"Then is there any way for me to avert this calamity?"
The old man shook his head. "You can only weather this calamity, not avert it."
Xia Shule pondered. What could this calamity be?
But the old man gave him no chance to think, continuing, "Cast a Six Lines hexagram."
A few minutes later, the old man said, "This calamity won't be hard to get through, but you'll need to suffer a serious illness. When you get home, carry the smallest, thinnest thing in the southeast corner on you. It can save your life."
With that, he pulled a small slip of paper from his pocket. It was all crumpled, and there was no telling how long it had been there.
"Someone asked me to pass this on to you. Read it once you're far away."
Then he forcibly shoved the slip into Xia Shule's hand. Xia Shule actually wanted to open it right away, but he kept feeling that the eyes behind the old man's sunglasses were staring him down.
"How much?" The sooner he left, the sooner he could read it. His curiosity was killing him.
The old man waved a hand. "All I want is your promise."
"What promise?"
"No matter what, live on and take care of yourself. You must swear it to heaven."
A little bewildered, Xia Shule raised three fingers and said to the sky, "I swear that no matter what, I'll live on and take care of myself."
"You can go." Once he heard Xia Shule swear, the old man waved him away.
Xia Shule asked several more times whether he was sure he didn't want any money. The old man impatiently told him to leave, so Xia Shule obediently left.
After walking some distance, Xia Shule opened the slip before entering the