Chapter 3 - 3: Er Bo Divination, No Fault in the Body
Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Er Bo Divination, No Fault in the Body
[Misfortune relies on fortune, and Fortune hides within misfortune]
[Changing the outcome of Fortune and Misfortune at this moment]
[Fortuneiately relies on each other, let's take a look]
[Hexagram 11: If you divinate, there will be no regrets. Head to the matchmaking agency, and you will be guided to "Fortune".]
"Matchmaking agency?"
Zhao Huai unconsciously hesitated when he saw this place.
This matchmaking agency was an institution representing the ancient government in charge of handling marriages between men and women. There were many matchmakers inside, specializing in introducing marriages, and it was also known as an official matchmaker.
In other words, in modern parlance, this place was for arranging blind dates and introductions.
If you divinate, there will be no regrets.
This line comes from the Book of Songs and its meaning is quite clear – it is telling him to prepare for marriage.
Zhao Huai could only smile bitterly.
Could it be that he, a passionate youth in his twenties, was supposed to go on a blind date?
But after thinking about it, he only cared about avoiding misfortune by going there. He was not really going on a blind date, but just to gain new experiences.
At the same time, a ray of blue light escaped from the copper coins and entered Zhao Huai's mind.
This meant that a new destiny had been added.
Expecting a great outcome, Zhao Huai checked the blue light cluster. After the star points scattered, a message appeared.
[Dragon Seeking (Inferior Yellow Grade)]: Seek the dragon and unlock its treasures, peer through mountains and break barriers. With this destiny, the heart is clear, ghostly walls are impenetrable, and one will never get lost.
"Hmm, it seems useful, but it also seems useless. What's going on?"
Zhao Huai muttered to himself.
He divined which paths would bring fortune and misfortune, but the result was a destiny that only helped with finding his way?
However, fortunately, [Lucky Strike] had truly taken effect. In the past, it wouldn't have been so simple to draw an Inferior Yellow Grade destiny.
After glancing at the sparsely populated street, Zhao Huai did not delay and hurried to the matchmaking agency.
The matchmaking agency was located in the northwest corner of Jinzhou City, nestled among the wealthy houses of the rich merchants.
This area was mostly inhabited by the wealthy, and it was an extremely active area for matchmakers.
Helping these rich merchants successfully negotiate a marriage would earn them several times more commission than assisting common people.
At the entrance of the matchmaking agency, a matchmaker in purple, not much older than sixty, with a head full of white hair, was about to close the red-painted door.
A government notice had just been issued out of nowhere requiring a day of control, making it difficult to do business, and causing much irritation.
"Today, not a single marriage proposal was made, and I have to close the door. What a bad day!"
As the matchmaker in purple was mumbling, she glanced sideways and caught sight of a shadow in the corner of her eye.
The shadow was clothed in a black long shirt. Although the material was not extravagant, it was spotless and exuded an indescribable grace.
As the figure got closer, his appearance was clear - a handsome young master.
The smile on his face was naturally relaxed. The way he moved revealed an air of gentle and elegant charm.
This inner yet unconstrained aura made the experienced matchmaker in purple feel something was special about him.
This was a big catch.
"This young master here appears to be very talented. Have you come to the matchmaking agency for the great matter of marriage?"
The matchmaker in purple's face was filled with a warm smile.
Such a handsome young man would definitely be loved by many elegant young ladies. If she succeeded in making a match, wouldn't she make a fortune from the commission? She couldn't let such an opportunity pass by.
"Well... not in a hurry, let me take a look first."
Zhao Huai rubbed his nose, putting up a calm, nonchalant appearance as if he were an experienced old hand.
Even as a man who has lived two lives, blind dates remained an unexplored territory for him in both lives!
Moreover, he was only here to lay low, how could he possibly go on a real blind date?
Just have a casual look, and it will be over.
Zhao Huai couldn't help but reassure himself.
"Alright then."
The matchmaker in purple smiled and invited Zhao Huai into the house, then closed the door behind her.Zhao Huai himself didn't know how he was invited to the table in the living room and then started flipping through the pages of the albums with portraits>.
Before he started looking, the matchmaker specifically asked about Zhao Huai's family situation.
"What is the condition of the young master's family so that I can explain a little further?"
Zhao Huai thought for a moment and gave a small estimate.
"Three hundred square meters of houses, a hundred acres of farmland, carriages and all, running a pawnshop business. The wealth of the family may not be over ten thousand, but it must be more than enough in the thousands."
Although he said so, in the Mortal World, Zhao Huai's money should only be abundant, and just the gold, silver, and jewels in his warehouse could rival a wealthy merchant from the two river regions.
The main reason is that money in the Mortal World is of no use if it's too much. It's enough to make ends meet. His primary goal is cultivation, so he doesn't put his heart into making money.
"It seems that the young master's conditions are still quite good."
After hearing this, the matchmaker in purple secretly felt complacent. As she expected, she had an eye for talent, and the young master in front of her was indeed a big fish.
Only then did she confidently point at the album and started introducing the pages one by one.
"Young master, look at this first one, a fine family background, wide hip bones, and plump figure. Children raised like this must be intelligent!"
"Um... never mind that, too plump."
Zhao Huai looked at the round cheeks in the picture and showed an apologetic smile.
"Then, how about this one? Big chest, tiny waist, prominent family, an elegant young lady with a wealthy father. There are many pursuers as well."
Zhao Huai's finger rested on his chin, pondering, "She looks too old."
"She must meet your requirements, Master. She has long legs and a lifted buttocks, her father was once a provincial graduate, and now has an official position."
An official? This is serious!
Marrying her in, wouldn't that be setting a trap for himself?
If he really had to choose, he wouldn't choose her, let alone just taking a look.
Zhao Huai shook his head directly and gave the answer.
"I can't reach that high."
Next, the matchmaker introduced more than a dozen different styles and family backgrounds of women, including their conditions, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
But they were all rejected by Zhao Huai for various reasons.
Encountering a guest like Zhao Huai, a normal person would usually be discouraged and then show him an impatient expression.
But this matchmaker was not discouraged at all. On the contrary, she was even more energetic and took out another large stack of albums, slapping them in front of Zhao Huai with a "thud."
"There are so many?"
Zhao Huai was astonished.
In a short period of time, he saw so many women that he became dizzy; he also gained new knowledge.
It turned out that there were so many unmarried girls waiting to meet someone.
It is said that in ancient times, the arranged marriages were mainly based on the words of matchmakers and the orders of parents, but in his view, the matchmaking agency is much better than parents' introductions.
The matchmaker in purple explained with a smile, "Since the young master doesn't often visit, it's normal for him not to know. Besides the women, we also have corresponding albums for men. They have all been brought here by the elders of their families, all hoping to find the best candidate. So, the matchmaking agency has collected the list of unmarried men and women in Jinzhou and nearby states and counties, all just to help lovers find each other and find the best match."
"Often, there will be women or young masters with no appointments squatting here to flip through the albums, waiting for a destined person. When the timing is right, the matchmaking agency will send a matchmaker to notify the party and propose a marriage. Everything goes smoothly."
Hearing that, Zhao Huai nodded slightly, having a deeper understanding of this profession.
"So, what kind of person does the young master prefer? So I can help you find a match."
Seeing that she had introduced so many people and the young master was still indifferent, the matchmaker was somewhat helpless.
But Zhao Huai was clearly here to pass the time and avoid misfortune; however, under the matchmaker's enthusiastic recommendation, he felt embarrassed.
He was like those onlookers who only watched but didn't buy anything.
Zhao Huai thought, why not just choose one to chat with casually and pass the afternoon? In the end, he can use the excuse of being unsuitable to brush it off.
So, he gritted his teeth and pointed to a woman who was still passable and whispered:
"How about her?"
Looking at her with surprise, the matchmaker said, "This one, although she has a pretty appearance and is a young girl, her conditions and character are not as good as the previous ones. She's just average."
That's great, being too excellent would be difficult to refuse.
Zhao Huai thought to himself.
"Then let's go with her."
...