I stared intently at Mao Yousan's two eyes.
After a moment, I finally cleared my throat and said, "Sun Zhuo is worth one thing, that's for sure."
"My teacher, will not sell."
"He has ascended, old Mao, you can dispel your thoughts and also spare the tranquility of my master."
I tried to keep my tone as calm and composed as possible.
After all, my relationship with Mao You San is quite harmonious now. He's been scheming for the old Qin head for too long; it won't be easy to change his mind in a short while. If I'm too forceful, it'll only have a counterproductive effect, and there's no benefit to it.
In the end, Mao You San couldn't help but burst into laughter. He wasn't fat at all, but his face was shaking so much that it looked like he had put on a mask.
"I will not fall into the plot." Mao You San's eyes, with more shrewdness, exude even more self-confidence.
The words "fall into the plot" made my heart jump suddenly.
Long ago, when Mao You San first set his sights on the old Qin head, I said that the old Qin head was dead.
After that, Mao You San's mind seemed to be out of control and he was in a sickly state. Even in front of me and Ju Ying, he would kneel on the ground and cast divination.
At the time, he kept muttering the words "fall into the plot."
Old Qin head has cast thirty thousand omens in his life, and not one of them has fallen, every omen is fulfilled, always accurate.
Han Cui has mentioned that Mao You San is skilled in divination and geomancy.
Even Mao You San can track down the Taoist way.
Compared to the old Qin head, who is his stronger or weaker?
If he is stronger, shouldn't he be able to calculate more accurately?
If the old Qin head is stronger, then his predictions wouldn't be accurate. If he has a "fall into the plot," it would be normal...
A sharp pain shot through my tongue when I bit down hard, jolting me back to full consciousness.
What was I thinking?
If Mao You San were truly strong and his calculations were even more accurate, then wouldn't that mean the old Qin head really wasn't dead!?
This is the sprout of a seed, which is growing rapidly!
The more I wavered, the more I believed!
Could it be that I really bring Mao You San to open the coffin of the old Qin head to verify it!?!
"This matter, I do not wish to speak of anymore. Respecting one's teacher and upholding the way is basic. Old Mao, I beg your forgiveness."
With just one sentence, I stopped Mao You San's thoughts dead in their tracks.
Mao You San, however, shook his head and sighed slightly, his eyes full of complex emotions.
"Adding that last sentence, Young Friend Shen seemed unmoved. If that's the case, we can put this matter on hold for now, how does that sound?"
My heartbeats were irresistible, falling empty by another beat.
Mao You San's attitude is neither hard nor aggressive, nor does it resemble his previous persistent harassment.
His eyes showed a true sense of discovery, as if he had uncovered some hidden secret.
For a moment, this feeling left me in endless torment.
I've just a little understood the terrifying nature of Mao You San.
In fact, I've sown the seeds of doubt about Sun Zhuo in the hearts of Han Cuizi and Si Yan. Their feelings might be similar.
Not thinking about it, yet it's always like ants crawling over my heart.
I stood there for a while, but I couldn't resist the urge in my heart. I nodded to indicate that Mao You San should continue.
Mao You San pulled out his fan from somewhere, and he swayed and struck his chest with it.
"A few points, your...heh, your teacher, he must treat you extremely well. But if he really did, why didn't he make your path smoother? Why leave so many dangers and pitfalls for you?"
"He's dead." I reiterated.
"Considering these points, I'll assume he's not dead for now. As for whether he's truly dead or not, I want to make a bet with you."
"If he is still panting heavily, with full vitality, then he is a healthy living being. In that case, his life, I sell to you."
"If he has already become a corpse, with ominous shadows all around, then I Mao You San will be considered to have fallen into the trap. A fall into the trap is no better than a rooster. I will serve as your servant. How is that?"
"You don't need to answer me now. Let me say the second point: He must have known you would encounter so many things, yet he deliberately didn't help you. Was it to test you? Or for something else? As teachers, there are many ways to test a student. Qin Wai's strength is even comparable to mine in certain aspects."
"He could easily take back your destiny and complete your cultivation in another way. Then you wouldn't be the current lowly nine-rank who might die at any moment, but a highly talented individual, a genius that comes along once every thousand years. Your future achievements would be boundless!"
"He doesn't do that, what is his purpose!"
"Is he trying to use you to bring out something? Or is he using you to accomplish some task?"
"Young Master Xianshen, losing your destiny and your companion's eye, not being able to see the difference between men, gods, spirits, and ghosts! Even being alive might be part of a calculation. This is too unfair to you!"
Mao You San's words hit my brain like bullets, and then exploded with a resounding boom!
My eyes were red, and my pupils were filled with blood vessels.
Sweat dripped down my forehead in large beads.
Mao You San's words seemed calm and analytical, but they were too sharp, too terrifying.
"The premise of all this is still based on your belief that Lao Qin hasn't died..."
"But Lao Qin head, really died. I saw it with my own eyes. I personally consoled and dressed him, personally changed his clothes and coffin, personally sealed the lid, and also saw him being sent away by the Eight Immortals..."
"Old Mao, you're very powerful, but you can't track down my teacher." I said each word slowly.
Mao You San laughed, and the sound echoed endlessly throughout the living room.
"Right, he died, you believe he died, but you dare not even gamble with me, even if my bet is myself, and your bet is a teacher who might deceive you. You still dare not gamble."
"Young Master Xianshen, I am a veteran, you must think it through."
"Here, take this girl with you. You should go do your thing. The person you're waiting for has already arrived."
The echoes of laughter gradually dissipated, and Mao You San's words came to an end.
His ugly face made me feel even more terrified.
It was a deep-seated fear.
Without saying a word, he had calculated that the person I was waiting for had arrived...
This kind of skill is too incredible...
"Brother-in-law... Let's go..." Ju Qing pulled on my sleeve.
I bowed and gestured with a fist, backing away.
"When we do business with Sun Zhuo, you can find me at any time." Mao You San said one more thing.
"Alright..."
I wanted to answer with firm determination, but my answer still came out weak.
Ju Qing opened the door, and we hurried up the stairs.
I handed the jade strip to Ju Qing, who held it tightly in her palm, clearly feeling uneasy.
However, there was something else in her eyes besides the evident sympathy, as if it were not just sympathy.
I could tell, it seemed to be a mixture of compassion and worry.
I didn't look at Ju Qing.
Indeed, my life has not been easy.
But I can only say one sarcastic thing; I pity them, who pities me?
In fact, I have never felt particularly pitiful about myself. Everything is all based on my own efforts to make a living and turn things around.
Ju Qing's empathy for me goes beyond just the words she heard. It is also based on her crossing that line.
In a short while, we returned to the front of the theater.
As I pushed the door open and stepped up the steps, I thought about the terrifying influence of that thick phlegm of his as we passed the thin guard at the entrance of the mausoleum.
Ju Qing carefully observed him.
The old man was drowsy and didn't pay any attention to us.
The nearest crossroads led to Mao You San's shop, as well as the shop across the street that sold eyes.
Ju Qing's emotions seemed to have returned to normal, and there were wonder in her eyes.
"Brother-in-law... I want to buy this one!"
She pointed at the eye displayed in the glass cabinet.
Her tone was no longer girlishly coquettish, making it seem completely normal. The emphasis was on her fondness and desire for the eye.
I felt a twitch in my face, thinking that Ju Qing's likes were a bit too special.
But I didn't have much money on me.
It was because I didn't have any money, and due to the continuous events. Zhao Can's spirit was still with me, and I hadn't sent it to be reborn or investigated information about Zhao Kang's wife, nor had I transferred the money.
"Yang, the steward, has been here for quite a while. Let's go and handle the matter first; we can buy it later." I coughed and said.
"But brother-in-law... People want it now." Ju Qing seems to feel slightly pitiful again.
However, she didn't come and pull me, and the tone was only sad, without any other emotions.
She seemed to have controlled the right amount.
Her emotions were her own, and she didn't come closer to me because of them...
"Wait a minute, wait a bit..."
Before I could finish my sentence, Ju Qing asked tentatively, "Brother-in-law... Is it because you have no money?"
Me: "..."
To be honest, I'm not someone who fears embarrassment.
Nevertheless, Ju Qing's question somewhat made me embarrassed.
"I have money." Ju Qing said, smiling.
In the course of our conversation, we happened to reach the shop.
The shopkeeper's eyes shone with enthusiasm as he smiled sarcastically, "Young master, you've come again, hahaha. Today Mao You San hasn't opened the shop yet, take a look at these high-quality ghost eyes. Although they can't match what you hear through the wall, just by looking at them with your two eyes, you can listen with your heart, and they're very useful!"
I furrowed my brow, because the shopkeeper's words made me a bit confused.
Probably, Ju Qing likes this eye because she knows how to use it.
I don't know how to use it, and I don't really want to use it.
"This one, and this one as well!" Ju Qing pointed at the cabinet with a serious expression.
"Three big yellow fish in total." The shopkeeper rubbed his hands.
"Hmm? Yellow fish?" Ju Qing showed a hint of confusion.
"I don't have fish, I'll use my card." Ju Qing pulled out a bank card.
"Uh..." The shopkeeper shook his head, stopping his hand movement, and still smiled, "You can go and change it then come back. The mausoleum doesn't accept sunlight, so cards won't work here, nor do we accept cash."
Ju Qing looked at me with even greater surprise.
I probably understood that Ju Qing was as unfamiliar with the mausoleum as I was when I first arrived.
I briefly explained that the big yellow fish were gold bars, with each one worth twenty thousand.
Ju Qing gaped in astonishment, and without saying another word, she bowed her head and walked forward.
I immediately followed her, and Ju Qing muttered in a low voice, "Twenty million, steal it... The ghost eyes may be rare, but there are many places where they are abundant. They are too expensive... If I have the chance in the future, brother-in-law, you take me to dig a few graves. I'm scared of dead bodies in general. Even if my family asks me to go, I don't want to."
"But as long as I look at Lao Gong's head for a long time, it seems that I am not so afraid and it is not so disgusted."
I looked slightly puzzled, not fully understanding.
Old Gong crawled out of the night urinal, but his old face trembled slightly, looking sorrowful.
Ju Qing glanced at Old Gong, and her expression turned wretched.
"Ai... Aiyo..." Old Gong's sorrowful expression transformed into another kind of pain.
"Even if the small lady isn't happy, old Gong may be ugly, but he knows how to take care of people."
