\This novel is a repost from Motie Chinese Network, authored by Yan Bei Lao Jiu.
Reposting requires source acknowledgment.
Premiering!\
<Premiere> The Spirit Communication Code of the Hidden Demon
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In 1990, Yirong was still a small county town. If you asked outsiders what the place was known for, they definitely wouldn't be able to answer. But for the elderly in the county, I was a major feature of Yirong County.
My name is Ning Tianyou. I'm just over twenty years old. By all accounts, this is the prime age—I could be studying, working, or doing anything—but I chose a profession that doesn't fit my age at all: setting up a fortune-telling stall under the only overpass in the county town.
It's not that I've mastered the art of physiognomy and became skilled enough at a young age to take it as a profession; it's just that aside from telling fortunes for others, I truly have no other means to make a living.
This all goes back to my grandfather. My grandfather was an old ghost-catcher. According to him, he caused too much trouble in his life, accumulating too much karmic debt. Having my father was already a grace from heaven, and by my generation, we 'should have ended the line.' Yet, paradoxically, I was born into this world.
I don't know what he sensed, but shortly after I was born, he pointed at my left eye and said it was unlucky, then touched it, and I became a half-invalid 'one-eyed dragon.'
Actually, my left eye isn't blind; my grandfather just caused it to weaken, so everything in front of me is hazy. It's not that I'm vain, but to cover the flaw in my left eye, I had to grow my hair long and cleverly hide it.
My name is Ning Tianyou. I'm just over twenty years old. By all accounts, this is the prime age—I could be studying, working, or doing anything—but I chose a profession that doesn't fit my age at all: setting up a fortune-telling stall under the only overpass in the county town.
It's not that I've mastered the art of physiognomy and became skilled enough at a young age to take it as a profession; it's just that aside from telling fortunes for others, I truly have no other means to make a living.
This all goes back to my grandfather. My grandfather was an old ghost-catcher. According to him, he caused too much trouble in his life, accumulating too much karmic debt. Having my father was already a grace from heaven, and by my generation, we 'should have ended the line.' Yet, paradoxically, I was born into this world.
I don't know what he sensed, but shortly after I was born, he pointed at my left eye and said it was unlucky, then touched it, and I became a half-invalid 'one-eyed dragon.'
Actually, my left eye isn't blind; my grandfather just caused it to weaken, so everything in front of me is hazy. It's not that I'm vain, but to cover the flaw in my left eye, I had to grow my hair long and cleverly hide it.
Strangely enough, my parents died early, and I was raised by my grandfather. Originally, I planned to go ghost-hunting with him, and in the future, inheriting his craft could have provided me with a way to make a living. But every time I brought this up, he would scold me angrily. Especially when I was fifteen, my grandfather went alone to another place to hunt ghosts and never came back. I didn't know what happened, but it was clear that from then on, I had to support myself.
At first, I carried bags for people on the street as a laborer, sold newspapers, and delivered milk. Basically, wherever there was money to be made, I would squeeze in to get involved. But I was young at the time and was often bullied, and even my employers would deliberately make things difficult for me, a small child laborer.
Last year, by a twist of fate, I met a blind fortune-teller. After some persistent effort, I even became his apprentice and learned some physiognomy.
Actually, physiognomy is quite mysterious. To me, it seems fortune-tellers can be divided into two kinds: the first kind is genuinely talented; they can actually say something accurate about one's future. But this kind is rare, and I haven't encountered any. The other kind includes my blind master and fortune-tellers like me, who have no real skills and rely on talking and "tricking" people for money.
At first, I carried bags for people on the street as a laborer, sold newspapers, and delivered milk. Basically, wherever there was money to be made, I would squeeze in to get involved. But I was young at the time and was often bullied, and even my employers would deliberately make things difficult for me, a small child laborer.
Last year, by a twist of fate, I met a blind fortune-teller. After some persistent effort, I even became his apprentice and learned some physiognomy.
Actually, physiognomy is quite mysterious. To me, it seems fortune-tellers can be divided into two kinds: the first kind is genuinely talented; they can actually say something accurate about one's future. But this kind is rare, and I haven't encountered any. The other kind includes my blind master and fortune-tellers like me, who have no real skills and rely on talking and "tricking" people for money.
There's no need to mention my blind master; whenever he gets the chance, he'll definitely seize it and make a solid gain. But in this regard, I disagree with him. I set up a stall to tell fortunes just to make a living, and I would never take the opportunity to deceive people.
A few days ago, a man and a woman came to my stall. Just by seeing them walking towards me, I could already pick up some information.
Judging by the woman's posture and expression, I knew she had given birth before, but when I looked at her together with the man, I felt they didn't seem like a married couple.
After a bit of thought, I realized they were definitely asking about matters of love, but I didn't rush to a conclusion. After all, if I really misread the situation and said something wrong, getting beaten up would be inevitable—especially since the man in front of me looked so strong and fierce; if he hit me, it wouldn't be in jest.
I invited them to sit down without revealing any sign of my thoughts, and politely asked, ‘Who will go first?'
Though my question seemed simple, I had already, unknowingly, set a trap for them.
The year was the nineties, not like today, where men didn't always make decisions at home. If it was a fortune telling, normally the man would go first. But this couple did the opposite: the woman first extended her hand.
A few days ago, a man and a woman came to my stall. Just by seeing them walking towards me, I could already pick up some information.
Judging by the woman's posture and expression, I knew she had given birth before, but when I looked at her together with the man, I felt they didn't seem like a married couple.
After a bit of thought, I realized they were definitely asking about matters of love, but I didn't rush to a conclusion. After all, if I really misread the situation and said something wrong, getting beaten up would be inevitable—especially since the man in front of me looked so strong and fierce; if he hit me, it wouldn't be in jest.
I invited them to sit down without revealing any sign of my thoughts, and politely asked, ‘Who will go first?'
Though my question seemed simple, I had already, unknowingly, set a trap for them.
The year was the nineties, not like today, where men didn't always make decisions at home. If it was a fortune telling, normally the man would go first. But this couple did the opposite: the woman first extended her hand.
I sneered in my heart, but on the surface, I didn't show anything. I held my hands properly and first made some small talk with her, then shifted the conversation and asked about the two of their ages.
This was also a question with a hidden trick. I wasn't really interested in their ages; I was just using the topic to observe their reactions. In a normal family, when a woman tells her husband's age, she would unconsciously glance at him, but this woman didn't make any such move and hesitated slightly before telling me their ages.
Seeing this series of revealing actions from them, I started to understand the situation. I pretended to go through the motions of fortune-telling and finger-counting, and after some 'fuss,' I finally dropped a line: 'You are born fortunate, naturally beautiful, and in the past few years, you've had quite a few admirers.'
As soon as I said this, the expressions of the man and woman changed awkwardly, especially the man, whose eyes darted around like a thief, but I was very pleased with their reactions. Moreover, with these words as a prelude, it made it easier for me to proceed with my physiognomy.
If my blind master had been there, the situation would have been difficult for the couple. Not to mention other things, my blind master would definitely take their incompatibility as the main point and then use the excuse of spending money to ward off misfortune to trick all the money out of their pockets.
This was also a question with a hidden trick. I wasn't really interested in their ages; I was just using the topic to observe their reactions. In a normal family, when a woman tells her husband's age, she would unconsciously glance at him, but this woman didn't make any such move and hesitated slightly before telling me their ages.
Seeing this series of revealing actions from them, I started to understand the situation. I pretended to go through the motions of fortune-telling and finger-counting, and after some 'fuss,' I finally dropped a line: 'You are born fortunate, naturally beautiful, and in the past few years, you've had quite a few admirers.'
As soon as I said this, the expressions of the man and woman changed awkwardly, especially the man, whose eyes darted around like a thief, but I was very pleased with their reactions. Moreover, with these words as a prelude, it made it easier for me to proceed with my physiognomy.
If my blind master had been there, the situation would have been difficult for the couple. Not to mention other things, my blind master would definitely take their incompatibility as the main point and then use the excuse of spending money to ward off misfortune to trick all the money out of their pockets.
But I didn't do that; I just said some professional terms and wasted this opportunity to make money. Although I only earned twenty yuan from fortune-telling, in my heart, I felt it was worth it.
Of course, these men and women were easy customers to deal with. Some people coming for fortune-telling are really a headache for me. Take the young man next door, named Zhuzi. He was big and burly with a fierce look on his face. At a glance, he could be mistaken for a wanted criminal. Yet he always came to me for fortune-telling, asking when his love luck would arrive.
Out of neighborly solidarity, I couldn't bring myself to say certain things and didn't want to crush his fragile heart. I would always say that his fate was not yet ripe to get past it, but he got more and more addicted. Recently, not only did he ask more frequently, but it seemed like he was blaming me for not being able to find a wife.
One morning, once again, I carried my table to the bridge at exactly eight o'clock to start work. Normally, no one would come for fortune-telling at this hour, but I had nothing to do anyway. Sitting at home doing nothing seemed useless, so I might as well sit at the bridge and study my book.
The book I was studying was not ordinary — or more accurately, it was my grandfather's notes. They were full of methods for catching and raising ghosts. However, the notes were incomplete, only half of the original. I really didn't know what my grandfather was thinking. The half he left was not in the form of upper and lower volumes; he had cut it in the middle into top and bottom parts. I only had the upper half of the notes, which made me spend a lot of effort studying, yet I still didn't understand much about the ghost-catching business.
Of course, these men and women were easy customers to deal with. Some people coming for fortune-telling are really a headache for me. Take the young man next door, named Zhuzi. He was big and burly with a fierce look on his face. At a glance, he could be mistaken for a wanted criminal. Yet he always came to me for fortune-telling, asking when his love luck would arrive.
Out of neighborly solidarity, I couldn't bring myself to say certain things and didn't want to crush his fragile heart. I would always say that his fate was not yet ripe to get past it, but he got more and more addicted. Recently, not only did he ask more frequently, but it seemed like he was blaming me for not being able to find a wife.
One morning, once again, I carried my table to the bridge at exactly eight o'clock to start work. Normally, no one would come for fortune-telling at this hour, but I had nothing to do anyway. Sitting at home doing nothing seemed useless, so I might as well sit at the bridge and study my book.
The book I was studying was not ordinary — or more accurately, it was my grandfather's notes. They were full of methods for catching and raising ghosts. However, the notes were incomplete, only half of the original. I really didn't know what my grandfather was thinking. The half he left was not in the form of upper and lower volumes; he had cut it in the middle into top and bottom parts. I only had the upper half of the notes, which made me spend a lot of effort studying, yet I still didn't understand much about the ghost-catching business.
Just as I was racking my brains, two people came walking from a distance. At first, I only glanced casually, but then I turned my head again to take a closer look as if electrocuted. \One of them was Zhuzi, and the other was a tall man I didn't know. Yirong County isn't very big, especially since I run a stall as a fortune-teller; almost everyone in the county has seen me. Seeing this unfamiliar man, I was sure he was an outsider. \I felt a bit puzzled, thinking, why did Zhuzi bring someone along? Especially since this man looked over forty at least, and he wasn't ugly. There's no way he's single too, right? \Regardless of whether my guess was right or wrong, for Zhuzi, especially since he never paid for readings, I had lost interest in doing this kind of unprofitable business. \I didn't greet them, holding to the principle of ‘less trouble is better', stuffed the leftover books into my bag, and carried the table as I left. \But I hadn't walked two steps when Zhuzi called out, “Tianyou, where are you going? I need to talk to you.” \I let out a slight snort through my nose, thinking, oh boy, don't come at me with that. What business could you possibly have with me? Isn't it just to ask about where your future wife is in her mother's womb?
I pretended not to hear it and even quickened my pace, but the stranger man got anxious and started chasing after me in long strides.
I glanced at him and increased my speed as well. Although my body wasn't as strong as his, and I was carrying a table, I considered my running ability decent. I figured I could easily lose this guy after a few blocks.
I ran quite a distance with that plan in mind. I guessed the man realized this too, and he hurriedly shouted, "Xiaoyou."
Those two words startled me, and I froze on the spot. Although it was a bit cringy to be called "Xiaoyou, Xiaoyou" by a grown man, I vaguely guessed his identity from the words he used.
I have a distant uncle named Ning Shirong who lives in a place called Ningu Village in Yanbei. I had visited that village a few times. The place is quite chaotic, with midnight rituals worshiping plague gods and certain ceremonies on designated days, and only my uncle's side of the family would call me Xiaoyou.
I stopped running in a hurry and, instead, called out suspiciously from a distance, asking, "Buddy, what do you want from me?"
The man kept shouting that he had something to tell me while running and even reached into his pocket. When he finally arrived next to me, panting heavily, I saw that he took out a letter.
I glanced at him and increased my speed as well. Although my body wasn't as strong as his, and I was carrying a table, I considered my running ability decent. I figured I could easily lose this guy after a few blocks.
I ran quite a distance with that plan in mind. I guessed the man realized this too, and he hurriedly shouted, "Xiaoyou."
Those two words startled me, and I froze on the spot. Although it was a bit cringy to be called "Xiaoyou, Xiaoyou" by a grown man, I vaguely guessed his identity from the words he used.
I have a distant uncle named Ning Shirong who lives in a place called Ningu Village in Yanbei. I had visited that village a few times. The place is quite chaotic, with midnight rituals worshiping plague gods and certain ceremonies on designated days, and only my uncle's side of the family would call me Xiaoyou.
I stopped running in a hurry and, instead, called out suspiciously from a distance, asking, "Buddy, what do you want from me?"
The man kept shouting that he had something to tell me while running and even reached into his pocket. When he finally arrived next to me, panting heavily, I saw that he took out a letter.
But that being said, since it was an inheritance left to me, I had no reason to refuse it. I calmed myself down a bit, carefully folded the letter and put it together with the tattered book into a pouch, then asked the strong man when he would return.
It was obvious that the strong man had come just to deliver the letter and had no intention of staying long in Yirong County; I understood that the sooner I could reach Ningu Village with him, the better.
Originally, I was someone who could eat my fill while my whole family went hungry, so of course I didn't hesitate. After carrying the table home, I immediately set off, heading towards that unexpected inheritance.
It was obvious that the strong man had come just to deliver the letter and had no intention of staying long in Yirong County; I understood that the sooner I could reach Ningu Village with him, the better.
Originally, I was someone who could eat my fill while my whole family went hungry, so of course I didn't hesitate. After carrying the table home, I immediately set off, heading towards that unexpected inheritance.
Watching this 'live' egg pain, little security sister...\ (Little An Meizi, this 'live broadcast' is painfully awkward...)
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