Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Zhuang Li led Zhuang Jiuge away from Jin Man Lou and went to the street to continue guarding his fortune-telling stall.
The crowd, eager for a spectacle, had not yet dispersed.
Jin Man Lou was owned by Qi Wang, so these people dared not trespass. They thus waited outside, watching anxiously. When Zhuang Li finally arrived, he immediately shouted, “Sir, have you caught those evil spirits that were haunting Miss Zhou?”
This was the most famous ghost story in Bazhou City, and everyone naturally wanted to know the outcome.
“They’re just a bunch of demons and monsters, why won’t I catch them?” Zhuang Li asked casually.
Standing behind him, Zhuang Jiuge proudly puffed out his chest and said loudly, “My brother is amazing! He wiped out all the ghosts and monsters in one go!”
He already knew that Miss Zhou wasn’t possessed by an evil spirit, but rather that she had been humiliated to the point of losing her mind due to the unbearable trauma. However, such a thing was too tragic for a woman, so he decided to attribute it to ghosts or monsters.
Thinking this, Zhuang Jiuge lowered his eyelids, quietly concealing the anger and pity in his eyes. He had only just realized that the human heart and human words were more terrifying than ghosts and monsters.
Zhuang Li patted his hand reassuringly and advised, “Don’t overthink things, just focus on your studies. If you want to change the world, you must first elevate yourself to a higher position.”
“Brother, I understand. I will work even harder in the future.” Zhuang Jiuge picked up the book and focused intently on reading it, the surrounding noise not affecting him at all.
Qi Wang walked to the window and silently looked at the two men, pondering, “Both of them are extraordinary.”
Several guards agreed, their faces showing a hint of awe.
Although Miss Zhou was not possessed, and Zhuang Li did not catch any real ghosts, his methods of manipulating sleep and sealing memories were more shocking than catching ghosts.
Did Master Xuan Zhenzi of Qingtian Temple possess such spiritual power? Probably not! Otherwise, the Prince would have received the news long ago, and the outside world would be spreading rumors about it in great detail.
Moreover, how could Master Xuan Zhenzi have taught such a scoundrel as Daoist Ling Xi? Could he himself be a demon in human skin?
The several guards couldn’t help but make this connection.
Qi Wang coldly replied, “I will not be going to Qingtian Temple.”
The guards readily agreed, without offering any advice whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Miss Zhou, who had a weak spleen and stomach, left Jin Man Lou after only eating a bowl of porridge. For some reason, she really wanted to go home and get some sleep.
Mrs. Zhou supported her daughter and softly recounted the changes in the family over the past few years. She had thought her daughter would be saddened by the Li family’s annulment of the engagement, but to her surprise, her daughter was only momentarily dazed before shaking her head and saying that it was for the best and quickly let it go.
Upon waking, she indeed faced life’s many disappointments with courage and strength, just as Mr. Zhuang had predicted. Seemingly unchanged, she was much more mature than she had been three years ago. Those scars had ultimately tempered her soul.
Mrs. Zhou’s eyes reddened again, but a relieved smile appeared on her face.
The mother and daughter walked down the stairs chatting and laughing. They bowed to the shopkeeper who had come to personally see them off, and stepped lightly across the threshold, naturally smoothing their skirts. Every movement exuded a quiet elegance ingrained in their very being.
Master Zhou followed behind the two women, excitedly saying that he would take them to Bao Yuzhai to buy jewelry.
Miss Zhou smiled and said, “Thank you, Father.” Her eyes were clear, and her expression was joyful, completely unlike her previous mania.
Those who remained to watch the spectacle stared wide-eyed in disbelief, until the Zhou family had driven away in their carriage. Only then did a chorus of exclamations erupt: “Heavens! The evil spirits that plagued Miss Zhou have truly been exorcised!”
“She went in as a madwoman but came out as a refined lady. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes!”
“Mr. Zhuang is truly remarkable!”
“I’m completely convinced! This time I’m truly convinced! Mr. Zhuang’s cultivation is even higher than that of Daoist Ling Xi!”
“They say that true masters live in seclusion, and indeed, the real experts are often found among ordinary people!”
After sighing in amazement, everyone rushed to surround Zhuang Li’s fortune-telling stall, asking him for a few words of advice.
Zhuang Li refused them all, closing his eyes and saying, “I only tell fortunes for those who are destined to be or those who are in dire straits. You may all leave now.”
Some people obediently dispersed, while others asked curiously, “Mr. Zhuang, you easily eliminated the evil spirits that even Master Ling Xi couldn’t handle. Your cultivation must be above Master Ling Xi’s. Then how do you compare to Master Xuan Zhenzi? Who is stronger between you two?”
This question was like putting Zhuang Li in a very difficult position. Who didn’t know that Master Xuan Zhenzi was the most powerful Taoist priest in Jin? How could a mere youth like Zhuang Li dare to compare himself to him?
When everyone thought Zhuang Li would belittle himself and praise Master Xuan Zhenzi, he opened his eyes and smiled contemptuously: “Master Ling Xi is nothing but a charlatan who pretends to be a god. How can he be compared to me? If he can teach such a disciple, Xuan Zhenzi must also be a person with an undeserved reputation.”
Wow! Mr. Zhuang, what a boastful tone!
The crowd was stunned for a moment, then erupted in a clamor of discontent.
“Do you know that the auspicious day for the Emperor’s ascension to the throne was calculated by the Taoist Master Xuan Zhenzi?” someone asked loudly.
Others rebuked him, saying, “You do have some skill, but you’re far too arrogant. You’ve never even met Master Xuan Zhenzi, so what makes you say he’s all talk and no action?”
“I know without even seeing him that he’s no good.” Zhuang Li closed his eyes again, ignoring the people around him.
Religious groups were among the most tightly bound social organizations, possessing an extremely high degree of ideological assimilation. If one member of the group developed a flawed ideology, others would quickly be influenced. Therefore, criminal acts committed by religious individuals were often group-based.
The case of 300 Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania, USA, suspected of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children[1], was a typical example of religious group crime.
Such cases were based on the influence of group psychology; just as if a bad fruit appeared in a pocket, the rest of the fruit would quickly rot as well.
Therefore, Zhuang Li did not believe that Xuan Zhenzi was innocent, and even that the entire Qingtian Temple was very problematic.
Master Ling Xi’s methods were both skillful and daring. He dared to harm the daughter of the governor in broad daylight and in front of everyone, which showed that he had no fear of the powerful and influential.
Where did he get his confidence from? He was just a Taoist priest, who gave him the courage?
Zhuang Li shook his head inwardly, having developed deep doubts about the legendary Master Xuan Zhenzi. Without his indulgence, Daoist Ling Xi wouldn’t have gone to such extremes.
While he was pondering, the crowd suddenly burst into exclamations: “Master Xuan Zhenzi has arrived!”
“Has he not come down the mountain in a long time? What’s the matter this time?”
“He was standing on the street corner just now, and he heard Mr. Zhuang’s words clearly!”
“The person accompanying him seems to be Governor Qin!”
“Oh no, Mr. Zhuang has gotten himself into trouble!”
“This is going to be interesting. Master Xuan Zhenzi will definitely come to ruin Mr. Zhuang’s reputation!”
“Who do you think is more capable between the two of them?”
“Nonsense, of course Master Xuan Zhenzi is more powerful. When Master Xuan Zhenzi became famous throughout the world, this Mr. Zhuang wasn’t even born yet!”
The crowd quickly made way for Master Xuan Zhenzi and Governor Qin to walk unimpeded to Zhuang Li’s fortune-telling stall.
Qi Wang, who had been gazing at this scene from the teahouse, immediately stood up and hurried downstairs. With Governor Qin backing Xuan Zhenzi, shouldn’t he also stand up for the young master?
….
Zhuang Li opened his eyes and looked ahead. He saw an old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face walking over unhurriedly. He had a faint smile on his face and his eyes were flashing with unfathomable light. Beside him was a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes.
“I heard everything you said earlier, so I’ve come to discuss the Dao with you,” Master Xuan Zhenzi said with a warm smile.
The middle-aged man standing next to him was Governor Qin, who was staring sharply at Zhuang Li with an extremely displeased expression on his face.
Upon hearing that Qi Wang had come to Bazhou and fallen seriously ill, he immediately thought of the Taoist Master Xuan Zhenzi, who had just refined the elixir of immortality, and thus went up the mountain overnight to ask for his help.
He treated Master Xuan Zhenzi like an ancestor all the way, but when he entered the city, someone trampled Master Xuan Zhenzi in the mud right in front of him. How could he tolerate this?
Governor Qin sized Zhuang Li up and down, his anger rising, but his gaze froze when it fell on the jade pendant at the man’s waist. That was… that was the token of Qi Wang!
Before Governor Qin could ponder this further, Zhuang Li pointed to the chair opposite him and said, “Please sit down. Let’s forget about discussing Daoist principles and instead have a divination contest.”
Master Xuan Zhenzi showed no fear, gracefully sat down, and asked with a faint smile, “How do you want to do it?”
“I’ll tell your fortune, and you tell mine, how about it?” Zhuang Li curled his lips into a smile.
“Alright.” Master Xuan Zhenzi gave Zhuang Li a deep look.
Zhuang Li took out a pile of copper coins, casually tossed them onto the table, and said to Xuan Zhenzi, “Please count how many copper coins these are. If you don’t count them clearly, the divination may be inaccurate.”
Master Xuan Zhenzi roughly counted them and said, “Nine.”
“You’re wrong. Count again.” Zhuang Li revealed a mocking smile.
Master Xuan Zhenzi lowered his head, counted carefully, and said with certainty, “There are indeed nine.”
“You’re wrong. Count them one by one.” Zhuang Li looked at the crowd around him and ordered, “Quiet down, don’t disturb the mage’s thoughts.”
The crowd that had been loudly proclaiming “there are nine, no miscount” immediately fell silent.
They had no choice but to keep quiet because that important person from yesterday suddenly appeared out of nowhere, accompanied by several fierce-looking guards. Each guard drew their sword, their faces practically screaming “Keep quiet!”
Those around him trembled and fell silent, terrified by the glint of the blade. What made them even more hesitant to act was the reaction of Governor Qin. This local tyrant of Bazhou quickly ran to the man’s side and bowed respectfully in fear.
Even the Governor had to bow to greet him, which showed the high status of the man.
The bustling street fell silent in an instant.
To prove he hadn’t miscounted, Master Xuan Zhenzi pointed to the coins one by one with his fingers: “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.”
The instant he finished counting, Zhuang Li immediately gave the instruction: “Wrong, count backwards again.”
Master Xuan Zhenzi subconsciously counted down: “Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”
Unbeknownst to him, his mind had become chaotic, his consciousness compressed into a tiny range by the repetitive counting, and his judgment gradually blurred. He could only stare at the copper coins on the table, mechanically counting them, a state that was already a mild hypnotic state.
When he complied with Zhuang Li’s request and began counting down, his light hypnotic state unknowingly transformed into a moderate hypnotic state.
At this point, Zhuang Li only needed to give a few words of guidance, and Xuan Zhenzi would be able to hallucinate.
So Zhuang Li picked up a copper coin and said in a deep voice, “Stare at this copper coin, don’t blink. Slowly, the eye of this copper coin will turn into a black vortex, do you see it?”
Xuan Zhenzi nodded blankly, “I see it.”
Zhuang Li slowly said, “This vortex is the gate to the underworld. Your soul cannot resist the call of the underworld, and it floats out of your body, spinning endlessly along the vortex. You spin and spin and spin, spinning and spinning, never stopping for a long time.”
As he spoke, Xuan Zhenzi’s head began to spin in circles, and his already confused expression turned completely numb. He had entered a deep hypnotic state.
Zhuang Li said in a deep voice, “Your soul spins for a long time before finally being sucked into the vortex and entering the underworld. You landed in a majestic and gloomy hall, where a plaque on the beam reads ‘Hall of Yama.’ Can you see it?”
Xuan Zhenzi raised his head, looked into the void, and nodded stiffly like a puppet: “I see it.”
His expression, actions, and words all matched Zhuang Li’s description, as if his soul had truly been sucked into the underworld by Qian Yan and arrived at the Yama’s Palace.
This bizarre and mysterious scene stunned everyone.
The already quiet street fell into a deathly silence, and everyone’s gaze towards Zhuang Li changed.
Can someone who possesses such abilities still be called a human being?
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[1] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/14/more-than-300-pennsylvania-priests-committed-sexual-abuse-over-decades.
