Chapter 97 The Origin of the Suspended Soul Silk
"We just want to help you, you don't need to be so nervous."
Shao Yanzhe wanted to gain the scholar's trust, but unexpectedly, it only made the scholar more wary.
He was somewhat helpless, but after seeing the white silk, he had an idea.
"Okay, actually, we don't want to help you."
Upon hearing this, the scholar's face showed an "I knew it" expression. Knowing their purpose, he actually relaxed a little.
Shao Yanzhe continued, "Bai Ling agreed to use the silver in his possession as payment, requesting that we help you and another person eliminate their resentment. It's normal that you don't trust us. You must know Bai Ling very well after spending so much time with him."
The scholar fell silent. He glanced at the white silk, knowing full well its character and that he had sought help to dispel their resentment for their own good.
They have been wandering among humans for so long that they may never be able to reincarnate.
At that time, he will only be a lonely ghost in the human world, and he will not know when he will be beaten to death.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Alright, how will you help me get rid of my resentment?"
He sneered as he spoke, "You can't get a monk to chant sutras for me. Or are you going to use force to dispel all the resentment in me?"
"Of course not! Don't worry, I have experience!" Shao Yanzhe said confidently.
Seeing his confident demeanor, the scholar couldn't help but wonder if this person had previously eliminated the resentment of many vengeful ghosts.
Remembering what he had said before, that Bai Ling had invited him over with his silver as payment, he knew how much silver Bai Ling had. He figured that someone who could offer such a generous reward must be very capable.
He couldn't help but feel some trust in this person, after all, he didn't have such abilities.
"Alright!" the scholar nodded.
Shao Yanzhe looked at him and said, "To help you eliminate your resentment, I need to know the source of your resentment. If you don't mind, please tell me."
His words somehow touched the scholar's most sensitive nerve, and his eyes instantly turned bloodshot, while the resentment around him became restless.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the intense resentment in his heart.
He only began to speak after he had calmed down.
The scholar was born into a poor farming family, along with his twin brother.
The two were born one after the other. The younger brother was much thinner and weaker than him, so the family focused most of their attention on the younger brother. Over time, their hearts were drawn to the younger brother.
The scholar was healthy, but his younger brother was always sick. Over time, the family began to resent the scholar, believing that he had taken away his brother's nutrition in the womb, which was why his brother was so weak.
After listening to this for a long time, the scholar also felt that it was his fault, and in their daily interactions, he always gave in to his younger brother.
As the two brothers grew up and reached school age, their family, feeling sorry for the younger brother's weak health, sent him to school and had the scholar help with chores at home.
The scholar was unwilling but had no choice, so he tried his best to write these things down when his younger brother came home to study at night.
Perhaps it was because the scholar developed well in the womb and had a very sharp mind that he could remember what his younger brother had to read ten times to memorize, only needing to hear it once or twice.
After several years, the scholar practiced calligraphy and read books in his spare time.
Later, his younger brother took the exam and only passed the preliminary examination, failing to become a scholar.
The family believed that the younger brother was physically weak and could not stay in the examination room for a long time.
So the younger brother made a request: he asked his older brother to take the exam in his place.
The younger brother had long since discovered that the scholar was reading in secret, but he simply hadn't said anything.
The scholar didn't want to agree, but under pressure from his family, he took the exam in place of his younger brother.
He passed the county-level imperial examination and then the provincial-level imperial examination. It seemed that he could continue to strive for advancement and perhaps become a tribute student.
But his younger brother stopped him, saying that he felt he had already achieved enough as a scholar.
The scholar had no choice but to give up, but he was not content with that, so he proposed to take the imperial examination in his own name.
My younger brother agreed.
The book died that very night.
He only learned after his death that his younger brother had poisoned his food in order to keep his position as a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.
The scholar, in his spirit form, watched as his family, in an effort to cover up his brother's murder, announced to the outside world that he had died of a cold and was hastily buried.
Watching his younger brother enjoy the life that should have been his, watching his family members be fawned over by others because of his brother's status as a scholar, and watching everyone else living a good life.
Except for him.
The scholar erupted from his silence.
Originally a wandering spirit, it developed deep resentment and became a vengeful ghost.
He originally wanted to kill his younger brother, but since his brother was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, he had no way to kill him.
He then wandered around, and when he was almost eaten by an evil spirit, a white silk ribbon saved him. He then possessed the ribbon and wandered with it. Later, he saved three other people one after another.
"Do you all think this is my fault? I shouldn't have coveted things that didn't belong to me? I shouldn't have thought about taking the imperial examinations? I should have just stayed obediently in my rural hometown farming until my last breath?"
The scholar was bewildered. He didn't understand why his younger brother would poison him for the sake of a mere scholar who had passed the imperial examination.
He didn't understand why his family would protect his younger brother.
The younger brother can bring them wealth and luxury, and he can provide even more. Why don't they stop the younger brother?
Tears of blood streamed down the scholar's face, carrying with them endless resentment.
"Of course you're not wrong! They're the ones who are wrong!"
Looking at the scholar who had suddenly become weak, pitiful, and helpless, Shao Yanzhe reached out and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.
The scholar was startled when he was suddenly patted on the shoulder. He blinked and looked at him.
"I did nothing wrong?"
“Yes! You’re not wrong!” Shao Yanzhe nodded firmly.
The scholar, now receiving approval, lost the tears of blood in his eyes. His crimson eyes stared at him, and he grinned: "Then can I kill them too?"
Shao Yanzhe said, "Of course."
The scholar's smile widened, and the resentment around him seemed to lessen a little.
Shao Yanzhe then continued, "But I don't recommend doing that."
The scholar's smile froze, and his eyes instantly darkened: "You want to save their lives?"
Shao Yanzhe shook his head: "No, I don't know them. I did this for you. You haven't taken any lives yet, so once your resentment is dispelled, you can be reincarnated. But if you have taken lives, it will be difficult to be reincarnated. Do you really want to ruin your future because of those few scumbags?"
The scholar fell silent; of course he knew this.
But he was not willing to give up!
"But I don't want them to live."
Shao Yanzhe smiled gently: "Sometimes, living is more painful than dying."
The scholar looked at him, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "Alright, I'll wait and see."
After he finished speaking, he transformed into a cloud of black mist and disappeared into the white silk.
Seeing the scholar disappear, Zhou Jiming and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon seeing this, Shao Yanzhe couldn't help but smile. He then said, "Let's go and check out the place where this scholar lived."
"good."
The scholar lived in a village not far from here. The village was called Zhuangyuan Village, and the town was called Qingqu Town.
The scholar's younger brother and his family now live in Qingqu Town.
Shao Yanzhe and his group first went to Zhuangyuan Village to learn about the scholar's younger brother's family. The information they obtained was similar to what the scholar had said.
After that, they arrived at Qingqu Town.
After traveling for a while, the group was hungry and tired, so they went into a restaurant that looked decent.
As soon as I stepped inside, the waiter came to greet me.
What would you like to eat?
"Find us a private room and serve some of your restaurant's signature dishes."
"Alright! Please follow me, gentlemen!"
The waiter led Shao Yanzhe and his group to a private room on the second floor. Just as he was about to leave, Zhou Jiming called him back.
"Wait, waiter, we want to ask you about something."
As he spoke, he slipped a piece of silver into the waiter's hand.
The waiter accepted the money with a smile and said, "Whatever you want to ask, as long as I know it, I will tell you everything in detail!"
Zhou Jiming and Shao Yanzhe exchanged a glance, and Zhou Jiming tapped his fan lightly on his hand: "I heard there is a scholar in Qingqu Town who is very talented and passed the imperial examination at a young age. I think his surname is Zheng? Do you know anything about him?"
Upon hearing this, the waiter immediately perked up. He draped the towel over his shoulder and began to talk to them with shining eyes.
"Of course I know! This Zheng Juren is very famous in Qingqu Town. I was fortunate enough to see him on the day he passed the Juren exam. However, since he passed the Juren exam, his health has been deteriorating. He can no longer endure the long journey to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination, so he can only miss the chance to become a Gongsheng (a successful candidate in the provincial examination).
Later, this scholar only stayed at home to recuperate, saying that he would continue to take the imperial examinations after he recovered. But so many years have passed and there has been no further news.
During this period, he also took several concubines and fathered seven or eight children, and he did not appear to be in poor health.
...
That family was even more domineering, using Zheng's reputation as a successful candidate in the imperial examinations to commit all sorts of evil deeds.
...
I heard that Zheng's former teacher has come, but unfortunately I won't be able to go see him.
After hearing the waiter's words, Zhou Jiming gained some understanding of the scholar's younger brother. He told the waiter to leave and close the door before speaking, "This scholar's younger brother seems quite extraordinary. So much time has passed, yet he hasn't been exposed yet."
Shao Yanzhe took a sip of water, put down his teacup, and said, "This is not surprising. As long as this Scholar Zheng stays home as little as possible, and even when he does go out, he doesn't reveal his literary talent, no one will suspect anything."
"So what should we do next?"
Shao Yanzhe lowered his eyes to look at the teacup in front of him, and quickly came up with an idea: "I heard from the waiter that Zheng Juren's teacher has arrived. I suppose Zheng Juren will definitely try to avoid meeting his teacher. That's not good. Why don't we help Zheng Juren's teacher go to see his student!"
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