IS Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Sometimes, Li Yuan felt that the Second Palace Master Ye could be a bit more tactful in his speech.

But then, in the next moment, he would realize that speaking so directly was actually quite good, saving a lot of effort. A sword cultivator should be like this, and he should learn from him.

For example, right now, facing the scholar Song, Ye Zhuo’s first sentence directly asked what he himself wanted to know.

“Your wife has just recovered from her injuries, why are you not taking care of her, but are here giving lessons?”

Such a sharp question caused the scholar Song, who hadn’t yet fully recovered from the shock of seeing such an immortal being, to break out in a cold sweat.

“Immortal Master, to tell you the truth,” Song scholar’s voice sounded like he was about to cry, “My wife fainted at the time and couldn’t get up. I bought medicinal herbs everywhere, and unknowingly spent a lot of my family’s wealth.”

“Later, I prayed to gods and Buddhas and hired Taoist priests and mages, which cost even more money.”

“When I came to my senses, I realized that there wasn’t much money left in the house.”

“She doesn’t know about these things yet, and if she did, she would definitely beat me to death.” Song scholar said with a mournful face, “I thought long and hard and could only come out to earn some money, to fill as much of the hole as possible.”

Speaking of this, his expression was painful: “But I have repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, and everyone in town knows it. Even if I teach, I can’t command a very high price.”

“Which gods and Buddhas did you pray to?”

Song scholar thought for a while: “Too many, I prayed to all those that people said were effective.”

As he spoke, he rattled off a series of incomprehensible names of gods and Buddhas, which sounded less useful than praying to Wei Sheng Xian.

Ye Zhuo didn’t dwell on these trivial matters with him.

“I heard that your wife’s family is well-off, it shouldn’t be easy to spend it all.” He stared straight at Song scholar with a faint gaze, “Looking back, which of those gods and Taoist priests were cheating you of your money, and which were truly useful?”

Being looked at with that kind of gaze made one summon all of their courage just to speak, let alone tell lies.

Song scholar’s back was soaked with cold sweat, and he trembled a few times before saying: “Replying to Immortal Master, those two days were chaotic, and I really don’t know where the effect came from… anyway, my wife suddenly… recovered.”

With such shallow thoughts, no wonder he can’t pass the mortal exams.

Ye Zhuo said perfunctorily: “I see.”

He stopped speaking, but Song scholar looked even more uneasy.

After fidgeting for a long time, Song scholar carefully asked: “Immortal Master, you… have you seen my wife?”

“I have.”

“Immortal Master asking like this, do you find something wrong with my wife?”

“Your wife is fine, I was just curious.”

Such composure truly impressed Li Yuan.

After saying this, Song scholar seemed to breathe a great sigh of relief, and his whole person calmed down.

—He actually didn’t notice that Ye Zhuo was leading him in the direction of his own fish shop, but was just following subconsciously.

Walking along with his head lowered, he finally couldn’t help but speak, “Immortal Master, you are knowledgeable, can I ask you a question?”

“Ask.”

“Are there really demons and ghosts in this world? Is it true that people can be possessed or have something attached to them?”

“Yes.”

“Then how should one tell the difference? If a person suddenly changes their personality drastically, is it because something unclean is at work?”

“Perhaps.”

“Then can I ask Immortal Master to perform a ritual for my wife? I’ve been feeling recently…”

Ye Zhuo couldn’t bear it any longer, and the hand holding his sword tightened slightly.

—Song scholar suddenly shivered, and immediately shut his mouth and stopped speaking.

“Stop pretending.” The immortal was aloof and unattainable, his voice as cold as frost.

“Both fearing that I would sense something strange with your wife, and also thinking that she’s possessed by evil,” Ye Zhuo said, “You have a guilty conscience, what unclean method did you use to awaken your wife?”

As soon as the words fell, powerful sword energies descended from all directions. If Song scholar dared to hide anything further, he would surely die.

“Immortal Master, please have mercy!” Song scholar immediately denied, his face flushed red, “I just… I just…”

Meeting the immortal master’s gaze, his already disjointed words stuttered even more.

Finally, he steeled his heart, put on a face even uglier than crying, and said loudly:

“I just… it’s just that she hasn’t hit me in three days, I really find it strange!”

As soon as the words fell, the street fell silent.

Even the passersby who heard this sentence stopped in their tracks without a trace, their eyes glancing in their direction.

Feng Jiang looked at Song scholar and couldn’t help but tilt his head slowly.

Li Yuan looked at Song scholar and widened his eyes slightly.

So this is how human couples get along? How novel.

Ye Zhuo: “Continue.”

Since things had come to this, there was nothing he couldn’t say.

“My wife used to be very rough with me, ordering me around every day. Whenever she was dissatisfied, she would pinch my ears,” Song scholar said, “But since she recovered from her illness, she has been extraordinarily kind to me, speaking gently and even bringing me tea and food!”

“The more I thought about it, the more I felt something was wrong. I kept thinking, did those Taoist priests and mages I hired use too many ghostly methods, attracting something unclean to attach to my wife, making her like this? Immortal Master, to tell you the truth—I really haven’t been able to sleep these past few days!” Song scholar looked pained, “Today she smiled at me when she sent me out, and I don’t even dare to go home anymore. Immortal Master, if you can perform a ritual…”

—It all came back to rituals, if he killed him with a sword now, it would also be performing a ritual to send him to the afterlife.

“But now you’ve arrived at your house.” Ye Zhuo stated calmly.

“Ah…?” Song scholar looked around in confusion.

Then he heard Ye Zhuo’s voice say plainly, “He can’t sleep at night because of this, you don’t need to fetch medicine anymore.”

Song scholar was struck by lightning as he slowly raised his eyes, and indeed saw his wife standing at the door with a newly written prescription in her hand.

—Glaring at him.

“Song…” In the alley, a sinister female voice was heard.

And as the voice fell, it suddenly erupted.

“I’ll beat you to death, you ingrate!!!”

In an instant, Song scholar threw all thoughts of ghosts and monsters and immortal masters to the back of his mind, and with an extremely skilled posture and a speed comparable to a cultivator, he scurried towards his house, clutching his head.

Unfortunately, he was grabbed halfway, and fists rained down on him without explanation.

“Wife! Stop hitting me! Wife! I was wrong!” Song scholar’s words of begging for mercy sounded so fluent.

“I’m hitting you, you ignorant fool! Where did your brain go? It’s no wonder you can’t pass the exams, you really don’t deserve it. I’m being nice to you and you think I’m haunted, and you even dare to not be able to sleep, I’ll make you not be able to sleep! You really can’t appreciate kindness, you’re really making me angry! I’m telling you, you’re really making me angry!”

The barrage of scolding almost blinded Song scholar, and the fists that landed on him didn’t decrease at all. But amidst this storm, this Song scholar actually smiled from the bottom of his heart, and reached out to hug his wife.

“I was wrong, wife, I really know I was wrong—as soon as you hit me, I knew you weren’t possessed by a ghost, I was wrong! Wife, why don’t you keep hitting me? Wife, don’t cry, when you cry, I want to cry too…”

Zheng niangzi just kept repeating the sentence “You’re making me angry,” while sobbing on his shoulder.

The door of the fish shop was closed by someone, blocking the neighbors’ curious gazes.

An isolation barrier was also cast by someone, so even if there were ears on the wall, they couldn’t hear the couple quarreling inside.

The three were all silent, and in the small, fishy-smelling shop, only Song scholar’s voice could be heard as he hugged his wife and apologized repeatedly. Finally, that voice completely turned into a tearful sob with laughter.

“Wife, why are you so cold…”