劍問蒼天 - 第87章 看相 - 翰墨軒

The old man sighed, then went on, "Such a calamity would ordinarily have been impossible even for you to escape. But there is blessing in your fate: at the place of that great break, a 'Jade Renewal Pattern' frames it, joining the line of destiny and restoring the thread of life. That is good fortune in the midst of misfortune."

At that moment Puzhao's face suddenly rose before Zhang Qingyue's mind. He was silent a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "Then, sir, you said today that I still bear the look of great misfortune. I would ask you to tell me what disaster or fortune awaits. Pray enlighten me!"

The old man smiled slightly, then suddenly coughed twice. "This... this..."

Zhang Qingyue was surprised. "What is it, sir?"

The old man laughed. "To be frank with you, young brother, when I first set out in this trade I laid down a rule that I must be paid for reading a face. So..."

Zhang Qingyue understood and said quickly, "Please, sir, name your price. How much?"

The old man looked at him with a smile. "Ten taels of fine silver a reading."

Zhang Qingyue had already reached for his waist, but at these words he froze. "So much? But I have only four taels of silver in all."

The old man frowned, then said, "Very well, very well—four taels it is. Today I have a certain affinity with you, young brother, so let it count as a kindness to you."

Zhang Qingyue was overcome with gratitude. The silver did him little good anyway, and he could manage well enough in the wild; so he gave the old man all four taels.

The old man put the silver away, straightened his expression, and studied Zhang Qingyue's face carefully once more. "Young brother, I see that between your brows there is darkness, black clouds over the crown—plainly your luck is poor. On the road ahead you will surely meet many dangers and hardships. Better to turn back, and all will dissolve of itself."

Zhang Qingyue was startled. "Is that all?"

The old man nodded. "That is all."

Zhang Qingyue hesitated. "But I have urgent business to the east..."

The old man urged, "Young brother, what business is more important than your own life? Turn back." With that he cupped his hands and said, "To meet in the rivers and lakes is itself a kind of fate; another day we shall have occasion to meet again. Let us part here."

Zhang Qingyue knitted his brows and nodded blankly, watching the old man and the little girl walk away until they vanished. Standing there amid the stream of people, he felt as though he had suddenly lost his bearings and knew not where to go.

Around the corner of the street, the old man and the little girl hid themselves at once, then turned back and poked their heads out a little to watch Zhang Qingyue. The youth stood amid the passing crowd with a somewhat dazed look on his face. After a while he turned and walked on.

"Heh heh, another four taels in hand." The old man's manner changed all at once. He drew the silver from his waist and examined it carefully, chuckling without end. The little girl, however, looked calm, glanced at him, and said, "Grandfather, why are you putting on that act again?"

The old man chuckled, put the silver away, and said to his granddaughter, "Xiaowan, I truly did not raise you for nothing. Not yet ten, and already you can read half a man's life. In time you will surely be a peerless talent in the art of physiognomy."

The girl called Xiaowan gave a sniff. "What is so hard to understand in those shallow books on faces? It is plainly you, Grandfather, who never worked hard in the past—and you still have the gall to say such things!"

So it was that of these two, grandfather and granddaughter, the one with the real skill was the little girl. She had read a good part of Zhang Qingyue's fate and, when she had a moment, told her grandfather.