Chapter 10

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 .