A woman rushed over, hugged Li Ben, and sobbed, "My son!"
Li Ben's body was stiff as a log, his eyes filled with helplessness.
Gu Qing rushed over immediately. The woman had been relatively quiet, but her sudden outburst startled her, and she was afraid that she would hurt Li Ben.
Fortunately, she just hugged Li Ben and cried; she didn't do anything else.
The woman's hair was disheveled, and large tears welled up uncontrollably, dripping onto Li Ben's shoulder and leaving a wet stain.
Li Ben inexplicably felt unwell, as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his chest.
Gu Qing stepped forward and asked Li Ben gently, "Excuse me, is this lady really your mother?"
Li Ben shook his head: "No, I only have one older brother."
He ran away from home after being abused by his parents and almost starved to death, but Wang saved him.
Li Ben dared not tell the truth, fearing he would be sent back to his parents' home again.
The woman holding him was crying very sadly. Her child must be very happy.
I wish she were my biological mother.
Unfortunately, she wasn't.
Thinking of this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Li Ben's eyes.
Gu Qing could only patiently persuade her: "Madam, I know you are very sad, but please calm down. He is not your child. Don't scare him."
"Waaaaah... He really is my son!"
Gu Qing: "May I ask your son's name, when he went missing, and whether you have reported it to the police?"
“He was taken away as soon as he was born. Those people lied to me, saying he was dead. I won’t be fooled. I know he’s still alive!”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qing immediately understood. The woman had suffered a traumatic experience during childbirth and might be in a bad mental state. Worried that she might hurt Li Ben, Gu Qing could only carefully comfort the woman.
“You can tell me what you want to say. The child is too young and easily frightened. Can you let him go first? You are looking for Zhang Fan, right? He is right here. I will take you there first, okay?”
Hearing that Li Ben might be scared, the woman quickly let go and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, I was too excited. I won't hurt you. Don't be afraid. I've found my child. I don't need to look for Zhang Fan anymore."
Li Ben felt no fear whatsoever; his instinct was that the woman wouldn't hurt him.
Zhang Fan said calmly, "Fan Yuan, if you don't let go, he'll die! He can't afford the slightest misfortune."
Upon hearing this, Fan Yuan immediately let go and retreated to a great distance, her eyes filled with panic: "I...I didn't mean to hurt him! I have a talisman given to me by a master, who said it wouldn't bring bad luck to anyone."
Zhang Fan: "Come with me."
Fan Yuan and Leng Juan had mentioned Zhang Fan before. Leng Juan trusted him, and so would she.
She obediently followed behind Zhang Fan. Everyone knew that Zhang Fan was the apprentice of Doctor Cen and had some skills, so no one felt that there was anything wrong with this.
Zhang Fan led Fan Yuan into the house, and everyone was curious and wanted to watch. Zhang Fan gave Bai Rou'er a look, and Bai Rou'er immediately understood. She closed the gate to the courtyard, keeping all the gossipy eyes out.
"Let me see your talisman."
Fan Yuan took the talisman off her neck and placed it in Zhang Fan's palm.
Dense black energy continuously emanated from the talisman, and a sinister glint flashed in Zhang Fan's eyes.
He immediately dismantled the talisman. Fan Yuan wanted to stop him, but she was too late. Then she stared in surprise.
The talisman was decorated with a black ghost face, its appearance so ferocious and terrifying that it made one feel uneasy and sent chills down one's spine.
Fan Yuan swallowed hard: "Why is this talisman so strange?"
"This is a luck-changing talisman." He had snatched a lot of talismans from Xuan Hong, including luck-changing talismans.
However, the black aura surrounding the talisman in Zhang Fan's palm was extremely dense, even denser than ink, indicating that it had absorbed an unknown amount of luck.
"The so-called 'luck swap' is to exchange the luck of two people, usually with the lucky person being 'stealed' by the unlucky person."
Fan Yuan shook her head: "I found my child with it. It's clearly a talisman to increase luck."
Zhang Fan suddenly raised his head and stared straight at Fan Yuan.
Fan Yuan's breath hitched, and she asked somewhat fearfully, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Zhang Fan: "A high and straight nose, a long midface, a rounded tip, and prominent earlobes are signs of great wealth and nobility."
Fan Yuan gave a wry smile: "You're wrong."
"But from the moment you give birth, anyone who gets close to you will be unlucky."
Fan Yuan looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. Zhang Fan was right.
She was very conflicted. The talisman did indeed help her find a child who looked exactly like the child in her dream.
But Zhang Fan was also right.
For a moment, she didn't know who to believe.
Zhang Fan: "Believe it or not, but if you're carrying this talisman, don't go near Li Ben. I saved his life, and I won't allow anyone to hurt him."
Upon hearing this, Fan Yuan replied without hesitation, "I believe you!"
Zhang Fan turned around, avoiding Fan Yuan's gaze, and lit the talisman with a flame in his palm.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Fan Yuan heard a scream, and the hairs on her body stood on end.
My body felt much lighter, as if I had been shackled and then suddenly freed.
Fan Yuan's eyes were filled with shock, disbelief, and astonishment.
She stood up and was about to kneel before Zhang Fan when he stopped her: "Master, please help me, I want to find my son."
Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you just see it?"
Fan Yuan shook her head, tears falling like broken beads: "I know no one will believe me if I tell you, but he really looks exactly like the son in my dream."
Before Zhang Fan could speak, there was a loud knocking on the courtyard gate.
A strange male voice came from outside the door: "Honey, I know you're in there. Can you open the door first?"
Zhang Fan got up to open the door, but Fan Yuan grabbed his sleeve and pleaded, "Please don't open the door. He'll take me back. I finally managed to escape to find my son."
"You've found it." Zhang Fan said calmly.
Fan Yuan was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, unable to believe her ears.
Was that child really her son?
Zhang Fan opened the courtyard gate, and a middle-aged man stood at the door. His temples were gray, and he exuded a refined and scholarly air. His deep-set features revealed that he had once been a handsome man, but the years had taken their toll.
The man greeted Zhang Fan, saying, "I'm sorry, my wife isn't feeling well. I'll take her away now."
Gu Qing: "Zhang Fan, he is this lady's husband. I just heard the news and called him here."
The man walked in, grabbed Fan Yuan's hand, and tried to take her away. Fan Yuan resisted and backed away, saying, "I won't go!"
Zhang Fan glanced at it and called out to the door, "Li Ben, come in for a moment."
Li Ben obediently walked in, and then Zhang Fan closed the courtyard gate again.
Everyone outside was locked out.
Confused, He Tingchun asked warily, "What...what are you going to do?"
Zhang Fan gave a cold laugh: "Settle the score!"
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