Chapter 211: Daring! He’s an Auspicious Sign! (2 / 2)
[How boring. Isn’t this just a variation of the street trick, ‘I can guess your surname without you telling me’? I’ve seen this so many times at roadside stalls that I can’t even be bothered to play along anymore.]
Originally curious and considering teasing this “Daoist,” the emperor hesitated. Hearing Xu Yanmiao’s inner thoughts, he suddenly felt that showing interest in such a trick would be beneath him.
“Hmm. No need to guess. Go ahead and ask the Heavenly Venerables about the destiny of my dynasty instead.”
His indifferent tone made the Daoist uneasy.
…The emperor wasn’t like this yesterday.
Unable to think of a reason for the emperor’s shift in attitude, the Daoist assumed that he wanted to witness something even more extraordinary, finding the puppet movements and mind-reading unimpressive.
The Daoist bowed again and called for a brush and a bowl. The bowl, prepared by the imperial guards, was filled with cold water. Holding the bowl, the Daoist began to perform ritual steps and chant: “I respectfully summon the Primordial Heavenly Venerable…”
The small puppet representing the Primordial Heavenly Venerable began to move.
After chanting for a while, the Daoist widened his eyes dramatically as if filled with divine fury. He dipped the brush into the cold water and wrote on a blank talisman paper. His movements were stiff, as if controlled by an invisible force, like a puppet being manipulated. Slowly, words appeared on the paper, the strokes bright red, as though the brush had been dipped in cinnabar instead of water.