The master feigned stroking his beard, adopting an air of profound wisdom that utterly bamboozled Li Kun. He busied himself fetching a chair and tea, bowing and scraping obsequiously.
"Another charlatan. With such meager skill, how dare he call himself a master? He must never have met a true master. The one who divined for Han'er back then was a true master, calculating that your fate was most compatible with Han'er's. And look, it's as it should be. Ever since you married Han'er, his fortune has been on a meteoric rise."
Feng Jin was immediately reminded of when she was forced to marry by Madam Sun. Wasn't it precisely because of this so-called master who claimed her and Ling Mohan's fates were compatible? This had indirectly led to her being coerced into marriage.
The original owner of this body had, in fact, been forced by Madam Sun to marry Ling Mohan, a man on his deathbed. Unable to bear it, she had jumped into the river and died, which was how Feng Jin had accidentally transmigrated into her body.
If it weren't for this damned master's divination, she would still be in modern times, drinking coffee, enjoying air conditioning, and basking in the adoration of countless admirers.
Now, instead, she was living in this materially scarce ancient era, not to mention constantly living in fear, worried about losing her life any day.
All this bitter life was thanks to this master. The thought of it made Feng Jin inexplicably resent these pretentious masters.
And this one before her, a swindler at that, was even more detestable.
"Grandfather, how did you know he was a骗子 (piànzi - swindler)? If he didn't have some genuine skill, would Master Li trust him so much?"
"These骗子 (piànzi) have many ways to make people believe them implicitly. But what is fake is ultimately fake. No matter how thorough their preparations are, there will always be loopholes."
From the moment this master entered, he had seen through him. He was curious to see how this fake master would continue his act.
Feng Jin's gaze continuously scrutinized him, her brow furrowed slightly. After a long, careful observation, she couldn't find anything amiss.
Perhaps this person was simply too good at disguising himself, and she couldn't see through him at first glance.
"Is this the young lady who caught the miss's embroidered ball?"
"That's right, Master. It is this young lady. Master, you must find a solution."
Li Kun pleaded, his face etched with worry. He took a gold ingot from his robes and placed it on the table beside the master: "Master, I must trouble you to take great care."
"Master Li, rest assured. This humble Taoist will surely devise a complete plan."
The master's smile widened upon seeing the gold ingot on the table. He discreetly pocketed it.
He flicked his horsetail whisk, his eyes closed slightly as he tapped his fingers. After a moment, he opened his eyes and, fixing his gaze on Feng Jin, cleared his throat: "Are you already married?"
Feng Jin rolled her eyes and nodded. Her hair was already pinned up; anyone not blind could see she was married.
"Then this is difficult." The master frowned, feigning distress.
Only by making the matter seem troublesome would Master Li feel his money was well spent.
"Master, as long as you can save the lives of my entire family, the cost is no object."
"The main issue is that this young lady is already married. If she weren't, there would be a solution. But since she is married, everything is different. Finding a solution now is rather tricky..."
The master put on a troubled expression, making Li Kun's heart flutter with anxiety.
Feng Jin sat on a chair to the side, quietly watching him brag. She wanted to see how far he could push this act.
Could he brag all the way to the heavens? Such clumsy tactics, and yet some foolish people would believe them.
"However, there is another method to resolve this, but... this method is truly harmful to one's virtue... Let's forget it."
"Master, as long as you say it, I will do it. I will never treat Master poorly."
"Master Li, this is not about treating me well or not. It's just that this method is a last resort, truly unadvisable. Let this humble Taoist ponder for a few more days; perhaps other methods will emerge."
Li Kun immediately broke into a sweat: "No, Master! The date is fast approaching, and time waits for no one. Master, please tell me this method first. We can discuss its feasibility later. It's much better than us being helpless now."
After hesitating repeatedly, the master slowly revealed his suggestion.
"Since this young lady picked up the miss's embroidered ball, it is fate that the miss and this young lady are destined to become family. If the young lady were not married, she could become sworn sisters with the miss..."
"But the difficulty now is that the young lady is already married, which makes things much more complicated. However, there is still a solution."
Feng Jin's eyebrows slightly raised. What wicked idea was brewing in his mind now? "Master, just say what you have to say. So we can hear what solution you have?"
"Since the young lady is already married, as long as the miss and this young lady become family, this disaster can be averted."
With this explanation, Feng Jin finally understood. Was she being used as a shield, a tool to avert disaster?
Did he really think she was a pushover and would actually agree to such a thing?
"Master, tell me, how can we become family?" Feng Jin asked calmly.
"This is precisely what this humble Taoist found difficult to utter earlier," the master sighed, turning his gaze to Li Kun. "Master Li, for the safety of the hundreds of people in the Li family, this humble Taoist is speaking at the risk of harming his own virtue."
"Master is noble. The kindness you show to my Li family will be remembered forever. Master, please speak directly."
Li Kun felt immense gratitude for the master's actions, almost to the point of tears. He was deeply moved by what the master was doing.
"Then I shall speak..." the master hesitated for a moment before continuing. "This matter is simple in its simplicity. It only requires the miss to marry this young lady's husband as a concubine. Since ancient times, it has been common for the main wife to take concubines for her husband."
"When the young lady picked up the miss's embroidered ball, it was an agreement to take a concubine. In this way, the matter is also legitimate."
Feng Jin was stunned. She nearly choked on her own saliva. What kind of nonsense was this? Could a cultivator say such a preposterous thing?
She had never expected that by simply bending down to pick up an embroidered ball, she would end up taking a concubine for Ling Mohan. She wondered how Ling Mohan would react upon hearing about this.
Before Feng Jin could voice her refusal of this absurd proposal, Old Master Ling erupted in anger and stood up to object: "No, this is absolutely not allowed! The master also divined for my grandson, stating that he can only marry my granddaughter-in-law in this lifetime. If he marries anyone else, it will be detrimental to his future fortune. Your suggestion is therefore absolutely unacceptable. Please think of another method quickly."