Chapter 105 [VIP]
Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow: "Are you possessed?"
If betrothed, she becomes a wife; if she elopes, she becomes a concubine.
To put it simply, anyone with a modicum of sense wouldn't elope with someone for no reason.
Qingping nodded seriously, pressed down his small mustache with his finger, and said, "That's what her family thinks too."
"Then what?"
Gu Zhizhuo was multitasking, urging him to continue while calling Qingmei to bring over the several cloth bags she had brought. She opened one of them, and inside was a brand-new Taoist robe, not a ceremonial robe, but a plain blue robe.
She took out the Taoist robe and said proudly, "Master, I made this myself for you."
"For your teacher?" Wuweizi was overjoyed. "Excellent!"
Girls are better; they're more filial!
He carefully accepted the Taoist robe; the stitches were so fine, the child must have put a lot of thought into it.
"Please try it on quickly. If it doesn't fit, I'll take it back and alter it."
Qingping looked on with envy, his gaze fixed on the new Taoist robe. He said, "That's right, where were we... Oh, right! That girl initially just wanted to meet the scholar every day, but later, she became determined to marry him. Her family came to me, saying she was possessed and asked me to take a look."
In front of his master and junior sister, Qingping no longer referred to himself as "this humble Taoist," and his speech and behavior became even more unrestrained.
"It failed."
Qingping spread his hands: "That girl is on a hunger strike, insisting that her family agree to the other party's marriage proposal, otherwise she will elope."
“Her family was frantic and begged me to come over again. I thought since my master was here too, I'd let him take a look as well… It fits perfectly! It fits so well.”
He didn't forget to praise it after he finished speaking.
“Master’s attire looks more like the real thing now.”
The way you're saying this makes it sound like the master is a charlatan.
Wuweizi also felt that it fit perfectly, whether it was the width of the shoulders, the sleeves, or the length of the robe, everything was just right.
I don't know what kind of material the Taoist robe is made of, but it's light and breathable, and it's not stuffy at all when worn in the summer.
Gu Zhizhuo looked around and boasted, "My needlework is really good!"
“It fits perfectly.” Wuweizi grinned from ear to ear. “No need to change it.”
"Master, just keep wearing it, don't change it."
"good."
Qingping asked expectantly, "Junior Sister, where's mine...?"
Gu Zhizhuo looked up and smiled: "Senior brother has one too."
She opened the other two cloth bags, each containing a set of Taoist robes: "These belong to my senior brother and the abbot."
Wuweizi's robe was sewn by Gu Zhizhuo himself, while Qingping and the abbot's robes were made by the sewing room. They used the same material, cloud and smoke gauze from Jiangnan.
Qingping was moved to tears: "It's still so good to have Junior Sister."
Back when he lived at Tianxin Temple, he had to sew up the holes himself.
Later, his fellow disciples discovered that he could mend clothes. Whenever someone's robe was torn, they would secretly take a torn robe and exchange it for his. For a while, every morning when he woke up, his robe was torn, and the holes were different every day! Eventually, he stopped mending, and everyone wore the torn clothes together, and only then did his fellow disciples stop.
If he could go back in time, he really wanted to slap the version of himself that doubted whether his junior sister was a liar.
Qingping was overjoyed and went to try on the new Taoist robe, and dragged the abbot away with her. Before long, the two of them came out wearing the new Taoist robe.
Gu Zhizhuo had roughly estimated their sizes, but since the Taoist robes were already a bit loose, they fit quite well.
"Can!"
Qingping touched the sleeves with great affection, and struck various poses with his whisk in hand, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.
Gu Zhizhuo clapped enthusiastically.
Qingping laughed even harder: "Junior sister, let me show you another move..."
With a serious expression, he flicked his whisk in a flourish, lifted one foot, and spread his arm, pointing the whisk at the courtyard gate with a snap, startling the young Taoist boy who had come to deliver the message.
The young Taoist stammered, "...Zhou, Zhou, Zhou the believer has arrived."
Qingping showed no embarrassment, carefully put away his whisk, and bowed to Wuweizi, his attitude so respectful that he could serve as a model of respect for his teacher for the young Taoist disciples.
"Master, please."
He winked at Gu Zhizhuo from an angle where the young Taoist couldn't see, and Gu Zhizhuo quickly put on a stern face and helped Wuweizi up.
Wuweizi stroked his white beard: "Zhuo'er, let your teacher see how well you've learned the art of incantation."
Gu Zhizhuo said confidently, "Leave it to me."
Wuweizi went first, dressed in a brand-new Taoist robe, with a peach wood sword on his back. He walked lightly, his clothes fluttering as he went, and his silver whisk moved with the wind, as if he were about to ride the clouds and ascend to immortality at any moment.
Gu Zhizhuo paused for a moment, then followed closely behind.
"My dear disciple, how is that person in your household doing lately?"
He was asking about Ji Nanke.
"My luck has gotten a bit worse; I've managed to slip up several times." Gu Zhizhuo raised his chin, a smug look in his eyes. "I haven't been struck by lightning this month!"
My chest still aches slightly, but I haven't vomited blood for several days.
"Master, why do you think some people have a body and a soul that are not one?"
Gu Zhizhuo told the story of Ji Nanke, who had fallen from a rockery, suffered mental illness for several years, and then suddenly became a sensation in Jiangnan.
Wuweizi flicked his whisk: "Possession?"
Ah! Gu Zhizhuo's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Even if an ordinary man or woman dies violently, their souls can still linger in the presence of others, causing harm and wickedness. (Note 1)
Gu Zhizhuo once thought that Ji Nanke's situation was similar to his own, but if it was a case of possession, it was more like possession.
Gu Zhizhu pondered and said, "Master, would Heaven choose her because she is the one who has possessed another body?"
Wuweizi did not answer directly, but said meaningfully, "The way of Heaven is to take from those who have more and give to those who have less."
Gu Zhizhuo's lips moved slightly as he silently repeated those words, as if he had grasped something but couldn't quite put his finger on it, feeling as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.
"Master, we've arrived."
Qingping's voice interrupted her thoughts.
The young Taoist priest led them to a side room and bid them farewell together with the abbot.
Gu Zhizhuo was the youngest in the family, so it was only natural for him to step forward and knock on the door. Even before he was outside, the sounds from inside could be clearly heard.
“…Zhang Lang is exceptionally talented and will surely pass the imperial examination next year. Why are you and your father so materialistic?”
"Fourth sister, stop talking nonsense."
"Sister Nuo, please sit down first."
"Meow~"
Gu Zhizhuo: "..." This is so confusing!
She knocked three times with her fingers, and the door to the side room quickly opened from the inside.
"Master, you've finally arrived." His voice trailed off for a moment, then continued, "Sister? It's you!"
Zhou Liulang was stunned, and after a long pause, he managed to utter, "What a coincidence?"
"Young Master Zhou Liu".
After greeting them, Gu Zhizhuo looked inside and saw a richly dressed woman, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, and a tiny kitten, no bigger than a palm, sitting alone on a round stool.
"Meow".
The kitten is a long-haired white cat, like a snow-white round ball.
The noblewoman was Madam Zhou, whom Gu Zhizhuo had met before.
"A real person."
Zhou Liulang greeted them and respectfully welcomed them in.
When Zhou Liulang came yesterday, Master Qingping said that Fourth Sister's illness was a bit troublesome and that he would ask his master to come and take a look at her. Could this master be...?
Qingping: "He is my master."
In front of outsiders, Qingping is very good at putting on airs and acting mysterious, which is especially impressive.
Zhou Liulang hurriedly greeted her again, and Madam Zhou curtsied and urged, "Nuo'er, quickly pay your respects to the Master."
Master Qingping's master had white hair and a youthful face, with an otherworldly air about him, and looked exactly like the Three Pure Ones in the painting.
Madam Zhou invited them to sit down and thanked them repeatedly.
The Zhou family's daughter, named Zhou Jinnuo, sat upright on a round stool with her hands on her knees and her back straight. Her face was full of longing as she said, "It's no use no matter who comes. You can't separate me from Zhang Lang. I admire Zhang Lang's character and talent. If Zhang Lang weren't currently in a humble position, how could I possibly be worthy of him? Why don't you understand this, Father and Mother?"
Zhou Liulang, furious, slapped his palm with his folding fan and interjected, "What character or talent does that kid have? He just sets up a stall selling lanterns at the temple fair! He's already in his mid-twenties, just passed the imperial examination at the county level, and his family is destitute with drafty walls! How can this not be a case of being possessed? My fourth sister would never be so blind."
When Zhou Jinnuo first mentioned having someone she liked, Zhou Liulang secretly inquired about it, intending to grant his fourth sister's wish if the relationship seemed acceptable. The Zhou family didn't necessarily need their fourth sister to arrange a marriage.
As a result, this scholar surnamed Zhang became arrogant, unambitious, cynical, and constantly complained that the examiner had no taste. To make matters worse, he went around telling everyone that a young lady from a wealthy family had taken a liking to him and was crying and begging to marry him.
“I am not possessed by evil spirits,” Zhou Jinnuo said earnestly. “Last time, Master Qingping performed a ritual, but it still couldn’t change my feelings for Zhang Lang. Doesn’t that prove that my feelings for Zhang Lang are genuine?”
"No, no." Qingping shook his head and said sincerely, "It's just that my skills are not good enough."
Madam Zhou pressed a handkerchief to the corner of her eye.
Zhou Liulang sighed, "I even found a kitten that had just come out of its nest for my fourth sister, hoping to distract her, but she didn't even glance at it."
"Meow".
Zhou Liulang, in a state of utter distress, pleaded, "Please, Master, take a look and see if there's any chance of recovery."
If all else fails, we'll have to lock her up. We absolutely cannot let her elope with that pedantic scholar.
Wuweizi stared at Zhou Jinnuo's brow for a while, then calculated with his fingers and said, "Zhuo'er, go."
"yes."
"Sister?" Zhou Liulang didn't understand. "You...you..."
He suddenly slapped his forehead. Oh right, he had seen Miss Gu draw talismans last time!
Moreover, only Master Wuwei was sitting, while Master Qingping and Miss Gu were both standing behind him as his disciples.
Gu Zhizhuo nodded in confirmation of his guess: "My master." Then he turned to Qingping: "My senior brother."
After saying that, she ignored Zhou Liulang's astonishment and took the initiative to walk towards Zhou Jinnuo, pulling her wrist and lowering her eyes to take her pulse.
"Gu Da..."
Why did Miss Gu go off to study Taoism?! Madam Zhou wanted to ask a few questions, but Zhou Liulang stopped her, gesturing for her to observe first.
Gu Zhizhuo took out a calming talisman, burned it with a candle, and poured the ashes into a cup of water.
Zhou Jinnuo turned her head away: "I won't drink."
"You don't need to drink it."
Gu Zhizhuo pressed his two fingers together, forming a sword shape, against her forehead.
"When heaven and earth were separated, the five thunderbolts were first divided."
“All illnesses are caused by five…” (Note 2)
"What are you doing? That's incredibly rude."
Zhou Jinnuo jumped up, but only managed to get less than three inches off the stool before Gu Zhizhuo pressed her back down by her shoulder.
Now Gu Zhizhuo can barely use a one-stone bow, and his arm strength has increased a lot. With this effortless movement, he can press her down so hard that she can't move at all.
Gu Zhizhuo's lips moved slightly, and the incantation he uttered gradually became incomprehensible to Zhou Jinnuo. Even though she couldn't understand it, the incantation lingered in her ears. She slowly calmed down and closed her eyes.
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"
As he uttered the last sentence, Gu Zhizhuo drew a talisman on her forehead with his finger, then took the cup of talisman water from the octagonal table and poured it over her head.
Madam Zhou was startled and was about to rush over when Zhou Liulang grabbed her arm.
"Your sister, she..."
"Master Qingping did not stop it."
This shows that Miss Gu was indeed saving people.
"Mother, think about it, should we let my sister get splashed with the talisman water, or should we let her jump out of the window and climb over the wall to elope with that pedantic scholar?"
Madam Zhou lowered her head helplessly. Yes, her daughter had already climbed over the wall once in the middle of the night. If the wet nurse hadn't discovered it in time, she might have really escaped.
Gu Zhizhuo and Zhou Jinnuo were very close, so the cup of talisman water was sure to be splashed correctly. Water droplets mixed with talisman ash dripped down Zhou Jinnuo's hair and cheeks, soaking her clothes.
Zhou Jinnuo sat motionless, her fair cheeks stained with blemishes.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Gu Zhizhuo tapped the octagonal table three times with his fingertips, calling out, "Miss Zhou?"
Zhou Jinnuo suddenly raised her head, her eyes showing a moment of confusion.
"Miss Zhou, do you still want to elope?"
Zhou Liulang gripped his folding fan tightly, his heart pounding with anxiety, fearing she might answer yes.
“Zhang Lang is exceptionally talented and handsome.” Zhou Jinnuo frowned, deep in thought. “If I could spend my life with him, this lifetime…”
Her mind was a bit of a mess, and she just couldn't bring herself to say "I have no regrets in this life."
Gu Zhizhuo picked up the kitten and put it on her.
The snow-white little dumpling sat obediently on her lap, whimpering sweetly, "Meow~"
Zhou Jinnuo looked down at the cat, and their eyes met.
The little dumpling tilted its head and rubbed its cat face against her palm.
"Who is more handsome, him or Zhang Lang?"
The little dumpling opened its bright blue eyes wide.
Zhou Jinnuo hesitated for a moment: "It?"
"Who is more talented, him or Zhang Lang?"
The little dumpling rolled around on her lap, its white, tender belly facing upwards.
Zhou Jinnuo answered without hesitation: "It!"
"You can only choose one, it or Zhang Lang. Which one do you want?"
"It! It! It!"
Zhou Jinnuo couldn't wait to pick up the cat and bury her head in its fluffy fur.
"Do you still want to elope?"
"I'm not going!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou almost burst into tears; heaven knows how she had endured these past few days.
Zhou Jinnuo kissed the cat without looking up: "I eloped, what will happen to it? It won't be able to eat fresh fish and goat milk, and it won't be able to do without a maid to take care of it and groom it! It's still so small."
"How could I bear to leave you, a cat, in this cold and desolate mansion? If I were to take you away, I would be even more reluctant to let you suffer a hard life."
She gritted her teeth and resolutely said, "For you, I won't leave!"
"Meow~~"
The little dumpling's voice became even softer, and she stuck out her pink little tongue.
Gu Zhizhuo pressed his thumb on her forehead, quickly drew another talisman, then dusted off his sleeves, turned around and smiled, "It's healed."
Madam Zhou silently looked at her son, listening to what Nuo'er had said. "This...this isn't cured, is it?!"
Zhou Liulang tugged at her sleeve: "It's good that you're not eloping."
Alright. That will do. After being tormented these past few days, Mrs. Zhou's expectations for her daughter have become very, very low.
Liking cats is always better than having your eyes on pedantic scholars.
"Miss Gu, thank you so much," Madam Zhou said anxiously. "Will Nuo'er relapse after she goes back?"
After Master Qingping finished the ritual and returned home last time, his daughter behaved normally for a few days, but soon reverted to her old ways.
"Zhuo'er, did you discover anything when you took her pulse?" Wuweizi asked, as if testing her.
Gu Zhizhuo first took Zhou Jinnuo's pulse in a normal way. Judging from the pulse, Zhou Jinnuo was strong and healthy. Later, she used the Tai Su Pulse Method to predict Zhou Jinnuo's future.
“Miss Zhou’s spirit is flawed, and her fortune is very inconsistent, as if it has been forcibly altered. She went from being rich and glorious to having a life full of hardships, with a poor husband and a lowly wife.”
Zhou Liulang snapped open his folding fan and fanned himself vigorously, trying to fan away the irritability in his heart.
Wuweizi nodded.
This young apprentice required the least effort, yet possessed the best comprehension.
He had only studied the art of incantation for a few days, but he was already using it quite well.
The art of incantation can be either a curse or a blessing.
The apprentice used a "curse" to transfer the Zhou family girl's unrequited love to the cat, turning it into affection for her pet.
“Zhou Shanxin,” Wuweizi said with a kind face and gentle manner, “where did you take a liking to that Zhang Lang?”
"temple fair."
Zhou Jinnuo answered very affirmatively.
The memory of being destined to be with Zhang Lang always lingered in her dreams, making her unable to forget him.
With a smile on her face, she recalled, "That day, my sixth brother took me to the temple fair. I saw Zhang Lang selling paper lanterns. He was handsome and talented..." She didn't even realize that she kept repeating those two words.
"he……"
Zhou Jinnuo couldn't quite remember what Zhang Lang looked like, but he seemed to resemble the scholar who sold calligraphy and paintings at the temple fair.
Forget it. Looks don't matter.
“He is very talented. I really liked the lanterns he made, so I went and bought one. He said he would give the lantern to me.”
Wuweizi asked, "Is the lantern still there?"
"Yes," Madam Zhou said with a grim expression. "It's on the bedside table in her boudoir, and no one is allowed to touch it."
"Can you retrieve it?" Wuweizi stroked his beard and asked. "I suspect that there is a blessing incantation on the lantern, which has affected Zhou Shanxin's soul."
A blessing incantation?!
Gu Zhizhuo's breath hitched, and his mind went blank.
When my father's remains and soul were in the Western Frontier, they were suppressed by the Zhuyin Curse, and he almost lost his soul.
Could it be that Master Changfeng of Shangxu Temple has also come to the capital?!
A note from the author:
Note 1: Zuo Zhuan, Duke Zhao, Year 7
Note 2: The Yellow Emperor's General Incantation for Curing Illnesses.
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