“No, Madam Shen, the Second Young Master is most sensitive to sound. If this mill starts turning, he won’t be able to bear it!”
“And in his current state, can he bear it?” Shen Lingwei countered.
Chen Shitou choked on his words.
“Hurry! There’s no time!” Shen Lingwei urged.
Seeing that Chen Shitou was still hesitating, Shen Lingwei grabbed his arm, her tone leaving no room for doubt. “Chen Shitou, believe me!”
Meeting her eyes, Chen Shitou froze.
Shen Lingwei’s gaze was too steady.
So steady that it didn’t resemble someone who had just arrived at the Marquis’s residence as an outsider. He had only ever seen such eyes in the Marquis himself.
“But… but what if…”
“There are no ‘ifs’!” Shen Lingwei said decisively. “If we wait for the Old Madam and the physician to arrive, it will already be too late.”
In the end, Chen Shitou gritted his teeth and called two servants forward to move the millstone.
Inside the room, Pei Ke’s whimpering grew weaker, while his breathing became increasingly rapid.
A sign of impending suffocation.
At that moment—
“Rumble… rumble…”
A deep, heavy sound—not sharp, not harsh—like an ancient mill grinding grain, rose from deep beneath the earth, piercing through the air and passing through the open door.
Pei Ke’s body stiffened slightly.
The sound was like a thread, suddenly piercing into his chaotic consciousness.
His eyes moved slightly, still somewhat unfocused.
Then came another sound.
“Rumble… rumble…”
This time, it was clearer, steady and rhythmic.
The pain and confusion in Pei Ke’s eyes flickered faintly. The hands clutching his head loosened a little.
Outside, the entire courtyard of servants held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Shen Lingwei kept her gaze fixed on the millstone, directing the servants to continue. At the same time, she took a silver spoon from the food box and gently tapped it against the iron ring of the stone mill. The crisp sound intertwined with the dull rumble.
“Rumble… ding… rumble… ding…”
If one listened carefully, it had a certain rhythm and pattern.
Shen Lingwei had studied this before. Children with autism often have vestibular system imbalances. Sounds like a stone mill or a pendulum—steady and rhythmic auditory stimuli—can travel through vestibular pathways to the cerebellum, helping regulate overloaded sensory input.
This allows the nervous system to gradually shift from a “fight or flight” stress response to a calmer “rest and digest” state.
As expected, Pei Ke gradually calmed down. He slowly raised his head. Though his eyes were red and his face was streaked with tears, the wild, beast-like look from before had disappeared.
His once-empty eyes began to refocus, following the direction of the sound.
In the courtyard, the large stone mill continued to turn.
Pei Ke stared at the rotating millstone, his gaze fixed as if held in place.
And Shen Lingwei finally saw his small face clearly. Her breath caught instantly.
That face…
Before she could react, Pei Ke quickly turned his head away and shrank back.
She immediately continued directing the servants. “Quick! Bring the bedding from the bed to the Second Young Master’s side.”
The servants trembled, none daring to step forward.
The Second Young Master had only just calmed down—no one dared to risk disturbing him now.
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate, followed by an anxious cry:
“Ke’er! My dear grandson…”
An elderly woman appeared at the entrance, dressed in a luxurious robe embroidered with magnolia patterns, her hair adorned with kingfisher-feather gold hairpins. Though she exuded nobility, her eyes were filled with panic, and her steps were unsteady.
Behind her were Madam Zhang and other servants, along with a man in his fifties wearing a Taoist robe, sporting a goatee and an air of mysticism.
As soon as the Old Madam stepped into the courtyard, she saw the stone mill turning and her expression changed drastically.
“Outrageous! Who allowed you to grind here? Are you trying to kill the Second Young Master?”
The servants were startled, nearly losing their rhythm.
Fortunately, Shen Lingwei had anticipated this. She stepped forward and took over the handle, pushing the mill herself.
The Old Madam was about to explode when Madam Zhang quickly lowered her voice and said, “Old Madam, look at the Second Young Master!”
The Old Madam followed her gaze—and her expression froze instantly.
Inside the room, her second grandson—who had caused her endless worry—was sitting amid the mess. He was not screaming, nor covering his ears, nor curling himself into a ball.
Instead, he had lifted his head, staring intently at the turning millstone in the courtyard.
He even furrowed his brows slightly, as if trying to understand something.
The Old Madam’s scolding caught in her throat, her anger swiftly replaced by shock.
When had her grandson ever allowed such sounds in the Jinghe Courtyard?
The servants behind her, including the Taoist, were equally stunned.
The Taoist’s name was Hu Wang, a wandering sorcerer. It was said that in his youth, he encountered an immortal on Mount Qingcheng and obtained three volumes of heavenly scriptures, granting him the ability to commune with spirits and determine life and death. Many nobles in the capital believed in him.
Hu Wang looked at the scene before him, then at Shen Lingwei pushing the mill. A strange flicker passed through his eyes.
Seeing that Pei Ke had finally calmed down, the Old Madam softened her steps and approached the doorway.
“Ke’er… are you feeling better now?” she asked cautiously.
As if startled, Pei Ke suddenly turned his head and shrank further inward.
The Old Madam’s heart twisted in pain, tears streaming down her wrinkled face.
“Old Madam, do not worry.”
Hu Wang stroked his goatee, flicking his whisk as he spoke with a tone of feigned compassion.
“The young master’s three souls and seven spirits are inherently incomplete, which is why he is easily startled and angered, unlike ordinary people. Recovery cannot happen overnight.”
The Old Madam beat her chest in anguish. “But I wish I could suffer in his place! The Pei family has always upheld righteousness. The Marquis and I have done good deeds all our lives—how could we incur such karmic retribution…”
“The young master’s ability to calm down today is thanks to the Old Madam’s profound blessings, as well as the effect of the formation I set,” Hu Wang said solemnly. “Otherwise, the consequences today would have been unimaginable.”
The Old Madam froze. “A formation?”
Hu Wang raised his hand and pointed above the doorframe. At some point, a yellow talisman had been affixed there, inscribed with winding symbols.
“Three days ago, while observing the stars, I saw that the Ziwei Star had dimmed. I knew the young master would face a tribulation. Thus, I placed this talisman at the courtyard entrance to ward off evil and protect him. Today, a malevolent spirit indeed took advantage of the situation, attempting to seize his remaining soul.”
Hearing this, the Old Madam’s face turned pale. “What should we do? Master, you must find a way to save my Ke’er—he’s still so young…”
Hu Wang pondered for a moment, then took out another talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Madam Zhang.
“Place this at the head of the young master’s bed to suppress evil spirits. In five days, on the night of the full moon, I will perform a ritual to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to restore his missing soul. At that time, his condition will gradually improve.”
The Old Madam accepted it with both hands, as if receiving a priceless treasure.
“Good, as long as Ke’er can recover. Drive those evil spirits far away—never let them harm my grandson again. The Marquis’s residence is willing to donate two thousand taels to rebuild temples and recast golden statues!”
Hu Wang’s breath hitched slightly as he raised a hand modestly. “Old Madam, you overpraise me.”
He pretended to calculate with his fingers. “The evil spirit merely took advantage of an opening. Since I am now in the residence, I will do my utmost to protect the young master.”
The Old Madam finally relaxed a little and turned to Madam Zhang. “Quick! Go to the accounts office and withdraw five hundred taels to offer Master Hu for lamp oil.”
Madam Zhang acknowledged and left.
Nearby, Shen Lingwei watched the entire scene, feeling as though she were nailed to the spot.
Missing souls? A dim Ziwei Star?
The child was clearly in this condition, yet he could calmly fabricate such nonsense?
She recalled seeing many similar cases in the modern world—families with children diagnosed with autism, desperate and helpless, being deceived into seeking divine intervention, drinking talisman water, and performing rituals. Tens of thousands were spent, yet not only did the child not improve, but the best window for intervention was missed.
For a family to face such a child was already a great misfortune, yet these people exploited that desperation for profit.
It was truly despicable.
Clearly, this man was just another charlatan harming others for money.
If he was not removed, the Second Young Master would sooner or later be killed by him.
But she had only just entered the Marquis’s residence and had no standing. With her low status and weak voice, how could she help the Second Young Master?
Expose the Taoist’s deception?