Bab 2: Misfortune Befalls Anyone Who Comes Near Him
A wisp of black smoke dispersed into the air as Nanli swiftly sealed it with another talisman, tucking it away into her gourd.
The onlookers were left dumbfounded by this extraordinary sight.
Chu Shuo, who was in the carriage, slowly opened his eyes and began coughing violently.
The crowd immediately rejoiced.
“Young master, are you all right? You truly frightened me!” Old Biddy Zhang asked with concern.
“What happened?” Chu Shuo, still unaware of his narrow escape, reached out to remove the talisman from his forehead.
Frowning, Nanli intervened, “Your yang energy has not fully returned. It is not advisable to remove it.”
“What tricks are you playing?” Old Biddy Zhang glared at her. “Young master, she just shattered your jade pendant.”
“What?! I knew nothing good would come from bringing you back to the manor. Are you some sort of harbinger of misfortune?” Chu Shuo, infuriated, tore the talisman into two pieces.
However, as soon as he finished his tirade, his body went limp, falling back onto the cushion. Old Biddy Zhang was taken aback. “second young master?”
She checked Chu Shuo’s breath again, but there was none.
What just happened?
Wasn’t he full of vitality just moments ago?
A sudden realization struck Old Biddy Zhang, and she hastily stuck the torn talisman back together. Nanli couldn’t help but chuckle, leisurely playing with her cascading dark hair.
“Once the Soul-Binding Talisman is torn, it won't work anymore,” she remarked.
Then the old biddy turned pale. If the second young master had truly died on the road, the master would surely skin her alive.
She fell to her knees. “I beg Sixth Miss to grant us another talisman!”
Though it was unbelievable, everything the Miss had said had come true.
Old Biddy Zhang had no choice but to seek help from her.
“My talismans are not for free. No money, no talismans,” Nanli replied.
The old woman cried out, “But… the second young master is your own brother!”
“Even blood brothers must settle accounts,” Nanli said briskly with innocent eyes.
“How much does Miss want?” the old biddy asked, her voice trembling.
“One Soul-Binding Talisman costs ten taels of silver,” Nanli gestured with her hand, “two talismans for twenty taels.”
The old biddy breathed a sigh of relief and quickly produced twenty taels of silver. Nanli accepted the money and handed over a Soul-Binding Talisman.
With two fingers, she activated it, and in the next moment, the talisman was affixed to Chu Shuo’s forehead.
She reminded them, “He will awaken after a quarter of an hour.”
With that, she entered the inn, leaving the old biddy to anxiously waiting by Chu Shuo’s side. The guards exchanged glances, still skeptical. How could this Miss possess such mystical abilities at her current age? They believed it was merely a coincidence and that she was taking advantage of the situation to extort money.
After a quarter of an hour, Chu Shuo slowly opened his eyes once again, regaining his vitality. However, this time, he felt weak and lacked the energy to fully recover.
The old biddy overjoyed, recounted the events and earnestly advised, “Young master, please do not tear this talisman again. It saved your life.”
Chu Shuo, having experienced near death, was still shaken and no longer doubted. But upon hearing that the life-saving talisman was sold for a mere ten taels of silver, his face darkened.
He immediately got off the carriage and walked towards the inn. Inside, Nanli was enjoying a bowl of noodles. Chu Shuo plopped down in front of her, drawing attention due to the talisman on his forehead.
Unable to bear those gazes any longer, Nanli removed the Soul-Binding Talisman. Chu Shuo cried out in fear, afraid that he would die once more. However,nothing happened.
“A quarter of an hour has passed. You are safe now,” Nanli continued eating her noodles.
Chu Shuo breathed a sigh of relief and took out a banknote with a value of two thousand taels. “Sister, your two life-saving talismans were sold for a mere twenty taels. Are you humiliating me? My life is worth at least two thousand taels of silver!”
He had never believed in such things before and only wore a consecrated jade pendant for peace of mind. But now, having witnessed it firsthand, he held great admiration for his little sister.
Nanli did not accept the banknote, her expression unchanged. “I never engage in unscrupulous business. Drawing a Soul-Binding Talisman is not difficult; it is worth that price.”
Chu Shuo stared at her as if she was talking gibberish. After a while, he realised she was genuine and meant what she said.
Then he shifted his position and handed her the banknote. “Consider it a gift from your second brother. Don’t think it’s too little. I brought two thousand taels of silver in banknotes on this trip.”
His’s aunt was a merchant. Thus, even though he lacked talent in both literature and martial arts, he was wealthy.
Seeing him changing his approach to bribe her, Nanli's heart softened.
Unable to refuse any longer, she decided to give him a big gift in return.
“How much did you spend on that jade pendant?” Nanli asked.
Bringing up the matter made Chu Shuo angry.
He gritted his teeth and said, “Three thousand taels of silver!”
Nanli rolled her eyes and remarked, “The young masters from the capital are indeed foolish but wealthy.”
If someone else had insulted him like this, Chu Shuo would have definitely flipped the table. But coming from his younger sister, he found it particularly agreeable. “It doesn’t matter if he swindled my money, but causing harm to me is intolerable!” Chu Shuo clenched his fist.
“A close friend of mine also bought one, and he is perfectly fine and healthy. Why am I the one having problems?”
Ever since he started wearing the jade pendant, he often felt weak and drowsy. He thought it was due to lack of rest, but little did he know that someone had tampered with the pendant.
Fortunately, his younger sister intervened today, or else he would have met the King of the Underworld.
Nanli asked directly, “Could it be that your close friend is not a virgin?”
“…” Chu Shuo looked embarrassed and coughed.
“Let me rephrase, you are unmarried and has no concubines, right?”
Chu Shuo quickly grasped the key point and said, “Our Chu family upholds strict moral values. Until the day I marry, I am not allowed to have concubines. So, because I am a virgin, I was targeted?”
A hint of surprise flashed in Nanli's eyes. She didn’t expect her family members to have some interesting aspects.
“That jade pendant contains the soul of a person, absorbing your pure yang energy,” Nanli said as she noticed Chu Shuo’s face turning pale.
“Don’t worry, I have already retrieved it. The eminent Master Zhi Guang went through great efforts to help you with the Soul-Nurturing Jade. He will definitely come looking for it, and I will help you reclaim those three thousand taels of silver.”
After receiving the money, one must do good deeds. That was her consistent principle.
Chu Shuo’s eyes brightened, and he immediately changed his tone, “Little Sister, I knew you were my lucky star!”
“You just called me a disaster earlier,” Nanli stared straight at him.
Chu Shuo chuckled awkwardly, “Did I? You must have misheard.” He quickly found an excuse and slipped away, spending a large sum of money to prepare two rooms at the inn.
At night, the moonlight was frosty.
When Nanli was preparing to sleep, she sensed an unusual aura.
There was a chilling wind blowing through the inn.
She went out to take a look, and Chu Shuo also came out to see what was happening due to the commotion outside.
Under the cold moonlight, there were several armed guards stationed in the inn, each with a tall and composed stature, clearly skilled in martial arts.
There was also a guard pushing a wooden wheelchair inside. Sitting on the black wooden wheelchair was a man in a brocade robe.
Even if his appearance was unclear, his noble aura couldn’t be concealed.
But Nanli could see at a glance that there was an endless aura of malevolence surrounding the man.
“Second brother,” she whispered, “this person is born with an ominous fate. Being close to him will either result in death or injury. Remember to stay away from him. Even a slight touch of his malevolence will bring great misfortune.” Her voice was soft, but the man in the wheelchair lifted his head and looked directly at the second floor, meeting Nanli's clear eyes.
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