A Thousand-Year-Old Taoist, Telling Fortunes at a Stall

[Exorcism, humor] [Buddhism, Taoism, spirit mediums] [No System] “Reading a person’s fortune” is a term that has become popular in recent years. It covers everything from fortune-telling and naming newborns to assessing the feng shui of a home. Some practitioners are genuinely skilled, able to understand fate and destiny, ward off evil, and capture ghosts. Uncle Quan runs a little shop called One Branch Hall, devoted to Buddhism. Thanks to One Branch Hall, Uncle Quan put Zhang Xu through college. Then came the weeklong National Day holiday, and Zhang Xu returned home. It was already dusk when he arrived. A hundred paces from One Branch Hall, Uncle Quan sent him a voice message: “Something’s come up. I’ll keep it brief. There’s a coffin in the storage room at home. I’m inside it. If I haven’t come out by sunrise tomorrow, take care of my funeral and make your own way from then on. Half a foot beneath the coffee table, there’s a box with the property deed, passbook, and will. Whether you believe it or not, keep tending the family altar and burn incense on holidays.”