Chapter 584: Face Reading

Master Wen chuckled. He felt Su Qing was like a fish in a barrel, and what to do with her was entirely up to him. So, he was naturally willing to chat with her a bit longer. Su Qing had ruined his reputation, and he would definitely take her life. But at the same time, he wanted to make her experience some pain and torment before she died.

"It seems you can’t quite figure out who gave me the information," Master Wen said with a few chuckles, his voice turning harsh as he gritted his teeth. "You’re not very old, little girl, but you’ve made quite a few enemies. If you hadn’t brought this old man to such a state, even I might have been deceived by you."

Master Wen squinted, studying Su Qing’s appearance. When she first came in, he had a vague sense of familiarity about her but couldn’t quite place where he might have seen her before. Now, examining her more closely, he suddenly remembered.

Several years ago, he had been invited to the mainland by the Qiutian Clan from Japan. He had helped them with a few things and traveled to several places. It was in a small county town that he had seen Su Qing. At the time, she was a little girl, not even ten years old.

The only reason he had noticed her was because an associate had pointed her out, saying she reminded him of his own beloved daughter back home.

The Little Su he had encountered back then still had her parents. She was doted upon, lived a carefree life, full of childish innocence and ignorance. But Master Wen, with a single glance, had read her features and couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. She seemed happy and blessed then, but her face foretold a life of loneliness and an early death.

However, Master Wen had only given it a passing thought at the time. She was a complete stranger, after all, and he certainly wasn’t going to go out of his way for some unknown little girl. Besides, these mainland families could never afford the price of his services.

To Master Wen, that encounter years ago had been nothing more than a fleeting glimpse.

But Master Wen never, ever imagined that years later, he would see Su Qing again. The young woman standing before him was undoubtedly that same little girl.

Back then, her features had clearly indicated a life of hardship and solitude, destined for an early grave. So how was it that, upon seeing her again, her face now showed signs of profound blessings and good fortune?

’How could a person’s physiognomy change so drastically? This is simply unthinkable.’

Admittedly, a person’s features were not immutable. They would shift over time with changing circumstances. However, without the help of a powerful expert, a person’s physiognomy could never undergo such a drastic transformation. At most, there would only be subtle alterations.

Based on the features Master Wen had read on Little Su back then, the best she could have hoped for was to make her life slightly better by performing good deeds. It wouldn’t have led to any significant changes.

And yet, look at the reality now!

As far as he knew, the girl now possessed an incredibly powerful background, a great deal of money, and even owned several courtyard homes in Beijing. She had also been the top scorer in last year’s college entrance exam for Beijing and was now a student at Beijing University.

’Heh, this kind of fortune is practically defying the heavens. How many people in this world could be so lucky?’

’So, did someone change this girl’s fate for her? And the abilities she now has—was she taught by that same expert backing her?’

’So, who is this expert?’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, a vicious look entered Master Wen’s eyes. He absolutely could not let this girl leave today. She had already seen him, and even though he was in disguise, that meant little. Ordinary people might have trouble tracking him, but for those with special abilities, finding someone wasn’t a matter of appearance alone. After all, he hadn’t identified her based on her looks, had he?

’Therefore, Su Qing must die today. Only then will the expert behind her be unable to track me down, and only then will I be safe.’

Master Wen wasn’t afraid of Su Qing herself, but he was deeply wary of the unseen expert backing her. After all, the ability to change someone’s destiny and defy the heavens was no ordinary skill. It was certainly something he himself could not do.

"I ruined you?" Su Qing narrowed her eyes at his words. ’It’s true I’ve made quite a few enemies,’ she thought, ’but among them, only one is that old.’

’That would be Master Wen from Xiangcheng.’

After she had returned from dealing with A Tai, Su Qing had originally planned to find Master Wen and cause him some trouble. She only gave up on the idea when she heard news of his death.

’Thinking about it now... could Master Wen have faked his death?’

’That makes sense. He’s a Feng Shui Master; calculating fate is his bread and butter. Of course he’d be an expert at it.’

’So...’

Su Qing squinted at Master Wen. "You’re that Master Wen from Xiangcheng?"

Master Wen’s eyebrow twitched. ’The damn girl actually figured it out.’

However, he had no intention of admitting it so easily. He sneered, "You don’t need to know who I am. Just know this: now that you’re in my hands, don’t even think about getting out of here alive."

Su Qing simply smiled. "You want to kill me?"

"You damn brat, the Master is incredibly skilled! If you know what’s good for you, surrender now and save yourself the suffering," Brother Liu chimed in from the side. When he heard Su Qing say Master Wen’s name, his heart skipped a beat. ’Wasn’t that Master Wen supposed to be dead?’ But this wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. The most important thing right now was dealing with Su Qing; the rest could be sorted out later.

"And you think you can get away?" Master Wen sneered.

"That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?" Su Qing said with a placid smile, her expression making it clear she didn’t see Master Wen as a threat at all.

Master Wen flew into a rage at her dismissiveness. "You little wench! Still talking tough with death at your doorstep."

With that said, he waved his hand, sending several talismans flying toward Su Qing’s face. Simultaneously, Master Wen flipped his palm, and a bell appeared in his hand. A moment later, its piercing chimes echoed through the room.

"AH!"

The first to cry out was the blond thug standing behind Su Qing. He was too close to her and caught within the talismans’ range of attack. The jarring sound of the bell threw his mind into disarray. His vision went black, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to the floor. All the strength had drained from his body; he couldn’t even open his eyes, let alone try to get up.

"How is that possible!" Brother Liu’s eyes widened. He glanced from the blond thug on the ground to Su Qing. His man was unconscious, yet Su Qing looked completely fine.

"Damn girl, you’ve got some skills after all," Master Wen snorted, seeing that Su Qing was entirely unaffected. With a flick of his wrist, the ringing of the bell grew sharper and more piercing.