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A Prophet - Chapter 9 (Part 2)

Chapter 2 - Stealing a Day from the Gods

At his wits' end, Fifth Master Huang suddenly remembered something: when the Patriarch came to the residence to attend the wedding banquet that day, his expression had been consistently solemn, as if he had something to say.

Fifth Master Huang began to let his thoughts wander down unorthodox paths—could it be that something was inauspicious on the wedding day itself? After thinking it through left and right, he sent people to invite the Patriarch over.

After entering the room and taking his seat, before Fifth Master Huang could even speak, the Patriarch opened his mouth first, "Fifth Master, is something wrong with the newlyweds?"

Fifth Master Huang was startled, "How did the Patriarch know?"

The Patriarch let out a bitter laugh, "Actually, ever since I received Fifth Master's invitation, I hesitated over whether I should tell you."

Fifth Master Huang pressed on, "Tell me what?"

The Patriarch shook his head, "Alas, the day of your beloved daughter's great celebration was not a good day at all; it was bound to attract torment by evil spirits of illness."

Fifth Master Huang was greatly shocked, "That is precisely the case! On that very day, both newlyweds contracted a strange illness! But... but... this wedding date was also specially calculated and looked over by fortune-tellers; they were all auspicious days chosen. Many people got married on the same day, and everyone else is fine!"

The Patriarch said gravely, "That is precisely where the problem lies! Pedantic fortune-tellers only know how to parrot books and lead people astray! The so-called auspicious days are merely generalized rules; specific to every single individual, the circumstances differ. People do not share the same birth dates, so their Eight Characters are different, and the stellar destinies and opposing malevolent spirits they encounter are also different. The exact same auspicious day is auspicious for some people, but for another group of people, it is an ominous day! For instance, today is an auspicious day—does that mean everyone under heaven is having good things happen to them today? Those who are meant to die die all the same, those who are meant to fall ill fall ill all the same; the sun rises in the east while rain falls in the west, and some families rejoice while others grieve. Therefore, supreme fortune-tellers all know how to select 'stolen days'!"

Fifth Master Huang asked perplexedly, "What is called a stolen day?"

The Patriarch stated, "A stolen day is a numerology term, most frequently used by the blind master faction. It means selecting a day when the opposing malevolent spirits are away, and secretly getting married. Heavenly gods and earthly ghosts, much like human officials, all have on-duty schedules. If the wedding day happens to coincide with malevolent spirits being on duty, and their stellar destinies clash with the people getting married, that is a great omen of misfortune. Therefore, experts will always select a 'stolen day' on top of an auspicious day to ensure safety. On the very day of your beloved daughter's great celebration, it happened to be the duty period of the Heavenly Canopy malevolent star. The Heavenly Canopy star governs the waters of the heavenly river; if my guess is correct, your beloved daughter and her husband have definitely run afoul of a water tribulation!"

Selecting a "stolen day" was the Patriarch's ultimate specialty, learned at a heavy price from a folk blind master. Whenever the faction undertook major actions, they always had to select a "stolen day." Blind master numerology formed a school of its own; their secret formulas were passed down exclusively to the blind. This set of formulas was as if imbued with a curse—if a sighted person stealthily learned this skill, calamities would constantly befall them. Therefore, some people in ancient times deliberately used incense smoke to blind their own eyes in order to learn this skill.

These few words scared Fifth Master Huang into breaking out in cold sweat on his forehead, and he said, "It truly is a water tribulation, and a ceaselessly flowing one at that... The Patriarch should have told me earlier!"

The Patriarch gave a bitter laugh, "Fifth Master, it wasn't that I deliberately kept quiet. When I received Fifth Master's invitation, there were only four days left until your beloved daughter's great celebration, and you had already sent out hundreds of invitations. As the common saying goes, 'Funerals do not pick timing, celebrations do not change dates'—how could there be any reasoning for changing it again? Furthermore, on the day of great celebration, if I had rashly blurted this matter out, wouldn't I just be adding frustration for Fifth Master?"

Fifth Master Huang hurriedly bowed and said, "What the Patriarch says is entirely correct."

The Patriarch said, "Let me take a look first and we can talk."

Fifth Master Huang hurriedly led the Patriarch to the room of his daughter and son-in-law. When the Patriarch looked, there was no longer any semblance of newlyweds here; both had been tortured to the point of utter feebleness, curling up in bed and shivering violently.

The Patriarch put on a show of diagnosing their pulses, then sighed endlessly.

Fifth Master Huang anxiously asked, "How is it?"

The Patriarch stood up and said, "Fifth Master, step aside with me to talk."

The two returned to the living room.

The Patriarch stated, "They have indeed collided with malevolent spirits, and it is a direct clash. They have been severely injured."

Fifth Master Huang was greatly alarmed, "Is there still salvation?"

The Patriarch looked at Fifth Master Huang, lowered his head, and sighed.

Fifth Master Huang grew somewhat anxious, "If the Patriarch has something to say, speak plainly!"

The Patriarch raised his head and said, "Does Fifth Master know the allusion of Zhuge Kongming capturing Meng Huo seven times during the Three Kingdoms period?"

Fifth Master Huang was stunned, "I know... what about it?"

The Patriarch said, "When Kongming captured Meng Huo seven times, he once used a fire attack method to burn the vine-armor tribe to death. After the war ended, Kongming sighed in grief, 'This scheme severely damages karmic virtue and cuts short my own yang lifespan.' Kongming possessed the techniques of heaven and earth's creation, deeply comprehended the methods of the wondrous gates, and spent his life summoning wind and rain while dealing with heavenly gods, ghosts, and deities, which drastically reduced his yang lifespan and caused him to drop dead at the age of 54. Today, your beloved daughter has collided with heavenly gods. If she is to be saved, we must employ the methods of the wondrous gates, and I am bound to fall out with gods and ghosts, cutting short my own yang lifespan!"

Upon hearing this, Fifth Master Huang looked desolate and sorrowful, and after a long while, tears streamed down his face, "The Patriarch is benevolent and compassionate, universally saving all living creatures; I earnestly hope you will save my little daughter and beloved son-in-law."

The Patriarch pondered for a long time, let out a long sigh, and said, "Very well. Since I have come, I have already cast my own safety out of mind. Quickly fetch two red cloths and two bowls of plain water, set up an incense table, arrange a pig's head as a major offering, accompanied by three types of raw meats consisting of chicken, duck, and fish, and place a bowl each of coriander, tofu, peanuts, rice, and tea water around it. Hurry up and get them prepared!"

Fifth Master Huang hurriedly stood up, expressing boundless gratitude, and immediately ordered the servants to set things up according to the Patriarch's instructions.

After everything was properly arranged, the Patriarch said to Fifth Master Huang, "Everyone withdraw. Without my command, no one is permitted to come in! No one is allowed to speak loudly, no one is allowed to whisper to each other, no one is allowed to make reckless comments about ghosts and gods, and no one is allowed to wander around!"

Fifth Master Huang acknowledged the order and withdrew. Only the Patriarch and a table of offerings remained in the hall.

The Patriarch raised his voice in the room and chanted aloud, "Heavenly stars are my fate, my fate is heavenly stars, the six jia and nine chapters, heaven is round and earth is square, the four seasons and five elements, blue, red, white, yellow..." In the process of chanting the scriptures, the Patriarch quietly took a packet of medicine powder from his pocket and sprinkled it into the two bowls of plain water.

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