"Does he have misogyny?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Xu Linghe inquired, "What's misogyny?"
Feng Qingyi explained, "It's distorting, belittling, and disliking women."
"He probably doesn't dislike women that much, considering how much he likes the girls in the brothels," Xu Linghe said with a hint of sarcasm.
Feng Qingyi patted her shoulder, "Alright, let's not talk about him anymore. It's affecting our mood. Let's go for a walk around town."
As the two were strolling casually down the street, Feng Qingyi suddenly spotted Qian Jue surrounded by a crowd.
"Let's go check it out," Feng Qingyi pointed in his direction.
Xu Linghe nodded, "Okay, let's take a look."
Feng Qingyi and Xu Linghe made their way into the crowd. Qian Jue looked up and saw Feng Qingyi, waving at her.
"Little girl, come here and help me out!"
Feng Qingyi turned to Xu Linghe, "It says fortune-telling on his sign, right?"
Xu Linghe nodded, "Mm-hmm."
Wasn't he supposed to be doing creative work? How come he's moonlighting as a fortune-teller now?
Remembering how he was randomly painting to make money in the peach grove last time, she wasn't surprised to see him like this now.
Feng Qingyi waved at Qian Jue, "No thanks, I have something to do. I'm leaving."
Xu Linghe asked, "Qingyi, do you know him?"
"Don't you know him? He's Qian Jue," Feng Qingyi said.
Xu Linghe looked back twice, "Qian Jue? Isn't he from the Wenyuan Pavilion? Why is he out here fortune-telling?"
"Maybe he's just bored and out here to con people." It seemed like something he would do.
Xu Linghe asked, "How do you know him? I heard his paintings are worth their weight in gold, and he's even Zhao Yiqing's master. Seeing him today, he doesn't seem like it."
"His paintings are indeed impressive, but as for the person himself, that's another story."
After walking around with Xu Linghe for a while longer, they parted ways.
Feng Qingyi was about to head back when she realized Qian Jue had followed her, still holding his fortune-telling flag.
"Little girl, you're so disloyal. You wouldn't even help me out when I asked."
Feng Qingyi asked, "Why did you start fortune-telling?"
"Well, I was getting too bored staying in the Wenyuan Pavilion all day, so I came out to do a side job to make a living," Qian Jue said leisurely.
Feng Qingyi retorted, "Aren't you just out here to con people?"
"Watch your words. If you don't believe me, I can tell your fortune," Qian Jue said.
Feng Qingyi replied, "Alright then, can you tell me what score I'll get on my final exam?"
Qian Jue hesitated, "...How am I supposed to predict that? That can be changed by external factors. Choose something else. How about I tell you how many people are in your family?"
Feng Qingyi rolled her eyes, "Do you even need to predict that? Is this how you con people?"
Qian Jue defended himself, "Although I'm not as good as Guang'an, I can still see good and bad fortune. You little girl don't understand, so don't talk nonsense."
"Are you going to tell me my forehead looks dark and I'll have a bloody disaster soon?" Feng Qingyi looked at him skeptically.
Qian Jue peered at Feng Qingyi closely, "Your luck hasn't been good lately. It's not as severe as a bloody disaster, but you might encounter some minor mishaps. You should be careful."
"You're just making things up!" Feng Qingyi thought he was talking nonsense.
Qian Jue suggested, "Girl, why don't you spend some money to ward off the bad luck?"
"Stop trying to fool me," Feng Qingyi said.
Qian Jue warned, "Don't come crying to me when it's too late and you regret it."
"Bye-bye, I'm leaving," Feng Qingyi waved at him and left.
In the Tianqi Military Camp, inside a tent, Qin Yuchuan held a letter from Shengjing.
Na Muqi stood nearby and asked, "Did His Majesty say anything?"
"Nothing of importance," It was just some pleasantries.
Yan Chi reported, "Scouts have brought news that the Southern strategist Rong Sheng is returning."
Qin Yuchuan looked up, "Rong Sheng?"
Yan Chi continued, "It's said that he commanded the first few battles. If he returns, things might not go as smoothly for us as before."
"Murong Yi doesn't have much strength. We expected them to change commanders," Na Muqi said.
Qin Yuchuan asked, "Do we have any specific information on Rong Sheng?"
Yan Chi replied, "According to our investigation, he's one of the Southern Prince's men. The Prince sent him to assist Murong Yi this time, but they don't seem to get along."
"He left earlier because of a disagreement with Murong Yi. Neither could convince the other."
"Recently, the South suffered heavy losses, and the military officers were very dissatisfied with Murong Yi, so they invited Rong Sheng back."
Qin Yuchuan pondered for a moment, "I see. You may all withdraw now. Keep an eye on news from Nanwu City and report any developments immediately."
Yan Chi nodded, "Understood, sir."
After everyone left the tent, Qin Yuchuan looked at the deployment map.
He had considered many scenarios for this war. Although these recent battles had been relatively easy, he never expected everything to go so smoothly.
This Rong Sheng, although he hadn't heard of him before, the first few battles showed that he was quite capable.
It seemed the upcoming battles wouldn't be so easy.
At Jing University, in a classroom, a few minutes before class.
"Qingyi, what happened to you?" Shen Hanyue rushed over to support Feng Qingyi, who was limping into the classroom.
Feng Qingyi replied wearily, "I just twisted my ankle on the stairs."
Shen Hanyue suggested, "Should I ask the teacher for leave and take you to the infirmary?"
Qu Jingqiu and Lou Xi also came over to check on her.
Feng Qingyi assured them, "It's fine, not a big deal. Just hurts a bit."
"How did you manage to twist your ankle wearing sneakers?" Qu Jingqiu asked.
Feng Qingyi sighed, "I accidentally missed a step coming down the stairs this morning, and this happened. You all go back to your seats, I'm okay."
Could it be that Qian Jue's prediction was right? Her luck had been bad these past few days.
Shen Hanyue looked at Feng Qingyi's ankle, "It seems a bit swollen. We should still go to the infirmary after class."
Feng Qingyi agreed, "We'll go after class. I don't want to move right now."
"Let me know if it hurts too much," Shen Hanyue said, concerned.
Feng Qingyi shook her head, "I used to get bumps and bruises all the time when I was dancing. I'm used to it. It doesn't hurt if I don't move, so don't worry."
After class, Shen Hanyue helped Feng Qingyi to the infirmary to get treatment.
Feng Qingyi mentioned what Qian Jue had said yesterday, "Hanyue, I met a fortune-teller on the street yesterday. He said my luck would be bad recently and told me to spend some money to ward off misfortune."
"So you didn't actually give him money, did you? You don't seem like someone who'd fall for that easily!" Shen Hanyue said.
Feng Qingyi shook her head, "I thought he was a fraud, so I didn't take it seriously. But then I twisted my ankle today. Do you think he might actually be able to predict something?"
"How can you believe in that stuff? You just weren't careful. Don't blame it on superstitions. Just be more careful in the future," Shen Hanyue advised.
Feng Qingyi nodded, thinking it was probably just a coincidence this time.
