First Meeting Wang Dao Xuan

The special smells in the little courtyard were a tangled mess.

There was the scent of incense like that in a Land God Temple, a certain warmth resembling a boulder, a strange earthy odor, and even a chill like that of the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin...

It felt exactly like a general store.

These scents were extremely faint. Clearly, even for items from the Xuan Gate, they were nothing particularly valuable.

But this already proved that the other party was an insider!

Li Yan turned anger into delight. Seeing the courtyard gate wide open, he lifted his foot and entered.

The courtyard was small, but it had been kept very clean. Jujube trees grew on the left, while on the right stood a stone trough fish tank, where several little red fish swam merrily back and forth.

A Bagua Mirror hung in the northwest corner, while a stone pier stood in the center.

The entire courtyard gave off a refreshing, peaceful feeling.

Li Yan took one glance and understood.

The jujube wood represented wood, the fish tank water, the Bagua bronze mirror metal, and the central stone pier earth to suppress the residence. It was clearly a residence arranged according to the Five Elements' yang-habitation feng shui, only lacking fire.

Li Yan turned his head and looked around, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

That area was the kitchen, where the Kitchen God was worshiped. Wasn't that fire?

The main room of the courtyard likewise had its door wide open. Inside, he could see an incense table and offering table, along with a deity statue and numerous offerings.

The statue was a Three-Eyed Taoist holding a long sword in his arms. The Daoist robe was painted with the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—the Four Symbols. It looked rather gaudy.

The memorial tablet bore the words: "Seat of the Profound Qi Manifesting Might Celestial Lord Chen."

Li Yan did not recognize it, but he could still smell the incense clinging to it. It was somewhat similar to that in a Land God Temple, relatively faint, yet more imposing.

Inside the room, a middle-aged Daoist sat ramrod straight before the table.

The Daoist was naturally Wang Dao Xuan, and his attire was interesting as well. He wore plain black clothes with a white short jacket, an embroidered Bagua on the back, a square kerchief crown on his head, and black cloth shoes with square toes embroidered with auspicious clouds.

This outfit was not cheap. Though it had been washed until it faded white, it was still fairly neat.

What drew the most attention was his appearance. He was lean and vigorous, with a black beard hanging to his chest, upright features, and a very gentle gaze. Though he could not be called immortal-like or possessed of transcendent bearing, he inspired goodwill at first sight.

The Daoist held a wolf-hair brush and was writing and drawing on a sheet of paper.

Across from him sat a young man who looked like a scholar. His face was bitter, and his brows were filled with worry.

At a glance, Li Yan knew they were conducting a character divination.

This line of work was considered the Gold Gate in Jianghu.

The Gold Gate was the foremost of the Eight Visible Gates. It mainly consisted of nine branches: fortune-telling, physiognomy, character divination, spirit-writing, round-light vision, yin-walking, astrology, ritual masters, and Spirit Mediums. Thus, there was a tongue-twister: "Nine Gold, eighteen Leather, seventy-two bald tricks."

The reason it was called the foremost of the Eight Gates was, first, that people of the Gold Gate were adept at reading expressions and skilled with words, with many different methods at their disposal. Once one mastered the Gold Gate's techniques, one could draw parallels and understand the other eight gates.

For example, the Gold Gate's methods could be directly applied to the Leather Gate, which dealt in treating illnesses and selling medicine. It was called, "Gold turns to Leather in a single morning."

Moreover, this trade was a mixed bag, with many frauds pretending to command spirits and gods. But one might also happen upon Xuan Gate People possessing extraordinary arts, so when Jianghu folk encountered them, they were usually somewhat more polite.

Even the bandits of the Lan Family Gate had eight things they would not rob, one of which was the Gold Gate.

Seeing that the other party was doing business, Li Yan silently stood outside the door.

Wang Dao Xuan had clearly already seen him, but he paid no attention. Instead, he set down the wolf-hair brush and picked up the paper covered in writing. After studying it carefully for a while, he stroked his beard beneath the young man's nervous gaze and said:

"You gave the character 'gold.' Gold is the treasure of the world and the burden of men; after long refinement, it becomes fine."

"Judging by your Eight Characters and destiny, you should have had no worries in your youth. Yet these past few years, your path has been rough, and your family has fallen into decline..."

"Also, your recent financial luck has been poor, and there is a petty villain scheming against you..."

"That's right, that's right! Daoist, you're absolutely right!"

The young man hurriedly nodded, his face full of admiration.

Seeing this, Li Yan could not help laughing inwardly.

He had personally witnessed certain things, which had sparked his interest in the Xuan Gate. But he remained skeptical of destiny calculations. Even if such things existed, he did not believe ordinary people could glimpse the future.

Besides, he had not smelled anything unusual.

His father had roughly explained this method before. It was called the "Horse-Tying Post": first tie the client down tightly, then lure him into the trap.

The young man before him was frail, with no calluses on his hands, yet his clothes were somewhat worn. At a glance, he was clearly a scholar who had once lived in comfort but whose family had fallen into decline.

Besides, if someone's life were smooth sailing, would he idly come to have his fortune told?

The young man had divined the character "gold." Without even taking the character apart, one could tell that he had been desperately short of money lately.

As for petty villains—who the hell did not have one lurking behind them?

Li Yan saw through it, but did not expose it.

First, there were Jianghu Rules. Exposing another person's trap meant smashing their rice bowl, unless they had gone too far and one could no longer stand by.

Second, this method was nothing rare.

In his previous life, people had shouted false slogans to sell goods, stirred emotions to fleece the gullible, and tempted people with profit to take their principal... There were countless such methods. Which one was not a Horse-Tying Post?

Jianghu had not changed, and human hearts remained the same. Only the appearance had changed.

If nothing unexpected happened, the time to reap the harvest would come next.

Sure enough, without Wang Dao Xuan needing to say more, the young man sighed with a sorrowful face. "To tell you the truth, I'm from Xingping County. My family owned a silk shop, but we ran into swindlers and were cheated out of everything."

"My father was angered to death, my mother cried herself blind, and I studied without making anything of myself. Only then did I realize that a scholar is useless in a hundred ways."

"My poor wife and child have suffered along with me. My classmates laugh at me, and I truly cannot go on living. What should I do...?"

Li Yan found it somewhat speechless.

When people were suffering, most became long-winded, seeking someone to confide in.

But this young man had practically exposed every last detail of his family's circumstances. Anyone who had just entered the trade could toy with him until he spun in circles.

Wasn't this a lamb walking straight into a tiger's den?

Wang Dao Xuan was not in a hurry. His expression unchanged, he stroked his beard and listened.

After the young man finished, he picked up the paper and studied it for a long while. Then, as though deep in thought, he said, "It is not without a solution."

The young man's eyes lit up. "Please enlighten me, Daoist."

Wang Dao Xuan pointed at the paper. "Look at your character 'gold.' The character 'person' sits atop it, upright and strong. This shows that the way to resolve your problem lies in 'people'!"

"A benefactor?"

The young man pondered. "You mean there will be a benefactor to help me?"

Wang Dao Xuan nodded slightly. "Of course there is a benefactor, but this benefactor is no other person. It is yourself."

"Me? How could that be?"

The young man was visibly stunned.

Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard. "You have this calamity in your life. But as the saying goes, gold is never perfectly pure and people are never perfect. True gold must still be refined by fire. So long as you withstand this refining fire, your fortunes will turn. You may not become extravagantly wealthy, but you will at least live in stability."

"The 'person' atop this character also represents petty villains at work, suppressing your good fortune. You must avoid them, and your bad luck will depart of its own accord."

A trace of hope rose in the young man's eyes. After hesitating, he carefully asked, "Daoist, an Yin Yang Master came to my door and told my mother to worship an Yin Immortal, saying it could change her fate and protect her fortune..."

"Nonsense!"

Wang Dao Xuan's brows shot up. "Even the Master once said to draw close to gentlemen and keep away from petty men, to respect ghosts and gods while keeping one's distance. There is a saying: inviting a god is easy, but sending one away is difficult. What difference is there between provoking those people and welcoming a petty villain into your home?"

"If your true gold fears the refining fire, then how is it any different from rubble?"

"To cut off your own destiny—that is what would truly be beyond all cure!"

The young man's face immediately filled with shame. "Daoist, you are right. I was wrong."

He then touched his chest, looking troubled. "I wonder about the divination fee..."

Wang Dao Xuan extended three fingers and said calmly, "Your good fortune is obstructed. I, this impoverished Daoist, dare not charge you too much. Three copper coins. If you withstand the refining fire, come back here and make up the rest."

The young man's face immediately filled with gratitude. He bent deeply at the waist and clasped his hands.

"Thank you, Daoist."

With that, he took out three copper coins and turned to leave.

As he went out, his gaze had already become resolute.

Li Yan watched, somewhat stunned, and respect rose in his heart as well.

Ghosts and gods could not easily alter fate. The human heart could.

He had already seen that the young man's destiny might have changed at that very moment.

This was true guidance through the fog!

At this thought, he strode straight through the door. First he clasped his fists, then said with a smile, "Daoist Wang, you set the Horse-Tying Post, sounded the linked firecrackers, yet let the sheep run away. Aren't you smashing your own cooking pot?"

His spring code served two purposes: to reveal his identity and to discuss what had just happened.

After hearing this, Wang Dao Xuan laughed heartily. He rose and shook his head. "A single word from this impoverished Daoist can determine life or death, and can also accumulate hidden virtue. I dare not act recklessly."

"Besides, that skinny sheep had barely any fat on him. There was no need to take it."

Li Yan nodded slightly. "Daoist, you are benevolent and righteous."

However, Wang Dao Xuan seemed not to hear his compliment. He first glanced at the knife at Li Yan's waist, then looked out the window and shook his head with a sigh. "Last night I dreamed of an evil ghost clinging to me. Today I saw a magpie carrying a flower. I guessed someone would come to my door, but whether it would be blessing or disaster, this impoverished Daoist could not calculate."

"A knife-wielder has come to my door. Is someone after this impoverished Daoist's life?"

"Daoist, please do not misunderstand."

Li Yan hurriedly clasped his fists. "In truth, I have a question to ask. If Daoist can resolve my dilemma, I will certainly offer a handsome reward!"

At this moment, his supernatural ability was out of control. How could he still concern himself with the Lu Family matter?

Wang Dao Xuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Stroking his beard, he smiled. "Lay believer, have you come to ask for a divination, or to select feng shui?"

Li Yan said solemnly, "May I ask, what is a Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dao Xuan nearly yanked off his beard. His expression changed slightly as he said:

"Who exactly are you?!"