“The bad news is that you might not have enough merit to cover it.”

“What do you mean, ‘not enough to cover’?” Xia An was completely confused.

“I looked at his birth chart. This man is destined to kill two people. He’s only killed one so far.”

Yu Ning showed Xia An the results she had worked out.

“Then we definitely need to catch him! Do we wait until he kills another person and then react too late?” Xia An couldn’t understand the logic.

“There’s a natural order to how the world operates. If you interrupt something destined to happen, you’ll have to use up a lot of your merit.”

“What kind of ridiculous rule is that?!” Xia An was beyond frustrated.

“Heaven and earth are indifferent; they treat all things as straw dogs,” Yu Ning quoted.

The higher beings viewed all living things equally, allowing them to follow their natural paths.

Xia An didn’t understand Yu Ning’s philosophical words, nor did he care about the rules of heaven and earth.

He was a policeman, and his job was to catch bad guys and stop crimes!

“Just tell me straight—can we catch him or not!” Xia An demanded.

“We can,” Yu Ning replied, lowering her eyes.

“Call your wife.”

“What?” Xia An was baffled. “What does she have to do with this?!”

“Not directly, but I suggest you hold off on the murderer for now. Let’s focus on saving your marriage first.”

Xia An felt a bit disappointed but reluctantly handed his phone over to Yu Ning, pulling up his wife’s number. Meanwhile, his mind started working.

What if he went around Yu Ning and investigated the murderer on his own?

“Don’t even think about going after him on your own unless you want me struck by lightning. If that happens, you’ll be my killer, and I’ll haunt you forever,” Yu Ning shot him a look as she dialed the number.

The small spark of rebellion inside Xia An was immediately extinguished.

He remembered what the bureau chief had told him last night.

Yu Ning’s line of work had strict rules. She had said that as long as her instructions didn’t violate any principles, they should be followed. Disobeying her might bring her harm, and harming her would offend her entire sect—a group no one could afford to anger.

Xia An’s brain was still busy trying to figure out how to catch the murderer when he heard Yu Ning on the phone.

“Hello, Mrs. Xia. Your husband is here with me. Please come to his office within half an hour.”

“???” The black cat in Yu Ning’s lap blinked, utterly confused.

What was she doing? Inviting someone over for a fight?

The couple was already at odds, with the wife suspecting her husband of cheating, and here Yu Ning was, calling to say, *your husband is with me*?!

“You’ll know who I am when you get here,” Yu Ning said before hanging up and handing the phone back to Xia An.

The black cat glanced at Xia An, who seemed completely oblivious to the potential disaster looming over him, still lost in thought about solving the case.

Several question marks popped up over the black cat’s head.

This policeman was so dense! No wonder his wife wanted a divorce—it wasn’t undeserved.

Twenty minutes later, Gu Hua arrived at the police station, brimming with anger. Upon seeing Xia An waiting at the door, she immediately slapped him.

“Why’d you hit me, honey?” Xia An asked, feeling wronged.

“Where’s the woman?!” Gu Hua’s eyes were swollen, red with exhaustion, and her voice was hoarse.

“I’m right here,” Yu Ning said, stepping forward. “Hello, I’m Yu Ning.”

Gu Hua, seeing that it was a young girl she didn’t recognize, was taken aback for a moment. Then she slapped Xia An again.

“Xia An! You scumbag! How many women do you have?!”

This girl wasn’t the one she had seen last time! In just half a month, he had already switched women!

“What?” Xia An covered his face, completely aggrieved, lowering his voice.

“Honey, you can’t hit me when I’m in uniform. If you must hit me, do it at home—”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yu Ning watching with interest and quickly straightened up.

“Actually, you shouldn’t hit me at home either. Domestic violence is wrong.”

“I’ll show you what’s wrong with domestic violence!” Gu Hua raised her hand again, but this time Yu Ning stepped in.

“Let’s talk somewhere private.”

“I’ve got nothing to say to you!” Gu Hua was furious and just wanted to hit Xia An, then head straight to the civil affairs office for a divorce.

Yu Ning leaned in and whispered something in Gu Hua’s ear, low enough for only the two of them to hear.

“Really?” Gu Hua frowned, suddenly deep in thought.

Yu Ning nodded.

“What are you two whispering about?” Xia An asked, trying to eavesdrop.

“Stay away from me!” Gu Hua shot him a disgusted look, then turned back to Yu Ning.

“There’s a bubble tea shop up ahead. Let’s go there and talk.”

Xia An tried to follow them, but his wife didn’t let him. He could only stand at the entrance with a pitiful expression, his curiosity piqued.

What on earth had Yu Ning told his wife?

Five minutes later, Yu Ning and Gu Hua sat down inside the bubble tea shop.

“You said you had something life-threatening to tell me. What is it?” Gu Hua asked.

Earlier, Yu Ning had whispered that she needed to discuss something of life-and-death importance, which had piqued Gu Hua’s interest.

At first, Gu Hua had been inclined to dismiss it as nonsense, but something about the way Yu Ning carried herself—with an air of righteousness—made her feel like she could trust her. Gu Hua hated to admit it, but deep down, she wasn’t ready to let go of Xia An, despite thinking of him as a scumbag.

“I’m assisting the police on this case as a fortune-teller. I’ve discovered that your husband is in some serious trouble,” Yu Ning began.

Gu Hua looked up, startled, her expression a mix of surprise and disbelief. She stared at Yu Ning for several seconds before saying, “You’re so young. Why are you a con artist?”

A fortune-teller? She might as well have said, “I’m Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Send me money!”

Was this what scammers were up to these days—boldly trying to swindle police officers?

“You two really are a couple. Your reactions are identical. He thought I was a scammer at first, too,” Yu Ning said, handing Gu Hua a notebook and a pen.

“Write something down, and I’ll give you a reading. You’ll know if I’m telling the truth.”

“I’m a teacher. I don’t believe in this nonsense.”

“I’m a teacher too.” Yu Ning pulled out her credentials—both her Taoist certificate and her teaching license—and laid them on the table.

“You forged these, right? How old are you? A high schooler? Give me your parents’ number,” Gu Hua’s teacher instincts kicked in.

She assumed Yu Ning was a misguided youth and wanted to call her parents.

“I completed my master’s degree and passed the teaching certification exam. I got my Taoist license two years ago. I can tell your fortune right now. Just write a single word, and I’ll prove it.”

Yu Ning remained calm, her emotions steady as usual.

The black cat felt a pang of sympathy for Yu Ning, finally understanding why she was always so composed.

She had been doubted so many times that she had learned to stay unflustered.

Gu Hua wanted to refuse, but as she looked into Yu Ning’s calm eyes, her mind seemed to blank out. By the time she realized what she was doing, she had already written the word “子” (child) on the paper.

Yu Ning glanced at the word and was about to speak when the waitress arrived with their fruit teas.

“Here’s your order,” the waitress said.

After the waitress left, Yu Ning confidently said, “The thing you’ve been thinking about has already come true.”

“You know what I’m thinking?”

“Yes, you’ve been thinking about a child. There’s no need to think any further—you’re already pregnant.”

“WHAT?!!!” Gu Hua was so shocked that she accidentally knocked over her fruit tea.