Chapter 9: The Man Without a Past

Sun Xingye was a straightforward man. As soon as I sat down, he said, "Here, Brother Jinbao, count it." I waved my hand politely. "No need, I trust you. How's your injury? You got discharged so soon?" "It's nothing, just some superficial wounds. I had to leave early to take care of Xingmei's affairs," he replied indifferently. I nodded and then asked, "How are your parents holding up?" His expression darkened. "They're even more heartbroken than before. But I know that prolonging the pain won't help. I really have to thank you for helping us catch the murderer." After offering him some words of comfort, I left the noodle shop. Just as I stepped outside, my phone rang—it was Uncle Li. "Jinbao? When you're done, head back to the inn. Ding Yi and I will come pick you up." They were really coming to pick me up? I absentmindedly patted the envelope in my pocket containing thirty thousand yuan, thinking to myself that the money wasn't earned for nothing… When I returned to the inn, I saw Uncle Li chatting and laughing with the landlady. Every now and then, he would casually touch her hand or her face—this old man was definitely flirting! I hadn't expected him to have such peculiar tastes. I walked up with a grin. "Uncle Li, how could I let you trouble yourself to pick me up?" The moment he saw me, he quickly let go of the landlady's hand and chuckled. "There are some things I need to discuss with you in person. I was worried Ding Yi wouldn't be able to explain them clearly." I thought to myself, Yeah, I bet Ding Yi really wouldn't be able to explain them well. Since they had come all the way to get me, I couldn't delay any longer. I went upstairs, packed my things quickly, and then headed down to settle the bill. But when I reached the front desk, I found out that Uncle Li had already paid for everything. This old fox was being way too nice—there was definitely something up. I hurried to take out some money to pay him back, but he pressed my hand down firmly. "No need to be so formal with me, Jinbao. Let's talk in the car." With that, he gave Ding Yi a glance, and Ding Yi immediately started the engine. After driving for about ten minutes out of town, Uncle Li finally spoke with a "kind" smile. "Jinbao, you and I are fated to meet. That day at the reservoir, I saw your talent with my own eyes. Given your age, it won't be easy for you to work alone in this field. Why don't you become my apprentice, like Ding Yi, and learn feng shui from me? Not only could you help others, but you could also accumulate wealth." I almost bit my tongue in surprise. Become his apprentice? Then how would the earnings be split? I wasn't stupid—I'd be working for him for free if I became his disciple. I wasn't about to give away my skills just like that! Even though that's what I thought, I didn't say it outright. "Uncle Li, I appreciate your trust in me, but I don't think I'm worthy of being your student. Besides, I have no interest in metaphysics or feng shui. To be honest, my skills are only useful for finding corpses—I'm not interested in anything beyond that, and I wouldn't be good at it anyway." Uncle Li sighed heavily. "I won't force you, but don't reject the idea so quickly. To be frank, my family has been practicing feng shui for generations, but in my lifetime, I haven't found a single talented successor. It pains me. "You might not be interested now, but if you plan to make a living with your skills, you'll need to understand at least some metaphysics." He sounded sincere, but I couldn't help but wonder—he already had a disciple, so why was he saying there was no one to inherit his legacy? Noticing that I was looking at Ding Yi, Uncle Li smiled and explained, "Ding Yi may be my apprentice, but his past is a mystery, and his heart isn't in this field. That's why I can't pass down my legacy to him." Seven years ago, Uncle Li met Ding Yi at a shelter. Back then, no one could get any information from him—he wouldn't say a word. At first, people thought he was mute, but then one day, when Uncle Li happened to visit the shelter, Ding Yi suddenly spoke. However, he still had no recollection of his past—the only thing he knew was that his name was "Ding Yi." For years, Uncle Li had been helping him search for clues about his past, but they always came up empty. It was as if Ding Yi had materialized out of thin air. Though Uncle Li introduced Ding Yi to the world as his apprentice, he knew that Ding Yi's skills had always been there. He hadn't taught him much at all. He also knew that one day, if Ding Yi ever uncovered his past, he would leave without hesitation. That's why he couldn't pass his feng shui knowledge on to him. On top of that, Uncle Li had no children. In his own words, this was the karmic result of revealing too many secrets of fate. He had come to terms with it. Over the years, he had been searching for a worthy successor, but no one met his standards—until he met me. When Mr. Kuang hired him to help find his son, Uncle Li never expected to meet me at the reservoir. Initially, he assumed I was too young to have any real talent. But when I actually located the boy's body, he realized that I had a rare natural gift. By the time we met again, he had already confirmed this through my facial features, which is why he was so determined to take me as his student. After hearing all this, I was somewhat moved, but I still couldn't fully trust this old man. People with hidden agendas were everywhere these days. "Uncle Li, it's not that I don't appreciate the offer, but this is a big decision. I need time to think about it, and I should discuss it with my family too," I said sincerely. Uncle Li nodded. "Good boy, that's all I needed to hear. Take your time. Whether or not you become my apprentice, we can still work together. I have the connections, and you have the skills—I'm sure we'll have many opportunities to collaborate." I knew he wasn't wrong. Ever since I started working on my own, I had struggled because I lacked the right connections. According to Sun Xingye, Uncle Li was highly respected in this field. Government officials and private business owners alike revered him. That wasn't something a mere scam artist could achieve—he must have real abilities to back it up. Given my current situation, working with him wouldn't be a bad deal. With that thought in mind, I nodded in agreement. Uncle Li wasted no time—he immediately pulled out a manila envelope from his bag and handed it to me. "Take a look at these documents. This is a case I just took on. The person's been missing for years, so it won't be easy to find them. But the client is willing to pay handsomely—even if we don't find the person, we'll still get 50% of the fee."