Chapter 128: Mr. Lu, You Say You Like Me

Following Qin Yan inside, Zhuang Sitian reverently bowed to the deity statue placed in the center of the Taoist Temple.

Then, she watched Qin Yan go to a nearby staff member to request a Peace Talisman.

"Is this effective?" Zhuang Sitian asked, taking the Peace Talisman with anticipation, her face full of curiosity.

"Of course it's not effective; it's merely for psychological comfort." A man in his fifties wearing Taoist robes, with a glowing complexion, clear eyes, and a lean but highly energetic build, explained righteously, "Believe in science, and don't be superstitious."

"..." Zhuang Sitian's expression stiffened, and she glared at him in embarrassment.

They had paid money, after all; could he not be so blunt!

The man looked indifferent, but upon meeting Zhuang Sitian's gaze, he still explained, "Seeking a talisman is about seeking a sincere intention. I hope you will be safe and smooth. With this blessing, you will surely have a smooth, healthy, and successful journey."

Zhuang Sitian curled her lips upward again, feeling that he had finally said something nice.

A sincere heart is rare and worth a thousand pieces of gold.

"Then I'll request one too." Zhuang Sitian looked at Qin Yan, noting that her complexion was still somewhat pale, and having heard from Lu Qianchuan that Qin Yan was sick, and that the illness was quite serious.

She said to the man, "I'd like to request a Health Talisman; I hope my friend can be healthy."

She took a piece of health talisman paper from a stack, handed it to the man, and asked him to fold it.

"A Health Talisman costs two hundred," the man said, bringing out a QR code.

Zhuang Sitian's mouth twitched, "Isn't it thirty? Why is it so much?"

"A Peace Talisman is just an intention, but a Health Talisman involves a manual check-up. Have your friend come over, and I will take her pulse to see the situation." The staff member sat upright, his expression not appearing to be a joke, and Zhuang Sitian found it difficult to retract the request for a Health Talisman over two hundred.

She paid the money and pointed at Qin Yan.

"Then please take a look at her."

Qin Yan pointed at herself, "I don't need to; I'm perfectly fine."

The man looked up at Qin Yan, frowning, "Where are you fine? There is a knot between your brows; one look and it's clear you haven't been in a good mood lately, and you've had a high fever. You have a sickness of the heart."

"What sickness of the heart?" Qin Yan asked, puzzled.

The man shook his sleeves and gestured for her to extend her hand.

Qin Yan did not refuse; she sat down to let him take her pulse, waiting for his explanation.

"Tsk, this illness of yours is not easy to treat; going to the hospital is useless. How is your marital relationship?"

Qin Yan raised an eyebrow; she hadn't mentioned she was married, yet he asked about her marital relationship directly.

Zhuang Sitian also felt this man was a bit mysterious, "How did you know my friend is married?"

"Isn't that obvious even to a fool? She is wearing a wedding ring on her finger." The man pointed at the wedding ring on Qin Yan's finger.

Zhuang Sitian was unconvinced, "Does wearing a ring mean it's a wedding ring?"

The man frowned, staring at Qin Yan, "If it's not a marital relationship, then is it a romantic one? Or a relationship where you paid for someone? Looking at your physiognomy, you have plenty of ill-fated romantic entanglements, but your fate is one of indifference; you don't give your heart easily, and you don't look like someone who messes around with men."

"Yes, I am already married," Qin Yan said quickly, truly afraid this person would keep veering further off course.

"Hey, I said I wouldn't misjudge. I've been doing this for so many years; if I weren't accurate, I absolutely wouldn't open my mouth, or I'd be smashing my own reputation." The man stroked his beard triumphantly.

Zhuang Sitian watched him put on a grand show and couldn't help but ask, "Does this marital relationship have anything to do with her illness?"

"Of course it does. Even building a house requires attention to Feng Shui, let alone choosing someone to marry. If the fates are conflicting, if one isn't 'clashed' to death, one will suffer a lifetime of bitterness."

"I am her husband, and our relationship is very good. Is there anything I need to do?"

After listening for a while, Lu Qianchuan finally stepped forward, his handsome face looking at the man earnestly.

The man looked up at Lu Qianchuan and clicked his tongue, "Sir, you are very handsome, a rare fate of wealth. What kind of shoes is your wife wearing today?"

Lu Qianchuan was confused, but he knew without looking down that Qin Yan was wearing sneakers today.

They changed shoes together; other than two pairs of high heels for special occasions, Qin Yan wore sneakers for everything else.

"White sneakers."

"Are they old or new?"

"Old," Lu Qianchuan answered seriously.

Although she had bought some new shoes before, she was still accustomed to wearing her old ones.

Perhaps she was used to wearing them, or perhaps she had a sense of dependency on the old shoes.

Zhuang Sitian didn't understand, "Does what shoes she wears have anything to do with it?"

The man raised an eyebrow and explained with a serious face, "As the saying goes, if a person is healthy, their feet must be strong and powerful. But no matter how good the body is, if one wears a pair of unsuitable shoes that pinch the feet, one will certainly be in a bad mood. If one is in a bad mood, doesn't that affect the internal organs? If there are problems with the internal organs, how can the body be healthy?"

Zhuang Sitian did not study medicine, but she understood the logic the man was presenting.

"Then how can my friend's health and marital relationship be treated?"

The man picked up a calligraphy brush from the side and asked Lu Qianchuan, "Tell me your and your wife's birth dates, and I will write a Health Talisman and teach you how to use it."

Lu Qianchuan obediently provided the times.

Qin Yan looked at him in surprise, "How do you know my birth time?"

Lu Qianchuan lowered his eyes to meet hers and asked in return, "You don't know mine?"

"..." Qin Yan felt a bit guilty; she actually did know.

Lu Qianchuan saw her expression, curled his lips, and added, "It's written on the marriage certificate."

"... You're right." Qin Yan lowered her head.

After folding the talisman with the writing on it, the Taoist priest said to Lu Qianchuan, "Go buy two pairs of sneakers, one for your wife, and accompany your wife to wear them for at least an hour every day. Then put this talisman in the shoe cabinet. In three months, your wife's illness will be more than half better."

Lu Qianchuan took the talisman paper from his hand, put it in his pocket, and chose a Peace Buckle to pay for.

He gave the Peace Buckle to Zhuang Sitian as a return for her requesting the Health Talisman for Qin Yan.

They went down the mountain and continued to the airport.

Zhuang Sitian looked at the Peace Buckle tied to a red string on her wrist; this was the most unique gift she had ever received.

"Mr. Lu, do you believe in that Health Talisman?" she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Lu Qianchuan looked at Qin Yan in the back seat through the rearview mirror, "I don't."

He still possessed the common sense that one should go to a hospital when sick.

But with the development of medicine as it is today, ninety percent of illnesses are still very difficult to cure.

Especially congenital diseases, chronic illnesses, and sudden-onset conditions.

Since science won't work, then why not try other, harmless heterodox paths?

Hearing him say he didn't believe it, Zhuang Sitian sighed in disappointment.

She was truly worried about the marital relationship between Qin Yan and Lu Qianchuan; looking at the current rate of progress, the road ahead was indeed long and arduous.

Arriving at the airport, she waved goodbye, telling Qin Yan not to forget their agreement.

Qin Yan nodded with a smile, and only after she boarded the plane did she turn and leave.

"Don't make it so sad; this won't be the last time we see her."

Walking out of the airport and getting into the car, Lu Qianchuan spoke up to remind her, not wanting her to be too sentimental.

Qin Yan turned her head to look at him, asking in confusion, "How can you be so sure it isn't?"

"I will find a way to help you with your treatment," Lu Qianchuan said with a firm tone.

"Your way is to spend money?" Qin Yan curled her lips, her expression somewhat cold, "Mr. Lu, in the face of illness, the utility of wealth is not absolute."

"I memorized medical texts at three, copied the Prescription at six, treated patients at eight, used needles on people at ten, saved lives at fifteen, and at sixteen, I was admitted to the best medical school in the country, studied under world-renowned medical professors, pored over thousands of relevant scientific research papers, and spent five years analyzing this type of condition."

"To this day, I have not found a suitable treatment plan for my own illness; when I go to the hospital, they can only prescribe fever reducers and painkillers."

"Once the painkillers lose their effect, I have to take large amounts of sleep aids to tough it out; if I make it through, I can live a few more days, but if I don't, I will quietly drift off to sleep, and this world will have nothing more to do with me."

"You tell me you'll find a way—what kind of way could you possibly find?"

"Mr. Lu, you say you like me, but reality isn't something where a single 'I like you' can make everything happy and go exactly as you wish!"