"Then please, Young Master, write a character representing what is in your heart."
The fortune-teller pointed to the table before him. A bowl of water sat on the left, while a bundle of fortune sticks lay on the right.
"Or you may draw a fortune stick instead."
Lu Zheng glanced at the slightly murky dirty water in the bowl on the left. In the end, he did not reach for it, merely casually drawing a stick from the bamboo tube on the right.
The gods' divine insight knows you well; fools speak of affairs and sink into confusion. If a seeker draws this sacred stick, better keep to the old ways and await the right time.
"May I ask, sir, how is this stick interpreted?"
The fortune-teller nodded, stroking his beard with a smile. "Congratulations, Young Master. This is an auspicious stick. This divination signifies keeping to the ordinary and refraining from action, but you must quietly await an auspicious time. Then all matters will go smoothly, and everything will fall into place as naturally as water flows into a channel."
Lu Zheng raised a brow. "It cannot be forced?"
The fortune-teller nodded. "It cannot be forced, but it will naturally come to pass."
"I see. Thank you, sir." Lu Zheng nodded. "How much is this fortune worth?"
"One hundred coins will do. Many thanks, Young Master."
Thus, Lu Zheng took ten large coins from the purse at his waist and placed them on the table. Then he rose and left with the two women beside him, who had not spoken all this while.
Watching the three of them stroll down the street, turn the corner, and vanish from sight, the fortune-teller could not help letting out a breath of relief. He raised a hand to wipe away cold sweat