"You’re wrong! You are here to collect a debt!" The fortune-teller took paper and pen and said to Li Banfeng, "Write a character first."
This was for character analysis.
Li Banfeng asked cautiously, "How much does character analysis cost?"
"Not a penny!" The fortune-teller waved his hand. "I’m not after your money. I see you’re a person of loyalty and righteousness, and I want to help you break this calamity."
"If it’s free, then that’s fine." Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly and wrote the character ’Xiang’ on the paper.
After looking at it, the fortune-teller’s expression grew even more solemn. "This is a sign of great misfortune. Through the paper, I can even smell the scent of blood."
"What smell? Why can’t I smell it?" Li Banfeng was very nervous.
"Take a closer look. This ’Xiang’ character: ’wood’ beside ’eye’. Blood is right before your eyes."
Li Banfeng was confused. "How does ’wood’ relate to bloodshed?"
"If there’s a thorn on the wood, would it not bleed if it pricks your hand?"
"That would definitely bleed."
"What if a wooden pole pokes into an eye, would that not be fatal?"
"That would definitely be fatal!"
The fortune-teller nodded. "That’s why I said you’re here to collect a debt. Once you came to Soda Kiln, your friend’s fate was sealed."
Li Banfeng was terrified. He wiped the sweat from his face and stood up. "Then I’ll just leave."
"Too late!" The fortune-teller sighed repeatedly. "You’ve come, and the fatal alignment has occurred; your friend cannot escape this disaster."
"That won’t do!" Li Banfeng clasped his hands together and squatted on the ground. His voice trembled as if he was about to cry. "I came to repay a kindness, how could I cause the death of my friend!"
"What a sincerely good man! It’s rare to see someone like you, so loyal and righteous in this day and age." The fortune-teller nodded. "Meeting you today is also a kind of fate. I’ll wager half my life’s cultivation level to think of a way to break this calamity for you. First, tell me your friend’s name and where he lives."
"I don’t know his name."
The fortune-teller was taken aback. "What do you mean? Didn’t you say you had a life-and-death bond?"
"There is a life-and-death bond. In the past, to fulfill a wish of mine, he entrusted his life to me."
The fortune-teller was even more puzzled. "If you have such a deep bond, how can you not know his name?"
Li Banfeng wiped away tears and said, "He wouldn’t say. He just said he was a Jiang Xiang of Jianghu and that his home was in Soda Kiln. That’s why I wrote the ’Xiang’ character."
Upon hearing this, the fortune-teller fell silent for a moment.
A Jiang Xiang of Jianghu is how Disciples of the Jiang Xiang Gang refer to themselves.
The fortune-teller asked, "What age is your friend, and what does he look like?"
Li Banfeng replied, "Over fifty years old, quite thin, a bit dark in complexion, and speaks and acts with great kindness."
The fortune-teller sank into thought.
It was normal not to be certain, since Li Banfeng hadn’t mentioned any truly distinguishing features. According to his description, one could find many such people on any street.
The fortune-teller was conflicted.
But after deliberating for a while and seeing Li Banfeng’s simple and honest appearance, the fortune-teller still decided to proceed with this "business."
"I’ll cast a divination to see if I can help you find your friend. After you meet him, how do you plan to repay his kindness?"
Li Banfeng continued to speak truthfully, "I’ve brought many good things, but I can’t tell you what they are. Once I see my friend, I’ll give him all these good things, and I’ll give you a share too."
"A kind soul, looked upon with pity by the heavens! I will certainly help you with this." The fortune-teller took out his Counting Rods and first asked Li Banfeng for his birthdate and time.
Li Banfeng didn’t know when he was born, so he completely fabricated the details.
After his calculation, the fortune-teller packed up his stall. "Follow me. Your friend’s whereabouts have been divined. Whether you can save him or not depends on both your fortunes."
Seeing Li Banfeng about to follow the fortune-teller, the proprietress of the soda stall grew extremely anxious. She wanted to stop him but dared not utter a word.
The fortune-teller led Li Banfeng through streets and alleys, chatting with him continuously and constantly praising his loyalty and righteousness.
These were the Kun Ma techniques of the Jiang Xiang Gang, emphasizing: Investigation, Probing, Intimidation, Deception, Flattery, and Selling.
Investigation meant observing expressions and listening for hidden meanings. Noticing Li Banfeng looking around as he walked, the fortune-teller deduced he was an outsider.
Probing involved asking indirect questions to extract information. Though the two were strangers, the fortune-teller had extracted a lot of information from Li Banfeng.
Intimidation meant scaring the target by emphasizing that disaster was imminent. After these three steps, the preliminaries were complete.
After the preliminaries, the main act began. Deception involved misleading the target by connecting unrelated things; making Li Banfeng undergo the character analysis was such a method.
Flattery meant gaining Li Banfeng’s trust through compliments.
Selling was self-promotion. By this stage, the deal was considered sealed.
All along the way, Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly and believed every word the fortune-teller said. In the fortune-teller’s view, this business was as good as done.
The fortune-teller’s only remaining uncertainty was whether this man was a friend of someone at the helm.
Reaching a small alley, the fortune-teller pinched his fingers as if making a quick calculation, then said to Li Banfeng, "Wait here. The fated calamity is not far ahead. I’ll go see if your friend is caught within it."