Chapter 72

Sun Xianniang heard this, her body went limp and she collapsed to the ground; she stared blankly up at her bewildered daughter and burst into tears, "My little girl..."

The old Mrs. Sun was also panicked, but she now had blind faith in Pan Yun, thinking if she could make them see the dead, what in this world could she not accomplish?

So she too tried to kneel down, "Little Immortal, please have mercy and save my granddaughter!"

Pan Yun caught her arm and held her up; no matter how hard she struggled, she could not kneel.

Seeing this, the old Mrs. Sun became even more convinced, pressing harder to kneel and even attempting to kowtow to her.

Pan Yun stopped her, sighing, "I have a connection with the good elder. Enough. My cultivation is shallow—I truly cannot help. But my senior brother and third brother have deep cultivation; perhaps they can find a way."

Upon hearing this, the old Mrs. Sun immediately sent someone to summon Wang Feiyin and Tao Ji.

At this time, strict gender boundaries prevailed; Pan Yun was a young girl and could freely enter and leave the inner quarters, but Wang Feiyin and Tao Ji were men—even Daoist priests were not allowed.

The news reached Sun Da Chang, and the fate readings Pan Yun had given Sun Huiniang and Sun Xianniang spread beyond the inner quarters.

Sun Da Chang was displeased: "The funeral is tomorrow—what's she causing trouble for now? Are two daughters more important than my Sun family's descendants?"

No sooner had he spoken than he felt a chill along his left neck; he instinctively touched it, remembering how his father had always favored Huiniang, his expression froze, then he said, "I understand. Send for Master Wang and Master Tao to take a look."

He summoned his two brothers-in-law and ordered them to bring Wang Feiyin and Tao Ji to the inner courtyard.

Tian Xu and Zhou Chao exchanged glances; they had not been present during the family division at the spirit altar.

Though they had wanted to come inside, their wives were married daughters; returning home to divide property after their father's death was already scandalous—had they been present too, the gossip would have been unbearable.

So they had not been there that day, but their wives had described the events in meticulous detail afterward; they both knew their father had manifested his spirit, and everyone in the funeral hall had seen his ghost.

Though their wives swore it was true, both men were half-skeptical.

Now, hearing the rumors from the inner quarters, they grew even more doubtful—especially Tian Xu, who sneered, "What good fortune that blesses the husband? I say it's all those Daoists putting on a show."

Zhou Chao said nothing; he was still worried about his daughter and hurried off to summon Wang Feiyin and Tao Ji.

The four men entered, and Pan Yun saw Old Master Sun following Tian Xu, occasionally leaping up to kick him, muttering curses.

The living man and the ghost locked eyes; Old Master Sun immediately rushed to her, "Little Immortal, let my eldest son-in-law see me—just watch me scare him to death!"

Pan Yun said, "Old Master Sun, you're leaving for the underworld tomorrow—why hold a grudge against him?"

"No, you make him see me—I'll pay you!"

Pan Yun: "Ah, I understand. Old Master Sun, you're a loving father."

Then she turned to Tian Xu, "Young Master Tian, Old Master Sun wishes to see you—to speak with you."

Tian Xu had entered and seen her speaking to empty air, as if answering someone invisible; he sneered, "You're just a child playing at spirits, swindling money. Fooling ignorant women and children is one thing—but you think you can fool me? I'm..."

Pan Yun had no patience for his words; she drew a talisman and slapped it onto his forehead. With her Heavenly Eye, Tian Xu suddenly found his face pressed against his father-in-law's.

"Ahh—!" Tian Xu's eyes bulged; he flew backward, rolled twice on the ground in panic, and finally came to a stop.

He sat up and saw his father-in-law walking toward him with a grim expression; he scrambled backward in terror, "Y-you—you..."

"Y-you—you what? Unfilial brat—I'm your father-in-law, you can't even say 'Father'?"

Tian Xu's legs trembled, his body powerless; he crawled forward and banged his head on the ground, "Father! Father-in-law! Father-in-law!"

Old Master Sun snorted, "Be more respectful to the Little Immortal from now on."

"Yes yes yes, I'll be respectful, I'll be very respectful!"

Tian Xu immediately turned and kowtowed to Pan Yun, "Little Immortal, spare my life! Little Immortal, spare me! I'm blind and ignorant—I didn't know you had real power!"

Pan Yun waved her hand, unconcerned—after all, she'd been paid.

She smiled sweetly at Zhou Chao, who stood frozen beside her, "Young Master Zhou, would you like to see your father-in-law?"

Zhou Chao hesitated, then nodded—he wanted to see whether they truly had power or were just frauds.

Pan Yun turned to Old Master Sun, who had opened his mouth to speak, and said, "This one's free—no charge."

Old Master Sun fell silent.

Pan Yun also drew a talisman for Zhou Chao.

Zhou Chao had prepared himself mentally, but still jumped when he saw Old Master Sun.

He stepped back two paces, then remembered himself and bowed deeply, "Your humble son-in-law greets you, Father-in-law."

Old Master Sun was fairly satisfied with this son-in-law; he nodded solemnly, "First, let's see Meiniang."

Zhou Chao snapped back to himself and nodded urgently, "Yes yes—where's my little girl? Bring her here quickly!"

Sun Xianniang, weeping, carried her daughter forward, "The Little Immortal says she can't see her—only her two senior brothers can help."

Sun Xianniang knelt before Wang Feiyin and Tao Ji with the child, "Please, Immortals, save my daughter." Tao Ji's face-reading skills were mediocre, but he knew medicine; one glance told him the child was in grave danger. He looked around and said, "Put the child on the table so I can examine her."

"Where is she unwell?" Tao Ji was about to examine her closely when Wang Feiyin stopped him and lifted her tiny foot directly.

Tao Ji looked closely and realized the shoes were wrong; his expression changed slightly.

Wang Feiyin removed the shoes and gently pressed the bound foot; the child whimpered, tears falling one by one, yet dared not cry out in pain.

Wang Feiyin sighed, unwinding the bandages as he spoke: "These feet are ruined."

Sun Xianniang cried out, "How could they be ruined? We hired the best foot-binding woman in town—her bindings are the finest, few have failed under her hands!"

Zhou Chao agreed, "Yes, indeed."

Wang Feiyin's smile was faint; he glanced quickly at Pan Yun's icy eyes and spoke before she could: "Good elders, fortune is born with you, hidden within your natural form. You've broken her feet—you've broken her fortune, and your entire family's fortune."

Wang Feiyin shook his head and sighed, "She was destined for long life and great fortune—but now, because of foot-binding, her fortune leaks away, and her fate has become one of early death."

Sun Xianniang collapsed to the ground; Zhou Chao immediately bowed, "Immortal, please save my daughter!"

!. read

Wang Feiyin spent a long time unwinding the strips; he pinched the child's foot bones—broken, then forcibly bent downward, compressed, and bound with cloth to prevent any growth or healing.

His eyes flickered with pity; he knew even a light touch now would be excruciating, but to heal her, the bones must be realigned.

Her feet were swollen beyond measure—the flesh and bone within were already corrupted.

Whether removing rotting flesh and dead bone, or resetting the bones, it would be excruciatingly painful. This child was so young—under such agony, her heart might fail, and she would die of pain.

Wang Feiyin looked up at the little girl; her tiny eyes were filled with tears, watching him timidly, yet still holding a glimmer of innocence and light.

Pan Yun squeezed in, crouched beside him, and asked, "Senior Brother, is there a way?"

Wang Feiyin glanced at her and said, "Let's give it a try."

He reached out and patted the child's head, smiling gently: "Since the heavens let the two of you meet, they surely mean to grant a little more chance of life."

He turned his head to Zhou Chao and said: "So that Zhou Shan may know, I cannot guarantee I can carry her through this tribulation. If I can, the rest of her life will go smoothly, with no great calamity to come. If I cannot, she will simply go to the Yellow Springs two or three months earlier. How you choose is up to you."

Zhou Chao's face went pale. "What the immortal master means is, my daughter only has two or three months of life left?"

Wang Feiyin nodded.

Zhou Chao could not help lashing out at Sun Xianniang, "Didn't you say that foot-binding Zhang Niangzi was very skilled, that no one ever died? What kind of person did you find?"

Pan Yun said coldly with a smile: "Zhou Shan, no matter who you find, it will be the same. Foot-binding itself goes against the natural order of Heaven."

Zhou Chao: "But other families bind too…"

"Which is why the fortunes of other families are also being worn away," Pan Yun cut him off and said directly: "The crown of the head faces the firmament and receives yang qi; the feet touch the earth and receive yin qi. Only the harmony of yin and yang is the Great Way; merit and fortune both come from yin and yang. Foot-binding severs the yin qi and wears away the fortune."

Pan Yun paused, her eyes darting, and said: "A pair of bound feet will drain not only the maiden family's fortune, but also her husband's family's fortune. Bind away, bind away — if you have a grudge against some household in the future, just bind your daughter's feet and marry her into their family. Within three generations, I guarantee their house will fall into decline, or even be utterly ruined."

Zhou Chao's eyes went wide. "Th-then how does one remedy this?"

"Unbind the feet! That is the most effective remedy," Pan Yun said with a cold smile: "And don't think about strangling the bound-foot girl to death to settle it once and for all. You should know that in this world there is karmic retribution in the courts of the dead. Harming someone through foot-binding only brings three generations of decline, but if you kill a person and give rise to a grudge, I guarantee the whole line will be cut off within a single generation!"

The people in the room who had just begun to entertain such thoughts felt a sudden chill in their hearts and hurriedly suppressed the idea.

Tao Ji had already unbound the bindings on the other foot as well; the condition was equally dire.

To treat her, the problem of pain had to be dealt with first.

Wang Feiyin already had an idea in mind and pressed Zhou Chao, "I must ask Zhou Shan to give me a definite answer — will you carry her through this tribulation or not?"

Zhou Chao came back to himself and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes — please save her life, immortal master."

"Even if in the end it does not succeed?"

Zhou Chao gritted his teeth. "Even if in the end it does not succeed."

"Good," Wang Feiyin said: "There is one more thing to tell Zhou Shan. After the feet are unbound, she must never be bound again."

Zhou Chao said with a bitter smile: "How would I dare let her bind her feet again? When I had her bound before, she cried piteously, but the elders at home all said it was normal, so I did not take it to heart. Had I known binding was so cruel, I would never have let them do it, no matter what."

Sun Xianniang was crying so hard she could not speak.

Wang Feiyin said: "Since we are to carry her through this tribulation, let us begin preparations now. Some medicinal ingredients need to be purchased."

Wang Feiyin wrote out a prescription for them, listing a dense array of items.

Zhou Chao took it, glanced at it once, and went off to make preparations.

Wang Feiyin then had Tao Ji give the little girl acupuncture. "She will take medicine first. Let my third junior brother needle her a few times to ease the pain. Once the funeral is over tomorrow, I will treat her."

The lucky number for this chapter is a number ending in 2 — screenshot to prove it

(End of this chapter)