Less than two days later,
Xie Lian ushered in a huge crisis.
There was nothing to eat in the monastery.
He was alone,
A few steamed buns, a plate of pickled vegetables, and some cucumbers picked from the fields to nibble on could perfectly solve the problem. The villagers of Pu Qi Village had more than enough to provide for their lives. And now, there were three more mouths in the monastery. Two living people and one living ghost,
Quickly emptying his food reserves.
Forget about the two children.
Qi Rong was a dead ghost,
Attached to a grown man's body and refused to come out, while cursing Xie Lian for not treating him as a human and feeding him dog stuff,
One of them ate more than the other.
Made Xie Lian really want to stuff pot soup into his mouth.
After being completely unable to squeeze out the pot, Xie Lian decided to take the two children to the market for a stroll,
To see if he could receive something,
And then take them to eat a good meal.
If Xie Lian's luck was usually not good,
Then today's Xie Lian's luck was especially bad. After walking around once,
He actually didn't receive any junk. In the end,
He stood at the entrance of the main street where people came and went,
And made a decision: to go back to his old profession.
Thus, he settled the two children to the side and stood on the street,
In a clear voice, he said, "Fellow villagers, neighbors! Today, this humble one has just arrived at this precious land and is short of money, so I will show my incompetence. I hope everyone will support me and send me some rations to make up for my travel expenses … "
Xie Lian's two sleeves fluttered in the wind. He had the demeanor of an immortal, and his voice was clear and full of energy. The idlers on the street surrounded him one after another and said, "What do you know? Come and see?"
Xie Lian cheerfully said, "Spinning plates to see?"
Everyone waved their hands, "No difficulty, it's just a small trick! What else do you know? "
Xie Lian said again, "Shattering a boulder on your chest to see?"
Everyone also said, "Too old, too old! What else do you know? "
Xie Lian knew that even performing on the street had to keep up with the times. His specialty from back then had already become a thing of the past, and no one knew how to appreciate it anymore. Seeing that the crowd surrounding him was about to disperse, he had no choice but to use his trump card. He took out a stack of protective talismans from his sleeves and said, "Let's see a performer give a protective talisman. It's handmade, don't miss it when you pass by."
Hearing that they were giving something for free, the scattered crowd suddenly gathered again, "What kind of protective talismans? Which Taoist temple was it? Divine Martial Emperor? "
"Is there anything that can protect your fortune? Give me the amulet of the God of Fortune, thank you! "
"I want True Monarch Giant Sun. Please leave one for me!"
Xie Lian replied, "Nope. No. It's from Xian Le's Crown Prince. Pu Qi Monastery has consecrated it, it's guaranteed to be efficacious. "Of course it was efficacious. Other Divine Officials had at least a few thousand people praying for blessings every day. Their ears were buzzing, and if there was a little more, they would send it to their subordinate Divine Officials. And he prayed to at most a few people every day. Who do you think has a higher chance of being heard?
Everyone scoffed, "What's that? I've never heard of it!" Xie Lian continued, "It doesn't matter if you haven't heard of it. Pu Qi Monastery is located in Pu Qi Village, seven miles away. You are welcome to visit. Incense is not necessary to visit …" But before he could finish speaking, the crowd had already dispersed with a rumble. Each and every one of them didn't walk far before casually throwing away the amulets they had just snatched. Xie Lian then followed up and picked them up one by one, patting them clean. With a relaxed expression, he put them back into his sleeves. As he picked them up, a pair of cloth shoes stopped in front of him.
Xie Lian raised his head and saw Lang Ying's pair of pitch-black eyes peeking out from between the bandages, staring fixedly at him.
Xie Lian warmly said, "What's wrong? You go over there and sit with Gu Zi. Wait for me for a while and I'll be done. "
Lang Ying was silent. Right at this moment, a large house at the end of the street suddenly opened its two doors. A person was thrown out, and immediately after, a loud shout could be heard, "Quack!"
The passersby on the street hurriedly gathered around to watch the excitement. With a crackling sound, dozens of feet trampled over the amulets that hadn't been picked up in time were instantly trampled into shriveled, dirty, and rotten pieces. Xie Lian stared blankly and didn't say a word. He didn't want to pick them up anymore. Instead, he let Lang Ying go back and look after Gu Zi. He also followed to see what was going on. In front of that house, he saw a man who looked like a wealthy merchant arguing endlessly with an old man who looked like a doctor. That wealthy merchant angrily said, "What did you say when you came yesterday? Didn't you say everything was fine and there was no need to worry? What's going on today?! My wife didn't fall or eat anything bad, how did she suddenly become like this?! "
The doctor cried out in grievance, "Yesterday I came to see your wife, she was really fine! I think you should find a Taoist priest for this matter, not a doctor! "
That wealthy merchant flew into a rage and pointed at him with his hands on his hips, "My son hasn't even lost his son yet, why are you cursing him, you quack! Be careful that I sue you until you go bankrupt! "
The doctor picked up his medical box and said, "There's no use even if you sue me, I really can't understand this pulse! I've never seen it in my life! "
Everyone started to jeer, "Let's get a different doctor!" "Let's find a Taoist priest!"
Xie Lian instinctively felt that something was amiss. He raised his hand in the crowd and said, "Please look here. The Taoist priest is here, I am the Taoist priest. "
Everyone turned their heads in unison and asked curiously, "Aren't you a performer???"
Xie Lian politely said, "That's just a side job. Thank you. "After saying that, he walked forward and said," Can you take me to see your wife? "
Waves of screams came from inside the house. It was obvious that the group of women were panicking. The newly called doctor wouldn't be able to come for a while, and in such a desperate situation, they actually grabbed him and ran into the house. Xie Lian casually grabbed the doctor and brought him inside. When they entered the house, the floor was covered in blood and a young woman was lying on a large bed covered in flower curtains. She was in so much pain that her face was deathly pale. She almost hugged her stomach and rolled around. Fortunately, she was held down by several old women and maids. As soon as Xie Lian stepped through the door, the hairs on his back stood up.
The Yin energy in this house was extremely heavy, and that Yin energy was coming from one place.
That woman's stomach!
Xie Lian immediately blocked the people behind him and shouted, "Don't move! There's something wrong with the thing in her stomach! "
That wealthy merchant said in horror, "Is my wife about to give birth?!"
The doctor and the old women couldn't listen anymore and said, "It's only been five months, how can she give birth!"
That wealthy merchant angrily rebuked the doctor, "If she's not about to give birth, then you don't know what's wrong with her, quack! You can't even understand the pulse! "
Seeing that the woman was about to faint, Xie Lian said, "All of you, shut up!" With a flip of his hand, he took out the Maiden Heart Sword. Seeing him suddenly take out a several feet long, pitch-black murder weapon, everyone jumped in fright and said, "What are you trying to do?!" Immediately after, they saw Xie Lian let go of his hand, and that sword actually floated in the air!
This time, everyone was stunned.
With Maiden Heart Sword hanging in the air, the tip of the sword pointed downwards, directly at that woman's bulging stomach. This sword's murderous aura was extremely heavy. Everyone watched as that woman's stomach suddenly moved. A lump of flesh bulged out, sometimes moving to the left side of her abdomen, sometimes moving to the right side. Moving back and forth, that woman suddenly burst into a fit of violent coughing, suddenly spitting out black smoke from her mouth!
Maiden Heart Sword had been waiting for a long time, and with a single slash, it scattered the black smoke. That woman screamed, "My son!" and fainted on the spot.
Only then did Xie Lian recall the sword and put it back on his back. Facing that doctor, he said, "That's enough."
The doctor was dumbstruck. Xie Lian waved his hand a few times, and only then did he hesitantly move forward. That rich merchant's face revealed a happy expression. "My son is saved?"
Who knew that after feeling the pulse for a while, that doctor would tremble with fear and trepidation as he said, "Gone … …"
That rich merchant was stunned. After a while, he loudly roared, "Gone? How could it have flowed like this?! "
However, Xie Lian turned around and said, "Your wife's child didn't flow, it's gone. Gone, do you understand?"
That rich merchant said, "Gone and flowed, isn't that the same thing?"
Xie Lian said, "It's slightly different. Flowed, just flowed. 'Gone' means this: Your wife's stomach originally had a child, but now, this child is gone. "
Sure enough, this woman's abdomen was still bulging just now. But now, it clearly didn't have any external injuries, yet it had clearly deflated. Moreover, it was deflated in an extremely unnatural manner. That rich merchant said, "… … Wasn't my son still in her stomach just now?!"
Xie Lian said, "Just now, the one inside wasn't your child. What propped up your wife's stomach was only that mass of black smoke! "
·
After the doctor confirmed that the woman had only fainted and her life wasn't in danger, they left the room. The rich merchant said, "Daoist priest, how should I address you? Which monastery are you from? Which True Monarch do you worship? "
Xie Lian said, "Your surname is Xie." He originally wanted to say "Pu Qi Monastery", but when the words reached his mouth, he didn't know why, but he changed it and said, "Thousand Lanterns Monastery."
After those three words left his mouth, his face inexplicably became a little feverish. That rich merchant said, "Oh, I've never heard of it. Is it very far? "
Xie Lian also didn't know if it was far or not, so he quietly said, "En … …"
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the rich merchant impatiently and fearfully said, "Daoist priest! In the end, what kind of monster was that just now? What my wife has always been pregnant with … … is that that thing? A mass of black smoke?! "
Changing the topic, Xie Lian also straightened his expression and said, "It's uncertain. Didn't you say that yesterday, when the doctor came to take a look, your wife was still fine? At that time, her pulse should have still been stable. Today, it's chaotic. I'm afraid that the child had an accident last night. You might as well think about it. Last night, did your wife do anything? Or did something strange happen? "
The rich merchant said, "Nothing happened last night. My wife didn't even leave the house! Ever since she burned incense at Ju Yang Palace Hall and begged for this child, she specially set up a shrine to Ju Yang Zhen Jun in her house. Every day, she doesn't leave the house, chanting sutras and burning incense. She's extremely pious! "
"… …" Xie Lian thought that if Feng Xin found out that someone was worshipping him like this, then that would be terrible. After thinking for a bit, he said, "Then, did she have any strange dreams?"
That rich merchant was startled and said, "Yes!"
Xie Lian became spirited. He only heard the rich merchant say, "Daoist priest, you really have incredible foresight! My wife really did have a strange dream last night. She dreamed that a child was playing with her and calling her mother. In the middle of the night, she felt something kick her stomach and woke up. She even happily told me that maybe the child in her stomach couldn't wait to meet its parents, so it came to greet them first. At that time, I even coaxed her! "
In an instant, Xie Lian concluded and said, "There's definitely a problem with this child!"
Pausing for a moment, he then asked, "How old is this child? What does he look like? Did your wife say anything about it? "
The rich merchant broke out in a cold sweat and said, "I'm afraid she can't remember. At that time, when she told me, she couldn't tell exactly how old it was. She only vaguely felt that it should be very young. She even wanted her to carry it, and when she carried it, it was quite light."
After muttering to himself for a moment, Xie Lian said, "I'll ask you a few more questions. You must answer truthfully, otherwise, I won't be able to investigate this matter clearly. First, in your house, do you have any concubines fighting for favor? Second, in the past, has this wife of yours ever had an abortion? "
When he asked if there were any concubines fighting for favor, he wanted to see if there was a possibility that it was a curse caused by jealousy. Once a woman who was confined to the backyard of a house all year round became jealous, there was nothing they wouldn't do. When he asked if she had an abortion before, it was because if she had an abortion for improper reasons, there might be resentment left in the mother's body that wouldn't let the new child have an easy time.
Under Xie Lian's repeated confirmation, this rich merchant honestly confessed. Unexpectedly, everything was correct. Not only did he have quite a few concubines in his house that chattered all day long, but he also kept an mistress outside that was always eagerly waiting to be carried in. Soon after, the young maid by this madam's side also confessed. Her master was originally a concubine, and she had once been pregnant. After listening to some folk prescriptions of jianghu doctors, she concluded that the child was a daughter. However, she wanted to give birth to a son to raise her status, so she drank medicine and aborted the child. After listening, Xie Lian's head swelled. That rich merchant anxiously said, "Daozhang, could this be the revenge of that unborn girl?"
Xie Lian said, "That's possible, but it's not entirely possible. After all, even your wife couldn't tell how old the child in her dreams was, or whether it was a boy or a girl. "