Nangong Yao calmly began to recount his experiences.
"...You heard about it earlier. I saw my second uncle's future: a car accident, broken bones, and a hospital stay. I warned him to drive carefully on a particular stretch of road. He was hit by a speeding car. That was what was supposed to happen. But because I warned him, he took another route and was crushed by a heavy truck. At the time, everyone in my second uncle's family—my aunt and cousin—thought I was a jinx. But they were only a little upset. My father and third uncle reacted much more strongly."
Nangong Yao paused. "I found a chance to ask my father directly. He told me what happened when I was little. My grandfather..." Nangong Yao suddenly let out a laugh. "My grandfather had an affair while he was married. He had a mistress and an illegitimate son. That son was about the same age as my second uncle. My grandfather kept it from the family for decades. I was only four or five that year, and I still didn't make much sense when I talked. During New Year's Eve dinner, my grandfather was holding me, and I asked why my other uncle wasn't coming to eat with us."
The skinny man couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath. "You saw..."
"I don't remember what I saw back then." Nangong Yao shook his head. "My father said that one comment from me made the whole atmosphere tense. My father and uncles soon found out about my grandfather's illegitimate son. They fought bitterly with my grandfather over the family fortune, and he even moved out and went to live with that woman. Not long afterward, my family divided up the assets. I saw my grandfather, that woman, and his illegitimate