Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Many passersby helped Mrs. Zhou chase after Miss Zhou, and even Zhuang Jiuge rolled up his sleeves and followed. Zhuang Li, however, remained calmly seated, gently stroking his thin, red lips with his slender index finger.
He was thinking about Ms. Zhou’s symptoms and considering the next treatment method.
The opinions of others could only give him a general idea of the situation; only what Miss Zhou said herself had real reference value.
Disembowelment? That’s not a good image, especially for women.
As Zhuang Li fell into deep thought, Qi Wang was standing in the teahouse opposite, quietly watching him through a bamboo curtain.
The boy leaned against the table, his slightly curly long hair casually tied behind his head. He didn’t wear a crown or hat but simply wrapped a pure white silk scarf loosely around his forehead. A strand of hair was still hanging down by his temple, swaying gently in the wind.
This outfit looked rather undignified, yet it exuded a sense of freedom and unrestraint.
The boy was handsome and refined, but when he smiled slightly, he revealed a hint of the uncanny.
The moment Qi Wang saw the boy, his gaze froze, as if sunlight were absorbing into an ice cube, and his pupils were instantly illuminated.
Therefore, he unexpectedly changed his plans yesterday and instead of going to Qingtian Temple outside the city to find Master Xuan Zhenzi, he inexplicably checked into this teahouse.
As the boy carried the flag and walked unhurriedly through the crowd, no one knew that his heart, which had been numb for so long, suddenly began to throb, and a surge of heat burst forth from his ventricle, warming his chest.
Qi Wang wasn’t quite sure what this sudden surge of emotion meant; he only knew that once he stood there and looked at the boy, he couldn’t take his eyes off him.
Fortunately, his guards were also very interested in the boy and were watching him with great interest from behind the window, so they did not notice his unusual behavior.
….
Mrs. Zhou finally managed to bring Miss Zhou back. The mother and daughter looked as if they had suffered a great calamity. Their hair was disheveled, their clothes were dirty, and even the tips of their shoes had several holes worn through. They were nothing like the elegant and proper women they had been when they went out.
Zhuang Jiuge also returned, panting heavily as he waved to his brother, his forehead covered in sweat, clearly exhausted.
Because of this farce, even more people gathered around, pointing at the seemingly deranged Miss Zhou and making sounds of disbelief.
Seeing her daughter surrounded by layers of onlookers, Madam Zhou began to have second thoughts. If it weren’t for the fact that she had heard this young Taoist priest could summon divine assistance, and that her husband had strictly forbidden the Taoist priest from visiting again, she would never have brought her daughter out on her own today.
But she was forced into a corner. Master Lingxi couldn’t subdue those evil spirits, and Master Xuan Zhenzi had also come to the house, but he was also helpless. Besides the gods, who else could help her daughter?
Mrs. Zhou was unwilling to leave like this; yet, her daughter couldn’t bear the shock of staying. Even her husband had completely given up on her; what was the point of her struggling alone?
Caught in a dilemma, Madam Zhou’s eyes reddened, and she looked at the young teacher with a dejected and helpless expression.
Zhuang Li pointed to the teahouse across the street and said gently, “Let’s sit down and chat at Jin Manlou. It’s quiet there.”
“Alright, alright, young master, please go ahead.” Madam Zhou quickly made an inviting gesture.
Her mind was in a mess, and she obeyed the young master’s every command.
Standing by the window, Qi Wang stared at the group of people slowly approaching, and without turning his head, ordered: “Arrange for them to stay in the private room next door, and serve them the best tea and pastries.”
The commander of the guards opened the door and gave the orders.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps came from the next private room. Miss Zhou was still struggling, muttering some strange words.
A young man’s melodious voice then rang out: “Madam, please go and rest first. I will wait for you here.”
Madam Zhou had the same idea, so she quickly agreed. The door creaked open, and a series of footsteps faded into the distance.
Qi Wang slowly walked to the spot where he was separated from the boy by only a wall, laid down on the soft couch, and quietly listened to the sounds coming from the other side. He was highly skilled in martial arts and possessed profound internal strength; even through a wall, he could clearly detect the two breathing sounds from the opposite room.
One of them, slightly out of breath as if he had just finished a vigorous run, must be the boy’s younger brother.
The other path was gentle and long, unhurried and slow; who else could it be but the young man?
Without realizing it, Qi Wang closed his eyes, ignoring the other breath and focusing intently on the boy’s breathing. A long-lost sense of relaxation and tranquility washed over him.
Seeing the prince close his eyes, revealing a serene and peaceful expression, the guards were dumbfounded and shocked.
They opened their mouths, wanting to ask the prince if he was sleepy, but they were afraid of disturbing his sleep.
The prince hadn’t had a full night’s sleep for several years, and staying awake until dawn was commonplace. If anyone else had endured this torment, the grass on their grave would probably be three meters high by now. Fortunately, the prince was highly skilled in martial arts and had a robust physique, which was why he had managed to hold on until now.
“Go get the blanket!” the guard captain silently ordered.
The two subordinates nodded, then carefully opened the door, stepped over the threshold as if walking on thin ice, and left silently.
Just then, the two boys next door started talking, causing Qi Wang to suddenly open his peacefully closed eyes.
The captain of the guards slapped his forehead, his face full of regret.
Qi Wang, however, was completely oblivious and immediately pricked up his ears to listen carefully to the boy’s voice.
“Brother, you can even catch ghosts?”
“I only know how to catch the devil in people’s hearts.” The boy’s deliberately lowered voice seemed to have a kind of magic, making Qi Wang want to hear it again and again.
His mind, which was constantly tormented by drowsiness and fatigue, suddenly became clear, as if it had been washed by clear spring water.
Qi Wang slowly sat up, his pursed lips gradually relaxed, and then he raised them almost imperceptibly.
“What kind of ghosts are in a person’s heart?” the boy’s younger brother asked curiously.
“The ghosts in people’s hearts are not ghosts, but they are more terrifying than ghosts,” the boy said ambiguously.
“If it’s not a ghost, then how are you going to catch it, brother?” the younger brother asked, increasingly curious.
Qi Wang also showed interest. Severe sleep deprivation had robbed him of his perception and desire to explore his surroundings. After three years, he once again felt a sense of acceptance towards the world. He tried to immerse himself in the conversation, then imagined every change in the boy’s expression and subtle movements.
Qi Wang wanted to know everything: how the boy sat in the chair, his expression as he spoke these mysterious words, and what he was thinking.
“It isn’t me who caught the ghost, it was Miss Zhou herself,” the young man said with a light laugh.
Qi Wang closed his eyes and could almost see the beautiful curve of the boy’s crimson lips. He was most handsome when he smiled.
For some unknown reason, Qi Wang picked up his pen and wrote a sentence on the paper: “Did he encounter any trouble after he returned yesterday?”
The guard picked up his pen and replied, “No, I followed your orders and specially sent several skilled men to escort him back. They guarded his house all night last night and escorted him into the city this morning. They didn’t encounter any thieves.”
Qi Wang nodded, his tense face relaxing slightly, revealing a relieved expression. He then picked up his brush and wrote: “Have people continue to guard the area, and do not slacken your vigilance.”
The captain of the guards nodded in agreement, but inwardly he was puzzled. Aside from the heir apparent, he had never seen the prince show such concern for anyone. Was there something special about this young man named Zhuang Li?
After some thought, Madam Zhou, who had washed and cleaned herself, stepped into the private room. Miss Zhou, who was dressed up, was grabbed by the arms and had her mouth covered by two maids, who half-dragged and half-pulled her into the room.
If you didn’t know their background, you would definitely think they were human traffickers.
Completely piqued by her brother’s words, Zhuang Jiuge could only swallow her questions and stand aside.
Qi Wang couldn’t help but press his ear closer to the wall to listen more carefully.
The idea that Miss Zhou would catch the ghost herself was quite interesting.
….
Zhuang Li was unaware that someone was eavesdropping next door. He was a complete weakling, unable to beat Zhuang Jiuge in a fight or Madam Zhou in a run, so how could he possibly detect the experts nearby?
He instructed his servant to bring a teapot and a copper basin. The teapot was placed on the flower stand with its spout tilted slightly, allowing the water to drip down, one drop at a time, and be caught in the copper basin below, making a soft, ticking sound.
Immediately afterwards, he asked the waiter to bring over a chaise lounge and place it behind Miss Zhou. The chair was padded with soft pillows and covered with a blanket.
Then, he formally began his conversation with Madam Zhou: “Why does your daughter always say that evil spirits want to rip out her intestines?”
Mrs. Zhou said with fear, “She has nightmares every night, in which ghosts are tearing her intestines out, which always wakes her up in terror. She hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time, and lately she’s been fainting frequently. The doctor says her body is at its limit, and if she can’t sleep soon, she might…”
At this point, Madam Zhou covered her mouth and began to cry in suppressed sobs.
Miss Zhou knew nothing and was struggling.
Upon hearing these words, Qi Wang did not react, but his guard commander gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and showed a pained expression.
Miss Zhou’s illness was remarkably similar to the Prince’s; both suffered from chronic insomnia and were in a state of extreme mental exhaustion. However, the Prince’s condition was even worse than Miss Zhou’s.
For the prince, having nightmares was a luxury, because his body was tormented by unimaginable pain every moment, and his short and intermittent sleep left him no time to dream.
The captain of the guards also pressed his ear against the wall, wanting to hear how Zhuang Li was helping Miss Zhou catch the ghost.
If he can help Miss Zhou, does that mean he can also help the Prince?
This sudden idea greatly invigorated the commander of the guards.
At the same time, two other guards returned with a soft pillow and a thin blanket. When they saw that the prince had opened his eyes, their faces were full of disappointment.
The prince had poor sleep quality, only able to sleep for a short period of fifteen minutes each night before being tormented by illness and fully awake. He would also sleep for a short period of fifteen minutes when he was extremely tired during the day, only to be startled awake again.
He slept intermittently, then suffered from prolonged exhaustion, enduring this for three years. From a regent who could turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist to a frail, dying man, the process was truly a hellish ordeal.
With red-rimmed eyes, the two guards placed a pillow under the prince and covered him with a thin blanket. Just as they were about to say something comforting, the prince raised his index finger, making a shushing gesture.
The room immediately fell silent, and the voices from the other side became clearer.
After a moment’s thought, Zhuang Li bluntly stated, “The intestines are located in the lower abdomen, referring to a woman’s private area, and ‘picking’ is an extremely obscene action. Madam, I suspect that your daughter is not possessed by a ghost, but rather has been abused by an evil person, which is the root cause of her madness.”
Mrs. Zhou: “!!!”
7480: “!!!”
“Master, how did you come to this conclusion? Wait a minute, my mind can’t keep up with you!” 7480 exclaimed, slapping his forehead.
Zhuang Li explained in his mind: “Dreams are a reflection of the subconscious, a mirror of the real world. Every image in a dream corresponds to a scene in reality, and the image of the small intestine corresponds to the female reproductive organs, and ‘picking’ is a sadistic act. In ancient times, when the social norms were so strict, didn’t you understand what it meant that an unmarried girl frequently had dreams with sadistic undertones?”
7480: “…”
Holy crap, the host can even interpret dreams! If that’s the case, psychology and fortune-telling are practically indistinguishable!
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