Chapter 38: The Great Deception

Whenever Gu Mingzhu had an episode, there would usually be some warning signs, such as anger, fatigue, and sore legs. However, this time there were no signs, and she suddenly fell ill, which startled Cui Shiyi and his son. They hurriedly laid Gu Mingzhu flat on the ground and called for someone to bring an oxygen tank and heart pills from upstairs.

"No need, I'll handle it!" Zeng Yi took out a needle kit from his box, selected a three-inch silver needle, and inserted it into the Baihui acupoint on Gu Mingzhu's head, gently twisting it three times. Then he stood up and put away the painting of Zhong Kui.

As soon as the painting was put away, Gu Mingzhu took a long breath, her eyes regained their vitality, and the purple-black color of her face gradually faded.

Zeng Yi slowly rolled up the painting, tied it with a red rope, and looked at Gu Mingzhu, "Can you speak now?"

Gu Mingzhu closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, then exhaled a heavy breath and said, "Yes."

"Did you feel heavy and unable to move, as if something was pressing you down?" Zeng Yi asked.

Gu Mingzhu nodded, "Yes."

"Your mind was clear, but your body felt like it was tightly bound to the ground, and you couldn't control it?"

Gu Mingzhu nodded again.

"You weren't sad, but you couldn't stop the tears, and you could even watch yourself crying?"

Gu Mingzhu's face changed, but she still nodded.

"Help Chairman Gu sit up, she's fine now. Let her rest for a while and drink some water!" Zeng Yi put the painting on the table and sat down.

Cui Shiyi and his son were now trembling with fear. The questions Zeng Yi had just asked were mysterious and made them feel uneasy.

After helping Gu Mingzhu sit up, Gu Xiankun asked anxiously, "Director Zeng, what exactly is my mother's illness? Why did she suddenly fall ill just now?"

Zeng Yi sipped some tea, slowly put down the cup, and made a slight "ding" sound. Gu Mingzhu immediately shuddered, as if she was still in shock from the episode.

"Chairman Gu, do you now know what your illness is?" Zeng Yi stared directly into Gu Mingzhu's eyes, not giving a conclusion but asking her instead.

Gu Mingzhu seemed to want to avoid Zeng Yi's gaze, though her eyes were closed, her emotions were clearly fluctuating.

"Director Zeng, just tell us, what is this illness!" Cui Shiyi, though sitting still, was sweating profusely.

Zeng Yi then said, "This is a case of evil qi invasion, commonly known as being possessed by a ghost."

"Ah!"

Cui Shiyi was extremely angry. Possessed by a ghost? This is absurd! He wanted to argue but couldn't find any words to counter it. He had seen his wife sitting there, and she suddenly fell ill after looking at the painting of Zhong Kui. How could he explain it?

Gu Xiankun was very surprised, "Director Zeng, why are you talking about being possessed by a ghost?"

"If it wasn't a ghost, why couldn't she speak? If it wasn't a ghost, why couldn't she move? Explain!" Zeng Yi countered.

Gu Xiankun was speechless. He hadn't studied this, so how could he answer?

Zeng Yi looked at Gu Xiankun, "Do you understand? The one crying just now wasn't Chairman Gu!"

This statement made the air in the room chill. Gu Mingzhu, who was resting with her eyes closed, shuddered. People are always afraid of the unknown.

After a long while, Gu Xiankun came to his senses and asked, "Then who was crying?"

"When the illness struck, she only cried silently, which indicates that the person felt guilty," Zeng Yi looked at Gu Mingzhu, "When Chairman Gu looked at the painting, she must have seen some people and things. If the person she saw is no longer alive, it must be because they did something to wrong Chairman Gu and came to repent, so they cried. If the person is still alive, it means their ancestors are restless, knowing that Chairman Gu has been wronged and unable to control their descendants, so they cry silently to Chairman Gu."

Gu Mingzhu suddenly opened her eyes, looking quite agitated.

Cui Shiyi flipped through his ancient book, not believing any of this, pretending he hadn't heard.

Gu Xiankun, however, was startled. He thought, "Isn't that exactly what happened? It must be the ancestors of the Cui family, knowing that their descendants have wronged my mother, causing her to fall ill. They are restless and feel guilty, so they came to cry."

All of this was explained logically and seamlessly!

Thinking about it, Gu Xiankun's hair stood on end. Could it really be a case of possession?

Zeng Yi stood up, removed the silver needle from Gu Mingzhu, and started to pack his things, saying, "This illness doesn't require medication! Chairman Gu just needs to cry and repent in front of the spirit of the person, express her grievances, and show that she can let go of her resentment and forgive. The person will not come to you again."

Cui Shiyi was somewhat annoyed. He was a firm atheist and should have rebuked Zeng Yi, but since it involved his wife's illness, he had to hold back. Regardless, this was a theory.

Gu Mingzhu suddenly asked, "Director Zeng, you are a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. Are you sure you weren't just talking nonsense?"

"Chairman Gu, try my method, and you'll know if it's true or not!" Zeng Yi smiled confidently, showing his belief in his method. "I've said what I needed to say. Whether to try it or not is up to you. I'll take my leave now!"

Cui Shiyi raised his hand, "Xiankun, see Director Zeng off!" He had been holding back for a long time. Since Zeng Yi gave such an absurd conclusion, he didn't want to listen anymore. This man was clearly a charlatan, not a doctor.

Outside, Gu Xiankun asked, "Director Zeng, is the possession real?"

Zeng Yi stared at Gu Xiankun, wanting to scold him, "The old monk said it was the Buddha's manifestation that cured the rich man's son. Do you think it's real or fake?"

Gu Xiankun suddenly understood, "So you were just deceiving my mother?"

Zeng Yi was speechless. He hadn't expected to trick Gu Xiankun as well, "The Buddha can use medical methods to subdue people, so why can't we use the power of ghosts and spirits to treat illnesses?"

Gu Xiankun's face turned red, feeling ashamed. He realized he was slow to understand. When Zeng Yi exposed the old monk's trick at the vegetarian restaurant, he should have realized it was a deception. "I'm afraid my mother will figure it out soon. This deception won't solve the problem."

"Chairman Gu has decades of experience in business. How could she not see through my small trick?" Zeng Yi waved his hand, "Don't worry about it. Go prepare for the ancestral worship!"

Gu Xiankun was still confused. If his mother could see through the trick, why prepare for the ancestral worship?

After walking a bit further, they reached the gate of the villa. Zeng Yi said, "That's enough, Mr. Gu, you don't need to see me off. Go back quickly; Chairman Gu might be looking for you! After the ancestral worship, come see me, and I'll give you a prescription to help Chairman Gu recover."

Gu Xiankun still couldn't understand what was happening as he saw Zeng Yi off.

When he returned home, he saw his mother sitting there, her expression already back to normal, calm and composed. He thought, "This isn't good. My mother must have figured out the deception. Zeng Yi's performance might have been in vain."

"Xiankun, prepare for the ancestral worship. I'll go to the countryside tomorrow!" After a pause, Gu Mingzhu added, "Help me invite Master Mingkong from Lingjue Temple to perform a ritual for our ancestors."

Gu Xiankun was stunned. When he came to his senses, he couldn't help but admire Zeng Yi's cleverness. The story of possession wasn't to deceive his mother but to deceive others.

The next day, the entire Cui family camp was stirred by a grand procession.

A luxurious fleet of ten black Mercedes-Benz cars drove through Cui family camp and arrived at the Cui family ancestral hall. Gu Mingzhu stepped out of the car and entered the hall, accompanied by Cui Shiyi and Gu Xiankun.

Many villagers gathered outside the hall, knowing that Cui Shiyi was a famous person in the village. Everyone knew he had a wealthy wife, and his brothers and relatives had also benefited from this.

However, no one expected Gu Mingzhu to burst into tears once she entered the hall.

At first, Gu Mingzhu didn't intend to cry so much. She just wanted to put on a show, but as she cried, she remembered the grievances of the past years and couldn't stop. She had endured a lot, and out of respect for her husband, she had to suppress her anger towards the Cui family. Now, in front of the ancestral tablets, she finally let out her long-suppressed grievances.

The people outside the hall were puzzled and began to speculate.

After a while, a few people ran back from outside the village, "Cui Shiyi's wife invited several high monks from the provincial capital to recite scriptures at their family tomb."

The crowd was even more amazed and began to discuss it more intensely.

"Do you know about Cui Shiyi's wife's illness?"

"It's said to be very scary. When she has an episode, she can't move or speak, and she just keeps crying."

"A few days ago, a wise man said it wasn't an illness but a ghost possession. The ancestors of the Cui family felt that Cui Shiyi's wife was wronged, so they came to cry to her."

The crowd thought about it and realized it made sense. The wise man was right! The Gu family had helped the Cui family a lot, but they never got any gratitude. Especially Cui's second son, who did something truly despicable, only allowing one lion to be placed at the entrance, clearly bullying others. His son had once gotten a woman pregnant at a prestigious company and almost faced legal trouble, but the Gu family helped resolve it.

The more they talked, the more they believed it.

Later, someone said, "After getting advice from the wise man, Gu Mingzhu cried on the spot, saying that the ancestors were restless because of the small disputes among the family. She felt guilty and came to repent to the ancestors and perform a ritual."

Hearing the cries from the hall, the crowd became indignant, feeling that Cui Shijie was a scoundrel. It was the Cui family's descendants who had done wrong, yet the wife had to come to repent to the ancestors. Where could you find such a good wife?

Gu Mingzhu cried her heart out in the hall, and by the end, she was so weak that she had to leave Cui family camp.

After she left, a few children went to Cui Shijie's house and defecated on the stone lion. The stone lion couldn't eat, but it had to eat the feces.

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