Chapter 46 How to Cure the Gu
Three days later arrived quickly.
Inside the Buddhist hall of the Prime Minister's residence, incense smoke swirled, and the deep chanting of Buddhist hymns intertwined with the crisp sound of wooden fish drums.
Sunlight streamed through the windowpanes, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air, making them look like tiny flying insects desperately trying to break free.
Zen Master Shanhui, clad in a red kasaya, sat serenely on the main meditation cushion. Behind him, the monks of Lingyin Temple, each holding a ritual implement, chanted sutras with their eyes closed.
The old lady knelt on the central prayer mat, carefully supported by her nanny.
The nightmares of the past few days had left her haggard and worn out; her once dignified face was now filled with exhaustion, and dark circles were visible under her eyes.
Even thick layers of makeup can't hide it.
Mingwu knelt quietly a little behind, her eyes lowered, her slender, fair fingers repeatedly twirling the cool prayer beads.
Her posture was ramrod straight, her demeanor impeccably dignified. It was as if her entire being was immersed in the chanting of scriptures.
However, if someone were to take a closer look, they would discover that the fingertips that were manipulating the prayer beads revealed the owner's thoughts and feelings.
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes pausing on a particular bead for a long time, the knuckles turning white from the force; at other times, as if chasing something, rapidly twisting several beads.
Time, in this oppressive atmosphere of incense, is stretched thin and sticky, like a flying insect trapped in a spider web, struggling with no end in sight.
finally.
The tone of Zen Master Shanhui's chanting suddenly changed, turning into a long, drawn-out ending that slowly dissipated into the air.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The ritual has come to a temporary end.
The Zen master needs to rest briefly in the prepared meditation room before proceeding with the second ritual at 5 PM.
The opportunity has arrived.
Mingwu's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly.
She moved silently to the window, her peripheral vision filtering through the layers of banana leaves, and focused on the Zen Master Shanhui, who was being led by the servant towards the innermost meditation room.
She secretly memorized the directions, turned around, and spoke softly to Qin Mama, who had been following her like a ghost, her voice slightly hoarse from kneeling for so long.
"Granny, my legs are a little numb from kneeling for so long. I'd like to go for a walk in the corridor over there and get some fresh air."
She pointed to the garden, which was completely opposite to the meditation room, her expression natural, showing no sign of anything amiss.
"This old servant will accompany you, madam."
Are they treating her like a criminal?
Mingwu suppressed her displeasure, raised her hand and gently pressed her temples, her brows furrowing slightly, revealing a hint of fatigue.
"No need, I just want to be alone. You can rest here, Granny."
A hint of hesitation flashed across Granny Qin's face.
Having spent most of her life immersed in this secluded mansion, she was adept at assessing situations and making judgments.
She recalled the Prime Minister's noticeably different attitude towards his wife lately. The way he protected her that day, and the special instruction he gave her when she was sent over: "to attend to" rather than "to monitor."
Her cloudy old eyes swept over Mingwu's seemingly calm face.
Ultimately, he didn't want to upset her at this time.
Anyway, it's just a relaxing stroll in the garden of the mansion; nothing serious is likely to happen.
Thinking of this, she bowed and replied, "Yes, this old servant obeys."
He then walked over to a stool and sat down, rubbing his aching knees.
Mingwu felt a little more at ease and turned to walk slowly towards the moon gate.
As soon as she turned the corner and made sure she was completely out of Qin Mama's sight, she immediately lifted her slightly elaborate skirt and hurried along the covered walkway towards the meditation room.
The early summer breeze swept through the courtyard, rustling the broad banana leaves, which conveniently masked the sound of her slightly hurried and flustered footsteps.
Standing in front of the tightly closed door of the meditation room, Mingwu stopped in her tracks.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and then raised her hand to gently knock on the door with her knuckles.
"Zen Master, your humble servant Mingwu humbly requests an audience."
The door creaked open in response.
Zen Master Shanhui stood inside the door, his face calm, seemingly unsurprised by her arrival.
"Please come in, female benefactor."
Without thinking twice, Mingwu quickly walked in and gently closed the door behind her.
He disregarded etiquette and spoke directly.
"Zen Master, I have found the location of the mother Gu. Please tell me truthfully, is there a way to... extricate that Gu?"
The Zen master lowered his eyes, looked at her pale face, and sighed softly, a sigh filled with compassion.
"The mother and child are interconnected, with the mother as the master and the child as the servant. The mother Gu host can sense the location of the child Gu, and if the mother Gu host dies, the child Gu host cannot survive on its own."
Mingwu felt a chill instantly spread from the soles of her feet throughout her entire body, and her limbs and bones stiffened.
She opened her mouth, and a series of almost broken sounds came out of her dry throat.
"Is...it really...unsolvable?"
The Zen master remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, as if tracing back to a distant past.
"This Gu is also known as the Kite Gu. Some people in the know call it the Love Gu, but its nature and quality are very different from ordinary Love Gu."
"It was created a hundred years ago by a brilliant but heartbroken young man from Miao territory. He was the designated successor to the tribal chief, but during one of his outings, he encountered a girl from another tribe..."
“The Miao tribe has strict rules, and the chieftain is not allowed to marry outside the tribe… The girl was strong-willed, and she left sadly on the eve of the young man’s wedding.”
"Upon learning this, the young man nearly went mad. He abandoned his position as chieftain, betrayed Miao territory, and went through countless hardships to find his lover. But the girl's heart had turned to ashes, and she no longer wanted to believe him."
"The young man was terrified of losing it again, so he devoted all his knowledge to creating this kite-shaped Gu."
As the Zen master spoke, his voice grew increasingly serene.
"The mother Gu is the string, and the child Gu is the kite. Even if the kite flies high to the ends of the earth, the string will always be firmly held in the hands of the kite flyer, with no way to break free."
Mingwu felt as if her blood had turned completely cold.
My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and a suffocating sensation washed over me.
Her voice trembled, and she could barely hear herself asking the question.
"So... this is... an incurable curse?"
The Zen master slowly shook his head.
"That young man has gone astray. He created this curse, firstly to prove his infatuation, and secondly to forever imprison his love."
"Therefore, there are only two ways to cure the curse."
Mingwu felt as if she had been suddenly pulled back to the human world from the depths of darkness, her voice trembling with excitement.
"What method?"
Since there are two options, surely one of them is a way out.
The heavy boulder in her heart seemed to have been lifted almost entirely in an instant, and even her breathing became much easier.
However, the Zen master's next words plunged her back into an even deeper abyss of ice.
"Firstly, if the mother Gu host dies, or the child Gu host dies, the Gu poison will naturally dissipate."
Mingwu was completely stunned, as if she had been frozen. It took her a long time to find her hoarse voice.
"And the second one?"
"Secondly, the mother Gu host voluntarily severs her emotional ties, lets go of her obsession, and no longer harbors any desire to possess the child Gu host. In this case, the Gu is also cured."
The meditation room fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
Mingwu stood there blankly, her fingertips digging deeply into her palms, but she felt no pain at all.
Which of these two methods isn't a dead end?
Let Lu Yuan die?
Regardless of whether she can succeed, the mere fact that "the mother and son are dead" already blocks this path.
Should we ask Lu Yuan to let go?
The man who obsessively kept her by his side, even going so far as to plant such a domineering poison in her body.
How could I possibly let go so easily?
How could the man who planted the iris venom in her body and was willing to torture each other to keep her by his side so easily let go?
She suddenly remembered that day when Lu Yuan's slender fingers stroked her hair, and his deep eyes churned with an almost insane possessiveness.
Mingwu felt a tightness in her throat, making it hard to breathe.
With a hoarse voice, he asked, "Zen Master, what is the difference between these two and no solution?"
"The bonds of love and affection in this world, entangled in obsession and resentment, are the most difficult to unravel. You might as well think about it: did the young man who created this Gu ultimately get what he wanted?"
Mingwu's heart skipped a beat.
Yes, that boy was so stubborn and obsessive. He wanted to use this curse to imprison the girl by his side. How could he leave her a real way out?
This is a dead end.
An eternal imprisonment in the name of love.
The meditation room was eerily quiet; even the rustling of the wind through the leaves outside the window was so clear it felt like it was scraping against her eardrums.
Mingwu stood there blankly, feeling as if all her strength had been drained from her body, and even her fingertips were cold.
She had hoped that finding the Zen master would give her a glimmer of hope, but instead, she was met with even deeper despair.
"Thank you for your guidance, Zen Master."
She gave a forced bow, her voice hoarse.
He turned around and pushed open the heavy door to the meditation room.
The warm afternoon sun of early summer shone down on her, but she only felt its glare and couldn't feel any warmth at all.
When she returned to the Buddhist hall, Granny Qin was still waiting in the same place, and she saw that her face was as pale as paper.
He wisely didn't ask any questions and just silently followed behind her.
Mingwu moved step by step to the prayer mat and knelt down.
She had nowhere else to go.
The hand hidden in the sleeve quietly clenched.
Suddenly, she felt a tiny foreign object stuck to the inside of her sleeve.
She looked down and saw a small piece of plain silk cloth. Ink stains were faintly visible through the edges.
There are writings on it!
Mingwu's heart skipped a beat.
The moment Qin Mama's gaze swept over her, she almost instinctively flicked her fingertips and swiftly gathered the silk cloth into her sleeve, gripping it tightly.
At this moment, Zen Master Shanhui slowly walked back to the Buddha Hall.
His gaze was calm and steady as he slowly swept across the entire room.
As he passed Mingwu, his steps paused almost imperceptibly, his gaze sweeping across her face with a meaningful look before he nodded almost subtly.
Mingwu's heart suddenly began to pound wildly.
The hand hidden in the sleeve gripped the piece of silk tightly, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from the palm.
The chanting of Buddhist hymns resumed, accompanied by the resounding sound of the wooden fish drum.
The second ritual began.
...
Finally, the ritual ended.
Mingwu stood up with the others, her knees already numb and aching from kneeling, but she was completely unaware of it.
As the old lady was being helped away by her nanny, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and gave her a deep look, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
"You went to see Zen Master Shanhui just now?"
Mingwu's breath hitched suddenly.
How could the old lady know?
She had clearly checked carefully before entering the meditation room. There was no one around.
Mingwu composed herself, raised her eyes, and spoke righteously.
"Mother, why do you say that? Your daughter-in-law just went to the garden. Granny Qin can testify to that."
Her gaze was calm as she looked at Granny Qin beside her.
Granny Qin lowered her head and took half a step forward, replying respectfully.
"Your Excellency is wise; Madam did indeed only take a short walk in the garden, and this old servant remained outside the entire time."
The old lady's cloudy eyes scanned back and forth between the two men.
After a long while, she wearily rubbed her temples and said, "Never mind, perhaps I haven't been sleeping well these past few days and misheard."
Once the old lady had gone far away, Mingwu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She thought that she would be unnoticed once she shook off Granny Qin, but she forgot that in this unfathomable mansion, there might be unseen eyes everywhere.
Perhaps every word she uttered with the Zen master in the meditation room had already been overheard by others.
No wonder...
Her hand, hidden beneath her sleeve, tightened abruptly, the small piece of silk almost embedding itself into her palm.
What's written on this silk cloth might just be... the only real way out of this dead end.
This idea spread like wildfire in her heart.
Mingwu forcibly suppressed her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. With a blank expression, she forced herself to maintain the most steady pace, walking step by step towards the east courtyard.
Back in her bedroom, she instructed her maid to prepare water for her bath as usual, and also asked someone to prepare calming tea. Her words and actions showed no sign of anything unusual.
Until the door closed, cutting off all outside sight.
Her slender back slammed against the cold door before she dared to let herself slide to the ground, exhausted.
In the darkness, she breathed heavily, like a fish out of water.
The cold sweat on my back had already soaked through my inner clothes, clinging to my skin and sending shivers down my spine.
She sat there on the cold ground for a long time.
Until my wildly beating heart gradually calmed down and my numb legs regained some feeling.
With her slightly trembling hands, she supported herself against the door and slowly stood up.
She did not light the lamp.
The cool moonlight streamed through the window lattice, spreading a hazy silver glow across the indoor floor.
Using the dim light, she carefully took out the plain-colored silk cloth, slightly damp from her hand sweat, from her sleeve.
With a slight, uncontrollable tremor, her fingertips slowly unfolded it.
On the silk cloth, there were only two very clear small characters.
suspended animation.
suspended animation?
Before Mingwu could figure out the deeper meaning of those two words...
Suddenly, a familiar, unhurried footstep sounded outside the door.
It's Lu Yuan!
Mingwu's heart jumped into her throat.
In her panic, she hurriedly stuffed the piece of silk into her sleeve.
Because of extreme nervousness, my fingers wouldn't obey my commands, and I couldn't insert them properly even after several attempts.
The door creaked open from the outside.
The moonlight poured in like flowing water.
A tall, slender figure stood outside the door, his back to the dim lights of the corridor, his face hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see clearly.
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