HC Chapter 10: Checking the Su Clan's Old Woman
Funiu Village, named after the mountain, was a small place, but it was a unique place. There were many outstanding people there.
In a mere hundred years, two people from the village had passed the highest imperial examinations.
The Su Clan was a family of scholars. One of the two people who had passed the highest imperial examinations was from the Su Clan. Even though that person had passed the exams a long time before, it was still something people would remember for two to three generations.
However, the Su Clan's reputation had started declining recently because the old master of the clan was sick; she had a strange illness that no one could cure.
Many doctors had come to see her, but they didn't know what she had. Since doctors couldn't help her, the old woman had also invited Taoist priests, Buddhists, and Daoist monks. They had all come thinking they would manage to heal her, but in the end, they all left dispirited and depressed the next day.
Initially, Su Jinlun was studying in a city before she came back due to the illness. Zheng Zicong was the child of Su Jinlun's aunt on her father's side.
Mu Yi had coincidentally encountered them three days before when they had gone to the mountains to hunt yellow weasels to make medicine out of them.
But actually, both Su Yingying and Zheng Zicong despised Mu Yi. Nobody believed that a young Taoist priest could do anything. Even though Su Yingying was a girl, she was very smart. She had asked Mu Yi for help because he looked calm and mature. He didn't look like someone his age.
Mu Yi arrived in the village and asked some people where the Su Clan was located. He quickly found someone who knew it.
But as Mu Yi was walking towards the Su Clan, he encountered some newlyweds. The strange thing was that the woman wasn't going to live with her husband's family. Instead, it was the opposite. The man was going to live with his wife's family. (Translator's note: in Chinese families, when a woman gets married, they go and live with her husband's family)
Mu Yi was surprised at the sight of it because it wasn't common.
But such things did happen, so Mu Yi wasn't too astonished either. However, what surprised him was the strange sensation he felt when a cortege passed by him. They didn't stop and were already far away when Mu Yi turned around.
Mu Yi couldn't help but shake his head. His perception had really become acute.
When he arrived at the Su Clan, he told them that he had been invited by Su Yingying and waited outside the main gate. There were two guards who looked at him as if he were an animal, but Mu Yi didn't care. He anticipated that such things would happen.
The first person who came out wasn't Su Yingying but Zheng Zicong. He looked at Mu Yi disdainfully.
"Stinky Taoist priest, I didn't think that you'd actually come. Don't think that you can deceive Yingying and me easily."
"I came here because I was invited. Also, you're nobody to me. Even though you can think I'm a crook, I don't care," Mu Yi said indifferently. Mu Yi had stepped over the first threshold in his practice, and he was also becoming proud.
"How insolent. How dare you talk that way to a noble? Don't worry. When you leave tomorrow, I will make you pay for your offenses," Zheng Zicong said. He didn't even bother to hide his evil intentions.
When Mu Yi heard him, he almost grabbed the evil spirit slaying charm. He really wanted to kill him here and now, but he controlled himself.
Zheng Zicong had a high social status, so if Mu Yi killed him, he most likely wouldn't be able to leave the village safely.
Mu Yi was neither stupid nor impulsive. He knew he couldn't do anything against Zheng Zicong. More importantly, Mu Yi had been invited by Su Yingying, so Zheng Zicong had to pay attention to what he said or did as well.
When he had asked people for directions, many told Mu Yi about the Su Clan. He was relieved that he had brought the exorcism charm. He was prepared, just in case.
"Cousin, I invited him to come and help. If anything happened to him, what do you think other people would think of us?" Su Yingying said coldly while coming out. She looked angry.
She was inside the Su Clan, so she was dressed like a woman, she was wearing a dark green skirt. Su Yingying was tall, had a slender waist, had arched eyebrows, and had almond-shaped eyes. She had rosy lips, white teeth and, and a beautiful oval face. She didn't have makeup on and only opted to wear her hair in a bun. All in all, she looked pretty and coquette.
Mu Yi stared at her when he saw her. Even Zheng Zicong was staring at her, his eyes filled with lust.
"Hello, little Taoist priest," Su Yingying said, waving at him. She didn't think that Mu Yi could help the old woman, but she needed hope.
She had told Mu Yi to come three days later back then because she had hoped that the old woman would recover in the meantime. If not, then Mu Yi could give it a try.
Mu Yi had already guessed her thoughts. He was smart, but he didn't care because that was his only hope. Otherwise, he would have found another job in the village.
"Alright, help us. My cousin will be happy," Zheng Zicong said while smiling as if nothing had happened a moment before.
"Thank you, Miss Yingying," Mu Yi said, ignoring Zheng Zicong, who pretended to be nice in front of Su Yingying.
Then, Su Yingying led the way. The group had crossed several courtyards, displaying the huge territory of the Su Clan. On the way, many people looked at him in a grave and solemn way. They hoped the old master would recover soon.
In an old-fashioned wooden armchair, there was an old man who looked dignified. Next to them were two people: Su Jinlun and an older man, probably his father.
When Mu Yi and Su Yingying arrived in the courtyard, they looked at him.
"Little Ying, this is the Taoist priest you invited?" asked the middle-aged man. He didn't even wait for the old person to talk. He especially didn't seem to trust Mu Yi. After all, he looked like a kid.
"Father!" said Su Yingying to the middle-aged man.
"Alright, Little Ying, bring that little Taoist priest to your grandmother," the old man said, interrupting the middle-aged man.
"Alright, grandfather." The old man smiled at Mu Yi apologetically. Then, Su Yingying took Mu Yi to a room.
There was a bed and an old woman on it. The skin on her face had turned black, and she looked like she was just skin and bones. She looked as if she was nearing her final breath.
Next to the bed, there was a thirty-year old woman, and she looked like Su Yingying.
"Mother, how's grandma?" asked Su Yingying in a low voice.
"Same as before," the woman replied, glancing at Mu Yi.
Mu Yi walked to the bed and looked at the old woman.
His strengthened mind could sense a gloomy, cold Qi that was especially strong near the bed. In his eyes the old woman looked like a primordial beast waiting to pounce.
Mu Yi was stupefied.
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