Meng Jingzhou felt that he had done a fair share of good deeds, despite his less-than-ideal background and being compelled to collude with the Meng Family, but he had run away from home early on and severed ties with the family.

After arriving at the Seek Dao Sect, he dedicated himself to Qi Refinement, lest one day his father would come to find him and hang him up for a beating.

Was it the consequence of messing around with Lu Yang every day?

That’s not right either; how come Lu Yang has such a profound destiny that he could receive personal instruction from Fairy Eternity?

Miao Shan blinked, her face exuding the glow of spring, "How much for the little monk?"

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Ten taels of silver."

"Here."

Miao Shan did not hesitate, she took out a silver ingot from her sleeve and slapped it onto the table.

Shi Chan examined the ingot for authenticity, then turned to ask, "Which one of you Senior Brothers is willing to offer your services for the female benefactor’s request?"

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

Lu Yang: "..."

Now it was Miao Shan’s turn to be stunned, "Wait, isn’t it supposed to be you, little monk?"

Shi Chan pressed his palms together reverently, his expression solemn, and seriously said, "Benefactor Miao Shan, as a monk, how could I partake in such activities?"

Miao Shan’s expression turned strange; based on your behavior last night, you hardly resemble a monk.

"What happened at the Spring Fragrance House last night was just a test that I failed to resist," he replied.

"So, can I not ask for a child then?"

"Yes."

Shi Chan handed the silver ingot back to Miao Shan.

"In a few days, once I’ve saved enough silver, I will return to the Spring Fragrance House to temper my Mind State."

Miao Shan’s expression finally improved.

After Shi Chan had turned away two prospective buyers, another half an hour passed before the third potential deal arrived.

"Master, you can exorcise evil spirits here, right?" A middle-aged man approached Shi Chan, looking troubled—a perfect mark for a swindling fortune teller who could easily be deceived by ambiguous words into believing the fortune teller was a real master.

"Yes, benefactor, are you seeking to drive away evil spirits? Based on my observations, there’s no evil demon inhabiting you, it’s just troubles of the heart causing anxiety and excessive sweating," Shi Chan replied.

Shi Chan poured tea, filling the cups with calming tea made by the Suspension Temple.

"The tea is on the house, please enjoy."

The middle-aged man guzzled down the tea and calmed down.

"It’s not me; it’s my daughter."

"What happened to your esteemed daughter?"

"My daughter once went out and met a boy living two blocks away from our home. She fell head over heels for him, experienced love at first sight, claiming it was a match made in heaven, so deeply in love she was."

"I disapprove of this match, and she has fasted in protest — she hasn’t eaten for three days in a row!"

"Whenever she’d throw a tantrum and fast in the past, she couldn’t bear it for more than a day, but this time she’s persisted for three whole days. Even her favorite barbecue from Come Again Barbecue Shop doesn’t tempt her!"

"Benefactor, splitting up lovers is not a good deed. I would not engage in such behavior for money, as it would harm my virtue," Shi Chan responded.

"Moreover, love at first sight has existed since ancient times and is not at all uncommon."

"However, it is not right for her to fast to the point of risking her life. I can try to reason with your esteemed daughter."

"That would be wonderful."

Shi Chan packed up his stall, and the three of them headed to the middle-aged man’s residence together.

On the way to the residence, the trio learned that the middle-aged man’s name was Zhong Ming. His family was in the medicinal herb business. His wife had died early, and he had raised his daughter alone. His daughter was named Zhong Qing’er, and the young man was named Kang Wei.

That morning, he had purchased a three-hundred-year-old glossy ganoderma. Coincidentally, the owner of the ganoderma was a female cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Stage. He asked the female cultivator if there was a master who could solve the problem if his daughter was bewitched, and she recommended Shi Chan, whom she had met at an inn the night before.

"So, it was Ms. Fu Ling who referred him," Lu Yangxin thought. No wonder Zhong Ming started by asking Shi Chan if he could exorcise evil spirits without even suspecting he was a swindler.

The residence wasn’t small, featuring triple courtyards and a few servants employed by the family.

Zhong Ming led the three to Zhong Qing’er’s boudoir, where food that had gone cold, including skewers, lay on the floor.

"This is my daughter’s boudoir, uh, as a monk, is it permissible for you to enter a lady’s room?"

"Of course, it is." Shi Chan pushed the door open and confidently walked into the boudoir.

It was a very ordinary boudoir, with a circular tea table in the middle, burnt-out candles, various books, and on the wall side, a copper mirror and makeup items such as rouge were displayed.

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With her pale face showing extreme hunger, Zhong Qing’er lay on the bed. Seeing her father bring in a monk and two other men whose roles she did not understand, she said with her last bit of strength:

"If I can’t be with Kang, I’d rather starve to death!"

"Miss, I’ve come to persuade you to eat some food. If you choose to starve to death, I also offer soul-delivery services, although the price is somewhat higher than persuading."

"I am actually better at soul delivery. I worked in a slaughterhouse for over a year. Countless livestock died by my hand, and I have delivered the souls of those animals."

Shi Chan once again took out the large banner, pointing to the word "Soul-Delivery" written on it, to prove he wasn’t lying.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou made a great effort to look solemn, as if they were Shi Chan’s left and right Protectors.

Zhong Qing’er: "..."

"I am not good at talking, and I lack Daoist Buyu’s eloquence to successfully persuade. However, I do have Fasting Pills here that can force the young lady to consume them."

"If the young lady is unwilling, I can also throw you out of the residence, onto the street. At that point, no one will care for your safety. Without the support of your family, you will naturally be willing to eat."

The more Zhong Qing’er listened, the paler her face became.

Zhong Ming was also greatly startled; the master appeared kind, but his methods were far from it.

Scared to tears by Shi Chan, Zhong Qing’er wondered: Had her father brought in a monk or a butcher?

"I, I’ll eat."

She just wanted to scare her father, not actually starve herself to death.

"Can I have the grilled skewers from the barbecue restaurant again?"

"No, Benefactor. You haven’t eaten for three days, and binge eating could put your life at risk. You should focus on a light diet."

Shi Chan turned to Zhong Ming and said, "Please make a bowl of plain porridge for the benefactor."

Zhong Ming was initially shocked, as he did not expect his daughter to agree to eat so quickly. He then became overjoyed and promptly went out to prepare the meal himself.

Soon after, Zhong Qing’er sipped plain porridge little by little with a spoon.

"Many thanks to the master. How much would be appropriate for the offering money?"

Shi Chan shook his head: "We cannot leave yet. Your daughter really is bewitched, as there is a faint wave of magic skill emanating from her."

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou nodded silently, having noticed this as well. Zhong Qing’er was clearly under someone’s magic spell, which had caused her current state.

They just didn’t know which magic skill had been cast or rather, what magic skill makes one fall in love with a person?

"She is under the effect of Dream Magic," Fairy Eternity identified the spell cast upon Zhong Qing’er in a glance.

"Dream Magic?"

"It’s a magic skill that makes people dream, with the content of the dream being controlled by the caster. Remember my Dream Pillow? It’s similar to that, although not nearly as sophisticated as my pillow," Fairy Eternity explained.