Chapter 89 The Pattern of the Suspended Soul Silk
Zhou Jiming looked as if he were drunk. His fists would swing away from the middle-aged man beneath him, and after all that effort, he hadn't caused the slightest harm.
Shao Yanzhe glanced around and saw two rows of soldiers in guard uniforms standing there. They stood motionless like wooden figures, seemingly oblivious to the scene unfolding before them.
The scene before him was truly bizarre in his eyes.
He stepped forward and pulled Zhou Jiming up.
"Alright, since you don't really want to hit him, don't waste your energy."
Zhou Jiming was taken aback, his anger subsided, and then his face was full of dejection.
"Brother Shao, you noticed! You just had a good laugh at me."
"It's nothing. What's wrong with you?" Shao Yanzhe asked.
Zhou Jiming glanced around. The middle-aged man lying on the ground sat up, glanced at Zhou Jiming, and then left with his men.
"It's nothing, I just realized this place isn't reality, so I indulged myself for once," he said.
Shao Yanzhe was surprised; he hadn't expected Zhou Jiming to realize that this wasn't reality.
"How did you find out?" he asked curiously.
Zhou Jiming touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly: "It's just a feeling. I guess it's because I've experienced this a few times before. This time, as soon as I woke up, I realized something was wrong."
"I see. Your obsession here is indeed not the real world."
Zhou Jiming glanced subconsciously in the direction the middle-aged man had left, muttering to himself, "No wonder..."
Shao Yanzhe couldn't hear what he said, so he asked, "What did you just say?"
Zhou Jiming quickly shook his head and changed the subject: "It's nothing, how can we get out of here?"
"It's very simple: either untie your obsession or destroy it."
"Forget about untangling your obsession. I don't even know what my obsession is. Just tell me how to break free from it!"
“I have some experience with this, which is to develop an even stronger obsession than before,” Shao Yanzhe said confidently.
Zhou Jiming looked at Shao Yanzhe in surprise, his eyes filled with doubt. Although he didn't know as much about obsessions as he did about other things, he knew the general process.
What he knows is completely different from what Shao Yanzhe said!
However, since he claims to have experience, it's likely that what he's seen before was only the most basic level.
"What do you need me to do?" Zhou Jiming asked hurriedly, feeling somewhat excited.
Shao Yanzhe recalled the events of the two previous instances of the Obsession Ball shattering, and then asked, "Is there anything you really want to do?"
Zhou Jiming thought carefully before asking, "Does wanting to inherit the marquisate count?"
"I suppose so, but didn't you say that the marquisate would be yours sooner or later? Even if you don't want it, the marquisate won't belong to anyone else. This is probably not your obsession."
“That’s true. Although that old man wants his illegitimate son to ascend the throne, the Emperor will definitely not agree. But I don’t know what I want to do that has become my obsession.”
Zhou Jiming looked bewildered. He had been born into a life of luxury, able to have whatever he wanted. More often than not, his subordinates would offer him all sorts of rare and precious items before he even had to ask.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at him and knew he wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't know what his obsession was.
After a moment of contemplation, he looked at him and asked, "Where did that middle-aged man go?"
Zhou Jiming answered without hesitation: "He must have gone into the palace to see the emperor."
"Alright, let's go."
"What are you going to do?"
"Of course, I'll help you resolve your obsession!"
As Shao Yanzhe spoke, he grabbed his wrist and led him out of the building.
"No! Why would I go to him to resolve my obsession?"
"Just follow me. By the way, I don't know the way to the palace, so you can lead the way."
"Fine, come with me! You still haven't told me why you're going to find my father?"
Shao Yanzhe glanced at him and said, "Haven't you realized yet? Your biggest obsession is wanting to beat up your father."
"How is that possible!" Zhou Jiming retorted instinctively.
"Don't forget, this is your obsession ball. Since you had the idea of hitting your father and actually did it, it means that this matter is your obsession."
"Ugh! This is so complicated and troublesome!"
Zhou Jiming had a headache and his eyes subconsciously looked away, avoiding eye contact with Shao Yanzhe.
"Well, you're probably mistaken. How could a son possibly have an obsession with hitting his own father? That's obviously a sign of a rebellious son! I was really just testing him out; I didn't really mean to hit him!"
"Yes, I know."
Shao Yanzhe nodded calmly, ignoring Zhou Jiming's explanation.
Soon, the two arrived at the palace.
Shao Yanzhe stood in front of the palace gate. He glanced around and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The palace didn't seem so imposing and inviolable. It looked much worse than the Forbidden City he had seen when he traveled in his previous life.
Hmph! Bad review!
"How do I get in?" He glanced at the heavily guarded palace and asked at the exit.
Zhou Jiming said, "Just come with me!"
As he spoke, he walked directly to the palace gate. The guards only glanced at him before letting him pass.
"Do you visit the palace frequently?"
"Of course! I've been to the palace often since I was a child, and I know this place very well! Everyone here knows me, so as long as you mention my name, no one will dare to bully you!"
"When we arrive in Kyoto, you must show us the proper hospitality!"
"Of course, of course!"
The two chatted and laughed all the way, and soon found the middle-aged man they had just met.
At this moment, the middle-aged man was standing in front of a man wearing a bright yellow robe, talking about something.
Shao Yanzhe looked over and figured the man in the bright yellow robe must be the emperor. He tried to see the emperor's face clearly, but he couldn't.
It could be said that, apart from Zhou Jiming's biological father, Marquis Changping, the faces of everyone else standing nearby were shrouded in a mist, making it impossible to see their faces clearly.
He glanced at Zhou Jiming and saw that his gaze was now fixed on Marquis Changping.
He couldn't help but smile; he hadn't even noticed such a huge difference.
"What should we do next?" Zhou Jiming asked in a low voice, turning his head to the side.
"It's simple, I'll let you beat up Marquis Changping."
"No! This won't do! How can a son beat his father?"
"But you've got the idea to hit Marquis Changping. You're not an unreasonable person, so he must have done something to offend you and make you obsessed with it. If that's the case, then there's nothing wrong with taking it out on Marquis Changping, right?"
Zhou Jiming: ...
Just then, a tall figure walked in from outside.
Shao Yanzhe subconsciously looked at the newcomer. His gaze swept over a certain spot, and he paused, the smile on his face fading as he calmly sized him up.
"Let's go!" Zhou Jiming was startled when he saw the person who came and quickly told Shao Yanzhe to leave the house.
"What happened?" Shao Yanzhe asked, recalling the scene he had just witnessed.
Zhou Jiming glanced behind him before letting out a long sigh of relief, "What else could it be! It's because Chief Minister Gu just showed up! He scared me to death!"
"What are you afraid of? That's just the Prime Minister Gu in your memory; he's not the real person."
Zhou Jiming paused, then realized that this was not reality, but merely his obsession with the ball.
"Hehe! You're right!"
"By the way, do you know what the Prime Minister Gu's preferences are?" Shao Yanzhe asked.
"I don't know. You, Chief Minister Gu, are ruthless. Even if I fell into his hands, I would have no chance of escaping without suffering a heavy blow."
"Alright then, in that case, you wait here while I go in and check the situation."
As Shao Yanzhe spoke, he re-entered the room and saw three people huddled together talking about something.
He did not dodge, knowing that these three people were merely products of Zhou Jiming's obsession sphere and did not possess their own consciousness.
He walked up to Gu Huiming and openly observed him.
In Zhou Jiming's obsession, this Chief Minister Gu's robes looked extremely luxurious, and his every move exuded the demeanor of a great man.
He diverted some of his attention to the conversation between the three of them.
"Minister Gu, what do you think of my suggestion just now?" the emperor asked, his tone seemingly inquiring, but a hint of unease could be detected in his voice.
"Your Majesty, I think this proposal is too rash. Although the Dayong Dynasty is deeply troubled by ghosts and monsters, it would be a waste of resources to spend so much manpower and resources just to get rid of them. Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as I am here, the ghosts and monsters of the Dayong Dynasty will not cause any trouble!"
"Hmph! Grand Secretary Gu, you've overstepped your bounds! His Majesty possesses the aura of a dragon; as long as His Majesty is alive, those monsters of the Dayong Dynasty will not dare to act recklessly!"
...
Listening to the three arguing, Shao Yanzhe multitasked and quickly memorized the pattern on Gu Huiming's clothes.
"What are you doing?" Zhou Jiming asked, puzzled, as he watched Shao Yanzhe bustling about.
Shao Yanzhe took a moment to reply, "I just think this pattern is quite interesting and I want to study it a bit."
Actually, it was because the pattern looked familiar to him, and he wanted to draw it down to study it carefully.
"This Chief Minister Gu is really strange. Every outfit he wears has a similar pattern. I was so tired of seeing it in the capital. Being his embroiderer must be so easy."
Shao Yanzhe paused for a moment after hearing this, then frowned and began to think.
At first glance, these lines appear chaotic and seemingly random combinations of meaningless lines, but having seen a portion of them before, he noticed the differences in the patterns.
However, he didn't know much about it, so he could only draw it down and carefully memorize it before studying it after he got out.
"Okay, I've finished drawing. You can go now."
"What are you going to do?" Zhou Jiming asked, puzzled.
Shao Yanzhe smiled and said, "Of course, it's about resolving your obsession!"
Zhou Jiming then realized what was happening, and somewhat embarrassed, he touched his nose, saying, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Shao Yanzhe didn't wait for his nonsense any longer and pushed him directly toward Marquis Changping.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
