In fact, you can also draw lots at Qingsong Taoist's small stall, but most pilgrims who come to the City God Temple still prefer to draw lots in front of the statue of the City God, and then figure out the lot text themselves or find someone to interpret it.
The mode of drawing lots in the temple is a special kind of Shinto response. The bamboo sticks in front of the orthodox City God's throne are still quite particular, and are somewhat related to the Shinto books in the underworld. If the person seeking help is sincere, he can still get a general direction, but not much can be seen clearly.
However, the kind of lots that fortune tellers ask people to draw are different. They are a special way of drawing a hexagram and a kind of divination.
Under the warm greeting of Taoist Qingsong, the middle-aged pilgrim also sat down on the small stool in front of the stall. When he heard Taoist Qingsong say that he was just observing his face, he asked curiously.
"The Taoist priest said he was observing my face. Is there anything to say?"
Taoist Qingsong shook his head. Before he could say anything, the young Taoist Qi Xuan beside him coughed.
"Interpret the fortune first. Interpret the fortune first. Let me check the text. Do you still remember it?"
The middle-aged man didn't think much about it and told the truth.
"I saw on the fortune stick in the temple: The guests and the guests will fight endlessly, Bing Jia."
Ji Yuan had unknowingly walked to the tree next to Taoist Qingsong's stall. He didn't use any magic to deceive the crowd, but they were focused on other things so they didn't notice him.
From the middle-aged man's words, Ji Yuan first got the information that this man might be literate, and what he described was what he saw, rather than the contents of the fortune told by the temple keeper. As for the interpretation of the fortune, it would depend on Taoist Qingsong. Anyway, Ji Yuan didn't feel very good about the fortune at first glance.
Ji Yuan didn't deliberately observe the person's aura, but just took a glance at the person's vitality, which was still quite strong. Looking at the pilgrim's appearance, he thought that he was not the type who would hit others without any reason.
When Taoist Qingsong heard the fortune, his brows furrowed and he looked at the pilgrim.
"It's a bad sign..."
At this point, Taoist Qingsong looked like a master, and his expression showed that he was clearly thinking carefully, which made the pilgrim a little nervous.
"It seems that you are not born with this gloomy face!"
Taoist Qingsong added with a very serious expression.
"you!"
The man immediately felt a tightness in his chest, but fortunately he had good self-control and just spoke in a harsh tone.
"Please ask the Taoist priest to interpret the fortune!"
Qi Wen was very embarrassed and quickly explained to the man.
"Uh, sir, please don't misunderstand me. My master noticed that your face has deteriorated recently. He was not scolding you..."
Taoist Qingsong seemed to realize that he had just said something extra, so he smiled apologetically and immediately began to interpret the fortune.
"Sir, what are you praying for in the temple? Is it for a home, peace, or a career?"
“Both.”
Taoist Qingsong nodded and looked at the man's face again.
"Sir, you have a handsome face and straight features, and your face is good, but the situation is different now. You should be in a low point. According to the meaning of your fortune, you are either entangled in an old grudge or someone is plotting against you. No matter which situation it is, you have already vaguely sensed something. Is it true or not?"
The middle-aged man in dark clothes was obviously shocked when he heard this, and his expression became much more cautious.
"Master, can you tell me more about this? Can you tell me how to deal with it?"
One of the reasons why Taoist Qingsong likes fortune-telling is that he likes to see the expressions and reactions of those people when their fortunes are told. Seeing the man's reaction, he also seems to be more serious.
"Sir, do you know that the term 'mubin' refers to the military staff under the generals in the army. The fight between the mubins may seem a little polite, but it is actually a brutal battle, and blood will be shed in the swordplay!"
The middle-aged man felt his scalp tingling and his face changed, but Taoist Qingsong had not finished speaking.
"If it was an ordinary fortune, it would be fine, but your fortune has the word 'never stop' on it, which indicates that there is danger!"
This statement was clear enough even to an uneducated person, not to mention that the middle-aged man had some knowledge, and his expression became even uglier than before.
At this moment, Qi Wen on the side was also listening very seriously. Even Ji Yuan, who was a few steps away, also frowned, but resisted the urge to open his eyes and take a closer look at the middle-aged man. He planned to wait until Taoist Qingsong finished interpreting the fortune or calculating before observing the aura with his Dharma Eyes.
"Master, what you mean is that this matter has reached a point where there is no way back, no room for maneuver?"
"Alas, nothing is absolute in this world. This fortune-telling statement can be considered an aggravation, but it may not be truly unsolvable. We still have to deal with the situation in detail. Anyway, it is definitely right to have fewer evil thoughts and do more good deeds."
It was rare for Taoist Qingsong to say a word of comfort. It seemed that he remembered being beaten to some extent. However, the method he mentioned was applicable to 90% of the divinations. Although it was a truth, it was somewhat meaningless to others.
"I see that you have some ideas in mind, otherwise the fortune would not be headed by 'Mubin' but 'Yugong'. Why don't you give me your horoscope and let me tell you a fortune?"
When he said the last sentence, Taoist Qingsong's tone clearly showed that he was very interested.
According to Ji Yuan's understanding, Qi Xuan was probably someone who would think, "What's the point of calculating an ordinary fate? Of course, the more twists and turns, the more exciting it is!"
It feels like some doctors' interest in difficult and rare diseases.
However, the middle-aged man obviously had his own ideas. He might have felt that Taoist Qingsong's interpretation of the divination was almost enough, or he had already calculated fortunes many times and had no intention of telling the horoscope.
"Thank you, Taoist priest, for interpreting the fortune for me..."
The man glanced at the stall's sign, took out five copper coins from his purse and placed them on the table.
"This is the rate, bye!"
After saying this, the man stood up, bowed and prepared to leave.
As a result, Taoist Qingsong became a little anxious.
"Hey, hey, hey, sir, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I see that you look gloomy right now. Let me calculate your fate and see how long you will live. You have to know for sure whether you will live or die, right?"
The man turned his head to look at Taoist Qingsong, then looked at Qi Wen who was pulling his master nervously beside him. He took a deep breath and left without looking back.
"Sir... I am different from other fortune tellers. I can see what they can't see~~~! Hey Qi Wen, why are you pulling me..."
"Master, please stop talking. I beg you to count me as your disciple. But the gentleman doesn't want to be counted as such!"
"Why doesn't he want to settle the account? He's just afraid of it. I just need to persuade him a little more and he'll just settle the account. Hey!"
Seeing that the pilgrim had gone far away, Taoist Qingsong became discouraged and sighed.
"It's rare that this person has a good temper..."
Ji Yuan was looking at the middle-aged man who was walking away with his eyes wide open. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard Taoist Qingsong's words.
"It seems that you, Taoist Master Qi, also know this. If that person had a bad temper, would he have been beaten again?"
As soon as Ji Yuanzhong spoke in a clear voice, he immediately attracted the attention of Taoist Qingsong and Qi Wen. When they turned around, they saw Ji Yuan standing next to the tree.
"It's Mr. Ji! Hahaha, it's really Mr. Ji! Mr. Ji hasn't changed at all!"
Qi Wen's happy expression was evident on his face, and even Taoist Qingsong Qi Xuan was very excited, but when he thought of what had just happened, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed and quickly stood up and bowed.
Ji Yuan also smiled and bowed, saying to Qi Wen.
"Little Taoist Priest Qi Wen has grown up. You were only as tall as your master's chin back then, but now you are almost as tall as him."
"Uh, hehe, when did you come, Mr. Ji?"
Taoist Qingsong felt a little uneasy. This person was truly not an ordinary person.
"I've been here for a while. I also went to your Yunshan Temple for a visit before coming to visit you. I wonder when the boss will close the stall?"
"Clear up, clear up, clear up now. Qi Wen, don't just stand there, we are closing up the stall."
Taoist Qingsong saw that Mr. Ji had come specially to find his master and disciple, so he could no longer sit still. He quickly packed up his things with Qi Wen. How dare he let the immortal wait for him until the evening
This small stall actually consisted of just two wooden supports, a wooden board, and a piece of jute cloth. It was dismantled by the master and his apprentice in no time, and the stall, along with the fortune sticks, divination plates and other items, were put into a basket and carried on Qi Wen's back.
"It's all packed, Mr. Ji, would you like to go back to Yunshan Temple with us to have a simple meal?"
"Yes, Mr. Ji, the food my master cooks is delicious."
"As long as you don't mind me disturbing your peace."
Ji Yuan made a joke and started walking with the master and disciple.
"How can that be possible? It is such a great honor for our humble temple to have Mr. Ji come to visit us. Today I will show you my skills and let you see how my mortal skills compare to those of the immortal Xia Lu."
The tone was quite arrogant, but Ji Yuan had visited the kitchen of Yunshan Temple before. There was no shortage of rice, but there were not enough oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and other things.
"Then I really want to see the benefits of the Taoist priest. Eating clouds and drinking dew is not very tasty, but I have eaten the Dragon Palace Feast before."
Taoist Qingsong became nervous when he heard this. He was just being polite. Mr. Ji, don't take it seriously!
Ji Yuan simply took the master and his apprentice to the county market and bought what they needed, not forgetting to buy some fish and meat.
However, when leaving Dongle County, Ji Yuan still looked back. Qi Xuan must have drunk a few cups of ambergris, which would probably make the Taoist sleep for several days.
Of course I won't set up the stall again in the next few days. I just don't know if the pilgrim will go back to ask the Taoist for fortune-telling and rescue.