novelraw Chapter 64: Under the Gaze
Chapter 64: Under the Gaze
"Girl?"
Li Qi momentarily didn't react.
However, after half a second of thought, he realized she was referring to the blind old woman.
Uh... perhaps there was no issue. Although Shen Shuibi looked young, her actual age was likely in the three digits, possibly even a thousand years old. Calling her "little girl" was indeed perfectly natural.
"She's a diviner. Is there a problem?" Li Qi was somewhat puzzled.
Shen Shuibi usually didn't comment excessively on things. Her sudden remark now surely implied something more, but Li Qi although intelligent, lacked the cultural background and extensive reading to understand her hidden meaning.
"Diviners are skilled in divination. Ancient texts say: 'The diviner masters the four omens revealed by the turtle shell: first, the square omen; second, the meritorious omen; third, the righteous omen; fourth, the bow-light omen. In all acts of divination, one observes the high, raises fire to prepare the turtle, brings forth its ink.
In all divination, one distinguishes the top, bottom, left, right, yin, and yang of the turtle shell, bestowing the mandate to the turtle-speaker and instructing them to interpret it. Sacrifices are made before divination; if there is a sacrificial matter, one presents the turtle, first using milfoil stalks and then the turtle shell to discern good and ill fortune.'" Shen Shuibi immediately began reciting from memory.
"This means that diviners possess the ability to divine using turtle shells, discerning good and ill fortune by distinguishing different omens. But Li Qi, look at her house, it's filled with yin qi, clearly indicating extreme ill fortune. How could a diviner arrange such a dwelling for herself?"
"Furthermore, look at the beast bones he bought, among them was your turtle shell. Perhaps everything else was a pretense, and he merely wanted the turtle shell. But, if I were to guess, he's encountered a misfortune and intends to shift the blame onto you," Shen Shuibi explained."Shift the blame onto me?" Li Qi frowned.
The art of shifting blame was something he had read about in the Zhu Book.
Through certain mediums and rituals, one could transfer original bad luck, misfortune, or disaster onto others.
"But he didn't seem to perform any ritual, nor did I participate. If there's any medium or method for shifting blame, it can only be this," Li Qi said, pulling out the speck of gold from his pocket.
"It should be this, but... I just have a feeling, I can't guarantee it..." Shen Shuibi said, fiddling with a strand of hair that fell over her face, head bowed.
Li Qi himself felt nothing, and although it was somewhat strange, he didn't think it would go to such an extreme.
But Shen Shuibi said it was possible...
Li Qi believed that her speculation might not be entirely credible.
However, her feelings were definitely credible!
So, he immediately began to ponder, weighing his options.
"Regardless, they're wealthy. In the city, the poor can't contend with the rich. But I also can't just pretend nothing happened." Li Qi stroked his chin, thinking of a solution.
The simplest solution, of course, was to spend it but how to spend it was the tricky part.
Li Qi did not plan to give it to innocent passersby. If it truly were a medium for shifting blame, he would appear far too despicable and shameless.
In Li Qi's heart, he was not a good person, but he was certainly not a bad one either.
He would not compromise his life or property for the sake of doing good deeds, but he would also not do things that harmed others for his own benefit, unless he held a grudge against that person.
Under normal circumstances, he was a good person with morals and integrity. He didn't mind abiding by laws and regulations, nor did he mind doing good deeds.
He would not do bad deeds unless absolutely forced to.
However, all of this was predicated on the condition that upholding his morals and integrity would not jeopardize his life and safety.
If it were a choice between the lives of ten thousand people and his own, Li Qi would unhesitatingly choose his own.
Therefore, when dealing with this potentially risky gold, Li Qi would not simply throw it to others because of a slight possibility. If he could resolve it himself, he would.
If he truly couldn't resolve it, then he would reconsider.
"Let's go buy clothes first, then we'll talk." Li Qi said no more, leading Shen Shuibi to buy clothes.
This time, Li Qi intended to get two sets of clothes.
One for traveling, and one for meeting people.
He couldn't always wear these coarse linen clothes. While cheap, they weren't suitable for important matters and made him look more like a rustic bumpkin.
Although he was indeed a pauper.
In the future, he would certainly be doing other things, perhaps even participating in large-scale sacrifices and religious activities like other ritual priests, and meeting various important figures. He absolutely needed good clothes.
After much persuasion and spending a total of three thousand qian, he bought himself and Shen Shuibi a very smart set of cotton clothes. They were primarily cotton, but with a layer of silk embroidery on the outside. Such clothing was typically only afforded by middle-class families, and likely their best set of clothes.
This kind of clothing could no longer be considered shabby. Even if worn to a banquet, at most it would be deemed "not overly opulent."
Li Qi also spent another two hundred qian to buy a set of ordinary, coarse cloth clothes worn by common folk. They weren't as presentable, but also not as crude as linen. As for his linen clothes, after life in the mountains and several battles and hunts, they were somewhat tattered. They were fine for wearing in the wilderness, as he wouldn't feel bad about them.
Two hundred qian used to feel incredibly painful to spend, but now, it felt so cheap?
Indeed, having skills made it easy to earn money.
Carefully putting away the silk clothes and changing out of his linen ones into the coarse commoner's attire, Li Qi's plan to change his appearance was complete.
The silk clothes would only be worn when necessary, as they cost one thousand five hundred qian each, far too expensive.
As for Shen Shuibi, she directly changed into the silk clothes.
There was no helping it. With her Immaculate Body, dust did not cling to her. Her current linen clothes, though unworn and unwashed, were still like new!
Unless forcibly torn, her clothes would never get dirty, old, or even show wear, no matter how long she wore them.
This made Li Qi sigh in admiration, "The Daoist saying, 'no years in the mountains,' must require this kind of ability to achieve, right?"
Otherwise, with the daily routines of eating, drinking, and relieving oneself, and the various mundane matters of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, how could one truly have "no years in the mountains"?
Only by reaching the level of a two-dimensional anime girl like Shen Shuibi could one truly squat in the mountains for a hundred years and still appear ethereal and exquisitely detached from the mundane world.
While Li Qi was contemplating this, Shen Shuibi emerged having changed her clothes.
And then, the tailor who sold the clothes widened his eyes.
"Good heavens, this girl... she's truly beautiful," the tailor stared blankly for a moment, unable to help but murmur.
Her silken robes, how they float, her light skirt returning with the wind. Her glances cast a radiant splendor, her breath like orchid's scent.
In an instant, her beauty bloomed, shining like the sun first rising to illuminate the rafters, as bright as the moon spreading its light. Her eyes sparkled with clear brilliance, captivating and lovely to behold.
Without heavy makeup, yet between her brows, an inch of captivating charm held spring captive.
From coarse linen clothes and disheveled hair, to her current silken dress with her hair neatly combed, the Shen Shuibi who emerged seemed to brighten the entire tailor shop by several degrees.
Li Qi slapped his forehead.
He let out a long sigh.
He was in trouble.
...