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Upon seeing Gu Ping throw the copper coins, a man stroked his beard, seemingly deep in thought. Curious passersby stopped to watch Dong Lai. After a while, Old Taoist realized that some people found it boring and left. He then glanced at Gu Ping and said, "It seems trouble is looming."
"Is there any way out?" Gu Ping asked.
Old Taoist stroked his beard again, remaining silent until he had straightened it completely. He shook his head and replied, "I’m afraid not. Over there, it’s a dead end."
As he spoke, he pointed to where the copper coins had landed, but Gu Ping couldn’t see Minghong. A bystander shouted, "Don’t listen to that old man; he’s just trying to swindle you out of your money with his nonsense."
Gu Ping looked at Old Taoist and pulled out a silver ingot, placing it on the ground as he said, "Let’s try again."
Afterward, he picked up the copper coins one by one and then clasped his legs together to begin shaking them. While shaking, he glanced at Old Taoist. Old Taoist looked at Gu Ping with some pity but didn’t say anything, simply waiting for Gu Ping to toss the copper coins again.
Gu Ping recalled how he felt when he first saw Old Taoist. Despite being in a crowded area, he felt that Old Taoist stood out among the throng of people. Even though the path was narrow and crowded, no one seemed to bump into him.
Gu Ping believed that Old Taoist must have some insight to share, so he followed him closely. Although Old Taoist initially said nothing, upon seeing Gu Ping pull out the silver ingot, he immediately agreed to tell Gu Ping’s fortune.
Gu Ping was momentarily stunned, feeling as if he had been caught in a trap. Since the offer had been made, he decided to go ahead with the reading, even though Old Taoist seemed reluctant to elaborate.
Old Taoist had never encountered such an ominous reading before; all the copper coins revealed a singular message: death. But how could an ordinary person have such a terrifying omen? It was truly dreadful—more frightening than any other sign he had seen. He had originally wanted to guide Yi Dong through this confusion but now realized that seeking good fortune was futile.
With a clatter, Gu Ping's copper coins fell to the ground once more. Old Taoist examined the scattered coins; although they landed in different spots this time, they were still entirely similar. He looked at Gu Ping and shook his head. The omen remained unchanged; there was nothing I could alter—this must be fate.
"Do I believe in fate?" Gu Ping asked as he pulled out another silver ingot and placed it on the ground before picking up the copper coins again to repeat his earlier actions.
The Old Taoist knew that his divination would not be wrong, yet the young man's gaze held a strong desire for life that was almost overwhelming. The Old Taoist could not understand what sustained him, nor why this young man was so persistently attached to something.
Once again, the copper coin fell to the ground as the Old Taoist began to interpret the hexagram. It was the same as before; he could not deny it. What kind of great terror was this young man facing? As he studied the hexagram, he suddenly noticed a drop of water fall to the ground. He looked up at Gu Ping, realizing that the young man was drenched in sweat. At that moment, he felt that perhaps he should let this young man go.
"What’s the outcome?" Gu Ping asked. At this point, passersby were calling the Old Taoist a fraud, and some even suggested that Gu Ping was in cahoots with him to swindle money.
The Old Taoist shook his head for the third time; he believed.
When it came to answering Gu Ping's earlier question, the Old Taoist remained silent. Gu Ping, seemingly unfazed, pulled out more silver and began picking up the copper coins again. The Old Taoist felt a pang of sympathy seeing this young man in such despair and reached out to grab Gu Ping's ankle. Perhaps he was wrong; he decided not to guess anymore.
Gu Ping looked at the Old Taoist and pushed his leg away with his right foot, nodding slightly before continuing to gather the coins.
It was the fourth time now, Gu Ping thought to himself. He heard nearby onlookers calling him foolish, saying he was in league with that Old Taoist. Many found it boring and had already walked away, but Gu Ping remained undeterred, still shaking the coins in his pocket.
He released his leg, letting the copper coins fall with a clatter, then looked at the Old Taoist with hopeful eyes.
The Old Taoist merely glanced over and shook his head without lifting it.
Gu Ping pulled out more silver and placed it on the ground for the fifth time. He thought about what might happen next and went back to picking up the coins. The Old Taoist saw how determined Gu Ping was but chose not to dissuade him; he understood that once a path was set, it could not be changed.
The copper coins fell again as the old man shook his head. Gu Ping reached for more silver once more.
The sixth time, seventh time, eighth time, ninth time...
The old Taoist was puzzled by why that young man sought such things. No one truly believes they will die, yet he did, carrying a deep sense of unwillingness. The old Taoist and Gu Ping exchanged glances, trying to find something in the young man's eyes.
Gu Ping, however, pulled out a silver coin once more and placed it on the ground. Then he began to gather copper coins, one by one, stacking them on his legs before pressing them together as if in prayer. This time, Gu Ping did not immediately shake; instead, he held his legs against his forehead, as if beseeching something.
Just as Gu Ping opened his eyes and was about to start shaking, someone yanked him from behind—Yi Dong—causing the copper coins to scatter everywhere.
Turning around, Gu Ping saw Liu Lao Jiu with a look of disdain. "What are you doing?"
"How old are you? Are you three years old? Learning to tell fortunes like this? Do I believe in fate?" Liu Lao Jiu scolded, feeling that Gu Ping had truly reached a new low by resorting to fortune-telling.
Gu Ping opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent as they walked away.
The old Taoist looked at the scattered copper coins—one, two, three—until he reached the very first one. He raised his head in surprise, searching for Gu Ping, wanting to tell him whether the divination was favorable. But Gu Ping had already left. Realizing this, the old Taoist pocketed the silver coin and shook his head as he walked away, muttering about how it was better to face nine deaths than to have no chance of survival at all.
With that, he disappeared into the crowd. The onlookers realized there was nothing more to see and began discussing among themselves as they dispersed.
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