Watching John Adams leave the Buddha hall, Samuel Carter summoned another trusted monk, gave him a few instructions, and sent him away. Only then did he close his eyes—not to chant sutras, but to silently ponder something.

No one knew how much time had passed when a young monk reported from outside the door, “Master, the person you requested has arrived!”

“Invite him in!”

As Samuel Carter spoke, he actually stood up and walked to the door to greet the guest, which showed that this visitor’s status was anything but ordinary.

On the bamboo path outside, a slender middle-aged man approached under the moonlight.

The man was tall and lean, with a rectangular face, slender brows and eyes, and three long wisps of beard under his chin. Though dressed in plain clothes, he carried an air of otherworldly grace.

“Greetings, Master. May I ask why you have summoned me here so late at night?” The middle-aged man stepped to the door and bowed deeply to Samuel Carter.

“I have encountered something utterly baffling and would like you, Grace, to help me figure it out!”

Samuel Carter’s expression was grave. After speaking, he pulled the man named Grace into the Buddha hall.

The two sat down as host and guest. Samuel Carter personally poured tea for his guest and said, “Have you heard about the Han Prince’s heir?” “Of course. That matter has caused quite a stir in the city lately. The Han Prince nearly went on a killing spree because of it. Fortunately, the heir only faked his death and woke up in time, which is a great blessing.”

The middle-aged man stroked his beard and smiled.

“It’s good you know. But after the heir woke up, he remembered nothing of what happened before—not even the Han Prince himself.”

“That’s not unusual. I heard the heir was injured in a fall from a horse. Head injuries often lead to amnesia.”

The middle-aged man replied.

“I thought it was amnesia too. But today, the Han Prince brought the heir to me for treatment, and I discovered…”

At this point, Samuel Carter suddenly frowned, his expression hesitant, but in the end he spoke in a low voice.

“I discovered his facial features had changed dramatically!”

“His facial features changed dramatically?”

The middle-aged man looked surprised. After pondering for a moment, he frowned and said, “I’ve seen the Han Prince’s heir before. Although I never read his fortune in detail, I could tell he had the face of someone destined for a short life and no offspring—something that cannot be changed.”

The middle-aged man’s surname was Foster, given name David, and Grace was his courtesy name. His father was the renowned fortune-teller of the early Ming, Andrew Foster.

It was said that Andrew Foster had read the fortunes of over a hundred scholars and officials without a single mistake. His most famous reading was for Samuel Carter, instantly seeing that Samuel Carter had the look of a sick tiger and would one day rise to high office, just like Liu Bingzhong of the Yuan dynasty.

“Back then, your father gifted me his book on physiognomy. Over the years, I’ve devoted much effort to the art. Though I’m not your family’s equal, I could still see that John Adams had the face of short life and no heirs. But today, when I saw him, his features were… utterly contradictory.”

By the end, Samuel Carter’s frown had deepened, his gray-white brows nearly twisted together.

“How can facial features be contradictory?”

David Foster was even more puzzled. As Andrew Foster’s son, his skills in physiognomy were no less than his father’s. Yet in all his years as a fortune-teller, he had never heard of someone’s features being contradictory.

“I find it unbelievable too. John Adams originally had the face of short life and no heirs, but today, he showed both the signs of short life and long life, both the signs of dying without children and of having many children and much fortune. It’s truly baffling.”

As Samuel Carter spoke, his brow was knotted into a lump. In all his years, not even when he persuaded Zhu Di to rebel had he felt so conflicted.

“That’s impossible. A person’s features are the manifestation of their fate. How could someone have two completely opposite destinies? It makes no sense at all!”

David Foster also frowned deeply at this.

He did not doubt Samuel Carter’s skill. After all, Samuel Carter and his father Andrew Foster were close friends, and his father had taught him everything he knew. After his father’s death, only he himself could rival Samuel Carter in this art.

“I couldn’t believe it either. But then I recalled some rumors in the city, saying the heir came back to life and his temperament changed drastically after waking—perhaps he was possessed by something evil.”

“Possessed? Master, do you really believe in such supernatural things?”

David Foster couldn’t help but laugh at this.

“You, a fortune-teller, are asking me, a monk, whether I believe in spirits?”

Samuel Carter caught the teasing in his tone and retorted with mock annoyance.

“Other monks surely believe, but you—maybe not so much!”

David Foster laughed heartily again.

Counting from his father’s generation, he was Samuel Carter’s junior, but their personalities matched, and they were close friends despite the age gap, so their conversation was casual.

“Jokes aside, at the time I really did suspect John Adams might be possessed by some spirit. Coincidentally, Senior Brother Charles in the temple was being cremated, so I took him there, thinking that if there was any demon or spirit, it would reveal itself before the golden body of a great virtuous monk.”

“Master Charles? Didn’t he say before his death that he would leave behind seven-colored relics? Did they appear after the cremation?”

David Foster became very interested upon hearing the name Charles.

“Well…”

Samuel Carter lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, but finally looked up and gave a wry smile.