Chapter 646: Admonition

Meng Jingzhou believed he had done many good deeds. Although he came from a difficult background and was forced to collude with the Meng family, he had left home early and severed ties with them.

After arriving at Dao Seeking Sect, he diligently cultivated, fearing that one day his father would come looking for him and give him a beating.

Was it the result of him messing around with Lu Yang every day?

No, that's not right. How did Lu Yang have such profound immortal fortune and receive personal guidance from the Immortal Fairy?

Miaoshan blinked, a flirtatious expression on her face. "So, little monk, how much do you want?"

"Ten taels of silver."

"Here."

Miaoshan didn't hesitate, pulling a silver ingot from her sleeve and placing it on the table.

Shi Chan assessed the ingot's authenticity, then turned his head to ask, "Brothers, the female benefactor has a request. Who among you is willing to contribute?"

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

Lu Yang: "..."

This time, it was Miaoshan's turn to be stunned. "Wait, isn't it you, little monk?"

Shi Chan put his palms together, his expression solemn, and said seriously, "Benefactor Miaoshan, how could a humble monk like me do such a thing?"

Miaoshan's expression was odd. "From your behavior last night, you don't seem like a monk."

"What happened at Chunxiang樓 yesterday was merely a test that this humble monk failed to withstand."

"Then can I choose not to seek a child?"

"You may."

Shi Chan returned the silver ingot to Miaoshan.

"In a few days, when this humble monk has gathered enough silver, I will return to Chunxiang樓 to further temper my mind."

Miaoshan's expression finally improved.

Two consecutive offers of business were turned away by Shi Chan. Half an hour later, a third client arrived.

"Master, can you perform exorcisms here?" A middle-aged man approached Shi Chan, his expression troubled, clearly burdened by worries. Deceptive fortune tellers loved to trick such people; a few ambiguous words would convince the man that they were true masters.

"Yes, I can. Benefactor, are you seeking an exorcism? From my observation, there's no evil spirit invading you; you merely have something weighing on your mind, causing anxiety and cold sweats."

Shi Chan poured tea from a teapot containing calming tea brewed by Hanging Temple.

"The tea is free. Please drink."

The middle-aged man drank the tea in one gulp and calmed down.

"It's not for me, it's for my daughter."

"What troubles your esteemed daughter?"

"One day, my daughter went out and met a young man who lives two streets away from us. From then on, she fell uncontrollably in love with him, a case of love at first sight. She even claims it's a fated destiny and is utterly devoted to him."

"I don't approve of this match, and she's been on a hunger strike! She hasn't eaten for three days straight!"

"Usually, when she throws a tantrum and starves herself, she can't last more than a day. But this time, she's lasted three days! Even tempting her with her favorite skewers from 'One More Time BBQ' hasn't worked!"

"Benefactor, breaking up couples is not a good deed. This humble monk will not perform such an act for money, as it would harm my merit."

"Moreover, instances of love at first sight have existed throughout history and are not uncommon."

"However, starving oneself to death over this is truly inappropriate. This humble monk can try to persuade your esteemed daughter."

"That would be excellent."

Shi Chan packed up his stall, and the three of them went together to the middle-aged man's residence.

On the way to the residence, the three learned that the middle-aged man's name was Zhong Ming. His family was in the medicinal herbs business, and his wife had passed away early, leaving him to raise their daughter, Zhong Qing'er, alone. The young man she loved was named Kang Wei.

That morning, he had acquired a 300-year-old ganoderma lucidum. Coincidentally, the owner of the ganoderma was a female cultivator in the Qi Refinement stage. He had asked her if there was a master who could help if his daughter was afflicted by evil, and the female cultivator recommended Shi Chan, whom she had met at the inn last night.

"So, it was Miss Fuling who introduced him," Lu Yang thought to himself. "No wonder Zhong Ming immediately asked Shi Chan about exorcism, without even suspecting him of being a charlatan."

The residence was quite large, with three courtyards and several servants.

Zhong Ming led the three to Zhong Qing'er's boudoir. On the floor were cold dishes and skewers.

"This is my daughter's boudoir. Uh, Master, as a monk, are you allowed to enter a lady's private room?"

"Naturally," Shi Chan said, pushing the door open and walking directly into the room.

It was an ordinary boudoir, with a round tea table in the center, burnt-out candles, miscellaneous books, and a bronze mirror, rouge, and powder on the wall.

Zhong Qing'er lay on the bed, her face pale from hunger. Seeing her father enter with a monk and two unknown individuals, she weakly said:

"If I can't be with Kang Lang, I'd rather starve to death!"

"Young lady, this humble monk is here to persuade you to eat. If you choose to starve to death, this humble monk also offers a transcendence service, which is a bit more expensive than persuasion."

"This humble monk is actually quite skilled at transcendence. I worked at a slaughterhouse for over a year, and countless livestock died by my hand; all of them were transcended by me."

Shi Chan again pulled out his large banner, pointing to the characters "Transcendence" written on it, as proof that he wasn't lying.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou struggled to maintain solemn expressions, looking like Shi Chan's left and right guardians.

Zhong Qing'er: "..."

"This humble monk is not good with words and lacks the eloquence of Daoist Buyu, making persuasion difficult. However, this humble monk has Bigu Pills, which can force the young lady to eat."

"If the young lady is unwilling, this humble monk can also throw you out of the residence and onto the street. At that point, no one will care about the young lady's safety, and without the support of your family, you will naturally be willing to eat."

The more Zhong Qing'er listened, the paler her face became.

Zhong Ming was also startled. The master looked kind, but his methods were far from it.

Zhong Qing'er was so frightened by Shi Chan that tears welled up in her eyes. "Did Father bring a monk or a butcher?" she wondered.

"I-I'll eat."

She was just trying to scare her father; she wasn't actually going to starve herself to death.

"Can I eat the skewers from 'One More Time BBQ'?"

"No, benefactor. You haven't eaten for three days. Binge eating now could be life-threatening. You should stick to bland foods."

Shi Chan turned to Zhong Ming and said, "Benefactor, please prepare a bowl of plain congee."

Zhong Ming was initially surprised that his daughter agreed to eat so quickly, then overjoyed. He immediately went out to prepare the food himself.

Before long, Zhong Qing'er was slowly sipping the plain congee with a spoon.

"Thank you so much, Master. How much spiritual offering would be appropriate?"

Shi Chan shook his head. "We cannot leave yet. Your daughter is indeed afflicted by something. There's a faint magical fluctuation on her."

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou subtly nodded. They had also noticed this; Zhong Qing'er had clearly been subjected to a spell to become this way.

They just didn't know what kind of spell had been cast, or rather, which spell would make someone fall in love.

"She's been afflicted by the Illusion Dream Spell," the Immortal Fairy instantly identified the spell cast on Zhong Qing'er.

"Illusion Dream Spell?"

"It's a spell that makes people dream, and the dream content is controlled by the caster. Do you remember my Yellow粱 Dream Pillow? It's similar to that, but far less advanced than my pillow."