Telling Fortunes (Part Two)

When Boss Jia suddenly took notice of Jun Wangchen, Wang Nuli and Zhang Zhengxiao paused in surprise, then introduced him.

"Boss Jia, this is our roommate, Jun Wangchen. He put up all our working capital, so you could call him our boss."

"Oh?" At that, Boss Jia gave Jun Wangchen a few more looks, somewhat surprised.

He had priced his shop at five hundred thousand yuan. For most students, that was an utterly unattainable sum, or at least one they would struggle to come up with while still in school.

Yet the young man before him, Jun Wangchen, though handsome, was dressed very plainly. His entire outfit probably cost no more than two hundred yuan.

In other words, Jun Wangchen hardly looked wealthy. How had he gotten his hands on five hundred thousand yuan?

Of course, Boss Jia was not one to judge by appearances. He did not care how Jun Wangchen had obtained that five hundred thousand yuan in working capital.

What interested him was Jun Wangchen's explanation of the Bagua Paper.

In fact, his ancestors had all been fortune-tellers. In those days of frequent famine and warfare, they had survived the chaos with nothing but a sheet of Bagua Paper and a fortune-telling formula.

This Bagua Paper was also the only thing his ancestors had passed down to the present day. According to his grandfather's generation, anyone who possessed it could become a true fortune-teller.

But by his generation, the times were changing rapidly, and fortune-telling could no longer provide a living. Instead of inheriting his ancestors' methods, he had chosen to go into business.

A few days earlier, while moving things out of the milk tea shop, the Bagua Paper had fallen out of a book. With nothing else to do, Boss Jia had tried activating it using his ancestors' methods, only to discover that it had lain unused for so long that it had lost its power.

He had intended to throw it away, but remembering how much his ancestors had valued it, he had abandoned the idea and tucked it into the contract instead.

He had never imagined that Jun Wangchen, a university student barely into his twenties, would recognize the wonders of this Bagua Paper. It left him astonished.

After studying Jun Wangchen for a long moment, Boss Jia asked with a smile, "Jun, judging by what you just said, you seem to know quite a bit about fortune-telling?"

"I wouldn't say I know that much. I've just studied it a little and picked up the basics." Jun Wangchen waved a hand, answering modestly without making any absolute claims.

From the front passenger seat, Wang Nuli looked utterly speechless and cut in, "Fourth, I never realized you were this eager to learn. Fortune-telling is obviously just a scam. My second uncle got swindled out of several hundred yuan last time. Be careful you don't get led astray."

He had never believed in fortune-telling. Although it was defined as predicting a person's fate, good or ill, and fell within the realm of metaphysics, science was the only standard by which he judged truth.

Fortune-telling involved far too much deception and seemed far too likely to be fraudulent to inspire any confidence.

"Second, you're painting everything with the same brush. How should I put this? With fortune-telling, it's real if you believe in it and meaningless if you don't." Jun Wangchen shook his head and explained.

"In the narrow sense, fortune-telling means making predictions based on a person's birth date and time—the Four Pillars and Eight Characters, or Six-Pillar forecasting. In the broader sense, it includes Purple Star Astrology, physiognomy and palmistry, the trigrams and six-line divination, Eight Gates and Hidden Jia, and so on. Ancient divination, geomancy, and yarrow-stalk divination all fall under fortune-telling.

"As one branch of divinatory calculation, fortune-telling has a theoretical foundation that stretches far back into history and is both vast and profound. Without decades of study, you can't accurately predict another person's fate.

"Many people think fortune-telling is merely a supplementary means of prediction used where modern technology falls short, a form of psychological comfort that helps people seek good fortune and avoid disaster, and therefore unworthy of belief.

"But what they don't realize is that the masters they've encountered are merely people who have picked up a tiny bit of superficial knowledge. They don't understand theoretical systems such as Yin-Yang and Five Elements, Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, or Fuxi Trigrams at all. They're basically just using a few little tricks to fool people."

In the back seat, Zhang Zhengxiao nodded in agreement and said helplessly, "Fourth has a point. A lot of fortune-telling masters these days are con artists. Let your guard down for a moment and they'll fleece you clean. People who genuinely understand fortune-telling are few and far between."

Boss Jia, who was driving, shuddered at Jun Wangchen's words. He vaguely remembered his grandfather once saying something much like that.

After a moment's thought, Boss Jia suddenly suggested, "Jun, you clearly have some knowledge of fortune-telling. Do you know how to practice it? If you do, would you tell my fortune?"

Wang Nuli and Zhang Zhengxiao both froze, then hurriedly spoke up. "Boss Jia, our roommate usually just goes to class and plays games. He probably read all this fortune-telling stuff on Baidu. Asking him to tell your fortune would be like asking a blind cat to catch a mouse!"

For one thing, they were trying to give Jun Wangchen a graceful way out. Though his earlier explanation had sounded convincing, it was still only theory and could not be taken seriously.

For another, they were afraid Jun Wangchen might speak without thinking. If he said something unpleasant, he could easily upset Boss Jia.

After all, they were still negotiating with Boss Jia over the milk tea shop. If they offended him and lost the shop as a result, it would hardly be worth it.

"I'm not as bad as you're making me sound, am I?" Jun Wangchen did not know whether to laugh or cry. These two were really something. Who put down their own roommate like that?

Zhang Zhengxiao folded his arms across his chest and declared with righteous conviction, "We don't know whether you're any good, but you're certainly talented at fooling people. If Second and I weren't so sharp, we might really have fallen for that spiel of yours."

"Exactly. Boss Jia, you'd better watch out for this roommate of ours. He can talk white into black. He's full of schemes," Wang Nuli chimed in teasingly, his hands behind his back.

"Hey, hey, I'm the one funding you two! Do you really have to slander your generous benefactor like this?" Jun Wangchen knew his roommates were joking to give him a way out, so he did not take it seriously.

"Hahaha, you three really do get along well." Watching them, Boss Jia let out a hearty laugh.

"The truth is, I'm very interested in fortune-telling. Since Jun happens to know something about it, I'd really like him to try his methods and see what lies ahead for me."

"Well..." Wang Nuli and Zhang Zhengxiao exchanged a look, both feeling a headache coming on.

Oh no. Boss Jia had clearly taken everything Jun Wangchen said earlier seriously.

They were just about to offer another explanation on Jun Wangchen's behalf when he smiled calmly. "Since Boss Jia would like me to demonstrate my fortune-telling methods, I'll gladly oblige. I only hope you won't mind my limited knowledge."

"Of course not. You're being far too modest, Jun." Boss Jia waved a hand and asked with a smile, "Do you need my birth date and time?"

"No. True divination peers into heaven's secrets rather than depending on the person." Jun Wangchen shook his head, then closed his eyes, swiftly recited a few lines of the Divination Spell, and raised a hand to calculate on his fingers.

In an instant, a thread invisible to the naked eye slowly emerged from the world around them and slipped into Jun Wangchen's mind.

Watching this, Wang Nuli and Zhang Zhengxiao grew anxious. In three years at university, they had never seen Jun Wangchen tell anyone's fortune, much less practice any fortune-telling methods.

Besides, throughout history, what fortune-telling master had not relied on some external tool?

If Jun Wangchen could predict someone's fate just by working his fingers, why would he still be a student? He would already be working for the country and revered by countless people.

At that thought, both felt helpless. It looked as though they would have to offer Boss Jia a proper apology afterward.

Boss Jia, however, did not feel that Jun Wangchen was faking it. His ancestors had all been fortune-tellers, giving him an innate familiarity with people's threads of fate. When Jun Wangchen recited his formula just now, he had distinctly sensed a thread flowing from his own body into Jun Wangchen's mind.

A little later, Jun Wangchen lowered his hand, opened his eyes, and said slowly, "Boss Jia, you were frail at birth, weak and difficult to keep healthy. But thanks to your parents' attentive care, you pulled through.

"Because your prospects in business and your luck are both better than average, you've made a modest fortune in recent years. However, your wife has some health problems, and that money has all gone toward her care. I imagine her condition is also part of the reason you're selling the milk tea shop."

Boss Jia shuddered at those words and immediately gave him a thumbs-up. "An excellent reading, Jun! Every word is true. Indeed, if it weren't for my wife's health, I wouldn't be selling the milk tea shop."

Wang Nuli and Zhang Zhengxiao were stunned.

What?

Jun Wangchen had actually gotten it right?

This had to be a trick, right?

How much had this guy learned behind their backs during their three years at university?

While the two were still reeling, Jun Wangchen continued, "You don't need to worry about Madam Jia's health, Boss Jia. Your fate bears the most auspicious lot. Since Madam Jia has been by your side for years, some of your good fortune will naturally rub off on her. It's just..."

"Just what?" When Jun Wangchen suddenly stopped halfway through, Boss Jia grew anxious and hurriedly asked.

Jun Wangchen answered frankly, "It's just that your immediate future may be a little rough. If my calculation is correct, you may have a minor accident while driving."

Boss Jia paused, puzzled. "Surely not? I've been driving for over ten years, and I've always been careful. Besides, I've taken this road hundreds of times. I know it very well. How could I have an accident?"

Wang Nuli and Zhang Zhengxiao were doubtful too. There were hardly any vehicles on the road Boss Jia was taking. How could an accident happen?

Jun Wangchen offered no explanation. He simply took out his phone and watched the time. When it reached ten o'clock sharp, he said, "It's time."

Just as he finished speaking, Boss Jia was driving through an intersection. In that instant, a frenzied dog suddenly dashed out from the crossroads and blocked the car's path.

Caught completely off guard, Boss Jia instinctively jerked the steering wheel, relying on more than a decade of driving experience.

Screech!

With a piercing squeal of brakes, Boss Jia's Land Rover narrowly missed the dog but slammed into a utility pole beside the road, leaving the front end slightly dented.

The crash immediately drew the attention of several bystanders, and some kindhearted people rushed over to check on the occupants.

Boss Jia thanked each of them for their concern. Once they had left, he suddenly snapped to his senses and hurriedly turned around, staring at Jun Wangchen in horror.

He was not the only one. Wang Nuli and Zhang Zhengxiao, both still dazed from the fright, also turned to stare at Jun Wangchen, their eyes filled with shock.

Jun Wangchen had... had actually predicted this minor accident?!