Pretending To Be A Boss
Chapter 869 - 45: The Hobbyist Fortune Teller_2

If the future absolutely cannot be changed, then knowing the future is tantamount to zero.

Yet even so, countless people still wish for spoilers about their lives.

Therefore, Li Xiaoyu and Tang Jing's conversation turned to that very accurate fortune teller.

"Fortune teller? Sister-in-law, I don't think you're the kind of person who would believe in such things." Tang Jing looked at Li Xiaoyu, puzzled.

Li Xiaoyu quite enjoyed being called sister-in-law.

As the two were on their way to University Street, Li Xiaoyu explained:

"If it was just some esoteric mumbo jumbo, I naturally wouldn't be interested, but at least some of her predictions seem very wise. You and Tang Xian are both adept at strategizing, you might surprisingly get along well."

Tang Jing's interest was piqued, even though he was sure the fortune teller could not solve his problems.

University street was close by. When they arrived at the unnamed fortune-telling shop, Tang Jing realized, to his surprise, that there was a long queue.

"If prophets truly exist in the world, would our actions be considered a rush to expose our own secrets?"

"You should learn more from your brother about how to make conversation."

"..."

Tang Jing felt something was off about that remark. His brother is more direct when speaking to you—it's just that you see him through a fangirl filter.

Of course, he was tactful enough not to voice this thought.

"Does the master of Baichuan City also have to queue?" Tang Jing asked.

"I'm actually willing to queue, but soon you'll find out that even if I want to, I can't."

Li Xiaoyu spoke softly, and as they approached the fortune-telling shop's line, people recognized Li Xiaoyu and voluntarily stepped out of the queue.

Once someone started to do so, others followed suit.

Without spending much time, Li Xiaoyu and Tang Jing reached the front of the queue.

Entering the fortune-telling shop, Li Xiaoyu was still pondering what to ask. After all, Qi Yuan wouldn't speak about overly specific matters.

As for Tang Jing, it was simple. Underneath his talent, any charlatan would be fully exposed.

"Come in, take a seat." Qi Yuan's voice was pleasant to hear, but it was impossible to discern any emotional fluctuations.

Li Xiaoyu nodded slightly and after a moment's thought, she asked:

"Will my man come back in twenty days?"

"He will."

Qi Yuan's answer was unexpectedly clear-cut, which left Li Xiaoyu somewhat stunned.

"May I ask one more question?"

"I've told you before, you have that privilege."

"But I need to think about it."

"I'm not in a hurry." Qi Yuan's gaze fell upon Tang Jing.

Li Xiaoyu pondered what to ask, though rationally, she also believed that the fortune-telling was just for peace of mind.

She hadn't noticed the expression on Tang Jing's face behind her.

From the moment Tang Jing had entered and seen Qi Yuan, his face uncontrollably showed a look of horror.

The always composed man had never, until this moment, been so panicked.

He wanted to say something, but due to fear and tension, he was unable to utter a word.

"Why... Why is she here? Isn't she supposed to be at the throne? Why has she come to Baichuan City?"

These questions plagued Tang Jing, and if Li Xiaoyu had looked back even slightly, she would have sensed Tang Jing's fear as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Stay calm, stay calm, she hasn't caused any trouble. That means she's here for another purpose."

"No... Can she see through my thoughts right now?"

"What exactly does she want to do?"

Tang Jing was utterly panicked.

Because he had never expected that the proprietress of this fortune-telling shop would actually be an Orderly.

Qi Yuan gave Tang Jing a meaningful look, one containing no warning, simply a gesture for him to calm down.

Tang Jing could not calm down. At this moment, he also realized that exposing everything here would be an incredibly foolish act, but the storm of shock in his heart was too overpowering to be suppressed at once.

"Right, I've got it. You mentioned before that Dong Ran and Song Que would fulfill their wishes in another place; where is that?"

In Li Xiaoyu's view, since Qi Yuan also comes from the Pyramid, where else could the humans of today go?

Qi Yuan shook her head slightly and said:

"That is a place your friends have been to. The answer doesn't need to come from me."

Li Xiaoyu wanted to ask more, but Qi Yuan said:

"Your friend seems to be uncomfortable."

Li Xiaoyu, puzzled, glanced back at Tang Jing.

Tang Jing abruptly adjusted his expression.

"Are you not feeling well?"

Li Xiaoyu thought to herself, Tang Jing seemed to be no longer human, could he even feel unwell?

"No, I am just a bit worried about my brother," said Tang Jing somewhat reluctantly.

"Don't you divine?"

"No... I better not. Sister-in-law, I have some matters to take care of, you should head back early too."

Li Xiaoyu had an intuitive feeling that something was odd about Tang Jing.

But it was impossible for her to immediately connect all of this to the fortune-teller, Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan's words were always obscure, like the inscrutable divination slips at temples. Li Xiaoyu considered for a moment and decided not to inquire further. What if it was a bad result?

Before long, Li Xiaoyu and Tang Jing had left.

After dropping Li Xiaoyu off at her usual workplace, Tang Jing headed back.

He made a beeline for the divination shop.

Qi Yuan, or rather the Orderly, maintained business as usual as if nothing had happened. When Tang Jing appeared in the shop once again, she was calm, asking:

"Have you decided what you want to ask now?"

"Why are you here?"

"Since I already have human cognition, it's natural that I might also engage in human behaviors."

The Orderly didn't beat around the bush with Tang Jing.

"Why did you come to Baichuan City, what exactly are you planning to do?"

"Nothing but the whims of a fortune-teller," Qi Yuan said lightly, gesturing for Tang Jing to sit down.

After the cushion of returning again, Tang Jing's emotions had stabilized considerably.

He sat opposite Qi Yuan, gazing directly at her.

"There's no need to look at me like that; your abilities don't work on me, and your computational power isn't sufficient to deduce my actions without reliance on talent. You can't do it, Tang Xian can't either."

Tang Jing ignored this, saying:

"Answer my question, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Why do I need to do anything? This city, and even the entire human world, doesn't need me to deliberately do anything."

Qi Yuan looked at Tang Jing with eyes like a mother watching her child.

Tang Jing didn't know whether to believe Qi Yuan's words when she added:

"If there really must be something, then it's probably for fun. According to my calculations, Tang Xian is about to obtain all the Beast God inheritances, isn't he?"

"How would you..."

"Do you think I arranged Qi Xun to be my spy just to gather information?"

Tang Jing looked baffledly at Qi Yuan.

"You let Qi Xun bring false information to constrain me, but I arranged for Qi Xun to make you believe you could constrain me."

It was like someone says no nesting dolls allowed, then another claims no banning of nesting dolls, or one saying I see through your plan while the other retorts I see you seeing through my plan.

The schemes of the Orderly always seem to go one step beyond that of humans.

"From the moment Tang Xian changed the time to ninety days, I knew he was taking a gamble," Qi Yuan's words made Tang Jing come to a standstill.

"But I am also curious to know what choices he'll make when he discovers the truth."

"What truth?" Tang Jing asked.

"Something very interesting. When I was a purely mechanical lifeform, I thought I had gained consciousness, but it was only after breaking down that I realized my actions and thoughts were all marked by someone else's manipulation."

This sudden remark was completely unexpected, leaving Tang Jing confused.

Qi Yuan did not explain further, continuing:

"So, I wanted to become human. Only by becoming human could I completely break free from those pre-set steps, resisting fate isn't just for you, but also for me. In that battle centuries ago, I thought I was acting on my will, but it was actually pre-suggested."

Qi Yuan stood up, looking down at Tang Jing and said calmly:

"In the game between heaven and earth, all I've done is try hard to turn from a chess piece into a chess player."

"What are you actually saying?"

"One day, in the Bastion of Divinity, you found the room that only appears in July. From that day on, you were no longer human, and you began standing opposed to humanity."

As she said this, Qi Yuan's gaze softened. After all, she considered herself a mother to the children of order.

"My child, how can you be sure that Tang Xian won't find a similar 'room' in the mining area?"

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