Chapter 80: The Master Hidden in the Morning Market
The great hermit hides in the city, not the morning market, but the unorganized market with odd and even numbers, which only opens in the morning in two days. Xiao Di really couldn't imagine how great the master that Tan Xuan mentioned could be. Here she could only feel that he was down-to-earth enough.
Tan Xuan pulled Xiao Di through the crowd and moved forward. There was no other way. He had to pull them together. The crowd pushed and shoved them and easily separated them. Their small bodies were really no match for the people in the market. The old men and women dancing in the square were not to be messed with, and the old men and women rushing to buy things in the market were even more fierce.
Finally, after squeezing out of the vegetable selling area, the crowd dispersed a lot. Tan Xuan and Xiao Di both breathed a sigh of relief. At the back were some shops selling daily necessities and general merchandise. Although there were still quite a few people, they were really far less than those in the front.
The crowd was getting looser and looser, and Xiao Di finally had the chance to vent his dissatisfaction, "Tan Xuan, if the expert you were looking for wasn't here, I'd skin you alive. My goodness, I dressed up specially this morning, but it was all ruined by this crowd."
"Did you dress up specially?" Tan Xuan looked at Xiao Di carefully. If Xiao Di hadn't said it, she really wouldn't have noticed. Now after taking a closer look, she still didn't feel any changes, especially her big black glasses. If Tan Xuan wasn't familiar with her, she wouldn't have recognized her at all.
"Hurry up, I will never forgive you if you can't find that person." Xiao Di was too lazy to argue with Tan Xuan about this , but she still said something harsh first. As long as Tan Xuan was not deaf, he could hear her anger at this moment.
Facing the angry Xiao Di, Tan Xuan just laughed, "Look at what you said, isn't he right in front? Hurry up and follow him."
"Where is it?" When Xiao Di was about to ask who it was, Tan Xuan had already pulled her forward. However, when she looked around, she didn't see anyone with the aura of a master on the crowded roadside.
Tan Xuan pulled Xiao Di to a small bridge about ten meters away and slowed down . There were stalls on the bridge and on both sides of the bridgehead, but the stalls here were very scattered, with only one stall every few meters. Moreover, the popularity here was even more irritating, which was incomparable to the crowds along the way here.
The things sold at these stalls made Xiao Di speechless. Some sold plasters, some sold antiques, and some sold mothballs and rat poison. It was obvious that most of them were fake and few were real. There were more people buying things at the two stalls on the roadside than at the shops.
Seeing Tan Xuan suddenly stop, Xiao Di frowned and asked, "Where is the person you are looking for?"
If the people around here are the person Tan Xuan is looking for, Xiao Di really doesn't know how great that person can be.
Tan Xuan pointed to a stall next to the bridge and said, "Hey, isn't he there?"
Xiao Di looked in the direction of Tan Xuan's finger and saw an old man sitting on the steps at the end of the bridge. His gray hair was tied into a bun with a pair of chopsticks on it. He also wore a pair of sunglasses on his nose. His beard was gray and messy, almost reaching his chest. He was wearing a gray Taoist robe, and the color was quite faded. He was dressed sloppily and inappropriately. He didn't look like a master at all. At this time, the old man was holding a middle-aged woman's hand and talking to her. He looked like a shameless old hooligan.
"Is he the master you mentioned?" Xiao Di questioned Tan Xuan, and subconsciously adjusted his glasses. Unexpectedly, he wore the same glasses as that old rogue.
"It's true that birds of a feather flock together. The little hooligan is looking for the old hooligan. You can tell at first glance that he is not a good person." Xiao Di muttered dissatisfiedly.
Tan Xuan glared at Xiao Di and scolded him, "What nonsense are you talking about? Although Old Qiu is cynical and doesn't care about his image, you should not say such nonsense. He is a serious person. I tell you, you should be careful with your words. This old guy has a strange temper. Don't be fooled by his friendly appearance. If you really make him angry, I will hardly be able to plead for you."
Xiao Di curled her lips, "He is still a gentleman. Look at how he pinched that lady's hand. He wears sunglasses to prevent others from seeing his eyes glowing green, right?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I think he is touching someone's bones." Tan Xuan didn't want to waste time talking to Xiao Di, so he walked over first.
Seeing Old Qiu grabbing the woman's hand and rubbing it, looking very obscene and not like a gentleman at all, Tan Xuan couldn't look at it directly even if he had a thick skin. He walked to the stall and deliberately made a noise.
“Cough… cough…”
Old Qiu was talking to the woman in front of him. When he heard someone coughing, he didn't turn around, but pricked up his ears to listen. After a moment, he laughed loudly, "It seems that another distinguished guest has come to visit us, but this distinguished guest will be disappointed today. I only accept three orders a day. This believer is my last customer. After seeing this, I will close the stall. If you are sincere, you should come earlier next time. I will come here again the day after tomorrow."
"Oh my god, we have to queue up here?" Before Tan Xuan could say anything, Xiao Di, who followed him, spoke first, "But it's true, if there are three customers a day in this place, it's considered a booming business."
Hearing Xiao Di's voice, Old Qiu was startled and tilted his head to face Xiao Di. It was unclear whether he was listening or watching, but he did not move at all.
Seeing that Old Qiu was sitting there motionless, as if he was frozen in place, the woman sitting on the stool opposite him could not wait any longer. She shook Old Qiu's hand and said, "Master! You just said that if you help me straighten out my marriage line, my love will have opportunities. Has it been straightened out now? Can you tell me which direction my fate lies in?"
"Uh..." Old Qiu finally made a move. He turned back, let go of the woman's hand, coughed , cleared his throat, and said seriously, "Don't worry. What do you think I was doing just now? Your marriage line is too complicated, and your feelings have never been settled. It's not going to go smoothly. You have to take it step by step. Don't worry, I will reserve a spot for you again. Let's stop here today and you can go back first. At most three to five times, I guarantee that your marriage will come to you."
"Really? Then I'll trouble you, Taoist priest." The woman stood up happily, took out two hundred-dollar bills from her pocket and placed them on the yellow cloth in front of Old Qiu, then bowed respectfully before turning around and leaving.
Only then did Xiao Di take a good look at the stall. The stall was very simple. There was just a piece of yellow cloth with a Tai Chi pattern painted on it spread on the ground. On the yellow cloth were written in large letters: "Ma Yi Shen Xiang". There were also some small wrapped paper packages on top, and next to it was a sign with the words "rat poison, cockroach poison, three yuan a package, five yuan for two packages".
Xiao Di was even more speechless. He didn't expect that this expert had a part-time job and had a wide range of business. He turned around and looked at Tan Xuan with a reproachful look on his face. He leaned close to Tan Xuan's ear and whispered, "This is too unreliable. Why don't you think about whether you know other people? Look at him. I feel like he is a liar."
Tan Xuan smiled slightly and said nothing, but Old Qiu, who was sitting upright, turned his head and spoke, "Little girl, you are beautiful, but what you said is unpleasant to hear. How can I be a liar?"
Xiao Di was stunned on the spot, staring at Old Qiu for a long time before asking uncertainly: "You...can you see it?"
"Hahaha... who said I can't see?" Old Qiu laughed again, stretched out his hand and accurately picked up the two banknotes that the woman had just put down, then looked towards the sunlight and put them into the pocket of his robe with a smile.
"You can really see it." Seeing Old Qiu picking up the money so quickly and accurately, Xiao Di was even more surprised. He pointed at Old Qiu and asked in confusion, "Then why did you pretend to be blind? When Tan Xuan was talking to you, you tilted your ear to listen. Also, why didn't you move just now? Were you staring at me?"
Old Qiu smiled even more proudly. Seeing the anger on Xiao Di's face, he took off his glasses and said slowly, "Don't worry, little girl. There's suddenly a beautiful woman next to Mr. Tan. Of course I have to take a closer look. This is big news."
"you……"
Seeing the lineup behind Old Qiutou's sunglasses, Xiao Di took a breath of cold air, because Old Qiutou's left eye was very special, the pupil was gray, and there was a small collapse at the brow bone, which looked a bit scary. If the eyes are the windows to the heart, then the window to Old Qiutou's soul is an abandoned project that has been in disrepair for a long time. There is no spiritual energy, only a dead air, which makes people feel uneasy.
"You are not young anymore, stop gossiping." Tan Xuan walked around Xiao Di and sat on the small stool that the woman had just sat on. He looked at Old Qiu with a smile, "Okay, Old Qiu, I didn't expect that you would recognize me at first sight after all these years. I just wanted to tease you, it's boring."
Old Qiu also laughed and pointed at the sandalwood bead hanging around Tan Xuan's neck, "I want to deny it, but I'm afraid of it."
Tan Xuan kicked over the cockroach and rat poisons on the yellow cloth, which he didn't know whether they were real or fake. He snorted and said, "It's a blessing in disguise. Don't try to take advantage of me. I'm glad I didn't ask you to thank me. I don't think you have made any progress in all these years. You are still cheating here. Aren't you afraid that your master will catch you?"
Old Qiu smiled miserably and shook his head, "No chance. My master is gone, and no one is taking care of me now."
Tan Xuan raised his head and glared at Old Qiu, then said coldly, "Stop pretending to be pitiful. Be careful or your master will come looking for you tonight. Pack up quickly. I need your help with something."
Old Qiu looked stern, put on his sunglasses again, looked into Tan Xuan's eyes through the lenses and asked, "What do you need my help with? Are you making fun of me?"
"Do you think I'm kidding you?" Tan Xuan said to Old Qiu, as if he could see through him through a lens.
Old Qiu shuddered and said awkwardly, "What do you want from me? You know my abilities are not up to par."
Tan Xuan glared at Old Qiu and said, "Stop wasting time. I know what you can do. If there are others in Jiangzhou who can do it, do you think I would want to see your dead fish eyes?"
As he said that, Tan Xuan stood up and kicked the small stool he had just sat on. "You can only do three divinations a day, right? You have used up your chances here today. Let's go to another place."
Old Qiu knew that Tan Xuan's affairs could not be discussed here. He looked around and asked in a low voice, "Can you give me a glimpse?"
"There's a guy who's been making trouble these past two days. Please help me check him out. I've got everything I need."
Old Qiu nodded and said, "Well, that's my strong point. If you believe me, I'll give it a try."
"Nonsense, I don't believe you, so why would I run here so early in the morning? Hurry up." Tan Xuan urged impatiently.
"Okay, okay." Old Qiutou also stood up, stretched out his hand to push the packets of medicine on the yellow cloth to the middle, covered the sign on the paper shell, and then grabbed the four corners of the yellow cloth and shook and folded it. Soon, the pile of things in his hand turned into a storage bag. Then he stretched out two ropes from the side, fastened them, and slung them over his body, turning them into a crossbody backpack. Then he folded the two small stools and stuffed them into the gap at the bridge head, and the stall was completely cleaned up.
"this……"
Xiao Di was a little surprised to see Old Qiu packing up his things in the blink of an eye as if by magic. She didn't know whether this old man had any abilities, but what he did just now shocked her.
"Mr. Tan, it's getting late now. Should we find a place to sit down and chat slowly?"
Xiao Di was embarrassed. Seeing the expression of Old Qiutou when he was talking to Tan, he looked like he was just trying to get food and drinks for free. It was impossible to equate Old Qiutou with an expert. Besides, the morning market hadn't even ended yet, so how could it be so late? What made her even more speechless was that Tan Xuan actually agreed directly, very generously, which was completely different from his choking attitude just now.
"Okay, okay, let's find a place to talk slowly. You can choose any place. My car is parked outside..."
