The two masters, engrossed in discussions of yin, yang, the five elements, and astronomy, held their audience captive. To the onlookers, they were like celestial beings.
Long Xiao listened for a while, finding that these two possessed considerable theoretical knowledge, but he wondered about their actual Xuan Shu skills.
"Masters, could you read my fortune?" someone in the crowd called out.
"This master rarely reads fortunes. Doing so depletes virtue and shortens lifespan," one of the masters replied.
"Master, I'll offer you one hundred thousand, please grant me a reading just once."
After much pleading, the master finally relented, reluctantly agreeing to read the fortune of the young man who had asked.
The master scrutinized the young man's face, beginning with flattery before proclaiming that the young man was about to face a disaster.
Hearing that he was in for bad luck, the young man immediately grew anxious and wished to ask the master for more details. The master shook his head and said, "It cannot be spoken. It cannot be spoken. The secrets of heaven must not be revealed."
This plunged the young man into panic. He felt that something terrible was about to happen and incessantly begged the master for help.
Soon, the people around him grew impatient. They still wanted to hear the masters lecture, and some began to urge the young man to leave.
Another master, who had been silent until now, said, "Young man, some things are difficult to speak of now. Please don't delay everyone. We can talk later if you have something important."
The young man, who had been sitting at the front, was pushed out by others who ganged up on him.
Long Xiao, not understanding physiognomy, dispersed his life energy to observe the flow of qi on the young man's body but found no physical ailments.
The young man sighed and sat aside, waiting. Long Xiao quietly said, "Brother, your body is fine. You shouldn't take some things too seriously."
"Fine? I've been having one misfortune after another lately. Nothing I do goes smoothly."
"Things not going smoothly isn't necessarily related to your appearance. Perhaps there are other reasons."
"Brother, do you also understand metaphysics and fortune-telling?" the young man asked.
Long Xiao shook his head and replied, "I don't understand physiognomy, but metaphysics is actually quite simple. In scientific terms, it's cause and effect. For example, you eat a bun and are no longer hungry; this is cause and effect."
"You mean good causes lead to good results?"
Long Xiao nodded and said, "Precisely. Only causes that are beneficial to you will lead to beneficial results. Many causes in life lead to one result, and this result then becomes the cause of another event. Life is a cycle of cause and effect."
The young man seemed to understand but not fully. Long Xiao continued, "For instance, your bad luck is the cause of one event and the effect of another. Today, you met me, and I will help you eliminate your bad luck. Meeting me is the cause, and eliminating bad luck is the effect."
A smile spread across the young man's face. "Impressive! Brother, your cultivation is no less than that of the two masters. I am full of admiration."
Long Xiao smiled. "Don't compare me to them. They are just two swindlers. I, on the other hand, never deceive anyone."
"Brother, why do you say that? The two masters are esteemed guests of Hong Kong's wealthy elite. I heard they even advised Mr. Huo on feng shui not too long ago."
"You know all this, but do you know their backgrounds? Where they came from, who their master is, and which sect they belong to?"
The young man shook his head. "They seem to have appeared out of nowhere in Hong Kong, as if they materialized."
Long Xiao chuckled. "That's enough to prove they are swindlers. I'll expose them later."
"Brother, how will you expose them? Can you prove that everything they say is false?"
Long Xiao shook his head. "Xuan Shu requires actual skill. Just talking without demonstrating true ability is deception."
"Brother, it seems you truly understand Xuan Shu."
Long Xiao beckoned to Pu Suying. "Suying, go to the car and get those paper figures for me."
Pu Suying was very reluctant. Long Xiao said, "I'll perform the invincible paper figure technique for you."
Soon, Pu Suying threw several paper figures in front of Long Xiao.
Long Xiao took out a brush and cinnabar from his pocket, drew spirit talismans on the back of each paper figure, and then drew eyes on them.
The moment he dotted the eyes, Long Xiao felt an emptiness in his heart.
This paper figure technique was a type of puppet art recorded in the "Dragon Sutra." While puppet arts are diverse, the principle behind any of them is the communication and control of qi. Therefore, for Long Xiao, it posed no difficulty.
After drawing the talismans, Long Xiao placed the paper figures on the ground, took out scissors, cut long knives for each figure, and attached them to their hands.
Putting away his brush and cinnabar, Long Xiao stood aside and began to chant.
The young man and Pu Suying looked at Long Xiao strangely, disbelieving that the paper figures would move.
A minute later, the five paper figures suddenly sprang to life and hovered in the air.
Long Xiao shouted, "Robbery!"
Everyone was startled and looked at Long Xiao. The five paper figures wobbled and floated towards the two masters.
The crowd that had been listening to the masters lecture, seeing five paper figures suspended in the air, scrambled to get out of the way, leaving a clear space in front of the two masters.
One master looked sternly at Long Xiao and said, "Are you trying to rob us?"
Long Xiao smiled. "Yes, robbing you. The paper figure technique is a branch of Xuan Shu. If you don't want to be robbed, then defeat my paper figures."
"A mere parlor trick, daring to perform before masters! Esteemed masters, please eliminate these five paper figures," someone immediately requested.
"Hmph, such a low-level Xuan Shu is not worth our attention. Who among you will shatter these five paper figures?"
Two young men stepped forward. "We'll handle it. They're just five worthless paper figures; do they think they can trouble the masters?"
The two young men charged at the paper figures. The five paper figures, positioned in a pentagonal formation, continuously dodged the youths' attacks. With a few screams, the arms and legs of the two young men were cut by the long knives held by the paper figures.
The two young men retreated, screaming, and the five paper figures lunged at the two masters.
The two masters could no longer remain seated. They scrambled to their feet to evade the attack of the paper figures.
The five paper figures, communicating with Long Xiao through the spirit talismans, were now as agile as Long Xiao himself. The two masters found it impossible to dodge the five paper knives.
The white beard was sliced off, the robes were cut dozens of times, and a cascade of white hair fell to the ground.
"Good, cut them! Keep deceiving people, and get them cut!" Pu Suying clapped her hands gleefully, watching the two masters being pursued by the paper figures.
Soon, the commotion inside alarmed the security guards outside. Several guards rushed in and were stunned to see the two masters being chased by paper figures.
"Quickly call Mr. Ruan. We can't handle this," one security guard whispered.
Ten minutes later, the door of the tea room was pushed open, and a group of people entered.
"Who is causing trouble?" a woman in a business suit, who was in the center, shouted.
"Ms. Ruan, it's that young man! He's causing trouble for us!" The two masters, seeing a rescuer, pointed at Long Xiao in a panicked manner.