Chapter Fourteen: The Destitute Taoist

A headache—nothing else but that. When I saw the familiar patterned bed, the sofa, and the table and chairs, I let out a sigh of relief. It was probably Old Zhao who brought us back. Xiao Wei was sprawled on the sofa, snoring like thunder. I glanced at the clock; it was already two in the afternoon.

"Forget it, I’ll go out and get something to eat first."

I stepped outside, stretched lazily, and spotted an old man selling roasted sweet potatoes on the street. Suddenly, I had a craving.

"Sir, save me two roasted sweet potatoes, I’ll be back for them soon. The hotter, the better!"

"Of course, our sweet potatoes are especially sweet."

I thought about picking up some KFC or something similar for Xiao Wei. After last night’s deep conversation, I was surprised to learn that, despite all the time we’d spent together, he harbored deep feelings of inferiority. He usually seemed so carefree, but it turns out he was troubled by money matters. Even in my shop, he felt uncomfortable, as if he were a freeloader. If he hadn’t poured his heart out after drinking last night, I probably never would have noticed.

I suppose it’s partly my fault. After making some money, all I did was drag him around to eat, drink, and have fun, never realizing that my spending could be hurting his pride. People who feel inferior are always fragile, but I couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed.

"Did he ever really think of me as a brother? This tattoo shop is his home, isn’t it? Aren’t I his family..."

"Taoist priest, do you really think my son can get into Tsinghua or Peking University this year?" An aunt’s voice interrupted my pointless brooding. I looked up and saw a Taoist priest with a shabby stall, telling fortunes on the street.

He looked to be not quite forty, but his face bore an inexplicable air of weariness. The upper half of his Taoist robe was torn, so he threw on a beige jacket at random. His cloth shoes were worn through at the toes, revealing ugly black socks. His appearance was truly hard to endure.

"He must be a fraud," I thought, a wave of irritation rising within me. Ever since I entered this line of work, I’ve despised these charlatans—fake monks and priests who swindle people out of their money. On top of my foul mood after what happened with Xiao Wei, I couldn’t help myself. I walked over and said to the aunt, "Don’t believe him, Auntie. He’s probably a scammer. He’s just going to ask you for money."

"You’re sick, aren’t you? The master clearly said my son could get into Tsinghua or Peking University, but you’re saying he can’t. Are you cursing me? Are you deliberately trying to make trouble for me? Do you know how hard it is to raise a child, getting up early and working late..."

"I..." I was left speechless and frustrated. I had tried to help and got scolded instead. The aunt finally stopped her endless complaints, handed the priest a wad of red bills, shot me a glare, and left.

"Young man, why do you sabotage my business for no reason?" The priest didn’t look at me, but there was a hint of anger in his tone.

"I just can’t stand you lot, pretending to be mystical, no real skill, just trying to cheat people out of their money."

"Hahaha! I see you possess some unusual talents, and your fate is that of a ‘Nine Yin Gathering Ghost.’ I didn’t expect you to have such a hot temper—it won’t do you any good in the future."

"'Nine Yin Gathering Ghost?' I have no idea what you’re talking about," I replied, suddenly uneasy, and tried to leave.

"‘When a white cat enters the house, disasters are hard to avoid.’ Have you heard that before?"

It was as if a bolt of lightning struck my mind. Wasn’t that what happened to Xu Feifei? Could he be the very priest that Xu Feifei had chased out of her home?

"If it weren’t for the cat that ate real meat, the craft of Yin-Yang Embroidery wouldn’t have resurfaced in the world. For someone so young, you already possess such rare skills. Your future is boundless."

"So you do have some real abilities. I was too careless just now and ruined your business. Please accept my apology," I said, bowing.

"No, that woman’s son cannot get into Tsinghua or Peking University. But sometimes, the truth doesn’t give people hope. ‘The Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way.’ Fortune-tellers rarely know what their clients truly want; they just wish their desires would come true, even if they know it’s impossible."

He could make deceiving people sound so reasonable—what a sanctimonious fraud! I cursed him a hundred times in my heart, regretting that I almost felt respect for him.

"We’ll meet again. Though Yin-Yang Embroidery is miraculous, your understanding of the Eight Trigrams, fate, and the balance of Yin and Yang is far from complete. When the white cat truly devours a person, we’ll meet again." With that, the priest swept his sleeve and left.

I stood there staring blankly at his retreating figure when a shout came from afar, "Hey, young man, do you still want your sweet potatoes? I’m about to pack up!"

I hurried over to collect them. I had no mind to buy anything else and rushed back to the shop to reflect on the day’s strange events. Xiao Wei was singing in the shower. I couldn’t shake a sense of unease, so I quickly picked up my phone and called Xu Feifei. "Hey, old classmate, how have you been?"

"Oh, you wouldn’t believe it! Your tattoo really works! My husband now does whatever I say. I bought a luxury car, then some clothes, and in the end, I just booked an entire LV store for myself. My girlfriends are so jealous! Anyway, I’ll send you a red packet on WeChat. I’m off to a Michelin-starred restaurant for dinner."

I stared blankly at my WeChat as a two-thousand-yuan transfer popped up. Xu Feifei was as flashy as ever, but booking an entire luxury boutique was a bit much... Is this what it’s like to be rich?

She seemed fine, so why did that priest mention the white cat devouring someone? Was he just trying to scare me?

Xiao Wei came out of the bathroom. "Hey, Xu, you’re back? What good food did you get? Wait, you only brought two sweet potatoes? You’re so stingy."

"Take my phone and order your own delivery. I didn’t find anything good out there. By the way, when are you seeing Manager Wang?"

"Tomorrow at noon. Hey, you said you’d give me a magical tattoo last time, does that still count?"

"Of course. The design I’m giving you is called the Lucky Copper Coin."