Trying to Out-Fortune-Tell Me Is Asking for Death

Damn it, this Master Lin is such a piece of work—just opens his mouth and starts throwing mud at people. The more Ryan Ling thinks about it, the more pissed off he gets.

Right now, Master Lin is even riling up the clueless crowd. Sophie Su is clearly panicking—she grabs Ryan’s arm and blurts, "Forget it, Ryan, I’ll just pay him! Let’s not get tangled up in this mess!"

Sophie’s got cash to burn, and it looks like she’s in a hurry—she’s ready to throw money at the problem just to make it go away.

But Master Lin’s eyes dart around, and suddenly he shouts, "Just now, ten grand would’ve settled it, but not anymore! The gods are pissed off now, so it’s gotta be twenty! And this kid’s got way too much bad mojo—he has to kneel outside my door all night, or the gods won’t calm down. Only then can the neighbors stay safe!"

Sophie’s face goes pale, and Ryan Ling looks downright livid. This old bastard just doubled the price with one sentence—he’s basically robbing them.

Ryan thinks fast and shouts, "You dirty old crook, pushing your luck and scamming these poor folks! I wasn’t planning to reveal myself today, but since you’re forcing my hand, I guess I’ll have to come clean. Listen up, everyone—I’m no ordinary guy. I grew up at the Three Pure Ones Temple in the Zhongnan Mountains, Daoist name Jade Polaris. When it comes to fortune-telling, I’m way better than this so-called Master Lin. I’ve traveled all over, busting demons left and right. If you believe his nonsense and come at me, that’s what’ll really piss off the gods!"

Ryan’s wild story leaves the superstitious crowd totally stunned. For a moment, nobody dares to touch him.

Even Sophie Su is caught off guard—when did Ryan get a background like that?

Master Lin is grinding his teeth—he thought he was the king of BS, but here comes someone who’s even better at making stuff up. He points at Ryan and snaps, "Don’t listen to his crap! I’m the top fate master around here. Jade Polaris? What a joke!"

"You’re the real joke, old man! If you’re such a fate master, and a real Daoist, how about we settle this right here?" Ryan jumps at the chance—he’s just expanded his Yama jurisdiction and has fifty random slots to play with, perfect for dealing with this so-called Master Lin.

......

At that moment, with the neighbors all trying to calm things down, Sophie Su’s face was ghostly pale. "Ryan, I know you’re doing this for me, but you really don’t have to play hero. Before things get even messier, just swallow your pride and back down!"

Sophie’s words made Master Lin look even more smug. He burst out laughing, "Kid, since all these folks are begging for you, I’ll cut you a deal. Just kneel and kowtow to me three times, hand over 200,000 yuan, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. Go on, get down!"

Now everyone’s eyes were on Ryan Ling. It was like kneeling down was the only move left for him.

Sophie Su was full of frustration, but facing Master Lin, who had the whole neighborhood backing him, she had no choice but to bow her head.

But right then, Ryan suddenly let out a cold laugh and shouted, "Me? Kneel to you? As if! Better get ready to kneel to me instead."

Master Lin’s face twisted with rage. He cursed, "You little bastard, you just don’t know your place! Fine, we’ll see this through! And listen up, everyone—don’t try to talk me down, or I’ll get mad at you too!"

Master Lin was totally fired up now.

The neighbors all shook their heads and sighed, muttering, "Kid, you’re asking for trouble now. Even if a god descended, you’d be doomed."

Sophie Su was speechless at Ryan’s stubbornness. Helpless, she dialed her family for backup.

Ryan, on the other hand, was cool as ice. He looked at Master Lin and asked, "So, how do you wanna do this?"

"Easy. Since it’s a fortune-telling contest, we just pick someone at random from the crowd and see who’s got the sharper skills. Whoever’s reading is more accurate wins." Master Lin finished, and the crowd cheered.

Ryan didn’t even hesitate—he just nodded.

Sophie Su was even more exasperated. Master Lin was one of Harbor City’s top fate-masters, and nearly everyone around had come to him for readings. The locals all had their fortunes told by him—Ryan was basically walking into a trap.

(Break: Web-novel system message skipped.)

Picking from the crowd was a total disadvantage for Ryan, but it was like he hadn’t even considered that.

With odds like these, Ryan winning would be a miracle!

Master Lin, feeling extra confident, put on a show of generosity. "Kid, since you’re the guest tonight, I’ll let you pick who we read. Go ahead!"

Ryan nodded again, glanced around, and pointed at a short, chubby guy with a gold tooth. "Him."

"You sure? I’ll give you one last chance to pick someone else," Master Lin said, grinning slyly.

"No need. He’s the one," Ryan said firmly.

"Alright, but don’t regret it later!" Master Lin said, locking in the choice.

An old man nearby shook his head. "That kid’s doomed. Goldtooth is Master Lin’s neighbor—he’s always coming over for readings about his little business. Master Lin knows his fate inside out!"

"Yeah, they’ve been buddies for years. They know everything about each other. If this kid manages to win, it’d be a miracle!" a nearby auntie sighed, totally writing Ryan off.

While everyone was shaking their heads, Goldtooth was already giving Master Lin a big handshake and hug, like he was celebrating his win in advance.

You’d have to be blind not to see who was going to win.

"Kid, do you really think there’s any point in continuing?" Master Lin sneered.

"Of course there’s a point. If you’re so sure of yourself, you go first!" Ryan shot back, making a polite gesture.

"Fine. Since you’re so stubborn, I’ll make sure you lose fair and square." Master Lin glanced at Goldtooth.

Goldtooth grinned, "Master Lin, just say the word. Don’t worry—I’ve got your back!"

The crowd burst out laughing at Goldtooth’s words.

Master Lin cleared his throat and started his reading.

"Goldtooth, your childhood was rough. When you were twelve, you almost got run over by a car saving another kid. Lucky for you, you only lost a leg, right?"

"That’s right!" Goldtooth replied enthusiastically.

"After you grew up, you built your business from scratch. At twenty, with a benefactor’s help, you hit the jackpot in Yunnan gambling on jade, right?"

"Exactly!"

"Now you run a jewelry shop here, business is booming, and you’ve got a young girlfriend you’re about to marry, right?"

"Spot on! You really are a master!" Goldtooth exclaimed.

Goldtooth gave Master Lin two big thumbs-up.

The crowd was stunned—Master Lin knew everything about Goldtooth’s life. There was no need for fortune-telling; he could just recite it all. Ryan had picked the worst possible target.

Master Lin cleared his throat and continued, "Folks, if Harbor City’s top fate-master could only do this, some of you might say I’m cheating because I know him. So tonight, I’ll show you some real skills."

With that, Master Lin pulled out two pieces of yellow paper from his pocket, each with a dragon head drawn on it. He waved them in the air, and they burst into flame.

"Yellow paper burns, yin and yang open, the coiling dragon ascends, all is revealed!" Master Lin chanted, and his hand seals suddenly sped up.

A bunch of people’s eyes went wide. Some of the more superstitious folks gasped in awe at Master Lin’s performance.

"If I’m not mistaken, that’s the legendary Coiling Dragon Algorithm! They say only royal fate-masters ever learned it. Hardly anyone in the real world knows it—who would’ve thought Master Lin could pull it off!"

"Amazing! I’ve heard of the Coiling Dragon Algorithm. It’s supposed to be super hard—even top fortune-tellers only know a bit. That move Master Lin just did, only a true master could pull that off!"

Hearing all the praise, Master Lin looked like he was about to float away on cloud nine...