This Humble One Had No Eyes and Failed to Recognize the Master's True Form

"Blo... blood-soaked disaster?"

Qiu Zhongji's face changed drastically, and he said in disbelief, "Sir, could you have miscalculated?"

"This Daoist says you have a blood-soaked disaster, then you have one."

At this moment, the Blind Fortune Teller continued to stroke his goat-like beard, watching Qiu Zhongji with a beaming smile.

Qiu Zhongji panicked instantly, grabbing the Blind Fortune Teller's hand and pleading, "I beg you, sir, save me, or... or teach me a way to resolve this."

"Boy, do you know what the consequences are for toying with this Daoist?"

"What?!"

The Blind Fortune Teller stood up and suddenly slammed his palm onto the crown of Qiu Zhongji's head.

"Ah!"

Not far away, several people turned pale with fright on the spot; Song Linjia nearly fainted.

Li Ran trembled all over, his eyes filled with horror.

Qiu Zhongji's face was covered in blood as he slowly collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror.

The Blind Fortune Teller casually tossed the skull fragment into a corner and sat back at his stall as if nothing had happened, stroking his beard and saying playfully, "Fortune telling, get your spiritual fortunes told! Every reading is accurate, or you don't pay."

The group remained unable to calm the fear in their hearts for a long time.

Li Ran's brows were tightly locked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

(Blind Fortune Teller)
(B-Class Mental Infector)
(Mysterious Power: 160)
(In his early years, he was a gambling addict who owed a mountain of debt. After fleeing, one of his eyes was gouged out. He spent the latter half of his life abandoned by his wife and children. Destined to die in solitude, he refused to change his ways and hatched a scheme, transforming himself into a blind fortune teller to make a living by swindling others.)
(Warning: Toying with him or exposing him is dangerous.)
(Hint: Turn the tables. When he reveals his true form, return his eyeball to him for an unexpected reward.)

After seeing the Golden Finger prompt, Li Ran understood everything, and a plan formed in his mind.

He walked toward the stall and sat directly across from the Blind Fortune Teller.

"How about I tell your fortune, sir?"

To Xiao Yi, Chen Jiabin, and Song Linjia, this behavior was no different from courting death.

Li Ran's action was undoubtedly like showing off one's axe before a master, no different from Qiu Zhongji's attempt to toy with the Blind Fortune Teller.

The Blind Fortune Teller stopped stroking his beard, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Little brat, you want to tell this Daoist's fortune?"

"Exactly. Does the sir not dare?" Li Ran said.

"What a joke. Is there anything in this world this Daoist dares not do? I am only afraid that your nonsense will ruin my reputation."

"We'll know if I'm accurate once we try. If I'm right, how about you pay me for the reading?"

"Oh? Interesting. And if you're wrong?"

"Do with me as you please!"

"Very well."

Thus, under the incredulous gazes of Xiao Yi and the other two, Li Ran began to read the Blind Fortune Teller's palm.

[Task Triggered: Fortune Telling]
[Task Reward: Mysterious Power +20, Points +200]
[Hidden Reward: Fine-Quality Weapon *1]

"Tsk~"

Li Ran made a "tsk" sound, his brows furrowing tightly.

The Blind Fortune Teller asked, "Little brat, why do you hesitate to speak?"

"Then I shall be blunt."

"Let's hear it."

Li Ran grabbed the Blind Fortune Teller's palm and said with a straight face, "Looking at your palm, you are destined to be a bachelor for life. You won't have trouble with food or shelter, but you won't be making any fortune either."

The Blind Fortune Teller wasn't angry, smiling as he said to Li Ran, "Little brat, if that's all the skill you have, don't blame me for..."

"Sir, don't be impatient. I haven't finished yet."

Li Ran returned the Blind Fortune Teller's hand and began to earnestly examine his facial features.

"Oh my, sir, this face of yours is not a good one to look at."

The Blind Fortune Teller sneered in disdain; in his eyes, the brat before him was just spouting nonsense to toy with him.

He felt a surge of murderous intent, but he wanted to see what kind of tricks this kid would pull to add some amusement to his boring days.

"A person with your physiognomy, sir, possesses insatiable greed and a life-consuming addiction to gambling. Once you enter the game, it is certain to lead to the ruin of your family, the scattering of your wife and children. Furthermore, when you lose money, you flee; if luck is on your side, you might escape, but if luck is poor, the best you can hope for is a severed hand, a broken leg, or the gouging of eyes and ears. At worst, your very life is in jeopardy..."

As he spoke, the Fortune Teller's entire body shuddered, and he could barely keep a grip on the banner in his hand.

Li Ran naturally took all of this in, and he continued, "Sir, if I am not mistaken, you were just thinking that regardless of whether what I said is right or wrong, as long as you don't pay me for the divination in the end, then my reading must be wrong."

"Am I right or wrong?"

The Fortune Teller trembled violently, sliding right off his small stool and onto the ground.

Everything unfolding before them left Xiao Yi, Chen Jiabin, and Song Linjia completely dumbfounded.

The Fortune Teller looked at Li Ran in disbelief. It was true; that was exactly what he had thought from the start—that as long as he didn't pay, the reading would ultimately be wrong. But he had never expected this young lad before him to not only calculate the fate of his first half-life but also see through his final intentions.

Where on earth did this kid pop out from?

Could he actually be capable of fortune-telling?

He stared at the boy before him, his heart filled with immense shock.

In his younger years, he had indeed been addicted to gambling, not only squandering all the family wealth but also driving away the wife others had introduced to him. Unwilling to accept defeat, he had mortgaged his ancestral home in a desperate attempt to turn things around, only to lose even more miserably, ending up buried in debt. He had planned to run away, to get as far as possible, but he was eventually caught and had one of his eyes gouged out before the matter was settled.

He had always wanted to recover that eye, but he had never found a single clue.

Because of this, he had secretly sworn that if he could ever find his eye, he would turn over a new leaf.

He wore sunglasses to pose as a blind Taoist, his goal being to project an air of mysterious, unfathomable depth.

One had to act the part to deceive people; even if someone grew suspicious, he could use his blind eye to muddle through.

Moreover, he specifically targeted the elderly, as their money was the easiest to swindle.

He could usually bluff them by applying a few set formulas, and even if he wasn't accurate, his words always left room for interpretation.

In essence, those who came for fortune-telling were often people of troubled fates and wavering spirits; they sometimes knew it was fake, but they were merely looking for a sense of comfort.

It was the same as someone who was always broke but kept comforting themselves that once they crossed this hurdle, they would surely make money—it was nothing more than self-deception.

He had been a fraud his entire life, believing that the fortune tellers described in books were all fakes as well, never imagining that someone could truly possess the gift of divination.

At this moment, Li Ran walked up to him.

"Sir, is this what you are looking for?"

The Fortune Teller slowly removed his sunglasses, his expression filled with shock.

In Li Ran's hand, there appeared an eyeball—the very one he had lost so many years ago.

"Thump!"

The Fortune Teller suddenly knelt on the ground, slamming his forehead against the floor, retaining not a shred of his previous sage-like demeanor: "Master, Master! This lowly one was blind and failed to recognize a true master. This one deserves to die, deserves to die!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Each heavy kowtow struck the ground, drawing blood from his forehead.

Xiao Yi, Song Linjia, and Chen Jiabin were left speechless on the spot.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Li Ran stood before the swindler with his hands behind his back, assuming the air of an expert.

"You do indeed deserve to die. Had you not met me, fourteen days from now would have been your death date!"