Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Zhuang Lao Er was a decisive person. He separated the east and west courtyards overnight, and the next day he found several respected elders to preside over the division of the family property.
With Zhuang Tian’er as their lucky star, the eldest branch of the Zhuang family seemed to have no interest in clinging to the second branch. On the contrary, they were afraid that the second branch would benefit from Zhuang Tian’er’s good fortune, so they simply pressed their fingerprints on the separation contract.
Old Mrs. Zhuang and Old Mr. Zhuang naturally lived with the eldest son’s family, and the second son would just give them some rice every month as a form of support.
The once happy family was now broken up, and the elders of the clan felt it was a pity and couldn’t help but offer some words of advice.
Zhuang Li, who had been sitting silently at the lower end of the table, slowly said, “My father wants to divide the family not only because my eldest uncle is selfish and disregards brotherly affection, but also because Zhuang Tian’er is an evil spirit.”
The clan elders, who had always regarded Zhuang Tian’er as a lucky star, were speechless.
“Young Master Zhuang, you’d better watch your words! How could Tian’er be an evil spirit! I think your headache is caused by a demon!” an elder shouted sternly.
Zhuang Li had no intention of arguing with these people, so he shook his head, turned around, and left.
His purpose in coming here today was simply to plant the psychological suggestion that “Zhuang Tian’er is an evil spirit.” Whether these people believed it or not, throwing out such a shocking statement would inevitably leave a pit in their hearts.
When Zhuang Li’s authority surpassed Zhuang Tian’er’s in the future, and he broke the psychological suggestion she placed on the entire village, this pit would naturally turn into an endless abyss, swallowing the other party.
Several clan elders chased after Zhuang Li, demanding an immediate and reasonable explanation: on what grounds did he claim Zhuang Tian’er was an evil spirit? What had Tian’er done to offend him?
Zhuang Lao Er blocked the door to the east courtyard with his burly body and said irritably, “My two sons are all sickly because of Zhuang Tian’er. If she’s not an evil spirit, then who is! Just wait and see, after we separate from her, our second branch of the family will only get better and better!”
“Zhuang Ergen, you’re such a blockhead! Tian’er will definitely be rich and powerful in the future. If you separate from her, that’s your loss. Why not live a good life? What are you after? Forget it, I can’t explain it to you. I just hope you won’t regret it in the future.”
The elders left in a huff, all feeling that Zhuang Lao Er was mentally unstable, only considering the present and unable to see the long-term future.
Zhuang Tian’er peeked through the crack in the door at the east courtyard, and hearing Lu Dan’s cheerful barking, a sinister light slowly flowed from her eyes.
Just then, the door to the east courtyard opened, and Zhuang Li came out carrying a banner that read “Li Banxian” (meaning “Half-Immortal Li”), with a satchel slung over his shoulder, and slowly walked into the distance along the only path in the village.
He passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, but he also contracted a strange illness. Since he rarely went out in the village, he attracted everyone’s attention.
A bold woman pointed at the fluttering banner and asked, “Scholar, where are you going?”
“My house is haunted by evil spirits, so I’ve been studying some Taoist arts. I’m going out to the streets to tell fortunes and interpret characters, which I consider a form of cultivation. Once my skills are up to par, I’ll come back and deal with these evil spirits.” Zhuang Li walked by unhurriedly.
The village women, always eager to hear about strange tales of demons and monsters, gathered around, bombarding the conversation with questions. They were desperate to know what that evil spirit was and how it could be lurking in Zhuang Tian’er’s house. After all, Zhuang Tian’er was a celestial maiden, supposedly immune to all evil!
Zhuang Li simply shook his head, said nothing more, and slowly disappeared at the end of the path.
But the more he remained silent, the more curious the village women became, frequently passing by his farm to peek and investigate, their minds fermenting with all sorts of bizarre and strange speculations.
When the elders returned home, they couldn’t help but complain a bit. Soon, the women, who had been holding it in for so long, learned that the evil spirit Zhuang Li had mentioned was actually Zhuang Tian’er!
This news is so unexpected! Has Zhuang Li lost his mind? How could Zhuang Tian’er be like this?!
Upon hearing this, everyone’s first reaction was to resolutely disbelieve it, and their second reaction was to exhaustively cite various examples to refute Zhuang Li’s fallacies.
Zhuang Li’s words, which defamed Zhuang Tian’er’s image, seemed to have backfired.
However, this was not the case. The more intense these people’s reactions, the more profound the impression these words would have left on them. Like an anchor thrown into the deep sea, it appeared to have sunk without causing any ripples, but in reality, it subtly locked in everyone’s drifting subconscious.
When the time was right, Zhuang Li could use this anchor point to delve into the depths of these people’s consciousness and release their minds that had been imprisoned by Zhuang Tian’er.
….
Zhuang Lao Er and Liu Chunhua quickly caught up with their eldest son and tried to persuade him to go back to school, but to no avail. They had no choice but to follow him all the way to the town.
“Father, Mother, you go to work. I’ll stay here and tell fortunes.” Zhuang Li stuck the banner on the side of the street, opened the small stool he carried with him and sat down. He then spread out another small stool and placed it opposite him, waiting for customers to sit down.
Zhuang Lao Er and Liu Chunhua knew that their eldest son was a stubborn person who would do whatever he wanted once he made up his mind, so they had no choice but to keep looking back as they went to work.
The location Zhuang Li chose was very close to the dock, just across the street. It was bustling with merchants from all over the country, a lively and noisy place, perfect for setting up a fortune-telling stall.
But he was young and exceptionally handsome, with a shimmering light flowing between his narrow eyes. He didn’t look like a fortune teller, but rather like a young nobleman going out to play and have some fun.
As a result, many people noticed him, but very few actually came to inquire about him.
7480’s worldview had been shattered.
It murmured in disbelief, “No way, Master, you can even tell fortunes? You said you wanted to be a scholar, how come you’ve become a charlatan?”
“I’m not a charlatan, I’m a psychological counselor.” Zhuang Li said casually, his eyelids half-lowered. “If you want to become famous in this small world as quickly as possible, this is the only way. Literary figures need to have excellent works, and they also need to know how to compose poems, quote classics, and write essays, but I can’t do any of those things.”
7480: “Master, there are things you don’t know.”
“There are so many things I don’t know.” Zhuang Li leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and seemed to fall asleep.
After holding back for a while, 7480 whispered, “Fortune telling and psychological counseling are not the same thing at all, right? Master, people will think you are a fraud, and they might even beat you up.”
Zhuang Li closed his eyes and chuckled softly: “In a sense, psychological counseling can do far more than fortune telling. The deeper your understanding of the world, the more you will appreciate this incredible fact— that science and theology actually have no clear boundaries.”
7480 couldn’t understand such profound words; it was more concerned about its host’s current living conditions: “Master, you can break the hypnotic state of Lu Dan, Zhuang Jiuge, and yourself, so why don’t you break the hypnotic state of the other people in the village? Didn’t you say you wanted to uncover Zhuang Tian’er’s true colors?”
“Now is not the time,” Zhuang Li said calmly.
“Why?”
“The first element of mass hypnosis is authority. In other words, you need to make all the subjects trust you or even submit to you before they will listen to your psychological suggestions without discrimination or resistance. Zhuang Tian’er has already established supreme authority in Luoxia Village. If I want to break her hypnosis, I must establish an authority even higher than hers. Do you think I have that right now?”
Zhuang Li asked and answered himself: “I don’t have that ability. When I try to break the hypnosis, everyone will resist my psychological suggestions, and I have a 90% chance of failing. So my first priority now is to establish authority, far beyond the authority of a village, a town, a state, or even a country.”
7480 was stunned. It had long known that its host was no ordinary person, but it never expected his ambition to be so great.
However, it quickly recalled the scene of its host being surrounded by several old men and scolded until his face was covered in spittle that morning, so it covered its mouth and chuckled, then said in a very perfunctory manner, “Well then, good luck, Master!”
Zhuang Li heard its snickering but merely curled the corners of his lips and didn’t take it to heart.
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