A Prophet - Chapter 10 (Part 3)
Chapter 3 - Eight Characters Determine Destiny
Those who practice fate-calculation all believe that the specific career an individual should pursue is marked by distinct symbols within their eight characters of birth. Everyone wants to do well and envies those infinitely glamorous professions, but when a fortune-teller spreads out your eight characters and takes a look, they know instantly that you are not cut out for it. Astrological theory holds that officials must have prosperous and flourishing official stars that serve as favorable deities; merchants must have high-shining wealth stars; and scholars must have thriving seal stars to serve them...
The terms "Canopy of Heaven," "General Star," and "Scholar Star" mentioned by Huang Daocheng are all symbolic terminology used in the Four Pillars. The "Canopy of Heaven" originally referred to the canopy umbrella above the Jade Emperor's head, representing aloofness and solitude. It must not encounter the "Void" deity, as encountering the void causes a rupture, transforming one into the "Lone Star of Heavenly Calamity." This is where the legends in Jianghu about certain martial heroes being cursed by the "Lone Star of Heavenly Calamity" originate. Mr. Lu Xun also uttered the lament, "When the fate intersects the Canopy of Heaven, what more is there to seek? Before I dare to roll over, my head has already hit the floor." The "General Star" governs the authority of generals and marshals, indicating that anyone with this star entering their destiny possesses leadership and organizational abilities. The "Scholar Star" governs imperial examinations and learning, similar to the "Literary Star," and those with the talent of a top imperial scholar frequently have this star in their destiny.
Although these superstitious theories had long been thoroughly criticized and torn to shreds by countless former sages, Huang Daocheng still stubbornly held onto them and relished them. Huang Farong was exceptionally gifted with extraordinary memory, and she quickly memorized the Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, Heavenly Stems, and Earthly Branches until she knew them by heart. Afterward, she branched out to study the Four Pillars, Six Lines, Esoteric Gates, Six Imperial Divine Computations, and Purple Star Astrology techniques. By her early teens, she was already capable of using simple techniques to divine people's fortunes, earning herself a modest reputation in her home village.
However, among the four sisters in Huang Farong's family, she was the eldest. In the countryside, when there are many siblings, the one who suffers is inevitably the eldest, and she was the one who did all the chores. Cooking, feeding pigs, and looking after her younger siblings went without saying; at the slightest misstep, she would also draw the roaring curses and brutal beatings of her short-tempered father. Furthermore, neither of her parents approved of her studying these subjects, telling her: "A girl just needs to learn some needlework so she can marry out well when she grows up! Messing around with such disreputable nonsense—just see how you'll survive once you cross into your husband's household!"
The turning point in her destiny arrived in the year Huang Farong turned fourteen. That summer, her father brought up a marriage match for her, stating that she and her second aunt's cousin were "betrothed in the womb," a union arranged even before she was born.
Upon hearing this, Huang Farong flew into a rage. She knew this cousin of hers; while he was certainly honest, his honesty crossed the line into sheer foolishness. Huang Farong prided herself on being supremely intelligent, with ambitions higher than the heavens. The man in her mind had to possess vast talent and a belly full of profound learning, so she stubbornly refused to agree under any circumstances.
As the wedding day drew closer, her second aunt frequently came over as a guest. The old lady sensed the signs that this niece seemed rather reluctant, and seeing the cooked duck about to fly away, she brought lavish gifts every single time. First she would smile brightly to propose the union, and then she would wipe away tears and put on an aggrieved act.
In the feudal era, women held low social statuses, and betrothals were treated equivalent to contracts; the female side breaking the engagement faced severe penalties. Huang Farong's parents decided that even if they had to tie her up, they would deliver the girl to the groom's family!
Huang Farong fled to her grandfather's room, crying as she said, "Grandfather, Grandfather, what should I do?"
The old man's eyes streamed with tears: "Rong'er, even Grandfather cannot help you this time. This is simply fate!"
Had she been an ordinary girl, she would have yielded, but she was Huang Farong; at fourteen years old, she possessed the courage of the heavens. She ran away, escaping her marriage. Packing a bundle stuffed with a few large flatbreads, she fled her home in the middle of the night. Running all the way south, she would bite into a flatbread whenever she was hungry, and whenever she was thirsty, she would approach a household, step inside, and kowtow to beg for a bowl of water. Later, she even managed to climb onto a train, traveling through Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang straight down to Fujian.
Once in Fujian, Huang Farong stopped running, feeling that she had gone far enough and that her family would never find her. She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling incomparably relaxed and joyful. She believed she had won her freedom and that the path ahead was bright and smooth. Had she known that her future years would become entangled with a criminal underworld organization and exact a harrowing price for it, she would certainly not have been so joyful at that moment, and might even have regretted fleeing her home entirely.
In Fujian, Huang Farong's first priority was to solve her survival problem. Even though she rationed her food carefully, those few flatbreads were still not enough. She knew how to tell fortunes, but she was far too young—surely no one would believe her. Back home, she could ride on the coattails of her grandfather, sometimes letting her make the initial divination when clients came to consult. Out here on her own, who would trust a fourteen-year-old wild girl?
She had no choice but to beg. Begging was no easy task either; beggars had their own established territories, and outsiders attempting to beg would be driven away. Sometimes, the moment she managed to beg two copper coins, a gang of other beggars would immediately snatch them away. As a young, small, and physically weak girl, she could not win against those wild ruffians, and ultimately she was reduced to picking rotting food out of garbage heaps to fill her stomach.
After surviving like this in hunger and cold for several days, the rotting food began to churn in her stomach. Within a few days, Huang Farong fell ill, running a high fever that left her delirious as she lay by the roadside, quietly waiting to die.
In her delirium, she felt someone lift her up. She tried hard to open her eyes, but no matter what, she could not pry them open, and she lapsed back into unconsciousness amidst her haze. When she finally woke up again, she found herself lying in a warm, cozy room. Blinking her eyes, she thought she had died and ended up in heaven. While she was wandering aimlessly in her thoughts, a warm face leaned down over her.
"Child, are you awake?"
It was Jiang Feiyan. That day, Jiang Feiyan happened to be leading several Abao members in Fujian to negotiate matters with the local "sect society." On her way back to the inn at dusk, she passed through a narrow alley and caught sight of the dying Huang Farong. The "Jiangxiang Faction" was a group that robbed the rich to give to the poor, and Jiang Feiyan was a person of exceptionally kind heart. Seeing this scene, she unhesitatingly ordered a footman to carry Huang Farong back to the inn.
Huang Farong stared blankly at the graceful and luxurious woman before her, not knowing what to say. Coming from a rural background, Huang Farong had seen little of the world; for fourteen years, she had only ever dealt with ragged villagers and lived in dark, damp earthen huts. Now, lying in this clean and warm room while facing such a noble lady, she truly believed she was in heaven.
Seeing that she remained silent, Jiang Feiyan said softly, "Child, everything is fine now."
Huang Farong continued to stare blankly at Jiang Feiyan, remaining completely still, quiet, and tight-lipped.
After a long while, she finally realized that she was still alive, and instantly tears flooded her eyes, streaming rapidly down the corners of her face.
Jiang Feiyan leaned down and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Child, don't cry, don't cry."
"Mother—" Huang Farong softly called out.
"Child... you..." Jiang Feiyan's body trembled.
"Mother—" Huang Farong extended her small hands, tightly hugging Jiang Feiyan as tears gushed out.
Those two cries of "Mother" caused a wave of heartache to swell in Jiang Feiyan's chest. She knew that the girl before her had suffered far too many wounds and hardships. Calling a complete stranger "Mother" was a manifestation of a long-suppressed yearning for familial affection and maternal love.
Jiang Feiyan recalled her own past; she too was someone who had been abandoned by her parents. The women who became Abao were either brothel girls sold by their parents, beggars with neither father nor mother, female murderers driven to desperate extremes by unbearable spousal abuse, or resentful wives "pawned" by their husbands for survival... In short, every single one of them had been scarred.
Some of them died, while others pulled themselves up, continued to live, and became strongwomen.
"Child, don't cry." Jiang Feiyan pulled Huang Farong tightly into her embrace.
Huang Farong cried even harder: "Mother, please take me in... I will work like an ox or a horse for you and serve you for the rest of my life! Just let me be your adoptive daughter..."
"Child, don't be afraid. I won't abandon you." Looking at the pitiful little one, Jiang Feiyan felt a pang in her nose, and her tears fell.
Huang Farong displayed supreme intelligence even back then. When she realized she had not died, she knew at once that she had to grasp tightly onto the woman before her; the days of escaping her sea of misery had finally arrived. Cleverness—once again, it was cleverness at work.