61. Silk drawing
◎Among all the gods and Buddhas, is there any who can save her child?◎
The Heavenly Water Immortal, the senior disciple whom Du Zhijin spoke of who had been in seclusion for thirty years, only appeared in spirit form at the grand ceremony held once every five years. Yet, according to Zhao Zhonggan, this Immortal was clearly still teaching him how to guide qi into the body just a year ago.
"...About three years ago, my mother became so ill that she couldn't speak a word. The imperial physician sent by my aunt said that it was a stubborn disease she had since birth and that it was incurable. But one day, the old man suddenly obtained a pill from somewhere, and my mother actually improved after taking it. After that, she relied on one elixir a month to prolong her life."
"I later learned that the old man had befriended two True Immortals from Dengxian Mountain, one named Yu Nie and the other Tian Shui. True Immortal Yu Nie was skilled in pharmacology, and the immortal medicine he made had the miraculous effect of bringing the dead back to life and thawing flesh and bones. This medicine was rare, with only a few pills available each month, and countless people sought it. True Immortal Tian Shui was skilled in astrology and divination, and his predictions were almost always accurate. I had never met True Immortal Yu Nie, only True Immortal Tian Shui, and not many times. In the year before I left home, I only met him twice. He taught me some methods of Qi cultivation."
As he spoke, Zhao Zhonggan looked bewildered: "I could sense something was wrong when he was teaching me, but I only thought that the True Man of Tianshui was not good at this, and I never thought that he might be a fake."
After all, who would suspect anything? This was someone impersonating a renowned, seemingly ordinary mountain hermit! Any disciple who knew the truth could easily expose him. But strangely, for three years, no one had actually revealed it.
Ying Jianhua looked at Du Zhijin: "What are you thinking?"
The outside world knows very little about Dengxian Mountain. They only know that the people there take it upon themselves to subdue demons and monsters, but they don't know what it's like inside.
The mortal and immortal realms are separate entities, like two unrelated lakes, each with its own ripples. But now, an underground river connects them, and the two lakes gradually merge into one.
She pondered for a moment before offering her opinion: "Firstly, there are rules in the sect that only those at the Golden Core stage or above can descend the mountain alone for training, and very few disciples break through to the Golden Core stage each year. Secondly, bound by these rules, ordinary disciples generally don't interact with others; they usually just kill a demon and leave. Liuli Capital has a dragon vein and formations set up by our predecessors, so there are almost no demons here, which is why we generally don't come here. Thirdly, True Person Yu Nie travels extensively, and even Elder Jun doesn't know her whereabouts. If someone were to appear and reveal their identity now, unless True Person Yu Nie herself denies it, there would be no evidence to prove that she is not her."
“Once people accept the identity of ‘True Man Yu Nie’, then True Man Tian Shui will also be recognized.”
After hearing her explanation, Zhao Zhonggan was dumbfounded: "So as long as you're bold enough, it's really possible to impersonate an immortal from Dengxian Mountain?"
Ying Jianhua disagreed: "You only have this thought now because you already know the inside story. But what about before? Before, you knew nothing about Dengxian Mountain, and you had no way of knowing the conditions one, two, and three. Would you still think this way then?"
He shook his head repeatedly.
Let alone impersonating an immortal, he even boasted that he was a disciple of Dengxian Mountain, but Du Zhijin saw through his act in just a few words. However, in that sense...
"That demon must know everything about Mount Dengxian, right?"
Both pairs of eyes turned to Du Zhijin. Her brows furrowed, and she remained silent.
Ying Jianhua gestured to Zhao Zhonggan to keep quiet, and Zhao Zhonggan shut up and squatted in a corner, scratching his head.
Yingjianhua was also thinking.
There are too many suspicious points... What kind of demon is it? What is its purpose? Why was Master Yu Nie possessed? And why did it specifically target the Marquis of Jianchang's residence? Also, since Liulijing has an array, how did it enter it?
Suddenly, he recalled a sentence that Du Zhijin had said outside the city gate.
She said the security was much tighter than when she last came...
"When was the last time you came to Liulijing?" he asked.
She answered instinctively, "Four years ago, when I had just come down from the mountain."
As soon as the words were spoken, Ying Jianhua's heart skipped a beat.
Is it a coincidence? One was four years ago, the other three years ago. She had barely left Liulijing when that demon empress arrived.
His question made her realize that she had also thought of this, and she couldn't help but feel a chill.
Ying Jianhua said, "This demon is very cautious."
Du Zhijin looked out the window at the darkening sky and said calmly, "No matter how long they've been planning, once they meet me, they'll never return."
————
Zhao Zhonggan, as the only eyewitness, provided many details, piecing together the whole story of the two fake real people: "The Tianshui Real Person looked just like the Taoist priest described in the storybooks, with white hair and beard, sharp eyes, and an otherworldly air. At first glance, he could really fool people."
"The old man doesn't really believe in superstitious things, but he treated this person quite well, at least he was very respectful the two times I met him. At the time, I was curious and thought that he had changed his ways because of his mother's situation, but now that I think about it... could he have been possessed by someone else?"
Du Zhijin: "It cannot possess people at will. I checked it on the first day. The demon-suppressing formation of Liulijing is intact and shows no signs of damage. Under the formation, demons and humans are the same, and the demon power is greatly reduced. The conditions for possession must be extremely harsh, otherwise the map's reaction would not be intermittent."
"Does the map react to demonic power?" Ying Jianhua asked.
She nodded: "Yes. I suspect that the possession technique consumes a great deal of demonic power, and correspondingly, the caster will be in a period of weakness after the possession ends."
Zhao Zhonggan slammed his hand on the table: "Isn't this perfect? Strike while the iron is hot! It just possessed Wuti, and now it's weak."
He finally made some progress on the fake medicine case, and he couldn't wait to expose those two imposters and let others see who was truly loyal and who was truly treacherous!
Ying Jianhua poured cold water on his idea: "You're thinking too simply. Even if we can confirm that the so-called Yu Nie Zhenren is a fake, do you know where she's hiding?"
One sentence silenced Zhao Zhonggan. He said dejectedly, "But it's still half a month before the old man goes back to get his medicine. Are we just going to wait here for the next half month?"
Of course not.
Du Zhijin shook his head: "They have been lying in wait for three years, and their plan has been in the works for a long time. They may succeed tomorrow, or they may succeed in an hour. We cannot wait."
But at present, they know very little about the two demons. They know nothing about their intentions, race, or schemes, so how can they stop them?
At this moment, Ying Jianhua desperately wished that the things in his mind could say a few more words, even just a few words.
He tried calling out to him in his mind, but there was no response.
With no other choice, the three of them had to grit their teeth and continue to trace the clues, trying to find a thread from the slightest trace.
Ying Jianhua dipped his brush in ink and wrote on the paper: "We can be certain that the most recent possession of it was of Wu Ti, and since then Wu Ti's behavior has been completely reasonable, with no flaws in etiquette, expression, or wording."
Du Zhijin testified.
Although it may seem unbelievable at first glance, upon reflection, her actions are entirely consistent with the identity of "Miss Cousin".
"Could we deduce that possession allows one to acquire all of the body's owner's memories? If so, this demon's knowledge of pharmacology would also make sense."
Zhao Zhonggan raised the question: "Then what is the purpose? Since possessing someone consumes a huge amount of energy, why did it choose Wu Ti?"
This is also what troubles Du Zhijin.
Yes, possessing someone consumes a lot of demonic power and has a short duration. Why did the demon control Wu Ti's body to get close to them?
She thought of the Illusion Demon.
Both phantom demons attacked Jianhua without prior arrangement. Could it be that the possessing demon did the same?
...We can't let Zhao Zhonggan continue asking questions.
She suddenly reached out and took the pen from Ying Jianhua's hand, writing the three characters "Lady Hou" next to "Wu Ti": "I think I've figured something out."
Zhao Zhonggan's attention was indeed diverted, and he hurriedly asked, "What clue?"
The ink flowed downwards, and with a turn of the brush, the character "檀" (tan) was written.
"Tan..." he murmured, still not understanding. "What's wrong?"
Ying Jianhua glanced at Du Zhijin and explained, “The servant in my courtyard is named Banzhu, which comes from the phrase ‘quietly accompanying the swaying bamboo shadows in the breeze.’ The maid in her courtyard is named Qinxiang, which comes from the phrase ‘Qin maiden in a golden censer, fragrant with orchids and musk.’ Your Excellency is a refined man, and he always cites classical allusions when naming his servants. Your name is especially meaningful. Only the three servants beside the Lady of the Marquis have the character ‘Tan’ in their names, forming their own distinct category. I would like to ask, were Tan Yun, Tan Yue, and Tan Xue originally named as such?”
Unexpectedly, Ying Jianhua observed so carefully. Zhao Zhonggan was taken aback at first, and then said, "No. Originally, my three older sisters, like everyone else, had very scholarly names. But more than a year ago, my mother suddenly changed their names, adding the character 'Tan' to them."
But isn't it normal for a master to change a servant's name on a whim?
This might be normal in other households, but it's quite complicated in the Jianchang Marquis's household.
Du Zhijin: "The reason for changing the character 'Tan' is because the Lady Hou is a Buddhist. You said your father, the Marquis of Jianchang, didn't like..." She paused, then, remembering that she herself was also one of the "mystical" ones, she changed her words, "didn't like these mysterious things, so I suppose the Lady Hou wasn't a Buddhist from the beginning."
Zhao Zhonggan corroborated: "Yes, my mother used to be like the old man, she didn't believe in these things. It does seem a bit strange, how could her personality suddenly change so drastically?"
"It's understandable that someone suffering from a long-term illness would want to find solace. But my mother clearly knows that the elixir came from the hands of 'True Man Yu Nie.' Even if she wants solace, shouldn't she revere the Dao?" He realized and muttered to himself.
"Wait for me a moment." Du Zhijin said, tired, and picked up his teacup to pour water. Ying Jianhua pursed her lips, awkwardly looked away, and didn't tell her that it was the cup he had used.
Moreover, her lips were right over the spot where he had drunk.
It's really...
To ease the awkwardness, he pinched himself and continued, "Let's be bolder. Wu Ti was possessed, but what about Lady Hou? If Lady Hou was also possessed, perhaps she has already sensed something."
Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Confucianism is not an option, Taoism is not an option, so only Buddhism remains. The fact that Lady Hou was able to manage the entire Prince's mansion so well, even surpassing the Marquis of Jianchang, is enough to prove that she is a clever woman.
She cleverly noticed something unusual about herself, perhaps vaguely, because she had never explored it before and could only resist clumsily.
Inside the quiet room, Tan Yun bowed her head respectfully, while a step away on a prayer mat, Lady Hou closed her eyes devoutly before the golden statue.
She was already old and frail, and she faced death with a sense of hope. But was there any god or deity among them who could save her child?
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