Ren Ran walked aimlessly on the street, with pedestrians passing by, avoiding her and covering their noses, their faces filled with disgust.
She was well aware of her current state—dirty, filthy, emitting a foul stench.
"Excuse me, miss."
Ren Ran turned her head and looked at the deserted fortune-telling stall by the roadside with hollow eyes.
"I have no money."
The stall owner was a young Daoist priest who, despite wearing Daoist robes, lacked the aura of a cultivator.
"I find your physiognomy quite interesting. Today, I won't charge you. Let me read your fortune."
Her physiognomy interesting?
Ren Ran's lips curled into a self-deprecating smile.
Her life itself was interesting, wasn't it?
She was a harbinger of disaster, wherever she went, calamity followed.
She brought about the death of her mother, her grandparents, and her younger brother. Her biological father, fearing her jinx, severed all ties with her early on.
Her boyfriends who were involved with her either got hit by a car one day or got robbed the next.
People who were close to her, either suffered from food poisoning or encountered thieves whenever they went out.
In short, anyone who had a close relationship with her would be tainted by her ill fortune, becoming unlucky.
Some would experience minor illnesses and misfortunes, while others would face major illnesses and disasters, even losing half their lives.
As for herself, she was constantly plagued by misfortune.
Her first job was a sham company where the boss disappeared after three months, leaving her unpaid.
The second company turned out to be a pyramid scheme. After working there for a month, just as she was about to receive her salary, the police raided the place. She narrowly escaped eating prison food. Thanks to the astute police officers, she was released, but there was no hope of getting her salary.
Finally, she managed to find a job in the third company. On her third day there, the boss ran away with his mistress, leaving behind a debt-ridden boss lady.
With these three "glorious" work experiences, no normal company would ever hire her.
Fully aware of her predicament, she didn't dare to seek employment again, fearing she would fall into another trap.
She could only rely on picking up scraps and doing odd jobs to make a living. Even though she earned very little, thieves would occasionally pay her a visit. No matter how well she hid her belongings, they would still be stolen.
She couldn't understand why, when she was already so poor, the thieves still wanted to steal from her, as if they would feel uncomfortable if they didn't take all her money.
Her daily life was full of peril. Sometimes while walking on the road, flower pots would fall from the sky, narrowly missing her.
Other times, when buying food, she would encounter robbers and end up as an innocent bystander injured in the chaos.
There were even instances where she almost choked to death while eating noodles.
Luck had never favored her, but misfortune clung to her relentlessly.
She thought she had already suffered enough misfortune, but little did she know that today, she was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. The doctor told her she had no more than two months to live.
Just as she left the hospital, an unscrupulous driver splashed her with filthy water, leaving her in a pitiful state, resembling a soaked dog.
And now, someone was telling her that her physiognomy was interesting. Reflecting on her past, wasn't it indeed "interesting"?
The young Daoist priest seemed oblivious to the self-mockery on her face. "We have a connection. I promise I won't charge you."
Ren Ran looked at him with a numb expression. Her life had been a mess, and she was curious to see what kind of sweet talk the young Taoist priest would come up with. She took a seat opposite him.
"Please provide your date and time of birth," he requested.
Ren Ran revealed her date and time of birth.
The young Taoist priest lightly pinched his fingertips and murmured incomprehensible words under his breath.
After a moment, he looked up at her, carefully examining her and furrowing his brows. Unconsciously, he muttered to himself.
"Strange! Strange!"
Ren Ran didn't feel much looking at the young Taoist priest. Most fortune-tellers followed this kind of routine, but she still asked out of politeness, "What's so strange?"
"Based on your date and time of birth, you have a Zi-Wu double-wrapped destiny, which is considered an auspicious destiny. In all my years of divination, I have not seen anyone with this destiny," the young Taoist priest explained.
A noble destiny?
Ren Ran chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Was there a destiny more "noble" than hers in the world?
The young Taoist continued, "However, your facial features are quite interesting. The main palace has a black malevolent aura, and misfortune surrounds you. It's a sign of a short life. According to your facial features, you should have died two years ago. It's truly a profound blessing that you've made it this far."
Ren Ran sighed, "Daoist, I really don't have any money."
She opened her pocket and found only a few coins.
"You don't have much time left," the young Taoist said with certainty.
Ren Ran's hollow eyes showed a slight emotional fluctuation, like stagnant water with ripples.
"Something's not right, it's too abnormal. How can the destiny and facial features be at two extremes?"
Ignoring Ren Ran's words, the young Taoist remained silent in his own world, constantly calculating with his fingers and murmuring words. Gradually, his expression became more solemn, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. "This is truly wicked!"
"Hmm?" Ren Ran was puzzled.
The young Taoist said in a deep voice, "According to your destined fate, you should have enjoyed a life of riches and honor, a blissful and happy family. But someone used underhanded means to swap your destiny, making you bear the malevolent and calamitous destiny that originally belonged to another person."
Swapping destinies?
Such a thing was too unimaginable, something she had never heard of before.
"You mean...?" she trailed off, as if the young Taoist knew what she was about to say.
"You were originally destined for a life of prosperity and blessings, but someone stole your destiny, causing your family to fall apart and leaving you in misery," he explained.
Since her mother's death, her grandparents' departure, and her father severing ties with her, her life had been filled with nothing but suffering.
And now she was being told that this was not her true fate.
Surprise? Doubt? Hatred? Pain?
Various emotions intertwined in her heart.
She had always believed she was a harbinger of disaster, the one responsible for her family's ruin.
For so many years, she had lived with guilt and pain.
But now someone was telling her that she wasn't the culprit.
"Is what you're saying true?"
If what he said was true, then who had swapped her destiny, causing her family's ruin and leaving her alone and destitute?
The Daoist's clear eyes nodded firmly. "I am the 87th generation disciple of the Zhengyi Sect. I never deceive people."
"Aren't destinies innate? How can they be swapped?" she didn't understand.
The Daoist shook his head. "Fate is predetermined, but one's actions can make a difference. In this world, there exists a special type of fate known as the Pixiu's Wealth-Attracting Destiny. If one finds a person with this fate and keeps them by their side, it can bring them good fortune in official positions and abundant wealth."
"Some individuals who have committed great sins will keep people with strong birth charts around them, specifically to ward off evil and ensure their own safety."
"As for someone like you..."
The young Taoist priest's voice paused. "Changing one's fate is extremely rare. I have never encountered it before, and my master has only mentioned it in passing. I never thought there would be someone who could change their fate. Truly, there are exceptional individuals beyond ordinary humans."
"Daoist, is there a way to break this curse?"
If he was a fraud, then he had succeeded.
His appearance was like a lifeline thrown to someone deeply trapped in a swamp.
Before the young Taoist priest could respond, a harsh screeching of brakes, the sound of a vehicle crashing, and the screams of pedestrians suddenly erupted from the street.
An out-of-control dump truck careened recklessly towards their direction.
The Daoist immediately pulled Ren Ran and moved to the side, narrowly avoiding the truck as it flew past them, crashing into a stone pillar behind them and igniting sparks.
"Are you alright?" the Daoist asked, looking at Ren Ran.
Just as Ren Ran opened her mouth, a metallic taste of blood rushed out in large gushes.
She lowered her head, and a piece of iron had pierced through her chest, puncturing her heart and lungs. There was even a cut across her throat.
It seemed as if the heavens were afraid she wouldn't die, so they had given her a double assurance.
The Daoist hastily took out a talisman paper from his bag, but it quickly burned out in his hand.
He sighed helplessly.
If only they had met a little earlier, perhaps their fates wouldn't be like this.
From his expression, Ren Ran understood that this was her end.
"Thank you," she struggled to say the two words with great difficulty.
She could keenly feel her life slipping away.
She only resented that she had met the Daoist too late, without enough time to find the mastermind behind it all, seek justice for herself, or avenge her mother, grandparents.
She hated the cunning and treachery of the person behind it all.
In a daze, she heard a sigh, a voice that seemed to drift from the heavens.
"Ultimately, it was too late."
