Chapter 148: Hidden Secrets

I caught a useful bit of information, so I tossed away the skin of my second persimmon and looked at White Immortal. “Why? Why sew his face? Since you were the one who sewed the porcelain shards onto him, you should know what those charms mean, right?”

White Immortal gave a mysterious smile. “This isn’t the kind of thing a kid should hear. These are hidden secrets. If you want to know, you’ll have to give me something in return.”

He reached out and rubbed two fingers together in front of me. I thought to myself that old habits die hard, he hadn’t even said anything useful yet and he was already asking for money. However, I hesitated, because my curiosity about such matters was indeed very strong.

I felt around in my pockets, only to realize that on the night I went to Xinchang Bank, I hadn’t brought any cash with me at all. This was a bit embarrassing.

White Immortal saw that I had no money and clicked his tongue. “And here I thought you were a rich guy. I didn’t expect you to be a pauper just like me. Fine, we’ll put it on your tab for now. When you get back, you can transfer the money to my account. I want this much.”

He held up three fingers and waved them in front of me. I nearly lost my temper. “What the hell! Three thousand? You’re robbing me!”

“What? Take it or leave it. Talking about these things with outsiders often brings retribution. What’s wrong with me saving up a little for my own coffin?” White Immortal said, spreading his hands.

I didn’t want to listen to any more of his nonsense. This man talked too much, and listening to him for too long gave me a headache. I figured I would just treat it as if I had been bitten by a dog while walking. Three thousand it was. I hadn’t asked for this month’s living expenses yet, so at worst, I would just give him all the money I got and go work part-time at a fast-food place to cover my meals.

So I waved my hand. “Fine, fine, just tell me. If my Fourth Brother comes back in a bit, we won’t be able to talk.”

White Immortal coughed twice to clear his throat and asked me, “Have you ever heard the saying that those who reveal heavenly secrets must suffer five calamities?”

I shook my head, and White Immortal explained it to me.

This was an ancestral teaching of the Lu family, one of the Five Masters. The purpose of this teaching was to warn the descendants of the Lu family to always keep three points back in their words and actions. But their “keeping three points back” didn’t mean leaving a margin for others as most people understood it, it meant leaving a way out for themselves.

Because “those who reveal heavenly secrets must suffer five calamities,” specifically the “Five Banes and Three Deficiencies.” This referred to being a widower, a widow, an orphan, childless, or disabled, as well as lacking wealth, longevity, or power.

I talked with White Immortal for a long time. He spoke so much nonsense that if I recorded it all, I would probably ruin two more pens. Therefore, I will only provide a brief summary and some logical deductions regarding this piece of Lu family history.

Lu A’yao’s face had been mangled by lightning. Half of his face was a bloody mess. The lightning had almost struck him directly. If Lu Xiaosu hadn’t pulled him back, he might have died on the spot.

As for why the lightning struck so accurately, White Immortal said it was because Lu A’yao had said the wrong thing. He used a single sentence to save a life that was meant to end, so he had to use his own life to fill the void left by the one who should have died.

That was what White Immortal told me, but the explanation was very mysterious. I always felt that he wasn’t entirely sure of the specifics himself. Later, I became almost certain that ninety percent of the reason he said that at the time was to scam me out of my money.

First, he hadn’t been very old at the time, so his memory might have been flawed. Second, he was only responsible for sewing the porcelain shards and the rescue portion of the work. The porcelain shards had been brought over by Lu Xiaosu in a cloth bag. However, he was certain of one thing: Lu A’yao still had a faint breath when he was brought to the Bai family.

Speaking of which, I must mention the Lu family.

In the past, there were many children in the Lu family who possessed spiritual sensitivity. According to White Immortal, some could even accurately predict future events. The significance of these people was extraordinary, so in the early years, their family’s divination business was very large. Many were specially recruited to work for the higher-ups at a young age.

But things in this world are never simple once they involve power and money. Ordinary people seek divination to pursue luck and avoid misfortune, but the group of people who sought out the Lu family pursued much more than that. Consequently, the following years fully validated that ancestral teaching: “those who reveal heavenly secrets must suffer five calamities.”

The number of Lu family descendants decreased rapidly. They either died or were disabled.

The family line was severely depleted, and the question of who would take over as the head of the family slowly became a problem. Left with no other choice, Lu Xiaosu had to temporarily abandon her original plans and begin training the five year old Lu A’yao.

White Immortal’s narration came to an abrupt halt as crew members began entering the cabin one after another. The cabin quickly became lively. I packed up my things and went out for some air, seeing He Yu leaning against the ship’s railing with his arm around Lu A’yao’s shoulder, drinking beer.

He Yu saw me and immediately waved, tossing me the remaining can of beer. “Hurry up! What were you two chatting about?”

I caught the beer and walked over to them. I held it in my hand without drinking. He Yu smelled of alcohol and his face was as red as a monkey’s butt. This man had a very low tolerance for alcohol, but he loved to drink anyway. If he didn’t have a drink with his meal, he felt uncomfortable all over.

“Gan Ji, there are so many stars in the sky. I haven’t seen this many stars in a long time. They’re like those Night-Luminescent Pearls. Have you ever seen a Night-Luminescent Pearl?” He Yu started talking nonsense again. “I’m telling you, one Night-Luminescent Pearl is worth a whole house! A large luxury flat, do you understand?”

“What, Old He, thinking of changing careers?” I asked jokingly.

“You bet. I’ve wanted to change careers for a long time. I handle plenty of good stuff every day, but damn it, not a single piece belongs to me. It’s tempting! Tell me, why don’t I have that kind of luck? Is it just not in my fate?”

I laughed when I heard him say that. “What more do you want? Isn’t it good enough that we’re healthy like this?”

He Yu pouted and looked at the sky. After watching for a moment, he nodded. “True. You’ve got a point. What more could I want?”

As we chatted, the conversation eventually died down. He Yu and I leaned over the railing together, while Lu A’yao leaned his back against the side of the ship, staring blankly. I looked up at the brilliant stars in the sky. I would bet that the number of stars that night was the most I had ever seen in my life.

Just then, the Jade Bi hanging around my neck slipped out from my clothes. I set down the beer and took the jade off, catching a glimpse of Lu A’yao in the moonlight. I held the jade up to one eye.

This jade was of excellent quality. Even ignoring its age, it would be considered a premium item in today’s market. Through the jade, I could see Lu A’yao’s blurred silhouette nearly merging with the moonlight, while that thin vein of blood-red staining looked like a range of mountains stretching across my vision.

Lu A’yao moved, and I took the opportunity to hold the jade out to him. “Here, it’s yours.”

He glanced at the jade and then looked at me calmly, making no move to take it.

I knew he was waiting for me to speak. He likely expected that the White Immortal would tell me a few things, and since he could probably guess most of it anyway, I didn’t plan on hiding anything. “He was telling me about the porcelain shards on your face, and he tried to extort money from me.”

“It’s a lie. Don’t give him a single cent,” Lu A’yao said bluntly.

I was a bit surprised and asked him, “If you don’t mind, could you tell me about it?”

Lu A’yao shook his head. “I don’t mind at all. I only keep quiet because I don’t remember it. I have no clear memories of anything before I was six. The people of the Lu family can calculate their own ends, and so can I. Besides, I can feel the passage of my own life force.”

Seeing how he didn’t seem to want to struggle for survival at all, a surge of anger rose within me. I quickly turned my back to him and pinched the philtrum above my lip a few times, taking several deep breaths. I told myself not to get angry. Feudal superstition was a killer, and he had clearly been poisoned by it. Breaking such beliefs was going to be a long process.

Turning back around, I gave him a bright smile and clapped Lu A’yao firmly on the shoulder twice. “There are still more than ten years until you hit forty, as you said. We can take our time to find a solution. Who can say for sure what will happen? You haven’t even been to a proper hospital. How do you know this isn’t just some rare medical condition?”

“No,”

Lu A’yao started to speak, but I immediately cut him off. “Regardless, we all have to live well for our own sakes. Don’t you agree, He Yu?”

He Yu didn’t answer me, so I called out again.

“He Yu?”

There was still no response. A wave of annoyance washed over me. What was this? Had I been performing a solo comedy routine all this time? Where had my straight man gone? For a patient like Lu A’yao, whose heart was so deeply rooted in feudal superstition, the effectiveness of this therapy was definitely going to take a hit!

I looked back, only to find that He Yu had collapsed onto the deck at some point and was fast asleep.