Mystic in Hempen Robes

Seeker of Divination

Xiaohua had secured this chance for me to meet her parents, and I wasn’t about to take it lightly. I put real effort into getting ready.

First, I got a haircut. Then I went home and changed into a T-shirt and knee-length shorts from a certain sportswear brand. After that, I headed to the county town’s shopping mall, spending a good few laps browsing before finally buying some health supplements for Xiaohua’s parents.

The money spent on these supplements nearly amounted to a month’s living expenses for me and my grandpa.

Around noon, I hopped onto the family’s old “28” bicycle, loaded up my purchases, and pedaled toward Xiaohua’s place.

This Phoenix-brand “28” bicycle was a leftover from my dad’s time. Grandpa couldn’t bear to throw it out and had even bought new parts to repair it several times himself, so it was just barely rideable.

Naturally, I wanted to buy a new one, but Grandpa absolutely refused. He said I could either ride the old one or not ride at all.

When I pedaled the big “28” to the building where Xiaohua lived, I saw her already waiting downstairs. I stopped the bike, but before I could even utter a cheerful greeting, Xiaohua said, “Why did you come on this broken thing again?”

Before I could reply, she added, “And why didn’t you answer my calls?”

I pulled my Nokia “brick” phone from my pocket and checked it. “I didn’t hear it while I was riding. What’s up? You called over ten times. But I’m here now, and it’s only 11:30. I’m not late.”

As I spoke, I started to take down the two boxes of supplements hanging from the bike’s handlebars. Xiaohua pressed her hand over mine. “Li Chu-yi, let’s break up.”

“What?!” I thought she was joking.

Xiaohua continued, “Let’s just end it. We agreed to meet at 11:30, but you only just arrived at my building now. You didn’t even cherish this last chance. To be honest, the only reason my mom invited you over today was to have a meal and then tell you it’s over between us. I stopped you here because I didn’t want you to be humiliated at the table. Let’s just break up cleanly. Take your things and go. Don’t come see me anymore.”

With that, she gave me a push. I stumbled back and knocked over my big “28” bicycle. It was all because my bike was too old and slow.

*Crash!*

The loud clatter echoed. Xiaohua’s mouth opened slightly, but she said nothing. She turned, entered the building, and shut the unit door, leaving me alone in front of the toppled bicycle.

I thought about calling Xiaohua again, but her mother answered. Before I could speak, a sharp voice came through the receiver: “Enough! My Xiaohua has made herself clear. Just leave. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror—no money, no education, no proper job. What makes you think you can marry my daughter? Get lost!”

“Screw you!”

I yelled back and hung up. Then I picked up my big “28,” grabbed the two boxes of “valuable” supplements, and left.

I still had the receipt for the supplements, which stated they could be returned within three days. I needed to get my money back—it was enough to buy several funeral wreaths.

Breaking up with Xiaohua didn’t upset me much; I just felt a pang of regret for all the money I’d spent on her.

After returning the supplements, I headed straight back to our family shop. When I entered, two middle-aged men were standing inside. Grandpa was sitting in his rocking chair watching TV, paying the customers no mind.

So, I stepped forward with a smile, ready to assist. I asked them who had passed in their family, offered my condolences, and—without waiting for an answer—asked what they needed.

One of the men studied me carefully, then looked over at my grandpa. “Grandmaster Divine Visage, is this your grandson? I can’t believe he’s all grown up.”

Huh? Who were these people? They actually knew Grandpa’s old nickname?

Grandpa didn’t utter a word, just kept watching TV from his rocking chair. The man who had spoken wasn’t offended. He addressed my grandpa again, “I’ve come for no other reason than to seek a divination from you, Elder. Price is no object.”

Only then did Grandpa glance at him. “I’ve said it before. I’ve retired from divination. I won’t read faces or cast hexagrams for anyone anymore. Find someone else.”

The man persisted. “Grandmaster, there may be many fortune-tellers under heaven, but few possess skill like yours. Asking me to find another is putting me in a difficult position.”

Before Grandpa could respond, I stepped forward. “Alright, that’s enough. We only sell funeral wreaths and burial clothes here. If you’re not buying, please leave. If you want a fortune told, go out, turn right, and head to the willow trees by the Minxin River. Plenty of street vendors do readings there.”

I moved as if to usher them out.

The other man, who had been silent until now, moved to block me, but the first man stopped him sharply. “Old Qiu, don’t be rude. This is Grandmaster’s home. Mind your manners!”

The man called Old Qiu retreated to the side.

The first man turned his gaze between me and Grandpa. “Grandmaster, we’ll take our leave for now. But I will return—until you agree to help me with this divination. You’re the only one who can resolve this matter for me.”

His words made me study his face more closely. His eyebrows were asymmetrical, with a noticeable difference.

The eyebrows represent the Sibling Palace in face reading. This kind of facial feature, according to destiny principles, suggests the person may have half-siblings.

Both of his eyebrows were also rather thick and short—a sign of discord among siblings, according to fate’s indications.

He looked to be around forty. For someone his age, the yearly fortune is usually read from the areas above the eyes but below the eyebrows, slightly closer to the inner corners—the *shaoyin* and *shaoyang* points. Both of these areas on his face seemed somewhat dark and shadowy, indicating that his fortunes over the last couple of years had been poor, even somewhat troubled.

Furthermore, if he was thirty-nine, this would be a year of Water and Fire—a time of generally low luck where mishandled affairs could lead to disaster. If he was forty, it would be a year of Fire and Earth. Fire generates Earth, and Earth governs the initial manifestation of events in one’s life, meaning this was the year when matters concerning him would come to a head.

As for whether the outcome would be good or bad, it was hard to say for sure yet, as the rest of his face showed no unusual signs. If nothing unexpected interfered, the result was likely to be mixed—some good, some bad. Of course, to read it in greater detail, I’d need to examine his palm lines or even cast a proper hexagram for him.

Since the only notable sign on his face was discord in the Sibling Palace, it suggested his troubles probably originated with a sibling. So, the matter he came to ask Grandpa about was most likely related to that.

I had been staring at the man for a few moments too long. He looked at me curiously. “Young man, do you know how to read faces?”

I paused, caught off guard. “A little.”

He asked, “What did you see?”

I glanced at Grandpa. He was still watching TV, seemingly indifferent to what was happening. After a moment’s thought, I told the man everything I had just observed. When I finished, he stared at me in stunned silence, then exclaimed, “Incredible! Truly incredible! Grandmaster, your grandson is highly skilled! Everything he said is correct. I *am* having serious conflicts with my half-brother, and…”

Before he could finish, Grandpa stood up from his rocking chair. “Enough. I don’t wish to hear about your affairs. If you want to talk, come back tomorrow. That’s all for today. You may leave.”

Once Grandpa had spoken, the man didn’t press further. He nodded respectfully, offered a faint smile, and retreated from the funeral clothing shop.

Once they were gone, I asked Grandpa who they were.

Instead of answering, he told me to close the shop. Puzzled, I asked, “Aren’t we doing business today?”

Grandpa replied, “It’s not that we aren’t doing business; it’s just that there won’t be any today. Come with me to the back. There are some things I need to tell you.”

This was the first time since my parents died that Grandpa had spoken to me with such gravity.

I did as I was told, closed the shop, and followed him to the inner room.

Inside, Grandpa immediately had me kneel before my parents’ memorial tablets. I obeyed, though a sense of foreboding was already growing in my heart.

After I knelt, Grandpa handed me several sticks of incense to light. Once I had placed them in the burner, he spoke. “Chu-yi, today, in front of your parents, I must entrust some matters to you.”

I nodded. “Grandpa, what is it? Why so formal?”

He sighed. “There’s too much I can’t explain. All I can say is that there are parts of your destiny I cannot control or suppress any longer. What is coming will come. But I can’t help you with these things anymore… because I have to leave.”

Shocked, I blurted out, “Grandpa, are you… dying? Did you divine your own fate? You can’t die! You’re my only family left in this world!”

The moment my words ended, Grandpa scolded me, “You foolish boy! Who said I’m dying? I said I’m *leaving*—leaving this county town. I can’t stay with you any longer. It’s not good for you. If I remain, I’ll only bring you harm sooner or later. I won’t—and can’t—go into the details. Just remember, my leaving is for your own good.”

I wanted to say more, but Grandpa cut me off. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving everything here to you. I’ll only take two-thirds of our savings, leaving you one-third to live on. Of course, the rent from the property and the income from the wreath shop will all be yours from now on. You can also use the skills I taught you to earn money. But remember one thing: never try to look for me. If you do, great calamity will fall from the heavens… just like it did for your parents back then.”

Grandpa leaving was heartbreaking enough, but him taking two-thirds of my “wife-fund” made it even worse…

So, as soon as he finished speaking, I started to cry.

Grandpa wasted no more words. After giving his instructions, he packed a few simple belongings and left. He didn’t tell me much more, nor did he let me see him off.

As for the matter with the middle-aged man tomorrow, Grandpa said to handle it as I saw fit. If my reading was accurate, I could ask for some payment. If it wasn’t, I’d have to deal with the consequences myself.

Grandpa was gone. Xiaohua had broken up with me. In this county town, I was now utterly alone.

Where was my destiny supposed to go from here?

And deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Grandpa had run off with two-thirds of my wife-fund to escape the burden of finding me a wife. In other words, I had driven him away…

The thought suddenly filled me with a deep, unsettling guilt.