Chapter 642: A Million Times for You (4)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After leaving the martial arts academy, Long Tianze suggested, “Ms. An, come to my place for lunch.”
“I can’t make it today. I have something to attend to later. Let’s postpone it to another day,” she declined politely.
“Sure, another day then. We’ll get going now,” said Long Tianze, interlocking fingers with Mei Yangyang.
“I’m leaving too,” said An Xiaoning, walking toward her car with her car keys. She then opened the door and got inside her car.
Actually, she had been wanting to make a trip to M Nation to visit her mother. However, it seemed that there was no chance to do so tonight.
With Shi Xiaoyu’s men shadowing her every day, boarding a flight would immediately expose her desired destination.
She had no choice but to communicate with them over the phone.
Besides, she could not make time at all since she had a pile of work to do.
She eagerly wanted to strengthen herself and continuously make herself more powerful.
She did not say a single word to Jin Qingyan at all when she sent her son off to the boot camp.
He did not try to stop her from leaving the academy either.
An Xiaoning could depart smoothly.
While on her way home, she received a call from Madam Xu.
Madam Xu sounded rather anxious and pleaded to see An Xiaoning, despite the latter claiming to be unavailable.
Although An Xiaoning reiterated that there was nothing she could do to help Xu Baizhi, Madam Xu still insisted on meeting her.
The destination An Xiaoning was headed to happened to be near the Xu family mansion. Thus, she decided to just drop by.
Less than twenty minutes later, she arrived at the entrance of the Xu family mansion.
Military Commander Xu and Madam Xu were already waiting for her by the door.
“Ms. An, thank you for making a trip down here. It wasn’t appropriate to tell you this over the phone earlier, but I’ll tell you straight now. The elderly fortune-telling lady in Beijia Bay says that she’d like to see you.”
“What has this got to do with altering your daughter’s fate?” An Xiaoning asked in puzzlement.
“The elderly lady said that she’d have to meet you before deciding whether or not to help me.”
“…”
Thinking that the elderly lady must be more skilled than she was at fortune-telling since she could accurately pinpoint Madam Xu’s biological daughter’s whereabouts, An Xiaoning decided that there would be no harm in meeting her. “Hop inside my car.”
“Thank you, Ms. An, thank you so much. Please give me a moment,” Madam Xu thanked profusely in agitation.
Madam Xu then hurriedly walked toward the backyard and returned soon after with Xu Baizhi and Xu Yang.
The family of four got inside the car, after which An Xiaoning began driving toward Beijia Bay.
“How many times have you visited the elderly lady?” An Xiaoning asked.
A frown creased Xu Baizhi’s forehead the moment she heard An Xiaoning’s voice. “Your voice sounds so familiar. You sound so much like a woman I know,” she said.
“There are many people who share similar looks, what more voices?” An Xiaoning answered composedly.
Xu Baizhi took a look at her face and agreed with her.
“We’ve visited her thrice,” Madam Xu answered truthfully.
“Why does that elderly lady want to see me? Did you guys tell her about me?” An Xiaoning questioned, despite already knowing the answer.
“Yes. I told her that we had no choice but to resort to seeking her help since you can’t help us even though you’re so skilled. The elderly lady then asked us about you,” Madam Xu explained, appearing ill at ease.
“Oh, I see.” An Xiaoning did not utter another word and focused on driving.
Once they arrived at the elderly lady’s home in Beijia Bay, An Xiaoning alighted from the car and stood by the entrance. With a frown on her forehead, she kept her eyes fixed on the wooden door for a long time.
“Ms. An, what’s the matter?” Madam Xu asked softly.
“It’s nothing. Let’s knock on the door.” The frown on An Xiaoning’s forehead disappeared as she stepped forward.
The moment she saw the eighty-year-old elderly lady, An Xiaoning’s first impression of the latter was that she looked extremely tidy and energized.
She was short and hunchbacked, with her silvery, shiny hair combed neatly. She was dressed in a brick-red cotton cardigan and had a benevolent smile on her face.
“Old Madam, this is Ms. An, the young and capable fortune-teller I mentioned to you about,” Madam Xu introduced.
“Nice to meet you, Old Madam,” An Xiaoning greeted, sensing that the elderly lady was scanning her from head to toe.
“Hello, please come in.”
The five of them entered the house.
The elderly lady sat on a high chair while the rest of them sat down in their respective seats, except An Xiaoning, who stood in front of the elderly lady with her back as straight as a ruler.
“Why aren’t you taking a seat?” the elderly lady asked.
“I’m here as a guest. How can I sit down before being told to do so by the host?”
The elderly lady squinted and remarked, “What a polite young lady. It’s not a bad thing that you’re standing either. You’ll be nearer to me when we talk. Who was your teacher?”
“Nun Jingxin.”
Shock was written all over the elderly lady’s face. “Turns out you’re her disciple. Do you know who I am?”
“No.”
“I’m your teacher’s senior. Your teacher and I didn’t get along when we were younger, and we stopped contacting each other afterward. I haven’t heard any news about her ever since. I heard that she has already passed on,” said the elderly lady.
Although An Xiaoning was mindful of her manners, she still defended her teacher nonetheless, “Old Madam, since you said that you haven’t heard any news about her since you lost contact with her, how did you know that she had passed away? My teacher raised me since I was young, but I’ve never heard her mention you before.”
The elderly lady was not peeved by her words and instead chuckled. “You’ve got a temper like your teacher’s. Do you know why I asked to meet you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“My curiosity was piqued when I heard that you were young and skilled in fortune-telling. I’d like to look for a successor.”
Upon hearing her words, the members of the Xu family looked at each other in astonishment before turning to look at An Xiaoning and the elderly lady.
“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, Old Madam. After all, I’m the disciple of your rival.”
“No. I’m not disappointed at all. I actually feel rather heartened. Although she and I used to be at loggerheads, she’s no longer around in this world and I’m glad that she has a disciple. That means you’re from the same clan as us.”
Just as the Xu family were getting their hopes up at the possibility of having Xu Baizhi’s fate altered, An Xiaoning rejected the elderly lady’s offer, “But I don’t wish to acknowledge you as my teacher.”
Everyone was taken aback by An Xiaoning’s refusal, including the elderly lady.
“You’re not willing to? If you become my disciple, I’ll impart greater skills and knowledge to you,” the elderly lady said, smiling.
“I probably would’ve agreed if I didn’t know that you were my teacher’s senior and rival. But now that I do, I can’t act on my wishes. My teacher is going to be upset when she finds out in the netherworld.”
“You may ask your teacher and ask her to give you an answer in your dreams. How does that sound? I reckon your teacher will definitely agree to this,” the elderly lady answered patiently.
“How are you so sure, Old Madam?”
“The skills and knowledge imparted to you will forever be yours, and you may use them to your advantage. Why would she object to such a good thing? I’ve never had a disciple in my life, and I’m already advanced in my years. It’s time I acknowledged a disciple, and I think you’re the best option. Go ahead and consider it carefully,” said the elderly lady.
After some thought, An Xiaoning said, “I’ll take your words into consideration, Old Madam. If Teacher agrees and gives me the green light when she visits me in my dream, I’ll then come to a decision.