A Prophet - Chapter 22 (Part 3)

Chapter 3 - The Origins and Background of the Secret River-Merchant Manual: The Military Horse Chapter

With no other options left, Grandpa's thoughts drifted back to the Military Horse Chapter, and the lingering grievances and entanglements of the founding ancestors of the River-Merchant Faction began to spin through his mind once more.

The four secret manuals of the River-Merchant Faction: the Abao Chapter, the Yingyao Chapter, the Zhafei Chapter, and the Military Horse Chapter.

The Abao Chapter served as the foundational textbook for fortune-telling swindlers and the spiritual guiding creed of the entire River-Merchant Faction. It began with the opening declaration: "Those who are greedy will inevitably be impoverished; gentlemen take this as a supreme warning. To practice Abao, the blame lies not in the physiognomy, but in the individual's greed." This immediately established the doctrinal justification for the River-Merchant Faction's cons-attracting trade. It wiped away the shame and guilt of the Abao practitioners in one fell stroke: this was not fraud, but a punishment directed at the greed, anger, and delusion inherent in human nature—forcing those who refused to turn back until they hit a brick wall, or who failed to learn their lesson from being scammed, to taste the bitter fruits of their own actions.

Furthermore, it declared: "Corrupt officials are thieves of the people; villainous merchants are moths of the people; arrogant power-brokers are the tigers and wolves of the people. To practice Abao is to execute the punishment of heaven!" This further inflamed the fraudulent desires of the practitioners. By targeting corrupt officials, crooked merchants, and powerful bullies as the primary targets for exploitation, they effortlessly secured a massive popular base, allowing the Abao swindlers to proudly drape themselves in the righteous cloak of "acting on behalf of heaven to mete out justice." Since ancient times, people had harbored a deep, bone-deep hatred for these three groups of people yet felt utterly powerless against them. The emergence of the River-Merchant Faction opened up a brand-new method of punishing the strong and aiding the weak. Thus, when the Five Ancestors of the Hong Sect first founded the River-Merchant Faction, there was a universal response; various esoteric practitioners swarmed to their banner, and the faction instantly gathered all the elite civilian talent of that era.

Having laid down both theoretical foundations and a popular base, the internal cultivation of the Abao ranks naturally became paramount. Therefore, the Abao Chapter issued the warning: "When practicing Abao, observe broadly and take restraint, be cautious at the start and even more cautious at the end," demanding that practitioners maintain a state of high vigilance at all times. "Observe broadly and take restraint" further required that practitioners not harbor excessive greed; swindling required reading the shifts of circumstance and practicing steady, long-term accumulation, whereas killing the goose that laid the golden eggs or stripping every feather from a passing wild goose would ultimately lead to self-destruction.

Additionally, it laid down three cardinal rules for the practitioners: swindle the wicked, never the benevolent; swindle wealth, never beauty; do not break up families. It warned practitioners that acts devoid of virtue must never be committed, or they would incur heavenly retribution.

The entire Abao Chapter resonated with upright righteousness, sharp wording, and meticulous organization, yet it conveniently overlooked two critical factors.

First, human nature itself. Abao practitioners were human beings too, sharing the same greed and desires as ordinary people. While the righteous rhetoric was delivered with soaring passion, carrying out the actions proved entirely different. Upon seeing silver, their eyes turned green with greed; upon seeing beauty, their blood surged upward. All talk of "observing broadly and taking restraint," "caution above all," and "swindling wealth, not beauty" was long ago cast to the winds. The major upheavals throughout the history of the River-Merchant Faction all stemmed from internal failures within their own ranks, even bringing them to the brink of total annihilation.

In the third year of Jiajia (1798), Zhang Xinzhi, the twelfth patriarch of the "Muzilian" branch, violated the ancestral rules, leading to bloody internal slaughter within the faction that nearly wiped them out entirely.

Zhang Xinzhi, a native of Jiading, Jiangsu, joined the River-Merchant Faction at age twelve and seized absolute control of the Muzilian branch at thirty-two. He was exceptionally brilliant, but fatally obsessed with female beauty.

At that time, Qian Dahao, a prominent and wealthy magnate of Qiantang, lost his mother and engaged Zhang Xinzhi to perform funeral rites and secure passage for her soul. Knowing full well the immense wealth of the Qian family, Zhang Xinzhi demanded an astronomical price of 300 taels of fine silver. Qian Dahao agreed without a moment's hesitation and even added 300 bolts of silk, showing extraordinary generosity and goodwill.

Zhang Xinzhi should have stopped while he was ahead, but unfortunately, he set his eyes on Qian Dahao's wife, Liu Mengyao. After much deliberation, he realized he fell far short of Qian Dahao in appearance, learning, and wealth; if he wanted to secure this beautiful woman for himself, he would have to resort to "cutting her down." Consumed and derided by lust, Zhang Xinzhi hatched a toxic plot. Once the funeral rites were completed, he quietly told Qian Dahao and Liu Mengyao: "With the senior matron entering the tomb, your household will be shrouded in gloomy yin energy for the next three years. Forgive my bluntness, but I perceive a dark aura hovering between Master Qian's and Madam's brows; I fear disaster strikes within the month, so I urge you to take utmost precautions."

Not long after, Qian Dahao and Liu Mengyao went to Yuntai Temple to fulfill a vow, and on their return journey, they were intercepted by bandits. At that exact moment, Zhang Xinzhi "happened" to pass by with his disciples and fought desperately to rescue Liu Mengyao, while Qian Dahao was stabbed directly through the heart by a bandit and died on the spot.

Still shaken with terror, Liu Mengyao was escorted home by Zhang Xinzhi. After days of bitter weeping, she buried Qian Dahao. Zhang Xinzhi helped manage every detail of the household and performed the memorial rites free of charge. Afterward, the surviving and increasingly superstitious Liu Mengyao frequently consulted him on matters of fate. Seizing the moment, Zhang Xinzhi applied the techniques of the Yingyao and Zhafei arts to their fullest extent. Over time, Liu Mengyao entrusted both her body and soul entirely to him.

Believing his scheme was executed without a single flaw, Zhang Xinzhi never anticipated that disaster would strike from within his own walls. Zhang Qingyun, the second-in-command of the Muzilian branch, could no longer stomach it. He already harbored deep resentment toward Zhang Xinzhi over the struggle for the leadership position, and seeing this opportunity, he quietly revealed the entire truth to Liu Mengyao.

Upon hearing this, Liu Mengyao experienced a sudden flash of enlightenment. Reviewing every strange turn of events over the past six months, she finally understood why everything had happened with such eerie coincidence—all those accurate prophetic divinations had simply been engineered by Zhang Xinzhi all along.

Zhang Qingyun said: "Madam, Zhang Xinzhi murders the loyal and righteous, completely devoid of human conscience. Please help me eliminate this scoundrel."

Liu Mengyao asked: "How can I assist?"

Zhang Qingyun replied: "Zhang Xinzhi is cautious and deeply suspicious, arranging guards to patrol day and night; striking at him inside his residence will be nearly impossible. On the Mid-Autumn Festival under the full moon, Madam can invite him to view the moon by the Qiantang River. I will arrange for our brothers to pull the rug out from under him. When the time comes, with forces inside and outside working in concert, we will completely annihilate this wretch."

Liu Mengyao nodded silently.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, instigated by Liu Mengyao, Zhang Xinzhi brought her and dozens of Abao practitioners out to view the moon. Zhang Qingyun united with the other wharf leaders to launch a rebellion from within. After eliminating Zhang Xinzhi's die-hard loyalists, Zhang Qingyun led his brothers charging toward the riverbank.

As the two factions drew up their battle lines, Zhang Qingyun stood at the front, fiercely denouncing Zhang Xinzhi's arrogance, debauchery, and perverse defiance of natural order. Then, roaring "Cleanse the sect!" he brandished a broadsword and charged forward, plunging both sides into a desperate struggle for survival.

Zhang Xinzhi fought desperately to hack a bloody path through the lines and fled. Running twenty miles alone, he finally stopped in a forest, clutching a knife wound in his chest and gasping for breath as blood soaked through his fingers.

Suddenly, the rustling sound of footsteps treading on fallen leaves echoed behind him. Zhang Xinzhi whirled around: "Ah! It's you?"

Liu Mengyao walked forward.

Zhang Xinzhi tried to stand and run, but his strength was spent, and blood continued to gush from his chest. Terrified, he crossed his sword before him and screamed: "Don't come closer! Don't come any closer!"

Liu Mengyao smiled faintly: "Master, what is wrong with you?"

Zhang Xinzhi closed his eyes, tossed his sword aside, and said in despair: "I killed your husband. I admit it. Kill me."

Liu Mengyao knelt down before Zhang Xinzhi, drawing his head into her embrace: "Master, you have been frightened. I will never leave you."

Zhang Xinzhi felt a wave of dizziness: "You..."

"Master, listen to me. I was originally from a respectable family, forced into marriage and seized by Qian Dahao when I was sixteen. I had long wished to leave him, but lacking any power of my own, I dared not act rashly. Thankfully, you appeared and rescued me, Master. As for your factional affairs, I care nothing about them, but I have always felt profound gratitude toward you, Master. Now that you have left the faction, it is all for the better. You and I as husband and wife can travel far away and live a life of peace and ease."

Tears welled in Zhang Xinzhi's eyes: "My dear wife, I have lost everything!"

"You still have me," Liu Mengyao said with tender affection.

"My wife..." Zhang Xinzhi buried his head deeply into Liu Mengyao's bosom.

Thus, the two assumed false identities and began a new life together. The following year, Liu Mengyao gave birth to a baby boy. Beaming with joy, Zhang Xinzhi regained his confidence in life.

One night, drinking freely and feeling deeply emotional, Zhang Xinzhi declared: "My dear wife, meeting you in this lifetime is my greatest blessing. I intend to re-enter the rivers and lakes and fight once more for dominance. With my abilities, within three to five years I can certainly rally a faction and become a grand leader! By then, you will be my mountain-stronghold queen, and our son will be the young master! We will swindle all the wealth under heaven and enjoy boundless glory and riches!"

"What magnificent ambition, my lord! This concubine admires you deeply!"

Unawares, Zhang Xinzhi felt his vision blurring: "Wife... I am drunk..." With that, his head slumped, and he collapsed.

When Zhang Xinzhi woke up again, he found himself bound tightly to a bed.

Confused and bewildered as to what had happened, he shouted: "Wife? Wife?"

Liu Mengyao walked over.

"Wife? What is the meaning of this?" Zhang Xinzhi demanded, uncomprehending.

"Zhang Xinzhi!" Liu Mengyao roared, tears streaming down her face. "Your day of reckoning has come!"

Zhang Xinzhi froze: "What does my wife mean by this?"

"Heh," Liu Mengyao laughed desolately. "You murdered my husband, seized my family's lands and wealth, and violated my body—these vendettas can finally be settled today!"

Zhang Xinzhi was shocked: "Didn't you say you were grateful to me? Didn't all of that become things of the past? If you hated me so much, why didn't you kill me back in the forest?"

"Hahaha. Back then, when you were disgraced and destitute, you only begged for death. If I had killed you then, it would have played right into your hands. Killing you then would have spared you any real suffering; that wasn't killing you, that was granting you release. But now that you have a son and a peaceful life, your whole being has been revived with burning ambition. Only by killing you now will you truly feel terror! Because right now, you desperately want to live!" Liu Mengyao said viciously.

"You deceived me?"

"When it comes to deception, you are the true master."

Zhang Xinzhi trembled uncontrollably: "Wife... wife, listen to me. Although I deceived you back then, I truly loved you. Now we even have a child; for the sake of our child, please spare me!"

"Spare you? Heh. Let me tell you a story first. They say that back when the Yuan dynasty brutally ruled us Han people, the Tartars claimed primary sexual rights over our Han maidens; whenever a Han woman was to be wed, they would forcibly violate her. Helpless to preserve the purity of their bloodline, the Han people would strangle their own firstborn child with their bare hands. I am just like that desperate Han woman; enduring ten months of silent agony to bear your spawn was solely to wait for this exact day."

With that, Liu Mengyao picked up the baby in its swaddling clothes and held it expressionlessly before Zhang Xinzhi's face: "Look closely!"

"No! Please, no!" Zhang Xinzhi screamed and struggled.

Liu Mengyao gazed coldly at Zhang Xinzhi, applied force to her hands, and with a sharp snap, the child's life was extinguished.

"Ah! You vicious woman! Vicious woman! My son!" Tears poured down Zhang Xinzhi's face like a broken dam.

"Vicious?" Liu Mengyao wept silently. "Can I ever be as vicious as you? My husband was charitable and kind, our family lived in peace and prosperity, yet in the blink of an eye you destroyed our entire household. Now it is your turn to taste this exact flavor!"

"Vicious woman! Even as a ghost I will never let you go!"

"Correct. You are about to become a ghost. But I will not let you leave a complete corpse; I want to ensure your soul cannot even coalesce in the netherworld, shredding you into countless fragments. With your massive frame, in your next life you will be broken down into nothing more than mosquitoes, flies, and maggots in a pit."

Having spoken, Liu Mengyao picked up a pair of shears.

Zhang Xinzhi's heart leaped into his throat: "Don't! Don't, wife! Spare me! Spare me! A single day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace! Have mercy, you are a living bodhisattva, spare me! Leave me a dog's life!"

"Hahaha," Liu Mengyao laughed wildly. "Yes! Yes! That is the exact feeling I want. You are afraid—you are finally afraid."

"I am afraid! I am afraid! I am a dog, I beg you to spare me."

"Do not be afraid, do not be afraid. I will snip very gently, starting from your toes..."

Amidst Zhang Xinzhi's piercing shrieks and cries for mercy, Liu Mengyao hacked him into pieces.

Mortals should never indulge in romantic entanglements; nothing is more poisonous than a woman's heart. The incident involving Zhang Xinzhi delivered a profound lesson to the River-Merchant Faction, and from then on, its members never dared to carelessly dally with women again.

Aside from human nature, the Abao Chapter overlooked an even more vital element: the Law of Cause and Effect.

The entire Abao Chapter preached "acting on behalf of heaven to mete out justice," which in plain terms meant "combating evil with greater evil." They reasoned: others are wicked, but we are even more wicked; we swindle the wealth of the wicked, and that is called "acting on behalf of heaven." Yet the Abao practitioners failed to realize that fighting evil with greater evil only bred more evil.

The River-Merchant Faction swindled corrupt officials; having lost their wealth, those officials would plunder the blood and sweat of the people with even greater frenzy to recoup their losses. The River-Merchant Faction swindled crooked merchants; those merchants would become even more deceitful in fleecing people's money. The powerful bullies were no different: every penny they lost would be extracted back through various ruthless means. Spending money was merely a tool to make even more money. In this transmission of greed and profit, ordinary people were the ones who ultimately paid the bill. Along the chain of cause and effect, the River-Merchant Faction acted as an accelerator of disaster. The karmic retribution that the Abao Chapter ignored—or rather, dared not confront—planted the seeds of massive catastrophe for the River-Merchant Faction, dooming it to eventual destruction amidst its compounding sins.

The Yingyao Chapter and the Zhafei Chapter, on the other hand, were technical methodologies. Under the grandiose and fictitious banner of "acting on behalf of heaven" set forth in the Abao Chapter, the Yingyao Chapter gave unbridled rein to the art of psychological manipulation. "Strike quickly before launching the con, launch the con first and strike later, apply psychological pressure and financial entrapment simultaneously, and victory is guaranteed." These core mental incantations acted like sharp daggers piercing straight into the human heart, leaving the duped marks spinning in confusion with zero defense or countermeasure. The Zhafei Chapter was even more mystical and astonishing, utilizing props to stage various ghostly and supernatural performances that left the marks gaping and overwhelmed, ultimately forcing them to obediently hand over their money in exchange for disaster relief.

As for the Military Horse Chapter, it was the acme of craftiness and the undisputed king of scams. It elevated the essence of the Yingyao and Zhafei arts to the highest degree, rendering fraud even more secretive and elegant, pushing swindling techniques to an unsurpassed pinnacle. What made it even more lethal was that the Military Horse Chapter incorporated genuine astrological and numerological knowledge. It was a technique blending truth and falsehood; pure falsehood was easy to see through, and pure truth was likewise easy to penetrate, but only a seamless blend of truth and falsehood left people completely unable to fathom it and hardest to expose. Consequently, the Military Horse Chapter caused the greatest devastation and inflicted the deepest poison upon human society.

The Military Horse Chapter opened with the following verse:

Once entering the Military Horse, ten thousand men are slain,

Even the Old Emperor himself we do not fear in vain!

Three armies raise the banners under the Yin-Yang decree,

To step forth as generals and ministers and pacify the realm!

This implied that anyone who mastered this skill could stir up massive storms and tidal waves, either assisting an enlightened monarch to achieve great hegemony or raising the banner of rebellion to dominate a region.

The Military Horse Chapter was authored by Fang Daocheng, a man of exceptional scholarly talent. Who was Fang Daocheng? He was the fourth son of Fang Zhaoyu, the founder of the River-Merchant Faction. This man possessed a profound mastery of the Five Elements and a deep foundation in metaphysics. He had comprehended the three highest-tier predictive arts in the metaphysical realm: Qimen Dunjia, Taiyi Shenshu, and Liuwen Shenshu. These three techniques far surpassed common folk fortune-telling arts such as the Eight Characters, the Six Yaos, or Physiognomy. Without a comprehensive grasp of celestial phenomena above, geography below, the numerical systems of He Luo, and the calculations of weather cycles, human ethics, and the twelve Yin-Yang palaces, it was utterly impossible to command and operate them.

Armed with peerless genuine talent and an unshakeable devotion to the "Overthrow the Qing, Restore the Ming" cause, Fang Daocheng poured his vital energy and spirit into composing the ultimate, eternal classic of deception: the Military Horse Chapter.

To study the Military Horse Chapter, one must first study the Five Elements. Without understanding the Five Elements, the "Military Horse" techniques would be built on empty air. The "Military Horse arts" targeted high-ranking imperial officials; practitioners of this method had to possess skills surpassing those pedantic scholars in the imperial court who studied celestial phenomena, calculated calendars, and forecast national fortunes. Only thus could they establish overwhelming momentum under the guise of otherworldly sages, await imperial recruitment, infiltrate the Imperial Board of Astronomy (Qintianjian) after entering officialdom, conceal their identities, form factions, sow discord, and disrupt the imperial governance in preparation for the restoration of the Ming dynasty.

The most prominent characteristic of the Military Horse Chapter was its use of misty, ambiguous verse to push the "two-way hedging" fortune-telling prophecies to the absolute extreme. The entire text consisted of twelve hundred words, perfectly rhymed and neatly structured, blending emotion with scenery, weaving together all the multifaceted phenomena of human existence in smooth, cadenced rhymes. Even if someone who studied the Military Horse Chapter never practiced fortune-telling, their literary skill would show marked improvement.

For instance, the prophetic verse used for the Emperor:

The Emperor descends upon the realm, aligning with heaven and earth's way,

The dragon soars across the seas, casting boundless grace and sway.

By mandate of heaven the spirits gather in the imperial hall,

Yin and Yang in harmony, sun and moon cleansed and made bright for all.

Especially upon hearing that final line, the emperors of the Great Qing would invariably burst into hearty laughter. "Sun and moon cleansed" (Ri yue yin hui di er chong lang)—combining the characters for sun and "moon" formed the character "Ming", clearly implying that the Qing dynasty had replaced a dark, corrupt Ming dynasty where ordinary people lived in perpetual gloom, allowing the sun and moon to be "cleansed and made bright once more" to see the light of day.

Another example was the divinatory judgment for high officials:

Fulfilling duty in official ranks, across mountains, rivers, seas, and height,

Ministers and officials alike partake in the holy ruler's light.

Through the four seasons and five elements, majestic winds arise,

Men of renown waste not their worth on petty, narrow enterprise.

Every coin of revenue must recall the heavenly mandate's grace,

Every advance or retreat in office requires cautious thought of virtue's place.

When Yin and Yang fall out of balance, anomalies will start,

When wealth and official rank both prosper, disaster takes its part.

This was clearly a warning to officials to advance and retreat with proper measure and avoid excessive greed.

If a master fortune-teller used such magnificent and weighty prognostications to predict a person's fate, the recipient would invariably marvel at the man's profound and unfathomable erudition. Such misty, beautiful divinatory verses created an even deeper impression that heavenly secrets were unfathomable and beyond easy comprehension.

The extraordinary brilliance of the Military Horse Chapter destined it for an extraordinary fate. The "Military Horse" never harassed ordinary people, nor could common folk even understand it; its primary targets were high officials and wealthy magnates. Therefore, those who practiced the "Military Horse" were never ordinary fortune-tellers, but rather conspirators harboring ulterior motives under the banner of "Overthrow the Qing, Restore the Ming."

Later on, the immensely brilliant Emperor Qianlong finally pierced through this scheme during his suppression of the anti-Qing movement, executing over a dozen Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) undercover agents planted within the Board of Astronomy, and capturing Fang Daocheng alive based on clues gathered.

Holding Fang Daocheng's written "Proclamation Against the Yi," Emperor Qianlong remarked: "With such talent, to waste it on illicit pursuits—what a pity! What a pity!"

Knowing his time was short, Fang Daocheng closed his eyes and said: "Execution, dismemberment, whatever you wish—dispose of me as you please."

"Slower death by a thousand cuts!"

"Execution by being torn apart by chariots!"

"Execution by waist-chopping!"

"Boil him!"

"Saw him in half!"

"Fry him in oil!"

"We don't need any of that—let this old minister eat him piece by piece!"

The civil and military officials of the imperial court roared like beasts.

Qianlong stroked his folding fan and smiled: "Fang Daocheng, I will not kill you. I will let you achieve enlightenment yourself. I bestow upon you a copy of the Diamond Sutra; you may study it within your cell. I will recite to you the opening verse of the Diamond Sutra composed by Empress Wu Zetian: 'The supreme, profound, and subtle wondrous law, through hundreds of thousands of kalpas is hard to encounter; now that I see, hear, receive, and uphold it, I vow to understand the true meaning of the Tathagata.' I believe that with your wisdom, you will eventually attain enlightenment."

Fang Daocheng never expected Qianlong to handle him this way. A dozen years later, the Great Qing ushered in the prosperous reign of Qianlong; the populace lived and worked in peace, and song and dance filled the realm from shore to shore.

The white-haired Fang Daocheng wept uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, this humble subject acknowledges his crimes."

Qianlong sighed: "Your heart has always been loyal to the Ming dynasty, and I admire your integrity. But have you ever considered why the Ming dynasty perished? The way of heaven is vast, and cause and effect have their retribution. The Ming replaced the Yuan, and the Qing replaced the Ming, entirely because the previous dynasties grew corrupt, foolish, and tyrannical, leaving the people with no way to survive. If you truly comprehended the laws of heavenly mandate, you would know that today's common people all having food to eat and clothes to wear is precisely the true mandate of heaven. Why must you insist on overthrowing the Qing to restore the Ming? Is it merely to cling to the name of the Ming? Fang Daocheng, I ask you: if you were sent back to the corrupt Ming dynasty right now, would you be willing? Walk out of this prison cell and ask the common people across the entire realm if they would be willing."

Fang Daocheng wept silently in the end, offering a long, heavy sigh: "I comprehended Yin and Yang, but I failed to comprehend cause and effect."

Qianlong continued: "I am not killing you, but making you serve ten years in prison so that you might achieve self-realization. I want the people of the entire realm to know that the Qing replacing the Ming is following the will of heaven, and the Qing has done nothing wrong. If one day the Qing walks down the wrong path, you won't even need to overthrow it—a new dynasty will naturally replace it. Rivers flow and turn, cause and effect revolve; the destiny of a dynasty is like that of a human being—whether it brings blessings or disasters depends entirely on whether individuals act with virtue or wickedness. This is why, ever since I ascended the throne, I have never propagated Daoism, but instead exclusively propagated Buddhism. I have never asked Daoist priests or sorcerers to pray for blessings to prolong my life, nor have I consumed so-called elixirs of immortality. I know that human bodies are made of flesh and blood; with birth comes inevitable death. I have seen those emperors in history who became obsessed with metaphysical witchcraft—the more they prayed for longevity, the faster they died. I do not seek longevity; I only seek to bring benefit and blessing to the people of the realm during my lifetime, and if I die, I shall have no regrets."

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This guilty subject is filled with shame; please grant me death." Fang Daocheng kowtowed repeatedly in humiliation.

"Fang Daocheng, I still will not kill you. I bestow upon you ordination as a Buddhist monk, that you may pray for the blessings of all living souls under the Great Qing."

"Your Majesty..." Old tears streamed down Fang Daocheng's face.

From then on, the anti-Qing wave of the Heaven and Earth Society gradually subsided. While this was fortunate for the Great Qing, it proved to be a disaster for the common people. The four major halls of the River-Merchant Faction extended their demonic claws toward ordinary citizens, and the "Military Horse arts" began to be modified and vulgarized, leading the Abao practitioners onto a path of no return down evil roads.

Since ancient times, the masters of all four core mental techniques had to learn every single one of them, but the secret manuals themselves were divided and hidden separately across the different halls—likely because the ancestors of the River-Merchant Faction feared that if everything were kept in a single hall, any mishap would result in a total loss. Over the centuries, due to differences in the intelligence, emotional intelligence, and breadth of vision of each successive generation of hall masters, the transmission of the four mental techniques gradually grew unbalanced, creating the current landscape where each hall specialized exclusively in its own domain: reaching the absolute peak in one area, yet remaining incomplete overall.

Before old master Zhang Dancheng passed away, he once told Grandpa: "To become a master-level grand master of the River-Merchant Faction, the four mental techniques must be mastered and integrated into one. The incantations of the Zhafei, Yingyao, Abao, and Military Horse that I know have all been passed down to you, but this is still not comprehensive—especially the Military Horse. You must cultivate a good relationship with the Northern Faction. Qian Yuelin that old rascal applies it with masterful skill, but his twisted mindset will sooner or later ruin the Military Horse. Whether the ancestral items can return to the righteous path is up to you to decide."

Ever since then, Grandpa had wanted to get his hands on the Military Horse secret manual. Decades had passed, and this time Grandpa was determined to secure it. However, his original motivation had changed; it was no longer to practice the "Military Horse arts," but to pursue the hidden redemption he kept locked in his heart.

Facing Yun Caiwei at this moment, recalling all the various grievances and entanglements pulled forth by the River-Merchant Faction's secret manuals, Grandpa's emotions surged in waves. He decided to employ the "Military Horse arts" once more, a technique he knew relatively little about. Yet this time it was not to swindle money, because Yun Caiwei was not a "mark." Never mind swindling money from her—she was currently penniless and homeless. Not only did he need to use fortune-telling to comfort her, but he also had to spend his own wealth to support her, otherwise her basic daily survival would be in jeopardy.

"Miss Yun..."

The moment Grandpa spoke, Yun Caiwei interrupted him: "Master, you can just call me Caiwei. We are family."

"Better... still call you Miss Yun, to avoid drawing attention and ensure safety. Today's hour is not right and is unsuitable for divination. Miss Yun should rest here at my humble dwelling first, and tomorrow morning we will discuss things in detail."

"Oh, very well. Very well." Yun Caiwei looked slightly disappointed.

Grandpa intended to spend the night carefully crafting his script, striving to stabilize Yun Caiwei in one go.

"This young woman came to find Master for a divination simply to hear the truth. Regardless of whether it bodes good or ill, Master must tell me honestly." With that, Yun Caiwei retired to rest.

Grandpa felt another wave of helplessness. People who came for fortune-telling always said things like that, but the moment you spoke of major misfortune, they basically could not bear it, their color changing completely, finding life worse than death.

Grandpa pondered all through the night, and by the hour of Chen the next morning, Yun Caiwei had arrived.

Grandpa spoke frankly: "Miss Yun, actually, the very first time I saw you, I could perceive some omens of good and ill from your physiognomy. It's just that last time events moved too suddenly, and there was no time to speak."

"Oh, physiognomy. Master is amazing! I only heard people say Master uses an iron abacus for divination, known as the Iron-Plate Divine Number, but I didn't expect Master's research into physiognomy to be equally formidable."

Grandpa blushed slightly: "They are all interconnected. Judging from the spouse palace on Miss Yun's face, this palace is dim and devoid of light, which is not an auspicious omen."

"Oh..." Yun Caiwei's face already showed worry.

Grandpa began to employ the two-way hedging Military Horse incantations: "When metal and water meet face to face, officials give birth to a beautiful countenance; the Taiyi star in the heavens descends to earth to act as a screen. Shielding against the wind and blocking the rain, carriages and horses journey mid-stream; a lifetime's career holds vast possession, returning to heaven leaving a fine reputation. Fortune and misfortune are determined by heaven itself, ordinary mortals need not act in vain..."

"What does that mean?" Yun Caiwei was completely lost in a fog.

"Miss Yun, please listen to my explanation..."

Just as Grandpa was about to continue his "Military Horse" techniques with an air of solemn mystery, bang—the door was kicked open.

The Second Leader came running in and shouted: "Grandpa! Major news! This morning the police department executed twelve Red bandits in Hongkou, and the renowned boss Fang Jingyu was shot as well!"

Grandpa's head rang with a loud hum, and looking at Yun Caiwei, he saw she had already frozen stiff in her chair.

"Miss Yun?"

Yun Caiwei's head tilted sideways, and her entire body collapsed downward.

"Who is she?" The Second Leader only now realized something was amiss.

"Quickly help carry her into the room!" Grandpa said fiercely.

"Oh, right, right!"

The two of them carried Yun Caiwei onto the bed.

"Housekeeper, go fetch a physician," Grandpa ordered.

Wu Laoer hurriedly ran outside.

The speechcraft Grandpa had so meticulously designed was ruined in a single sentence by the Second Leader. Pointing at his head, Grandpa was too angry to know what to say: "You... you... you are someone who accomplishes nothing and ruins everything."

Realizing he had stirred up trouble again yet having no idea where he went wrong, the Second Leader muttered resentfully: "Grandpa, such major intelligence, I ran over the very first moment to tell you... I didn't know you had a woman in here. So pretty. Who is this?"

"She is the very mark Third Brother mentioned."

"Oh, wasn't she taken away by the cops that day?"

"Does being taken away mean she can never come back?"

"Oh, right, right. Why did she faint?"

"Frightened by you."

"Me?"

"Yes. You look ferocious, with a voice like a tiger or leopard; a young lady of a prominent family has never seen the likes of you. Now the mark has fainted, we didn't make any money, and we still have to shell out medical fees. What do you say we do?"

"This..."

"Deduct it from your share of the cut this month."

"Ah?"

"Anything else?"

"Nothing."

"Get back."

The Second Leader scratched his head and walked away, muttering to himself: Do I really look that terrifying?

"Second Brother, I've been looking for you," the Third Leader greeted him, walking from the opposite direction.

"Third Brother, am I very ugly?" the Second Leader asked.

Unaware of why the Second Leader would ask such a question, the Third Leader thought for a moment and said: "You're all right."

"Oh, all right..." The Second Leader weighed those words, suddenly realized what was going on, and cursed, "Go wipe your snot and play by yourself!"

"Hehe, Second Brother, don't be angry. There's a job tomorrow that requires your action."

"Catching ghosts again?"

"That's right. Just a moment ago a mark came to my place, saying his ten-year-old son has contracted a wandering-soul illness, refusing to eat or drink all day, and every night claiming a group of old men with white beards are standing at the doorway—no one else can see them, only he can. Tell me, isn't that terrifying!"

"Heh," the Second Leader laughed. "This kind of thing requires Second Brother to step in and flatten it. Never mind old men, even if another group of old women came along, I'll wave my peach-wood sword and hack away until they all piss their pants!"

"Definitely, with Second Brother stepping out, one man equals two."

"What equals two, at least ten or eight."

"Definitely! But shouldn't we report this to Grandpa?" the Third Leader asked.

"Aiya, Third Brother, does a tiny trivial matter like this need to bother the old man? Grandpa is busy right now—there's a mark sleeping in his bed..."

"What mark?"

"The beauty you brought here not long ago."

Hearing this, the Third Leader felt a jolt in his heart: "Grandpa couldn't hold back?"

"Go ask him yourself if you want," the Second Leader said with a smile.

"I wouldn't dare."