Chapter 9 Fu Ling

Lu Yao accurately pinpointed the source of that prying gaze.

A woman sat on a bench in the southwest direction, pretending to observe her casually.

Beside the woman, a nurse was also watching over her closely.

The woman was actually only 28 years old, but she looked like she was over 30.

There was a coldness in her eyes that seemed out of place for her age.

When she realized Lu Yao was looking at her, she naturally looked away, as smoothly as breathing.

Xiao Zheng is a lively and cheerful girl who can't keep her mouth shut for a moment.

She noticed Lu Yao looking at the woman over there, and without caring whether Lu Yao understood or not, she started muttering to herself, as if reviewing patient information:

"That's Gu Yuzhen, who lives downstairs from you. She seems normal now, right? But she's terrifying when she has an episode; she becomes extremely manic if she's stimulated. However, I'm not really that afraid of her..."

As Xiao Zheng spoke, he secretly observed Lu Yao's reaction.

Lu Yao is usually very well-behaved, but this time her eyes were unusually bright, sparkling with curiosity.

Xiao Zheng first saw Lu Yao showing interest in things.

He secretly thought to himself that maybe chatting with her more would be good for his condition.

So, she continued with great enthusiasm:

"She killed someone, but she was also a pitiful person... She was trafficked to a mountain village when she was in college, suffered for several years, had a child, and was driven crazy. Sigh, if it were me, I probably would have gone crazy too. Never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

As Xiao Zheng finished speaking, he let out a soft sigh.

Lu Yao listened silently.

Human trafficking has been a problem since ancient times; how could she not understand it...?

My thoughts involuntarily drifted back to many years ago.

Back then, she traveled around telling fortunes.

In the bustling capital city, during the Lantern Festival, the streets were adorned with lanterns and decorations, but the Qiao family mansion at the Imperial Censorate was in chaos.

Imperial Censor Qiao is in a state of great distress as he searches for his fourteen-year-old daughter, Qiao Fuling, who went missing during the Lantern Festival.

Lu Yao was already quite famous at that time, and many ladies were happy to seek her advice.

Mrs. Qiao came to us through a recommendation.

Smoke curled around the fortune-telling stall, and Madam Qiao's knuckles turned white as she gripped her embroidered handkerchief.

Lu Yao gazed at the hidden metaphors on the hexagram, the copper coins making a crisp clinking sound inside the tortoise shell.

“Kan represents water, Dui represents marsh.” She brushed her fingertips across the cinnabar spreading on the divination slip. “Your daughter is trapped at the confluence of water and marsh in the southwest. If she cannot be found by the hour of Yin tomorrow…”

Before he could finish speaking, Imperial Censor Qiao had already led his servants out the door like a whirlwind.

As the third watch gong sounded twice, the sounds of fighting came from the abandoned canal wharf on the outskirts of the city.

Lu Yao hid in the reeds, watching the torch illuminate the girl's disheveled hair.

When Qiao Fuling was abducted and dragged out of the cabin, there were still bruises from the rope on her neck, but her almond-shaped eyes were surprisingly bright, as if they could burn through the thick night.

"Thank you so much, Fairy." Madam Qiao placed ten taels of silver on the fortune-telling stall. "My daughter was frightened and needs to rest these days."

A few days later, white banners were hung all over the gate of the Qiao residence, announcing that Qiao Fuling had unfortunately passed away.

Lu Yao sensed something was wrong.

The Qiao Fuling she saw that day possessed a vitality as tenacious as wild grass, vigorous and thriving.

Amidst the fluttering paper money, Lu Yao picked up the warm ashes from the incense burner in the mourning hall and calculated with her fingers to find Qiao Fuling's true whereabouts.

Moonlight streamed through the mottled brick walls of the nunnery, and Lu Yao discovered Qiao Fuling huddled in a corner, her plain clothes covered in mud.

The new scabs on her wrists were from the struggle, and pieces of coffin lacquer were still embedded in her fingernails.

“They say that a woman who has been kidnapped by thieves will ruin the marriage prospects of all the girls in the clan.” The girl’s laughter was hoarse. “When my father personally fed me the drug to make me appear dead, my mother was kneeling in the ancestral hall begging our ancestors for forgiveness.”

Qiao Fuling was sent to this nunnery by her family, where she would spend the rest of her life with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp.

Lu Yao took off her Taoist robe and wrapped it around her thin shoulders, then sighed.

"Come with me, the world is vast, why be trapped here?"

As the morning mist drifted over the cobblestone path, two figures disappeared at the city gate.

They continued to travel together after that.

Fu Ling was one of her most important partners, so how could she not understand the harm that human trafficking brings to people?

Even if Fu Ling didn't say it, Lu Yao knew that the days she was abducted were the deepest shadow in Fu Ling's heart, enough to cause tremors in the depths of her soul.

Gu Yuzhen was trafficked for several years, leading to her mental breakdown and madness...

Lu Yao completely understood.

But why would Gu Yuzhen secretly keep an eye on her?

Unfortunately, they were quite far apart, and Lu Yao couldn't see Gu Yuzhen's face clearly.

Because it stirred up memories of Fu Ling, Lu Yao felt very depressed. She sat there blankly, heartbroken, just like the lost and foolish person she used to be.

She left and never returned, and was mysteriously suppressed under the Broken Soul Ridge. Fu Ling can't find her, and I wonder how heartbroken she must be.

However, a thousand years have passed, and there will never be another chance to tell Fu Ling this.

...

Half an hour later, Xiao Zheng felt that the sun had been shining on her enough, so he decided to lead Lu Yao back to the ward.

Coincidentally, they met Gu Yuzhen and the nurse who was taking care of her in the elevator.

Gu Yuzhen's eyes were unfocused, staring blankly into the void before her, as if her soul had long since wandered away.

Her nurse wore a nameplate that read "Li Manxiang," indicating she was an experienced and senior nurse.

Xiao Zheng greeted her warmly, "Sister Manxiang, you've brought your patients out for some fresh air too!"

Li Manxiang smiled gently: "The weather is nice today, and Yuzhen has been in a calm state lately, so we came down for a walk."

"Sister Manxiang is so considerate," Xiao Zheng praised sincerely.

Gu Yuzhen's condition has been relatively stable in recent years. She has not suddenly attacked anyone, but she may engage in self-harm when provoked.

When Li Manxiang first took over her job, she was extremely unwilling.

After all, Gu Yuzhen had killed people; who wouldn't be afraid?

But after learning about Gu Yuzhen's experiences, Li Manxiang felt deep sympathy for her.

This compassion and affection gradually overcame her fear, making her especially attentive to Gu Yuzhen.

Moreover, Gu Yuzhen's parents are reasonable, decent and kind people. They know how rare Li Manxiang is and often keep in touch with her to care about her life.

Two years ago, I even helped Li Manxiang's son solve his schooling problem.

Therefore, Li Manxiang devoted herself even more to Gu Yuzhen.

Lu Yao perked up and seized the opportunity to turn her gaze to Gu Yuzhen, trying to decipher her facial features.

The left eyebrow is broken as if cut by a knife, but a thin, long red mole grows from the end of the eyebrow and flies diagonally into the temple, which is a sign of a pearl hidden in a bloody blade.

Two scars at the corners of the eyes diagonally cut into the hairline, forming a double ghost knocking on the door pattern, which is recorded in the "Qing Nang Shi Jing" as the pattern of a patricide.

Lu Yao stared at Gu Yuzhen.

Through this face, one can see her past filled with suffering and struggle.