Upon reaching the mountain, Huiyuan left Dalang and Li Cuimei in the monastery while he carried Lin Fang into the meditation chamber. Placing her on a prayer mat, he took out three pearls from his cloth bag, set them before the mat, clasped his hands, and began murmuring incantations.
“Old monk, why am I here? What do you want with me, dragging me into your chamber? If you lie, you’ll face severe punishment.”
“Haha, Fang’er, you’re awake. Today, this old monk isn’t here for food—I’m here to help you break a curse.”
“Old monk, don’t scare me. A curse? What curse could I possibly have?”
Upon waking, Lin Fang had assumed Huiyuan had brought her there to satisfy his cravings again—something he’d done before. Once, when she was napping, Huiyuan had come looking for her. Unable to wait for her to wake, he carried her up the mountain, shaking and shouting until she was roused from her slumber. Irritated from lack of sleep, Lin Fang deliberately gave him a recipe with mustard instead of chili, leaving Huiyuan in agony and disarray.
Now, seeing Huiyuan so serious, Lin Fang dared not take the matter lightly.
Huiyuan pointed to the pearls on the mat and asked, “Do you recognize these?”
“Hmph, of course I do. A so-called enlightened monk, yet you steal a child’s toys.” She reached for them—the same three human-shaped pearls Huiyuan had taken from Li Cuilan’s house.
Huiyuan covered the pearls with his large hand, stopping her. “Don’t touch them yet. Let me explain first, then you can decide whether to keep these ‘toys’ of yours.”
“Go on.”
“First, tell me—have you felt unusually tired lately, no matter how much you sleep?”
“Yes.”
“And when you wake, do you feel as if your soul has been drained?”
“Hmm? I do feel weak.”
“It’s more than weakness. If left unresolved, you’ll lose your spirit, then your vitality, until your soul leaves your body—permanently.”
“Old monk, don’t scare me like this.”
“Do you know why these pearls are so peculiar?”
“Why?”
“Look closely. The largest one resembles a kneeling figure—your mother-in-law from a past life, praying to Buddha for protection, only to have her essence taken. The two smaller ones, shaped like startled figures, are from when your soul left your body last time. You returned to a past life and witnessed unbearable scenes. Your grief and rage shattered objects in the room, and the people couldn’t withstand it—their essences were torn away. What puzzles me is how these three essences ended up in the same clam.”
Lin Fang staggered back, muttering, “How could this be? Why is this happening? Why won’t they leave me alone? Why are they haunting me?”
Holding the pearls in his hand, Huiyuan comforted the panicked Lin Fang: “Don’t be afraid, Fang’er. These essences have been purified. Your recent exhaustion stems from their collision with you. By the time I noticed, traces of their energy had already seeped into you, and yours into them—unbeknownst to you. It’s precisely because of this exchange that I could purify them for your benefit.”
Had Huiyuan arrived even a moment later, would those essences have consumed her? Trembling at the thought, Lin Fang backed against the wall. “How can they benefit me?”
“Wear them to nourish your body.”
Suppressing her disgust, Lin Fang asked, “How?”
Huiyuan explained patiently: “Your past-life mother-in-law was beautiful, sharp-minded though cruel. If your mother wears this pearl, it could enhance her beauty and intellect—perhaps even alter her appearance.”
Pointing to the two smaller pearls, he added, “This woman was originally celestial, banished to the mortal realm for her mistakes. Wearing her pearl would not only beautify and sharpen your mind but also improve your constitution, curing your clumsiness. As for the pearl formed by your past-life husband, you could gift it to your future partner—mutually beneficial.”
“No! I don’t want them! My mother doesn’t need them, and I don’t want a future partner—I won’t have one!” Lin Fang shook her head violently, then suddenly rushed at Huiyuan, gripping his robe and shaking him. “Old monk, aren’t you an enlightened master? Don’t you know past and present lives? Find a way to send them away, seal them, or destroy them—yes, destroy them! Obliterate them so they can never harm anyone again! Annihilate them, scatter their souls—make them disappear forever!”
“Fang’er, look.”
As Lin Fang rambled hysterically, Huiyuan opened his palm before her. She fell silent. In his hand lay only dust—the three pearls were gone.
“As you wished, the essences are destroyed.” Huiyuan bent down and blew on the dust, scattering it into the air. “Souls scattered to the wind.”
“Pfft—” Lin Fang spat a mouthful of blood, spraying the floating dust. The particles vanished instantly.
Cradling the unconscious Lin Fang, Huiyuan smiled. “Already scattered, now tainted by your impure blood—those essences can never return. Gone forever. Hehe, Fang’er, as you wished. Live well in this life.”
Outside, Li Cuimei waited in anguish. When Huiyuan finally emerged carrying Lin Fang—her daughter’s lips stained with blood—Li Cuimei collapsed in shock.
Dalang caught his wife, frantically preparing to revive her, but Huiyuan stopped him. “Don’t wake her yet. Carry her inside and let her rest.” He laid Lin Fang beside Li Cuimei, then took silver needles from his medicine box. As he treated Li Cuimei, he reassured Dalang: “She’s exhausted. Let her sleep undisturbed. She’ll wake naturally within three days.”
Dalang exhaled in relief. “And Fang’er? Is she alright?”
“She’ll be fine, though she may wake later. If you feed her, she’ll eat. Once awake, she’ll be her lively self again.”
The household was thrown into chaos—first Lin Fang, now her mother, both unconscious. Whispers spread among the servants: Had the mother and daughter offended Buddha and been punished? Or were they possessed by unclean spirits?
Xiaogeng’s wife, newly appointed as stewardess, struggled to control the rumors. Despite her scoldings, gossip persisted, even reaching outsiders who came to inquire.
Liu Ma focused solely on tending to Lin Fang, leaving Xiaogeng’s wife overwhelmed. With Dalang too distraught to manage the household, she turned to Lin Cui’e for help.
Horrified by her sister-in-law and niece’s state, Lin Cui’e acted swiftly. She ordered a crackdown: rumor-mongers received twenty lashes and were sold off. The gossip ceased instantly. Declaring that future incidents required no master’s approval—stewards could punish at will—Lin Cui’e warned dissenters to take their complaints directly to her.
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