Chapter 29 tells the truth.
After the three finished eating, there were few pedestrians on the street outside, and everyone went back to rest.
Seventeen yawned. People are most prone to sleepiness when they are full. At this moment, after yawning, there were still crystal tears in her eyes.
Seeing this, Mingyue turned to look at Long Zhaoming, who was obviously very perceptive and immediately said, "It's getting late, let's get some rest today."
After saying goodbye to Seventeen and Mingyue, he turned and went back to his room.
Seventeen rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears, and said, "I'll go get some water."
As soon as he stepped outside, he heard a distant, melodious bell sound, seemingly coming from outside.
The bell sounded very familiar, just like the so-called "soul-summoning" ritual they had first heard.
The waiter, who was resting downstairs, suddenly changed his expression and looked up at the second floor. Coincidentally, the distinguished guest on the second floor was also looking at him.
With just one glance, Xiao Wu understood that these distinguished guests probably already knew everything about him.
With a determined look and a determined bite, Xiao Wu glanced at the boss who was still working on the accounts, then turned around and crept upstairs to the second floor.
Seventeen and Mingyue exchanged a glance, then Mingyue turned around and knocked on the door next door. Long Zhaoming came out yawning.
The three men and Xiao Wu quietly entered the room and closed the door. Apart from the sound of bells ringing on the street outside, there was no other sound.
As soon as they entered the room, Xiao Wu knelt down and kowtowed, which startled Seventeen so much that she panicked. Mingyue and Long Zhaoming, however, remained calm and helped him up.
"Tell me about it."
Yes, yes.
From Xiao Wu, they learned a shocking truth: a benevolent act that was actually a murder.
After curing the eldest son of the Zhou family, this master made a name for himself in the area. However, at that time, few people dared to seek his help, as such things were somewhat mysterious and everyone was skeptical.
Xiao Wu's mother has never been in very good health. She lost her father when she was young and worked hard to raise her son. After she got older, Xiao Wu found a job in town, and the two of them moved there.
In fact, Xiao Wu was quite open-minded. His mother had worked too hard when she was young, but it was all for his sake. He didn't ask his mother to live to be a hundred years old; he only asked that he could fulfill his responsibilities as a son in his limited life.
He had heard about the master, but he didn't care much. He had never believed in such things. Otherwise, why did his father die? Why couldn't they make money?
One day, his mother suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground, convulsing and talking nonsense. Xiao Wu panicked and called a doctor to take a look, but they couldn't find anything wrong with her.
Before leaving, the doctor quietly told him that he could find a master to take a look at his mother, as she looked like she had lost her soul.
Xiao Wu didn't believe it, but seeing that his mother was on her deathbed, he had no choice but to believe it.
I gritted my teeth and went to find the doctor.
The doctor's treatment process was exactly the same as what I saw on Seventeen's night; Xiao Wu's mother woke up.
After his mother woke up, Xiao Wu was overjoyed and felt more awe for the master. However, not long after, his mother's health deteriorated rapidly.
At first, Xiao Wu didn't think much of it. He thought it was because his mother was old. The master had also said that his mother was old and that even if her soul was summoned back, she might have been injured. He told him to be prepared.
She took care of her mother for more than half a year, but unfortunately, she still passed away.
After arranging his mother's funeral, Xiao Wu wiped away his tears. Life had to go on; he couldn't dwell on the past grief.
It was at this moment that he found a small booklet while sorting through his mother's belongings.
His mother wasn't very good at writing, but he was. After he finished school, he would come home and teach his mother to write. Over time, his mother learned to write too.
The booklet initially recorded some of his mother's daily trivialities, which made Xiao Wu laugh, but he started crying as he laughed.
This was left to him by his mother; he had to keep it safe.
But the further you look, the more something seems off.
Before his mother lost her soul, she wrote in a book that she always felt someone was watching her, but she was an old woman, so who would do that? She then wondered if she was getting old and had a mental problem.
Then his mother fell into a coma and stopped recording in the book. When it was restarted, it was the third day after his mother's soul was summoned back.
After waking up, his mother felt unwell, but she was afraid that her son would worry, so she kept it a secret and wrote everything down in a book.
I have chest pain, dizziness, and I keep seeing strange things.
The main symptoms are concentrated in these few things. As Xiao Wu looked at them, he felt something was wrong. Even if his mother was not in good health, she did not have chest pain. So why was she seeing strange things?
He then thought of the master, wondering if there had been a mistake in the soul-summoning ritual. But his mother had already passed away, making it difficult to confirm.
However, Xiao Wu had some doubts and continued to observe the master.
He observed and observed, but he couldn't figure anything out. He just felt that the master seemed to be no ordinary person. Every move he made was filled with a divine aura, and his various behaviors were not something that ordinary people could do.
Is it really just that his mother's health is too poor?
But Xiao Wu was unwilling to give up, so he found a free day and went to the master's mansion to ask for help.
But as soon as he reached the master's mansion, he saw that there were too many people seeking medical treatment. He thought he would come back when there were fewer people. But at that moment, he saw a figure slip out from the side door and bypass the people seeking medical treatment.
Xiao Wu was puzzled. Why did that figure look like a master?
Seeing this, Xiao Wu quietly followed them, and soon they reached the top of the mountain.
There is a temple on the mountain. Xiao Wu and his mother also came here to draw lots, and the result was that everything would go smoothly and they would be free from illness.
The master kept looking back as he walked, as if afraid someone would follow him. Xiao Wu had lived in this place for many years and was very familiar with the mountain. He quietly followed from a distance and was not discovered by the master.
The master met with the abbot of the temple, and the two talked about something. Then the master turned around and walked back.
Xiao Wu hid to the side, thought for a moment, and then quietly crept up to the temple. The abbot hadn't gone far and was muttering something to himself.
He found it strange that this master wanted to meet with the abbot. Could it be for someone's sake?
But once the seed of doubt about the master is planted in one's heart, it is difficult to uproot.
Xiao Wu lay prone outside the temple and vaguely heard the abbot saying something, only making out a few words.
The medicine...where did it come from...the plan...the risks...
Xiao Wu didn't quite understand what these things meant, and he couldn't hear them anymore, so he turned around and went down the mountain.
However, his suspicions about the master deepened, and he even suspected that the master was also involved in his mother's death.
As he pondered this, he wondered if he could find some people who had also been cured by the master. If his mother's death was really related to the master, then what about the others?
Unable to contact the high-ranking officials and nobles who had been cured by the master, Xiao Wu found a few he was on good terms with and, after asking around, discovered the problem.
Many of the elderly patients died after the spirit summoning ceremony, but because they were already old and the master had given them a warning, no one paid any attention. Some even felt that it had reduced their burden and that they no longer needed to take care of the elderly.
The younger ones, though still alive, often suffer from similar chest pains and occasional dizziness. When Xiao Wu came to ask them, they quietly voiced their doubts.
It seems I'm not the only one who doubts this master.
But this master was clearly beyond their ability to deal with. The high-ranking officials and nobles treated him as an honored guest, and it was difficult for others to even get close to him.
Until Xiao Wu met Seventeen and his friends.
Actually, he knew that Seventeen had followed him that night, because he wanted Seventeen to keep up. However, Xiao Wu did not sense Seventeen's presence; he only guessed that he would put on such a show every night, and as long as these distinguished guests followed him one night, they would be able to see it.
After listening to Xiao Wu's story, Long Zhaoming frowned, rubbing the fan ribs in his palm, his expression not good.
Xiao Wu was a little timid. He knew that his method was a bit too risky, but he really didn't want to see the townspeople being deceived again.
"We understand. Do not mention this to anyone else. Just continue with what you are doing."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu realized that this meant he wasn't being blamed and that the matter had been investigated, so he quickly kowtowed and thanked them.
After Xiao Wu left, the atmosphere in the room became quiet.
"It seems we guessed right, but we didn't expect this part to happen."
Long Zhaoming looked displeased. He thought the master was just building up his prestige, and he didn't know what the person behind him was up to. He never expected that the master would actually take someone's life.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Seventeen felt a pang of sadness after hearing this, and she was eager to expose the true face of that master and tell everyone that he was a fraud and that they had all been deceived.
Long Zhaoming thought for a moment and said, "Seventeen, go and check on those younger patients again. See if they really all have chest pain, coma, or other problems. Be careful not to get caught."
Seventeen responded and turned to leave. Mingyue took a sip of tea and said, "This matter cannot be delayed any longer."
The ringing of the bell just now foreshadowed the end of someone's life.
"We now know that this master's so-called summoning of spirits is definitely a charade, and he is very likely backed by the Zhou family."
Mingyue nodded: "I just don't understand their purpose. What is the significance of creating such a master?"
He paused, then asked in confusion, "What did you think of?"
"You know, this place is very close to Yejing. If this master is really portrayed as a deity descended to earth, will the people believe what he says or not?"
"Even if people are skeptical, they must still have some concerns, right?"
In an instant, Long Zhaoming understood his elder brother's meaning: "You mean, they want to create hype for the master and then spread rumors in Yejing?"
The moon hung low, its fingertips rubbing against the cup without speaking.
"So what is their purpose?"
"Let's go, let's follow that soul-summoning team and take a look."
Seventeen was weaving across the rooftops. The night was deep, and most people were already asleep.
Seventeen went to each of the families on the list she had obtained before. Apart from the butcher at the beginning, the master had not treated many young people.
It's no wonder it didn't arouse widespread suspicion; it seems there were still some reservations.
He thought to himself, and squatted down on the wall of a house where the lights were still on.
Seventeen looked around and found a good spot where he could see the room clearly without being discovered. He squatted there quietly and poked the mouse nest in the corner.
The mouse scurried into the room, startling the girl who was sitting on the bed.
"Oh dear! There are so many rats!"
The girl's parents were sleeping next door. When they heard their daughter calling, they quickly put on their clothes, opened the door, and came over.
"What's wrong?"
"Dad, there are so many rats!"
The seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl looked aggrieved. Her mother held her in her arms with heartache and said, "Father, you sleep in this room tonight, and the child will sleep with me."
The honest-looking man scratched his head and agreed.
The girl rushed into her mother's arms, but suddenly felt a jolt all over her body.
"What's wrong? Are you acting up again?"
"Yes, it hurts a little."
The girl clutched her chest, her face instantly turning pale.
"I don't know how that master summoned the soul. If I had known this would happen, I should have just gone to find someone who charged money!"
Her mother was clearly quite shrewish, and she scolded the master harshly.
The girl smiled and comforted her mother, "It's alright, Mother, don't worry. This ailment will be fine in a while. Didn't the master say that it takes time for the soul to return to the body?"
"That sounds so mystical..."
Seventeen's figure almost blended into the darkness. He went to visit a few more households that were still open and they all mentioned the chest pain, which was quite frequent. He hadn't seen any of them experience dizziness or blurred vision, but that made sense. Even if they did, they wouldn't notice it unless someone close to them knew.
It seems that what Xiao Wu said was true.
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