Chapter 399: Playing Tricks on Others

er didn't pay much attention to it either because he still had other guests to attend to, and now was a busy time.Xianyao tidied up a bit and arranged the place so that Guxing would be in a comfortabl...Chapter 399: Pranking

"Mother, why are you here" Shang Lingjian asked doubtfully.

"What madness did you just have First laughing wildly, then calling someone a dog servant, and then talking about Ling Xiao as if you were crazy. Haven't you overdone your training" his mother asked.

"What What I said earlier... was all fake" Shang Lingjian now understood that everything he had experienced before was an illusion and he must have hallucinated. How could this be happening Could it really be a problem with his practice

"Yes, you've been here all along without leaving. The maidservant who served you earlier was terrified and came to find me right away. She told me that there might be something wrong with your training recently," Shang Lingjian's mother continued to ask. Usually, when such illusions occurred, it would be suspected that the practitioner had gone astray in their practice.

"No, I've been practicing like usual. Could it really be a problem" Shang Lingjian started to doubt himself and wasn't sure if he actually had a problem.

"I'll keep guard for you these days to see if there's anything wrong with your training..." Shang Lingjian's mother frowned and said.

"Thank you, Mother!"

Another day passed. After Shang Lingjian's mother had kept guard last night, she found that his situation seemed normal again. This made her a bit puzzled: if it wasn't a problem with the training, what could cause such an issue

Perhaps it was just a coincidence and everything went back to normal.

I hope so, I hope nothing else will go wrong...

"Oh no, Young Master Lingjian has gone mad again!!"

"..."

Upon hearing the servant's shout, Shang Lingjian's mother rushed to his room. She saw that he was behaving just like yesterday, talking to himself as if nobody else were there.

"Wake up!"

The mother slapped him again, but this time she noticed that hitting him didn't wake him up; instead, it seemed to worsen his condition. After another slap, he finally stopped.

"Mother, does this mean I did it again" Upon regaining consciousness and seeing the look on his mother's face, Shang Lingjian guessed what had happened.

"Yes," Shang Lingjian’s mother nodded under her son's gaze.

"Mother, why is this happening There isn't anything wrong with my technique..." Shang Lingjian started to feel anxious and afraid. Once could be an accident, but twice indicated that he might be developing signs of madness.

"This may be due to the pressure you've been under recently. You should go out and play for a while; you don't need to practice right now. Take some rest," Shang Lingjian's mother said with a worried expression.

Third day...

"Ah, Young Master Lingjian has gone mad again!"

Fourth day...

"When will Young Master Lingjian finish I'm waiting to serve..."

Fifth day...

Sixth day...

...

The days passed, and Shang Lingjian experienced hallucinations every morning. Each time was more severe than the last, lasting longer and becoming harder for him to come out of.

Shang Lingjian had no choice but to admit that he might have a mental illness. He had seen many famous doctors who were clueless about his condition.

He couldn't imagine that his situation was actually caused by one of the servants, also because he hadn’t apologized for it yet. At this point, he still didn't know this; otherwise, he would have...

... gone to Xiao Yao and made him stop tormenting him. Or else killed Xiao Yao, as he would continue using such coercive methods without seeking help from him. In his eyes, Xiao Yao was nothing but a worthless dog servant!

But it wouldn't be easy for Shang Lingjian to find any clue about Xiao Yao's involvement; it was almost impossible. Even if he suspected something, no evidence would come to light.

If there was any suspicion, he wouldn't have thought of Free-and-Easy at all. Even if everyone else had gone over every possibility, they still would not have suspected a small servant like him.

Shang Lingjian was very troubled and dared not go out anymore. He feared that one day he might lose his mind, which could cause great humiliation for the family, making it impossible for them to continue mixing in society.

Similarly, Shang Lingjian's parents were also deeply worried. They used all their connections to invite various renowned doctors, but none of them could diagnose what was wrong with Shang Lingjian.

"Allyang, do you know what’s wrong with Lingjian Every doctor can’t figure it out, not even Imperial Physician Sun with the highest medical skills. What kind of illness is this" said Shang Lingjian's mother, who looked very worried. The person in front of her was Shang Lingjian’s father.

Shang Lingjian’s father was named Shang Yuliang. Allyang wasn’t a familiar term of endearment but merely his name; however, it might have some affectionate connotations.

Although his mother was very domineering in the Wu Clan, when it came to family matters, she always listened to her husband. In their home, Shang Yuliang was the head of the household, and she was smart enough not to bring her assertiveness from the clan into their personal life.

Shang Yuliang frowned slightly and said, "Wenxiu, I think there’s something fishy about this situation. Neither our family nor your family has ever had cases of going mad like this, and even doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong. Could it be some trickery by江湖術士"

"Are you saying that our child is possessed by evil spirits" Shang Wenxiu asked; she too suspected this but hadn't really thought about it.

If it were possession, it would have to be a very unusual case. Ordinary tricks could easily be spotted by even them or the name doctors!

Typically, although famous doctors wouldn’t necessarily deal with such tricks, they could recognize them. Many people treated these cases as illnesses and often dealt with simple ones; now that even those doctors couldn't figure it out, this must be a highly sophisticated case.

Jianghu術士 might be seen as inferior paths by martial artists, but when facing them, martial artists would also find it very troublesome. Especially those with high-level skills, ordinary martial artists wouldn’t dare offend them unless they reached the level of emperors.

When a martial artist's aura was much stronger than that of a術士, their magic techniques found it hard to succeed and could only affect things slightly at most. Jianghu術士 rarely reached the emperor rank because their skills were complicated and required constant attention.

However,江湖術士 had their unique characteristics: they could kill without leaving traces, and those who mastered these techniques could drag an entire family into disaster, making them terrifying individuals indeed.

Naturally, this was under the condition that they weren't discovered; otherwise, it would be easy for someone to eliminate them.

Moreover, if a martial artist with strong aura dispelled their magic techniques, these techniques could also be eliminated. These martial artists didn’t need to understand the術士’s techniques; they just needed to infuse their qi into those affected by the magic.

This was why江湖術士 weren't highly sought after—once broken, even reaching the peak wouldn’t help since others might have higher skills and methods to counter them.

Of course, this was a subjective viewpoint. Very few powerful individuals would specifically break their techniques; they might exist but wouldn’t necessarily help.

However, most people tended to choose based on such subjective feelings: between江湖術士 and martial artists, the latter would always be preferred. Those who chose江湖術士 usually aimed for a living rather than genuinely helping others, truly mastering this profession being rare.

Still, every profession had its exceptional talents, and江湖術士 were no exception. With their characteristics, these exceptional talents could be terrifying entities that nobody dared to provoke.

The ability to cause unnoticed trouble, even making a Saint-level person like Shang Wenxiu unable to dispel magic techniques, what level of proficiency would this imply

Shang Wenxiu found it hard to imagine. Such江湖術士 could make the Wu Clan head show respect; how could someone with such status hold a grudge against her son This perplexed her.

Might she be overthinking things It wasn’t necessarily the work of江湖術士.

"Let’s seek out Daoist Master Xuanji and ask him to help us figure it out. With his cultivation level, he should be able to discern some clues," said Shang Yuliang, recalling a legendary figure in their sect with whom there was some connection; perhaps they could enlist his aid.

"Yes, at this point, we have to try everything. You go find Daoist Master Xuanji, and I’ll talk to my brother to see if he has any ideas," said Shang Wenxiu, referring to her brother who was now the Wu Clan head, Wu Wenyuan.

Wu Wenyuan, as the clan chief, had more contacts and information. His relationship with his sister also made him likely to help if she asked; besides, Shang Lingjian was his nephew, so he would definitely assist.

Previously, Shang Wenxiu didn’t think it necessary to involve Wu Wenyuan but now felt it essential. She usually sought her brother’s aid for any significant trouble since that's what siblings were supposed to do.

Wu Wenyuan had always cherished his younger sister; though he now had a son and grandson, his affection remained, some bonds lasting a lifetime regardless of time’s passing.

"Wenxiu, did you come here to inquire about Lingjian" Wu Wenyuan asked as soon as Shang Wenxiu arrived, understanding her purpose straight away.

"Brother, did you already know this" Shang Wenxiu asked. Indeed, how could he not know He was the clan head after all.

Moreover, it wasn’t a small matter and had spread within the Wu Clan, making it nearly impossible for him to remain unaware.

Wu Wenyuan nodded and said, "Yes, I’ve already tried bringing several doctors to help but seems like they can’t do much. This situation isn’t as simple as an illness." (To be continued)rtoise Spirit Ling Xiao looked at Xiaoyao and said, "Going with me is also on duty; I’m currently lacking a servant to carry things for me. You must go with me and can’t refuse!"…"Xiaoyao fell silent...