He was gone.
At that moment, Daoist Xue could finally be certain that Old Mr. Yu was indeed a man of extraordinary abilities. Perhaps his appearance outside the Zhang household last night had been no coincidence either.
Holding the bamboo lot, Daoist Xue slowly rose, reading the verse inscribed on it and pondering its meaning.
According to the book of lot interpretations at the local City God temple, this was lot eighty-six. For someone asking about their household, it generally signified discord and mutual misunderstandings within the family, though there was also an opportunity for reconciliation.
Although it was a lower-middle lot, with the right interpretation, it could count as a middling one.
But Daoist Xue had not been asking about his household, and he was a Daoist himself. Considering his own circumstances, he discerned the true meaning hidden in the verse after only a little thought.
The hint the City God gave me... could I have gotten something wrong, and badly wrong at that?
"Cause and consequence reveal themselves to one another."
Murmuring to himself, Daoist Xue looked around. In following the old gentleman, he had unwittingly left the town.
The road he had taken clearly was not a main official road, either. All around him lay wasteland, with a few small paths leading to nearby villages. Little hills had even come into view in the distance.
Looking back the way he had come, he found trees and undergrowth blocking his view. He could only just make out Haiyu County's town.
Still, he could see that although this was not an official road, it had once been fairly substantial. It was simply so old that wild grass and vines had swallowed most of it.
Perhaps it was an abandoned ancient road.
*How far have I walked? It hardly felt