Xue Shiyong had not expected this baffling ordeal of his to be resolved so simply. From start to finish, it had not taken more than a few hours. All he had seen was Lang Jiuchuan make a few strokes with her brush — nothing like the ritual ceremonies he had seen in the past, where practitioners donned daoist robes, performed spirit-inviting dances, wielded horsetail whisks or copper-coin swords, and called upon the heavens and questioned the gods.

It had seemed remarkably uncomplicated.

Was this the true power of such arts?

Xue Shiyong wanted to ask, but when he looked at Lang Jiuchuan’s face, his expression shifted. “Your complexion—”

Zhao Kun also looked over, and saw that Lang Jiuchuan’s face no longer held its former color. It had gone deathly pale, so pale one could see the faint blue of delicate veins beneath the skin.

Such pallor made her look even more fragile.

Lang Jiuchuan touched her own face and said, “It is nothing. I did expend daoist energy, which drains spiritual power.”

Hearing this, Xue Shiyong felt a pang of guilt. What he had thought of as simple was, in truth, not simple at all.

Indeed, every art has its demands on the practitioner. He had been too quick to take it for granted.

Xue Shiyong cupped his hands together and said, “I have imposed upon you greatly for this matter, Ninth Miss Lang.”

“This was simply a transaction.” Lang Jiuchuan waved her hand and said, “Remember what you have promised me — carve the longevity tablet yourself and enshrine it in the place where the Wenchang aura is most concentrated. The name to be inscribed: Lang, Jiuchuan of the Lang Clan.”

She figured that Master Xue had likely never enshrined anything of this sort before, so she took out a piece of paper and wrote down the proper format: the center to read The Dao Qi Endures Eternally, the left side for prayers of blessing, the right side for prayers of longevity, and the name and birth date and hour written below.

“The column bearing the birth date and hour should be covered by the base once carved. For the wood, fine rosewood will do.”

Xue Shiyong took it and said, “It is said that one’s birth date and hour should never be lightly revealed to others — especially for a woman. Yet you show no concern whatsoever. Are you not afraid that I might do something with your birth date and hour?”

Lang Jiuchuan said, “If anyone capable tries to take my birth date and hour and use it against me, I’d like to see whether they have the life left to try their tricks.”

What audacity!

Zhao Kun said, “I have seen many people enshrine longevity tablets in temples. Can one also be enshrined at an academy? If you like, you could actually have one placed at the Huguo Temple — that place has thriving incense offerings, and quite a few of Wu Jing’s nobility and gentry have enshrined tablets there.”

“The academy is perfectly fine. So long as Master Xue is sufficiently devout, the Wenchang aura of the academy will naturally bring me blessings and fortune.”

With the tablet taking root at the academy, it would be like planting the source from which her vitality was nourished. Sheltered by Wenchang, it would ward off calamity, extend her life, and preserve her fortune — no worse than a temple, and the academy was more suited to embodying the virtue of bearing all things.

Excellent!

She was very satisfied with this transaction.

Xue Shiyong immediately gave his word. “You may set your mind at ease. Since I have agreed, I will naturally not trifle with it.”

“I trust Master Xue.” Lang Jiuchuan nodded and said, “This matter is concluded, then. I shall take my leave.”

Xue Shiyong quickly moved to stop her. His expression held a touch of awkwardness. He gave a light cough and said, “Let me first offer you an apology for my earlier shallow-mindedness. I was too narrow in my thinking and gave offense. Please forgive me.”

As he spoke, he made another formal bow to her.

Lang Jiuchuan did not step aside, and waited to hear what he would say next.

Sure enough, Xue Shiyong spoke haltingly and said, “My eldest grandson — because I have kept him at my side for his education, he also frequently comes to this study, and that seal was something he handled often. He has now been weak and sickly for some time. I find myself wondering whether it might be on account of this malevolent energy. Might I ask you to take a look at him?”

Lang Jiuchuan nodded.

Xue Shiyong felt a relief. He quickly went to the door and instructed a manservant to inform his daughter-in-law to make some preparations, then led Lang Jiuchuan along. Zhao Kun did not follow. He went instead to the reception hall to drink tea and wait.

The Xue family’s eldest grandson, Xue Zhongxian, was only five years old. He had been ill for a full month. Many physicians and imperial doctors had been called, yet the child showed no signs of improvement — he had only grown thinner and more frail. The entire Xue family had been wearing their hearts out over him.

Now hearing that Xue Shiyong had finally agreed to have someone look at the residence’s fengshui, and that this person would also be seeing their precious boy, Madam Xue and the young mistress of the Xue family were both there waiting.

Both women managed the inner household. They were naturally aware of who had come to the residence today. They had long since sent a servant to keep watch near Xue Shiyong’s quarters and report back at any moment. Hearing it was a young girl, they were rather surprised. Now that Xue Shiyong had brought this young girl to see the child, it meant he trusted her greatly.

So when they saw Lang Jiuchuan — slight and frail in appearance — while they were indeed startled, they did not reveal any look of distrust. After all, they knew Xue Shiyong’s character as his own family better than anyone. If it were not someone trustworthy, he would never have brought her here.

Brief courtesies were exchanged, with no idle small talk, and they went directly to Xue Zhongxian’s bedchamber. The heavy smell of medicinal herbs hit them full in the face.

Lang Jiuchuan came to the bedside. The small child sat propped up with pillows and quilts at the head of the bed. His cheeks had grown so thin they were sunken, his chin had gone to a sharp point, and a pair of large eyes, dull and listless, stared fixedly at her.

“Are you a physician?” Xue Zhongxian tilted his head and asked her.

Lang Jiuchuan replied coldly, “I am not.”

Xue Zhongxian gave a soft “oh” and looked back down at his own fingers, twiddling them. “I am going to die soon,” he said.

At these words, everyone in the room was struck dumb.

The young mistress of the Xue family cried out sharply, “Xian’er, do not speak such nonsense!”

“I heard the servants talking. I have been ill so long without getting better, and I have grown so thin. Sooner or later I will die.”

Madam Xue felt her heart shatter. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around him. “My dear heart, those were all just the servants speaking nonsense. You are only ill — you will certainly get better.”

Those wretched people, daring to say such inauspicious things in the young master’s presence! Absolutely insufferable!

“But I also saw two little children arguing. They said that when I die, they will take my place and become Grandmother’s dear little grandchild.” Xue Zhongxian said softly, his voice distant and faint.

Madam Xue froze, her face draining to a sheet of white.

Had he encountered a ghost?

Lang Jiuchuan walked to the table, bent down, and reached beneath it — and came up gripping one small ghost in each hand. “Are these the ones you mean?” she asked.

Everyone watched as her hands seemed to seize upon something invisible in the empty air: “?”

The two little ghosts shook with fright: “…”

They had known something bad would happen if they didn’t run. And sure enough, they had been caught. It was only because they had so little ghost energy that they couldn’t flee fast enough.

“G-Great Heavenly Master, we were only talking — we had no intention of seizing his body. Please, please don’t strike us down.” The two little ghosts whimpered and wailed.

A chill wind swept through the room. The warmth that had lingered moments before vanished, replaced by a cold, yin-laden air.

A chill ran down the backs of Xue Shiyong and the others.

Lang Jiuchuan said, “Do you wish to be reincarnated?”

Though she did not know why these two little ghosts had failed to reincarnate, they did not carry much karmic debt on them — they could be sent onward.

“We can be reincarnated?” The two ghosts were somewhat surprised.

Lang Jiuchuan gave a sound of affirmation, and seeing that they were willing, she had Master Xue and the others prepare incense, candles, spirit money, and a meal of meat, vegetables, and rice.

Xue Shiyong quickly instructed his servants to have it prepared.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the servants had everything ready. Lang Jiuchuan took these offerings to another room and burned them for the two little ghosts. After they had eaten their fill, she summoned the underworld escort to guide the ghosts onto the Yellow Spring Road.

“Thank you, Great Heavenly Master.” The two little ghosts offered Lang Jiuchuan a solemn bow before the ghost gate closed.

Lang Jiuchuan received two merits of virtue and at last felt a trace of vitality return. Good — it had not been for nothing.

Only then did she return to Xue Zhongxian’s room. She drew out a medicinal talisman she had placed in her sachet before leaving home and handed it to him. Then, with cool, unyielding authority, she said, “You will not die. With me here, you will not die.”