The Keeper of the New West#

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.