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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Siling lightly knocked on the security door, and soon the peephole opened. A deep, magnetic male voice asked, "Who is it?"
"Teacher Su, hello, I am Aunt Liu from across the hall," Liu Siling replied respectfully.
The security door opened, revealing a young man in his thirties.
He stood about 1.75 meters tall with a slender build, wearing a white shirt that appeared dazzlingly bright in the dim light of the corridor. However, he was positioned against the light, so she couldn't see his face clearly.
The mother and daughter walked into the room. Qi Luoling brushed past him at the door and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.
He had well-defined features and a refined appearance, exuding an innate charisma.
She couldn't help but sigh; nowadays, even fortune tellers looked elegant and refined, completely devoid of the roughness typical of people from the streets. With his looks and stature, he was above average among men; it was truly a pity for him to be a fortune teller.
They walked into his living room, where he invited them to sit casually.
The living room was simply and elegantly decorated, with only black and white colors throughout. The simple arrangement hinted at a certain mysterious aura.
"This must be Miss Qi?" he said, looking at her with piercing eyes.
Her heart inexplicably skipped a beat. She had an innate wariness towards strangers, which had been with her since childhood. In contrast, she was accustomed to familiar people and things. Due to her personality, she disliked meeting strangers, especially those who were deep and enigmatic.
"Yes," she replied somewhat coldly, forcing a slight smile at the corners of her mouth.
"Teacher Su, this is my youngest daughter Qi Luoling. I apologize for any awkwardness. We came today because I mentioned before that I would like you to read a fortune for my daughter," Liu Siling said with a smile.
"Um, please follow me, Miss Qi," he said expressionlessly.
Liu Siling pulled Qi Luoling along, preparing to follow the fortune teller.
"Aunt Liu, please stop. We have an unwritten rule that only the principal person can enter the divination room. Others are not allowed to enter, I hope you understand," he turned his head and said calmly.
Liu Siling stood awkwardly in place, feeling embarrassed, then gave Qi Luoling a look, signaling her to go in alone.
Let it be a fortune-telling; why make it so mysterious? Is it really necessary? she thought to herself.
Qi Luoling followed him into a room at the back.
The curtains in the room were drawn, and the light inside was dim. As soon as she entered, she was startled to see a large portrait at the door. The portrait depicted a thin, sharp-eyed old fortune teller wearing sunglasses. Caught off guard, she thought she had encountered a ghost.
In the middle of the room was an office desk about the size of a ping-pong ball, with a white desk lamp shining brightly in the center. Four thick red candles were lit at each corner of the desk, and red candles were also lit in each corner of the room. The flickering flames swayed in the darkness, and wax dripped down like large tears.
At this moment, the fortune teller was already seated in a black chair at the desk, a mysterious smile playing at the corners of his mouth. It was as if he had set up a dense black web, quietly waiting for her to step into it.
The closer she walked into that dark room, the larger her shadow became under the candlelight, looming on the white wall behind her, somewhat eerie and frightening.
She approached the desk, where there was a square wooden chair behind it. When she sat down, she felt a chill from the chair's surface.
The temperature in this room was noticeably lower than outside. She instinctively surveyed her surroundings; this was a north-facing room. Coupled with the dim lighting, she suddenly felt a cold breeze sweep past her, sending chills down her back.
A shiver ran through her; the hard chair back felt uncomfortable. So she shifted in her seat, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible in this unsettling environment.
"I feel that Miss Qi is not very enthusiastic. Is it that she doesn't believe in divination, or is she skeptical of me?" He squinted, a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth making his narrow eyes appear even more eerie in the dim light.
"It's not that I don't believe; I'm just very curious about the scientific basis of divination," she maintained a formal posture.
"Alright, first, do you think philosophy is a science?"
"Of course. Einstein once said: Philosophy is the mother of all scientific research. I firmly believe that philosophy is both a worldview and a methodology."
"I think you include many philosophies accepted by modern people, which are largely derived from Western philosophical content. However, you know very little about the foundational Chinese philosophy—the I Ching."
"Yes, what you say cannot be denied; indeed, regarding the I Ching, we only know it as a tool for divination."
"In fact, many people do not know that the I Ching is one of the most important methodological thoughts in ancient Chinese philosophical systems. Methodologically speaking, it describes a simple approach that shifts people's focus from various changes in things to exploring the origins of the world. Among the Six Classics advocated by Confucian Thought, the I Ching can indeed be regarded as a philosophical classic."
"Since it is a classic of ancient Chinese philosophy, is it a book of divination or a book of reasoning? If it is merely a book of divination, wouldn't that be a waste of the great classic wisdom of Chinese culture?"
"You are absolutely right; the foundational theoretical thoughts of Traditional Chinese Medicine inherit the theories of yin and yang and holism from the I Ching. However, it is an undeniable historical fact that the I Ching was used for divination and fortune-telling. Using the I Ching for fortune-telling also has certain logical principles; it is not an unfounded practice."
"Why do you say it has certain logical principles?"
"It has a rigorous theoretical model and a series of potential theoretical assumptions. First, it believes that every person has information about their 'destiny' (including past, present, and future) existing in the universe. It also presupposes that the sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred eighty-four lines contain various kinds of information from the universe. When asking spirits through mysterious divination methods, those spirits must know and play a hidden role during the process of casting yarrow sticks, allowing you to obtain a specific hexagram. You can then interpret that hexagram's lines to understand specific destiny information and make decisions to 'seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.'"
Qi Luoling smiled, "So how accurate is this kind of divination?"
"The research results of Swiss psychologist Jung on the I Ching indicate that under certain psychological states, reaching conclusions through divination that align with actual situations is quite common. Psychological events emerging from the subconscious sometimes coincide with external events in meaningful ways—perfectly matching each other. Therefore, he believes that formal divination activities can symbolically reveal a person's subconscious, thus demonstrating the wonderful correspondence and parallelism between the psychological world and the real world—this is a connection completely different from causality, which Jung referred to as the 'Synchronicity Principle.'"
"Oh, that's so amazing, it's my first time hearing about it."
"This principle, for example, is when things you dream about happen in reality, when your premonitions come true, or when you experience telepathy during the misfortunes of loved ones... These are all real and have profound meanings. This principle is what Jung referred to as the 'Synchronicity Principle,' an existence that transcends causality."
His words deeply pierced her heart, causing her to involuntarily recall that extraordinary dream once again. Could it be that the scenes she dreamed of would really happen in reality? Did that dream already foreshadow her miscarriage, the death of the fetus in her womb?
Thinking about it made her hair stand on end, feeling a chill run through her.
"Well, what you're saying seems reasonable; I can reluctantly accept it. So please do a reading for my fortune next year," Qi Luoling said, feeling an indescribable fear inside her, hoping to quickly end this divination and leave the room.
"A reluctant mindset won't work. Only with a sincere heart can my divination be accurate."
Qi Luoling nodded with a half-smile.
The mysterious divination began.
Before the divination, he asked her to truthfully provide her name, address, the reason for the divination, and any questions she needed predictions for or doubts she had.
She followed his requests one by one. Regarding the reason for the divination, she wanted to know if she would become pregnant next year and about her health status.
Then he took three ancient coins from a drawer and placed them into a bamboo tube. Shaking the tube, he finally tossed the coins onto the table and began recording something with a pen.
After tossing the coins six times in total and recording each result, he put down his pen, furrowed his brows tightly, and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Her heart sank.
“Divination Result Not good, it is the Twenty-Ninth Hexagram, a very unfavorable hexagram.”
“What does the hexagram say?”
“The hexagram name is Kan Represents Water, formed by two overlapping Kan Hexagrams.”
“What does it mean?”
“Kan symbolizes water. Do you know South Korea's National Flag? It has four hexagrams on top, representing heaven, earth, water, and fire, among which there is the Kan Hexagram representing water. However, your hexagram consists of two Kan Hexagrams, symbolizing heavy difficulties and dangers, referred to as 'double danger.' The Kan Hexagram signifies danger in terms of its symbolism, indicating an objective environment that is extremely perilous, full of obstacles and challenges to action.”
Although she didn't quite believe in divination, this result made her feel uneasy.
“So how can it be resolved?”
“Miss Qi, don't panic. In terms of the Kan Hexagram symbolizing water, the journey is fraught with danger, but it is up to you to overcome these obstacles and reach the other side. By the way, I will give you a blessed Jade Buddha. I hope it can help you turn misfortune into good fortune.”
He took an object from the drawer under the table and handed it to her. It was a Jade Green Buddha Pendant, strung together with two strands of Red Thread.
She took the pendant, held it in her hand, and silently looked at it. Under the candlelight, the small jade piece emitted a warm glow.
“Miss Qi, I see that the color of your nails is too red, indicating excessive wind and heat toxins. Have you been feeling any soreness in your muscles and bones lately, especially in your right arm?” he asked casually.
She was startled and her expression changed. She thought it was amazing that he could see that. Recently, her right arm had indeed been sore because the Butterfly Birthmark had been turning increasingly red and transparent, causing some discomfort in her arm.
“I didn’t calculate it; don’t be nervous. I just have a basic understanding of traditional Chinese medicine and observed your color,” he said with a smile.
"Indeed, that's the case, because I have a birthmark on my right upper arm. It seems to be a bit inflamed recently," Qi Luoling said candidly.
"Can I take a look?"
She hesitated for a few seconds, rolled up her sleeve, revealing the Butterfly Birthmark.
He couldn't contain his excitement and stood up eagerly to get a better look at the birthmark.
Suddenly realizing he was being inappropriate, he awkwardly smiled and said, "Your Butterfly Birthmark is really special, so vivid, like a pattern stuck on."
She lowered her head and remained silent. The feeling of having a part of her body judged by someone else made her uncomfortable, even though she had voluntarily shown it.
Noticing her embarrassment, he walked over to her side, took the Maitreya pendant from her hand, gently put it on her, and said, "Everything will be alright."
She looked up and forced a smile.
He sighed deeply within himself; it was such a pity for such a young and beautiful woman to have to deal with this Divination Result. Everyone has a heart that cherishes beauty, and he was no exception, but it was limited because he could not forget his professional identity.
After Qi Luoling and Liu Siling left, he gently closed the door and locked it. Returning to that dim and cold room, he took out his phone from his pocket, dialed a number, and with a cold expression said, "I have confirmed the identity."
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