Chapter 295 The Attack from the Kuman Thong
"Her father is rich; he felt embarrassed when his daughter turned ill and snatched other people's children on the streets. He imprisoned her in the house and kept her away from anyone. He was afraid that people would laugh at her."
Ye Shaoyang nodded, "I understand his feelings, but we must go and visit her. Perhaps, we can buy some fruits as presents. Maybe her father would let us in."
Xiao Ma and Zhuang Yuning were speechless at once. Xiao Ma replied, "Do you think every place is the same as Maoshan Sect? Nobody would let you in because of fruits, not even a ton."
Ye Shaoyang scratched his head, "What should we give as a present? I don't quite understand your rich people's thinking."
Xiao Ma answered, "What if we give them a stack of money?"
Zhuang Yuning laughed, "That would be even worse. Don't worry about the gift. I will handle it. There is no need to buy a true friend of yours an expensive present, as long as your friend likes it, that is sufficient."
Then, she drove to a classy bakery shop in the town and chose a few types of pastries that girls would usually like to eat and headed to Zhu Zhongying's house. They arrived in front of a typical Chinese design villa after an hour of driving. They exited the car and rang the bell.
A middle-aged gentleman, forty years old or so in age, opened the door, and was shocked to see Zhuang Yuning. He smiled, "Oh hi, it is you, Yuyu. Please come in. Umm, may I know…."
"They are old friends of Zhu Zhongying; they were studying abroad. They hope to pay her a visit after hearing about her condition. This is Zhu Zhongying's father, Uncle Zhu."
Ye Shaoyang and Xiao Ma greeted Uncle Zhu with smiles.
"Well, come in then," Uncle Zhu forced a smile as he gestured for the three of them to enter.
It was a well-lit ancient Chinese style living hall. Ye Shaoyang's expression tensed once he entered the house. He looked around the ground floor and intentionally walked past the stairway to the second floor; he already had a grasp of the situation.
Uncle Zhu showed them to some seats and ordered the maid to serve them with tea. Zhuang Yuning thanked him and started some small talk, "Uncle Zhu, where is Aunty Zhu?"
"She went traveling. What a great opportunity to relax." Uncle Zhu replied to her with a sweet smile, "I saw you on TV, the singing competition. I asked them to vote for you and told them you would become the champion. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Zhuang Yuning chuckled, "Uncle Zhu, you are giving me too much pressure. I promise to do my very best."
Mr. Zhu burst into laughter. His gaze moved from Zhuang Yuning to Ye Shaoyang and Xiao Ma, "Please have your tea. By the way, where did you two study?"
"In…. Pennsylvania." Xiao Ma sipped a little tea and replied.
"Which university?" Uncle Zhu nodded.
"Pennsylvania University. I studied computer science."
"Oh, I see. Pennsylvania University is famous for their computer science. Are you having your holiday now?"
"Ummm…." Before Xiao Ma could come up with an excuse, Zhuang Yuning quickly placed the pastries she had bought onto the teapoy.
"Uncle Zhu, I have bought some of Xiaoying's favorite pastries. How is she now? Can I talk to her?"
Uncle Zhu looked rather embarrassed, "Xiaoying's health condition is getting worse every day. She has become stupor. I don't think it is advisable to visit her now. Yuyu, maybe you can go and meet her alone, but I am sorry to turn you two down."
"But they just came back from the United States. They really hope to visit Xiaoying…."
"Since you are concerned about Xiaoying, I hope you can understand her current situation. I am really sorry. Perhaps, we can have a small chat while Yuning is meeting her."
Mr. Zhu answered them in a polite but firm tone. Zhuang Yuning knew that nothing she could do would change his mind, so she did not press the matter further. If not, she might offend him and lose the chance of meeting Xiaoying in the future. She decided to leave and come back after a discussion. Saying goodbye to Mr. Zhu, she signalled Ye Shaoyang and Xiao Ma to leave.
Ye Shaoyang said nothing until he was about to exit the house when he turned around abruptly and spoke to Mr. Zhu, "Mr. Zhu, I am not a student studying abroad, nor Xiaoying's friend. I came here today to treat your daughter."
His words stunned Mr. Zhu. His face beamed with hope, "Are you a doctor?"
"No, I am a Daoist."
Mr. Zhu's expression changed at once, and he forced a smile, "Daoist? Well, thank you for your kindness, but I don't think I need your help," He answered as he gestured for the them to leave.
However, Ye Shaoyang did not move. Zhuang Yuning pulled at his sleeves from behind and whispered in his ear, "Big Brother Shaoyang, let's go. I don't think we should…."
Ye Shaoyang acted as though he did not hear her and continued, "You have no faith in me? Was it because many sorcerers have failed, so you feel it is hopeless?"
His answer stunned Mr. Zhu before he smiled disarmingly, "It seems like you have done your homework."
Ye Shaoyang understood the meaning behind his words. Mr. Zhu must be thinking that he had asked about his family just like the other tricksters, to cheat his money. He did not argue but pointed at a gold aquarium and said, "You placed it behind the main door to bring money luck to your family. However, instead of feeding goldfish, you rear blackfish. Blackfish has black backs and white bellies, which give the meaning of absorbing the Yin Qi and releasing the Yang Qi. Therefore, you rear the fish not to get money luck but to produce more Yang Qi at your home. Am I right?"
Mr. Zhu looked aghast. When he about to open the door, Ye Shaoyang stopped him and walked to a sliding door and pointed at the wall surface on each side, "You have a pair of French window casements here, but you blocked them with two walls, which act as a Yang Reflection Wall. The two focus points in this room face the north and the south so you can still get enough light to shine into the room. The Yang Qi will circulate according to the direction of Jiugong calendar. When the Yang Qi passes the walls, they will reflect the Yang Qi and the Yang Qi will circulate endlessly.
"Thus, the Yang Qi in this room will accumulate to its strongest. Because of the duplex housing, spiral staircase, and these bright colored wallpapers, they can facilitate the Yang Qi to spiral up the stairs. I bet the purpose is to counteract the Yin Qi in your daughter. So, your daughter must be staying up there."
After listening to Ye Shaoyang's explanation, Mr. Zhu stared at him with a gentle look.
Ye Shaoyang caught Mr. Zhu's change of expression and quickly added, "The Fengshui master who had set up these had a little effect on treating your daughter's illness. It was either he had limited power to cure her, or he didn't know the root of the illness."
"Ummm…." Mr. Zhu hesitated for a moment before he had made up his mind, "You're right, gentleman. Since Xiaoying started behaving abnormally, we always heard a child's eerie laughter from her room. Then, she started to scream and cry. The scariest thing is that there was no kid found in her room. I didn't believe in spirits but the things that'd happened in her room made me questioned myself. I had even invited more than ten Daoists to my house but all of them escaped without a trace; one of them even died mysteriously in Xiaoying's room…."