Uncle Niu was stunned on the spot.
A Jiu covered her mouth, not daring to breathe, and quickly ducked back inside, closing the door. She gasped for air, "Little Yan Yan, is my grandma getting sicker?"
"Yeah, I think so."
Even Mao Junlan, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. "What nonsense is Aunt Wang spouting? She wouldn't be tricking them for tomorrow's business, would she?"
"No, I have to drag Grandma back. She can't just say anything."
A Jiu pulled open the door to go, only to find that Grandma had already been invited into the main hall and the door was closed.
Damn it, Grandpa Niu actually believed her?
"A Jiu, you'd better not ask too many questions. Your grandma is doing this for your parents, she wouldn't hurt your Grandpa Niu."
Mao Junlan understood and quickly waved for her to come back.
In this world, too many people would harm their own kin for a bite of food, and their hearts turned black just to survive.
Wang Shi had only told a lie, which was considered merciful.
In the main hall, Uncle Niu was truly excited. "Sister, are you telling the truth?"
"Do I look like I'm joking? Your daughter got lost when she was three years old and ignorant, and it was precisely on the Double Ninth Festival, during the ancestral sacrifice and climbing high, that she went missing, right?" Wang Shi said calmly.
Uncle Niu's eyes widened, and he could see light in the dark night. "You... how do you know?"
Wang Shi naturally wouldn't tell him. As soon as she entered and saw the feng shui layout of the courtyard, she knew the family's situation. The Kun trigram was clearly incomplete but not entirely depleted, which meant the person was still alive.
"To be frank, I am a disciple of a high-level Daoist cultivator, and I know a little about feng shui, gossip, the five elements, and yin and yang."
If only she had an awakened Heavenly Eye, she wouldn't even need to calculate; she could see it. But she realized this knowledge was enough to fool ordinary people.
"So, you're an old immortal." Uncle Niu clasped his hands in a trembling salute.
"I wouldn't dare claim to be an old immortal, but if you agree to one condition, I am willing to point you in the direction of your granddaughter who has been missing for many years."
The Later Heaven Bagua states that the three unbroken lines of Qian represent the northwest, and the six broken lines of Kun represent the southeast. Calculating the distance, Wang Shi already had a general location in mind.
"Ah? Please... please guide me, old immortal." Uncle Niu knelt down with a thud, clasped his hands, and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Find a way to send my granddaughter into the city tomorrow, and I will tell you the specific location. However, because of your virtuous character and the blessings of your descendants, your granddaughter has met a good family who has adopted her and she will not lack food or clothing. You don't need to worry about this." Wang Shi said with her eyes half-closed, her voice calm, as if the mortal world could not escape her gaze.
"That's good, that's good. But... this..." Uncle Niu stood up, stunned for three seconds. This was too difficult. He was just an ordinary person. His eyes rolled, and he gritted his teeth. "Alright, old immortal, please do not go back on your word."
"I will never go back on my word. If I do, may I be struck by lightning." If Wang Shi were to truly face a lightning tribulation one day, that would be a good thing, but not now. One bolt of lightning would be the end of her.
"I will remember it." With that, Uncle Niu asked a few more questions about A Jiu.
Late at night, Uncle Niu left first. When he returned, he held a piece of paper and read it repeatedly. It seemed to be all sorted out before he put it in his怀.
A Jiu was already sitting outside the door, waiting. "Grandpa Niu, is there a solution?"
"Yes." Uncle Niu's face was smiling. This matter was half accomplished. He looked up and down A Jiu. "But you look like a refugee. Why don't you wash up?"
"Wash?" A Jiu was stunned. How much water would that take? She had been traveling, and her whole body was dirty and stiff. Just washing her face would probably require a whole bucket of water.
Seeing A Jiu hesitate, Uncle Niu sighed and took out the paper. "I went to the village head and got a certificate, saying I'm adopting you as my granddaughter. I also had someone investigate overnight. Fortunately, you, girl, don't even have a household registration in Xinghua Village, so I've registered you under my name."
A Jiu's eyes were filled with gratitude upon hearing this. She had no status before and no household registration. But Uncle Niu had spent half the night running around for her.
"However, you need to find a way to clean up. Otherwise, if they see you dressed like this, you'll obviously be a refugee. Those people have sharp eyes and will see it right away."