Chi Dingyao looked very worried, sighing, "Western medicine can't find a problem, and traditional Chinese medicine can't find a problem. What kind of illness is this?"
"Mr. Chi, I have a suggestion," Ouyang Sheng said, "Although I can't see what's wrong, in the principles of practicing medicine in traditional Chinese medicine, there's always the saying of combining Feng Shui and numerology when prescribing medicine. Seeing your wife's condition, it's highly likely that there's a problem with the Feng Shui and numerology. It was extremely strange to see the outbreak of rats in your courtyard earlier, indicating that the earth's energy has been lost and malignant energy has invaded. The most urgent thing to do now is to move your wife to a place with abundant earth energy and deep blessings, and then plan for the future."
"I'm well aware of what you're saying," Chi Dingyao said with a bitter smile, "But there's an extremely strange phenomenon on my wife's body. As soon as we move her out of this courtyard, she immediately rolls her eyes back and foams at the mouth, with convulsions in her limbs. Those symptoms are like a case of epilepsy. We tried twice, and seeing her suffer such pain, we couldn't bear it, so we had to carry her back."
"Oh, I see..." Ouyang Sheng stroked his long beard, pondered for a moment, and finally sighed, "In that case, Mr. Chi, you should try to find a high monk or a famous Daoist after this failure. This is no longer a problem that can be solved by medical skills alone."
Chi Dingyao also sighed, "To be honest, Ouyang, after this failure, I was planning to go to Ding'an Temple on the outskirts of the city and ask the chief abbot to preside over it."
Just as they were talking, they suddenly heard a loud voice coming from the distance: "What household is this? Why is the Yin energy so heavy? With the loss of earth's energy, a hundred diseases are born. In ten years, the bloodline will be cut off!"
Chi Dingyao was startled, "Whose voice is this? Why does it sound like it's right outside the courtyard?"
It should be known that the Chi family's property is very large, and if an outsider wants to enter, they must enter through the main entrance. Speaking at the main entrance, it would be impossible to hear from here, but this person's voice was loud and clear, indicating that he was not far away, which was very strange.
The door was slammed open, and a servant rushed in, "Master, there's a fortune teller outside asking to see you."
Chi Dingyao frowned, "Seventeen, haven't I taught you that a man of learning should be calm and unperturbed in the face of a mighty upheaval? Look at your appearance... Oh, you mean he's still at the main entrance now?"
Seventeen immediately calmed down and said, "Yes, he said he wanted to see you."
Chi Dingyao said, "Since it's a request to see me, why create a disturbance at the door?"
Seventeen was surprised and said, "There was no disturbance. He was quite polite, standing at the door, not saying much."
Chi Dingyao's expression changed a few times before saying, "Let him in."
Before long, Seventeen came in with a fortune-teller. The fortune-teller had a few sparse whiskers, and his white eyebrows were twice as long as normal, hanging slightly on both sides, with a somewhat otherworldly look. Chi Dingyao went straight up to him and said, "Master, what advice do you have?" As he walked over, he intentionally or unintentionally passed between Xiaokai and Xiaozhu, forcibly separating the two.
The fortune-teller chuckled, "I happened to pass by your residence today and noticed a faint mist seeping out, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an area where energy is dispersing. It seems that people living here should be plagued with frequent misfortunes and illnesses. Since I have some knowledge of Feng Shui, I overstepped and offered to see if I could help."
Chi Dingyao looked him up and down for a long while before saying, "How can I trust you?"
The fortune-teller smiled slightly and said, "Fate is predetermined by the heavens and has no reason behind it. It's up to the believer whether to trust or not. If you don't believe, I'll leave immediately without saying another word."
Chi Dingyao was stunned by his words for a while before nodding and said, "Alright, then tell me, why is the earth energy in my home dissipating, and how can I resolve it?"
The fortune-teller casually inserted a long bamboo rod into the ground. The yard outside was originally a solid cobblestone path, very sturdy. However, with his insertion, it was as if poking a bean curd with a steel rod; silently, it just went in and stood firm. He pulled back a curtain to reveal a large "Zhu" character and said, "My last name is Zhu, and you can call me Master Zhu."
He took out a tube of divination sticks from his robe and said, "Client, all past and future calamities and fortunes are contained within this small space." Chi Dingyao nodded and drew a stick from the tube.
"Is this person the problem?" Xiaokai asked Xiaoguan discreetly, "I just feel something is not right."
"Of course, there is a problem," Xiaoguan's attitude was unusually serious, "Kai, this Master Zhu is a monster."
"A monster!" Xiaokai was startled, "Are there really monsters in this world?"
"Of course, where there are cultivators, there are monsters. There's nothing to be surprised about," Xiaoguan said, "Besides him, there's also a big rat in the yard that has cultivated into a spirit. In addition to rats, there are spiders, ants, and many other strange things in the yard, all monsters. However, only this one in front of us can transform into a human."
Xiaokai's face turned a little pale, "Are you saying that this is a monster's lair?"
"More or less," Xiaoguan said, "I think there are at least eight to ten monsters."
Xiaokai's face turned a bit pale, "What do they want? Shouldn't you just get rid of them?"
"I don't know what they want, but I guess it's not to harm people. If they wanted to harm people, they would have done it already. No need to wait so many days. So I guess they are looking for something," Xiaoguan said, "These monsters have been cultivating for hundreds of years. Some can even transform into humans. I'm afraid I can't handle them."
"You've been cultivating for tens of thousands of years, and you can't even deal with a few monsters?" Xiaokai was anxious, "Then what about Xiaozhu?"
"Hmph, if my powers were fully restored, even if there were ten thousand of them, it wouldn't be enough for me to handle with just a flick of my finger," Xiaoguan also felt depressed, "But now my power is so repressed, it's all because of that book of yours. How dare you come and complain to me."
"What should we do?" Xiaokai's forehead broke out in a sweat, "I don't care, no matter what, I must save Xiaozhu."
"Sigh, let's not talk about it for now. Let's just take it one step at a time. I estimate that they want to find something at Xiaozhu's sister's house. As long as this thing is not found, they definitely won't kill anyone."
Just as they were talking, Master Zhu suddenly turned back, his eyes glittering as he looked deeply at Xiaokai. Xiaokai felt a shiver, about to feign composure and stare back, but Master Zhu had already turned around and started to read the sticks for Chi Dingyao.
"Underhanded people bear ill intentions, and past karma brings heavenly punishment. Sevenfold and seven-life calamities continue, guard against greed, extinguish desires, cultivate the true self. This is a very bad omen," Master Zhu talked confidently, "It's clearly written on the stick. The tribulations in your home are accumulations of sevenfold and seven-life karma. Because of past deeds that have harmed the balance, you are suffering the consequences. Furthermore, there will be underhanded people bearing ill intentions getting close to you. Therefore, to dispel disasters and difficulties, there is only one way: to guard against greed and to cultivate the true self."
"Master, can you be more specific?" Chi Dingyao frowned, "This is too vague."
"Hehe, I'll put it in simpler terms," Master Zhu said, "In other words, you need to give up worldly wealth, extinguish evil desires, put an end to previous karma. It means leaving mundane affairs, and by leaving, you don't receive mundane consequences. Only then can you avoid the disasters that will come to your home."
Chi Dingyao was blank for a while before saying, "Master Zhu, are you telling me to become a monk?"
"Not necessarily. Everyone has their own destiny and opportunities. Client, tell me your date and time of birth, and I will cast a divination for you in detail," Master Zhu looked at Chi Dingyao's slightly pale face, "Don't worry too much. If you can't bear to give it up, I can also find a way to ensure your safety for three years."
Chi Dingyao nodded and reported his date and time of birth.
"Xiaoguan, what does he really want to do?" Xiaokai was completely puzzled, "I just can't understand it."
"He's just talking nonsense. You don't have to bother," Xiaoguan sneered, "Watch and see. In the end, Chi Dingyao will definitely have to give something up. This group of monsters came specifically for something in Chi Dingyao's possession. If I'm not mistaken, it should be something passed down through the family."