Chapter 553: The Mountain Shrine

The second to arrive at the shrine was a father and son, come to seek guidance on their future.

Upon entering, they were immediately drawn to the statue, staring at it for a long while before snapping back to reality: "The Mountain God has grown even more miraculous."

The old man wished to draw a fortune slip.

Pan Yun handed him the slip container; he drew one and received a Lower-Middle slip, causing him to frown, so he passed the container to his son and told him to draw his own.

He drew one, looked closely, and got a Lower-Lower slip.

The father and son: …

Pan Yun: …

She couldn't help but look up at the statue—had this not been her master, she'd have seriously doubted his abilities.

Pan Yun collected the slips and asked: "What are you asking about?"

The old man hesitated: "I want to send him to Nanjing for studies… but studying is a good thing, so why did both slips come out as Lower?"

Pan Yun carefully studied the young man—he was plainly honest, visibly shy and timid.

Seeing Pan Yun staring at him, he blushed and lowered his head, avoiding her gaze.

He's like a lamb, yet you're sending him into a pack of wolves—let alone the tigers on the road to Nanjing.

After calculating with her fingers, Pan Yun said: "This year is unsuitable for long journeys. If you still plan to send him next year, come back and draw another slip."

The old man was half-skeptical.

He came to the shrine to draw a slip merely to add some good fortune to his predetermined plan, to make himself happier—how could he have expected two Lower slips?

The old man couldn't help but look up at the statue.

He wasn't new to Mount Sanqing's Mountain Shrine—he'd come before, during the temple fair just before the New Year.

He'd even donated silver as a benefactor.

Until today, he'd been half-skeptical about the Mountain God, merely holding to the belief that respecting gods brings no harm.

But the moment he stepped into the shrine today, he felt something stir within him.

He stared fixedly at the statue; the more he looked, the more convinced he became, so he pulled back his robe and knelt down, yanking his son with him.

The young man stared in surprise at his father.

The old man said solemnly: "You'll stay and study in the county. Nanjing—postpone it for now."

The young man widened his eyes: "Really?"

The old man nodded seriously: "Really!"

The young man was overjoyed.

The old man squinted: "You don't want to go to Nanjing for school?"

"No," the young man hurriedly explained, "I don't want to leave Father and Mother."

Pan Yun smiled sweetly: "Congratulations, benefactor. At this age, few youths are unwilling to leave their parents—this is an exceptionally filial son."

The old man's expression softened slightly.

Pan Yun: "There are many talented people in the world, many who love to study—but few young men truly rely on and revere their parents like a child."

The old man's face brightened further; he smiled faintly: "This boy's only virtue is filial piety—he's just too clingy."

Pan Yun smiled.

Perhaps because Pan Yun's final words pleased him, the old man donated two taels of oil money before leaving.

Pan Yun still gave them both talismans—one a standard Peace Talisman, the other an unusual Peace Talisman—in short, a Warding Talisman, with counterattack properties.

Pan Yun didn't want to frighten them, so she handed the Warding Talisman to the young man and smiled: "Carry this talisman with you at all times—except when bathing, never let it leave your person."

The young man took it, dazed.

The young man didn't understand, but the old man did—he'd once been a guest of honor to Master Qian.

He knew that a talisman passed through Master Qian's hands was worth at least twenty taels; rumor had it Master Qian's purchase price from this shrine was no less than twenty taels.

So drawing slips and donating oil money at the shrine came with this benefit?

The old man carefully tucked the talisman away; he didn't know his son's talisman differed from his own, and he warned him: "Keep it safe. Don't lose it."

The young man nodded.

After they left, the third group arrived.

It was truly a group.

A whole crowd came bustling in, their request simple and joyous—they came to consult on auspicious wedding dates.

Not only was there a matchmaker, but also family members from both the groom's and bride's sides.

The group crowded around a pair of blushing youths, placing their birth charts on Pan Yun's desk, asking her to determine if their eight characters were compatible and which date would be best for the wedding.

Along with it, they offered sixty-six cash coins.

From this red envelope alone, it was clear both families were reasonably well-off.

No mistake—every single detail was correct!

Because within a hundred li, villagers came to her for eight characters and date calculations, and according to urgency and importance, the red envelopes ranged from one to eight cash coins.

Never had it exceeded this amount before.

This was the highest payment she'd ever received for calculating dates or eight characters.

Pan Yun remained calm, glanced at the two as usual, then began calculating their birth charts.

As she calculated, she nodded and praised: "A match made by heaven."

Pan Yun first praised the bride, then congratulated the groom: "A sign of household prosperity—these two families are now Jiuzhuan Xianghe, mutually supporting each other for a hundred years, a sign of flourishing lineage."

The groom's side was overjoyed.

Then she praised the groom, congratulating the bride: "This is the image of a craftsman receiving wood—should the groom remain humble and the bride virtuous, both families will grow in prestige."

Those who came along couldn't help but laugh with delight: "Hearing the shrine attendant say this, these two really are a match made by heaven."

The two young people's faces flushed crimson, they stole a glance at each other, and even their necks turned beet red.

Pan Yun beamed and calculated the date for them, working out three auspicious days according to custom, in June and August respectively.

The elders looked them over and felt all three dates were good, very much in line with what they had in mind.

So they huddled together and discussed it for a bit, none of them went home, and on the spot they decided to hold the wedding the following month.

Pan Yun gave a slight nod—June was indeed a fine choice, with a little less farm work to do.

It was getting late, so they turned and, with a great rustle of movement, bowed to the deity statue. Because there were so many people, none of them noticed anything different about the statue, but once they got back they couldn't help telling those who hadn't gone: "The moment I stepped into the temple, I felt the temple keeper's divination was spot-on—not only were the dates well chosen, but that reading of the eight characters hit me right in the heart."

"The temple keeper?" The listener's attention latched onto a different point: "Didn't she go off to school?"

"Oh, I was so focused on the eight-character reading I forgot to ask—yeah, hasn't the temple keeper gone off to school?"

"Since the temple keeper is back, I'll go to the Mountain God Temple tomorrow and pay my respects too."

"What's the matter at your house that you need to worship the god?"

"Nothing's the matter, I'm going to pray for a safety charm. You don't know—last year the safety charm I prayed for really worked. Not long ago, the village ox worked itself into a frenzy and went mad, and it actually tossed my little grandson up on its horns. Guess what happened?"

"Oh, so that mad ox incident the other day was from your village?"

"Sure was."

"How's your grandson?"

"Not a scratch on him!" She slapped her thigh and said: "This is the Mountain God's blessing! That mad ox charged at several people—my grandson was standing by the road playing at peeing with someone else, everyone else ran off, and only he was left standing there like a fool, and he got tossed up by the ox in one go."

"He was spun around in the air like a windmill for several turns—I thought the boy was done for at that moment. But once we pinned the ox down and pulled him off to look, not a bit of skin was hurt. The ox horn had caught on his clothes, and the safety charm I'd prayed for him at the start of the year, hanging around his neck, had burned into a blackened lump. When I rushed over and grabbed him, the charm hadn't crumbled yet—it was still scorching hot."

"A real charm~~"

"You bet it works!" (End of chapter)