Only the Gu Family people knew that it was because of the ghost attached to Xiao Nuan that all this was happening! Try as they might, they could not find a way to exorcise and suppress it.
After handing Xiao Nuan over to the Gu Family people, Zhi Yao prepared to return to her room with Pei Chiyao.
She had said everything she could, but with her current abilities, she still could not help them.
Seeing that Zhi Yao was about to leave, Gu Changlin immediately spoke up: "Please stay!"
No sooner had he spoken than Pei Chiyao's expression turned sour. "Gu Changlin! I've told you, this jade pendant cannot be given to you!"
Hearing this, Zhi Yao nodded in agreement. "That little ghost may fear this jade, but the jade is ultimately a temporary solution, not a permanent cure. I can tell you that while this jade can suppress the little ghost, it cannot dispel it. If that ghost continues to possess Xiao Nuan, she will certainly not live past the age of ten!"
Xiao Nuan appeared to be only three or four years old at the moment.
The faces of the Gu Family people instantly turned deathly pale.
The Gu Old Lady trembled as she said, "Not live past ten... ten years old..."
She suddenly felt dizzy and seemed on the verge of fainting.
As Zhi Yao turned to leave, before she could take a step, a sudden "thump" sounded from behind her.
Turning back, she was somewhat surprised.
It was Gu Changlin, kneeling down!
"Miss! Please stay and hear me out."
Zhi Yao was so startled that she kept backing away, and it was only thanks to Pei Chiyao grabbing her that she didn't trip over the doorstep behind her.
He pulled her into his embrace protectively. "Gu Changlin, she has no ability to exorcise ghosts. You might as well seek help from Taoists instead of asking her."
These Gu Family people were truly a nuisance beyond endurance.
Like a pesky fly that wouldn't go away no matter how many times you swatted at it.
"I have no obligation to help you, and Zhi Yao has no obligation either."
With those words, Pei Chiyao made to enter the room with Zhi Yao.
But Zhi Yao suddenly grabbed his sleeve and said, "Wait a moment."
She gazed at Xiao Nuan in the Gu Old Lady's arms and said softly, "I can help you, but I cannot guarantee success, and you must tell me the whole truth."
Just consider it... redeeming a portion of Pei Chiyao's sins.
He had far too many debts, and any amount repaid was better than none.
Zhi Yao tightly gripped Pei Chiyao's hand, their fingers intertwined.
...
A while later, the group disembarked from the cruise ship and arrived at the Gu residence.
The moment they entered, Zhi Yao was stunned.
This was... a family residence?
Everywhere she looked, the place was filled with yellow talisman papers and all sorts of ritual implements, a shocking sight.
Xiao Nuan had already been taken to a room to sleep.
Zhi Yao gently touched the objects in the living room and indeed felt no spiritual power emanating from them.
The Gu Family servants soon brought tea, but Pei Chiyao never drank outside water, so he didn't even glance at it.
He glanced at his watch; after all this commotion, it was already 11:30 PM.
But Zhi Yao didn't feel tired at all, perhaps due to the jade pendant's influence. She felt fully energized.
She patted Pei Chiyao's hand reassuringly. "Pei Chiyao, I'm not sleepy tonight. Why don't we head back a little later?"
Her actions and demeanor were very natural, especially when she acted coy with Pei Chiyao—it came effortlessly to her.
The Gu Family people were astonished and perplexed. This woman's relationship with Pei Chiyao seemed even closer than they had imagined.
Since Zhi Yao had said as much, Pei Chiyao couldn't very well rush her back.
He glanced at the Gu Family members, signaling that they could begin speaking.
The Gu Family people exchanged glances, their expressions troubled. This was, after all, an embarrassing family matter.
Finally, Gu Changlin sighed and began to slowly recount the old tale.
"Miss, if I'm not mistaken, you should be able to see that little ghost, right?"
Zhi Yao nodded slightly. "Yes."
"Does that little ghost have two braids and bear some resemblance to Xiao Nuan?"
Again, Zhi Yao nodded. "Yes."
"Then there's no mistake—she is indeed my elder brother's daughter."
Elder brother?
Zhi Yao listened patiently, without interrupting.
At last, an old tale gradually unveiled itself before Zhi Yao's eyes.
It turned out that the little ghost was also part of the Gu Family, and was in fact the daughter of Gu Changlin's elder brother, Gu Changsheng.
Speaking of which, the Gu Family's rise to prosperity was inextricably linked to Gu Changsheng.
The Gu Family was originally just an ordinary household until Gu Changsheng married the daughter of a nouveau riche family. Coupled with the wits of the two Gu brothers and their unscrupulous ways, and backed by their father-in-law's wealth, the Gu Family's fortunes quickly rose.
The Gu Corporation soon went public, making the Gu Family one of the wealthiest in the country. But... as the old saying goes, money corrupts men. After his success, Gu Changsheng became utterly disdainful of his original wife, scorning her lack of manners as the daughter of a nouveau riche family and seeing her as an embarrassment.
So he committed adultery.
Worse still, after his affair, he conspired with his mistress to murder his original wife.
For he saw his original wife as a blemish on his life...
But on that fateful day, the car he had sent to crash into not only carried his original wife but also their daughter—Tang Tang.
After the mother and daughter died, fearing retribution, Gu Changsheng spent a fortune to build a well that could supposedly suppress souls, trapping the lonely daughter and widow's spirits beneath, never to be reborn.
Upon hearing this, Zhi Yao's eyes widened in shock as she looked at the Gu Family members.
She never imagined that this family, which appeared so devoted to their daughter, could be so cold-blooded and ruthless!
Zhi Yao rose to leave, unwilling to help such people.
But as she stood up, the Gu Old Lady desperately clutched at her legs, pleading, "Please, please save Xiao Nuan. Xiao Nuan is innocent... she's just an ignorant child!"
Gu Changlin was also deeply anguished. "My brother has already paid for his actions... a few years ago, he died in a horrific car accident."
The accident was so gruesome that there was hardly an intact body left.
Zhi Yao let out a cold laugh. "Serves him right!"
Though a fox spirit herself, she understood gratitude. If Pei Chiyao, who had saved her life multiple times and taught her how to be human, ever wanted to take her life, she would gladly give it to him without hesitation.
But this family?
They were truly black-hearted villains!
"I know you're angry, and we were shocked too," Gu Changlin said wearily. "Over the years, the Gu Family has almost depleted its fortune trying to cure Xiao Nuan... and since that incident, the Gu Corporation has been declining day by day."
The entire Gu Family was on a downward spiral.
After a moment of silence, Zhi Yao said, "Don't tell me you think it's because of Tang Tang?"
It wasn't.
The laws of karma govern the cycle of reincarnation, and even the heavens show no mercy. Every deed in the human realm is recorded—you can deceive the world, you can deceive yourself, but you cannot deceive the heavens above. As the saying goes, there are deities watching over us even three feet overhead, and this is true.
