Chapter 37: The Old Antique

Gu Xiankun was so excited he couldn't even speak, "Alright, let's go now. No, wait a moment, I'll call and check where my mother is."

He stood at the entrance of the vegetarian restaurant and called Gu Mingzhu. After learning that Gu Mingzhu had already returned home, he hurriedly invited Zeng Yi into the car and headed home.

The Gu family residence was located by the Seven Star Lake, an area in Rongcheng that was home to many luxurious villas, each with its unique style. Among them, the best location belonged to Gu Mingzhu's residence. It was closest to the lakeside, surrounded by towering ancient trees, and the environment was serene and peaceful. At that moment, the lotus flowers by the lake were in full bloom, and the cool breeze made the lake surface shimmer. The rustling of the bamboo leaves around the house made one feel refreshed and at ease.

The villa was in the style of southern China, with white walls and blue tiles. Upon entering, a large transparent fish tank was placed in the foyer, where four dragon fish, each about a foot long, swam leisurely.

Zeng Yi couldn't help but admire the Gu family's wealth. These dragon fish have a very long lifespan and grow slowly. Because their bodies are adorned with dragon scales and whiskers, they are highly sought after and called "feng shui fish." Among the dragon fish, those with a blood-red or purple-red body are the rarest. A dragon fish over a foot long can sell for millions, and they are hard to come by. The dragon fish in the Gu family's foyer were all pure red, large in size, and majestic in appearance, making them genuine top-quality dragon fish.

After passing through the foyer, there was a spacious living room. The furniture and decorations were all in an antique style, but a few subtle details, such as the calligraphy by Zhang Daqian on the wall and the screen made of rosewood, revealed the extraordinary and refined nature of the place.

Zeng Yi looked around and noticed that everything was arranged with great care, so he nodded, "Mr. Gu, you've put a lot of thought into this living room."

"The layout was designed by a feng shui master from Hong Kong. I don't understand the specifics myself!" Gu Xiankun extended his hand, "Mr. Zeng, please take a seat."

The Gu family's nanny quickly came out and served Zeng Yi a cup of tea.

Gu Xiankun apologized, "Mr. Zeng, please wait a moment. I'll go get my mother."

"Alright, go ahead!" Zeng Yi took a sip of tea and stood up to admire the calligraphy and paintings in the room. Although he didn't know much about antiques, he had some knowledge of calligraphy.

After a while, footsteps were heard from behind, and a middle-aged man with the appearance of a scholar, holding a line-bound ancient book, walked in. He casually placed the book on a table and greeted, "Are you Mr. Zeng? Hello."

Zeng Yi immediately recognized that this must be Gu Mingzhu's husband, Cui Shiyi, who indeed had the demeanor of a scholar, humble and refined. "You must be Mr. Cui. Nice to meet you, I am Zeng Yi."

"Mr. Zeng, do you also understand calligraphy?" Cui Shiyi asked.

Zeng Yi waved his hand and smiled, "Not really. I'm just looking around casually."

Cui Shiyi wasn't very good at making conversation. Hearing that Zeng Yi didn't understand calligraphy, he didn't continue the topic. They sat down, and he suddenly noticed the medical box by Zeng Yi's feet. "Hmm," he said, then got up and crouched down to examine the box closely. "Mr. Zeng, this box has quite a history."

Zeng Yi quickly picked up the box and placed it on the table, asking, "What kind of history?"

"This is a medical box. The material and craftsmanship are extraordinary. The doctors who owned such boxes were usually very wealthy and prestigious, possibly even imperial physicians." Cui Shiyi examined the box from all angles, sniffed it, and then said confidently, "From the style and design, it's at least 400 years old, from the late Ming or early Qing dynasty."

After saying that, he put the box down, still somewhat reluctant, and said, "It's rare. After 400 years, the box is still in such good condition, looking as fresh as new. It's truly remarkable."

Zeng Yi asked, "Can Mr. Cui tell me more about the history of this box?"

Cui Shiyi smiled and shook his head, "There are many imperial bowls from the Qianlong era, but who can say which one was used by Qianlong himself?"

Zeng Yi nodded, understanding the point. "That's true. I said something ignorant. I apologize, Mr. Cui."

Cui Shiyi waved his hand, "Not at all. If we search carefully, we might not be able to prove who used this box, but we could narrow it down. There weren't many people in history who could afford such a valuable medical box. By the way, where did you get this box, Mr. Zeng?"

"It's a family heirloom, my grandfather's medical box," Zeng Yi replied.

"Oh, then your ancestor must have been a renowned doctor!" Cui Shiyi said.

Zeng Yi wanted to ask Cui Shiyi to help investigate the history of the box, but since it was their first meeting, he found it hard to make such a request. He decided to wait, thinking that since he now knew Cui Shiyi, he might have the opportunity to ask for help in the future. He was very eager to understand his grandfather's past, and the box was a key to that.

They chatted for a while, and then Gu Xiankun came down with Gu Mingzhu.

Gu Mingzhu, now aware of the morning's events, looked apologetic and said, "I just heard about what happened this morning. Mr. Zeng, you went to so much trouble for my illness, and you were treated poorly by my subordinates. I feel very guilty. I will severely punish Huashan."

Zeng Yi waved his hand, "In a large company, there are bound to be a few such people."

Gu Mingzhu said a few more apologetic words.

Zeng Yi stopped her, "Let's not dwell on the past. Let me first talk about Chairman Gu's condition."

Gu Mingzhu extended her wrist, "Do you need to take my pulse?"

Zeng Yi shook his head. Bai Mutton had already taken her pulse in the morning, and since he was there, and given his reputation as a divine doctor, his pulse-taking skills should be very reliable. "No need to take the pulse. I just have a few questions."

Gu Mingzhu retracted her hand, "Please ask."

"Do you believe in cause and effect?"

Gu Mingzhu was taken aback by the question but nodded slightly, "I believe in good deeds being rewarded and evil deeds being punished."

"Then you believe in Buddhism?"

Gu Mingzhu nodded, "I am a lay practitioner."

"Do you believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits?"

Gu Mingzhu was puzzled, thought for a moment, and then said, "Without demons, there would be no Buddha. Since I believe in the existence of Buddha, I naturally believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits."

Cui Shiyi, who was standing nearby, turned away and picked up his ancient book. As an archaeologist who had explored many ancient tombs and studied the history of Buddhism, he did not believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits.

Zeng Yi nodded, "Very good. Now I will help Chairman Gu get to the root of her illness." He opened the wooden box, pulled out a drawer, and took out a rolled-up scroll and a piece of sandalwood incense.

The three members of the Gu family were all puzzled, not understanding what Zeng Yi was going to do or what it meant to "get to the root of the illness." Could the root of the illness have a tail that could be caught?

Zeng Yi untied the red ribbon on the scroll, unrolled it, and walked to the rosewood screen, hanging the scroll up.

Cui Shiyi's eyes lit up. It was a portrait of Zhong Kui, and the style was very ancient.

In the painting, Zhong Kui held an iron sword, with eyes like a leopard, a copper-colored head, an iron face, and a beard, looking extremely fierce. At first glance, it was terrifying, but upon closer inspection, the aura of the painting was less intimidating and instead made one feel uncomfortable, as if a heavy stone was pressing on the chest, making it hard to breathe.

Zeng Yi lit the incense and placed it in a jade incense burner in the living room. He then clapped his hands and said, "Chairman Gu, please sit in a chair facing this scroll and look at it."

After saying that, Zeng Yi sat down and slowly sipped his tea.

Gu Xiankun was secretly anxious, looking at Zeng Yi, trying to understand what he was doing, but Zeng Yi ignored him and continued to drink his tea.

"Mr. Zeng must have his reasons for doing this!" Gu Xiankun explained to his mother, "Mom, just try it. It might be a diagnostic method. Western psychologists can also analyze a person's health based on certain images."

Gu Mingzhu listened and had to turn her chair to face the scroll, but she wasn't very interested. However, after half a minute, her eyes widened. The Zhong Kui in the painting disappeared and turned into her husband's brother, Cui Shijie, standing there and roaring. The scene then shifted to the entrance of the old house, a magnificent mansion with a luxurious purple-gold gate, but a lion was lying there, making the scene very disharmonious and distorted.

Gu Xiankun was shocked by his mother's sudden reaction and was about to step forward, but as soon as he moved, he saw Gu Mingzhu tremble and then fall to the side in the chair.

When they helped her up, she was in the same state as when she had an episode before, crying uncontrollably, her eyes fixed, her mouth twitching, and her face contorted in a terrifying manner.

"Mom! Mom!" Gu Xiankun shouted, but Gu Mingzhu seemed not to hear him, still twitching and trembling. He quickly turned around, "Mr. Zeng, please come and take a look!"

Zeng Yi walked over and examined Gu Mingzhu's eyes, saying, "Lay her down on the ground!"