The next day, the sun rose crimson from the east. The capital, which had been boisterous all night, seemed a little tired at sunrise. Pedestrians on the road were sparse, but shops selling breakfast had already opened one after another. The aroma of grains, oil, and meat rose with the wisps of cooking smoke.
The Drum Tower struck twelve beats, and the heavy city gates slowly opened. The sound of the gate axles turning was like thunder. In the remaining dim night, two wanderers, one large and one small, stood before the gates.
The smaller one looked not yet crowned, dressed in moon-white monk robes, with a smooth head devoid of any ordination scars, clearly a novice monk from a temple. He carried a long white banner on his shoulder, its surface rolled up and not unfurled.
The larger one was eight feet tall, bare-chested, revealing a set of fair and handsome muscles. Aside from his trousers, his entire body was covered only by a pure white face mask, making him look rather odd.
The morning sun gilded them with a golden edge. Half of their faces were enveloped in light, casting deep shadows like ravines, and their clear eyes were like morning stars, shining brightly.
They truly looked like two great heroes, two great stalwarts!
Unfortunately, the two good men were stopped by the Guards before they even stepped through the city gates.
"Who are you? Why have you come to the capital? And you, take off your face mask and get some clothes. You cannot enter improperly dressed!"
These soldiers guarding the capital were all once part of the imperial court's establishment, later rehired by the wealthy and influential families within the city, still responsible for monitoring new arrivals.
These words left Mo Yun speechless, and Simon immediately stepped forward.
"Amitabha! This benefactor, you are bringing disaster upon yourself with your words!"
"Cut the act! So young and already up to no good! This old man has guarded these city gates for so many years, seen all sorts of people! Don't try that trick!" The soldier with two mouse whiskers on his lip waved his hand as if shooing away a beggar. The surrounding soldiers also gathered, looking as if they were about to throw them out.
"Oh, you shouldn't say that. If This humble monk is not mistaken, benefactor, you lost about thirty taels of silver at the gambling house yesterday, didn't you? Tsk, it's a pity it wasn't due to your poor gambling skills, but because you were cheated by someone!"
The mouse-whiskered soldier's face darkened, and he muttered, "That Liu Qishou, playing tricks on me..." Then he looked at Simon warily, "This... young master, you can tell fortunes and read faces, right? May I ask why you have come to the capital?"
"You just said I tell fortunes and read faces, so of course I'm here to make money." Simon unfurled the long banner. It was blank, but waving it still had an imposing aura. "Listen up! This humble monk is the Monk Miaoji, who knows five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future, understands astronomy above and geography below, can deduce good and bad fortune, locate dragon veins and auspicious points with ease, and is mighty in subduing demons and expelling evil spirits!"
His voice, a honking duck's croak having just passed puberty, boasted so loudly it shook the heavens. Just looking at his posture was quite intimidating.
The mouse-whiskered soldier was quite troubled. "Alright, This humble one understands. Young Master Miaoji, please enter, but this strong man cannot enter the city without a shirt."
Simon glared, about to start making things up, when a team of carriages arrived outside the city, stopping behind them.
The curtain of the leading four-horse carriage was pulled aside, and an old man dressed as a steward emerged, speaking to the soldiers, "My master invites these two strong men to get into the carriage for a chat. You may all return to your posts."
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers were all very respectful, seemingly having encountered their employer.
Simon rubbed his bald head, grinned at the old man, and unceremoniously handed over the long banner he held, then pulled Mo Yun into the carriage.
Once inside, it was immediately clear that the master of this household was extraordinary.
The carriage compartment was as spacious as Simon's living quarters in Shaolin. In the middle, a string of East Sea tortoiseshell pearl curtains separated the interior and exterior. On the Guangnan purple sandalwood table, an array of fine lacquerware and porcelain was displayed. Several layers of thick Shu brocade silk covered the floor, and a complete Liaodong white tiger skin lay in the center. The faint scent of South Sea agarwood filled the room, its aroma strong and invigorating, refreshing to the senses. Looking up, the ceiling was inlaid with a white jade carving of a coiled dragon stirring up the rivers, elegant in quality and soft in color, with a circle of Suihou pearls embedded around the edge, clean and brilliant.
Mo Yun raised an eyebrow, transmitting a message to Simon, "This person is at least one of the capital's prominent noble families."
Simon nodded, saying nothing.
The old steward, appearing from somewhere, produced a clean brocade shirt and handed it to Mo Yun. The swordsman silently lowered his head and put on the clothes.
Once he had changed, the steward stood outside the pearl curtain and announced loudly, "The two distinguished guests have arrived!"
Immediately, a crisp, clear laugh came from behind the screen within the pearl curtain. A woman dressed in a first-rank crimson gauze and gold-embroidered gown lifted a corner of the curtain and beckoned to Simon and Mo Yun, "Guests, please come in and have a cup of clear tea!"
Simon narrowed his eyes, pressed his palms together in a salute, and uttered a Buddhist invocation, "Amitabha, greetings, benefactor."
"Namo Luyuan Bodhisattva, greetings, young master, please come in quickly!" This woman of a prominent family was very humble and enthusiastic, and, as expected, a devotee of Simon.
Passing through the pearl curtain and around the screen, they sat opposite each other at a root-carved tea table. The woman poured a cup of green tea for each of them.
Mo Yun took the white porcelain teacup, and without lifting his face mask, gently sniffed it, praising, "Pre-Qingming Dragon Well tea, it's more than just simple clear tea."
The woman gave a polite smile and turned to ask Simon, "Is young master satisfied?"
"Tea tasting is not about the quality of the flavor, but about the state of one's mind," Simon said, putting on airs.
"I didn't expect you to have such insight at such a young age," the woman smiled slightly. "My old servant just heard you boast about knowing five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future. I wonder if it's true or false."
"If you don't believe This humble monk, I'll read your palm, and you'll know."
"Which hand?"
"Right first, then left."
The woman extended her hand, but he didn't look at it. Instead, he first stared at the woman's face, constantly counting on his right fingers as if a lotus flower was blooming, while muttering incantations. In reality, he was using his Heavenly Eye to roughly understand the woman's life.
"Not Sun, not Wang... not Qian, not Zhao..."
"...Hmm, benefactor, you live a life of luxury and were born into royalty. Ah, your surname is Quan, given name Suhuan, and you are thirty-two years old. Is that correct?"
"That's right."
Then Simon carefully observed Quan Suhuan's palm, using the techniques learned from palmistry books to interpret her hand.
"Long fingers, short palm, the dragon devours the tiger. Benefactor must be a person who thinks things through carefully before acting... Fine palm, thin flesh. Alas, low fortune..."
Humans have seven innate qualities: perseverance, bravery, intelligence, calmness, flexibility, meticulousness, and fortune. The main purpose of palmistry is to discern the high and low, strong and weak points of these seven.
Quan Suhuan possessed ample flexibility and calmness, followed by meticulousness and perseverance. The remaining three were severely lacking. As a member of the nobility, she was a conservative person, sufficient to maintain the family's foundation, but unable to accomplish anything groundbreaking.
Simon's analysis continued, and Quan Suhuan nodded in agreement repeatedly.
"Truly a divine calculation!" Quan Suhuan gestured to the steward. The old servant then went to a cabinet nearby and took out two jade treasures, placing them on a small table beside the tea sea.
Such treasured ornaments often possessed mystical abilities, providing certain benefits to their owners, and were highly sought-after goods.
"A small gift, not much, but I wonder if young master has any insights into Buddhist scriptures?"
"I wouldn't dare say insights, just a little something I've gained."
"Please move to my residence and stay for a few days. This humble one has many unclear points that I would like to ask you about."
Mo Yun couldn't help but ask, "There's the Great Xiangguo Temple right here in the capital, why doesn't madam go there to listen to the scriptures?"
Simon coughed, "It's better to obey than to be respectful!"
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