Chapter 33: Master's Strange Life Story
The sky was dark, the ground was murky, and heavy rain fell.
Unable to do anything, the master talked to me about his past.
He narrated slowly:
"That year, Master Hongyuan took me in. He had no children, so he taught me everything he knew. Then, he asked me to leave the temple.
I began to travel around, looking for a place to stay.
It's not easy to settle down. Everywhere is a world of its own. In the world of martial arts, food is shared. If you're too weak, they'll starve you to death. If you're too strong, they'll attack you.
Back then, this area wasn't even a suburb; it was a typical rural area. Someone took me in, rented me a house, and let me do fortune-telling.
A stranger trying to establish themselves in an unfamiliar place needs a few tricks. Although my master is highly skilled, and I consider myself a pro, it's always better to be cautious. Even if I'm sure the prediction is accurate, I still don't dare to say it's a sure thing.
This has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it is stable, and what you say will be accepted by everyone without any mistakes; the disadvantage is that you will never become famous, and the income is not much, just enough to support your family.
It just so happened that I fell in love with your teacher's wife. Your teacher's wife's family was the only one in the village with teachers, and she was very pretty as a child. I liked her very much, but I was ten years older than her. And my profession was generally looked down upon, so it was like a toad wanting to eat swan meat.
So, I wanted to become a god. Once I became a god, my original career would be overshadowed.
I started to use my tricks, being very stubborn and refusing to admit my mistakes. Strangely enough, this actually made me famous. The attitude of your master's wife and her parents towards me was simply electric."
…
"Generate electricity?" I pondered for a moment, then slapped my thigh. "Master, your language is sometimes incredibly elegant, and sometimes ultra-modern. So it means your attitude towards you is quite different."
…
The master continued, “At that time, I was in my thirties, and your mistress was twenty, yet she also fell in love with a godlike figure like me.
But after all, I was young and naive, and I suffered some setbacks. One day, a woman came and wrote the character "广" (wide) to ask about my father-in-law's condition. "广" (wide) has few strokes, so I used the "add-a-stroke" method, using the traditional Chinese character "广" (wide) to predict my father-in-law's condition.
I asked her if your father had a liver or gallbladder disease.
She said, yes, it was fulminant hepatitis.
I said, "Your father's condition is grave, and the family must be mentally prepared. However, if Fu Da can survive the 11th month, then he will be fully recovered by winter." The woman said, "Please tell me more."
I said, "The traditional Chinese character '广' (Guang) has the character '黄' (yellow) inside it." Liver and gallbladder disease is characterized by a yellow complexion and eyes. Therefore, it is diagnosed as a liver and gallbladder disease. Furthermore, the liver and gallbladder are associated with the element of wood, and now is the month of You (metal), when metal thrives, wood dies. Therefore, family members should be mentally prepared. However, if your father is a fortunate person, once he can survive the month of Xu and enter winter, when the element of water reigns, and water helps wood grow, he will naturally recover.
I asked her how many brothers her husband had.
She said three brothers.
I said, although we can get through the winter, we still need your brothers and sisters-in-law to care about us and ask about our well-being. The woman said: Oh.
After this woman left, I had a sense of foreboding. Her attitude was rather cold. Some people come to ask about their parents' lives, truly reluctant to see them go. Others look reluctant, yet deep down they can't wait to die.
…
Hearing this, I interrupted and said, "There are no filial sons by the bedside of a long-term patient. If it is delayed for a long time, some unfilial children will become just as you said."
…
The master continued, "This woman's father-in-law lived past the Xu month and died in winter. It was because they were unfilial and did not take good care of their father, but they blamed me for not making an accurate diagnosis, misleading them, and relaxing the treatment."
So they came to my door, and I was no match for them, so I rushed out. They chased me relentlessly. At that moment, I was bumped into by Long Mengzi.
The master said this and drank the cup of tea.
…
I slapped my forehead. I was so engrossed in the story that I forgot to add more tea. I quickly made a fresh cup of tea for my master and asked, "Who is Long Mengzi?"
…
The master said, "Long Mengzi was the father of Long Teng, the owner of the Fengye Hotel. He was a martial arts master in his village, capable of beating up to ten men. Even though we were usually just acquaintances, when he saw this scene, he put down his burden, picked up his shoulder pole, and said to the group, 'In broad daylight, a group of people are beating up a scholar. How dare you come at me?'"
With this person in the crossroads, they stopped chasing me and, relying on their numbers, surrounded Long Mengzi with sticks. They were no match for him. They were beaten to pieces by Mengzi and fled in all directions. Mengzi caught up with the boss, pinned him to the ground, and asked, "Do you dare to bully me again?"
The boss said: His prediction is not accurate. Long Mengzi punched him and asked: Is his prediction accurate?
The boss was afraid of getting punched again, so he said, "Okay..." Long Mengzi punched him again and said, "Stop dragging your feet, you bastard! I only ask one question." The boss said, "Okay!"
…
After listening to Master's account, I asked, "Why did Long Mengzi help you?"
The master said, "I didn't understand it at first, but later I figured it out. One time, someone in the village was bitten by a snake, and everyone thought I had some unconventional tricks, so they came to call me.
Traveling the world, I naturally had to learn some unconventional methods, firstly to help myself, and secondly to help others. I rushed over, held the man's calf, inhaled a few times, then took a mouthful of medicine and sprayed it on the wound. After cleaning it, I applied the medicine again, and after a week, it was healed. That man was Long Mengzi's father.
…
I said, "No wonder, you and the Long family are old friends, three generations have been in contact."
Master said, "After that incident, I realized that my confidence didn't come from how accurate I was, but from the power behind me. So, I made friends with many people."
I was surprised. I didn't expect that the master didn't attach great importance to his superb skills.
Master saw through my thoughts and said, "You're still young. When you're out there, you should always be humble. Why is Long Teng so successful? Don't think of him as just a reckless man; he's more capable than you."
President Deng is like a ball. Don't think he's just luckier than you; his emotional intelligence is ten thousand times better than yours. Therefore, you must learn from others' strengths and overcome your weaknesses, and interact with both the black and white worlds in good faith, only then can you make a living."
I stood up and bowed to my master, saying, "Your explanation is based on facts, and my disciple's imagination has been greatly opened."
Master said: For example, the man who just left claimed to be the most famous calligrapher in the city. He was a calligrapher and I was analyzing my calligraphy. We had no relationship, but when he came to visit, I still made him some hot tea and offered him some cigarettes.
I said, "His name is Wang Yiming?"
The master nodded.
"Yu Meiren bought a lot of his calligraphy and hung it on the wall. Last time, I asked her to take down one of the pieces. She seemed reluctant, saying it was from a famous calligrapher in the city."
The master smiled. I think whenever the master smiled, it basically meant he didn't want to comment.
I asked, "Why did he come to visit you?"
The master looked into the distance and said, "Just like Mr. Deng, using Zhong Kui to fight ghosts."
I understood: "You mean, intentionally or unintentionally, that anyone who uses Wang Yiming's name will have smooth business?"
The master smiled.
"What do you do when you meet someone like this?"
The master said, "To deliberately promote him is beneath my dignity. If anyone asks me about this, I will answer with two words: Not bad."
He then warned me, worriedly, "Whenever you comment on someone, never overdo it. It's incorrect to say they're incredibly good or to say they're terrible and not worth mentioning. Saying 'not bad' is best, and you should be able to advance and retreat freely. In short, you should be clear-headed when fortune-telling, and a little confused in life. Confucius understood confusion, which he called the Doctrine of the Mean; Lao Tzu pretended to be confused, which he called inaction; Zhuangzi embraced confusion, which he called freedom."
I sighed, "I've learned another trick: hiding my preferences. Round on the outside, square on the inside."
The master shook his head: "Not necessarily. For those you particularly like, even in a small circle, you should not hide your feelings. For example, I admire Shi Ge's intelligence and Yan Feng's chivalry, so you should speak out boldly."
“These people are heroes in my eyes.”
The master paused and said, "There are always talented people in the world, but they are often forgotten in the wilderness. Tomorrow I will take you to the countryside to see a man who is truly a remarkable person who has been lost."
"There are still people like this?"
The master didn't answer me. Instead, he held up two fingers and placed them to his lips. I knew he wanted a cigarette. I quickly went to the bookcase, took out a pack, and lit it for him.
The master took a deep breath, exhaled a long string of bubbles, stood up, and chanted:
"In my dream I vaguely recall the old image, but when I wake up, who cares about your importance? There are only two or three of you left in this world, and I am one of you."
I couldn't understand the poetry, I just heard Master sigh, "It's time to go see him."
Who exactly did the master go to visit?
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