Reason (one)

  Reason (one)

  In the Song Dynasty, in the first year of Xuanhe and Yuanyou, the Emperor issued a great amnesty throughout the empire.

  On this day, Xinde Town was bustling with people, and everyone was in high spirits. It was the day of the monthly temple fair, and people were all dressed up, asking each other about their well-being.

  There was an old man with white hair, a white beard and wearing a white robe. He held a long pole in his hand with a cloth strip attached to it, on which were written the four big characters "Reincarnation Cycle". Beside him followed closely a five-year-old child. The child was indeed a child, looking around curiously in this bustling street, still wearing a monkey-faced mask, looking very well-behaved.

  In the midst of a bustling crowd, these two people didn't have anything special about them, so nobody paid attention to them. The old man also wasn't planning on finding a place to set up his fortune-telling stall. As it was approaching noon, they walked into a hotel.

  The young waiter was very attentive, today was his chance to make money, and he wouldn't let anyone go. While waiting for the dishes, this kid didn't take off his mask either, maybe it's his nature, greedy for freshness. The hotel wasn't short of people, three partners were busy beyond recognition. And that old man and child whispered something to each other.

  "Little two." The old man spoke up.

  "Old man, what's up? Your wine and dishes will be ready soon."

  "It doesn't matter, I have other things to attend to. Is your boss surnamed Zheng?"

  "Is that so? Do you know our shopkeeper?"

  "Hehe, I don't know, but can you help me translate a sentence?"

  "You said it." The shopkeeper didn't care about the shouting of many people behind him.

  "Born at dawn, destroyed by fire."

  The shopkeeper put down his abacus and rushed over to the old man, bowing his fist in greeting before even sitting down.

  "Old man, it was you who spread the rumor just now."

  "Not bad."

  At this time, wine and dishes were already served. The old man slowly drank his wine, while the child pushed up half of his mask, revealing his nose and mouth, and gnawed on a chicken leg.

  "What else can I learn from you?" The shopkeeper seemed a bit anxious.

  "Hehe, don't worry, young master, when we reach the mountain, there will be a way."

  "To be honest with you, what you just said is exactly what that gentleman said thirty years ago when I opened this tavern. He also said that in thirty years, there would be a noble person to help me. Could it be?"

  The old man didn't say a word, just looked at the little kid eating beside him and occasionally touched his head, just like a grandfather loving his grandson. The shopkeeper also understood something and immediately said:

  "Add two more dishes, and put this one on my bill."

  The old man hastily cupped his hands and said, "Shopkeeper, you misunderstood. I'm not saying I can't afford to pay for this meal. It's just that this is a heavenly secret, and speaking out might harm me. At my age, it doesn't matter, but my grandson is still young."

  The shopkeeper was a businessman and heard it all: "Don't worry, as long as you can get through this ordeal, I'll support the two of you for the rest of your lives."

  "No need, no need, we just want to settle down here and make a living by borrowing your good land."

  What a wonderful thing, who would be unwilling? The shopkeeper personally agreed to it.

  "Does this tavern have a backyard?"

  "Some."

  "Alright, starting tonight, you will place three large water vats in the rear courtyard at the Xun, Dui, and Zhen positions. Fill them to the brim with water, so full that one more drop would make it overflow. Then, float three plates on top of the water and light candles on them. Next, take the Qian, Kun, and Kan positions and pile up three mounds of earth, inserting three incense sticks into each mound. Have someone keep watch over these and relight them as soon as they go out. Both earth and water can overcome fire, but whether we can avoid this calamity depends on whether heaven will lend a hand."

  The shopkeeper immediately set out to arrange for someone to prepare. The old man turned around and looked at the child beside him.

  "Grandfather, do you know that Huo De Xing Jun is right now in his backyard."

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