Chapter 39: The concentric lock

Junior Brother Bai Ming smiled, "Then let's go take a look."

The group arrived where the crowd had gathered and watched the stall owner calling out to passersby.

The stall owner was currently performing a reading for a couple, and after a series of ambiguous gestures, he suddenly opened his eyes. "The two of you share a deep connection, so you may purchase this concentric lock of mine. I also wish for the two of you to tie the knot and be blessed with children early."

The male customer beamed, "I'll trust you, Daoist, just this once."

The female customer leaned against the man with a shy expression, "Young Master Zhao, you must treat me well in the future."

The stall owner handed over the lock with one hand while taking the money with the other, "Three hundred copper coins. Safe travels, you two."

Watching this scene, Junior Brother Bai Ming chuckled to himself. This was nothing more than the tricks of con artists from his past life; he hadn't expected them to be effective here as well.

Beside him, Song Wanqing cast a look filled with interest. Junior Brother Bai Ming nodded, intending to accompany her and give it a try.

However, a pair dressed in luxurious fur garments arrived faster, reaching the stall a step ahead of them.

The man in the luxurious fur garments said anxiously, "Daoist, please help my wife and me take a look."

The stall owner smiled broadly, "Alright, customers. Please provide your birth dates and times, then extend your hands for me to see."

The two complied, after which the stall owner closed his eyes, holding a compass that he shook continuously while muttering under his breath, looking as if he were calculating something or casting a spell.

At first glance, it really looked like the real deal.

After a few dozen breaths, the stall owner stopped his movements. "The two of you have a shallow connection; you cannot purchase this concentric lock of mine."

The man in the luxurious fur garments' expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with anger. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting, you lousy Daoist? Xiaoqing and I are in love. You tell me our connection is shallow? Isn't that just an excuse to raise the price?"

"You won't even let me buy a lousy lock? I insist on buying it today. I'll pay two strings of copper coins—that's several times more than that person from just now. Surely you can give it to me now?"

The stall owner waved his hands dismissively, looking troubled. "This is merely the result of the calculation; believe it if you will, and if not, then it doesn't matter. Why must you get angry, customer? As for the concentric lock, it cannot be bought simply by offering more money. I hope you can forgive me."

The man in the luxurious fur garments laughed in anger. Just as he was about to speak, the woman beside him dragged him away with a guilty expression.

The woman looked somewhat displeased, "It's just a lock. There's no need for this. Let's go look over there."

The man in the luxurious fur garments wore a sorrowful expression, "He is questioning the feelings between us, Xiaoqing."

The woman feigned anger and hurriedly pulled the man in the luxurious fur garments away.

While being pulled away, the man in the fur garments shouted, "One thousand strings of copper coins! You should be satisfied with that! I don't believe there's anything money can't buy."

Unfortunately, the stall owner continued to shake his head, and the man in the fur garments was led away from the scene by the woman.

Having witnessed such a scene, the crowd began to discuss the couple with their companions; those with a keen eye had perhaps already guessed the general situation.

The crowd gathered at the stall did not disperse; instead, it grew even larger. Perhaps due to the shock of the recent failed attempt, no one stepped forward to get a reading for a while.

Recalling the scene just now, Junior Brother Bai Ming lightly stroked his chin, thinking it interesting.

Was it truly just to build atmosphere and highlight the scarcity of the item to attract more people for readings, or was there actually something to it?

The beauty in green robes beside him had already passed through the yielding crowd and arrived at the stall.

Watching the woman in green beckon with a smile, Junior Brother Bai Ming shook his head with a faint smile and walked to the stall.

The stall owner still seemed shaken, "Please forgive the scene just now, customers. Please excuse me. My readings are just for everyone's amusement, so please don't take them too seriously."

He changed the subject, "But since it is a reading, how can one use money to change the result? If it were done that way, then all future marriages could simply be bought with money."

The crowd chuckled, and quite a few nodded.

Junior Brother Bai Ming laughed along and nodded.

The stall owner looked at the two, his eyes narrowing, "The two of you are fellow practitioners, aren't you?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming was secretly startled, "Oh?"

So, he was also a Cultivator.

The stall owner took out his compass, "Since that is the case, I will not ask for your birth dates and times, for fear of offending two fellow practitioners."

Junior Brother Bai Ming felt suspicious and looked at Song Wanqing beside him, but the woman in green just smiled and nodded, signaling for him to continue.

It seemed he had some ability.

"If you don't need birth dates and times, then how should one calculate the connection?"

The stall owner produced a compass that looked even more ancient than the previous one, "Please press your index fingers onto the center of the compass."

Junior Brother Bai Ming pondered, hesitating slightly, but Song Wanqing pressed her finger down, so he had no choice but to follow suit.

Their index fingers touched, and the moment they made contact, an unusual sensation traveled through their hands.

A faint suction force came from the center of the compass, and a wisp of spiritual energy was absorbed from each of them.

The stall owner withdrew the ancient compass and pressed his hands together to form a seal, omitting the complicated preamble, yet appearing even more profound.

After a dozen breaths, his brows furrowed as if he had encountered a difficult problem, appearing somewhat anxious.

Junior Brother Bai Ming noticed this and was secretly startled, his heart feeling as if it had been gripped by a hand.

It couldn't be that Song Wanqing and he had no connection, could it?

He didn't particularly trust these methods, but if it were spoken by a practitioner who specialized in this path, his heart would naturally feel uneasy.

He looked at Song Wanqing beside him and saw the woman staring intently at the compass, the autumn water in her eyes seemingly about to overflow.

So, Qing'er also cared so much?

The woman's profile warmed Junior Brother Bai Ming's heart, and he relaxed. No matter the result, his feelings for her would not change.

The stall owner exhaled a breath of turbid air and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "It really was difficult to calculate. Both of you must be people of deep fortune, which makes this connection exceptionally difficult to calculate."

"If it weren't for the two of you being present at the same time today and personally touching my ancestral compass, I fear I would not have been able to calculate it."

Song Wanqing was about to ask, but to her surprise, Junior Brother Bai Ming spoke first. She watched the young man's profile quietly.

Junior Brother Bai Ming asked anxiously, "What is the result?"

The stall owner pondered, "Judging by the result, the two of you do have a connection, and it is not shallow. This concentric lock is also available, but…"

He was just about to continue when he saw a warning look from the woman in green, which also carried a tangible killing intent.

The stall owner swallowed hard, "Nothing… nothing at all."

Junior Brother Bai Ming's expression turned joyful. The heart that had been gripped was released, and his chest loosened, as if a breath of turbid air had been exhaled from his body.

He didn't listen closely to the words that followed, nor did he care much. For him, having heard that their connection was deep was already enough.

Song Wanqing leaned closer to Junior Brother Bai Ming, "What about the concentric lock?"

The stall owner looked somewhat panicked and hurriedly formed a seal. A branch from the large tree behind him naturally drooped down, with an exquisite little lock tied to it by a red thread.

The stall owner took it down, "Here you go, customer."

Junior Brother Bai Ming reached out to take it and began to examine the exquisite little lock in his hand in detail.

It was only the size of a palm, with simple, ancient patterns carved on the surface. Looking deep into the lock core, the interior appeared slightly complex, seemingly containing some tiny inscriptions.