Chapter 21: A Glance Suddenly Cleared

Sanqing Temple.

Zhang Shimian watched Xuan Qingzi leisurely rocking back and forth in the recliner, veins bulging on his forehead. “Master, did you forget something?”

“Forget? I didn’t forget!” Xuan Qingzi fanned himself gently with a palm-leaf fan and turned to look at him. “But you—do you even remember why I sent you to Batang Village?”

Zhang Shimian scratched his head in confusion. “Didn’t you tell me to go to Batang Village to seek opportunities?”

Xuan Qingzi’s face darkened, and he slapped the fan against Zhang’s head sharply. “Seeking opportunities was secondary! I sent you to observe how the Jiang family interacts with that child!”

“And what’s the result? You returned like a saw-toothed gourd, without a single word about it!”

Zhang Shimian’s head was dazed from the slap, but a sudden spark lit up in his mind, and his expression changed drastically.

Damn it!

He really had forgotten!

When he saw Nan Yuanman and Jiang Lixuan in Batang Village, something seemed to slip from his mind!

“So... Master, you knew about Nan Yuanman all along?” Zhang Shimian covered his head, eyes wide with shock as he looked at Xuan Qingzi.

Xuan Qingzi chuckled without answering. How could he not know? She was the one he and Old Nan had pulled out of a coffin together.

His gaze deepened; it was the child’s destiny...

“Then why didn’t you remind me when I called you? Master! If you had told me earlier, I would have brought her back to Sanqing Temple!”

Zhang Shimian rubbed his hair vigorously.

“That Jiang kid who came to fetch her treats her terribly, yelling and scolding is the mildest; he constantly belittles Yuanman,” Zhang recalled Jiang Lixuan’s attitude, feeling uneasy. “No, Master, I’ll bring Yuanman back to Sanqing Temple.”

“I’ll take care of her!”

If Nan Yuanman joined Sanqing Temple, he would finally have a little junior sister!

Cute and gifted, a little junior sister with formidable talent.

Then he wouldn’t be mocked by those brats from Longhu as if Sanqing Temple were just a monastery.

“If you had brought her back then, there might have been a chance. Now… it’s too late,” Xuan Qingzi snorted coldly. “She’s already returned to the Jiang family, and they won’t easily let her go.”

Zhang Shimian looked awkward. “But that was… an unexpected accident.”

He had just descended the mountain when he encountered a fierce ghost, and then that purple corpse appeared—how could he have remembered?

“Forget it, it’s all fate,” Xuan Qingzi said with a complex expression, sighing. “The Feng family has sent someone to look for me again. Today, I must pay them a visit.”

“I won’t go for Yuanman. You help me deliver a message to her.”

Zhang Shimian nodded. “Alright.”

—

Jiang Family.

Nan Yuanman had been waiting on the living room sofa for hours, her butt restless as if it had grown worms.

She twisted here and there, finally standing up with a small cloth bag, padding out the villa’s front door, and plopping down beside the small fountain, resting her chin on her hands, staring at the entrance.

Passing servants, seeing her small, solitary figure, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy and affection.

“Miss Nan must be waiting for the madam and young master, right? That little figure looks so pitiful. I wonder when they’ll be back.”

“Ah... The madam and young master really should have stayed to keep her company, knowing it’s her first time here.”

“Shh! Gossiping about the family—be careful not to let Madam Chen hear, or she’ll report to the madam, and then no bonuses for us!”

“Didn’t Madam Chen get fired by Steward Li today?”

As whispers spread among them, Qiu Shichi, carrying a laundry basket, hesitated, then pulled out a few candies from her pocket and walked over to Nan Yuanman, lowering her voice to ask, “Miss, would you like some candy?”

Nan Yuanman, who had just been suppressing the little ghost rampaging inside the small coffin, was momentarily stunned, then looked up at her.

She was a young woman of about twenty.

Qiu Shichi instinctively smiled gently at Nan Yuanman, her cheeks round and soft, dimples appearing when she smiled—kind and endearing.

Nan Yuanman politely replied, “Thank you, sister.”

Qiu Shichi almost melted at Nan Yuanman’s obedient and adorable smile, restraining the urge to pinch her cheeks, and said with a smile, “You’re welcome. If you like it, I’ll bring more next time.”

Nan Yuanman rummaged in her shoulder bag and took out a safety talisman, offering it as a return gift. “My grandfather made this talisman for safety.”

“Sister, when you go to the party tonight, don’t drink the wine your good friend offers you.”

Qiu Shichi was barely twenty, her parents’ Palace of Life already sunken and gloomy. Her early life had been rough, and tonight she faced a deadly tribulation. If she survived it, a peaceful and happy life awaited her.

If not...

She would soon follow in her parents’ footsteps.

After giving Qiu Shichi the talisman, Nan Yuanman jumped down from the fountain’s edge and trotted back. She needed to return to her room and properly handle the little ghost.

How could it be so mischievous!

By the time Qiu Shichi realized it, Nan Yuanman’s figure had already vanished. Holding the talisman, she felt a flicker of doubt and uncertainty.

How could the young lady know she had a party tonight?

Back in her room, Nan Yuanman shut the door and opened the small coffin.

The little ghost trapped inside immediately bolted out, rampaging wildly around the room. Bottles and jars crashed to the floor; neatly arranged dolls were all askew.

With a fierce expression, it roared at Nan Yuanman, “Kill... kill you!”

Nan Yuanman clenched her fists and punched the ghost squarely in the face, pinning it to the ground.

The little ghost, stars flashing in its eyes, snarled and bit her hand.

Nan Yuanman slapped it again.

The little ghost was defiant, kicking out.

Nan Yuanman blocked the kick and slapped it again.

After several slaps, the ghost’s eyes cleared instantly. Nan Yuanman asked angrily, “Can you calm down now?”

The little ghost: “...”

The little ghost: QAQ

Tears streamed suddenly, and it wailed in a childish, piercing voice, straight into Nan Yuanman’s ears, “So scary... Brother... Brother save me...”

Nan Yuanman’s eyes narrowed. “You have a brother?”

Oh no!

Uncle Meng!

Nan Yuanman quickly forced the little ghost back into the coffin, stuffing a candy that Qiu Shichi had given her into its mouth to silence it, grabbed her bag, and rushed out.

Elsewhere.

On a speeding Maybach, Meng Qinian crossed his arms, eyes half-closed, staring at the middle-aged man sitting next to Meng Lei. The man wore a yellow Taoist robe, round dark glasses, held a compass, and had a distinctive mustache, now resting with eyes closed.

He glanced sideways at Meng Lei. “Is this the master you spent so much money to hire?”

The man looked more and more like a fraud from a TV drama.

Meng Lei instinctively cast a glance at the master beside him, then made a shushing gesture toward Meng Qinian and lowered his voice. “Yes, don’t say anything rash. Master Zhang was recommended by your Uncle Luo.”

“Supposedly, he was trained at Longhu Mountain and is very experienced with these matters.”

Meng Lei had thought it through but still didn’t trust Nan Yuanman—she was too young.

Obviously not very capable in a fight.

So he sought help from his friends and family, and as soon as he got the master’s contact, he eagerly invited him over.

Better safe than sorry; he was quite afraid of dying.

At the same time.

Meng Family Villa.

Suddenly, the attic of the villa echoed with clattering noises. Ruan Yu, carrying a basket full of snacks, paused near the sound with a few hints of fear on her pale face.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, then extended a slightly trembling hand to gently push open the door.

As the attic door opened, a jet-black shadow exuding chilling resentment flew at her. Its withered, black, emaciated hand tightly grasped Ruan Yu’s throat, sharp nails digging into her flesh. “Where is my sister?”