novelhk Chapter 33 The Art Sect, Hu Haiwang
Chapter 33 The Art Sect, Hu Haiwang
"How...how did you know?"
Zhuge Yan opened his eyes, looked at him, and then pointed to the white cloth in front of him.
"Wuhou Qimen, an unerring and accurate prediction. Your cargo ship will dock around 3:45 AM. The dozen or so bags of medicinal herbs have become moldy due to dampness. How much you can sell depends on your bargaining skills."
Your wife embroidered this amulet over three days. You don't have to wear it, but don't lose it.
"How's it going? Can you get me a plane ticket?"
The businessman swallowed hard.
"Airfare...who buys their own plane ticket these days? Someone else always reimburses me..."
"Then please spread my name."
Zhuge Yan waved his hand dismissively.
"There's a fortune teller at Chaotianmen Wharf who's very accurate. He only charges a plane ticket as payment for the divination."
"Do you know anyone who can get plane tickets? Have them come to me."
The merchant nodded repeatedly, took out a few silver dollars to put on the fortune-telling stall, but Zhuge Yan waved his hand.
"Just take the plane ticket; keep your money. The ship is almost here, go."
The businessman hesitated for a moment, then suddenly made up his mind, turned around and ran quickly toward the dock.
He wasn't waiting for the ship; the ship hadn't left yet. He was going to spread the word about this little fortune teller.
Over the next hour, several people came to Zhuge Yan's fortune-telling stall.
Most of them were brought in by that merchant, while a few were simply passing by and their curiosity was piqued by the words on the white cloth.
Zhuge Yan calculated the costs for each of them, without charging them any money. He told them that as long as they agreed to help pass on the message, if they knew anyone who could get plane tickets, they could ask them to come to him.
They were all ordinary people, and there was no need to ask them questions in the inner vision. Simple Plum Blossom Divination, physiognomy, and a bit of deception were enough to deal with them.
Around noon, a person suddenly appeared in front of the fortune-telling stall.
This man was in his early twenties, tall and thin, wearing a worn gray cloth robe and round-toed cloth shoes, with a sparse goatee on his chin.
He stood in front of the fortune-telling stall, not looking at the white cloth with curiosity or suspicion like the others, but frowning and staring at Zhuge Yan for a long time with a very deep scrutinizing gaze.
Zhuge Yan sensed that gaze; it was sharp and unlike that of an ordinary person.
"I recognize the four characters 'Wuhou Qimen' on your signboard. It's not something those charlatans use to make a living."
The man stroked his goatee, his tone calm.
"Are you from the Wuhou faction?"
"The Wuhou School, Zhuge Yan."
"Zhuge..."
Upon hearing this, the goatee-bearded man's pupils contracted slightly, and the scrutinizing look on his face was replaced by a deeper solemnity.
He lifted the hem of his robe, squatted down in front of the divination stall, lowered his voice, and announced his name in a volume that only Zhuge Yan could hear.
"I am Hu Haiwang from the Shu Zi school."
I originally came to Chongqing with my master on business. I just overheard people at the dock talking about how you, young man, "only charge for airfare, not money" when you tell fortunes. I found it interesting and thought I'd come and see for myself.
Unexpectedly, I actually encountered a genuine descendant of Zhuge Liang.
"Hu Haiwang?"
Zhuge Yan raised his head and carefully examined the person in front of him, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
Although he didn't recognize the face, the name was certainly very familiar.
One of the Thirty-Six Thieves, and the most prized disciple of Hu Tu, the leader of the Shu Zi Sect.
After the outbreak of the Jia Shen Rebellion, he was personally killed by his mentor Hu Tu, which also triggered the bloody storm of the Jia Shen Rebellion.
"But young man, what does it mean by your sign saying you only accept plane tickets, not money?"
Zhuge Yan then made no attempt to hide anything and pointed to the white cloth in front of him.
"I need to go to Sanyimen, so I'm thinking of taking a plane to Shanghai first."
Hu Haiwang stroked his beard again.
"I see. But these days, it's not easy to get a plane ticket from Chongqing to Shanghai."
The passenger planes on the Wuhan-Chongqing route operated by Chinese airlines were only launched a couple of years ago, with only two flights a week.
The ticket price? Several hundred dollars, that's equivalent to several years' savings for an average family.
Zhuge Yan nodded.
"So I don't charge money. Those who can afford hundreds of dollars may not have the means to buy a plane ticket."
Those who can afford plane tickets might not care about a few hundred dollars; I want to do business with the latter.
After hearing these words, Hu Haiwang stroked his beard, suddenly chuckled, and said:
"What a coincidence, I happen to have a way to get plane tickets, but it will take some time."
Zhuge Yan sized him up, thinking that the Shuzi Sect was, after all, a legitimate sect on par with the Wuhou Sect in the world of supernatural beings. Since the other party had introduced himself, he should be trustworthy.
"Brother Hu, we're all fortune tellers, so if you want your fortune told, you probably don't need me, right?"
"Don't worry, you don't need to calculate it for me."
Hu Haiwang smiled slightly.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. We're not related, Brother Hu, why are you helping me?"
"Of course it's not free, there are conditions, but it should be very simple for you, young man."
"Speaking."
"Could you let me experience the esoteric arts of the Wuhou School?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yan was taken aback at first, and then couldn't help but smile.
"That's it?"
"This is it."
Hu Haiwang nodded, a fiery glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at Zhuge Yan.
"Young brother, most of the people in your Wuhou Sect live in seclusion and rarely appear in the circle."
As a successor to Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, I have long admired the Qimen Dunjia technique, but I have never had the opportunity to learn it.
I finally managed to bump into a 'wild' disciple of the Wuhou School today, how could I possibly let this opportunity pass me by?!
The Shuzi School and the Wuhou School both belong to the same lineage of divination, but their methods of deduction are completely different.
The Wuhou Qimen sect uses time and space as its starting point to determine the central palace, which is the most fundamental difference between them and ordinary sorcerers.
Zhuge Yan looked into his eyes, nodded, and stood up.
"Alright, then I'll gladly accept your offer."
After packing their belongings, the two left the dock and traveled to a sparsely populated area on the outskirts of the city.
"Let's just stay here. Not many people come here on weekdays."
Hu Haiwang stopped, took out six copper coins from his sleeve, and weighed them in his palm.
The copper coin is the old Kaiyuan Tongbao, round on the outside and square on the inside, with a smooth and shiny surface from being rubbed, clearly indicating that it was an item that was carried around all year round.
"I learned the Six Lines Coin Divination method in the Shuzi Men school."
Hu Haiwang spread out the six copper coins in his palm, his tone carrying a hint of pride in his sect's unique skill.
"Although it is not as famous as the Wuhou Qimen, our Six Lines Coin Divination is also different from ordinary Qimen techniques and has its own system."
Zhuge Yan's brows twitched slightly upon hearing this.
He had heard his father mention the Six Lines Coin Divination, which was one of the core secret arts of the Art School.
It has both predictive and offensive uses, and its biggest feature is that it is "self-contained" and can break free from the pattern and influence of other Qimen magic.