It seems that it wasn't just Su Youran's younger sister who was desperately seeking any treatment; this aunt had also been working tirelessly for the past two or three years to cure her grandfather's illness. She was eager to try anything, no matter how small the chance.

The seventh senior brother walked and looked around.

At this moment, Yun Tianbai caught up. "Aunt, we were impolite. I will also go and pay my respects to my maternal grandfather and ask Xia to prepare some nourishing medicinal herbs. I will come back anytime."

Xiao was indifferent, saying, "Your maternal grandfather has been ill these past few years and rarely sees outsiders. You don't have to see him."

The implication was that no one blamed them.

The eldest brother, eager to show off his fortune-telling skills, asked, "Does Madam currently have a son and a daughter?"

It is not uncommon in the capital for the eldest son of the Zhou family to have a son and a daughter.

Xiao responded with a faint "yes".

"The Zhou family is prosperous and successful in officialdom, but unfortunately, their financial luck is somewhat lacking. Fortunately, the Zhou family has strict family discipline, and most of the Zhou family members are able to walk the right path, so they don't lose sight of the bigger picture or make mistakes due to greed," the eldest brother continued.

The Zhou family was indeed not a wealthy family, but they had served as officials for generations. Although they held high prestige in the imperial court, many of their descendants held high positions in the government. They never resorted to any shady means to make money. Moreover, the Zhou family's ancestral precepts were quite binding. Even though the old Grand Tutor Zhou had assisted three emperors, the Zhou family could only make a living from the salaries of these family members and a meager two or three shops and estates. They had no secret ways to make money.

Therefore, the Zhou family prospered and had a large population. However, since the old tutor was still alive, the family had not divided, and each branch of the family lived a very frugal life.

Of course, these are not unusual things; you can easily find out by asking around.

Xiao responded with a faint reply, but said nothing, though she was already somewhat displeased.

Yun Tianbai retorted directly, "The Zhou family is a century-old clan, how dare you criticize them here?"

Who knows which mountain this fake Taoist priest came from! He usually despises these Taoist priests and monks who pretend to be gods and ghosts.

The eldest brother ignored him. Seeing that Madam Xiao didn't take it seriously, he became slightly anxious. He rolled his eyes and said, "It's a pity that Madam Zhou's children are not blessed. I'm afraid your son is also weak and unable to shoulder the great responsibility of the Zhou family."

Madam Xiao abruptly stopped in her tracks and shouted, "I respect you as disciples of Guigu Mountain, but do not forget that you are currently in the Zhou family. Please be careful with your words, Master!"

Su Youran sighed, finally understanding why her senior brother couldn't earn a living by fortune-telling.

Who wants to hear such blunt and hurtful words?

Yun Tianbai was taken aback; this Taoist priest was actually a disciple of Ghost Valley Mountain?

Seeing that Madam Xiao was displeased, the eldest brother quickly tried to make amends, saying, "Actually, judging from your face, Madam, you were originally destined to have another son."

Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and she suppressed her anger.

The Zhou family was large and prosperous, with each branch having three or four children. Even the married daughters of the Zhou family could give birth to several sons. However, her eldest son's family only had one son and one daughter. Naturally, she couldn't afford to take any concubines for her husband, so the lack of offspring in her eldest son's family was always a regret for her. Moreover, her son was indeed in poor health, just as the Taoist priest had said. Her daughter-in-law was also unproductive; she had been married for several years but hadn't borne a single child.

But the Taoist priest said she should have had another child?

She immediately recalled that incident from over twenty years ago.

Seeing her expression soften slightly, the eldest brother knew he had hit the nail on the head. "The first wife's miscarriage that year not only resulted in a son but also a daughter. They were twins!"

Xiao stared at him in shock.

The eldest brother stroked his beard smugly. How could something as simple as reading faces be difficult for him?

Yun Manyan quickly smoothed things over, "Senior Brother, how rude of you! How could you bring up your aunt's painful past? Let's hurry and see Grandfather!"

Xiao suppressed her emotions, and the anger and disdain in her eyes lessened somewhat.

She suffered a miscarriage more than twenty years ago, and some people might still remember it. But the fact that it involved twins was something only she knew. That miscarriage completely ruined her health, making her unable to conceive again.

Yun Tianbai wanted to reprimand the impolite Taoist priest a few more times, but Yun Manwan glared at him and stopped him.

For some reason, his older sister always seemed to dislike him.

What did I do to offend her?

He glanced again at Su Youran, who was looking down and not saying a word. What was this girl doing here?

As they approached the old master's courtyard, Xiao's thoughts were pulled back to reality.

Over the years, she had invited monks and Taoist priests to exorcise demons and exorcise evil spirits for the old man, but he remained the same as before.

This Taoist priest must have some real skills, if he hadn't inquired about it beforehand.

Perhaps a miracle will happen.

She led the group through a courtyard gate.

The old woman behind him immediately closed the door again.

The seventh senior brother frowned as soon as he entered the courtyard.

He didn't rush inside, but instead asked, "Madam, please wait. May I ask if it is permissible to have this tree cut down?"

When Xiao turned her head, she was shocked once again.

Yun Tianbai was so surprised that he blurted out, "What?! That's my grandfather's favorite osmanthus tree!"

Every autumn, the courtyard would be filled with fragrance, and the old man would have a reclining chair brought out to lie under the osmanthus tree, smelling the sweet fragrance while reminiscing about the past.

Although the old man has been sometimes mad and sometimes lucid over the years, if this tree were really cut down, he would surely fly into a rage when he saw it in a lucid moment.

Madam Xiao also firmly refused, "No way! This is the old man's favorite tree. If it is cut down, he will definitely make a fuss."

The old tutor's temper was such that no one in the Zhou family dared to offend him.

Su Youran was also shocked. Her senior brother had low emotional intelligence and didn't know how to speak properly. He would just dig up people's old wounds as soon as he opened his mouth.

The seventh senior brother would order someone to cut off the person's favorite thing as soon as they met!

Are all the people from Guigu Mountain low in emotional intelligence? They seem to want to kill the conversation in just a few words and cut off their own source of income?

Yun Tianbai snorted coldly, "You bunch of mystical people, how can you just cut down trees like that?"

However, the seventh senior brother pointed to another stone table and continued, "This courtyard was originally square, with only one osmanthus tree in the center, which resembles the character '困' (trapped). And this stone table with four stools is blocking the way, obstructing the flow of positive energy and condensing the protective energy, which easily attracts evil energy. People living in this courtyard will inevitably be disturbed over time. I dare to guess that the people living here are already prone to unconsciousness, and even when they do wake up, they often utter incoherent and erratic words."

Yun Tianbai was furious. "Nonsense! My maternal grandfather only suffers from chronic insomnia and is physically weak. How could he be insane?!"

Xiao opened her mouth slightly, stunned for a moment, and then shock slowly appeared in her eyes.