Chapter 28: Ups and Downs (6)

A red gate separated two worlds.
The shimmering waters of Qujiang Pond had nothing to do with them, nor did the glitz and glamour of the Lotus Garden. The ordinary people of Chang’an once again hustled to make a living—some opening their doors to welcome guests, others setting up stalls to sell goods.
Outside a Taoist temple on the northwest side of Chongye Fang, a crowd of onlookers gathered. Today was the day when Taoist priest Xuan Gan would teach his teachings. People from all over Chang’an flocked to Chongye Fang, hoping to find answers to their worldly troubles. After all, Taoist priest Xuan Gan knew everything about astronomy and geography—nothing was beyond his understanding. Even the emperor himself had once invited him to the palace to inquire about the mysteries of life and death.
Thus, the Futang Temple, where Taoist priest Xuan Gan resided, became a sacred place in the eyes of his followers, with many coming to pay their respects every day. (Note 1) However, the temple was limited in size, so it naturally couldn’t accommodate everyone. Those who arrived late left disappointed and dejected. Among the crowd stood a middle-aged man in a bright red brocade robe, standing out sharply among those dressed in plain clothes. He was Gao Dezhong, the chief steward in the household of Gao Xiuyan, the newly appointed general of the Jinyiwei. Lately, Gao Dezhong had felt uneasy and restless. Although his master had been promoted due to his merits, it seemed that good fortune had not followed him.
His master had married a beautiful seventh wife, who promoted her own brother to become the second steward, who in turn was doing very well…
Sigh, what a pile of frustrations!
He had thought that since his master was guarding the emperor in the Lotus Garden today, he could take the opportunity to visit Futang Temple to seek divine guidance and resolve his doubts. But alas, he arrived too late. In other places, Gao Dezhong would have rushed in with his men, ignoring rules like “first come, first served” or worldly conventions. But this place was a temple, and its master was none other than Taoist priest Xuan Gan. He didn’t want to risk losing years of his lifespan by barging into a sacred place—he was there to seek answers, not to risk his life.
“Let’s go!”
He gave an order to the two guards behind him, then waved his sleeves, ready to head back to his mansion.
But just as he stepped down the steps, a voice called out behind him.
“Sir, please wait. I observe that your forehead is sunken and narrow, lacking luster—this seems like an omen of misfortune!”

It turned out that beneath a plum tree not far from Futang Temple, there was a blackwood table, and behind that table stood a young man of about seventeen with a handsome face. The young man was dressed in a dark blue Bagua Taoist robe and was smiling as he observed Gao Dezhong. Gao Dezhong was already preoccupied, and upon hearing the Taoist’s words, his heart skipped a beat. “You… called me?” Gao Dezhong examined this “Taoist” carefully but could hardly relate him to the image of a sage he had in mind. “Vastness Supreme!” The young Taoist nodded and said, “Esteemed believer, I am the last disciple of Master Xuan Geng, with the Taoist name Xuan Yi. I find you quite familiar, and I couldn’t bear to see you suffer such misfortune, so I came to help.” “You…” Gao Dezhong gritted his teeth and managed to suppress his anger. Under normal circumstances, he would have ordered his guards to throw the young Taoist to the ground and beat him mercilessly, but now he felt uneasy. “Did you just say I have an ominous look?” Gao Dezhong swallowed hard, his throat moving slightly. “Vastness Supreme!” The young Taoist smiled and said, “Trying hard to appear profound only leads to emptiness in the end. People repeat the mistakes of those before them; when judging others, one should look at oneself. Life is like a dream—better not talk about it.” Gao Dezhong hated it when people left their sentences unfinished. Seeing the young Taoist hesitating, he hurriedly said, “For the sake of heaven, since this young man is Master Xuan Geng’s disciple, he must know the master’s principles. You mustn’t, you absolutely mustn’t stand by and do nothing!” “Vastness Supreme! Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. Though I wish to help this esteemed believer, alas…” The young Taoist shook his head and sighed. Gao Dezhong was filled with frustration; after all this, he was sweating profusely, yet he couldn’t think of a way to make the young Taoist reveal the secrets. Walking back and forth while resting one hand on his chin, he pondered for a long time before finally breaking into a smile. “Young man, how about this? You ask me questions, and I’ll answer them. After analyzing them, you write down a line of prophecy for me to ponder. This way, it won’t count as you revealing heavenly secrets.” “Vastness Supreme, it seems this is the only option.” The young Taoist nodded and smiled. “Let me ask you then—has anyone new joined the household recently?” “Yes, yes! My master just married his seventh wife. She’s as beautiful as a flower, more stunning than all others, and has captivated my master completely…” As he spoke, Gao Dezhong’s eyes grew distant, and saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, falling down about a foot long. “Uh…”

The little Taoist priest was momentarily stunned, then shook his head and said, “Vastness Heaven Lord! It’s better for this devout believer to stick to the important matters. Aside from your master’s newly married seventh wife, are there any other newcomers?”
Gao Dezhong wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth upon hearing this and gritted his teeth, saying, “Yes. That seventh wife, in order to cultivate her own allies, flattered her master and brought his younger brother to the mansion as the second manager. His brother has neither good looks nor eloquence—nothing but a good-for-nothing who relies on others for survival. Yet, unfortunately for him, he has a sister as beautiful as a fairy. Alas…”
The little Taoist priest’s cheeks turned red with frustration. He couldn’t believe that after all his efforts, the information he obtained was nothing but useless nonsense.
“Esteemed believer, please pause, pause for a moment…”
The little Taoist priest covered his forehead with his left hand and stretched his right hand toward Gao Dezhong, signaling him to slow down.
“Besides that seventh wife and her brother, are there any other newcomers in the mansion?”
Gao Dezhong fell into deep thought before sighing after a long while, “There are indeed some, but…”
The little Taoist priest clapped his hands and said, “When the wind passes, the pond leaves no trace; idle thoughts linger like stones and flowers. All things are ultimately dust; let fate decide right and wrong. Esteemed believer, you should follow heaven’s will and not defy it.”
“Well…”
Gao Dezhong thought for a while, glanced around, and saw that all the believers in front of Futang Temple had gone inside. He then stepped closer and whispered in the little Taoist priest’s ear, “My master met a group of newcomers in the study in the back yard some time ago. They didn’t seem to be Tang people. Could you be referring to them?”
The little Taoist priest calmed himself slightly and said, “That’s exactly them. Let me ask you again: Did those newcomers have deeply sunken eye sockets, dark complexions, high noses, long faces with narrow cheeks, and their hair tied in buns that curved upward on their foreheads?”
Gao Dezhong was shocked upon hearing this and stepped back, saying, “How does the little Taoist priest know? Yes, their appearance matches what you described.”
“Vastness Heaven Lord!”
The little Taoist priest nodded and said, “That’s it. Esteemed believer, do you realize that it is because of these newcomers that you may face disaster?”
“Why? Why?”
Gao Dezhong was both amazed by the little Taoist priest’s foresight and worried that his words might come true, so he eagerly wanted to know the outcome.
“As the saying goes, when fate reaches its limit, heaven acts; chaos arises naturally. Everyone’s destiny is predetermined, only the timing differs.”
Glancing at Gao Dezhong, who stared at him eagerly, the little Taoist priest sighed and did not answer his question directly.
“I see that your cheeks are plump, indicating that you had kind patrons in your youth and never lacked food or clothing.”

Xiaodaodao nodded at Gao Dezhong with a slight smile.
“Exactly! I was brought into the mansion as a young man and have been favored by the master, who has always supported me…”
Seeing that Xiaodaodao’s words were spot-on, Gao Dezhong trusted him even more.
“But as for this courtyard—look at those sparse eyebrows, the dull eyes, the sunken nosebridge; there’s likely to be a great disaster soon!”
Xiaodaodao shook his head, refusing to say another word.
Gao Dezhong was extremely frustrated. This Xiaodaodao kept circling around the issue without offering any solution. He took out a piece of meat from his satchel and placed it on the table, saying with a smile, “You truly possess the demeanor of a sage. Please tell me how to overcome this.”
“Om Infinite Sovereign!”
Xiaodaodao nodded. “If it’s someone fated to help, I’ll assist this devout believer. As I’ve said before, the believer’s forehead is dark, indicating illness and misfortune in the household. If the believer is willing, he should pay more attention to those strangers—they hold the secrets of fate…”
“This… this…”
Gao Dezhong looked at Xiaodaodao hesitantly, not knowing how to respond.
“What troubles the believer?”
Xiaodaodao narrowed his eyes at Gao Dezhong, making the manager shiver with fear.
“They’re all the master’s distinguished guests. I…”
“Om Infinite Sovereign! This is a critical moment for changing fate—how can there be such distractions? If the believer doesn’t trust me, he might as well give it a try!”
Xiaodaodao’s expression changed instantly as he raised his eyebrows.
“No, I believe you. I do. But once I know these secrets of fate, how can I resolve them?”
Gao Dezhong looked at Xiaodaodao pitifully, hoping he could give him an answer.
“That’s simple. Whenever you encounter something you don’t understand, come to me. I’ll always be outside Futang Temple. Then, tell me everything those strangers say and do, and I’ll surely help you overcome these hardships!”
“Thank you, sage! If I can survive this great disaster, I’ll donate plenty of money to your temple every year.”
Gao Dezhong bowed three times to Xiaodaodao before turning to leave. He needed to return to the mansion quickly to assign people to keep an eye on those strangers and uncover the secrets of fate.
“Om Infinite Sovereign! Wait a moment, believer!”
Xiaodaodao raised his head. “The believer forgot—I still haven’t given him the prophecy.”
After a brief pause, the young Taoist shook his head and said, “‘Naturally, flowers drift—such is their nature. The stream still flows east—such is its constant course. Understand the true mystery within, and you’ll see that every place on earth is a paradise.’ The believer must do more good to overcome these hardships.”

Note 1: Futang Temple was located in Chongye Fang of Chang’an City during the Tang Dynasty. It was originally the residence of the Crown Princess Xindu, the eldest daughter of Emperor Zhongzong. In the first year of Jingyun era (710), the princess gave birth to a son named Wuxian Guan, who later became a Taoist monk and established Futang Temple.