Madam Wu had met Lu Zhaoling before, so she hurried forward to welcome her the moment she saw her.
Lin Rong had heard his wife speak of her, but seeing her in person was still quite a shock.
She looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old and was very thin, but her face was exceptionally striking, and her eyes were calm and bright.
Physician Fu held such a young girl in such high regard that Lin Rong's curiosity about Lu Zhaoling reached a new peak.
"Second Miss Lu, you've arrived? Please, have a look at my daughter. Seeing her like this... it truly feels like a knife is twisting in my heart..."
Madam Wu wept as she took Lu Zhaoling's hand, nearly sinking to her knees.
Lu Zhaoling supported her with a steady grip.
"Don't worry, Madam Wu. Let me see."
It was strange; Lu Zhaoling's words were simple and plain, yet they instantly calmed Madam Wu's frantic heart.
"Second Miss Lu, I am Lin Rong." Seeing his wife, who was on the verge of a breakdown, steady herself just from one sentence, Lin Rong felt a flicker of gratitude. He stepped forward and bowed solemnly.
He did not dare look down on this girl who was roughly the same age as his daughter.
Lu Zhaoling glanced at him.
With just that one look, Lin Rong felt as though he had been completely seen through. He was startled.
Second Miss Lu's gaze did not possess the clear, simple innocence of a teenage girl at all.
"I'll check Lin Yanran first."
Lu Zhaoling withdrew her gaze and walked toward the bed.
"Has she fainted again?" Physician Fu asked Madam Wu.
Madam Wu wiped her tears. "Yanran couldn't take the shock and passed out."
If she were to wake up now, she would likely be consumed by despair and grief.
Lu Zhaoling stood by the bed, looking down at Lin Yanran.
In her eyes, Lin Yanran's face was shrouded in a layer of intertwined black and red energy, which was slowly devouring her life force and longevity.
However, a faint golden light flickered at the top of Lin Yanran's head. That golden light was struggling against the dark red sickly aura. It appeared far too weak, though, and wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
Lu Zhaoling took out a Body Cleansing Talisman and gently tucked it into Lin Yanran's collar.
Soon, the talisman essence surged forth, dispersing the dark red sickly aura by several degrees.
The others couldn't see any of this, but they could see Lin Yanran's furrowed brows slowly relax. Her face, which had been tense and clearly in pain, finally smoothed out.
The contrast was stark and immediate.
Madam Wu let out a soft cry of surprise but quickly covered her mouth. She was terrified of disturbing Lu Zhaoling.
"Did Miss Lin take something from someone else?" Lu Zhaoling asked.
Strangely, Lin Yanran possessed some Merit, indicating she had performed great acts of kindness in the past. If not for that bit of Merit, her face would have aged rapidly by now, and half her hair would have turned white.
"Take something from someone?"
Lin Rong and Madam Wu exchanged a glance, both of them looking bewildered.
"Second Miss Lu, my Yanran is kind by nature. She is always the one giving things to others; she wouldn't just take things from another person's house," Madam Wu said urgently.
"Physician Fu said that you were together the entire way back to the capital?"
"Yes, that's right."
Lu Zhaoling looked at Lin Yanran again. "But she definitely took something. Did she walk off on her own at any point during the trip, or perhaps talk to a stranger? You couldn't have been together day and night."
"This..." Lin Rong frowned.
Madam Wu suddenly remembered something. "Husband, could it have been that time in Baicheng Town? We can ask Xiao He."
She immediately sent someone to fetch Xiao He.
Afterward, Madam Wu explained to Lu Zhaoling.
"Xiao He is Yanran's personal maid and is almost never away from her side. we stayed overnight in Baicheng Town once. We arrived at dusk, and while my husband and I were settling into the inn, Yanran said she felt a bit stifled and wanted to take a walk outside."
Because the journey back to the capital was long, that day had seemed like any other ordinary day on the road. Madam Wu hadn't thought of it until Lu Zhaoling mentioned that they couldn't have been together twenty-four hours a day.
"The main street of the town was right outside the inn. There were still people about, and some small stalls were set up along the road. I didn't think much of it and just told her not to wander too far and had Xiao He go with her. Yanran has always been obedient; she wasn't gone long and returned shortly after."
At the time, Lin Yanran hadn't mentioned anything happening when she returned.
Xiao He arrived quickly.
She was a young girl of about twelve or thirteen with a round face and large eyes, though her eyes were currently red and swollen, likely from crying over her young mistress.
Seeing everyone looking at her, she felt a bit nervous.
Lu Zhaoling beckoned to her. "Come here."
"This is Second Miss Lu," Madam Wu said. "Answer whatever she asks truthfully."
"Yes." Xiao He walked up to Lu Zhaoling and bowed.
Lu Zhaoling glanced at her. "You've been feeling a bit unwell these past few days as well, haven't you? Constantly feeling chilled?"
Xiao He looked up in surprise. "How did Second Miss Lu know?"
"When you and Miss Lin were in Baicheng Town, what did you see, and what did you bring back?"
Upon being asked, Xiao He immediately recounted the events of that day.
"That day, I was just walking with the Miss near the inn. We reached the entrance of an alley where an old lady had a stall. The Miss saw how old she was, her clothes all covered in patches, and thought she looked very pitiful, so she bought some things from her."
Lin Rong and Madam Wu's hearts skipped a beat.
Lu Zhaoling had insisted that Yanran had taken something, and now Xiao He had proven it. Buying something counts as taking it, doesn't it?
"What did she buy?" Madam Wu asked hurriedly.
"Just a few grass-woven objects. To be honest, they were woven quite crudely. They dried up and lost their shape after just a few days, so the Miss threw them all away."
At the time, Lin Yanran had felt a bit guilty, thinking she had done the old lady a disservice by throwing them out, but they really were of no use, and after the grass dried, they gave off a very unpleasant smell.
Madam Wu looked back at Lu Zhaoling, bewildered. "Second Miss Lu, if they've already been thrown away, does it still matter?"
Lu Zhaoling shook her head. "No, the object is definitely still near Miss Lin. Otherwise, her condition wouldn't be this severe. Xiao He, you must have handled those grass-woven items, right?"
"Yes. On the way back to the inn, I was the one carrying them. In the inn, they were placed on the table. Later, they were kept in the carriage for a few days, and the Miss even picked some wild flowers to decorate them. After they went bad, I was the one who took them out to throw them away."
"Did those grass-woven items have a rank, foul smell?" Lu Zhaoling asked again.
Xiao He was even more shocked now and nodded vigorously. "Yes! If it weren't for the fact that they smelled so bad, the Miss might not have thrown them away midway through the journey."
"Think again. What else did you take? And when that item was given to you, the old lady must have said something for instance, asking Miss Lin to give her something in return."
Prompted by Lu Zhaoling, Xiao He suddenly remembered.
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