Volume One, Chapter 11: Saving Lives and Accumulating Merit

At that moment, Uncle Fu presented the prepared talisman, cinnabar, vermilion brush, and a jade bracelet that Madam Lu had worn for many years before Xie Wanneng. “Miss Xie, everything is ready,” Uncle Fu said respectfully.

“Good,” Xie Wanneng replied, her gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged items on the tray, finally settling on the translucent jade bracelet.

The bracelet’s luster was soft and delicate, clearly cared for and worn carefully by its owner over many years.

Xie Wanneng raised her delicate hand, fingertips lightly touching the jade piece, but did not linger; she simply clasped it gently in her palm.

Then, she bypassed the silent Lu Yanci and walked straight to the bedside. Standing there, her gaze fell upon Madam Lu’s brow.

There, a faint but insidious aura of death was quietly spreading, emanating from the center of her forehead like a thin mist, carrying a malevolent will intent on controlling the body.

The deathly aura on Madam Lu was different from that on Uncle Fu and Lu’s father.

Theirs was tainted through prolonged contact with Lu Yanci.

Madam Lu’s, however, was far more dangerous, having been absorbed while kneeling long before a Buddha statue.

Yet, because of her considerable merit, her life should not end here.

By saving her today, Xie Wanneng could accumulate significant virtue.

Therefore, both personally and morally, she must wrest Madam Lu’s life back from the grasp of death’s emissaries today.

With that, she pinched her fingers together, slowly condensing faint purple light at her fingertips.

Observing the faint purple glow, Xie Wanneng’s brow knit slightly. After holding the jade bracelet all night, this was only a meager absorption of purple energy.

It was far less effective than last time when she bit him.

Thinking this, Xie Wanneng involuntarily turned her head, her gaze glancing lightly over Lu Yanci’s neck, silently vowing to draw deeply from him to make up for it later.

Lost in thought, Lu Yanci suddenly felt a chill at his neck. Looking up, he saw Xie Wanneng’s serious and focused expression. She was forming a hand seal, lips moving silently in incantation.

“By the decree of the Three Pure Ones, reveal the evil spirit—bind!”

The deathly aura writhed like a worm on a hot pan, twisting its grotesque form desperately. Xie Wanneng’s eyes narrowed slightly as she suddenly grasped it, binding the malevolent energy tightly in her hand.

“Scared now, are you?” she sneered coldly at the shriveled death aura in her palm. “Hmph, too late.”

Then, with a gentle wave of her right hand, as if brushing off dust, she directed the cowering aura onto the jade bracelet. The dark energy immediately vanished into the green jade nestled in her left palm.

It soon disappeared entirely.

Everyone present was dumbfounded, holding their breath, eyes fixed on Xie Wanneng as if time had frozen.

Though they could not see the death aura, they could clearly feel the once radiant jade bracelet slowly darkening under their gaze until it lost all its shine.

When the last wisp of death energy was extracted, the bracelet had become dull, shrouded in a faint black mist.

Xie Wanneng’s fingers curled slightly as she clenched the bracelet tightly in her palm.

Her gaze returned to Madam Lu’s face, noticing her furrowed brow still seemed to be in pain.

Xie Wanneng squinted, seeing a trace of death aura lingering in the center of Madam Lu’s forehead.

She reached out, pinching and pulling the remaining death aura out directly.

Watching the sinister energy quiet instantly in her palm, Xie Wanneng slapped it into the jade bracelet.

Her movement was as if admonishing a mischievous child.

Seeing the dark bruising on his wife’s face gradually fade until her color returned to normal, Lu Boshang could no longer hold back his emotions and tears welled up once more.

His usually stern and authoritative face was now filled with the overwhelming relief, joy, and gratitude of having survived a calamity.

At the same time, Lu Shixin covered her trembling lips with both hands, tears silently streaming down like broken pearls.

Only one person remained different.

His expression grew increasingly grave, brows tightly furrowed.

His deep gaze followed Xie Wanneng’s every subtle movement without missing a beat.

For some reason, watching Xie Wanneng dispel the evil spirit stirred a faint, distant, and elusive sense of familiarity within him.

He tried desperately to grasp this feeling but could not.

“Come here.”

At that moment, a cold yet weak voice broke through Lu Yanci’s thoughts.

Suddenly, the same voice echoed in his mind, “Come, assist your master in protection.”

As if unlocking a hidden memory, Lu Yanci jerked his head up toward Xie Wanneng, pupils contracting, his eyes reflecting her pale little face.

“Hand it over,” Xie Wanneng said, frowning at Lu Yanci’s dazed expression. “Put this jade bracelet out in the sunlight to dry quickly.”

“…Alright.”

Lu Yanci nodded sluggishly, then, realizing the urgency, placed the jade bracelet on the nearby balcony.

“Step back.”

Hearing her command, Lu Yanci instinctively obeyed, as though he had done this countless times before.

The moment he stepped back, there was a sudden “bang”—the jade bracelet shattered into pieces, shards scattering across the room.

Everyone was stunned by the sight of the fragments at their feet.

“This…?”

Lu Boshang’s lips parted slightly, shock evident on his face.

Uncle Fu looked even more fearful, swallowing nervously and barely managing to say, “The jade bracelet… Madam’s jade bracelet… it’s broken…”

Seeing it with their own eyes, they finally believed that evil spirits truly existed in this world.

Xie Wanneng glanced back at the still-shaken Lu family members, her calm voice carrying a hint of reassurance.

“The death aura on her has been dispelled. With proper care, she will be fine.”

“Is… that really all it takes?”

Lu Shixin stared at the shattered bracelet, disbelief shining in her eyes. Looking at her unconscious mother on the bed, she stepped forward, unable to hide her skepticism.

“Xie Wanneng, you’re not just putting on a show to win my brother’s favor, are you? All the doctors have examined her, even the renowned Old Healer Hu said it’s hopeless. You muttered some strange words, fumbled around aimlessly, and now you say you’ve cured my mother? Xie Wanneng, this is ridiculous!”

“Are you doubting my abilities?” Xie Wanneng’s icy gaze swept over her like a cold wind, carrying an undeniable pressure that made Lu Shixin stagger back involuntarily.

“You’re the first person in this world to doubt me.”

Xie Wanneng lifted her chin slightly, her expression calm, but the invisible weight she radiated grew ever stronger, inspiring awe.

“Xinxin! Don’t get worked up,” Lu Yanci hurried forward, gently shielding his sister behind him. He used his body to block Xie Wanneng’s chilling stare. “Don’t argue with her. She’s just worried about Mom.”

Then he slowly turned to soothe Lu Shixin, “Remember how I woke up?”

Hearing Lu Yanci’s words, Lu Shixin gradually calmed down.

At this moment, the doctor examining Madam Lu gave them a reassuring look. It was only then that Lu Shixin truly believed Xie Wanneng possessed extraordinary abilities.

“In about two hours, Madam should awaken,” the doctor announced loudly.

Hearing this, everyone finally exhaled deeply, as if a great burden had been lifted.

“Good, good, good,” Lu Boshang’s eyes glistened with tears, his voice trembling as he repeatedly said, “Good.”

“Child, your great kindness today, Uncle will never forget. If you ever face difficulties in the future, our Lu family will spare no expense to help you!”

Lu Boshang’s words struck like thunder—no empty promises or idle chatter.

Over the past three years, the Lu family had suffered one disaster after another; relatives had died or fallen ill, internal conflicts plagued their corporation, and foreign trade faced continuous setbacks.

Those three years had drained him utterly, leaving him exhausted and overwhelmed.

If his son and wife had both been lost today, he feared he would have collapsed as well. Without their support, the mighty Lu family would surely fall apart.

But now, with his son awake and his wife saved, Lu Boshang felt as if he had come back to life himself.

This ordeal had made him realize profoundly that power, fame, money, and status—all of it paled in comparison to the priceless value of family health.