"Back in the day, when Zhuge Liang performed a ritual to prolong his life at Wuzhang Plains, he lit eighty-one longevity lamps. If the eighty-one lamps could remain lit for seven days, his life would be extended by a hundred years. However, on the last day, Wei Yan suddenly burst into the tent and blew out one of the lamps. Zhuge Liang, sitting in the center, spat out a mouthful of blood and died!"
The crowd burst into a chorus of sighs. Standing in front of the Zhuge Pavilion, they listened to the tour guide recount the legendary stories of Zhuge Liang's life. Everyone couldn't help but lament the heavens' envy of heroes and curse Wei Yan.
However, a young man with a refined appearance in the crowd wore a look of skepticism. He was a senior history major at NC University, and he was already very familiar with Zhuge Liang's deeds. Not only did he find the idea of prolonging life absurd, but he also noticed numerous inaccuracies in the tour guide's account.
At Wuzhang Plains, Zhuge Liang observed the celestial phenomena and was greatly alarmed. The three stars of the Three Terrace Constellation were unusually bright, while the main star was dim, indicating that his life was about to end. He told Jiang Wei: "I am well-versed in the art of prayer, but I do not know the will of heaven. You may lead forty-nine soldiers, each holding a black flag and wearing black clothes, to circle around the tent. I will pray to the Big Dipper inside. If the main lamp remains lit for seven days, I can extend my life by twelve years. If the lamp goes out, I will surely die."
This was the description of Zhuge Liang's attempt to prolong his life in a novel, which is why the young man laughed at the tour guide's nonsense. The number seven times seven was incorrectly stated as eighty-one, and the novel mentioned that Sima Yi, observing the celestial phenomena, knew that Zhuge Liang was seriously ill and sent troops to test him. Wei Yan, in a panic, rushed into the tent and accidentally extinguished the main lamp. Zhuge Liang, putting down his sword, sighed, "Life and death are predestined, and cannot be changed by prayer!"
Afterward, Zhuge Liang arranged his affairs and continued to outwit Sima Yi until his death.
"But Zhuge Liang's attempt to prolong his life is just a fictional account. The tour guide's story is equally absurd. What's the difference?"
Qin Yu laughed at himself. He had come here purely to relax and shouldn't be so concerned about these details. He then composed himself and followed the crowd into the Zhuge Pavilion.
The Zhuge Pavilion covers an area of about 120,000 square meters, with 155 halls and pavilions. The main axis features a memorial archway, Immortal Bridge, main gate, grand hall, and thatched cottage, while the side buildings include the Zhuge Well, stele corridor, ancient cypress pavilion, Wild Cloud Temple, and reading platform.
Inside, there are numerous plaques and steles preserving the famous works of ancient and modern celebrities, such as Yue Fei's calligraphy of the "First Memorial to the Emperor" and Li Dongyang's "Record of the Rebuilding of the Zhuge Wu Hou Temple" from the Ming Dynasty, which are highly regarded by later generations of calligraphy enthusiasts.
"Unfulfilled in his mission, he died before success, leaving heroes in tears!"
Qin Yu observed the poems and articles of famous people from different eras and couldn't help but sigh. Perhaps it was because Zhuge Liang died with a heart full of regret that Luo Guanzhong wrote about his attempt to prolong his life at Wuzhang Plains.
Admiring the calligraphy of these famous people along the way, Qin Yu found himself deep in the stele garden. Water flowed gently, and a pavilion stood there, where an old man with white hair and a middle-aged man were brewing tea and chatting.
"Yue Wen, what do you think of this young man's face?"
The old man with white hair noticed Qin Yu and asked the middle-aged man softly.
The middle-aged man looked at Qin Yu for a moment, then said after some thought, "Old Ren, this person has an ordinary face with no distinct features, destined to live a mediocre life. His complexion is dark, and his nose tip is red, indicating inner turmoil. He must have some emotional troubles."
Qin Yu didn't hear their conversation, or he would have been shocked. The first part of the middle-aged man's assessment couldn't be verified, but the second part was spot on. He had come on this trip precisely because of emotional issues, feeling frustrated and restless.
"Haha, Yue Wen, your skills in physiognomy are becoming more refined. It won't be long before you surpass me!"
"Old Ren, you flatter me. I am still a novice. Please point out any mistakes I might have made."
The middle-aged man didn't dare to be presumptuous in front of the old man and spoke respectfully.
The old man with white hair glanced at Qin Yu and asked, "Yue Wen, do you remember the fundamental principle of physiognomy?"
"One cannot judge a person by their appearance."
"Indeed, one cannot judge a person by their appearance. This ancient saying is the fundamental principle of our physiognomy tradition. However, if one cannot judge a person by their appearance, how can there be a practice of physiognomy? Isn't that contradictory?"
"Yue Wen believes that 'one cannot judge a person by their appearance' means that one should not judge a person based on their physical beauty or ugliness. Historical records show that the Yellow Emperor had a dragon-like appearance, Emperor Yao had eyebrows of eight colors, Emperor Shun had double pupils, King Wen of Zhou had four nipples, Yu the Great had three large holes in his ears, Duke of Zhou had a bent back, and Confucius had a sunken forehead. These ancient sages had peculiar and even ugly appearances, yet they were revered by later generations."
The middle-aged man paused and continued, "Therefore, 'one cannot judge a person by their appearance' means that we should not judge a person's status, safety, or fortune based on their physical appearance."
"You are correct, but you are missing one point."
The old man stroked his beard and said, "Before Ming Taizu achieved his greatness, he was just a beggar with a thin and bony face, who had survived smallpox and had a pockmarked face, no different from other beggars. As he rose to power, his face became longer and his forehead more prominent. When he became emperor, his chin was unusually strong, and he was later called the 'emperor's face.'"
"A person's appearance is not fixed and can change due to external factors and opportunities. Therefore, our ancestors warned us that while we can read a person's face, we cannot predict their fate."
The old man pointed at Qin Yu and said, "The concept of fate is mysterious. Look at this young man. His appearance seems ordinary, but observe his cheekbones more closely."
"The young man's cheekbones are unremarkable, with no signs of brightness or luster, indicating that he will face many difficulties."
The middle-aged man was puzzled. As a master of physiognomy, he had seen through Qin Yu the moment he entered.
In the tradition of physiognomy, one examines the left ear for those under seven years old, the right ear for those aged eight to fourteen, the forehead for those aged fifteen, the middle of the head for those aged sixteen, the temples for those aged seventeen and eighteen, and the cheekbones for those in their early twenties.
"You are only seeing the surface; you have not observed the aura."
"Observe the aura?"
The old man's words shocked the middle-aged man, who, forgetting his manners, asked urgently, "Old Ren, have you reached the level of observing the aura?"
"After ten years of enlightenment in the Zhuge Pavilion, I recently entered the realm of observing the aura! However, ... sigh."
The old man's voice was tinged with pride but also regret.
"Old Ren, reaching the realm of observing the aura is a great achievement. In our tradition of physiognomy, how many years has it been since anyone has reached this level?"
The middle-aged man's tone was filled with admiration.
The tradition of physiognomy emphasizes both reading the face and observing the aura. The face refers to the physical appearance, while the aura refers to a person's destiny. Only by combining both can one truly practice physiognomy. However, in recent centuries, the tradition has declined, and no one has reached the realm of observing the aura.
"The concept of destiny is indeed mysterious. I have only touched the surface. I observe that this young man, though his face shows signs of distress, has a vital aura surrounding his cheekbones, indicating that he will soon experience a significant transformation."
Qin Yu was completely unaware of the conversation about him. As a history major, he was also a lover of calligraphy. He was so engrossed in the famous calligraphy he saw, with its powerful and elegant strokes, that he didn't notice the sky gradually darkening.
"Hey! What's this?"
Qin Yu suddenly noticed a stone stele with only two ancient and simple characters: "Bagua."
Finding something related to "Bagua" in the Zhuge Pavilion was not surprising, as Zhuge Liang's Bagua Array and Bagua Diagram were well-known in history. What puzzled Qin Yu was why the stele had only these two characters and nothing else.
If Qin Yu had been in the air, he would have seen that he was standing at the center of the entire stele garden. The stele with the "Bagua" characters was the focal point, and the surrounding steles were arranged in a pattern that seemed to have a hidden mechanism.
Qin Yu touched the stele, curious about its uniqueness. As his finger traced the ancient characters, a sense of ancient history enveloped him, and a flood of information seemed to pour into his mind.
Qin Yu felt like a computer overwhelmed by too much data and fainted.
At the moment he lost consciousness, the ancient stele emitted a bright light that shot into the sky, pointing to a distant star. However, this massive beam of light did not attract the attention of anyone else in the Zhuge Pavilion, as if they were completely unaware.
As the light guided the star to shine over Qin Yu, a mysterious glow enveloped his body, and inscriptions floated into him, continuing endlessly...
...
...
After a long time, the sky had turned dark, and dim landscape lights had come on. A young man slowly stood up from the ground, rubbing his head, which felt as if it had just exploded, causing intense pain.
"Zhuge's Inner Canon?"
When his mind cleared, Qin Yu discovered a new text in his mind. His expression turned tense. The sudden appearance of a mysterious text in his mind was alarming. As he focused on reading the text, his expression gradually became clear, and his eyes sparkled with an unknown light.
"Is this the legacy of the Sleeping Dragon?"
After reading through the Zhuge's Inner Canon, Qin Yu became excited, his eyes shining brightly.
The text was written by Zhuge Liang and divided into two parts, recording his lifetime of knowledge. Qin Yu had obtained the upper part, which mainly dealt with metaphysics and geomancy, or feng shui in simpler terms.
The text mentioned that Zhuge Liang's Bagua Array was based on feng shui principles, and even the method of prolonging life through the Big Dipper was part of metaphysics. If Qin Yu had seen this book at a bookstall, he would have dismissed it as nonsense. However, the appearance of the text in his mind was itself a sign of its mystical nature. Although the content was mysterious, it was less surprising than the text's sudden appearance in his mind.
As a history major, Qin Yu had some knowledge of ancient feng shui. While some might dismiss feng shui as baseless, its persistence through the ages suggested that it had some validity.
With few people around and the night deepening, Qin Yu decided to stay and carefully read the Zhuge's Inner Canon. He sat cross-legged by the stele, his eyes closed, and remained motionless. Occasionally, his eyes would open, flash with light, and then close again. His shadow was stretched long by the streetlights, and time passed unnoticed as the temperature dropped. Qin Yu seemed to be in a trance...