A Prophet - Chapter 14 (Part 3)

Chapter 3 - The Bone-Reading Master of the Heavenly Saint Dao

The next day at the Si hour, the top-ten-to-three debate competition began. The ten candidates drew lots in turn and took the stage to accept challenges in the predetermined order.

Debate has existed since ancient times; a war of words is akin to a real war. Though it has no blades, swords, halberds, or spears, it is fraught with hidden murderous intent. Though it draws no blood and shatters no bones, a few stray phrases are enough to seal a person's lips. Before a debate, ample preparation is required—knowing oneself and knowing the enemy ensures that one will never be defeated in a hundred battles. During a debate, tongues clash like spears and swords, moving back and forth as combatants parry the substantial and strike the empty. After a debate, maintaining a calm and pleasant demeanor ensures that one preserves the bearing of a master, regardless of victory or defeat.

Grandpa Zu never fought a battle without preparation. Months prior, he had already dispatched his wharf bosses to various regions to investigate the situation of every single secret society.

The first to take the stage was the "Diamond" Blind Liu from the Beijing branch of the Heavenly Saint Dao.

The reason Blind Liu was called Blind Liu was that when he was a child, his left eyeball was blown to shreds by the gunpowder of a double-kick firecracker, and his right eye could only vaguely make out shapes and light.

After Blind Liu lost his vision, his parents began to ponder how this child would make a living in the future. Heaven leaves no path completely blocked, and in Youzhou, adjacent to Beijing, there lived an old blind man who was a master of bone-reading. It was said he had read the bones for staff members such as Zhang Zuolin. Blind Liu's mother pulled strings through intermediaries, begging the bone-reading master to take her son as a disciple so that her son would at least have a way to put food on the table in the future.

The art of bone-reading originated in the pre-Qin period and falls under the category of physiognomy. In essence, it examines bone structure: those with eyes can observe while feeling, whereas those without eyes must rely entirely on touch. Yet, those without eyes, undisturbed by visual distractions, are often all the more precise!

Once Blind Liu sat down, a figure leapt up from the audience and fired off the first question. Everyone looked closely and saw that it was none other than Zuo Yongchan, the newly appointed sect master of the Heavenly Saint Dao headquarters. Zuo Yongchan had originally assumed that he would easily vault into the top ten in the group debates, but unexpectedly, not only had he, the sect master, failed to be selected, but the "Diamond" from a branch had advanced instead. Anger burned fiercely within his breast. Little did he know that this was entirely a scheme plotted by the Japanese. Zuo Yongchan's nature was far too treacherous; he was the type who would call anyone with milk his mother. If he were appointed as the "Grand Master of I Ching," he would first fail to command public respect. Furthermore, once the political winds shifted and someone else offered him even greater benefits, he would inevitably betray them. When looking for a national traitor, one still needed to find someone with decent character, which was why he was weeded out during the preliminary selection.

"Master Liu has read countless bones in his lifetime. Has he ever read his own?" Zuo Yongchan's very first question was laden with the stench of gunpowder.

Blind Liu lifted his right eye—whether he actually saw Zuo Yongchan or not was impossible to tell—and let out a chuckle. "You and I both emerged from our mother's womb, and our bodies, hair, and skin are gifts from our parents. The method of bone-reading is an art that leaks heavenly secrets. Although I understand this art, I dare not tamper with it recklessly. Even when others come to my door seeking predictions, I am bound to burn three sticks of incense and command them to be devout before I dare to reveal the heavenly secrets. As for myself, when I was apprenticed in my childhood, my master personally touched the crown of my head. My bone structure has only ever been felt by his elderly hands, and I have never once acted presumptuously upon myself."

Blind Liu reacted with keen alertness. He had anticipated that if he claimed he had never read his own bones, Zuo Yongchan would inevitably attack him: a bone-reading master who had never once read his own bones—was that not a laughingstock? If he answered that he had read his own bones, Zuo Yongchan would inevitably counter: since you read your own bones, how is your fortune this year? Can you seize the crown in this debate conference? Once it reached that point, whether Blind Liu gave an affirmative or negative answer, he would end up at a distinct disadvantage.

Seeing his opening maneuver parried and dismantled by his opponent, Zuo Yongchan immediately grabbed a "dark-clothed operative" from beside him and shoved him toward the front of the stage:

"I have long heard that Master Liu's bone-reading technique is exquisite, but the arts and numbers community also harbors many who remain skeptical of bone-reading. Today, why doesn't Master Liu practice what he preaches and personally read the bones of my beloved disciple? Master Liu does not need to speak of his future; just state the major events that have occurred in his past!"

This was a checkmate move. Fortune-tellers fear nothing more than on-the-spot predictions. Whether they practice Eight Characters, Hexagrams, Feng Shui, or Face Reading, when tested on the spot, no one holds absolute confidence. Putting aside whether they possess genuine skill, even those with true ability will inevitably make mistakes under the gaze of a thousand eyes. Moreover, Zuo Yongchan had completely blocked Blind Liu's escape route by demanding he speak only of the past rather than the future. After all, future events require time to verify, whereas past events can be verified instantly on the spot!

Blind Liu burst into loud laughter. "Master Zuo flatters this humble person too much! I can demonstrate the art of bone-reading on the spot, but it cannot be applied to a disciple of the Heavenly Saint Dao. You and I hail from the same school; even if I guess correctly, everyone present will think we colluded beforehand and harbor suspicions of malpractice!"

Blind Liu was using the spear of his opponent to pierce his opponent's shield. He knew very well that even if his reading was spot-on, Zuo Yongchan's disciple would argue black was white right there on the stage; otherwise, he would be a dead man by the time he returned—as a "dark-clothed operative," how could he not understand this simple logic? Yet at that moment, Blind Liu's liver was also trembling. If the Japanese judges really did pick someone at random for him to read on the spot, he truly had no confidence in whether he could get it right.

Grandpa Zu also perceived the profound mystery hidden within, and he began to deploy the strategy of vertical and horizontal alliances: the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the key to winning a war lies in uniting every single force that can be united to destroy the enemy one by one.

"Since that is the case, I will act as an intermediary. Master Liu may read my bones. I shall test the method with my own person in my capacity as the fourteenth sect master of the River and Image Faction. Does Master Zuo have any objections?" Grandpa Zu said.

Mei Xuanzi, sitting off to the side, saw through Grandpa Zu's intentions and smiled inwardly.

Zuo Yongchan looked at Grandpa Zu, then glanced at Yoshiko Nishida. Yoshiko Nishida gave a slight nod. Zuo Yongchan thought to himself: It's finished! He could only nod helplessly.

Grandpa Zu rose and took the stage. At that moment, Blind Liu still had no idea what medicine Grandpa Zu was selling in his gourd, nor did he know whether Grandpa Zu's sudden appearance on stage was meant to help him or harm him.

"Please, Master Liu." Grandpa Zu smiled faintly.

Blind Liu rolled his right eye and extended both hands, beginning to feel Grandpa Zu's hands, moving up to his arms, his neck, and finally his skull. Then he spoke in a booming voice: "Grandpa Zu possesses a remarkably clear and extraordinary bone structure; he is the descendant of a military family, and his ancestors must have served as officials in the imperial court. He has no more than two siblings, and his parents passed away early..."

Grandpa Zu nodded and said, "All correct! But these matters are known to everyone in the underworld. Master Liu, tell us something else!" Grandpa Zu was signaling to him: If you're going to act, you must put on a convincing performance. To hoodwink the Imperial Japanese Army like this—are you treating the Japanese as fools?

Blind Liu immediately caught on and continued, "When Grandpa Zu was five years old, he suffered a water disaster! He fell into the water and nearly drowned! At age twelve, he encountered the trial of the Crimson Romance star, and an old woman molested you!"

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zu nearly burst out laughing, but maintained a solemn expression as he said, "Master Liu is formidable! It is all correct!"

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

At this point, Blind Liu should have quit while he was ahead, but instead he grew carried on by the momentum, speaking as he felt: "Grandpa Zu has a prominent occipital bone at the back of his head; this is the physiognomy of immense wealth and noble rank, capable of turning bad luck into good in all matters..."

Grandpa Zu thought to himself: I let you play along for a bit, but you really don't know when to stop. Immediately, he remarked aloud, "I have heard that if the occipital bone is overly prominent, it signifies the bone of rebellion. During the Three Kingdoms period, the great general Wei Yan of the state of Shu had an oversized bone lump on the back of his head, and Zhuge Kongming saw at a single glance that it was a rebellious bone. Even when everyone from Liu Bei down to the common foot soldiers was conquered by Wei Yan's exceptional valor and loyal heart, Zhuge Liang had already grown suspicious of him. Later on, sure enough, as soon as Zhuge Kongming passed away, Wei Yan rebelled! Fortunately, Kongming had long been on his guard and planted Jiang Wan—no, Ma Dai—as an undercover agent beside Wei Yan, which was how they managed to cut down the rebellious general Wei Yan! When Master Liu says my occipital bone is prominent, are you praising me or belittling me? Haha."

Everyone in the audience burst into laughter. Blind Liu's face turned completely red; even the dead flesh around his left eye flushed crimson.

Using a joking manner, Grandpa Zu reminded Blind Liu not to overstep his bounds. First give him a jujube, then slap him across the face—this simultaneously rallied the man's allegiance and made him wary of his opponent. Grandpa Zu's objective had been fully achieved.

The debate continued. Several other people from the audience successively asked questions about the common knowledge of bone-reading, which Blind Liu answered one by one before stepping down in full safety.