"I remember now!" Xiao He cried out.
"Speak, quickly!" Madam Wu was incredibly anxious.
"After Miss bought those grass-woven items, that old woman gave her a small sachet. She said her granddaughter had made it and that it contained a Peace Talisman they had prayed for at a local temple.
Seeing that Miss was kind-hearted, she gave it to her, hoping it would keep her safe on her journey. That Peace Talisman was different from the grass-woven toys; the craftsmanship was quite good, so Miss liked it and wore it with her constantly."
Xiao He looked at Lu Zhaoling in shock. "Miss offered to pay for it at the time, but the old woman refused to take any money.
She just said her poor granddaughter had been sick all the time and seeing how youthful and lively Miss was, she hoped her granddaughter could get better too. She asked Miss if she would be willing to let her granddaughter become just like her."
Even if they had never heard of such things before, seeing Lin Yanran's condition these past few days and hearing Lu Zhaoling's persistent questions made Madam Wu and Lin Rong suspect something was wrong. Their hearts leaped into their throats.
"Miss said she was willing at the time." Xiao He looked at Lu Zhaoling fearfully. "Second Miss Lu, was she not supposed to say she was willing?"
Seeing her mistress turn out like this had kept her in a constant state of fear.
"Where is that sachet?" Lu Zhaoling didn't answer her directly, asking for the sachet's location instead.
"It was only taken off after we returned to the Imperial Capital and Miss fell ill and vomited all over herself. It's right here."
Xiao He hurried to a nearby vanity, took out a small sachet, and handed it to Lu Zhaoling.
The sachet was red and embroidered with a flower that looked exceptionally vibrant. The needlework was indeed fine. It was no wonder Lin Yanran had taken a liking to it.
"Second Miss Lu, is there something wrong with this sachet?"
The sachet was sewn shut. Lu Zhaoling asked Xiao He for a pair of scissors and snipped it open in one motion.
She pulled out the contents: a yellow talisman folded into a triangle.
As she unfolded the talisman, they saw it was wrapped around a small lock of hair and a few clippings of fingernails.
Lin Rong and Madam Wu gasped in horror.
"This..."
This time, Lu Zhaoling didn't even need to say anything; they knew for a fact that this sachet was wrong!
Whose Peace Talisman would be wrapped around things like these?
Only then did Lu Zhaoling speak. "This is a Life-Switching Talisman."
"A Life-Switching Talisman?"
Lu Zhaoling's expression was solemn.
She had originally thought there wouldn't be many people here capable of drawing talismans, but now she was staring at such a vicious curse!
Physician Fu was equally stunned. "Second Miss, does that mean Miss Lin isn't actually sick?"
"It could be considered an illness. To put it another way, someone else was originally suffering from this strange malady, but because of a fate swap, everything that was supposed to happen to that person was transferred to Miss Lin. Essentially, another person was originally meant to endure this suffering."
Lin Rong was furious. "That old woman has a heart of pure malice!"
What had his daughter done to deserve this?
Madam Wu also burst into tears. "Why? My Yanran clearly had good intentions. Why was that old woman so black-hearted?"
Her poor daughter.
"She likely waited there specifically to find a suitable target for the Life-Switching Talisman. Miss Lin has a very good fate and carries some merit, which made her the perfect target. However, stealing Miss Lin's life wasn't easy, so the old woman sold those grass-woven items first.
If I'm not mistaken, that grass was Grave Grass, and it had been soaked in human blood. After Miss Lin handled them for a few days, she became tainted with Yin Qi, making her susceptible to illness. Once her constitution was weakened by 'sickly qi,' the Life-Switching Talisman could succeed more easily."
As Lu Zhaoling spoke, Madam Wu swayed, nearly collapsing.
"Please, Second Miss Lu, save Yanran," she sobbed.
"A life-swap requires the consent of the other party, which is why she asked Miss Lin if she was willing, and Miss Lin agreed," Lu Zhaoling said.
Lin Rong clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot. "How could Yanran have known there were such implications? She has always been kind-hearted..."
Xiao He also covered her mouth and wept. "It's all my fault. If only I had stopped Miss back then."
Physician Fu sighed. "What could a young girl like you possibly know? You can't be blamed."
After saying that, he turned his gaze back to Lu Zhaoling.
Well, Second Miss Lu isn't that many years older than Xiao He herself. How does she know all this?
"That old woman's granddaughter isn't suffering from a normal illness either. From the sounds of it, she was likely hit by the backlash of some talisman or curse."
Therefore, the opponent was likely a practitioner of evil arts.
After suffering the backlash, the practitioner immediately thought of this method to transfer the penalty onto someone else.
That was no simple feat.
Baicheng Town? When she had the time, she might go and investigate. If such a person didn't die, there was no telling how many more people they would harm.
Madam Wu suddenly dropped to her knees before Lu Zhaoling with a heavy thud.
Lu Zhaoling quickly sidestepped the gesture, her brow furrowing.
Seeing her reaction, Lin Rong immediately pulled his wife up. "Madam, let's talk this through properly. Don't do this."
He could tell that Lu Zhaoling did not like such behavior.
Madam Wu's vision was blurred by tears. "Second Miss Lu, I beg you to save my Yanran. Please, I beg of you."
Lin Rong supported her and looked at Lu Zhaoling. "Second Miss Lu, do you have a way?"
Seeing that eerie and evil talisman, they had completely believed the story. However, they truly had no idea who to turn to for such a matter. Their only hope now rested entirely on Lu Zhaoling.
But Lu Zhaoling was so young. Was it possible she only knew about these things but didn't know how to resolve them?
Lin Rong and his wife felt as if their hearts were burning with anxiety.
Lu Zhaoling nodded. "I can handle it, but the fee will not be low."
Mainly, her spirit was currently weak. This task would consume too much Spiritual Energy for her current state; if she didn't charge a high price, how could she compensate for the loss?
Hearing that she could handle it, Lin Rong and his wife were overjoyed. They shouted in unison, "No matter the amount of silver, it's not a problem! Even if we have to sell everything we own, we will pay you in full!"
Lu Zhaoling nodded.
"Then bring a copper basin first. I need to burn these things."
She then spoke to Qing Yin, who was guarding the door. "Qing Yin, bring the cinnabar, Talisman Paper, and brush."
"Yes."
Qing Yin had been waiting outside and brought the items in as soon as she heard the command.
Lu Zhaoling let out a soft sigh.
In her current state, this really was quite taxing.
She spread out the Talisman Paper and took up the brush to draw.
The moment her brush touched the paper, everyone felt her entire aura shift. It felt as though a gentle breeze had suddenly drifted into the room, leaving them feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
Lu Zhaoling rapidly finished drawing the talisman. Once it was complete, a golden light flashed briefly across the surface before quickly fading away.
Lin Rong and the others stared unblinkingly, wondering if they had just imagined the light.
When the copper basin arrived, Lu Zhaoling placed the evil talisman, the hair, and the fingernails into it. She then picked up the talisman she had just drawn and gave it a gentle shake.
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