Observing Wanfa from the martial arts school servants

Chapter 148 Bewitching the Mind

After turning a few alleyways, the Zou family's gate had completely disappeared from sight.

Lin Mu stopped, put Xiaoxiao off his shoulder, and turned to face Bai Yungui and Hu Xiaoying.

The relaxed and dazed look on their faces still lingered from their time in the main hall of the Zou family.

Bai Yungui's gaze was somewhat unfocused, while Hu Xiaoying's brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were thinking about something she couldn't quite recall.

"Don't move."

Lin Mu raised his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together, a faint blue light emanating from the tips of his fingers.

He touched Bai Yungui's forehead and then touched Hu Xiaoying's forehead.

The blue light from the Heart-Clearing Mantra flashed and then disappeared.

Bai Yungui blinked, looked down at the wine gourd at his waist, then looked up at the alley around him, his brows slowly furrowing.

"What's wrong with me?"

Hu Xiaoying reached up and touched her forehead, her voice a little strained.

"I also felt something was wrong."

"I was a little surprised at first that Liu Ming said he didn't mind the marriage, but then I realized that it made a lot of sense."

"It seems a bit strange now that I think about it."

"Luckily, Xiaoxiao pulled me to go home."

Her fingers trembled slightly.

"Let's go back first."

Lin Mu didn't explain further. He bent down, picked up Xiaoxiao, and instantly activated his inner energy. He followed up with the Gale Step and the Wind Step, and soared away like a night falcon.

The wind whistled in my ears, and the rooftops and tree shadows on both sides were stretched into blurry gray lines.

He turned around and called out to Bai Yungui and Hu Xiaoying.

"hurry up."

Bai Yungui grabbed Hu Xiaoying, hung the wine gourd on his waist, and followed closely behind her.

Lin Mu slowed down only when the bamboo forest path of Xianzong came into view and the sound of the waterfall faintly came from the depths of the valley.

He put Xiaoxiao down, let out a long breath, and the tense muscles in his shoulders finally relaxed a bit.

The bamboo leaves rustled in the afternoon breeze, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, spreading a carpet of shimmering gold on the ground.

There was a cool, minty scent in the air.

There's none of the subtle emptiness of the Zou family's main hall here, nor the gentle atmosphere that unconsciously puts people at ease.

He settled Bai Yungui and Hu Xiaoying in the inn, entrusting them to Jiang Wang's care, and then walked straight through the bamboo path and pushed open the bamboo door of the study.

Yan Niang was sitting at her desk, holding a half-worn bamboo scroll in her hand, with a ruler beside her.

She looked up, saw the expression on Lin Mu's face, and gently closed the bamboo scroll.

"What happened?"

"Is there a kind of literature that can influence people's hearts?" Lin Mu asked bluntly.

Yan Niang glanced at him, placed the bamboo slip on the table, and gently rubbed the edge of the ruler with her fingers.

"Have you forgotten the rules?"

Lin Mu remained silent for a moment.

It's her turn in this one-on-one question-and-answer game.

"Just now at the Zou family, someone used this kind of power on Xiaoxiao," Lin Mu said, leaning against the door with his arms crossed, delivering a powerful dose of medicine.

Yan Niang's finger stopped on the ruler.

She turned her head, her gaze passing through the bamboo curtain and landing on Xiaoxiao, who was squatting by the well in the courtyard playing with the water.

Xiaoxiao's ponytail wobbled as she scooped water into a stone trough with a bamboo tube, humming an off-key tune.

Her gaze lingered on Xiaoxiao for a long time before turning back. Her lips moved, but she held back.

Left with no other choice, Lin Mu had to resort to his trump card.

"I know where Wen Haoran went."

Yan Niang's gaze suddenly turned back to his face.

Something gently bumped into those eyes, which were as clear as a deep pool.

She didn't speak, but simply switched the ruler from her right hand to her left, and then looked up.

"explain."

"Is this even a question?"

Yan Niang remained silent for a moment.

"Calculate."

"He is in the Forest of Eternal Night."

"The person who injured him was Lu Chenzhou, the deputy commander of the Palace Guard, a master of the Innate Realm."

"The people of the Idle Sect were forced back by a bronze badge. Hao Ran and Lu Chenzhou exchanged a punch, and Hao Ran was seriously injured before retreating into the depths of the Eternal Night Forest."

"He is still alive, and those who are hunting him down are not only the imperial court, but also several unknown forces."

After hearing this, Yan Niang's knuckles, which were gripping the ruler, turned slightly white.

After a long while, she put the ruler back on the table, and when she spoke, her tone had returned to its usual calm.

"The pursuit of knowledge can lead to confusion."

She opened the bamboo scroll and pointed to a line of text on the page.

"To be sincere in one's intentions means not to deceive oneself."

"To hate a foul odor as much as to love a beautiful sight—this is called humility."

"Therefore, a wise man is always cautious when he is alone."

She pushed the bamboo slip over so Lin Mu could see the line of text.

"Investigating things means thoroughly exploring the principles of all things."

"To confuse the mind is to use known principles to interfere with the other person's inner thoughts."

"Everyone has a sense of knowledge, and the direction of that knowledge is intention."

"If you can find the weakness in the other person's mind, create a topic of common ground, and use reason to persuade them and intention to disturb them, you can implant a suggestion within their existing cognitive framework."

"This effect is subtle, making the other party believe that it was their own judgment."

"And the art of insight is a prerequisite for bewitching the mind."

"You must first use your observation skills to capture enough details about the other person—their facial expressions, breathing, pupils, pauses in their speech, and their thoughts."

"Only in this way can we deduce the other party's current intentions and weaknesses."

"Insight sees what has already happened; the mind uses what has already happened to shape what will not happen."

"They share the same origin but have different uses."

"Yes."

"Just now, I felt that everything Duan Qingchen said was right, and every single one of them resonated with me."

"Fortunately, the Mind-Clearing Mantra activated automatically, instantly clearing my mind."

"Duan Qingchen?"

"Duan Qingchen of the Xuanmen sect?"

Yan Niang repeated the name, her brows furrowing slightly.

"This person is a genius of the Xuanmen (Taoist sect)."

"Many are of demonic lineage in the Xuanmen sect, but their allure is not determined by bloodline, but by their Dao heart."

"His Daoist heart is probably based on more than just the investigation of things."

"The Pure Heart Mantra is the natural nemesis of the mind that confuses it."

"What confuses and disturbs the mind is intention; what purifies the mind is tranquility."

"Only when minds are in sync can one remain calm and control movement."

She paused, then added.

"But not all delusions can be blocked by the Mind-Cleansing Mantra."

"If the caster of the mind-bewitching spell has a much stronger Dao heart than the recipient, the Mind-Cleansing Mantra can at most make you aware that you are being influenced, but it cannot completely eliminate that influence."

"You were able to escape unscathed this time because Duan Qingchen underestimated you; he didn't use his full strength."

"Um."

Lin Mu agreed with her point of view.

It seems that the old man of the Zou family may have already passed on the body-strengthening technique to Duan Qingchen.

If Wanruo were to marry him again, the Body Tempering Technique would already be a Xuanmen technique.

Should we stop it?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through my mind.

Yan Niang's gaze passed over him and landed on Xiao Xiao, who was still playing in the water in the courtyard.

"Don't worry about Xiaoxiao. I already used the Mind-Cleansing Technique on her when we were in the alley."

Xiaoxiao was lying on the edge of the well, stirring the water with a bamboo tube, her two short little legs swinging back and forth behind her.

She looked up and waved her wet little hand toward the study.