Chapter 156: A Rigid Nature Does Not Change

In fact, one could also draw lots for fortunes at Taoist Qingsong’s stall, but most people who came to the City God Temple still preferred to draw fortune lots in front of the statue of the City God, then study their fortune themselves or find someone else to interpret it.

1

This practice of drawing lots in the temple was a special kind of tradition of the divine Tao. The bamboo sticks in front of the official City God’s throne were a little particular; this was, to a certain extent, related to the divine record books of the underworld. If the individual seeking air was sincere, they might be able to divine a general path forward, though not much could be seen clearly

However, the kinds of lots that fortune tellers would ask people to draw were different. They had special ways of drawing hexagrams, which could be considered another kind of divination.

With the warm greeting from Taoist Qingsong, the middle-aged visitor sat down on the small stool in front of the stall. Hearing Taoist Qingsong say that he had been observing his face, he asked curiously.

“Taoist priest, you said you were observing my face; do you have anything you wish to say?”

Taoist Qingsong shook his head. Before he could say anything, the young Taoist priest Qi Xuan coughed next to him.

“I’ll interpret first, interpret the fortune first. Let me check the fortune text. Do you still remember it?”

The middle-aged man didn’t think much of it and told the truth.

“On the fortune stick in the temple, I saw: your retainers are embroiled in endless conflict;

2

Jia, Bing.”

3

Ji Yuan had subconsciously walked to the tree next to Taoist Qingsong’s stall. He didn’t use any techniques to conceal himself; it was simply that everyone was so focused on other things that they didn’t notice him.

From the middle-aged man’s words, Ji Yuan first learned that the man was literate, and thus described what he had read, rather than the contents of the fortune explained to him by the temple steward.

4

As for the interpretation of this fortune, it would depend on Taoist Qingsong. Either way, Ji Yuan didn’t get a very good feeling from his first impression of this fortune.

Ji Yuan didn’t deliberately observe the person’s aura, but simply took a glance at his vitality, which was still quite strong. From the man’s appearance, he didn’t appear to be the kind of person who would start fights for no reason.

Taoist Qingsong frowned upon hearing this fortune. He looked at the visitor.

“It’s a bad sign…”

At this moment, Taoist Qingsong had the appearance of a master. His expression showed that he was clearly thinking deeply, which made the pilgrim a little nervous.

“It seems like you were not born with this gloomy face!”

Taoist Qingsong added with a very serious expression.

“You–!”

The man immediately felt his chest grow tight with fury. Fortunately, he had good self-control, and merely spoke in a harsh tone.

“Taoist priest, I ask you to please interpret my fortune!”

Qi Wen was very embarrassed and quickly explained to the man.

“Uh, sir, please don’t misunderstand us. My master noticed that your face has deteriorated recently.

5

He was not insulting you…”

Taoist Qingsong also seemed to realize that he had just said something unnecessary, so he smiled apologetically and immediately began to interpret the fortune.

“Sir, what were you praying for in the temple? Was it for a home, safety, or your career?”

“All of them.

Taoist Qingsong nodded and looked at the man’s face again.

“Sir, you have a handsome face and straight features. Your face is quite good, but the situation has recently changed. You should have encountered a low point right now. According to your fortune, you are either entangled in an old grudge, or someone is plotting against you. In either case, you must have already vaguely felt something, am I correct?”

The middle-aged man in dark clothes was obviously surprised at his words, then his expression grew much more cautious.

“Taoist Master, can you tell me more about this? Can you tell me how to deal with it?”

One of the reasons why Taoist Qingsong liked fortune-telling was that he enjoyed seeing people’s expressions and reactions when their fortunes were told. Seeing the man’s reaction, he also made himself seem more serious.

“Sir, did you know that the term ‘mùbīn’ used for the first two words refers to military staff under the command of a general in the army? The fight between mùbīn, or retainers, may seem polite on the surface, but it is in truth a brutal battle, with blood shed in the shadow of each strike!”

The middle-aged man felt his head grow numb and his expression changed, but Taoist Qingsong had not yet finished speaking.

“If it were an ordinary fortune, it would be fine, but your fortune has the word ‘endless’ in it, which indicates that there is great danger!”

This statement was evident to even uneducated individuals, let along this middle-aged man who was slightly knowledgeable. His expression became more ugly than before.

Meanwhile, Qi Wen, who was standing to the side, was also listening very seriously. Even Ji Yuan, who was a few steps away, also frowned, but he resisted the urge to open his eyes and take a closer look at the middle-aged man. He planned to wait until Taoist Qingsong had finished his fortune interpretation before observing the man’s aura with his supernatural eyes.

“Taoist Master, do you mean that this matter has reached a point of no return, and there is no way to change it?”

“Alas, there are no absolutes in this world. This fortune interpretation could be considered an exaggeration, but it might not truly be unresolvable. One should deal with each situation as it comes. In any case, it would definitely not hurt to have fewer evil thoughts and do more good deeds.”

It was rare for Taoist Qingsong to give words of comfort. It seemed that he remembered his previous experiences of being beaten to a certain extent. However, the solution he gave was applicable to 90% of divinations. Although he spoke truth, his words were still somewhat meaningless.

“I have some solutions in mind, sir, otherwise your fortune would not have started with ‘retainers,’ but rather ‘deceitful subordinates.’

6

Why don’t you give me your horoscope and let me tell your fortune?”

Taoist Qingsong said this last sentence in a tone of obvious interest.

According to Ji Yuan’s understanding of his character, Qingsong was probably someone who would be thinking, “What’s the point of interpreting an ordinary fate? Of course, the more twists and turns it has, the more exciting it is!” or something like that.

It was a similar feeling to that of a doctor’s interest in difficult and rare diseases.

However, the middle-aged man obviously has his own thoughts. He might have felt that Taoist Qingsong’s interpretation of the divination was sufficient for now, or he had already experienced calculating his fortune many different times and had no intention of asking for a horoscope.

“Thank you, Taoist Master, for interpreting my fortune…”

The man glanced at the stall’s sign, took out five copper coins from his purse, and placed them on the table.

“Here is the fee, farewell!”

After finishing his sentence, the man stood up, bowed with cupped hands, and prepared to leave.

As a result, Taoist Qingsong grew a little anxious.

“Hey, hey, sir, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. I see that you look gloomy now. Let me calculate your fate and predict your lifespan. You have to be curious about how long you will live or when you will die, don’t you?”

The man turned his head to look at Taoist Qingsong, then looked at Qi Wen next to him who was nervously pulling his master back. He took a deep breath, and left without looking back.

“Sir… I’m different from other fortune tellers. I can see what they can’t see~! Hey, Qi Wen, why are you pulling me…”

“Master, please stop talking. I’m begging you, consider my feelings as your disciple, that gentleman doesn’t want to have any more of his fortune predicted!”

“Why doesn’t he want to have more of his fortune predicted? He’s just afraid right now. I just need to persuade him a little more, and he’ll agree. Hey!”

Seeing that the visitor had already walked too far away, Taoist Qingsong became discouraged and sighed.

“It’s rare for a person to have this good of a temper…”

Ji Yuan gazed with eyes wide open at the middle-aged man who was walking away. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry upon hearing Taoist Qingsong’s words.

“It seems that you understand this quite clearly, Taoist Master Qi. If that person had a bad temper, wouldn’t you have been beaten once again?”

Ji Yuan’s clear voice immediately attracted Taoist Qingsong and Qi Wen’s attention. When the two turned around, they saw Ji Yuan standing beside the tree.

“It’s Mr. Ji! Hahaha, it’s really Mr. Ji! Mr. Ji, you haven’t changed at all!”

Qi Wen’s happy expression was evident on his face. Even Taoist Qingsong Qi Xuan was very excited. However, at the thought of what had just occurred, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed, and quickly stood up to bow.

Ji Yuan smiled and bowed with cupped hands in return, then turned to Qi Wen.

“Little Taoist Priest Qi Wen has really grown. Back then, you were only as tall as your master’s chin, but now you are almost his same height.”

“Um, hehe… When did you arrive, Mr. Ji?”

Taoist Qingsong felt a little uneasy. This man was truly no ordinary mortal.

“I’ve been here for a while. I went to visit your Cloud Mountain Temple before coming over to visit you. When will you be closing your stall?”

“We’re closing, we’re closing now! Qi Wen, don’t just stand there, help me close up the stall.”

Upon hearing that Mr. Ji had come all this way specifically to find the two of them, Taoist Qingsong could no longer sit still. He quickly packed up his things with Qi Wen’s help. How could he dare let an immortal wait for him until evening?

His wooden stall was actually just two poles of wood with a wooden board atop, covered in a piece of jute cloth.

7

The master and disciple had completely disassembled it in a few seconds, and placed the fortune telling box, divination plate, and other items into a basket pack, which Qi Wen carried on his back.

“It’s all packed. Mr. Ji would you like to come back to Cloud Mountain Temple and join us for a simple meal?”

“Yes, Mr. Ji, my master’s cooking is delicious.”

“As long as you don’t mind me disturbing your peace.”

Ji Yuan joked, and followed the master and disciple pair.

“How could that be possible? It is a great honor to host Mr. Ji in our humble temple. Today, I will show off my skills, see if my mortal cooking can compare to an immortal’s morning dewdrops.”

8

His tone was quite arrogant, but Ji Yuan had visited the kitchen of Cloud Mountain Temple before. There was no shortage of rice, but there was a lack of oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar.

“In that case, I really have to see the Taoist’s cooking skills. Clouds and dewdrops don’t taste very good, but I have eaten at the True Dragon’s Palace Banquet before.”

Taoist Qingsong immediately became nervous at his words. He was just being polite, please don’t take it seriously, Mr. Ji!

Ji Yuan simply took the master and disciple to the county market and bought some necessary groceries, including fish and meat.

However, as they left Dongle County, Ji Yuan looked back. Qi Xuan would be drinking a couple cups of ambergris soon, which would probably make the Taoist sleep for several days.

Naturally, he wouldn’t be going down the mountain to set up the stall for the next few days. He simply wasn’t sure whether that visitor would return to look for the Taoist in search of fortune-telling or aid.

T/n: I’ve found something more grueling to translate than poetry or cultivation monologues: Taoist Qingsong’s vague fortune telling! Wheeee! *cries*

Kau chim is the practice of drawing fortune lots, also called “lottery poetry”

幕宾斗之以不休 What a cheery fortune, LOL. 幕 (mù): curtain/screen/headquarters of military general, 宾 (bīn): visitor/guest (either the man himself or someone else), 斗 (dòu): to fight/to struggle… Could be “The advisors quarreled with him endlessly” or “your shall fight endlessly with your retainers” or “your patriarch is fated for ceaseless conflict” which all change the subject and the meaning slightly

The last 2 characters are 丙 (bǐng): third of the ten Heavenly Stems (Chinese Zodiac)/third in order/letter “C” or Roman “III” in list, 甲 (jiǎ): first of the ten Heavenly Stems/first/letter “A” or Roman “I” in list. It might help to think of this section like “lucky zodiac signs,” maybe

For more information about divinatory lot drawing, feel free to read about it here

There’s a whole branch of divination related to reading and interpreting facial features. Most of the references to “reading/observing the face” relate to this. Qingsong just accidentally said that he looked ugly instead of saying that his fate was turning for the worse

愚 (yú): to be stupid/to deceive, 公 (gōng): public/fair/patriarch

Jute is a rough vegetable fiber

霞 (xiá): rose-tinted sky or clouds at sunrise or sunset, 露 (lù): dew/syrup/nectar. According to legend, immortals can subsist off nothing more than dewdrops and air. (Which might be entirely accurate in this story, based on how long we’ve seen JY go without food)