I watched as the old man’s expression gradually shifted to one of suspicion. Sensing my gaze, he turned to Wang Junhui and asked, “Junhui, what’s this young man you brought here for? Why does he keep staring at me?”
Only then did Wang Junhui remember he hadn’t introduced me. He hurriedly did so, also telling me the old man’s surname was Fan, and that we should address him as Elder Fan. He was a renowned expert in traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology in North China.
It was said there wasn’t a single recorded herb or substance in the world he didn’t know or couldn’t identify.
Hearing Junhui’s introduction, I felt a surge of respect for the elder.
The old man, however, seemed very interested in me. “Junhui says you’re skilled at fortune-telling? Who was your teacher? You’ve been
