novelden Chapter 61 Falling to Earth (4)
Chapter 61 Falling to Earth (4)
Seeing how certain she was, the adults, still somewhat doubtful, sent someone to catch the rat and feed it Master Wang's elixir.
In less than half an hour, the once lively mouse squeaked, kicked its little leg, and then went to see its own mouse immortal.
Upon seeing this, Master Wang immediately turned pale: "My lord, I'm innocent! This medicine is only for humans. This rat couldn't withstand the immortal power within and died. My lord, I'm innocent—"
Seeing that he was still arguing, Luo Zai Shui frowned slightly and listed the medicinal materials he had used to Lord Jian one by one: "Nine-leaf lotus, boy's urine, and sulfur. These are not important. What is important is that I added Gelsemium elegans and Agrimonia pilosa. I don't think I added much. Strong people should be fine after eating it, but if a sick person eats it, he will recover to normal in a short time, but he will die within five days. Am I right?"
Upon hearing this, Master Wang froze on the spot, looking at her as if she were a monster: "How could you..."
"I am not very talented, but I have studied some pharmacology, so I can tell just by smelling it."
"Impossible, impossible... Even those doctors didn't notice anything wrong, how could you..."
Master Wang collapsed to the ground. Seeing this, Lord Jian understood the situation and was about to strike the wooden tablet to judge the case when Luo Zai Shui called out to him.
"Lord Jian, I know how to prepare the antidote. I imagine quite a few people have fallen for this swindler's tricks. Although it won't have much of an effect on strong people, there's no guarantee that someone won't take too much and end up with a poisoning attack..."
Lord Jian was also shocked after hearing this. Although Taoist priests usually swindle and deceive, they can still bring peace of mind to ordinary people. But this Taoist priest is different. He directly harms people's lives. If someone really dies, then he can forget about returning to the capital for the rest of his life.
He hurriedly stepped down from the hall and instructed his men to gather the people together: "Then I'll have to trouble you, young lady. What do you need me to prepare? I'll have someone prepare it for you."
Luo Zai Shui didn't stand on ceremony with him, simply saying, "Ordinary purgatives will do."
Even after leaving the government office, Shen Yan was still in a daze.
Luo Zai Shui sighed. He really was a charlatan. In this vast mortal world, how easy was it to find a cultivator from the cultivation world?
Seeing his expression, Shen Yan couldn't help but ask, "What do you need a Taoist priest for? You wouldn't actually be a Taoist priest, would you?"
"Don't I look like a Taoist priest?"
Luo Zai Shui looked at Shen Yan: "I'm a top-notch genius, how come I don't seem like a cultivator?"
A constable standing nearby joked, "This young lady doesn't look like a Taoist priest at all; she looks more like a fairy from heaven. If it weren't for her intervention today, who knows how many people would have died tragically at the hands of this swindler."
Luo Zai Shui nodded lightly: "Of course."
Shen Yan snorted coldly: "You're quite enthusiastic. If you can't beat him today, you'll definitely suffer."
Luo Zai Shui was used to Shen Yan's cold words. She smiled and shook her head: "Someone should step in to stop it. They can't see that there is a problem with this medicine, but I happen to know. This is God guiding me to take action. If I stand idly by, I will feel uneasy."
At this point, Luo Zai Shui suddenly paused, "The guidance of Heaven..."
Seeing that she was distracted again, Shen Yan called her a few times: "Let's go, let's go back. What are you thinking about? Do all Taoists like to daydream?"
Luo Zai Shui smiled and shook her head: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things."
She needed to go back early; the Wen family would definitely not stay quiet, and she had to take action.
Luo Zai Shui's solution was simple: instead of searching for a needle in a haystack, it would be better to let other cultivators come to them.
She copied Master Wang and made a banner with the five large characters "Personally Passed Down from Xianyun Peak" written on it, and set up her stall in the busiest place with the most people coming and going.
Passersby would cast curious glances at her, and some even asked her to tell their fortunes out of curiosity, mostly about things like marriage and career. Others would come specifically to her to have the weather predicted because of her face, only to be dragged home by their wives. But none of these were the people she was looking for.
After Shen Yan finished copying books at the bookstore, he would always take a detour to wait for her to finish packing up so they could go home together. This was also something that Sister-in-law Shen had instructed him to do. He helped Luo Zai Shui put away the banner and his gaze fell on the copper coins on her table: "There are quite a few people coming to have their fortunes told. I might as well switch careers and become a fortune teller myself."
After spending a few days together, the two became quite familiar with each other. Luo Zai Shui tapped him on the forehead: "If Sister-in-law Shen heard what you said, she would definitely chase you away with a stick."
Shen Yan smiled and did not deny it.
When they arrived at their doorstep, they saw a person standing outside. The person was thin and had white hair; it was none other than Lord Jian from that day.
"Lord Jian?"
Luo stepped forward and greeted them first: "What are you doing here?"
Shen Yan walked straight into the house without saying a word.
Lord Jian was not annoyed, but explained, "I came to talk to Shen Yan about the case of the Shen family two years ago. I have been looking through the case files from a few years ago and found that the Shen family's case was closed in a rather strange way, so I came to ask about it."
Luo Zai Shui looked at the silent Shen Yan and sighed softly: "Please come in, sir. I am not clear about this case. You will have to ask Shen Yan."
When Madam Shen saw that guests had arrived, she quickly brewed tea to greet them.
Lord Jian didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Sister-in-law Shen, I've come today to ask you about the case of the Shen family back then. Why was it closed so hastily? Didn't the officials who took office afterward re-examine it?"
Upon hearing this, Sister-in-law Shen's tears fell again: "Sir, my father-in-law would never kill anyone, he must have been wronged."
"Do you know anything about what's going on here?"
"I...I don't know."
This was a family matter for the Shen family, and Luo Zai Shui couldn't easily listen in, so he wandered around the courtyard. Although he could hear clearly from inside the courtyard, Shen Yan was also there.
Aren't you going in?
Luo Zai Shui was a little curious; why didn't this kid care about his own family affairs at all?
Shen Yan turned his head away nonchalantly: "Anyway, the result is the same."
It was clear that Lord Jian wouldn't get anything out of him. When he came out, the atmosphere was very tense. He stopped in front of Shen Yan and said softly, "I will do my best to investigate this case."
Shen Yan revealed a mocking smile, but before he could wipe it away, Lord Jian patted his shoulder: "I have read your article, and it is indeed well written. It is rare for someone so young to have such unique insights. Although I cannot clear your name for now, I can take you as my student, guide your studies, and vouch for you to participate in the provincial examination. Are you willing?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan's eyes widened in disbelief, and he subconsciously looked at his sister-in-law.
Upon hearing this, Sister-in-law Shen quickly pulled Shen Yan to kneel on the ground: "Ayan, you should thank Lord Jian!"
Shen Yan then came to his senses, knelt on the ground, kowtowed solemnly, and prostrated himself on the ground: "Student thanks you, Master."
Luo Zai Shui watched this scene unfold before her, like a spectator.