ENG
Divining fate, he plays his part,
In worldly guise, a cunning art.
He laughs at fools who seek their fate,
For luck and doom, the heart dictates.
The Celestial Court often favored guais of plants and trees in the selection of Keepers. The Keeper of the New West, however, was renowned for its being a feathered deity of wind.
This Keeper, unlike others, cared not for tending the soil or sowing seeds. Instead, he had a unique penchant for divination. Though he hailed from the West, chanting sutras was not his calling. His true talent lay in the ancient art of yarrow stalk divination, where he skillfully foretold fortunes and misfortunes.
The New West was flanked by the Thorn Ridge to the east and the Seven Perils Mountain to the west, both treacherous places scarcely visited by travelers. Guarding this area, the Keeper compelled every passer-by to have their fortune told. Under the guise of interpreting the divination, he would set up intricate traps. Travelers, eager to avoid misfortune, would unknowingly fall into the Keeper's schemes.
One day, a traveler passed through, and the Keeper, as usual, insisted on reading his fortune. The reading revealed a bad omen. Terrified, the traveler begged the Keeper for a solution. The Keeper, feigning mystery, claimed to have a secret method to turn misfortune into fortune, but it required a hefty payment. Desperate and believing him, the traveler handed over all his money. The Keeper then directed him to a narrow, winding path, instructing him to proceed quickly.
Following the Keeper's advice, the traveler safely crossed the ridge and the mountain. Observing this, the Keeper laughed and said, "The art of divination lies not in the omens but in the heart. Where the heart leads, there lies fortune or misfortune."
The tale spread, leaving everyone amazed. From then on, those who passed through felt fortunate to have their fortunes told by the Keeper.
The story starts by explaining that the Celestial Court usually picked plant- or tree-like spirits (guais) to be Keepers of regions, but the Keeper of the New West was unusual: a feathered wind deity. He did not tend soil or plant seeds like other Keepers. Instead he liked divination and was skilled at yarrow-stalk fortune-telling.
The New West is a dangerous place, with the Thorn Ridge to the east and the Seven Perils Mountain to the west. These places are rarely traveled because they are treacherous. The Keeper used his position to force every passer-by to have their fortune told, and he turned the fortune-telling into a way to trap and trick people.
Under the pretense of interpreting omens, the Keeper set up elaborate schemes. Travelers, frightened by the prospect of misfortune, fell into those traps because they trusted him and wanted to avoid bad outcomes. His motivation was to control and profit from their fear: he would identify a bad omen, offer a secret remedy, and demand a large payment.
One day a traveler came through and the Keeper announced a bad omen. The traveler begged for a cure, and the Keeper said he had a secret method to turn misfortune into fortune but only for a hefty fee. The traveler paid everything he had. The Keeper then told him to take a narrow, winding path and to hurry. The traveler followed the instruction and was able to cross the ridge and mountain safely.
Afterward the Keeper laughed and said, "The art of divination lies not in the omens but in the heart. Where the heart leads, there lies fortune or misfortune." The tale spread and people were amazed. From then on many felt fortunate to have their fortunes told by the Keeper, and the Keeper’s reputation and gains grew, showing that he used divination more as a tool to shape people's actions and to profit than as a service of traditional stewardship.