Chapter 578 Origin
A Taoist priest in a gray robe was sitting on the bench next to the banner.
The Taoist priest had black hair and a long beard. He was waving a feather fan in the cold weather, with his eyes half-closed lazily, and speaking slowly and leisurely to attract customers.
"Iron mouth, straight to the point, accurate in every calculation."
"Judge good and bad luck, know the past, and predict the future~~"
"A fortune-telling session to find out your future~ Must be free~~~"
Yun Qingqing was about to step forward when someone had already arrived in front of the stall.
"How much does it cost for fortune-telling?"
The person who came looked to be a man in his thirties, wearing a brown brocade robe, with slightly dark skin, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he looked handsome.
The gray-robed Taoist raised his eyelids and spoke slowly:
"One hundred taels of silver per divination, no bargaining."
The man sneered when he heard this:
"You are so bold, Taoist priest. Are you trying to blackmail me because you see that I am rich?"
The Taoist priest waved his feather fan slowly and said lazily:
"Pay the money first and then I'll tell your fortune. If it's not accurate, I'll return it in full and double the compensation."
The man raised his eyebrows and slapped a silver note worth one hundred taels on the table.
"You said it, don't blame me for being rude if I don't allow it!"
Perhaps for a small fortune-telling stall on the roadside, the price of "one hundred taels per fortune-telling" is really amazing, and some people actually come to tell fortunes. Some people who were originally deserted have gathered around the fortune-telling stall to watch the fun.
Yun Qingqing and the other person had already occupied a good position and were watching from the side.
The Taoist picked up the banknote and glanced at it, then sat up straight and looked at the man, pointing to the small words on the banner:
"Face reading, palmistry, fortune telling, fortune telling, which one do you choose?"
The man narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said:
"Let's guess the character. The character 'Jin' means 'fine clothing and delicious food.'"
The Taoist priest chuckled, took a piece of paper, picked up a pen and wrote a big word: Jin.
"The character 'Jin' has gold on the left and silk on the right, which symbolizes great wealth. This donor has made a fortune."
The man looked somewhat pleased, but not satisfied:
"Do you even need to tell me that? I can even tell fortunes for a hundred taels of silver. Anyone can see that I have money! This doesn't count!"
The Taoist stroked his long beard and waved his hand:
"Hey, benefactor, why are you so anxious? I haven't finished what I'm saying yet."
"Oh, fine, then, keep talking. I want to see what else you can come up with." The man snorted.
"The character 'silk' to the right of 'jin' can be split into 'bai' and 'jin'. 'jin' sounds the same as 'jin', which means you have just obtained a large sum of money today."
The man was stunned for a moment, then restrained his expression:
"…Anything else?"
The crowd watching the excitement also became interested:
"It seems like this Taoist priest really said that?"
"Yeah, it seems that the old Taoist really has something."
The Taoist pointed at the words on the paper and said slowly:
"The 'bai' above the word 'silk' means red for joy and white for mourning. Although you have suddenly become rich, your funeral is not far away..."
"The saying 'blooming like brocade', and February is also called the Flower Month, and considering that the character 'jin' (jin) is the same as 'this day' (jin) in the year, then by this calculation, you won't survive February this year."
There was a sound of inhalation all around.
"Hiss... getting this on New Year's Day is too unlucky..."
"You're just exaggerating, aren't you? That's what charlatans love to do. First they tell you you're in trouble, then they help you resolve it for a lot of money."
"But normally you wouldn't curse someone like that just to get their money, right? Isn't this just asking for trouble?"
"Isn't it just for good luck to have a fortune-teller during the New Year? They've already spent a hundred taels, so you should be content. Saying that is really not very kind."
"You don't understand, right? It's because they've met a wealthy man that these old-timers are trying their best to squeeze out as much money as possible!"
Amidst the discussion, the man's expression froze for a moment, then he slammed the table and glared at the old Taoist:
"Nonsense! I'm healthy and wealthy, so why can't I live long? You're clearly a fraud! Pay me back!"
The old Taoist was not in a hurry and continued to point at the words on the paper and said:
"The word 'gold' doesn't just mean gold and silver. Metal is gold, and swords and knives are also gold. They are weapons that can hurt people."
"'Bo' means cloth, which can be used to cover, so it means to conceal. 'Bai' means mourning, which means the funeral in your family has been covered up. 'Jin' can also refer to 'jinguo', meaning woman."
At this point, a sharp light flashed in the old Taoist's eyes:
"The woman who died was from your family. She was killed by a knife, and you covered it up."
"You fart!" The man's face changed drastically. He raised his hand to grab the Taoist's collar, but he was blocked lightly by the Taoist's feather fan. The whole man was knocked over by a huge force and fell to the ground.
The crowd of onlookers was already going wild:
"What do you mean? Fatal due to a knife... Did the Taoist priest say he killed someone?"
"Oh my god! Is this true? This guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes doesn't look like a bad guy."
"Wait a minute, let me put it in perspective... This Taoist said he just acquired a large sum of money today, and also said a woman in his family was murdered... and it was covered up... That's just..."
"Hiss...murder for money? Should I report it to the police?"
"But we don't know whether it's true or not. What if that old Taoist really is lying?"
"It's hard to say. Did you notice how the Taoist priest knocked him over? He still hasn't gotten up. The Taoist priest must be a bit of a thinker. Maybe it's true!"
The gray-robed Taoist looked coldly at the man who had fallen and was completely dazed. He waved his feather fan and spoke slowly again:
"The words I predict are never wrong. 'Gold' can also be used as shackles. Today your crime will be exposed and you will be thrown into prison."
The man listened to the increasingly loud discussions around him. Many people were already discussing whether to report the incident to the police. His face turned pale, and he stumbled to his feet, saying in a timid tone:
"I won't argue with a greedy Taoist priest like you on New Year's Day! It's just my bad luck!"
He didn't want to bother the Taoist priest anymore, so he turned around and wanted to leave, but he was stopped before he took two steps.
"Stop! The police are investigating a case. Come with me!"
The man shuddered when he heard the word "official". He saw that the person who stopped him was not wearing an official uniform, but took out a yamen badge and waved it in front of him.
The other person next to him looked unhappy and muttered:
"It's New Year's Day and I'm on vacation, but I still run into a case. I can't even drink. It's really bad luck! I advise you to just follow us, or we won't be polite!"
The man struggled:
"Officer, I'm innocent! This old Taoist priest is clearly just talking nonsense to make more money! You can't arrest me without any evidence and just listen to his one-sided story!"
Before the two officers could speak, the old Taoist said, "Hehe":
"Isn't it easy to get evidence? The 'silk' in 'jin' is under 'bai'. The woman he killed was buried in his yard. Find something with the word 'bai' on it in the yard and see where the soil underneath is loose. Just dig it up."
The man staggered and almost fell.
The policemen understood what was going on after seeing this. After thanking the Taoist priest, they held the man on both sides and walked out of the crowd.
The onlookers were amazed:
"This Taoist priest is quite amazing. He really got it right!"
"You're so accurate! I even want to predict my future..."
"It's a pity that I can't afford this one hundred taels of silver for a divination!"
Some people were also curious and asked loudly:
"Master, can you figure out why he would want to kill someone for no reason?"
The Taoist priest slowly put away the written paper and said:
"This man is wearing a valuable brocade robe, but the jade ornaments around his waist are crudely made. His skin is slightly dark and his face is bitter. One can tell at a glance that he has become rich overnight, but his taste and vision have not kept up."
"His face has a bad look, indicating loneliness and helplessness. He has been an orphan since childhood. The Palace of Marriage is full and then deficient, indicating that he is a young man with an old wife, and he is also a son-in-law who marries into the family. The vast wealth belongs to his wife."
"This man has evil intentions. This marriage was originally for money, but he doesn't just want money. He also wants to be the head of the household and take in several young and beautiful wives and concubines. So from the beginning, he was planning to wipe out the family, steal money, and kill people."
When everyone heard this, they felt that they had never seen such a thing before and started to curse the man as a good-for-nothing.
The Taoist priest stood up and began to pack up his stall, saying calmly:
"As the saying goes, he can't escape this murder lawsuit. I guess he'll be in time for the February batch."
The Liang State usually executed a batch of death row prisoners in spring and another batch in autumn. Now that the man has been in trouble, he will not survive February, which is in line with the previous divination.
Everyone was filled with admiration again.
Someone in the crowd said:
"Master, are you closing up shop now? Your reputation has spread far and wide. Who knows, some wealthy family might come to ask for divination soon!"
The Taoist stroked his long beard and smiled calmly:
"No, I only tell one fortune every day, and I've used up today's share. Everyone, please go."
Everyone didn't expect that he had such a rule, and they sighed for a while before dispersing.
The Taoist priest slowly packed up his stall. The crowd had almost dispersed. He picked up the long banner and was about to leave when a clear female voice suddenly rang out from the side:
"Excuse me, Master Daoist, is 'Changliu' your name?"
The Taoist paused and turned around to see a man and a woman, both dressed elegantly but with ordinary looks.
But he could tell at a glance that the two men's appearances were disguises.
The Taoist stared at the two of them for a moment, stroked his long beard, and said lazily:
"Since you wish to inquire about my origins, I should at least reveal my true identity, right?"
Yun Qingqing raised her eyebrows and said with a half-smile:
"That being said, aren't you also in disguise?"
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