites weren't fatal.

By evening, we found a relatively flat spot in the dense forest to pitch our tents. Too many creatures roamed the woods at night, visibility was poor, and it wasn't suitable for travel. So, we had to stop, set up camp, and rest.

Zhao Kuan and I hadn't pitched tents before and could only assist Wang Junhui and the others. Soon, all five tents were up. During this time, because the surrounding woods were thick, we didn't light a fire, using oil lamps instead.

Water wasn't an immediate concern; there was a stream in the ravine below the woods. We didn't need our carried water yet.

For dinner, we ate noodles cooked over an oil lamp flame, accompanied by pickles and beef jerky.

After arranging the night watch schedule, we didn't talk much and went to our respective tents to sleep. I was on the first watch. Since it was still early evening, I wasn't very sleepy, so my shift was the easiest.

I knew this was deliberately arranged by Wang Junhui. The deeper the night, the more dangerous these woods could be. Since it was my first time out, I had no night watch experience, so assigning me an earlier slot was more appropriate.

After the others had gone to sleep, I draped a blanket over my shoulders, took a flashlight, and sat beside the wind-shielded oil lamp, letting my thoughts wander.

The night was quiet. Only the chirping of insects could be heard around us; no particularly dangerous sounds.

After a while, I heard movement behind me. Looking back, I saw Zhao Kuan emerging from his tent and heading my way.

I said softly, "Uncle Zhao, can't sleep?"

Zhao Kuan sat down beside me. "Having a smoke."

He sat beside me smoking without speaking. I looked around; nothing unusual. I stretched lazily.

Zhao Kuan finished his cigarette soon after. He stamped out the butt, stood up, and started to leave. After a couple of steps, he paused and half-turned, looking back at me. I knew he had something to ask. So, I said directly, "Uncle Zhao, if you have something to say, just say it."

Zhao Kuan sat back down beside me. "I heard from Old Lin that you're a very skilled fortune teller. You don't look like it, but since they brought you along, it must be true. Could you read my fortune for me..."

Zhao Kuan was a man with a hard life. He asked me, and I couldn't bear to refuse. I told him everything I had observed that morning, including the futility of searching for the golden toad.

As I spoke, Zhao Kuan's expression grew increasingly somber in the lamplight.

After finishing, I comforted him: "Uncle Zhao, don't worry too much. Even though that son isn't your flesh and blood, your face shows he will fulfill all his filial duties in the future. In a few years, your family's situation will improve. You haven't raised that son in vain."

I wasn't lying to Zhao Kuan; his face genuinely indicated this.

Hearing this, he wiped away two tears. "That puts my mind at ease. At ease."

I knew Zhao Kuan was worried he couldn't provide better conditions for his son, making the boy suffer alongside him. His relief wasn't for his own life.

After thanking me, Zhao Kuan turned and went back to his tent. The light inside went out. Then, I noticed the insect chirping from a certain area nearby had diminished.

At night, insect sounds only suddenly weaken or stop when disturbed. That meant there was something in that area.

Thinking this, I shone my flashlight towards that patch. The woods were too dense; beyond trees and weeds, I saw nothing.

The chirping from that area resumed as normal. I thought perhaps a small animal like a wild rabbit had passed by.

With that thought, I turned off the flashlight and sat back down.

"Gēgē!"

A strange, brief laugh.

The sound resembled the sinister chuckle of an extremely aged person, yet also like the cry of some mountain bird.

But whichever it was, hearing it deep in the forest at night sent shivers down the spine.

"Gēgē!"

The eerie laugh sounded again. And judging by the sound, its source seemed to have moved significantly closer. Simultaneously, the insect chirping directly ahead of me fell silent across a large area.

I immediately shouted, "Something's out there!"

Instantly, everyone scrambled out of their tents, flashlights and machetes in hand.

They shone their lights in the direction I indicated but found nothing. Lin Sen asked me, "Did you see it? What was it?"

I asked them, "Didn't you hear that weird laugh just now? That 'gēgē' sound? And it moved towards us incredibly fast – like it covered over ten meters in a single breath!"

Wang Junhui took a deep breath. "Old Lin, stay here and guard the camp. Chu Yi, come with me to check it out."

Me!?

Seeing my hesitation, Wang Junhui said, "Can you hold the camp alone, protecting Yajing and Brother Zhao, if you stay?"

I didn't answer and followed Wang Junhui.

We walked about fifty or sixty paces in that direction. Wang Junhui took a sharp breath and said, "Lucky we came early. A few days later, that thing might have descended the mountain to harm people."

I asked Wang Junhui what it was. He crouched down, looking at a blackened footprint in a patch of weeds. "A zombie!"

A zombie? Those things really exist!?

Wang Junhui stood up. "The footprint is black because it stepped on the glutinous rice flour I sprinkled around here earlier."

I asked in surprise when he had sprinkled it. He said, "When Old Lin and I scouted the area before setting up the tents. That's when I did it."

I fell silent. So Wang Junhui had already laid a layer of defense around the perimeter.

Looking at the footprint, Wang Junhui said, "The thing stepped on this and didn't flee. Judging by the direction of the corpse energy, it should have gone towards..."

As he spoke, Wang Junhui suddenly turned to look back towards our camp.

I turned too and saw Li Yajing, Lin Sen, and Zhao Kuan looking in our direction. They hadn't noticed a shadowy figure standing just a step or two away from Lin Sen's left shoulder.

A figure appearing abruptly beside them sent chills down my scalp!

Seeing Wang Junhui and me turn simultaneously, Lin Sen reacted first. Without turning his head, he swung the machete in his hand towards his left.

But the shadow moved too fast. Lin Sen's swing cut through empty air, causing him to stumble.

However, Lin Sen was agile. As he stumbled, he planted his feet firmly and lunged diagonally towards the dodging shadow.

Yet the shadow was simply too quick. It ignored Lin Sen and suddenly lunged at Li Yajing instead. Li Yajing screamed, "Ah!" and swung her flashlight to block it – she wasn't holding a machete.

Wang Junhui roared from behind us, "Wretched creature, get away!"

Then he sprang forward, sprinting back towards the camp.