Chapter 22: Karmic Fortune
“Continue.” The bald man remained seated.
“All right, I’ll cast a changing hexagram for you.” Though Shang Luo didn’t know how to calculate hexagrams, he understood the basic and changing ones. The original hexagram described the present state, while the changing hexagram indicated what was to come.
He drew another card.
The new hexagram had three solid lines above ☰ and three broken lines below ☷.
“This is the ‘Obstruction’ hexagram.” Apollonia, aware that he couldn’t read it, simply told him, “The Obstruction hexagram—just take the word at face value and interpret the reading for him.”
“Oh dear, sir, your luck isn’t looking too good.”
“Kid,” the bald man interrupted, “even I know the changing hexagrams are limited. You can draw any original hexagram at random, but how can you just pick any changing hexagram? What hexagram do you have in your hand?”
“The Obstruction hexagram.” Shang Luo’s confidence wavered under the man’s scrutiny.
Hearing the term, the bald man froze.
“Obstruction hexagram… Obstruction hexagram… Obstruction hexagram…” he repeated, “The original hexagram is ‘Contemplation,’ and the changing hexagram is ‘Obstruction.’”
He paused, muttering a phrase: “‘The light of the kingdom is observed, favorably entertaining guests of the king. Does the Chen state have the kingdom? If not here, then in a foreign land; not here oneself, but in descendants. Light shines far and is radiant in others.’”
Apollonia was shocked: “He’s reciting from the Zuo Zhuan!”
“The original hexagram is Contemplation, the changing hexagram Obstruction—this appears in the Zuo Zhuan. When Tian Wan was born in the Chen state, his father cast this hexagram. It meant that the royal mandate was not in Chen but abroad, far away. The royal authority was not in himself but in his descendants; the ‘foreign land’ referred to the Qi state. And the descendants’ possession of royal power meant the Tian family’s eventual takeover of Qi. After Tian Wan fled to Qi, his descendants, over 122 years, replaced the Jiang family and established the Tian Qi kingdom.”
“Ha! I see it now! I understand!” The tattooed bald man suddenly stood up. “So this hexagram means I shouldn’t be at my own casino but go to another one! ‘Light, far and radiant in others’—I should go to the farthest Bailemen Hotel! If I go there, bad luck will turn to good fortune! Young man,” he looked at Shang Luo, “I’m going there now. You wait here. When I win, I’ll give you half as payment for your fortune-telling! Don’t leave; take this drink voucher and sit in the restaurant on the second floor for a while. It’s on me.”
With that, the bald man turned to leave.
“Hey! Wait!” Shang Luo called after him. “I haven’t finished talking.”
“Then please go ahead.” The man stood patiently, listening.
“You said you’d give me half—your good fortune lies right here. No matter how much you win today, you must donate all the money to charity. You cannot keep any for yourself. If you do this, the worst will pass, and your fate can change. But if you keep even a penny, you’ll never win a dime at the gambling table again.”
Shang Luo guessed the bald man wouldn’t win much anyway, so he crafted an image of a magnanimous sage, playing the long game.
The bald man paused, clasped his fists, and said, “Thank you for your guidance. See you this afternoon.”
---
“Is that all?”
Shang Luo picked up the iced cocoa that had just arrived and took a sip.
“I don’t know. The hexagram reading wasn’t even yours—it was his own interpretation. But generally, it should be correct. If the reading is right, then he’s bound to have great luck today. As for donating to charity to change one’s fate, that’s your addition, not mine. Are you sure you don’t want the gambling money?”
“No rush. I’m playing the long game and doing good deeds along the way. Look, fortune has already come my way. And there’s this drink voucher—I want to try authentic Mayan cocoa cream.”
—At five in the afternoon, Shang Luo sat in the second-floor restaurant. Though burdened with 2.7 million in debt, he wasn’t stressed; the weight of debt didn’t press upon him.
Seated there, he held a newspaper in one hand and an iced cocoa in the other.
On the table stood eight tall glasses, each showing traces of cocoa—some iced, some hot.
“Ah, truly Mayan cocoa is the most authentic. Finally tasted it. Worth it. Thump, thump, thump.”
After finishing another cup, he leaned back.
He couldn’t drink any more. No matter how delicious, eight cups spread throughout the afternoon had filled his stomach round and full.
“Let me see… this drink voucher seems to allow ordering alcohol. Waiter, a tequila-based drink, and whatever’s left, surprise me.”
“Young man, no alcohol for minors.” A strong arm handed him another cocoa. Shang Luo looked up—it was the bald man from before.
“You’re back? How did it go?” Shang Luo asked eagerly—he wanted to know if Apollonia’s divination was truly effective. This would determine whether he should take the foundational cultivation pill.
“This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go upstairs.”
“But I haven’t finished my cocoa. Can’t waste it.”
“No problem, we’ll have it packed.”
“Drink vouchers can’t be packed, can they?”
“Someone, pack this for him to go!” The bald man called toward the counter.
“Yes, Your Highness! Coming right up!”
---
At the top floor of the Chichen Itza Hotel, just beneath the great Tzolk’in calendar clock, lay a vast office fit for a family of three. It was empty, and despite good lighting, the marble flooring carried a chill.
Inside, besides the large marble desk facing away from the window, there was only a humble chair.
Without the chair, this place could rival an operating room in cleanliness—spotless and immaculate.
“Please sit. It’s a bit cold here; let’s get straight to the point.” The tattooed bald man now wore a cotton cloak embroidered with the myth of the Fifth Age Sun God’s birth, mirroring the reliefs outside the building.
“Let me introduce myself. Or perhaps you’ve guessed already. I am Palka V, the 59th generation priest-king of Chichen Itza. ‘Palka’ means ‘shield’ in the Mayan language.”
“Hmm. So, what’s the outcome?”
“Let’s be frank. You’re a secret investigator from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, right? At first, I thought you were just here for an inquiry. But no… Anyway, let me help you with your primary mission first.”
“Primary mission? What mission?”
“I have some friends in Pinkton who told me an Embroidered Uniform Guard was heading here to investigate someone who owes the court 2.7 million in debts. You must be here to track him down.”
“Uh…”
“No need to say anything,” Palka said, looking at him. “Officially, I will assist you fully. Privately, your prophecy has earned me 5.4 million in profit! The Bailemen manager lined up to collect the money for an hour. Otherwise, I’d have returned earlier. I’d heard each Embroidered Uniform Guard is extraordinary, but I never expected just one to be a ‘land immortal’!”
“5.4 million??? Half of that would be...” Shang Luo didn’t catch the rest.
“Yes, I was supposed to give you 2.7 million. But you, young man, truly embody the spirit of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—you knew I could earn so much but weren’t tempted by the wealth. Your mindset is beyond ours mere mortals.”
“???” Shang Luo was puzzled. “You mean... sigh, never mind. So you’re going to donate the money, right? That’s how you change your fate?”
“Change my fate?” Palka shook his head. “No, no… Don’t get me wrong. I will donate the money, but I’m quitting gambling for good. Why gamble anymore? There’s no such thing as gambling skills anymore—it’s practically sorcery! Just one divination and you can win an entire afternoon. If you don’t practice magic, why gamble? I’m done with it. By the way, wait a moment.”
He picked up the phone on the desk. “Hello, please connect me to the Kundian Securities Exchange. I want to sell all my shares of the Chichen Itza Grand Hotel… Yes, sell them all. Make the call right now! What casino? I’m done being an ATM. I think the gambling city won’t last much longer. I’ll also sell off other Las Vegas assets!”
The bald man hung up and continued, “I’ve always wondered why I couldn’t raise funds to restore the nation. Turns out it’s because I don’t practice magic… Ah, sorry, young master. Let’s continue. The hexagram you gave me—surely it’s not just about making money? Is there a deeper meaning?”
Then he stood and bowed deeply to Shang Luo. “Please, help us—help the Mayan nation—with another divination! Tell me how we can reclaim our country from United Fruit! If you help Chichen Itza restore the kingdom, you will be the great national sage of all Itza people! From now on, you will preside over all rituals, you will divide the spoils—if you guide us, you shall receive half of everything belonging to Chichen Itza!”