Mystic in Hempen Robes

What a windfall!

After Grandpa left, life had to go on. So first, I reopened the funeral goods shop door and waited for business all day. Just as Grandpa predicted, not a single soul showed up—heck, not even a ghost.

In the evening, Grandpa actually called me. He said he’d already reached another city and told me not to worry, just focus on keeping the family business running smoothly.

Honestly, I never really worried about Grandpa. With his divination skills, he wouldn’t go anywhere that posed a real threat to him.

I asked him when he’d be back. He only said, “I’ll return when it’s time to return.”

Nothing else happened that night. Early the next morning, before I could go find the chubby internet café manager, he came rushing over in high spirits to pay his back rent. I didn’t hold back and charged him for an extra three months on top. It was for his own good—better than him blowing all his money and having none left for rent.

After collecting the rent, I went for breakfast, then opened the shop for a new day.

Usually, it was Grandpa lying in that rocking chair. Today, it was me. I didn’t turn on the small black-and-white TV; it only picked up a couple of channels and was annoyingly noisy anyway.

Lying in the rocking chair with nothing to do, I started thinking about the times when Grandpa was here. He said I must accomplish three things:

First, marry a wife. Honestly, that’s something every man should do.

Second, save money—a lot of it. The target was ten million. He said there were many things he couldn’t tell me, and only when my wealth reached a certain level would I gain access to things currently beyond my reach.

Third, find out the real cause of my parents’ death and avenge them.

This last one was non-negotiable. The police had concluded it was suicide, but whenever the topic came up, Grandpa’s expression always turned strange. He clearly didn’t agree with the official story. There was definitely more to it, so I was determined to find the truth behind my parents’ murder.

Grandpa also said I had to tackle these three things one at a time, in order. Breaking the sequence would make the third task impossible to complete. And that was the thing I wanted to know most in this life: what exactly happened to my parents the year I turned seven…

These three tasks might sound unrelated on the surface, but I believed what Grandpa said. Only by accomplishing the first two could I smoothly achieve the third.

Of the three, getting married seemed something I could maybe manage, albeit haphazardly. But saving ten million? That felt impossibly distant. So from now on, I had to pinch every penny, saving every bit I could.

While I was lost in these thoughts, the shop door curtain was pushed aside. The two middle-aged men from yesterday walked in again. Seeing me alone, the one who spoke yesterday asked, “Where is Grandmaster Divine Visage?”

Lying in the rocking chair, I said, “He’s gone.”

The man was stunned. “So suddenly? What illness?”

“He didn’t die. He left. Where to, I don’t know. He told me not to look for him. Oh, and about your divination request—I can handle it for you. Of course, if you don’t trust me, you can leave now.”

Hearing my words, the man seemed annoyed, but he took a deep breath and said to me, “Then I’ll trouble you, young man, to cast a hexagram for me. You’re the Grandmaster’s grandson, and you described my situation so accurately yesterday. I didn’t come for nothing. Please, perform a divination for me.”

I stood up from the rocking chair. “May I ask your surname, sir?”

The man replied, “Liu. Liu Wenxuan. Forty years old.”

I nodded and continued, “I can do the reading for you. But according to the rules Grandpa set for me, the face reading was complimentary—I already gave you that yesterday. For the rest, you can choose from: reading hands and feet, bones, aura, form, spirit, flesh; or divination via hexagrams or character analysis. These are what I’m proficient in. Other methods… I’m less skilled, though I can try if you insist.”

Liu Wenxuan shook his head. “No need for others. Use hexagram divination. Twenty years ago, Grandmaster used hexagrams to help me through a crisis. It was that turning point that led to whatever achievements I have today.”

As I stood up to fetch pen and paper, I asked him, “Alright, Mr. Liu. Think of three three-digit numbers and write them on this paper. I’ll do a simple calculation for you.”

Hearing me say “simple calculation,” Liu Wenxuan looked displeased. “This matter is of great importance to me. How can it be done so casually?”

I smiled, tossed the pen and paper in front of him, and said, “Write. If you don’t want the reading, you can leave right now.”

The reason I dared to be so blunt was that based on his facial flow-year fortune and the Five Elements luck of his age, I could already deduce his troubles were about to end. No need for an overly elaborate divination.

Seeing my firm attitude, Liu Wenxuan reluctantly took the pen and paper. I reminded him, “Focus on the matter you’re inquiring about, then write three three-digit numbers and hand the paper to me.”

Liu Wenxuan nodded and quickly wrote down three numbers: “165,” “166,” “126.” I took the paper, did a quick calculation, and determined Liu Wenxuan was seeking the *Well* Hexagram (** Jǐng Guà), and the changing line was the original line.

The method is something anyone with basic fortune-telling knowledge could do: Divide the first set of numbers by 8; the remainder corresponds to the lower trigram (the inner trigram). Divide the second set by 8; the remainder corresponds to the upper trigram (the outer trigram). Divide the last set by 6; the remainder corresponds to the changing line. If any number is perfectly divisible, then the remainder is considered the divisor itself.

Then, based on the eight numbers 1 through 8 corresponding to the eight trigrams—Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, Earth—you derive the hexagram. For Liu Wenxuan’s numbers, the remainders were 5, 6, 6. The first two yielded the original hexagram: Wind over Water, the *Well Hexagram*. The changing line was 6, the top line, which is the original line in this case.

According to the hexagram interpretation, Liu Wenxuan’s luck was about to take a significant turn for the better. He would soon gain reputation, and wealth would come rolling in. However, he needed to be cautious about water in his residence—this could mean natural water from heavy rain or water from a burst pipe at home. Additionally, the hexagram indicated Liu Wenxuan’s “Kidney Water” was excessive, his kidney qi was deficient, and there might be an issue with his kidneys.

I patiently interpreted the hexagram. Liu Wenxuan didn’t rush me.

After a moment, I said, “Mr. Liu, here’s my advice. Go back and carry on as usual. Your luck is about to change very soon. Your business will also develop positively. As for your relationship with your half-brother, it will never be good in this lifetime. I advise you to draw a clear boundary with him sooner rather than later to avoid further entanglement. Also, if you have a house by the water, avoid staying there recently. If not, check all the drainage pipes in your home to prevent minor accidents. Lastly, you yourself have been overworking lately. Your kidney qi is deficient and needs timely** (tiáolǐ – regulationecuperation).”

After listening, Liu Wenxuan exclaimed in surprise, “How did you know my past misfortune was caused by entanglement with my brother?”

I explained, “It shows in your facial features. Also, aside from the kidney issue, your changing line indicates everything else is basically fine. Since the problem isn’t with you inherently, it must be from external involvement. Combined with your facial reading, it’s not hard to deduce.”

Hearing this, Liu Wenxuan’s attitude toward me changed instantly to one of respect. “Young Master Li, I never imagined you’d surpass your grandfather—the student has indeed surpassed the master.”

I quickly shook my head in denial. “I dare not claim that. Compared to my grandfather, I’m still far behind.”

Liu Wenxuan said I was being too modest, then asked how much I charged. I thought about it. Those fortune-tellers by the river charge 20 or 30 per reading. I’m a bit better than them, so let’s make it a round hundred.

Thinking this, I held up one finger. Without another word, Liu Wenxuan motioned to Old Qiu beside him to pay up. Old Qiu directly handed me a stack of hundred-yuan bills.

I was dumbfounded.

Liu Wenxuan said, “Young Master Li, this is your fee. I hope you don’t find it too little. I will certainly trouble you again in the future, so you must accept this.”

I managed to say, “Mr. Liu, just call me Li Chu-yi from now on, not ‘Young Master Li.’ It sounds strange. Also, I really can’t take all this money. One hundred is enough…”

Liu Wenxuan shook his head. “I know your rules. How about this: I’ll take all the stock in your little shop. Consider it me taking care of your business.”

I looked at him. “My shop only has things for the deceased, nothing valuable. What do you need them for?”

Liu Wenxuan said, “Better to have them and not need them! I’ll send someone to collect the goods tomorrow.”

He really wasn’t afraid of bad luck.

After thanking me several more times, Liu Wenxuan left. I was left alone, holding that stack of cash, utterly bewildered. Had I just struck it rich?

The total stock in my shop was only worth a few thousand yuan. I usually ordered supplies as needed when someone bought something; I didn’t keep much inventory. This meant my shop was about to be emptied.

After accepting Liu Wenxuan’s money, I closed the shop directly and ran to the bank to open an account and deposit the cash.

The next day, Liu Wenxuan indeed sent people to clear out all our stock. After everything was moved, I still felt a bit indebted to him, so I gave them the small black-and-white TV Grandpa often watched.

As for the rocking chair Grandpa always lay in, I couldn’t bear to part with it.

With the shop empty, I thought about restocking. But just as I picked up my phone to make a call, a sudden idea struck me: Why continue running a funeral goods shop? Wouldn’t it be better to open a small fortune-telling storefront? That might even help me raise the rent for the second floor.

With this plan in mind, I went to search for the fortune-telling tools Grandpa used to use. Rifling through his things, I was stunned—it seemed Grandpa had taken almost all of them when he left. If I wanted to tell fortunes, I’d have to acquire a whole new set of tools myself.

I thought about it. To open a new shop, I needed some investment. So, I decided to go to the second-hand furniture market to hunt for some used, classic Chinese-style furniture. That would give the place the right atmosphere.

Speaking of buying furniture, I actually knew someone in the county town. His name was Ning Haoyu. He had his own store in the furniture mall on the east end of town. He was fair-skinned and clean-cut, almost pretty-boy handsome. His family dealt in a lot of antique furniture. I’d heard some of the more valuable pieces were even made from coffin boards dug up from graves.

Anyway, he was someone who knew the trade. Asking him for advice was definitely the right move.