TGA Chapter 30

After hearing Chu Qianli’s explanation, Qiu Qingkong was momentarily dazed and exclaimed, “Why is it that the female immortal is in charge of childbirth?”

“You ask such a question…” Chu Qianli, a Marxism believer, didn’t know how to explain the division of labor among immortals. She casually said, “I suppose male immortals can’t do that?”

Qiu Qingkong thought this made sense, and in the end, she still offered incense to Bixia Yuanjun, muttering, “Well, Bixia Yuanjun, forget about making a wish. I just hope you’re doing well, no need to give me anything…”

Chu Qianli was left puzzled by this. She waited for Qiu Qingkong to finish offering the incense, then accompanied her to leave the Yuanjun Hall before asking, “You didn’t make a wish, why did you offer incense?”

Qiu Qingkong answered confidently, “It’s a female immortal. We need to support her, we can’t let her be overshadowed in the temple! Male immortals all have incense offerings, and female immortals must have them too. This is the power of support!”

“……”

Chu Qianli was still confused. She didn’t know if Qiu Qingkong believed in these things or not. But if she did believe, why was she applying fan club voting rules to immortals?

Outside the hall, Tan Muxing was standing and waiting. The three of them then headed toward the Wenchang Hall. After Qiu Qingkong offered incense for a smooth midterm exam, she ran off to join her friends, preparing to slowly walk down the mountain.

The environment in the temple was peaceful and sparsely populated, and Chu Qianli curiously looked around, asking, “Are there any buildings here that used to belong to your family?”

Tan Muxing shook his head. “This is the area of the Taoist temple. The buildings left by my family are on the other side. Now, it’s the place where the staff of the scenic area works.”

As the three walked along the small path, they suddenly heard voices raised in argument.

Near a low building by the bamboo forest, a Taoist priest was surrounded by several people, struggling to break free from the crowd.

The group of people were dressed in designer clothes, and the middle-aged man leading them had sparse hair and a large belly. He anxiously grabbed the Taoist priest, his voice hoarse as he pleaded, “Master, I beg you, just let me see the great master. This is a matter of life and death. You can’t let my family die!”

The Taoist priest sighed, “Ah, you’re exaggerating…”

A person next to him chimed in, “We’ve been up the mountain so many times, and now the situation is serious.”

“Yes, yes! You’re also a cultivator. Have some compassion!” another person said.

The Taoist priest, troubled by the group, reluctantly tried to walk out but was blocked again.

Tan Muxing recognized the middle-aged man leading the group at a glance. His expression changed slightly, and his brows furrowed. He sighed lightly and suggested, “Let’s take another path.”

Qiu Qingkong stopped and peered ahead, asking, “What’s going on up there?”

Chu Qianli, surprised, asked, “Shouldn’t this be about the Taoist temple? It has nothing to do with us, right?”

Tan Muxing, troubled, said, “No, that group of people came to my house not long ago. I’m not sure if he remembers me, so it’s better to walk around them…”

“Do you know them?”

“I can’t say I know them,” Tan Muxing scratched his head. “My family isn’t very close with the Taoist temple, but people often come asking my family to find the masters on the mountain. My grandfather got tired of it and moved to the middle of the mountain, just to avoid dealing with them.”

Rich people often believe in feng shui and fortune-telling. They might even change their names to change their fate, and business people are particularly particular about this. In the northern part of the country, Qianshan is famous, but not everyone has access to the right channels, so they end up asking the Tan family to find a master from the Qian Gate.

He Jianping was one such person, and later Tan Muxing introduced him to Chu Qianli.

Qiu Qingkong asked, “I heard them saying it’s urgent? Why not help them?”

Tan Muxing looked troubled. He glanced at the crowd ahead, confirming they hadn’t noticed them yet, and whispered, “Don’t listen to what these people say. This Boss Zhang is from the south. Apparently, he couldn’t find anyone there, so he came all the way to the north to seek help.”

“Now he’s saying his family is going to die, but my family says he wasn’t a good person before. After getting rich, he abandoned his wife and children and found someone new. He even scammed a lot of old friends in business, his reputation is really bad.”

Tan Muxing lowered his eyes and said, “That’s why I don’t believe in incense offerings. If someone’s wishes were granted just by offering incense, then the immortals would be too utilitarian.”

“It’s just like people—whoever pays money gets their wishes granted. That’s not what immortals should be about.”

Tan Muxing wasn’t interested in metaphysics, and one important reason was that he had seen too many people chasing fame and fortune through fortune-telling. He found it ironic that people could use money to change their fate. If a person’s life could be quantified with money, then he didn’t want to believe it.

Chu Qianli said, “I can understand your point, but fortune-tellers are just people too. If he’s willing to spend a lot of money to ask for help, there must be a reason. It’s strange for him to travel from the south to the north.”

“I’m not sure,” Tan Muxing thought for a moment. “But he did used to ask southern masters. I don’t know why he came to the north now.”

Boss Zhang was still in front, tying up the Taoist priest. Chu Qianli and the others hid behind the bamboo forest, chatting casually, and they weren’t noticed.

Inside the nearby low building, the scent of tea wafted through the air, and the sound of a chess piece falling was quiet. The old Taoist casually placed a black piece on the board, then looked at someone by the window and urged, “Your turn.”

At the window, a young Taoist peeked through the gap, looking at the situation outside. He spoke, “Master, they haven’t left yet.”

The old Taoist said, “Don’t worry, your little junior uncle can handle five at once.”

“They’ve been coming up the mountain every day this week.”

“They’ve been coming every day for a year, but it’s useless. This is a life-and-death divination. Otherwise, someone would have already helped them.”

Boss Zhang was willing to spend a fortune to find a master. As long as the money was right, it didn’t matter if there was a master or not; even a fraud could be called. This matter had not been solved yet, entirely because it involved life and death.

People involved in metaphysics also love money, but there are taboos they follow—life and death divination is something they cannot handle casually. Life and death are complex causes and effects, not something everyone can deal with.

The old Taoist, noticing that the young Taoist hadn’t returned to continue the game, walked to the window as well. He looked ahead at Boss Zhang and his group, then glanced back to see Tan Muxing and the others hiding behind the bamboo forest. He was momentarily stunned and muttered, “Oh, what a coincidence. I ran into a young friend from down the mountain, and their friends too…”

“The person from the mountain?” The young Taoist questioned. “Do you mean that family down the mountain?”

“Yes,” the old Taoist said, focusing on Tan Muxing, revealing a bitter smile. “Ah, speaking of fate, I owe him a karmic debt.”

“What karmic debt?”

“It’s nothing more than doing a good deed that ends up causing harm. Some bad things shouldn’t be known by the person involved, but unfortunately, they end up hearing about it. This is fate playing tricks on me. I’ve been reflecting on it, but I don’t know how to make amends.” The old Taoist sighed.

“Why can’t the person involved know? If they find out earlier, wouldn’t they be able to avoid misfortune?” The young Taoist asked.

“Ah, you’re still too young. There’s an old saying that the ones who drown are all people who can swim. You think you can avoid misfortune, but what if it leads to a suggestion?” The old Taoist smiled lightly. “You may be able to read all the omens, but what happens if one day you predict an outcome that you can’t accept?”

The young Taoist fell silent for a moment and answered, “Then find a way to solve it.”

“It’s easy to say that, but what if you can’t find a way to resolve it?” The old Taoist responded.

The young Taoist said nothing.

Seeing his disciple deep in thought, the old Taoist chuckled, “The people down the mountain can say they don’t believe in this, but you have never been wrong. You can’t help but believe it!”

The young Taoist helplessly replied, “Then what should I do?”

“Do nothing. Some people live their whole lives without touching this stuff and live smoothly. Others study the occult for their whole lives and still don’t have a good end. If it were that easy to understand, could it still be called fate?”

The old Taoist waved his hand nonchalantly. “What’s the point of calculating? It’s all just random calculations. People pay money to come up the mountain to find a master, and the master might not even be able to calculate his own fate!”

In the bamboo forest, Chu Qianli peeked around, seeing that the people in front hadn’t left.

Tan Muxing suggested taking a different route down the mountain.

Qiu Qingkong was worried, “But isn’t the Taoist priest surrounded? Isn’t it tragic? Won’t the people from the scenic area do something about it?”

Tan Muxing replied, “Should we call security?”

Chu Qianli, who was casually observing, quickly said, “Don’t rush, don’t rush. The Taoist priest just rolled up his sleeves!”

Not far away, the Taoist priest, thoroughly annoyed by the disturbance, finally rolled up his sleeves, adopting a decisive posture. He said seriously, “Mr. Zhang, there’s something I didn’t tell you before. I wasn’t always a Taoist priest, I was once a martial artist.”

Seeing that things were about to escalate, Mr. Zhang and the others quickly scattered, like birds and beasts fleeing, allowing the Taoist priest to pass.

Chu Qianli sighed in regret, “I didn’t get to see the Taoist priest’s martial arts skills.”

Tan Muxing weakly led her away, “Don’t just watch for the sake of excitement.”

After finishing the tour of Mount Qian, the three of them quickly went their separate ways to return home.

The weekend before the midterm exams was fleeting. Chu Qianli, who had been cramming, became highly anxious as the exams were just around the corner.

On the day of the midterm exam, the students who arrived early gathered outside the school building. They chatted on the playground, waiting for the classrooms to open so they could enter their respective rooms.

Chu Qianli wandered aimlessly in a corner, nervously clutching her study materials, looking visibly anxious.

Tan Muxing, rarely seeing her so tense, questioned, “You’ve never been this nervous before?”

“Ah, well, I didn’t do well in past exams. I could say I didn’t study, but now I have no excuses!” Chu Qianli sighed deeply. “Is it finally time to expose the fact that I’m not smart?”

Tan Muxing was silent.

Seeing her pacing anxiously, Tan Muxing kindly suggested, “Why don’t you calculate your fortune, maybe find a little psychological comfort?”

“I deliberately didn’t even look at the celestial chart this morning. If the result is bad, my mindset will completely collapse.”

Chu Qianli was used to daily divination, but she avoided using the celestial chart out of fear it might predict something undesirable. She could usually understand the celestial signs without needing to consult the chart.

This was both her strength and weakness—her fortune-telling was very accurate, but the flood of information was overwhelming, making it hard to filter out.

Tan Muxing thought for a moment and suggested, “Then just say ‘I will definitely do well in the exam’?”

“I will definitely do well in the exam.” Chu Qianli repeated instinctively, then asked in confusion, “Is this supposed to be encouraging myself? Or like in cartoons, shouting before unleashing a big move?”

Tan Muxing smiled, “The best astrologer in the world says you’ll do well, so it should be fine. You’ve been practicing so much, you’re sure to make progress.”

Chu Qianli mumbled, “…You’re just comforting me like a child.”

She didn’t dare to calculate the exam results, and talking like this didn’t help.

However, her anxiety was somewhat alleviated when her deskmate interrupted her thoughts. Hearing the bell from the school building, she followed the crowd toward the exam rooms.

The class was completely rearranged, and everyone was scattered into different rooms, many of them sitting next to unfamiliar people.

Inside the classroom, the desks and chairs were completely reconfigured into single-person seating arrangements, with a considerable distance between each seat, even the front and back rows were not in close proximity.

Qi Yan adjusted her glasses and turned to Chu Qianli, smiling kindly, “Long time no see.”

It had been a long time since Qi Yan had seen Chu Qianli. The main reasons were that they were in different classes, and He Shichen had been blocking their communication, so they had no chance to talk. She didn’t expect to end up in the same exam room and have a chance to interact.

Chu Qianli didn’t wait for Qi Yan to say more. Thinking of the identity of the female lead from the original book, she immediately became serious and asked, “Can I shake your hand?”

Qi Yan looked puzzled, but seeing her hand raised, he gently returned the handshake, “Sure, but is there a reason?”

Chu Qianli answered seriously, “Fate is in my hands. I’m shaking hands with the top student in the grade, so I should be grasping my fate, right?”

Qi Yan: “?”

Others who overheard Chu Qianli’s words immediately stood up, shouting, “I also want to shake your hand! We also want to be blessed by the gods!”

Qi Yan: “???”

Qi Yan had originally planned to chat with Chu Qianli for a bit, but when the handshake event in the exam room started, a crowd of people rushed to shake hands with her for good luck.

She wanted to persuade them not to be superstitious, but thinking of Chu Qianli sitting next to her, and worried that the master might be sensitive to the word “superstition,” she could only smile awkwardly and deal with the other exam takers.

Qi Yan is helping Chu Qianli, hoping she will help him with a task, and Chu Qianli is helping Qi Yan, wanting to take advantage of the “study god.” It’s unclear who is actually superstitious.

The mid-term exams last for three days. After finishing her exams, Chu Qianli was so dizzy and disoriented that she didn’t know what day it was. She went home and immediately went to sleep.

The school’s machine-read cards grade quickly. The first half of the week was for exams, and by the second half, rankings were out—no time was wasted. The new grade topper was He Shichen, with Qi Yan in second place. It’s unclear if the latter’s luck was just spread too thin.

Chu Qianli looked at her ranking and asked in confusion, “Is this good or bad?”

Her grade ranking had risen a lot, but she was unsure where she stood.

Tan Muxing glanced at her scores and rankings. Not wanting to directly say it was mid-to-low tier, he tactfully said, “It’s good. You’ll definitely graduate with your diploma, and with perseverance, you’ll get into a good university. You have a lot of room for improvement.”

Chu Qianli had been at the bottom of the grade, but now she had gradually moved to the mid-to-low range, which was still rapid progress. However, the higher the rank, the harder it is to improve, especially since the top ranks were highly competitive, with people of exceptional ability.

Chu Qianli was new to the school and didn’t understand the rankings, so she naturally believed whatever her deskmate said and was immediately encouraged. “Well, that’s fine then.”

Tan Muxing quickly added, “Make sure to hold on for the finals.”

After the exams, Chu Qianli was carefree. After moving up from being third-to-last in the grade, she acted even more arrogantly at home than He Shichen, the top student. This made the “money printer” want to scold her, but He Shichen didn’t dare directly scold her. If he did, she’d start skipping classes, and Tan Muxing’s encouragement plan would fail. So, he could only endure it in silence and ignore her.

In the living room, He Shichen sat quietly on the couch, looking at his phone, while Chu Qianli, acting cheeky, suddenly approached from behind, trying to startle him. She shouted, “Hey, what are you looking at?”

He Shichen heard her deliberately make a sound, but he wasn’t startled. Furrowing his brows, he muttered, “Looking up information online.”

“What information?”

“Related to education,” He Shichen coldly added, “How to educate children without hitting or scolding them.”

“…”

After the mid-term exams, life on campus became more relaxed. Chu Qianli resumed her old ways and started a magical card girls’ squad with her friends. Surprisingly, some familiar old customers came back.

Tan Muxing received a voice message from He Jianping, who decided to put it on speaker, and they listened together on the playground.

He Jianping spoke with difficulty, “Muxing, and little master, there’s something I need your help with. A businessman from the south who has worked with us before is looking for a master. Now he’s come to me…”

Tan Muxing immediately understood and quietly said, “It’s that Mr. Zhang, right? Uncle Jianping, don’t bother asking for him anymore.”

The southern Mr. Zhang had bothered almost everyone in the circle, and now the whole south was being tainted by his reputation.

“Heh, I get it, I get it. Your family must have been troubled by him too, but he really won’t give up, asking everywhere. I didn’t want to bring this up with the little master, but I referred him to a diviner who does six lines. The guy immediately refused, saying it was bad luck!”

He Jianping sighed, “I thought it would be over, but then he somehow found out and insisted that my problem wasn’t solved by that six-line diviner.”

He Jianping was careful about boundaries. He would never introduce a bad person to Chu Qianli, but someone had leaked the information, and now this rogue was bothering him again.

He carefully tested the waters, “Here’s what I’m thinking: little master, why not meet him once, and then reject him on the spot? All the diviners in Beijing have refused, so we can cut off his thoughts and stop him from bothering me.”

“Of course, I won’t let the little master go empty-handed. Any introduction or appearance fees will be paid, but whether you want to give a reading is another matter. Mr. Zhang is saying he just wants to meet first. He was rejected by the six-line diviner, so there’s nothing else he can do.”

He Jianping cautiously asked, “What do you think, little master?”

Chu Qianli curiously asked, “There are even introduction and appearance fees?”

Tan Muxing replied, “Why do you focus on this point after hearing it?”

“Of course! I just found out recently. I heard southern masters charge higher fees. Just meeting their disciples costs money! And people are scrambling to meet them!”

Chu Qianli looked at Tan Muxing and exclaimed, “Qiu Qingkong has a hidden side business too!”

Tan Muxing thought about the level of astrology apprentices and felt this was just a pure money scam. “…”

He Jianping carefully asked for Chu Qianli’s opinion, and she readily agreed, “Sure, I’ll meet him. Maybe after seeing me, he won’t want me to read for him, thinking I’m too young and unreliable.”

He Jianping recalled his first impression of Chu Qianli and felt a bit uncomfortable, awkwardly saying, “Oh, little master, why would you think like that? How could there be such a thing? How could there be such people?”

Tan Muxing intervened to smooth things over, “Then I’ll go with her on the weekend. Is he still at the tea house?”

“Yes, yes, just come to the tea house, we’ll accommodate your schedule!”

He Jianping, satisfied with the result, quickly ended the voice message.

Chu Qianli hesitated, “Are you going too? But didn’t you say last time at Qian Mountain that you weren’t sure if he still remembered you?”

Tan Muxing had avoided Mr. Zhang and others at Qian Mountain, but now he had to go to the tea house on the weekend. If he was recognized, it could be troublesome.

Tan Muxing hesitated for a moment, his face showing concern. He softly said, “But I can’t let you go alone.”

“What’s wrong?” Chu Qianli casually asked.

Tan Muxing lowered his gaze, looking troubled, and finally confessed, “…I’m afraid you’ll get hit.”

Chu Qianli was confused. “?”

Tan Muxing, anxiously glancing at her, continued, “Uncle Jianping is a reasonable person, but Mr. Zhang has already been pushed to the edge. If you say something casually, you might end up getting hit…”

Chu Qianli can drive He Shichen crazy on a daily basis, so she’s really easy to provoke when she’s out and about.