Chapter 106 Chapter 106 is the only genuine version...

lantern? !

Zhou Liulang asked cautiously, "Master, what do you mean by the blessing spell?"

Wuweizi said slowly: "The blessing spell is a kind of evil magic, and can also be considered a curse."

The Zhou family was shocked.

Witchcraft, curse, these words make people feel creepy and chilling no matter how they hear them.

"I'll send someone to get it right away. If we ride at full speed, it will only take an hour. I hope you'll wait a moment." Zhou Liulang bowed deeply.

Zhou Jinnuo stopped him: "You are not allowed to go."

Gu Zhizhuo gently poked the little ball's belly with his finger, snatched Qingping's whisk and waved it in front of its eyes, with the silver threads fluttering left and right.

Qingping: ???

"Me?"

The little ball's eyes widened with excitement, and it jumped from her lap, running around chasing the silver threads of the whisk.

So cute, so cute! Zhou Jinnuo held his chin with both hands, his eyes glued to it.

Gu Zhizhuo: "Go ahead."

If Zhou Liulang were pardoned, he would run away quickly.

The carriage was accompanied by maids and guards. He felt uneasy about entrusting such a private matter, one that concerned his sister's reputation, to anyone else. So he simply made the round trip himself. He galloped, his steed dizzy, and finally, within an hour, he brought a lantern.

When Zhou Liulang pushed open the door of the wing room and walked in, he saw his fourth sister sitting on the ground, rolling a glass bead around to play with the cat.

Zhou Liulang's mind flashed with the image of his gentle and virtuous fourth sister, who smiled without showing her teeth.

The two figures overlap...they can't overlap at all!

Forget it, playing with the cat is better than thinking about eloping all day long. Zhou Liulang silently comforted himself in his heart, just like he just comforted Mrs. Zhou.

Mrs. Zhou had already accepted her fate. Seeing her son come back breathless, she asked, "Did you get it?"

"yes."

Zhou Liulang was sweating profusely and put the lantern in his arms on the Eight Immortals Table.

This is an ordinary octagonal lantern, with different birds painted on each side. The painting is just average, and the birds are not lifelike, but look dull and wooden. The painting is just desperately piling up colors, and the picture looks messy.

Gu Zhizhuo took it in his hand and examined it carefully.

Zhou Jinnuo just glanced back and said casually, "Don't break it. This is the love letter Zhang Lang sent me..."

"Meow~"

"Come here, sister will play with you."

Mrs. Zhou and her son looked at each other and thought: "That's it! Just think of it as having another daughter (sister) cat."

Not only was the painting on the lantern mediocre, the craftsmanship was also quite crude. The bamboo strips hadn't been shaved smooth, leaving many burrs on them. When gluing them together, the glue marks hadn't been wiped clean, leaving them somewhat mottled and rather perfunctorily made. Gu Zhizhuo peered into the lantern again and uttered, "Huh?"

"Master." She took the lantern. "There's something inside."

The inside of the lantern was made of double-layered paper, and in one corner of it, there was a faint triangular object tucked in. Judging from its size, it should be a folded talisman.

She asked, "Mrs. Zhou, can you open it?"

"Sure, sure." Mrs. Zhou hated this thing. "Tear it down however you want!"

Gu Zhizhuo found a paper cutter and carefully took apart the lantern.

Zhou Jinnuo just looked back with a hint of struggle on his face.

The art of incantation influenced her subtly. After hesitating for a moment, Gu Zhizhuo had already cut the lantern open and took out the yellow talisman folded into a triangle from the middle of the double-layer paper.

She handed it directly to Wuweizi.

Wuweizi placed the whisk on his arm and opened the talisman.

Gu Zhizhuo's pupils suddenly shrank. This was a marriage talisman.

The marriage talisman is one of the talismans that people often ask for in Taoist temples, but unlike ordinary marriage talismans, this talisman has a circle of spells written on the four sides. She couldn't understand the meaning of the spells, but judging from the shape of the characters, it was the same as the talisman found in the wooden box containing her father's head.

"It is indeed a blessing spell."

Wuweizi said affirmatively.

The Zhuyin Mantra is a very ancient spell. Wuweizi has been in Taoism for eighty years and has extraordinary talent. He can use all kinds of Taoist techniques with ease. However, even he only has a superficial understanding of the Zhuyin Mantra.

The blessing spell is too evil and can easily destroy people's souls and change their fortunes. It is easy to backfire and suffer retribution. Nowadays, there are only a handful of people who can still perform it.

"The handwriting on this talisman is very similar to the one Junior Sister brought." Qingping leaned over to examine it carefully and said, "It must be the same person."

Shangxu Temple, Taoist Changfeng.

Gu Zhizhuo never forgot everything that happened in Xinjiang.

In order to avoid being accused of treason and affecting the overall situation, Gu Zhizhuo restrained himself and did not go to Shangxu Temple to find out what was going on.

Later, she threatened King Jin repeatedly, telling him clearly that she already knew that he had asked Shangxu Temple to suppress her father's remains. She even told him that his bloodline would be cut off.

She also expected that King Jin would most likely invite Taoist Changfeng to come to the capital to resolve the disaster.

It seems that this talisman really came from the hand of Taoist Changfeng.

I don’t know whether he is at the Prince of Jin’s Mansion or at some Taoist temple.

Gu Zhizhuo pondered and asked, "Besides selling lanterns at the temple fair, where does Mr. Zhang live and go on weekdays?"

Zhou Jinnuo looked confused.

Zhou Liulang, however, had made a special effort to investigate and reported, "He lived in Yanziwei Alley in the south city. He usually set up a calligraphy and painting stall on Maoer Street to earn some money. Maoer Street was very close to the largest brothel alley in the capital, and prostitutes would occasionally ask him to write a few erotic poems."

Wuweizi burned the talisman with a candle: "This lantern must be burned too."

"It can't be burned. This is..." Zhou Jinnuo said anxiously, "This is the token of love between Zhang Lang and me... Well, it's so ugly. Let's burn it." It's really strange. This lantern is so crudely made. Why did she regard it as a token of love in the past?

"Yes, yes." Mrs. Zhou signaled her son to burn it now, fearing that her daughter would regret it later.

She didn't understand most of what the master and his disciples had just said, but she did understand one thing: her daughter had become so strange because of this lantern.

It’s better to burn it and be done with it!

"Qingping, give this Zhou Shanxin a tranquilizing talisman," Wuweizi said. "Zhou Shanxin's love is cursed, and without a medium, it will gradually fade." Actually, my disciple had done a good job, so it wouldn't matter if he didn't burn it. But burning it would obviously give the Zhou family greater peace of mind.

He has a kind face and his words convince people from the bottom of their hearts.

"Thank you, Master." Zhou Liulang lowered his posture very humbly and said repeatedly, "Thank you, sister."

At one point, he really thought that his sister was just a love-obsessed girl. It was okay for her to fall in love with a poor boy, but it was absolutely unacceptable for her to abandon her family and dignity for a poor boy.

Coming here to ask God for help is actually their last choice.

Zhou Liulang secretly rejoiced and took the lantern out to burn it.

Seeing Gu Zhizhuo's absent-minded look, Wuweizi said with a smile: "Zhuo'er, there's no point in overthinking it. If you want to go, just go quickly."

Yes. Find that scholar and ask him where the talisman came from. She suddenly stood up and said, "Master, Brother, I'm leaving first."

Mrs. Zhou stood up to see her off, and when she saw her off to the door, she bowed to thank her.

Gu Zhizhuo quickly dodged and returned a half-bow, then helped her up with both hands and said, "You're welcome. Mr. Zhou Liu and my brother are friends, it's just a small favor."

"Miss Gu, you saved Nuo'er's life, you deserve this gift."

Mrs. Zhou spoke sincerely.

A family as prominent as the Zhous would certainly not allow their daughter to elope. If she continued to make trouble, she would at best go insane and be locked up in the village for life, or at worst die suddenly. She had given birth to three children, but her eldest son was taken away by her mother-in-law at birth and was not close to her. Now she only had this son and daughter, and she couldn't bear to abandon either one.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about Miss Zhou." Gu Zhizhuo didn't like to beat around the bush and gave her a reassurance.

This world has always been harsh on women, and even a single wrong step can affect their entire lives.

What a thoughtful girl! Mrs. Zhou smiled gently and opened the door for her personally.

Gu Zhizhuo did not delay any longer. He called Qingmei and Qiongfang and went down the mountain directly.

She mounted her horse and rode off, sending the coachman and his companions home on their own. When they arrived back in the capital, it was just dusk, and the streets were bustling with people coming and going.

Gu Zhizhuo first went to Maoer Street where Zhang Xiucai sold calligraphy and paintings.

Maoer Street is located in Dongcheng District. She doesn't go there often and is not familiar with the area. It took her a long time to find someone who had seen Mr. Zhang. However, he didn't come to set up a stall today.

His calligraphy and painting stall is usually placed next to a blind man's fortune-telling stall.

"Are you looking for Mr. Zhang? He didn't come today." The uncle who was selling cold water at a nearby stall looked at Gu Zhizhuo curiously. After accepting a silver ingot, he said warmly, "Mr. Zhang has been saying these days that a young lady from an official family has fallen in love with him at first sight and is clamoring to marry him. He won't have to run a stall anymore."

The uncle was somewhat envious.

Alas, in the past I only heard of choosing a husband based on the list of candidates, but I never saw any young lady from an official family who was so unpicky that she would even marry a scholar.

"He also said that his father-in-law is in charge of education and can help him rise to prominence. He's sure to pass the next exam."

"Miss, what do you want to do with Mr. Zhang?"

Could she be the rich daughter that Mr. Zhang mentioned? Meeting her intimidating gaze, the uncle denied it himself. Definitely not. She doesn't look like a blind man. She probably looks down on people like Mr. Zhang.

Gu Zhizhuo said calmly, "Debt collection."

It was just as Zhou Liulang had said. Mr. Zhang was talking nonsense everywhere and trying to ruin Miss Zhou's reputation.

Gu Zhizhuo was about to go to Yanziwei Lane to take a look. Not far away, the Zhou family's carriage stopped in front of her. Zhou Liulang was driving the carriage himself. He greeted her from the carriage: "Sister, are you also looking for the boy named Zhang?"

Gu Zhizhuo nodded: "I want to ask him who gave him that talisman."

"Let's go together!" Zhou Liulang said gritting his teeth.

Surrounded by people, Zhou Liulang drove the carriage to a secluded alley nearby and whispered, "Fourth sister told the real person that she and the man surnamed Zhang had agreed to elope today, and she wanted to see him again."

"The real person said, let her go."

Zhou Liulang hesitated for a long time and decided to obey.

"My mother went back. I took my fourth sister to Swallow Tail Lane but didn't see anyone there."

Before she could finish her words, the curtain of the carriage lifted up, revealing Zhou Jinnuo's pretty face. She said with a little confusion, "Sister Gu, I always feel like something is not right."

Does she really like that guy?

It seemed like she liked him very much, so much so that she was willing to elope with him. However, when she thought about it carefully, she couldn't even remember what he looked like.

All I remember is that he was "handsome and talented."

She no longer wanted to elope, but she had to tell him in person, otherwise she would not be willing to do so.

"Sister, are you okay?" Zhou Liulang asked in a low voice, covering his lips with his hands.

"I'll see you if I want to."

"Sister, my dear sister, if anything goes wrong, you must hold her back." Zhou Liulang bowed repeatedly. He looked around and lowered his voice. "Fourth sister said that she and Zhang have an appointment to meet in front of the teahouse opposite the fortune-telling stall tonight."

"What time is it?"

Zhou Jinnuo: "One quarter past ten."

Gu Zhizhuo said in confusion, "It's just getting dark at the time of Xu, the servants should still be awake? Are you sure you can escape?" She was asking Zhou Jinuo.

Zhou Jinnuo lowered his head. Thinking carefully, why did he agree at that time?

Gu Zhizhuo spread his hands and said as a matter of course, "Mr. Zhang probably doesn't know how many servants and old women in wealthy families are constantly following their masters."

In Gu Zhizhuo's own courtyard alone, apart from Qiongfang and Qingmei, there were twenty maids and servants, big and small.

"Miss Zhou, what was your original plan?"

Gu Zhizhuo sat on the rafter of the car, put his chin in his hand and looked at her with a smile.

"I thought I'd pretend to have diarrhea when I went to pay my respects to Grandma. There's a small window facing the back of the bathroom in Grandma's yard. I could climb out through that window and sneak out of the yard." Zhou Jinuo spoke softly, his cheeks flushed slightly with shame. "...and get out through the dog hole."

Even when she was planning it, she still felt that she was extremely capable and could come up with such a brilliant plan. Now, facing Gu Zhizhuo's half-smile eyes, she had the urge to hide under the table.

Oh my god, a dog hole. What was she thinking?

Meow~ Little Dumpling licked her fingers comfortingly, and Zhou Jinuo was so touched.

Fourth sister is becoming more and more normal! Zhou Liulang wiped away his bitter tears. He thought that he should be fine when he saw Zhang again.

Zhou Liulang went out and bought a large cup of herbal tea to relieve his anger and anxiety.

As the sky gradually darkened, countless red lanterns were hung in the alleys at the end of the street, lighting up half the sky red, as bright as day.

Zhou Liulang swallowed, his throat dry.

This place is too close to a brothel. If Brother Can knew that I brought my sister to a place like this in the middle of the night, he would beat me, right?

Definitely.

He was feeling uneasy, as he had made a great sacrifice for his fourth sister.

"Here I come."

Gu Zhizhuo stared outside and suddenly reminded, "Look, is it him?"

The old blind man had already gone home, the nearby stalls were mostly deserted, and there were no pedestrians. Only a young man in a dark blue cloth robe and a turban stood in front of the teahouse, looking around.

Zhou Liulang gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, it's him!"

Zhou Jinnuo looked at it for a while and nodded.

She got off the carriage almost unconsciously, then stopped hesitantly, with a hint of hesitation on her beautiful face.

Gu Zhizhuo ordered Qingmei: "You follow me. If something goes wrong, it's okay to just knock the person out and drag him back, okay?" The second half of the sentence was directed at Zhou Liulang.

“Sure, sure!”

Gu Zhizhuo raised his hand and gently stroked the spot on Zhou Jinnuo's forehead where the talisman had been drawn. He added a calming talisman and handed the cat to her: "Go."

Gu Zhizhuo believes in himself and also believes in his master's judgment.

So, she watched calmly as Zhou Liulang anxiously waved his folding fan, his face covered in hot sweat, his eyes staring straight out of the alley.

Zhou Jinuo walked towards Mr. Zhang and called out softly, "Mr. Zhang."

Mr. Zhang turned his head and looked at him. He pulled his face and smiled excitedly.

"Nono, you're finally here. I knew you would come. You can't bear to leave me, right?"

He spoke with his throat pinched, and his hypocritical tone made Zhou Jinnuo shudder: "Yes, yes." His eyes fell on her body, which was sticky, just like a snake spitting out its tongue, which was particularly uncomfortable.

Mr. Zhang said affectionately, "It doesn't matter if your parents don't want to accept us now. As long as we are together, they will eventually see my sincerity towards you. Then they will forgive you."

Mr. Zhang moved closer to her and wanted to kiss her on the cheek.

The foul smell from his mouth made Zhou Jinnuo frown. Even his hair had a sour smell, and the dirt behind his ears and neck was even more nauseating.

She subconsciously held her breath and stepped back.

She even saw a leek leaf stuck between his teeth.

Mr. Zhang thought she was shy and didn't take it seriously.

The wealthy families in the capital were all snobs, and they actually looked down on him for being just a scholar. They didn't consider that with his talent and character, it was only a matter of time before he would be admitted to the imperial examination.

He was filled with hatred when he thought about how he had sincerely proposed marriage and yet was still being driven away.

He said tenderly, "Let's get married tonight, okay?"

It's so simple.

It was just as that person said, as long as he gave the talisman to others, there would be beautiful ladies from wealthy families who would fall in love with him.