My family tree hollow connects to the modern era : Chapter 9

There are many acupoints on the human body. No medication is needed. You only need to slightly stimulate the corresponding acupoints to put someone into deep sleep.

Jiang Lin had Zhou Yan lie flat. He placed one hand above his head, mobilized spiritual energy and slowly sent it in to stimulate the Baihui acupoint. When Zhou Yan completely relaxed, he suddenly pressed on an extraordinary acupoint, and Zhou Yan’s head tilted to the side as he fell asleep. The Zhou family members watched nervously. Lu Qinghe even carefully examined Zhou Yan’s complexion. “Mr. Jiang, when A Yan had anesthesia before, he also fell asleep completely like this. But afterward when he woke up he was stimulated, and for a long time he didn’t even dare to close his eyes.”

Jiang Lin said, “General anesthesia shouldn’t be able to cause dreams. It is very likely that during the process when the anesthesia effect wore off and consciousness recovered, he had a dream that affected him. I have now sealed his acupoints so he can directly enter dreamless deep sleep. After he sleeps well, I will directly wake him up. If even this way he can’t rest properly, you need to be mentally prepared.”

The Zhou family members’ faces darkened. If even cultivators had no way, Zhou Yan really had no path to survival.

After putting Zhou Yan to sleep, Jiang Lin kept watch by his side. Using spiritual energy to seal acupoints could absolutely guarantee a person would fall into deep, unconscious sleep. He was guarding here. No matter what method a yin creature used to enter dreams while Zhou Yan was asleep, or to hook souls using sleep as a medium, he could discover it at the first moment.

If nothing happened and Zhou Yan still had nightmares, it was probably his own psychological problem, unrelated to yin creatures or evil spirits.

He could deal with external yin creatures and evil spirits, but he couldn’t treat psychological disorders.

Under Lin Xiaoyang’s guidance, Bai Zhizhi learned a small game that didn’t require reading, a match three game. At first it was quite boring, stacking several identical things together to eliminate them. But playing level after level, it became a bit hard to stop.

Afraid he would be bored, Jiang Lin gave him his phone to play games. A room full of people quietly guarded Zhou Yan in bed. Only the sound of game collisions occasionally came from the phone in Bai Zhizhi’s hand.

Zhou Jiming was filled with anxiety. This concerned his son’s life, making him so anxious he couldn’t sit still. But this young person was brought by Team Leader Jiang, and perhaps was also a cultivator. Ordinary people couldn’t afford to offend him, so he had to endure the game sounds that kept poking at his nerves.

After waiting two hours, the room was very calm with no waves. No yin creatures had come.

Jiang Lin raised his hand to look at the time. “I will wake him up now. If his mental state can be somewhat relieved after waking, it proves his condition isn’t caused by external things. Even if we can’t find the cause, there are some special sleeping medications that can let him sleep a few hours each day. If it still doesn’t work, we have no way either.”

Regarding this point, Lin Xiaoyang had already told the Zhou family in the morning. If Zhou Yan had provoked evil spirits or yin souls, they could think of ways to solve it. If not, they were powerless.

Zhou Jiming looked at his son in bed, his expression heavy. “Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Jiang.”

Jiang Lin unsealed Zhou Yan’s acupoints. The sleeping person woke up almost instantly. Before his eyes even opened, he was already rolling and struggling on the bed. His suddenly opened eyes were full of fear. He opened his mouth and gasped for air, as if he had just broken free from a deadly suffocation.

The medical staff immediately stepped forward and skillfully restrained Zhou Yan. He was very weak now, practically skin and bones. If they didn’t tie him up, this kind of frantic thrashing could easily injure himself.

Before the doctors could give him calming medication, Jiang Lin placed one hand on his forehead and used spiritual energy to soothe his spirit. Only then did he carefully observe Zhou Yan. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Zhou Yan, whose hands and feet were bound, nodded in terror. His face was even more pale and dark. He had another nightmare. This time the nightmare wasn’t as bloody as before, but extremely suffocating. He dreamed of a bottomless sea. Something was wrapped around his feet, constantly pulling him down toward the seabed.

Deep sea, falling, suffocation. He didn’t even have the strength to struggle. It was even more terrifying than being chased and chopped in dreams before.

Hearing Zhou Yan’s words, the Zhou family members’ faces went white. Lu Qinghe couldn’t hold back her tears. Although Zhou Yan wasn’t her biological child, she had raised him with her own hands. So many years of feelings, how could she endure this now.

Zhou Jiming looked at Jiang Lin with slight trembling. “Mr. Jiang…”

Jiang Lin said, “What I can confirm now is that your family has no evil spirits, and he is not haunted by yin souls. I am not a doctor. I am sorry.”

These three words “I am sorry” were practically equal to a death sentence. Zhou Jiming collapsed into the chair.

Slowly calming down, Zhou Yan looked at Jiang Lin, then at his father with a pale face and his stepmother crying into her hands, and his little sister sobbing with her head lowered. Enduring a severe headache, he spoke hoarsely. “Forget it…”

Stop the fuss. It would be better to just let him die. Too tired. It really was too torturous.

Lu Qinghe called out A Yan, wanting him not to be like this. But as soon as she opened her mouth she choked up.

Zhou Jiming couldn’t quite accept the idea of a father burying his son. But after all, he had weathered storms before and could still stay steady. He steadied his mind and stepped forward to comfort his son. “Don’t be afraid. Dad will definitely find a way to cure you. You can’t give up either. We’ll work hard together.”

Bai Zhizhi, who had just cleared another level of the game while waiting to enter the next level, didn’t even raise his head. “It’s useless. He won’t survive.”

When these words came out, everyone in the room looked over.

Jiang Lin was afraid his words would offend people, and hurriedly walked over to stand between him and Zhou Jiming.

The little fox demon had just cultivated into human form and probably didn’t understand social niceties. Although what he said now might be the truth, for a father about to lose his son, it was straightforward to the point of cruelty.

Lin Xiaoyang tugged at Bai Zhizhi and said in a low voice, “You can’t talk like this.”

Bai Zhizhi looked up. “Then how should I talk?”

Lin Xiaoyang wanted to say if he didn’t know how to be tactful, he might as well not speak.

But Jiang Lin said, “Zhizhi, why did you say that? Did you see something?”

Zhou Jiming’s rising anger paused. He forcibly held it back and looked at this person who had directly sentenced his son to death.

Bai Zhizhi said, “He ate Xian Yu. And he ate quite a lot, so he won’t survive.”

Lin Xiaoyang said, “What fish? Fresh fish? Freshly killed fish, raw fish meat with parasites?”

Bai Zhizhi said, “What freshly killed fish. Xian Yu is envy fish. A kind of fish that after eating makes you feel very happy and forget your worries. But if you eat too much, the fish poison enters the lungs and you can’t sleep at night, tormented by nightmares. When hallucinations appear, auditory and visual hallucinations, that means the fish poison has entered the bones, and there’s no saving him. You just sealed his acupoints. Actually he didn’t have a nightmare. But because the fish poison has entered his bones, no matter what he does he will be dazed and think he is experiencing bad things, think someone wants to harm him. In reality it’s all his own hallucinations.”

Lin Xiaoyang’s mouth opened slightly. “How do you know?”

Bai Zhizhi said, “From the moment I arrived I smelled the fishy smell on him. Such a strong smell proves he ate quite a lot. Also that thing you just called a photo, there was Xian Yu on it.”

Jiang Lin said to Zhou Jing, “Go bring all the photos from the study.”

Zhou Jing wiped her tears, turned and ran out to get the photos. Soon a stack of photo albums was brought over by her.

Jiang Lin said, “Zhizhi, where is the fish you mentioned?”

Bai Zhizhi flipped through the photos, found the one of Zhou Yan eating with friends, and pointed at one dish. “This is it.”

Jiang Lin carefully examined the dish Bai Zhizhi was pointing at in the photo. Because of the photo size, the dishes weren’t very clear. But you could still see that one plate was translucent fish meat, and beside it was a clear water pot with several slices being boiled in it.

Lin Xiaoyang also leaned over to look for a long time. “This is indeed fish meat, but how did you recognize this as Xian Yu at a glance?”

Bai Zhizhi pointed at his own nose. “Smelled it.”

Xian Yu was poisonous. A light taste could make people feel a light and floating happiness. Some small demons really liked this feeling, so they would catch this fish to eat. Demon cultivators weren’t afraid of this poison. No matter how much they ate there was no problem. But accompanying the toxin was the fishy smell. The fishy smell of Xian Yu toxin was very hard to get rid of.

Their fox clan had a very strong sense of smell, so this fish wasn’t on their menu. But Bai Zhizhi had seen small demons who ate Xian Yu, and remembered this smell.

Jiang Lin took the photo and walked to Zhou Yan’s side. “What is this that you ate? You ate it often?”

Zhou Yan had also heard what they said. The despair like deathly silence just now turned into unbelievable terror. “It’s river food. A kind of wild river fish.”

Jiang Lin said, “What is this fish called? Was it at a restaurant, or did you catch it yourselves?”

Zhou Yan said, “It was at Fulu Residence, called Phoenix Tail Fish.”

Jiang Lin glanced at Lin Xiaoyang. Lin Xiaoyang immediately took out his phone to search. “Fulu Residence, over on Freshwater Street, open until twenty four o’clock. Now it’s eight o’clock, it’ll take half an hour to get there.”

Zhou Yan wanted to sit up, but he was restrained. Zhou Jiming hurriedly went over to help his son up.

Zhou Yan spoke weakly and breathlessly. “Ordinary people can’t eat there. You need an acquaintance’s reservation.”

Lin Xiaoyang said, “Reservation only, and needs an acquaintance. Wild river fish. You ate wild game?!”

What wasn’t clear now? If what Bai Zhizhi said was true, Zhou Yan’s strange illness had found its cause.

Zhou Jiming also looked at his son. “How could you… be so foolish!” Could wild things be eaten casually!

Zhou Yan himself was also a bit dazed. In his understanding, things from the mountains were wild game. What in the river counted as wild game? At most it was eating something naturally grown rather than artificially farmed, something fresh.

So after getting sick he hadn’t thought about what he ate. Now someone was telling him that his illness might be caused by these things, and he found it even harder to accept.

Jiang Lin said, “The time on this photo is from a year ago. How long have you been eating this fish? When was the last time you ate it?”

Zhou Yan said, “The photo was from the first time we ate it. Later we would go every so often. The last time was shortly before my insomnia. I can’t remember exactly when.”

He and his old classmates often went to Fulu Residence to gather. They were familiar with the boss. A year ago the boss saw they were regular customers, said he got some wild game and would give them a plate to try. Fresh wild river fish, freshly caught and freshly killed, the fish meat was incredibly tender.

At the time the boss was also mysterious about it, saying he got some good stuff back, real wild game.

They were thinking it’s just river fish, not wild game that’s a nationally protected animal. Saying wild, but wild in the river isn’t wild in the mountains or sea. How good could it be. After taking the first bite, they knew the good stuff the boss talked about was really good stuff. The fish meat was so tender it seemed to melt in your mouth with a fresh sweet taste. Even now he could still recall the amazement from that time.

Each one of them was also somewhat well off. What delicacies from mountains and seas hadn’t they eaten? After eating Phoenix Tail Fish, they all felt its deliciousness was enough to be described as shocking.

Zhou Yan still remembered that during that time there was a problem with one of the company’s transport routes. Matters piled up one after another, making people frantic. Right when an old classmate called to gather, he went out wanting to relax.

After eating he felt his whole person was refreshed. Those troubles piled on his heart seemed like not such big deals anymore. He thought it was because he gathered with friends that he felt this mentally relaxed.

Later they would go to Fulu Residence to eat every so often. Every time they ordered Phoenix Tail Fish.

Only the boss said Phoenix Tail Fish was wild and needed reservations. If they caught some, and the reservation queue reached them, he would call to notify them to come eat.

Thinking of these things, Zhou Yan said in panic, “I didn’t know. I really didn’t know. I didn’t know this thing would be like this.”

Lin Xiaoyang said, “What did you feel after eating it? Did you really forget your worries?”

Zhou Yan said, “Just every time after gathering with old friends I felt very relaxed, very comfortable. But I really didn’t know it was because of the fish.”

He really hadn’t thought it would be because of the fish. He just thought the fish tasted good. After eating the fish it wasn’t excitement, but a kind of peace, a kind of calm where even the sky falling didn’t matter.

Looking at Zhou Yan’s frightened and uneasy appearance, Jiang Lin didn’t say anything. He only said to Zhou Jiming, “Mr. Zhou, if Zhou Yan’s condition really is because of wild game, besides parasites you should examine him thoroughly once more. Regarding the nervous system it’s also best to invite an authoritative doctor to take a good look. If the fish he ate can cause hallucinations, this poison very likely damages the human nervous system. Whether this is the case or not, we will also go to that shop to verify clearly.”

Zhou Jiming still held some hope. “If it really is because of the fish, can my son still be saved?”

Jiang Lin said, “I am not a doctor. I can’t give you a definite answer on this. At the very least we need to first see what exactly he ate.”

Without staying long at the Zhou family, Jiang Lin took Lin Xiaoyang and Bai Zhizhi toward Fulu Residence.

Lin Xiaoyang took his magical tool Jixiang back from the Zhou family. It was a red string, refined and forged, with both offensive and defensive array patterns on it. It was the thing he used most handily. If Zhou Yan’s illness hadn’t been so bizarre and strange, he wouldn’t have been willing to leave his precious magical tool at the Zhou family.

After putting away the red string, Lin Xiaoyang checked information about Fulu Residence on the side, seeing if he could discover some clues through online reviews.

Jiang Lin asked Bai Zhizhi, “If the fish you mentioned is in their shop, can you smell it?”

Bai Zhizhi was looking down at his phone game. Whether he could smell it or not, what did it matter? What did they take him for.

The car stopped at a red light. Jiang Lin reached his hand toward him.

Bai Zhizhi looked up at him.

Jiang Lin glanced at his hand, his eyebrows and eyes carrying a smile, but what he said wasn’t nice. “Mine. You can give it back now. Thank you.”

Seeing this level wasn’t finished yet, and looking at Jiang Lin who was asking for his phone back, Bai Zhizhi pursed his lips in resistance. But Jiang Lin didn’t back down at all. Only then did Bai Zhizhi say, “I can smell it.”

Jiang Lin withdrew his hand and said with a smile, “Could you trouble yourself to help us smell it? If Zhou Yan really became like this from eating fish, this fish is comparable to drugs that make people addicted and finally cause death. This kind of thing absolutely cannot be left unchecked.”

Bai Zhizhi said, “You want me to do something for you. What reward are you planning to give me?”

Even his dad wanting him to pour tea and water had to exchange magical treasures for it.

Jiang Lin said, “I bought you a phone, and also bought some clothes. The money was from me.”

Bai Zhizhi pointed at the thing in his hand. “A phone like this?”

Jiang Lin nodded.

Only then did Bai Zhizhi say, “Fine. I’ll help you just this once.”

Later when he had his own phone, Jiang Lin wouldn’t be able to threaten him no matter how long he wanted to play games.

Author’s Note:

Originally I wrote it as the fish from Classic of Mountains and Seas, with the fish radical and the character xian. Some documents say eating it makes people forget worries, others say eating it makes people go mad. So I fictionalized and combined them. But when published on Jinjiang it directly turned into question marks. To not affect the reading experience, I changed it to envy.