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A Prophet - Chapter 17 (Part 5)

Chapter 5 - Ancient Slip-Drawing Divination

"What kind of routine do fortune-tellers in the two-lake region generally like to pull?" Grandpa suddenly shifted the topic. The "River and Commercial Faction" was, after all, a divination outfit built on swindling money. Once the hue and cry died down, they would have to return to their old trade. Grandpa understood this principle all too well.

"As far as I know, they dabble in all sorts of divination arts—naturally including bazi, six-line diagrams, face reading, and palmistry, but there's also a specific category that specializes in slip-drawing divination, which is even better at fooling people," the Third Gang Leader said.

"Slip-drawing?" Grandpa asked, puzzled.

"Yes, slip-drawing divination originates from bamboo-stick divination, except that bamboo-stick divination uses bamboo slips bearing only text, such as 'Supreme Auspicious Slip,' with an explanatory passage carved underneath. Since few people are literate, stick divination is not immediately transparent and requires a specialist to interpret it. Slip-drawing divination is different: the slips are wrapped in red paper, each about the size of a bridge card. The front of the slip depicts an illustration, while the back contains explanatory verses. Generally, when a person draws a slip and looks at the drawing, they can understand a thing or two about whether it portends good fortune or bad," the Third Gang Leader continued to explain.

"What kind of drawings do they have?" The Second Gang Leader's interest was piqued.

"Heh, I once saw the complete set of slips belonging to an old blind fortune-teller. As long as you briefly described the content of the drawing on the slip, he could fluently recite the prophetic verse on the back and then launch into an endless, eloquent explanation for you. For instance, the front of one slip depicts a little man who wants to cross a river but cannot, and his shoes fall into the water and get soaked. Does Second Brother know what this signifies?" the Third Gang Leader asked the Second Gang Leader.

The Second Gang Leader scratched his head. "It probably isn't a good thing. With his shoes all soaked, could it mean 'frequent walks by the river, how can one avoid wet shoes'?"

The Third Gang Leader shook his head and said, "This is a romantic relationship slip. The verse inside reads: The red phoenix and heavenly happiness arouse true affection, yet a great river lies across the road; a misstep drops the immortal's shoe, and a romantic romance ends in empty air. Usually, when someone divines regarding matters of the heart, they will draw this slip. The fortune-teller will then tell you that this is an ominous omen, meaning the other person has divided loyalties or an extramarital affair, and a disaster-relief ritual is required to turn danger into safety."

"Ha ha ha ha!" The Second Gang Leader nearly laughed himself into spasms. "Pure utter nonsense! Let me ask you: if I am not asking about romance, but about business, and suppose I draw this slip, what would he say?"

"Ah, Second Brother asks a great question!" The Third Gang Leader shook his head, turned to look at Grandpa who wore a faint smile, and continued, "If you aren't asking about romance but about other matters, he will still manage to rope it back into matters of the heart. That is the art of sophistry within our circle! This set of formulas has over a thousand types of interpretations; no matter what you ask, he can graft it onto you. Do you believe it?"

The Second Gang Leader tilted his head. "I don't! Suppose I'm a businessman right now and I draw this very slip—how would you explain it?"

"May I ask what kind of business the gentleman is in?" The Third Gang Leader entered the role as well.

"The mule and horse trade," the Second Gang Leader replied.

"That settles it..." The Third Gang Leader nodded.

"What settles it? What is settled?"

"I calculate that even if the gentleman isn't in the mule and horse trade, he's in the herbal medicine trade. In either case, it's the physiognomy of the 'noble steed,' seeking wealth through mobility," the Third Gang Leader said.

"Enough, stop trying to bamboozle me! I'm just asking you how this slip is interpreted," the Second Gang Leader pressed on.

"The gentleman's business hasn't been going too well lately, and unexpected things keep happening, am I right?" the Third Gang Leader asked next.

"That's a load of crap. Who comes for divination if their business is going well?" The Second Gang Leader exposed the Third Gang Leader.

"The gentleman has been struck by peach-blossom misfortune!" the Third Gang Leader declared loudly.

Before the Second Gang Leader could chime in, the Third Gang Leader explained, "Generally, by the time it reaches this juncture, the querist only gives one of two answers: an affirmative reply or a negative reply. The reason a fortune-teller dares to assert straight away that a businessman has peach-blossom misfortune is because he has grasped the pulse of human nature. Think about it, everyone has the seven emotions and six desires. Let alone businessmen traveling across the land, even ordinary poor folk, once their bellies are full, still engage in petty, furtive romantic affairs—the lad from the Zhang family sleeps with the Li family's daughter-in-law, the Liu family's concubine seduces their own farmhand, a brother-in-law touches his sister-in-law's hand... There are far too many such affairs, let alone for a businessman! Rushing about away from home, lonely on the road, they either visit brothels to 'pop cherry blossoms' or philander among their regular clients. Therefore, when the fortune-teller hits the nail on the head, eight or nine times out of ten, people will nod. At that moment, the fortune-teller seizes the opening, using divination jargon like red-phoenix, heavenly-happiness, and peach-blossom to expound, warning the other party that if they fail to handle their romantic entanglements properly, they will exhaust their family fortune and end up with neither person nor wealth, leaving them with nothing at all."

"Mmm. The underlying principles are all the same: human heart, human nature. As long as you grasp that, everything becomes easy to handle," Grandpa nodded as he listened.

"What if this businessman stubbornly refuses to admit to any peach-blossom misfortune? Or what if he genuinely doesn't have any?" The Second Gang Leader added a follow-up question.

"That's not difficult. If he truly has none or refuses to admit it, the master will simply say that the slip you drew yourself is precisely like this, that it is written clearly in black and white on the slip, and that it has been interpreted this exact way since ancient times. If you refuse to believe it, there's nothing he can do. In this manner, the fortune-teller shifts the responsibility entirely onto the slip itself. He acts merely as an interpreter; the slip was drawn by the querist themselves, so who told you to draw this particular one? Those who come to seek divine guidance are generally very pious, believing that drawing it must be the will of heaven. Not a single person ever considers who manufactured this slip or when it was manufactured, let alone suspects that the fortune-teller has mastered the prophetic verses of every single slip to perfection. Human life and fortune-telling ultimately boil down to just these few matters: wealth, official career, beauty, and lifespan. Therefore, no matter which slip is drawn, the fortune-teller can discourse eloquently, pivoting toward human greed, anger, and delusion, scoring a hundred hits out of a hundred, with verifications time and time again!" the Third Gang Leader said.

"Brilliant! Brilliant!" Little Liu had become completely hooked on the explanation, praising it unceasingly.

"Not quite!" The Third Gang Leader glanced at the Sixth Gang Leader. "Sixth Brother doesn't realize this—that's not even the most brilliant part; there's something even more awesome!"

"Tell us about it," Little Liu asked with a smile.

The Third Gang Leader looked at Grandpa and said, "Grandpa, should we give everyone a refresher course on the knowledge of the 'Ten Sects of the Jianghu'?"

Grandpa smiled and said, "The Ten Sects of the Jianghu: Wind, Horse, Swallow, Sparrow, Porcelain, Gold, Review, Skin, Color, and Hanging. Our 'River and Commercial Faction' belongs to the Gold sect, but our proficiency far surpasses the mortal mediocrities of the Gold sect. Years ago, before Master Zhang passed away, he frequently mentioned the stories of the Ten Sects to me, allowing me to see through the malice of the human world and the profound depths of the jianghu. The reason I have refrained from letting everyone dabble in the Ten Sects of the Jianghu, and why I was unwilling to bring up these matters, was out of fear that you might stray onto a crooked path and forget our mission of acting on behalf of Heaven to mete out justice. Now that we are displaced wanderers, with endless warfare and our survival hanging by a thread, it does no harm for everyone to listen to this knowledge. Firstly, it heightens our vigilance so we won't be trapped within nested schemes by others, and secondly, once the war ends in the future, each of you can establish your households and careers, and pass these tales down to your descendants so they won't be swindled."

"Understood!" Seeing Grandpa nod in agreement, the Third Gang Leader instantly perked up. He rolled up his sleeves, squared his shoulders, loosened his jaws, and launched into an eloquent, endless lecture.

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