The Lord of Void and Real

Subconsciously aware of his abrupt fit of coughs, Shen Luo woke up abruptly from his bed. He hastened to take a few deep breaths before swiftly pulling out a small bottle from under the pillow, pouring out a yellow pill about the size of a bean and swallowing it.

He sat motionless on the bed for quite some time, feeling the stifling feeling in his chest and the chill gradually dissipating before he finally breathed out a long sigh of relief.

After letting out a bitter smile, Shen Luo slowly put on the neatly folded clothes on the chair next to him. Then, out of habit, he glanced at the desk in the corner of the room.

On the table, a pale yellow, worn-out book lay quietly, its cover inscribed with the neatly aligned black small characters that read “Chronicles of Unusual Spring Stories”.

Shen Luo furrowed his brows and withdrew his gaze. He then opened the door slowly and walked out of the room.

“Young Master.”

A young servant boy about twelve or thirteen years old was standing guard outside the door. Upon seeing Shen Luo emerge, he hurriedly came forward to pay his respects.

In the distance, a large group of connected residences with red tiles and white walls could be vaguely seen, with all kinds of buildings adding up to about forty to fifty rooms.

“How many times did I cough last night? Were there any other sounds?” Shen Luo looked at the young boy and asked indifferently.

“Young Master, you coughed thirteen times last night. There were no other sounds,” replied the boy, his eyes slightly shadowed from lack of sleep. He faced Shen Luo with a hint of apprehension.

Shen Luo nodded his head and did not ask anything more. He brushed past the boy and continued forward.

The little servant wisely followed closely behind him.

After passing through several long corridors and a garden covering about an acre, Shen Luo came to a building that looked like a main hall.

The two maids standing in front of the hall hurriedly came forward to salute him, their faces also showing some fear of Shen Luo.

“Luo’er, you’re here. How did you sleep last night? Come in and have some ginseng soup. I just had the servants prepare it for you,” a concerned male voice came from inside the hall.

“Thank you for your concern, Father. I had a good rest last night,” Shen Luo replied, his expression slightly changing, then he entered the hall.

Inside the hall, a round table laden with fine food was surrounded by several people. The man in the main seat was a middle-aged man in his forties, his hair slightly graying and showing signs of premature aging.

The middle-aged man was Shen Luo’s father, Shen Yuange, who was watching Shen Luo with joy at the moment.

“Luo’er is awake! Little Cui, quickly bring the ginseng soup, didn’t you hear the Master’s command?” A beautiful woman with a head full of precious jewelry sitting next to Shen Yuange saw Shen Luo and forced a smile on her face.

“Thank you, Second Mother.”

Shen Luo nodded indifferently at the woman.

“Big Brother.”

“Big Brother.”

Next to the woman, a young boy and a young girl also rose to greet Shen Luo. They appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, their faces bearing a distinct resemblance to Shen Luo. They were his half siblings who shared the same father but different mothers. One was named Shen Ci, and the other Shen Mumu.

Although twins by birth, their reactions to Shen Luo were starkly different.

His younger brother, Shen Ci, avoided Shen Luo’s gaze, and his expression bore an uncomfortable resemblance to that of the servants.

His sister Shen Mumu, on the other hand, seemed restless with curiosity after greeting him. She appeared eager to ask her “big brother” Shen Luo something, but a glance at their father, Shen Yuange, made her hesitate.

After sitting down and finishing the ginseng soup served by the maid, Shen Luo ate a few bites of food, then frowned and put down his chopsticks, no longer eating.

“Luo’er, since you are done eating, come to the study with me. I have some business matters to clarify,” Shen Yuange said upon seeing this, his voice reflecting his growing worry.

Shen Luo nodded, casually excused himself to the woman, and followed Shen Yuange out of the hall.

The woman watched them leave, her face turning sour.

Shen Ci couldn’t hide a look of envy on his face, while Shen Mumu pouted her little rosy lips, clearly dissatisfied that Shen Luo and their “big brother” had finished eating and left so quickly.

…

“Luo’er, is everything really fine after last night?” As soon as they sat down in the study, Shen Yuange asked Shen Luo with concern.

“Father, rest assured, nothing happened last night. The ‘thing’ didn’t occur again, but my body is deteriorating even more now. Even with the ‘Golden Fragrant Jade’ pills which I personally formulated, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold on for many more years, and this body can’t be healed with normal medicine,” replied Shen Luo, shaking his head.

“Ah, Luo’er, you’ve really experienced a lot of sickness and misfortune. Originally, you were weak and often sick ever since your mother had a difficult pregnancy. Then last year, you contracted an evil spirit, and as a result, developed a serious illness. If anything were to happen to you, how could I face your deceased mother? After all, I promised her that I would take good care of you,” Shen Yuange sighed heavily, a hint of bitterness showing on his face.

“Father, you should see the bright side. If I was never ill, how could I have used my knowledge as a doctor to create the ‘Golden Fragrant Jade’ pill, which built the success of our Shen family business? Our family, indeed, has been blessed in disguise, ” Shen Luo responded with a smile.

“That’s true. Nowadays, when people in Chunhua County mention the Shen Family Medical Hall and Shen Family Pharmacy, everyone knows our name. Even Lord Wang, the regional head, has a higher opinion of our family,” responded Shen Yuange, lifting his spirits at these words.

“That’s also because you, Father, are excellent at dealing with people. You gave a bottle of ‘Golden Fragrant Jade’ to Lord Wang, which cured his only son’s stubborn illness. Otherwise, with our current wealth, the Shen family would have run into trouble long ago,” Shen Luo replied, tactfully praising his father.

“Haha, I only managed to build our family’s wealth because we worked in unison as father and son. It’s a pity that you chose not to publicize yourself, so I had to attribute the creation of these miracle drugs to an ancient recipe we ‘accidentally’ discovered. This secret is only known to you and me; I haven’t even let your stepmother or your brother and sister know about it. So, if your stepmother offends you in any way, due to her humble origins and lack of experience, I hope you won’t take it too much to heart for my sake,” Shen Yuange chuckled, pleased yet pensive.

“Father, why would I ever care about what my stepmother does! Moreover, if something were to happen to me, it would be up to my half-brother to support the Shen family. My biggest wish right now is to exorcise the evil spirit from me. If I can’t get rid of it, I probably wouldn’t survive, even for a few years,” Shen Luo replied after remaining silent for a while, inducing a bitter laugh.

“If you say so, then I feel relieved. Anyway, family harmony is essential. How is your health now? As I recall, your last episode was seven days ago,” said Shen Yuange, his facial expression relaxing momentarily before the worry returned.

“Yes, the last time I had an attack, I nearly choked ‘Master Huang’ to death. Last year, the so-called ‘Golden Light Monk’ who claimed to be the reincarnation of a Luohan, was also beaten half to death by me during an attack. They have no real skill at all; they’re just charlatans,” replied Shen Luo, his face darkening.

“But Master Huang and the Golden Light Monk are already known as the most famous exorcists in the nearby counties. Others are even more deceitful. How about I send people to the State City to find better exorcists?” Shen Yuange also felt somewhat helpless.

“No need. State City is too far away, and how would we find a legitimate exorcist in a city where we don’t know anyone? Even if we did find one, nine times out of ten, they would likely just be similar charlatans like Master Huang. My attacks are coming faster and faster; there’s no way I can wait that long,” replied Shen Luo decisively.

“So, Luo’er, you’re implying…” replied a slightly shocked Shen Yuange who was well-acquainted with his eldest son’s demeanor.