"Welcome! Miss Sweety, you're here to support us too."
Arden Xu looked at the qipao beauty who walked in and put on his business smile.
Sweety, the proprietress of Yum Cha Sin in the Porcelume Market.
Arden was fairly familiar with Sweety. Back when he was still living in that little courtyard on Waifei Peninsula, many of his commissions had come from her.
"Little Arden, you've really made something of yourself lately."
Sweety lightly fluttered her round fan. Her steps were graceful, and the success of Yum Cha Sin was closely tied to her image. "You've only been at Yunkui Summit a few days, yet you've already learned the arts of divination and physiognomy."
"Hehe, I just know a little… just a little."
Arden wasn't being modest. Though he had studied some divination texts from the Yunkui Summit library, he hadn't trained deeply yet. What he relied on for his readings were mainly strategy—plus his bonus talismans.
Master-level [Celestial Talisman Arts] were his true specialty. Drawing talismans was where Arden shone.
"Miss Sweety, are you here for a fortune reading? Or a relationship reading? Or checking whether your husband has a mistress… ah, no, that one shouldn't apply!"
As far as Arden knew, Sweety wasn't married yet and didn't even seem to have a boyfriend. What happened privately wasn't something he knew.
"Little Arden, my right eye has been twitching nonstop lately. I'm worried something bad might happen… help me take a look at my palm and recent fortune."
Speaking so, Sweety sat down across from Arden and placed her hand on the table, palm open.
"Alright!"
Arden took her soft, delicate hand without hesitation, his other hand pointing and tracing along her palm.
"Mm…"
His brows rose slightly as he put on the appearance of carefully analyzing her palm.
And yes, he really was just reading her palm.
"Miss Sweety, your fortune and fate lines are excellent! Your life line… you'll live at least to ninety-nine. Your wealth line is strong too. As for relationships… once you marry, you'll bring tremendous prosperity to your husband. Whoever marries you will be blessed for three lifetimes!"
At this point, Arden deliberately revealed a hint of envy.
"Oh, come on, what are you saying… prosperous for my husband? Hehe."
Sweety tapped Arden's misbehaving hand with her fan. Her eyes shimmered, giving him a sidelong glance full of faint playfulness. "You really know how to talk. Do you tell every customer the same thing? No wonder business is booming!"
Arden's strategy for female customers was working beautifully. Outside the room, a line of young ladies and married women were waiting their turn for readings.
"Miss Sweety, you wrong me."
Arden said this with perfect sincerity. "I have professional ethics as a diviner. I don't deceive my clients."
"Is that so? Then I'll believe you."
"Please, by all means, trust me!"
"....."
.....
While Arden was reading for another client, beside the stone lion at the entrance of Suibian Temple…
Crunch, crunch…
Ju Fufu's cute little head peeked out from behind the stone lion. Watching Arden and Sweety acting "intimate," she ground her teeth loudly.
She knew all too well how charming Sweety was—that's why she reacted like this.
"My Arden… hmph! Such a lecherous fox!"
Crack crack…
As Ju Fufu muttered, suddenly the sound of stone fracturing came from beside her.
"??"
Ju Fufu turned her head and saw Yixuan—the Sect Master—her hand pressed against the stone lion's head. A pile of crushed stone pieces already scattered across the ground.
.....
Returning to Arden's side—
"Miss Sweety, your general fortune is good, but recently… I fear some turbulence lies ahead."
Arden said it with absolute seriousness, not a hint of flirtation on his face.
"Then… what should I be careful of?"
Hearing this, Sweety also became more solemn.
"Mm… let me look more closely."
Arden leaned closer to Sweety. Their breaths were close enough to mingle.
He didn't let his gaze wander; he kept it fixed on her forehead—her glabella—so he didn't notice the faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
"You and Yum Cha Sin are fine. The real problem is… an outside threat."
"Outside threat?"
"Yes, an outside threat."
As he spoke, Arden turned his head slightly toward the direction of Lemnian Hollow.
"Mhm. I think… I understand."
Sweety nodded to herself. Several of her recent commissions indeed had connections to Porcelumex.
"Then how do I avoid it?"
Since her "right-eye disaster omen" had been identified, Sweety naturally asked how to resolve it.
"Well…"
The seriousness vanished from Arden's face, replaced by his business expression. "I recommend the Gold Blade Talisman. If you encounter danger, all you need is a drop of your first blood on it, then throw it hard—guaranteed to strike down any evil!"
"Is that so?"
Sweety looked at the talisman display. Before long, she found the Gold Blade Talisman Arden mentioned.
The talisman itself was fine—faint golden glow, genuine power.
But when Sweety saw the seven-digit price tag below it, her lips twitched hard.
That expensive? Daylight robbery!
"Hehe, of course, since you're an old acquaintance, I'll give you a sev—no! Fifty percent discount!"
"...Hah…"
Hearing that, Sweety suppressed the urge to smack him right there. "At least you have some conscience. From now on, I'll give you a discount when you visit Yum Cha Sin."
"Much appreciated, Miss Sweety… and I'll even throw in an extra service."
Arden gestured toward the inner hall with a "please." "We can open the aura in the back hall. It'll boost the talisman's effectiveness and fortune even more."
"Uh… hehe, no thanks."
Sweety paused, then laughed softly. "I should head back. If I stay any longer, that tigress of yours might eat me alive!"
"Tigress?"
Confused, Arden looked around—and saw Yixuan and Ju Fufu hiding behind the stone lion at the entrance.
"...."
His eye twitched violently.
Yes, his right eye.
What are these two doing? Sneaking behind a stone lion without coming in?
Arden wasn't lacking emotional intelligence, but he was lacking in "romantic battlefield" experience. He only felt baffled.
.....
Although the "aura opening" had been rejected, earning a huge sum of Dennies still made Arden extremely happy.
After all, disciples managing a Yunkui Summit shop earned commission.
And the cost of a Gold Blade Talisman wasn't even a tenth of its selling price. Even at half price, it was massive profit.
As expected of the proprietress of Yum Cha Sin. That hand was so soft—cough! I mean, she's loaded! A million Dennies just like that!
"Miss Eleanor, you're next!"
Seeing the wealthy Sweety off, Arden prepared to receive the next customer. As for Ju Fufu and Yixuan—he pretended he didn't see them.
Eleanor—an older-sister type who ran a dessert shop in the Porcelume Market—Arden knew her too.
Arden could handle clients easily, but Ju Fufu and Yixuan could no longer tolerate it. Seeing yet another innocent girl about to fall into Arden's "goblin cave," the two exchanged a glance and charged forward.
"Arden! You've been working so hard. Time to rest."
Ju Fufu grabbed Arden's arm and tried to drag him toward the back hall.
"I'm not tired… uh!"
Just as he was about to provide a reading for Miss Eleanor, Arden saw that Yixuan had already taken his spot.
"....."
Arden was speechless.
When did you two become so in sync?
At this moment, he finally began to understand.
Are they… worried I'll use work as an excuse to flirt around?
Arden didn't argue. He let Ju Fufu drag him toward the back hall, only silently complaining in his heart.
Though he was still a bit puzzled.
Ju Fufu's reaction he could understand. But Yixuan… well, he'd just assume she was concerned about her disciple's mental and physical well-being.