Chapter 130: Wood Carving

The group of gossiping women all looked terrified, glancing at one another. They desperately tried to make a sound, but couldn’t even manage the faintest “mm-mm” noise.

The “three little quails” stared wide-eyed in astonishment. Wang Sheng couldn’t help but exclaim, “Good heavens, they really can’t talk anymore!”

“Confucius said, ‘The way of Heaven has its cycles; none can escape retribution,’” Sun De quipped with a grin.

“That’s enough. Follow me inside,” Gu Ning’an said, beckoning to them. The three children immediately followed him.

However, just as they reached the doorway, a middle-aged man with a simple and honest face, accompanied pby another man with a goatee who looked like a doctor, walked out from the house.

The doctor shook his head and sighed as he walked, muttering, “A strange illness, truly strange… I’ve practiced medicine for many years, but I’ve never encountered such a baffling condition. I advise you, Brother Lu, to seek a more skilled healer.”

“Doctor! Please think of something else!”
“She’s the only wife I have!”
“Doctor!”

The doctor, clutching his medicine box, said no more and hurried past Gu Ning’an and the children, quickly leaving the scene.

Realizing it was futile to pursue the doctor, the honest man turned to look at Gu Ning’an and then glanced at the three children. After a pause, he asked, “And who might this gentleman be?”

“I am Gu Ning’an, a friend of Li Fangzhang—Teacher Li. He asked me to look after these three children,” Gu Ning’an said with a slight bow.

At the mention of Li Fangzhang’s name, the honest man’s brow furrowed deeply. He called loudly toward the inner room, “Fangzhang! Fangzhang! Mr. Gu is here to see you. Come out quickly!”

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an immediately understood that this was Li Fangzhang’s uncle, who was using this as an excuse to drive Li Fangzhang out.

Though he hadn’t said so outright, his tone and demeanor clearly conveyed his blame toward Li Fangzhang for Aunt Zhou’s condition.

“I’m not here to see Teacher Li,” Gu Ning’an explained calmly. “I have some knowledge of medicine and would like to examine Aunt Zhou’s illness.”

After stating his intentions, Gu Ning’an stood his ground, waiting for the honest man’s response.

“Well… Mr. Gu, I appreciate your kindness, but if even the doctor couldn’t do anything… perhaps you should let it be,” the man said hesitantly.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door to the inner room was pushed open. Li Fangzhang stumbled out, shoved by Lu Feng.

Li Fangzhang’s face was dark and expressionless, like a walking corpse. Lu Feng shoved him forcefully, pushing him out of the room.

“Don’t push my teacher!” Wang Sheng suddenly charged forward, waving his small fists and attempting to hit Lu Feng.

Fortunately, Lu Feng, though rough, didn’t bother arguing with a child. He simply picked Wang Sheng up and handed him over to Li Fangzhang, saying gruffly, “Get out of here!”

Li Fangzhang gently patted the flailing Wang Sheng and said softly, “Little Sheng, stop making a fuss. You’ll disturb Aunt Zhou’s rest.”

Hearing this, Wang Sheng immediately quieted down.

“Mr. Gu, thank you for looking after the children,” Li Fangzhang said, bowing slightly. “I’ll take care of them from here. Please excuse me for not being able to host you further.”

Ding-ding!

A crisp sound of a copper bell rang out, drawing everyone’s attention.

They turned to see a young Daoist priest in a dark blue robe approaching quickly. He held a bell in one hand and carried a peachwood sword on his back.

The Daoist seemed oblivious to everyone around him. Shaking the bell as he walked, he muttered softly, “Something’s not right… there’s evil energy here!”

“It seems the source is in the inner room—it has already harmed someone.”

These two short sentences immediately made Lu Feng and the others feel that this seemingly eccentric Daoist might actually have some skill!

After all, Aunt Zhou had fallen into an inexplicable slumber, and the doctor couldn’t determine the cause. For ordinary people, it was easy to attribute such things to supernatural forces.

Lu Feng stepped forward to greet the Daoist, cupping his hands. “Master Daoist, my mother returned home last night and has been in a deep sleep ever since. The doctor couldn’t identify the illness. Could this be due to some evil influence?”

Ding-ling!

“Just as I suspected!” The young Daoist said seriously. “Take me to see your mother at once!”

“Ah! Of course! Please, this way!”

Lu Feng quickly led the young Daoist inside, followed closely by his father.

At the back, Li Fangzhang hesitated for a moment before entering the inner room as well.

The inner room was clean and tidy, with a simple bed placed against the wall. Aunt Zhou lay on the bed, covered with a plain cotton quilt. Her complexion looked normal, her breathing steady—she appeared as if she was merely sleeping.

The young Daoist wandered around the room, glancing about and making elaborate, exaggerated hand gestures as he moved.

Lu Feng and the others remained silent, afraid to disturb the Daoist’s ritual.

Gu Ning’an stood at the doorway. With a single glance, he could tell that Aunt Zhou was not afflicted by evil but had instead been placed under a spell, causing her unending slumber.

The source of this sleeping spell was the wood carving placed on the table!

The carving resembled a city god statue, roughly palm-sized. Between its eyes, faint traces of spiritual light flickered.

There were several ways to break this sleeping spell.
First, burn the statue.
Second, eliminate the caster of the spell.
Third, find someone whose spiritual prowess far exceeded the caster’s to forcibly dispel the spell.

However, Gu Ning’an didn’t act immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the young Daoist.

This Daoist had a faint spiritual glow around his dantian, and when he shook the bell, ripples of spiritual energy emanated from it.

Having spiritual abilities was not unusual for a Daoist, but the problem was that his appearance was far too convenient, and the spiritual energy on him bore an uncanny resemblance to the energy emanating from the wood carving.

Ding-ling!

The young Daoist shook the bell again and turned to Lu Feng and the others. With a serious expression, he said, “This woman has been afflicted by evil energy. I must perform a ritual to expel it and awaken her.”

Hearing this, the honest man’s face lit up with joy. He repeatedly bowed, saying, “That’s wonderful! Please, Master Daoist, help my wife rid herself of this evil!”

“Ah-hem…” The young Daoist cleared his throat and extended a hand, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. “The spiritual power I’ve cultivated did not come easily. If you want me to exorcise the evil…”

“Got it! Got it!” Lu Feng quickly searched his pockets and pulled out several copper coins. “Master Daoist, how much do you need?”

“Ah, fifty copper will suffice,” the Daoist said, taking the coins from Lu Feng, squinting as he smiled. “Still short by twelve copper.”

“I’ll fetch it for you right away!” Before the honest man could run out, Li Fangzhang retrieved several coins from his waistband and handed them to the young Daoist. “Master Daoist, will this be enough?”

Weighing the coins in his hand, the Daoist smiled and said, “It’s enough.”

“When will you perform the ritual to expel the evil? Do you need me to prepare anything?” the honest man asked eagerly.

The young Daoist tucked the coins into his robe and replied nonchalantly, “No need. I’ve already located the hiding place of the evil spirit!”

“Where?”
“The evil spirit is still here?” Lu Feng and his father exclaimed in alarm.

Facing the bed, the young Daoist turned and pointed at the table behind him. Calmly, he said, “The evil spirit is hidden right here.”