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Old Man Wang's torment had made the entire family unable to find a moment's peace. I, too, looked as though I were suffering from a terminal illness. Early the next morning, marks resembling corpse spots had appeared all over my body, and there were more and more of them. My high fever would not go down, and my breathing had also become increasingly weak. It was obvious that I was on the verge of death.
Mother nearly cried herself unconscious several times.
Grandfather and Father could only worry helplessly, sighing again and again.
During this time, Granny Liu tried several different methods. She even attempted to have the Guardian Immortal she worshipped possess my body, but it was still useless. Instead, my condition continued to worsen.
This situation continued until noon, when a large Buddhist monk suddenly arrived at the gate of our courtyard.
The monk was extremely fat, with a round, fleshy face and large ears. He weighed at least two hundred pounds. Judging by his age, he was around fifty or sixty years old.
After knocking on our courtyard gate, the large monk immediately asked whether there was a nine-year-old child in the family and whether that child had been possessed or entangled by some evil entity.
When Grandfather looked at the monk, he couldn't help feeling that he looked more like a monk who enjoyed drinking and eating meat than a proper Buddhist monk.
Yet, the monk had accurately pointed out that there was a nine-year-old child in our family who was being tormented by an evil entity. Grandfather was immediately shocked and hurriedly nodded.
"Yes, there is a nine-year-old child in our family. He's already on the verge of dying. Master, what have you come here for?"
Upon hearing this, the monk nodded and said, "That's good. I want to take him as my disciple. I can cure the condition he is suffering from. As long as you agree to let him become my disciple, I will save his life immediately."
Grandfather hurriedly called everyone in the family, as well as Granny Liu, outside and told them that a large Buddhist monk had come and that he could cure me.
However, Grandfather still felt that this monk was somewhat unreliable. He was so fat that he hardly looked like a monk at all.
Granny Liu came outside and took a look at the fat monk. She immediately sensed that this man was no ordinary person.
She stepped forward and began probing him, saying, "I traveled the Northern Mountain Roads, crossed the three bridges, and have the Chang Immortal with me. May I ask, Yuanliang, which Immortal Mansion do you pay your respects to?"
What Granny Liu meant was that she was a local spirit-medium from this area, living in Sanshilipu, and that her household worshipped the Chang Immortal. She was asking where this large monk had come from and where he cultivated.
When the large monk heard what Granny Liu said, he burst out laughing.
"Big Sister, there's no need to test me with all that. I'm a monk from the south. My Dharma name is Jue Ming. Where is my disciple? Hurry up and take me to see him."
The large monk looked extremely impatient. As he spoke, he was already about to barge into the house.
Granny Liu stopped him with a slight smile and took out her tobacco pipe.
"Reverend, there's no need to hurry. Have a smoke first. There's no harm in taking your time."
As she spoke, Granny Liu packed the bowl of her pipe with tobacco and was just about to light it.
She intended to use the smoke to test the large monk's abilities and see whether he truly possessed any genuine skills.
Given my condition at the time, I was hanging by a thread between life and death. If this large monk didn't actually have any real ability, he might end up killing me while trying to cure me.
Therefore, Granny Liu had no choice but to be extremely cautious.
She had just finished packing the tobacco and was about to light it when the large monk suddenly waved his hand.
"You really are too talkative, Big Sister. Don't delay the important matter of me taking my disciple."
The instant he waved his hand, Granny Liu and everyone in the family were completely stunned.
The tobacco pipe in Granny Liu's hand had actually begun to smoke. That single wave of the large monk's hand had lit it.
The box of matches was still in Granny Liu's hand. She hadn't even had time to take out a match.
Just this one move was enough to completely intimidate everyone in my family. Granny Liu herself was also staring in stunned disbelief.
What kind of technique was this? It was practically like magic.
Immediately, Granny Liu nodded toward Grandfather and said, "This large monk is a remarkable person. Let him go inside and take a look at Xiao Jie."
The large monk's face lit up with delight, and he was just about to walk forward when my father suddenly stopped him.
"Master, why do you want to take my child as your disciple? If he becomes your disciple, does that mean he has to become a monk?"
"What's wrong with becoming a monk? If I don't save him, this little life of his will be gone." The large monk sounded somewhat displeased.
"He's my only son. If he becomes a monk, who will carry on the family line of our Wu family?" Father said awkwardly.
"What time is it now, and you're still talking about this? Saving the child is what matters. Master, please come inside quickly." Grandfather pushed Father aside and enthusiastically invited the large monk inside.
"Wait..."
Just then, someone suddenly shouted from the courtyard.
Everyone stopped and turned around to look.
They saw an elegantly dressed old man walking toward them, followed by four or five young men dressed in suits.
The moment the monk saw the old man, his expression immediately changed. He said coldly, "You, surnamed Shen, there should at least be a first-come, first-served order, right? I came first. I'm definitely taking this disciple. No one is going to compete with me for him."
The old man surnamed Shen smiled faintly and looked toward Grandfather and Father.
"I can also treat your child's condition. However, once I cure him, he will have to become my disciple. But he doesn't have to become a monk if he becomes my disciple. When he grows up, he can marry a wife, and your Wu family can still carry on its family line. How about considering that?"
When the family heard this, they thought this was great.
He could cure my illness, and I wouldn't have to become a monk. If they had to choose, they would certainly choose the old man surnamed Shen.
Upon hearing this, the large monk became so angry that he jumped up and cursed.
"Shen Xiuyuan, damn you! You've ruined this monk's good deed! I'm not done with you!"
As he spoke, the large monk was about to charge forward, but the several burly men standing behind Shen Xiuyuan stepped forward and blocked him.
"Master Jue Ming, you're a monk, after all. You shouldn't be fighting and killing people all day long. That's not very proper, is it? As for taking a disciple, naturally, they should choose whoever is most suitable for their family. You can't force them." Shen Xiuyuan spoke with a smiling face.
Before Shen Xiuyuan had even finished speaking, a series of car horns suddenly sounded outside the courtyard.
Soon afterward, another group of people walked in.
This time, the person who came was a middle-aged man. He was tall and imposing, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses. A group of people followed behind him, but he was holding the hand of a seven- or eight-year-old little girl.
The little girl had bright, beautiful eyes and delicate features. Her skin was as white as milk, and she wore two little braids. She was truly beautiful. At such a young age, she was already clearly a little beauty in the making.
As soon as the middle-aged man entered, he smiled warmly at my family and said, "I can also cure your child's illness. Once I cure him, he must become my disciple. However, being my disciple isn't for nothing. When he grows up, I'll marry my daughter to him and let her become your Wu family's daughter-in-law, allowing your family line to continue. What do you think?"
The moment these words came out, everyone in my family was completely dumbfounded.
Well, this offer was even better.
They were practically giving us a daughter-in-law for free.
That little girl was obviously from the city. If she were to marry me, she would be more than suitable as my wife.
However, what puzzled everyone in our family was where exactly all these people had suddenly come from.
Our entire family had been desperately worried all night and had been completely helpless. Yet, all of a sudden, so many people had appeared, and every single one of them claimed that they could cure my illness.
For a moment, neither my family nor Granny Liu could quite process what was happening.
(End of Chapter)
Footnotes:
TN1: Yuanliang (缘良) — A respectful term used by spirit-mediums when addressing a fellow practitioner. In this context, Granny Liu is essentially saying, "May I ask, fellow practitioner, which Immortal Mansion do you pay your respects to?”
TN2: Immortal Mansion (仙堂) — A household shrine or spiritual hall dedicated to the worship of a specific immortal or spirit. Granny Liu is asking which immortal the monk serves.