The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 86: The Immaculate Old Immortal and the Untidy Blind Beggar

Fuyun County, North City District.

There are many stalls and vendors along the overpass, bustling with people: tea stalls, food stalls, medicine stalls, rouge, sachets, jewelry stalls, monkey shows, wrestling, magic tricks, breaking stones with chests, playing with diabolos, fortune-telling...

All kinds of people seeking a living gathered here, a mixed crowd of good and bad, men and women, young and old, and the place was bustling with activity.

There are at least eight fortune-telling stalls in this area, if not ten. It is not uncommon to have one more stall. What is rare is that the fortune-teller is spotless. Even if a gust of wind and sand blows up occasionally, making other people covered in dust, the fortune-teller is still dressed in white clothes, whiter than snow, without being stained by dust.

Even the hair was snow-white and translucent, as if glowing. The fortune-telling stall was also clearly black and white, and clean. On the fortune-telling sail was written: Catching insects: Yarrow knows the past and present, and tortoise shells can tell good and bad luck. The fate is decided by me.

This strange sight made many people feel awe and think that this gentleman must have something.

Ten steps to the right of the fortune-telling stall, there is another fortune-telling stall. In sharp contrast to the one in white, there is only a piece of pitch-black linen stained with oil and dirt spread on the ground, with the four corners pressed down by stones. There are twelve large characters on it: "See the secrets of heaven above and know human life below. Believe it or not."

Behind the fortune-telling stall, a slovenly old beggar was half leaning against the wall, snoring, and looking unkempt.

Opposite the two fortune-telling stalls, five steps away, there is another fortune-telling stall that also opened today, but it is unremarkable. It only has a table, a fortune-telling cloth engraved with the Eight Diagrams pattern, a set of ordinary pens, ink, paper and inkstone, and a fortune-telling sail with the word "fortune-telling" written on it. It is no different from the other stalls and cannot be more serious.

The old Taoist sitting behind the fortune-telling stall was also very ordinary. His Taoist robe had no special features, as if it was rented. Especially when compared with the two fortune-telling stalls nearby, he looked even more unremarkable, as if he was just filling in the numbers. Passersby who passed by didn't even take a second look at him.

The ordinary Taoist Xuanming was staring at his two colleagues opposite him while enjoying the bustling atmosphere of the city.

"Tang Haws, selling Tang Haws!"

"Nice rouge and powder. Sir, please buy a box of rouge and powder for your wife."

“Wonton! Freshly made wonton!”

"Good monkey, jump!"

"Chen Baosan, at the beginning you spoke like honey, and your words were more beautiful than singing. You said that you would let me wear gold and silver after I got married, but now you have taken all the credit and denied it. If you don't buy me a silver hairpin today, I will be your third uncle's mistress tomorrow."

"Dear fellow villagers of Fuyun County, my brothers and I have just arrived in your precious place..."

Various sounds of shouting, bargaining, arguing, children playing, cheering, etc. came into my ears one after another.

Listening to these sounds, Xuanming did not feel restless at all. Instead, he felt a kind of peace and tranquility as if he were in a bustling city. As for the indifferent reactions of passers-by, he did not care at all and could choose whether to look at them or not.

The two fortune tellers on the opposite side are quite interesting.

After looking at it inconspicuously for a while, Xuanming withdrew his gaze, took out a Taoist scripture, and began to read it with relish.

Last winter, he went down the mountain to help the people, and his heart was touched. After the discussion in early spring, he went into seclusion on the Cangdao Peak for half a month to digest what he had learned. After coming out of seclusion, he always wanted to go down the mountain. There was a will of heaven in the dark. Xuanming realized that he had stayed in the mountain for too long, and there were fewer things that could stir his heart and give him insights. In other words, he should go down the mountain.

So, he followed his heart, and when he was still he thought of moving. He went down the mountain and entered the world, coming to the northern city of Fuyun County, where he set up a fortune-telling stall to make a living. He planned to open the stall for half a day every day, reading scriptures to gain enlightenment while tempering his mind in the world of mortals, with one foot in the green mountains and clear waters, and the other in the city alleys.

Xuanming will not travel far in the short term, as this place is considered the starting point of his worldly practice.

---

Reading in a busy city made Xuanming feel uncomfortable at first, but he was not an ordinary man after all. After a few breaths, he adjusted his mindset and continued reading. He felt at peace in his heart. Noisy voices could be heard, coming in and out on the right, but they did not enter his heart at all, like water passing by without leaving a trace, the sun and the moon being silent.

Passersby subconsciously slowed down their pace and lowered their voices when passing by this place, but they did not notice anything, as if everything was normal, natural and as it should be.

The spotless old half-immortal on the left glanced at Xuanming in confusion, stared for a while, but couldn't see any clues, so he looked away and sat behind the fortune-telling stall.

The old beggar in the corner looked up at the old Banxian, then followed his gaze to the ordinary-looking old Taoist opposite. He stared at him for as long as the other party stared at him. When the old Banxian drank a small cup of sesame oil and continued to close his eyes to rest, he also took out the hidden chicken butts, gnawed a few of them, and continued to squint his eyes and pretend to take a nap.

Xuanming certainly noticed the gazes of the two people, but he didn't take it to heart. With his cultivation as a semi-immortal, he couldn't discover anything, and the old beggar was just a mortal with some survival wisdom.

Nearing noon, the spring weather was bright and there were more people on the streets, including ferrymen, people selling maltose on their shoulders, and so on. There were more people trying to make a living.

Xuanming's stall was desolate and no one was interested in it, while the two fortune-telling stalls opposite had customers coming one after another, most of whom were elderly men with gray hair. There were also a few elderly people who stopped in front of Xuanming's stall. When they saw him look up, they nodded, smiled and apologized, and then hurried towards the other two stalls.

Xuanming accepted it well. Some people have many guests, while others have few visitors. This is the way of the world. Experiencing the warmth and coldness of human nature is also a kind of spiritual practice.

Sometimes he would look up at the two fortune-telling stalls. The old immortal would gently shake the tortoise shell and then throw it lightly. The tortoise shell would revolve around the customer and he would then gently hold it, floating one foot above his palm. His movements were smooth and flowing, with the demeanor of a master, which attracted the attention of the customers.

On the other side, the old beggar's eyelids rolled up, and his eyes turned white and lifeless in an instant. He walked to the basin next to him and washed his hands with the rootless clean water and salt he mentioned, then burned incense to wash his hands with a pious expression. Then he began to touch the bones and tell fortunes. He was silent and pretended to be profound. He would not speak easily, but when he opened his mouth, he would speak mysterious words, which made the guests confused and felt awe-inspiring.

After noon, Xuanming closed his stall and returned to the mountain, traveling around the mountains and rivers, feeling nature. His Taoist heart switched between the secular world and nature, and he had different experiences. However, he did not set up his stall in the afternoon, so in the eyes of the old half-immortal and the old beggar, it meant that Xuanming's business was bleak and he was discouraged.

The next morning, they were stunned when they saw Xuanming. They didn't expect that he didn't give up. They were happy to see this. The competition in this industry was fierce, and the more serious the business, the less business would come.

A master must be unique. Either he has an outstanding image and is full of elegance, or he is unkempt and arrogant, or he is disabled or blind. Otherwise, it is hard for people to believe him.

Only with Xuanming's presence can they show their specialness. The old immortal in white nodded and smiled at Xuanming as a greeting, then sat upright on the chair. His fortune-telling stall was still spotless. The old beggar ignored Xuanming. He was blind, so this attitude was reasonable. He put the stall on the ground, put the bamboo pole aside, and the old beggar slept against the corner.

Shaking his head and smiling helplessly, Xuanming continued to read the sutra. For several days, he had no business. It was not until the seventh day that someone finally came to patronize him.

(End of this chapter)