Chapter 65: The False Oracle
It was supposed to be a peaceful market day.
Su Yanyue had just set up her stall—freshly packaged tea blends stacked in neat rows, new embroidered signage fluttering in the breeze. A small crowd was gathering, curious villagers excited to see her "Capital Fragrance" mix everyone had been gossiping about.
Then he arrived.
A gaunt, wild-eyed man in long robes staggered into the square. His beard was unkempt, a string of beads jingled from his wrist, and his eyes gleamed with dramatic flair.
"I have seen it!" he cried, pointing toward the sky. "The phoenix shall rise again! In this very village!"
The crowd, naturally, paused mid-bargaining.
He twirled dramatically, his robes flaring. "A girl with a phoenix mark and a destiny to change the world! Where is she? The heavens have shown me!"
Su Zhi, watching nearby while munching on roasted peanuts, blinked and turned to his brothers. "Does he mean Aunt Yue?"
"Maybe," Su Lin whispered. "Should we charge him for advertising?"
The man suddenly spotted Su Yanyue and froze.
"You!" he bellowed, stumbling toward her. "It is you!"
Yanyue stepped back warily, arms folded. "Excuse me?"
"You! Your aura is radiant! The phoenix energy circles you—glorious! You are destined to rise to greatness! Power! Wealth! Nobility!"
The villagers gasped.
Yanyue was not impressed. "Did you come here from the capital's traveling opera troupe?"
He fell to his knees. "Let me read your palm, great one!"
Yu Shiming appeared at her side so fast it made several bystanders jump. His expression was calm, but the air turned cold.
"Her hands are not for strangers," he said simply.
The "oracle" scrambled up. "This is divine work, good sir!"
Yu Shiming stepped forward, just once.
The man immediately took two steps back.
Seeing an opportunity, the triplets rushed forward.
"Sir, would you like to buy our Official Phoenix Prediction Scrolls?" Su Zhi offered.
"Only one silver! Comes with a feather!" Su Lin added.
Su Rui whispered conspiratorially, "We wrote them last night. One says you'll marry a princess. Another says you'll find gold in your pillow."
The man looked baffled. "I—I already give divine words!"
Su Zhi leaned closer. "Ours come with a duck feather. Limited edition."
Before the oracle could say another word, the village chief arrived—an older man with a sharp tongue and a love for order.
"What's this noise?" he barked. "If you're selling snake oil and fate stories again, you'll sleep in the pig pens tonight!"
The oracle paled and scurried away, tripping over his own robes.
"Phoenix energy, my foot," the village chief muttered.
The crowd laughed, the tension gone like a popped bubble. But whispers lingered.
"Do you think it's true?"
"She is rather beautiful…"
"Her tea is unlike anything I've tasted…"
Yanyue ignored it all, keeping her face calm as she handed a bag of tea to a customer.
Later that evening, while the triplets argued over whether duck feathers were good luck, she sat beside Yu Shiming by the fire.
"That man was fake," she said.
He stirred the pot gently. "Yes."
"But his words…"
"…Might not be false."
She looked up.
He wasn't smiling. But there was something in his gaze—a quiet certainty.
"Some people speak truth by accident," he said.
She stared at the flames, a strange twist in her chest.
Was her future really that grand?
Or was it just a performance?
Either way, she had no intention of waiting around to find out.
She'd build it herself.