Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 657: Persuasion
Meng Jingzhou felt he had performed quite a number of good deeds.
Although my background isn’t great and I was forced to collude with the Meng Family, I had long run away from home and severed ties with them.
After coming to the Dao-Seeking Sect, I devoted myself to cultivation to avoid my father tracking me down someday and hanging me up for a beating. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Is this the result of fooling around with Lu Yang every day?
That’s not right either. How does Lu Yang have such deep immortal affinity, receiving personal guidance from the Everlasting Immortal Fairy?
Miaoshan blinked, her face flushed with a spring-like charm. “In that case, little monk, how much money do you want?”
“Ten taels of silver.”
“Here.” Miaoshan didn’t hesitate, taking a silver ingot from her sleeve and slapping it onto the table.
Shi Chan verified the silver ingot’s authenticity, then turned to ask, “Senior brothers, the benefactress has a request. Which of you is willing to contribute?”
Meng Jingzhou, “...”
Lu Yang, “...”
This time, it was Miaoshan’s turn to be stunned. “Wait, shouldn’t you be the one, little monk?”
Shi Chan pressed his palms together, his expression solemn. “Benefactor Miaoshan, this poor monk has left secular life. How could I do such a thing?”
Miaoshan’s expression turned strange. Judging by your actions last night, you didn’t seem like someone who has left secular life.
Shi Chan continued, “What happened at Spring Fragrance House yesterday was merely this poor monk failing to withstand the test.”
“Then can I not pray for a child anymore?” Miaoshan asked.
“Yes.” Shi Chan returned the silver ingot to Miaoshan. “In a few days, once I have saved enough silver, this poor monk will head to the Spring Fragrance House again to temper my mental state.”
Only then did Miaoshan’s expression turn brighter.
After sending away two potential customers in a row, another hour passed before the third potential customer arrived.
“Master, you perform exorcisms here, right?” A middle-aged man approached Shi Chan, his expression clearly troubled. Fraudulent fortune-tellers loved deceiving such people; just a few ambiguous words could convince this middle-aged man that they were a true master.
“Yes. Benefactor, may I ask if you’re seeking an exorcism? From this poor monk’s observation, you are not invaded by evil spirits but have matters weighing on your heart, which is causing panic and cold sweats.”
Shi Chan poured some Heart-Calming Tea refined by the Hanging Monastery. “The tea is free of charge. Please drink.”
The middle-aged man drank the tea in one gulp and calmed down. “It’s not me; it’s my daughter.”
“What’s the matter with your daughter?”
“Once, my daughter went out and met a young fellow living two streets away. Since then, things got completely out of hand. She fell in love with him at first sight and claimed it was destiny, loving him wholeheartedly.
“I didn’t approve of this marriage, so she went on a hunger strike. She hasn’t eaten for three days now!
“In the past, when she threw tantrums and went on hunger strikes, she couldn’t last more than a day. This time, she actually lasted three days! Even tempting her with her favorite barbeque skewers from One More Time Barbeque Shop didn’t work!”
“Benefactor, separating lovers is not a good deed. This poor monk will not commit such an act for money; it damages my merit and virtue. Moreover, cases of love at first sight have existed since ancient times and are not rare. However, it’s inappropriate if the hunger strike leads to death. This poor monk can advise your daughter.”
“That would be wonderful.”
Shi Chan packed up the stall, and the three went to the middle-aged man’s residence.
On the way, they learned the man’s name was Zhong Ming. His family ran a medicinal herb business. As his wife died early, he raised his daughter alone. His daughter was named Zhong Qing’er, and the young fellow was named Kang Wei.
This morning, Zhong Ming had purchased a three-hundred-year-old lingzhi. Coincidentally, the seller was a female Qi Training cultivator. He asked her if there was any expert who could help if his daughter was possessed, and she recommended Shi Chan, whom she had met at the inn last night.
“So it was Miss Fuling who referred him,” Lu Yang mused. No wonder Zhong Ming directly asked Shi Chan about exorcism without suspecting a scam.
The residence was sizable with three courtyards,[1] and it also employed several servants.
Zhong Ming led the three to Zhong Qing’er’s boudoir. On the floor were meals and barbeque skewers that had already turned cold.
“This is my daughter’s boudoir. Uh, Master, since you have left secular life, can you enter a boudoir?”
“Naturally, I can.” Shi Chan pushed the door open and entered the boudoir in an aboveboard manner.
This boudoir couldn’t be any more ordinary. It had a round tea table in the center, burnt-out candles, miscellaneous books, a bronze mirror, and rouge and powder by the wall.
Zhong Qing’er lay on the bed, pale from hunger. Seeing her father bring in a monk and two unknown individuals, she said feebly, “If I can’t be with Milord Kang, I’d rather starve to death!”
“Miss, this poor monk is here to persuade you to eat. If you choose to starve to death, this poor monk also offers soul deliverance services, which are more expensive than persuasion.
“This poor monk is more adept at conducting soul deliverance rituals. I worked at a slaughterhouse for over a year. Countless livestock died by my hand, and I gave all of them deliverance rituals to help their souls find peace.” Shi Chan took out the large banner again, pointing to the words “soul deliverance” to prove he wasn’t lying.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou tried their best to look stern, like Shi Chan’s left and right guardians.
Zhong Qing’er, “...”
“This poor monk is not eloquent and lacks the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s gift of the gab, making it hard for persuasion to be effective. However, I have fasting pills and can force-feed you, miss.”
“If you’re unwilling, I can also throw you out of the residence and onto the street. At that time, with no one caring for your safety and no family support, you will naturally be willing to eat.”
The more Zhong Qing’er heard his words, the paler she became.
Zhong Ming also got a huge fright. Master looks gentle, but his methods aren’t gentle at all.
Tears welled up in Zhong Qing’er’s eyes from fright. Did Father find a monk or a butcher?
“I-I’ll eat.”
I just wanted to scare Father; I wasn’t actually planning to starve to death.
“Can I eat the barbeque skewers from One More Time Barbeque Shop?”
“No, you can’t. Benefactress, you haven’t eaten for three days. Overeating could be life-threatening. You should have light and plain food.” Shi Chan turned to Zhong Ming. “Please prepare a bowl of plain congee.”
Zhong Ming was surprised that his daughter acquiesced so quickly before being overwhelmed with joy. He immediately went out to cook personally.
Soon, Zhong Qing’er was sipping plain congee with a spoon.
“Thank you, Master. How much incense money would be appropriate?”
Shi Chan shook his head. “We can’t leave yet. Your daughter is indeed possessed. There is a very faint trace of power fluctuation on her.”
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou nodded inwardly. They had also noticed that Zhong Qing’er was clearly under a spell. However, they didn’t know which spell it was—or rather, which spell could make someone fall in love.
“She is affected by the Illusion Dream Technique.” The Everlasting Immortal Fairy identified the spell Zhong Qing’er was under at a glance.
“Illusion Dream Technique?”
“It’s a spell that makes people dream, with the dream’s content controlled by the caster. Remember this immortal’s Yellow Millet Dream Pillow? It’s similar, but inferior to my pillow.”
1. Larger houses and residences in ancient China were formed by courtyards. One courtyard typically consisted of a main room, side rooms, servant chambers, and hallways/corridors. Each courtyard also came with one front door and one back door. This image shows an example of a courtyard. Bigger houses have more of such “courtyard units.” In this chapter, the size or structure of the residence is described as “three in three out,” which points to the house having three courtyards. Having three courtyards suggests the owner is from the middle class. Five or seven courtyards are for nobles and high-ranking officials. As a rule of thumb, estates were not allowed to have nine courtyards due to “nine” being associated with the emperor. ☜
