The Martial Doctor

Chapter 322: Chapter 289: Witchcraft, Hypnosis?

"When the witch appears, she will certainly contact Yue Mei’Er if they are playing the light and dark game." Si Miaoxue said.

"Do you think they are on their way, or have they already arrived?"

"They should still be on their way. None of them are from the Da Li Dynasty. It’s probably their first long journey; they won’t arrive so quickly. However, Ji Fei’Er is skilled at disguise and mimicry. If she’s in the shadows, we really need to be cautious."

"So, you and Yue Mei’Er learned the Disguise Skill from her?" freёweɓnovel.com

"More or less. When I left, I learned about thirty to forty percent. Yue Mei’Er has been with her longer, so she probably learned more. Still, she definitely won’t teach us the top-level skills."

"So if she disguises herself as you or Yue Mei’Er, even I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference?" Lin Miao asked.

"It’s not that bad. My relationship with Yue Mei’Er involves normal interaction that might not be noticeable, but if you delve deeper, she’d surely show her flaws..." Si Miaoxue chuckled. freēwebnovel.com

"Does that mean it’s possibly my only way to distinguish you both?"

"You could say that. It’s easier for her to disguise herself as Yue Mei’Er since they’ve spent more time together. As for me, she hasn’t seen me in ten years, and she doesn’t know what I’ve become, so..."

"Do you think Yue Mei’Er is a match for her?"

"I don’t know, but if she teams up with the witch, Yue Mei’Er is certainly no match." Si Miaoxue confidently said.

"Why?"

"The witch specializes in a kind of witchcraft; her eyes have a special power. Normal people, if caught in her gaze, easily lose themselves and even unconsciously reveal their secrets to her. In matters of interrogation, the witch is certainly an expert." Si Miaoxue explained.

"Hypnosis?"

"Hypnosis... yeah, that’s quite an apt description." Si Miaoxue agreed.

"Miaoxue, look at me." Lin Miao suddenly approached, staring at Si Miaoxue.

"Look at what?" Si Miaoxue felt a bit shy, thinking Lin Miao wanted something again as she had just regained her strength...

"What’s this?"

"A copper coin, of course." Si Miaoxue saw Lin Miao suddenly hold up a Da Li currency and said without hesitation.

"Look again..." Lin Miao’s voice seemed to carry some magic power.

"It’s still a copper coin. My lord, you’re cheeky..."

With a snap of fingers.

Si Miaoxue awoke from the illusion and found herself fully dressed, sitting properly on a chair.

"My lord, just now I..." Si Miaoxue gasped in shock.

"This is hypnosis." Lin Miao handed her a warm drink and chuckled, "My hypnosis can only be achieved with some props, but experts don’t need them; a gesture, a glance can make you lose yourself completely and not even remember what you did."

"My lord, aren’t you just like the witch, knowledgeable in witchcraft?"

"Witchcraft, I don’t understand, but hypnosis is essentially a mental suggestion. One’s Spiritual Power possesses significant strength. Well, it’s also human potential that, once triggered, can unleash awe-inspiring power." Lin Miao explained.

"If the witch hypnotizes you, would you be affected?"

"I don’t know, haven’t tried. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t. I’d have to encounter it to find out." Lin Miao shook his head.

He was a transmigrated soul, supposedly with exceedingly strong Spiritual Power, so ordinary hypnosis should have minimal effect on him.

The upper Dantian governs Divine Sense; his upper Dantian was opened during the soul’s transmigration and linked with the middle and lower Dantians. Basically, once the Ren and Du Meridians and the two bridges of heaven and earth are connected, he can directly advance to the Heavenly Origin stage.

"Also, what’s up with Lien Yurou? You sent them to Li Hen City to dodge something, right?"

"Yes, it’s a long story. It originally had nothing to do with me, but now it’s somewhat related." Lin Miao nodded.

After hearing Lin Miao’s description, Si Miaoxue nodded and said, "If Lien Yurou truly marries the fifth Prince, it may only cause you some trouble, but it shouldn’t be significant. Lien Yurou might not become the main consort, but do you know what kind of person the fifth Prince is?"

"Do you know?"

"The Moon Worship Sect’s intelligence can be trusted by my lord. We have existed for thousands of years with deep foundations. Even in Da Li Palace, we have spies. Don’t be fooled by the fifth Prince’s extreme compliance and brilliance in front of the Emperor; he has a violent nature since childhood. But as a Prince, especially when his mother Consort Xue lacked power, he was very good at pretending. They’re alike; once the third Prince was confined, his status surged. In just half a year, several maidservants beside him died, all gruesomely killed."

"Gruesomely killed, does the fifth Prince, Zhao Yuanchun, have some special sadistic fetish?"

"My lord guessed right. His favorite pastime is torturing the maidservants. The more agony they endure, the more excited he becomes. So, when palace women hear about serving the fifth Prince, they’re scared and find excuses to avoid it. Some even deliberately cause trouble, even self-harm to escape."

"Does Consort Xue know?"

"No one knows a child better than the mother; it’s her son, how could she not know? But as his mother, besides covering up for him, does nothing else. She probably thinks her son is a Prince, the future ruler of the land, so what harm in gruesomely killing a few maidservants? It’s just entertainment to her." Si Miaoxue sneered.

"The failure to educate is the father’s fault. Our Emperor truly is an unsuccessful father." Lin Miao commented.

"Guan Biyun has spent time in the palace; she certainly knows some of the circumstances. However, she’s definitely too afraid to tell you. She doesn’t want Lien Yurou to marry the Fifth Prince for this reason, too. She knows it’s a pit of fire, so how could she let her own disciple jump in? What kind of mentor would that make her? How could she face her disciple in the future?"

"You’re right. If it were me, I would also do everything to stop such a marriage. It’s just that her method was wrong from the beginning." Lin Miao nodded.

"Lien Yurou is a nice girl. Having her as your personal maid is good, but her temperament needs some refining. Do you want me to help you?" Si Miaoxue said, her charming eyes filled with a deep smile.

"No need. I don’t lack women by my side now, and I can hardly handle another."

"You can’t handle it? I don’t believe that..." Si Miaoxue gently clasped her small hands, teasingly provoking him.

"No way, I have to run a clinic tomorrow. I can’t fool around with you, and you should hurry back." Lin Miao wasn’t falling for it.

"With this current face, not many people recognize me. What is there to fear?"

"Did you find the place I asked you to look for?"

"I found it, but that place is somewhat troublesome." Si Miaoxue saw Lin Miao was serious and put away her playful demeanor.

"That troublesome?"

"The type of clay you need is only found in the Scorpion Gully, which is the Scorpion territory."

Lin Miao always wanted to make porcelain. Creating such things requires significant technical skill, and it’s undoubtedly a sustainable, profitable industry.

Of course, this world isn’t without porcelain. Both porcelain and pottery exist, but the firing techniques seem unsatisfactory, rarely producing excellent pieces. So, he wants to pave a way for the future through this. Porcelain and glassware could serve as the Lin Clan’s two major supporting industries in the future.

But to achieve this, raw materials and talent are essential. He assigned Su Chen the task of recruiting talent. The southern porcelain firing techniques are somewhat better, so they need to recruit people from the Yue Country.

"Keep looking. We don’t need to confront the Scorpion directly just yet."

"Actually, according to our investigation, the Scorpion is dealing in weapons business in the Scorpion Gully. Many prohibited weapons available on the market come from Scorpion Gully."

The Da Li Dynasty doesn’t prohibit private weapon manufacturing, but some highly lethal ones aren’t allowed to be privately manufactured.

"So, there must be a high-quality iron mine in Scorpion Gully?"

"Yes."

Having a mine means having wealth. Owning such a large iron mine undoubtedly makes others envious, but given that so many forces and formidable people in the Longchuan Canyon haven’t made a move, the Scorpion must have considerable strength and exceptional capabilities.

"Hurry up and leave. I still need to meditate and train for a while."

"My lord, you are indeed heartless. After using me, you just send me away." Si Miaoxue looked at Lin Miao with infinite resentment.

Lin Miao lowered his eyelids directly, pretending not to see. This woman, give her an inch, and she’ll take a mile.

...

"Wen Ruyu, what brings him here so early in the morning?" Lin Miao got up early, having just practiced a set of martial arts. He prepared to practice his Staff Skill a bit more when someone came to report that Wen Ruyu was visiting.

There was no way around it. Coming to find him so early surely meant there was something important. He couldn’t not meet. Lin Miao quickly asked to prepare tea in the main hall while he went to change and put on clean clothes.

"Mr. Wen, good morning!"

"Mr. Lin, morning." Wen Ruyu quickly stood up and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Mr. Wen, please sit. Coming so early, is there something important you need to discuss with me?" Lin Miao asked with a smile.

"Mr. Lin, Lien came to see me yesterday. I didn’t know he was targeting you. We’ve met once in Li Jing, so I know of him. I didn’t think he would be such a person, so I was afraid you might misunderstand, which is why I came especially to explain," Wen Ruyu said. After thinking it over, he realized to ensure a happy future, he had to make this trip.

"Lien? You mean the person who caused trouble at my clinic yesterday? I didn’t really mind him. Are you acquainted with him?" Lin Miao chuckled. "Had I known earlier, I would have made sure to show him some respect."

"No, not at all! This guy has a human appearance but is really a bully, lawless. How could Mr. Wen possibly be acquainted with him? Please, Mr. Lin, do not misunderstand." Wen Ruyu quickly waved his hands.

"Haha, Xia Zhu is in the back courtyard. Would you like me to call her over?"

"Xia Zhu is living at your place?"

"She’s my apprentice. What’s wrong with her living at my place?"

"Yes, yes..." Wen Ruyu smiled awkwardly. Indeed, she’s an apprentice; living at the mentor’s place is nothing unusual.

Besides, this residence has many women, not just Xia Zhu, so there’s no need to intentionally avoid suspicion.

"You haven’t had breakfast, have you?"

"I rushed out and didn’t have the chance..." Wen Ruyu responded, a bit embarrassed.

Honest as he was, Lin Miao smiled. Xia Zhu fell for someone like this, which made him quite relieved. They were both pure and shared a common goal; quite fitting.