"Speaking of which, should I do some divination? See which gambler I can extract the most money from?"
[I have no objection. Do you want to use playing cards? 】
"No, it's too troublesome. I have a simple way." After saying that, he took out the music box where Apollonia was living and twisted the handle of the music box with his hand.
Mechanical gears, cycloidal wheels, oscillators, the brass movement runs in the brass case, and the simple and harmonious movement of the mechanical parts plays Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".
The Ode to Joy is in solemn 2/4 time. His footsteps moved accordingly.
The music box was playing in its pocket. The movement was not small, but the entire casino was filled with the sound of roaring machines, noisier than a factory. No one paid attention to the movement of the little music box in his pocket.
The music box released its spring in circles, and Shangluo also walked aimlessly between the machines - finally, the music of "Ode to Joy" stopped, and he also stopped.
[What is the principle of this? 】
"This is the one used by the old Emperor Jiajing. I heard it is very useful. In the monastery, he would first hit the chime and then circle around the Bagua. When the sound of the chime stops, no matter where you go. You should compete with the chime. Is it more effective?"
【maybe. 】
"Huh? Isn't this the wrong way to use it?"
【Of course that's not right. The card box is a magician's prop, and its function is prophecy. When I dwell on that box of cards, I exhaust the 'possibilities' of that deck of cards in predicting the future. But the music box is not for prophecy. Put me in it just to play nice music. Maybe you want to just let it happen? After all, fortune has been divined before, so perhaps your doing so is also part of the prophecy. 】
"Let's just leave it at that. It may not be useful if it's too utilitarian. Try finding someone to take advantage of first."
Shangluo found a seat near the parking place. There were not many people around. Next to him was a middle-aged bald man who was staring at the pinball machine intently.
The bald man was wearing flip-flops, tapping his legs, and sitting there with a large box of steel balls in his hands. He stuffed the steel balls into the machine one by one, and the steel balls were fired one by one along the spring.
As long as you are lucky, a steel ball can turn into a large pile of steel balls if you hit it in. Only the tattoo of the bald head can be seen from the side, and it is impossible to judge whether the bald head is making a profit or losing money based on his expression.
Shangluo felt that it was 'fate' that guided him to the bald head, so he sat next to him.
"Young man, I'm new. Are you here to play in Las Vegas?" the bald man said, his voice sounded like he was about 40 years old, and his accent was surprisingly standard, speaking Jinling Mandarin.
"Yes, I'm here to play." Shangluo replied.
The bald man flicked the cigarette ashes and said, "Oh, you were chattering as soon as you came in. It doesn't look like you're here to play." He didn't care that the cigarette ashes fell on the carpet that was difficult to clean, as if it was not a public property but his own. carpet.
"Um...can you see what I want to do?" Shangluo felt guilty.
"If I'm not mistaken, were you doing divination just now? You are from Kinei, right?"
"Huh?" Shangluo was stunned for a moment. Isn't this guy a spy of Jin Yiwei?
"You can actually see that?"
"Haha, you are imitating the divination method of Emperor Shizong Jiajing. I heard that when he was refining elixirs, he used a chime to make divination, and it was settled wherever he stopped. Although this is not a secret, people outside Ji Nei are very Little is known.”
"How did you know?" Shangluo tightened his pockets, preparing to run away if the situation went wrong.
"Well... I have studied in Nanjing before and learned about relevant things. But those are all things of the past. By the way, I advise you not to play on this machine. It has flaws. Before I have been playing on this machine for half a month, and I have never won a single jackpot, and every time I can barely get my money back.”
He is definitely a gambler, and he seems to be a gambler who has not made much money.
There was no emotion in the bald man's words, and he seemed to be numb. But his body still honestly threw small steel balls into the machine, indicating that he had not given up on his destiny.
This kind of gambler who has lost hope but is not yet desperate is Shangluo's perfect target.
"This...uncle, since you know that I can tell fortunes, why don't you let me see how you look?" Shangluo had already prepared words such as darkening the hall.
"Okay." The bald man turned his head - under the dim light, a big green face suddenly appeared in front of him. The entire face was covered with strange and mysterious blue patterns, with only two white eyes exposed.
"What do you think of my appearance?" he said mockingly, "or can you tell whether my appearance is dark or not by looking at my tattoos? Well...but my luck has indeed not been very good."
He turned around and said, "You came here to make some money, right? I'm thinking you should know some Taoism. Otherwise, you can help me with your fortune telling and see how I can get the big prize. I'm just having fun. . Anyway, voting for the steel ball machine is still voting, and voting for you is also voting."
"Ahem!" Finally finding the lines, Shangluo coughed twice, "Yin Yang and five elements, ten hexagrams and nine spirits. If it doesn't work, no money. I'll help you calculate it first. If it works correctly, you can give me the money."
"Hmm...interesting." Baldhead thought for a moment and agreed. Anyway, his daily life consists of playing marbles and chatting with Shangluo to relieve his boredom.
"Okay, Pindao will help you with a hexagram."
He asked Apollonia: "Hey, can you calculate it accurately?"
[Giving a hexagram image is trivial, but actually how to interpret the hexagram is more important. You can figure it out yourself, I can only help you so far. Come on, draw a card. 】
Shangluo opened the box and did not shuffle the cards, but just randomly drew a card from it.
In the first chapter, the two consecutive hexagrams are Xunfeng☴. The lower hexagram has three broken lines, which is the Kun hexagram☷. The unity of up and down is the 20th hexagram of the 64 hexagrams, the "Guan" hexagram.
"Well, this is your hexagram." Shangluo showed him the cards.
"That's it? You randomly draw a card and it's this hexagram? I mean, young man, fortune-telling stalls are not that simple, right?"
"Tsk, don't you understand? A real divine fortune teller often only needs a simple way of making hexagrams. Look at the old Emperor Jiajing - the Wanshou Emperor, Fei Yuan Zhenjun, Zhongxiao Emperor, he just makes hexagrams casually . The hexagram is based on fate. When fate comes, you can do whatever you want."
"Yeah, that's right. So what does this hexagram say?"
"Don't worry, I'm helping you figure it out."
Shangluo pretended to recite the formula, and began to ask the meaning of Apollonia's hexagram.
[Sigh...next time, please make up the hexagram book. The hexagram words of the Guan hexagram are "Wu but not recommended", Youfu Yongruo. It means that if you look at the grand ceremony of pouring wine and pouring wine into the ground at the beginning of the sacrifice, there is no need to look at the subsequent ceremony of offering food. Because you have already seen the "Tao", there is no need to stick to the form. 】
"Observe the hexagrams, wash them without recommending them, you have Fu Yongruo." Shangluo shook his head and chanted, learning and selling now, "This means that you should see your essence through phenomena. You have not been able to learn from the steel balls for a long time. If you win money on the machine, the problem is not with the machine, you have to change your thinking. Your problem is more fundamental, don't keep it superficial."
