Zhuang Lao Er was a decisive man. He separated the east and west courtyards overnight, and the next day he called in several respected elders of the clan to preside over the division.
The first wife of the Zhuang family had Zhuang Tianer, their lucky star, and they seemed to be too disdainful to cling to the second wife. Not only that, they were afraid that the second wife would be affected by Zhuang Tianer's good fortune, so they simply pressed their fingerprints on the letter of agreement.
Naturally, Old Mrs. Zhuang and Old Man Zhuang lived with the eldest wife, and Old Man Zhuang gave them some rice every month as support.
A happy family was separated like this. Several elders felt it was a pity and couldn't help but give some advice.
Zhuang Li, who had been sitting silently at the bottom, said slowly, "My father wants to divide the family property not only because my uncle is selfish and disregards brotherly love, but also because Zhuang Tian'er is an evil spirit."
Several elders who had always regarded Zhuang Tianer as a lucky star: "!!!"
"Young master of the Zhuang family, you better be careful with your words! How could Tian'er be evil? I think your headache is the result of evil spirits!" An elder of the clan shouted harshly.
Zhuang Li had no intention of arguing with these people, so he shook his head and turned to leave.
He had come here today solely to plant the seed of the idea that Zhuang Tian'er was an evil spirit. Whether these people believed it or not, such a groundbreaking statement would surely leave a hole in their hearts.
When Zhuang Li's authority surpasses Zhuang Tian'er in the future and he resolves the psychological hints she has given to the entire village, this pit will naturally turn into an endless abyss and swallow the other party.
Several elders chased after Zhuang Li, demanding an immediate explanation. Why did they claim Zhuang Tian'er was an evil spirit? Did Tian'er provoke him?
Zhuang Lao Er used his sturdy body to block the door to the East Courtyard and said angrily, "My two sons are suffering from illnesses because of Zhuang Tian'er. If she's not evil, then who is? Wait and see, after we split up with her, our second branch's life will only get better and better!"
"Zhuang Ergen, you're such a blockhead! Tian'er will definitely be rich and powerful in the future. If you split up with her, that's your loss. You can't live a good life anymore, what do you want? Forget it, I can't explain it to you clearly. I just hope you don't regret it in the future."
Several elders left in great anger, thinking that Zhuang Lao Er had a mental problem and only considered the present, without seeing the long-term future.
Zhuang Tianer looked towards the east courtyard through the crack in the door. When she heard Donkey Egg's cheerful barking, a sinister and evil light slowly flowed in her eyes.
At this moment, the door of the east courtyard opened, and Zhuang Li came out carrying a banner with the words "Li Banxian" on it, with a saddle bag hanging on his shoulder. He walked slowly along the only path in the village into the distance.
He passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, but also contracted a strange disease. He usually did not hang out in the village, so he attracted everyone's attention.
A brave woman pointed at the fluttering banners and asked, "Scholar, where are you going?"
"There's an evil spirit in my home, so I've studied some Taoist magic and gone out to tell people's fortunes and read their words, which I consider as a form of cultivation. When I've mastered the skills, I'll come back and deal with this evil spirit." Zhuang Li walked over slowly.
The women in the village loved to pry into the mysteries of these demons and monsters, so upon hearing this, they all gathered around, asking questions. They desperately wanted to know what that evil spirit was and why it was lurking in Zhuang Tianer's house. After all, Zhuang Tianer was a fairy from heaven, so she should be immune to all evil!
Zhuang Li just shook his head, said nothing more, and slowly disappeared at the end of the path.
But the more he kept silent, the more curious the women in the village became. They frequently passed by the farmhouse, peeking in to check what was going on, with all kinds of bizarre and strange speculations brewing in their minds.
When the elders returned home, they couldn't help but complain a few words, so the women, who were heartbroken, soon found out that the evil spirit that Zhuang Li mentioned was actually Zhuang Tianer!
This news is so unexpected! Is Zhuang Li crazy? How could Zhuang Tianer do this?!
After hearing about this, everyone's first reaction was to firmly disbelieve it, and their second reaction was to cite various examples to refute Zhuang Li's fallacy.
Zhuang Li's words that slandered Zhuang Tianer's image seemed to have the opposite effect.
However, this wasn't the case. The more intense their reaction, the deeper the impression these words had left on them. It was like an anchor dropped into the deep ocean, seemingly sinking without causing any waves, yet in reality, it secretly locked everyone's drifting subconscious.
When the time is right in the future, Zhuang Li can follow this anchor point to dive into the deep sea of these people's consciousness and release their minds that have been imprisoned by Zhuang Tianer.
---
Zhuang Laoer and Liu Chunhua quickly caught up with the eldest son and tried to persuade him to go back to school, but to no avail. They had no choice but to follow him all the way to the town.
"Mom and Dad, you guys go to work. I'll be here telling fortunes." Zhuang Li stuck the banner on the side of the street, opened the small stool he carried with him and sat down. He then spread out another small stool and placed it opposite him, waiting for customers to come and sit.
Zhuang Laoer and Liu Chunhua knew that their eldest son was a stubborn person who would stick to his decision once it was made up, so they had no choice but to go to work without looking back.
The place Zhuang Li chose was very close to the pier, just across a street. Merchants from all over the country came and went, and it was bustling with people, noisy and flashy, making it a very suitable place to set up a fortune-telling stall.
But he was young and exceptionally handsome, with a shimmering light flashing between his narrow and slanted eyes. He did not look like a fortune teller, but more like a young man from a noble family who went out to play and try something new.
Therefore, many people noticed him, but few actually came to ask him questions.
7480's worldview has been shattered.
It murmured in disbelief, "No way, Master, you can even tell fortunes? You said you wanted to be a famous scholar, so why are you acting like a charlatan?"
"I'm not a charlatan, I'm a psychological counselor." Zhuang Li half-closed his eyelids and said nonchalantly, "If you want to become famous in this small world as quickly as possible, this is the only way. A scholar must produce excellent works, and more importantly, he must be able to recite poetry, compose couplets, quote classics, and write prose. I can't do any of these."
7480: "Master, there are things you don't know."
"There are so many things I don't know." Zhuang Li leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and seemed to have fallen asleep.
7480 held it in for a long moment before whispering, "Fortune-telling and psychological counseling are completely different things, right? Master, people will think you're a liar and might even beat you up."
Zhuang Li closed his eyes and chuckled. "In a sense, psychological counseling can do far more than fortune-telling. The deeper your understanding of the world, the more you'll appreciate this incredible fact: there's actually no clear boundary between science and theology."
7480 couldn't understand such profound words. It was more concerned about its host's current living conditions. "Master, you can break the hypnosis of Donkey Egg, Zhuang Jiuge, and yourself, but why don't you break the hypnosis of the other people in the village? Didn't you say you wanted to reveal Zhuang Tianer's true face?"
"It's not the time yet." Zhuang Li said calmly.
"Why?"
"The first essential element of mass hypnosis is authority. In other words, you have to make all subjects trust you, even submit to you, so that they will listen to your psychological suggestions without choice or resistance. Zhuang Tianer has already established the highest authority in Luoxia Village. If I want to break her hypnosis, I must establish an authority higher than hers. Do you think I have the conditions to do that now?"
Zhuang Li asked himself, "I don't have that. When I untie everyone's hypnosis, everyone will resist my suggestion. The probability of my failure is as high as 90%. So my first priority now is to establish authority, far beyond the authority of a village, a town, a state, or even a country."
7480 was stunned. It had known for a long time that the host was not an ordinary person, but it had never expected that his ambition would be so big.
However, it quickly recalled the scene in the morning when a few old men surrounded and scolded the host until his face was covered with spit. So it covered its mouth and laughed secretly, and said perfunctorily: "Then come on, master!"
Zhuang Li heard its snicker, but he just curled the corners of his lips and didn't care.
---
While supervising the workers, Zhuang Laoer frequently looked back at his son who was not far away.
Liu Chunhua always made mistakes when selling pancakes and was worried that something might happen to her son.
The couple were familiar faces at the docks, and many people knew them well. Someone pointed at Zhuang Li and said, "Look, look! That's Zhuang Lao Er's eldest son. He was said to be a scholar, but now he's reduced to a fortune teller. Has he given up on himself because he's hopeless in the imperial examinations?"
The others chattered, "That's probably true. They say his son has a strange disease. Whenever he reads, his head hurts."
"Nine out of ten street fortune tellers are liars. This scholar can only read, not tell fortunes. Why would he be a liar if he can do something else?"
"How do you know he's a liar? What if he really has the ability?"
"What real skills do you have?! In this Bazhou City, the only master I trust is Master Xuan Zhenzi of Qingtian Temple."
"Me too! Master Xuan Zhenzi is a guest of honor of the King of Qi and has even entered the palace to tell fortunes for the Queen Mother. Although he hasn't been canonized, he is actually the Imperial Master of our Jin State. He always receives rewards from the palace and the Prince of Qi's Mansion during festivals. His status is very high. I dream of meeting Master Xuan Zhenzi and asking him to tell my fortune."
"How can we possibly meet such a great man as him?"
"Yes, the real masters are hermits like Xuan Zhenzi. Those sitting on the street are just pretending to be gods. Come on, let's go and play a trick on that scholar." The group of people became interested as they talked, and walked towards the street together.
When Zhuang Lao Er's subordinates heard these words, they hurried to inform their boss.
So not long after, Zhuang Lao Er also gathered a group of people and walked towards the street in a menacing manner.
The two groups gradually approached Zhuang Li's fortune-telling stall, but unexpectedly a woman took the lead.
The woman didn't notice the two groups of people behind her at all. She sat on a small stool with a pale face and called out timidly, "Sir, sir, can you tell my fortune?" As she spoke, she looked around, her eyes full of panic, as if she was being chased by someone and forced into a desperate situation.
But this sense of urgency only came from the anxiety in her heart, not from actual harm.
It was obvious that she was in trouble, and it was big trouble that needed to be solved.
What's worse is that she can't tell anyone about this trouble, so she can only seek help from a fortune teller she doesn't know on the street.
She was wearing an exquisitely crafted jacket and skirt, but the fabric was not expensive. She could go out without a maid, which showed that she was used to being in the public eye. She must be the wife of a merchant family, with some money, but she was definitely not wealthy.
Zhuang Li opened his eyes and looked at the woman, and made the above judgment in just a moment.
"Can you read?" Zhuang Li asked instead of answering.
The woman nodded hurriedly: "I can read."
"Then write a word and I will help you calculate it." Zhuang Li took out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone and spread them on the steps on the street.
The woman casually dipped a little ink and wrote the word "Zhu" on the paper, then stared at Zhuang Li with her bloodshot eyes.
7480 sighed, "Master, I told you not to burn the Eye of Karma! With it, you only need to look at this woman to know what happened to her! Do you regret it now?"
Zhuang Li ignored the system and just silently observed the crooked "珠" character.
The group of people who originally wanted to play a trick on Zhuang Li and the dozen or so dock workers brought by Zhuang Lao Er also arrived at this time, looking at him with burning eyes.
They were silent, one side was waiting to see the show, the other side was afraid of disrupting Zhuang Li's business.
Surrounded by so many people, Zhuang Li didn't feel nervous at all. Instead, the woman showed regret and quietly moved her feet to leave. She had done something wrong and didn't want to attract attention.
But Zhuang Li persuaded her to stay with just one sentence: "You are looking for something."
The woman opened her eyes wide and looked at him in astonishment. Her hips, which had been slightly raised, sat down firmly again with a snap.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Zhuang Li had hit the nail on the head.
Hey! It actually worked out perfectly!
Zhuang Li pointed to the left side of the character "珠" (Pearl) and said, "Three strokes connecting the middle represent the king. These three represent heaven, earth, and man. The vastness of the world is none other than the king's territory, which is vast and boundless." Finally, he pointed to the right side of the character and said, "Zhu is the wood with a red heart. A red heart means burning." Finally, he drew a circle around the character and said, "The left and right sides joined together form a pearl. The pearl in jewels is truly a precious object."
Zhuang Li looked up at the woman and said slowly, "From what you wrote, it seems you're extremely worried because you've lost something extremely valuable and you're desperate to find it, but the world is so vast that you can't find it no matter what. Am I right?"
The woman didn't want to leave at all. Instead, she clutched the small stool under her buttocks tightly and nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes, sir, your calculations are so accurate! I am indeed looking for something! Can you help me figure out where it is? If you can find it, I will definitely reward you handsomely!"
As the woman spoke, she took out the purse from her waist and dug out a small gold ingot from it.
Passersby stared at the glittering gold ingots with their eyes wide open.
Those who originally thought that Zhuang Li was a liar were now stunned and horrified.
Zhuang Lao Er was completely shocked. He really didn't expect that his eldest son could tell fortunes, and he could do it so accurately!
7480 slowly knelt before the host. What kind of person is this?! He can even tell fortunes and predict words!
Zhuang Li smiled at the gold ingot and said softly, "My cultivation is still shallow, so I can't figure out where it is, but I can ask the local land god to help you."
7480, who had just stood up, fell back to his knees with a thud. Damn it, the host could even summon the gods! Isn't he a scientist?
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