The morning dew of Mount Zhongnan still clung to the apricot blossoms when Zhang Yifan already rushed into Yuxu Taoist Temple, bringing along the embroiderer and the carver. Huwa's carving knife chiseled four ghost-face characters meaning "rolling in wealth" onto the merit box, while the abacus beads stared intently at the newly laid yellow silk inside the box. Daoist Master Yuqing stood in the corridor holding a copy of the Tao Te Ching, the hem of her gray robe revealing the upper half of a "sleeve-protecting portrait" carved by Huwa just yesterday, and the abacus beads licked the corner of the scriptures.
"Is the patron here to dismantle my temple?" The tip of her broom poked at the "automatic fortune-drawing machine" being installed—an abacus bead device improved by Zhang Yifan using Mozi (Book)'s mechanism arts, inside of which abacus bead fortunes carved with "Peace," "Fame," and "Romance" hopped about.
"Daoist Master, have a look," Zhang Yifan shook the Gilded Abacus Beads, making them hop into the shape of the character for "Affinity" inside the bamboo tube. "Press this mechanism marked 'Virtue,' and the abacus bead fortune will automatically select itself according to the pilgrim's intent—" Huwa immediately demonstrated. A small wooden figurine pressed the mechanism, and a "Romance fortune" bounced right into Yuqing's palm, with the three characters "Red thread stirs" engraved on the face of the abacus beads.
Chapter 120