plumnovel Chapter 40 My Husband's Obsession
Chapter 40 My Husband's Obsession
Chapter 42 My Husband's Obsession (Seeking First Subscription)
Fang Shi asked, "What's wrong with her?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a reply came from the right: "The turbid air has entered her brain, causing her to fall into confusion and become unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood."
Fang Shi turned his head to the side, and Qi Xueyi was already standing beside him at some point.
Today she wore a light blue shirt with a few white gardenias embroidered on the collar, different from the moon-white dress she wore yesterday, but it still accentuated her beautiful features.
The woman heard the noise, and the murky light focused on Fang Shi.
She lunged forward, grabbing Fang Shi's sleeve and twisting the fabric with her fingers.
"Fellow Daoist Fang! Fellow Daoist Fang! You've seen my daughter, haven't you? You must have seen her! She's right here, nearby, isn't she?"
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency - 1]
Fang Shi was pulled by that force and swayed. Before she could regain her balance, Han Laoliu's voice came from her left again, saying, "The Cleansing Talisman has temporarily cleared her mind, but she's been trapped by those hallucinations for too long and can't distinguish between illusion and reality anymore. This is called being lost in illusion," which is more troublesome than simply having turbid energy enter her brain. Being clear-headed but unable to distinguish between what is real and what is fake is even more painful than being confused.
He turned to look at Fang Shi and said, "Young friend, the purification talisman's effect is regional. You've been in this area for quite some time. Think back carefully, is there anything amiss? For example, isn't there something illogical about the person next to you?"
Before Fang Shi could speak, the woman screamed, her voice shrill and piercing, "Nothing's wrong! Fellow Daoist Fang, you've seen my daughter, haven't you! You must have seen her! She's right here, following me! She's right here!"
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency - 1]
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency - 1]
【————】
A series of prompts scrolled across the panel.
Fang Shi felt a wave of dizziness wash over him as a jumble of incorrect information about the Minor Concealment Technique was crammed into his consciousness.
As a result, the memories of the woman's daughter began to fade.
He recalled that day when he was queuing at the entrance of Lingfu Pavilion, a woman cut in line, shouting, "My daughter is going to take the entrance exam for Songyuan Academy, and she urgently needs this spiritual vein."
Her daughter was standing behind her, head down, without saying a word.
But now, in Fang Shi's memory, the daughter no longer exists. From beginning to end, it is only the woman who is there, saying the same thing: "My daughter is going to take the entrance exam for Songyuan Academy, and she urgently needs this spiritual vein."
Fang Shi immediately questioned, "Where is your daughter? Didn't you say your daughter needed a spiritual vein? Where is she? You can't possibly be cultivating yourself and using your daughter as an excuse, can you?"
Upon hearing this, the woman broke down in tears, crouching on the ground, burying her face in her hands, and cried, "She's alive! She's alive! She's just—just not here—she's at school—yes, she's at school! She's studying at Songyuan School, and she didn't come back when the ley lines exploded! I'm not lying to you! She's not dead!"
The people queuing around did not stand idly by.
These rogue cultivators queuing up knew that Fang Shi was an expert in making talismans and repairing arrays, and they hoped to purchase their goods from him. Many of them had even asked Fang Shi to repair spirit-locking arrays.
Therefore, when the woman cut in line and made a scene, someone stood up to speak on Fang Shi's behalf.
At this moment, she broke down in tears. Someone sighed and explained to Fang Shi, "Fellow Daoist Fang, you don't know, this Fellow Daoist Wang rented a house near the Sanpan Villa, saying that the immortal energy there is abundant and the luck is good, which can help her daughter get into Songyuan Academy. The same house elsewhere costs two to five fragments of spiritual energy per month, but the one she rented costs thirty-five. The spiritual energy is not a bit more, she just wants good luck."
Another person explained, "That day, the earth's veins exploded. She went out to work, leaving her daughter at home to study in preparation for the spring entrance exam for Songyuan Academy, so—"
At this point, the man shook his head and did not continue.
"She's a pitiful woman too. Her husband went deep into the wilderness to collect medicinal herbs a year ago and hasn't returned. She was left alone to raise her daughter, who was her only hope. Now that her daughter is gone, isn't that what she's like?"
In this memory, the Taoist boy from the Three Plates Temple did not watch the play; instead, he directly pulled the woman away and allowed Fang Shi to enter the spiritual vein for cultivation.
And now this memory is about to overwrite Fang Shi's memories of when he first met that daughter—
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
【————】
As Fang Shi corrected the erroneous memory of the Minor Concealment Technique, he clearly remembered the existence of the woman's daughter, and also clearly remembered the absence of the woman's daughter.
Two completely different memories squeezed into my mind at the same time, like two mirrors facing each other, reflecting endless images, real and fake, layer upon layer, without any end.
"snort!"
Han Laoliu suddenly flicked his sleeve, and a burst of magical power shot out from his sleeve, throwing the woman away from Fang Shi.
She rolled twice, lying on the ground covered in dust and dirt. She coughed twice but didn't cry out in pain. She just smiled foolishly, muttering, "She's not dead—she's not dead—she's at the school, she got into Songyuan School—Fellow Daoist Fang, you saw her, didn't you? You saw her behind me, didn't you?"
Han Laoliu didn't even look at her, and said to Fang Shi, "Young friend, you don't need to be confused. Given your situation, you'll probably only be confused about the cultivation method. But it's true that your cultivation method has reached a high level, and it won't delay your talisman drawing."
Fang Shi broke free from those tangled memories and thought to himself: Han Laoliu probably knew about his general situation from Sanpan Temple, which is why he said that.
He composed himself and said, "Don't worry, senior, I won't be confused. I don't see anything wrong with it."
Han Laoliu shook his head and said, "That's not the main body of the Purification Talisman. It doesn't preserve both illusory and real memories at the same time, so there's nothing wrong with it. I don't know what the Three Plates Temple was thinking. Clearly, as long as you don't stick the Purification Talisman on your body, you can purify the turbid energy without retaining those useless memories, so why do they insist on sticking it on people's bodies?"
Fang Shi asked, "Do I need to put one on too?"
Han Laoliu said, "That's natural. Even someone like me, who comes from Taoyuan Town and is less affected by pollution, has to put them up. That's why I'm reminding you here not to confuse the real ones with the fake ones, as that will affect your talisman drawing."
Fang Shi said, "Senior, rest assured, this is probably some profound meaning from the experts at Sanpan Temple."
Han Laoliu grunted in agreement, then suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "It does indeed have a profound meaning. It is said to be able to purify the turbid air more deeply and completely cure the problem."
He frowned and said, "I completely forgot about it."
Fang Shi was startled. Now that he was in Qiyuan Town, forgetting might not be a good thing.
Just as he was about to speak, Qi Xueyi's voice suddenly came from his right, saying, "It's actually better to forget. For example, if a person is walking in a thick fog and can only see three feet ahead, then they should only believe in those three feet. Beyond those three feet, they should not care about what is real or false, nor should they question what is true or false."
"Take it one step at a time, and you'll see what you've arrived at. If you insist on clearing away the fog to see what's going on, you'll only get trapped in it, unable to move forward or backward. If you don't forget and get entangled in what is real and what is illusory, that's the real bad thing."
Fang Shi glanced at the woman who was still muttering to herself and asked, "Like her?"
Han Laoliu snorted and said, "I certainly won't be like her. She's obsessed, her obsession runs too deep. I, Han Laoliu, have lived most of my life, what haven't I seen? A few false memories, what can they do to me?"
Before she finished speaking, the woman suddenly stopped laughing.
She suddenly scrambled to her feet, her dazed expression vanishing, replaced by a cold, icy demeanor, her eyes filled with fierce intent.
She turned to look to the side and said, "Why are you still wandering around outside? Didn't we prepare spirit rice for you in the tent? Have you finished your review? Have you memorized the *Qingjing Jing*? All you do is slack off! Do you still want to take the Songyuan Academy exam? Do you still want to take the exam? Do you know how hard I worked helping the Taoist priests at Sanpan Temple test their talismans? And here you are, just loitering around! Go back!"
Immediately! Right now!
Fang Shi's gaze unconsciously fell on her side.
There, a little girl, about five or six years old, stood with her head down, clutching the hem of her clothes, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice barely audible: "Mother, I—I've finished my homework. I can even recite the *Qingjing Jing*. I just—I was just worried about you and wanted to come see you—"
Upon hearing this, the woman launched into another tirade: "Worried about me? What are you worried about? Doing your studies well and getting into Songyuan Academy is the greatest act of filial piety you can show me! How can you absorb any spiritual energy while standing here? How can you concentrate on your studies? Go back! If I see you sneaking out again, you won't be eating tonight!"
Seeing this, Han Laoliu said, "Alright, alright! This is a place for testing talismans, not a place for you to discipline your daughter! If you want to discipline her, go back to your own tent, don't get in the way here!"
As he spoke, he suddenly let out a soft "Eh," and his gaze fell on the woman. "The effect of the purification talisman on your body has disappeared."
""
The woman touched her chest and murmured, "The talisman... the talisman's effect has disappeared?"
Han Laoliu hummed in agreement and asked, "Do you recall anything unusual?"
The woman glanced subtly at her daughter beside her and said, "Reporting to you, senior, several items in the house are missing, and—something seems off about the people around us. For example—"
Her gaze suddenly fell on Fang Shi, and she said, "For example, Fellow Daoist Fang, he didn't marry—"
"What are you saying, ma'am?"
Qi Xueyi's voice suddenly rang out, playful and cute, abruptly cutting off the unfinished words.
The woman's gaze fell on Qi Xueyi beside Fang Shi, and she said calmly, "So it's Sister-in-law Qi. I was wondering why something felt off; I hadn't seen you. Look at my memory! You and Fellow Daoist Fang are truly inseparable."
Han Laoliu's gaze was the same, and then it stopped.
"Master Qi, Immortal Qi—"
Han Laoliu's voice was much softer than before, and his waist unconsciously bent slightly.
Qi Xueyi didn't look at him, but naturally took Fang Shi's arm, her fingers resting on Fang Shi's forearm, gently holding it, neither too tight nor too loose.
Han Laoliu's expression changed again.
He swallowed hard, looking cautiously at Qi Xueyi, then at Fang Shi, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two before finally speaking: "Immortal Qi, this is—"
Qi Xueyi didn't look at him, but simply took Fang Shi's arm, gently rested her head on his shoulder, and said, "This is my husband, the best husband in the world to me."
Han Laoliu opened his mouth, then closed it again, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, chuckled twice, and said, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is."
Young friend Fang—no, fellow Daoist Fang, you are truly—truly blessed, truly blessed!
Fang Shi said, "Senior, you flatter me."
Han Laoliu waved his hands repeatedly, a layer of fine sweat appearing on his forehead, and said, "Senior, I dare not accept such a title. I am Han Mu. Fellow Daoist Fang, just call me Fellow Daoist—no, just call me Young Friend. The title Young Friend is fine, that's all."
Fang Shi said, "Fellow Daoist Han is at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, while I am merely a lowly rogue cultivator at the early stage of Qi Refining. I am unworthy to be addressed as 'young friend,' as it might easily invite criticism. Let's just call each other 'fellow Daoist.' Fellow Daoist Han, what do you say?"
Han Mu nodded repeatedly, saying, "Fellow Daoist Fang is right, very right. Fellow Daoist Fang's considerations are thorough; I admire them."
As he spoke, he raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his gaze not daring to linger on Qi Xueyi, but only on Fang Shi's face.
Suddenly, he turned to the woman, his tone turning stern: "I think there's something inconsistent in what this woman is saying. Her words are disjointed and evasive; she's definitely hiding something. We need to interrogate her thoroughly."
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman's expression changed drastically.
Her lips trembled twice, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word.
The little girl beside her looked up at her timidly, then at Han Mu, her eyes filled with fear, and shrank her small body behind her mother.
Fang Shi looked at the woman's pale face, then at the little girl beside her who was bowing her head and not saying a word. After a moment of silence, he said, "That's how it should be."
What happened next was truly shocking.
Those who tested the talismans.
When Han Mu asked them questions, they were evasive and hesitant.
However, Han Mu was at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Regardless of the circumstances, he used his methods and revealed everything in detail.
Fang Shi stood aside, doing nothing.
Han Mu even took on the task of registration and record-keeping.
Finally, he held the booklet with both hands and respectfully handed it to Fang Shi.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, I've written it all down. Please take a look."
Fang Shi glanced at him, did not refuse, and took the booklet.
Qi Xueyi stood beside him, her slender fingers gently touching the booklet, turning the pages one by one for him.
When she turned to the third page, she suddenly spoke up, saying, "Husband, why do you think those people wanted to hide it?"
Fang Shi's gaze remained fixed on the booklet as he said, "I suspect these were specially selected by the Three Plates Temple, those with the deepest obsessions. If it were someone with a weaker obsession, it probably wouldn't have turned out this way."
Qi Xueyi hummed in agreement, her finger hovering over the corner of the next page, without turning it over.
Fang Shi looked up and met her gaze.
Her eyes were bright, and his face was reflected in her dark pupils.
"And what about my husband? What about his obsession?"
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