Less than two days later, Xie Lian faced a huge crisis.
There is nothing to eat in the temple.
He could live on a few steamed buns with a plate of pickles and some cucumbers picked from the fields every day. The offerings from the villagers of Puqi Village were more than enough to support his daily life. But now, there were three more mouths to feed in the temple. Two living people and a living ghost quickly devoured his food supplies.
The two kids were fine, but Qi Rong was a dead ghost, possessing a grown man and refusing to come out. He cursed Xie Lian for not treating him like a human being and feeding him all that shit, yet he ate more than anyone else, making Xie Lian really want to stuff his mouth full of pot bottom.
After being completely exhausted, Xie Lian decided to take the two children to the market to see if he could buy something so that he could treat them to a good meal.
If Xie Lian's luck wasn't always good, then today's was particularly bad. After a long walk, he found nothing. Finally, standing at the busy street corner, he made a decision: to return to his old ways.
So, he put the two children aside, stood on the street, and said loudly: "Dear fellow villagers and neighbors! Today I have just arrived in this precious place. I am short of money, so I will show you a few tricks. I hope you will support me and give me some food and travel expenses..."
Xie Lian's sleeves fluttered, and he exuded an air of immortality. He spoke with a clear and powerful voice, and people on the street gathered around him, asking, "What's going on? Let's see?"
Xie Lian said cheerfully, “Want to spin the plate and see?”
Everyone waved their hands: "It's not difficult at all, just a little trick! What else can you do?"
Xie Lian added, “Would you like to see a huge rock shattered on your chest?”
Everyone also said: "Too old, too old! What else can you order?"
Xie Lian realized that even street performers had to keep up with the times. His once-specialized skills had become obsolete, no longer appreciated. Seeing the crowd about to disperse, he had no choice but to use his trump card. He pulled out a stack of amulets he had hand-woven from his sleeve and said, "Watch the performance and get a free amulet! Handmade. Don't miss it if you pass by."
Hearing about the free gift, the scattered crowd quickly gathered again: "What kind of amulet? Which Taoist temple consecrated it? Is it from the Divine Martial Emperor?"
"Is there anything to protect your wealth? Give me the amulet of the God of Wealth, thank you!"
"I want the one from Master Juyang, please leave one for me!"
Xie Lian said, "No. No. This is from Prince Xianle, blessed by the Puqi Temple. Guaranteed to be effective." Of course it was. Other priests had at least a few thousand people praying for blessings every day, their ears buzzing with the sound. If there were a few more, they would assign them to the lesser priests under them. And he only had a few people praying every day. Who do you think had a better chance of being heard?
Everyone scoffed, "What the hell is that? I've never heard of it!" Xie Lian replied, "It doesn't matter if you haven't heard of it. The Puqi Monastery is just seven miles away in Puqi Village. You're welcome to visit, but no incense or candles are required..." Before he could finish, the crowd dispersed. Each one walked a short distance before casually discarding the amulets they had snatched. Xie Lian followed suit, picking them up one by one, dusting them off, and calmly putting them back into his sleeve. As he continued, a pair of cloth shoes landed before him.
Xie Lian raised his head and saw Lang Ying's pair of pitch-black eyes peeking out from between the bandages, staring intently at him.
Xie Lian said gently, "What's wrong? Go sit over there with Gu Zi. I'll be fine for a while."
Lang Ying remained silent. At that moment, the doors of a large house at the other end of the street suddenly opened, and a man was thrown out. Immediately, a loud shout was heard: "Quack!"
Pedestrians on the street gathered around to watch the excitement. Dozens of feet clattered past, and those amulets that hadn't been picked up in time were instantly trampled into a shrunken, dirty, and rotten state. Xie Lian stared in amazement, not wanting to pick them up. He told Lang Ying to go back and look after the grain while he followed to see what was going on. In front of the house, a man who looked like a wealthy businessman was arguing with an old man who looked like a doctor. The wealthy businessman shouted angrily, "What did you say when you came yesterday? Didn't you say everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about? What's going on today?! My wife didn't fall or get hurt, so why is she suddenly like this?!"
The doctor protested, "I came to see your wife yesterday, and she was indeed fine! I think you should consult a Taoist priest instead of a doctor!"
The wealthy businessman flew into a rage, pointed at him, and said, "My son hasn't even been aborted yet, why are you cursing him, you quack? Be careful or I'll sue you and bankrupt you!"
The doctor picked up his medical box and said, "It's no use accusing me. I really can't understand this pulse! I've never seen this before in my life!"
Everyone started to make a fuss: "Let's change the doctor!" "Let's ask a Taoist priest to take a look!"
Xie Lian instinctively sensed something was amiss and raised his hand in the crowd, saying, "Please look here. The Taoist priest is here. I am the Taoist priest."
Everyone turned their heads and asked curiously, "Aren't you a juggler???"
Xie Lian said politely, “That’s just a side job. Thank you.” He then stepped forward and said, “Could you please show me your wife?”
Screams echoed from the house, evidently from a group of women in a state of panic. The wealthy businessman's newly-called doctor couldn't arrive anytime soon, so desperately they tried everything they could to save him. They actually grabbed him and ran into the house. Xie Lian grabbed the doctor as well. They entered the inner room, where the floor was covered in blood. A young woman lay on a large bed covered in flowered curtains. She was in excruciating pain, her face pale, and she was practically rolling around clutching her stomach. Fortunately, she was held down by several elderly women and maids. As Xie Lian stepped through the door, the hairs on his back stood on end:
There is a very gloomy energy in this room, and that gloomy energy comes from one place.
That woman's belly!
Xie Lian immediately stopped the people behind him and shouted, "Don't move! There's something wrong with her stomach!"
The wealthy businessman said in horror: "Is my wife about to give birth?!"
The doctor and the old women couldn't stand it any longer and said, "It's only been five months, how could she have given birth?"
The wealthy businessman angrily scolded the doctor: "If she's not about to give birth, then you don't know what's wrong. You're a quack! You can't even read a pulse!"
Seeing the woman about to faint, Xie Lian shouted, "Shut up!" He then unleashed the Fangxin Sword. Seeing him suddenly produce a several-foot-long, pitch-black weapon, everyone was startled and asked, "What are you trying to do?!" Then, Xie Lian let go, and the sword actually began to float in the air!
Now, everyone was stunned.
With his heart hanging high above him, the tip of his sword pointed downward, directly at the woman's bulging belly. The sword held such murderous aura that everyone saw the woman's belly suddenly move, a lump of flesh rising, sometimes shifting to the left, sometimes to the right. Finally, the woman suddenly coughed violently, and a puff of black smoke erupted from her mouth!
Fang Xin waited for a long time, and with one sword she cut the black smoke away. The woman screamed, "My son!" and fainted on the spot.
Xie Lian then recalled his sword, sheathed it back on his back, and said to the doctor, "That's enough."
The doctor was stunned. Xie Lian beckoned him several times before he hesitantly stepped forward. The wealthy businessman beamed, "Is my son saved?"
Unexpectedly, the doctor took the patient's pulse for a while and said tremblingly: "It's gone..."
The wealthy businessman was stunned for a moment, then yelled, "It's gone? How did it just leak out?!"
Xie Lian turned around and said, "Your wife didn't miscarry the baby; she lost it. Do you understand?"
The wealthy businessman said, "Isn't being gone the same as being lost?"
Xie Lian said, “There’s a slight difference. ‘It’s gone’ simply means it’s gone. ‘It’s gone’ means this: your wife originally had a child in her belly, but now, that child is gone.”
Sure enough, the woman's abdomen, which had been bulging just a moment ago, now had visibly deflated, despite having no external injuries. The shriveled shape was incredibly unnatural. The wealthy businessman asked, "...wasn't my son still in her belly just now?!"
Xie Lian said, “That thing in there just now wasn’t your child. It was just that cloud of black smoke that was bulging your wife’s belly!”
·
After the doctor confirmed that the woman had merely fainted and was not in danger of death, they left the house. The wealthy businessman asked, "What's your name, Taoist priest? Which temple are you from? Which True God do you worship?"
Xie Lian said, “No need to mention your last name, Xie.” He was about to say “Puqi Monastery,” but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he somehow changed his mind and said, “Qiandeng Monastery.”
After those three words left his mouth, his face inexplicably felt hot. The wealthy businessman said, "Oh," and said, "I haven't heard of it. It's far away, right?"
Xie Lian didn’t know how far it was, so he whispered, “Hmm…”
After a few pleasantries, the wealthy businessman couldn't wait to ask in fear, "Master! What kind of monster was that just now? My wife has been pregnant with... is that the thing? A ball of black energy?!"
Changing the subject, Xie Lian straightened his expression and said, "It's not certain. Didn't you say that your wife was fine when the doctor came to see her yesterday? Her pulse should have been stable then, but it's out of whack today. I'm afraid the miscarriage may have occurred last night. Think about it: did your wife do anything unusual last night? Or did anything strange happen?"
The wealthy businessman said, "Nothing happened last night. My wife didn't even leave the house! Ever since she prayed for this child by burning incense at the Juyang Temple, she's set up a shrine dedicated to the True Lord Juyang at home. Every day, she chants scriptures and burns incense without leaving the house. She's incredibly devout!"
"..." Xie Lian thought to himself that if Feng Xin knew someone was offering him this kind of favor, it would be a disaster. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "So, did you have any strange dreams?"
The wealthy businessman was startled and said, "Yes!"
Xie Lian perked up as he heard the wealthy businessman say, "Master, you truly have foresight! My wife had a truly bizarre dream last night. She dreamed of a child playing with her, calling her "mother." In the middle of the night, she felt something kicking her in the stomach and woke up. She cheerfully told me that maybe the baby couldn't wait to meet its parents, so it came to say hello. I even tried to comfort her then!"
Instantly, Xie Lian concluded, "There's something wrong with this kid!"
After a pause, he asked, "How old is this child? What does he look like? Has your wife told you anything?"
The wealthy businessman broke out in a cold sweat and said, "I'm afraid she can't remember. When she told me, she couldn't tell me exactly how old she was. I just vaguely felt that she must have been very young. She also wanted to hold her, and she felt quite light in her arms."
After a moment's silence, Xie Lian said, "I have a few more questions for you. You must answer truthfully, or we won't be able to investigate this matter. First, are there any concubines competing for favor in your household? Second, has your wife ever beaten a child before?"
Asking whether there were concubines competing for favor is to see if there might be a curse caused by jealousy. Once a woman who has been confined to the backyard of a deep house for many years becomes jealous, she can do anything; asking whether the mother has ever aborted her child is because if the child has been aborted for improper reasons, resentment may remain in the mother's body, making it difficult for the new child to have a good life.
After Xie Lian's repeated confirmation, the wealthy businessman confessed honestly, and surprisingly, all of them were correct. Not only did he have several concubines in his house, who were always nagging, but he also kept a mistress outside, always looking forward to having her brought in. Afterwards, the maidservant beside this lady also confessed that her mistress was originally a concubine and had been pregnant once. She believed the folk prescriptions of some quack doctors who concluded that the baby was a daughter, but she wanted to have a son to make her the wife, so she drank medicine to abort the child. Xie Lian was overwhelmed after hearing this. The wealthy businessman said anxiously, "Master, could this be revenge from the unborn girl?"
Xie Lian said, “That’s possible, but not entirely possible. After all, your wife couldn’t clearly say how old the child in her dream was, or whether it was a boy or a girl.”
The wealthy businessman said, "Then...then Taoist priest, since this black energy only entered my wife's belly last night, then...where is my own son?"
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