Daomu Biji: The Mystic Nine

Chapter 2: Qi Tiezui

Qi Tiezui leaned against the window as the car arrived at Changsha Railway Station. He saw the military police circling round and round, and the watching people were dispersed before they could even gather. There was an apprehensive whisper in his heart. If Fo Ye had sent someone to pick him up from the shop right before dawn, it couldnt be good. Fo Ye was a man who had seen the world, so there wasnt anything that couldnt wait until after dawn. He didnt have a chance to wash his face or rinse his mouth out, and he had been summoned right after eating a radish, which indicated that Fo Ye was anxious to see him. If Fo Ye couldn't handle the situation, then even Qi Tiezui and his small incense burner couldnt do anything to help him (1).

Qi Tiezui looked out of the car window and tried to think of an excuse to run away, but the car had already entered the controlled area. As soon as the door opened, Fo Ye's lieutenant was already greeting him.

This lieutenantalso surnamed Zhang seldom spoke. He was said to have been with Fo Ye since he came from the northeast, so it wasnt easy to offend him. It was also rare for Fo Ye to send him to pick people up, so Qi Tiezui nodded when he got out of the car.

The lieutenant was very respectful as he said: "Ba Ye, Fo Ye asked you to come as soon as possible. I heard that you haven't had breakfast yet, so please bear with it for the time being. The house has already prepared some pig's feet and lotus root stew. When we go back, well serve you a solid meal."

"Whats the situation? Having pig's feet and lotus root stew for breakfast? Is he out of his mind? Fo Ye seems to be very confused recently. Qi Tiezui complained, but he knew in his heart that Fo Ye was a very disciplined person. This pig's feet and lotus root stew wouldnt be breakfast at all. In fact, he was afraid it would be dinner. Fo Ye had assumed that this thing would go on until the evening.

What exactly was it? He wiped the sweat from his forehead, followed the lieutenant all the way through the railway stations waiting room, and saw that there were more soldiers inside. Many of the kiosks were closed, and some of the businessman were arguing, pushing, and screaming at the soldiers. When they came to the platform, Qi Tiezui looked up, felt his legs go soft, and almost fell down.

He saw that a black, old-fashioned train practically covered in rust and sludge was parked on the track. It looked as if it had just been dug out of the ground, much like those old coffins he usually saw that had been washed out of the earth by mudslides.

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Qi Tiezui was the most famous fortune teller in Changsha. He was proficient in feng shui and numerology, but there were three things he didnt look at: foreigners, people with qilin tattoos, and strange marvels. The rest was fair game.

The logic behind this was very simple. Foreigners couldnt understand it, and werent under the control of Chinese gods, deities, or Buddha. Strange marvels were a kind of huge conspiracy, so it was easy to provoke fights. As for people with qilin tattoos, it was an ancestral rule. It was said that the ancestors several generations ago encountered a marvel, so they set down the iron-clad rule.

This iron car was considered a strange marvel, and the more Qi Tiezui looked at it, the more unlucky he felt. He hurriedly cried out: "Im scared to death, Im scared to death! Zhang Da Fo Ye, you know my rules. This car is too scary. I'm going back! Im going back!"

"Going back? Where are you going back to? Zhang Qishan's voice floated up from under the railroad track. "Lieutenant, if the fortune teller dares step out of this railway station, shoot him!"

Lieutenant looked at Qi Tiezui and Qi Tiezui looked at him. Lieutenant said, "Ba Ye, it's not good to die like this. Dont do it."

Qi Tiezui knew that Zhang Qishan never made jokes, especially in this case. He stamped his foot angrily and trotted to the platform, where he saw Zhang Qishan on the track under the platform, looking at the collision marks on the engine car.

"Fo Ye, whats going on?"

Zhang Qishan pointed to a spot on the car: "What do you think this is?"

Qi Tiezui turned his head and saw a mirror hanging on the engine car. It was an ancient bronze mirror, which was badly decayed. When Zhang Qishan spoke just now, he jabbed it with his sabre, and Qi Tiezui shouted, "Don't!"

Zhang Qishan was startled, but quickly glared at him. Qi Tiezui was sweating profusely, and he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten for a long time. He asked Lieutenant, "Where did the train come from?"

When Lieutenant shook his head, Qi Tiezui looked at his pocket watch.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Qishan stretched out his hand and Lieutenant pulled him onto the platform. He took off his military gloves and looked at Qi Tiezui, who said, "Theres an allusion to a bronze mirror hanging above someones head. Its a report from a very reliable source."

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TN Notes:

(1) Yay for Tiffany! lol She says it's a play on words. There was an idiom, Buddha turns his back even when you try to put incense sticks into the incense burner, begging Buddha to help you. In short, it means that the situation is helpless.

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Hmmmm this story about a bronze mirror sounds like the one Xiao Hua told Wu Xie in Sand Sea Part 3 (chapters 112-114)