In an instant, Nan Zhi's divine sense enveloped the entire house, scanning Nan Yi's body thoroughly, yet she found nothing out of the ordinary.
He had not been soul-snatched, he was not possessed, and no strange entity was draining his life force.
It was as if he were born with a natural deficiency, a frail constitution that had been with him since the womb.
“When I came from the house, I saw someone had left me a message.”
Nan Zhi's tone was casual as her two fingers rested on Nan Yi's wrist, which felt so fragile it seemed it might snap at a touch.
“It looked quite like your handwriting.”
—Her expression remained calm, though she was prepared to strike at any moment.
Since the character Nan Yi had appeared, various “coincidences” had constantly surrounded him.
He possessed a ten-heart favorability that even her biological parents had not reached.
Despite being a mere commoner, he could speak fluently about the affairs of the Demon Suppression Division.
He had wandered into the mountain forest where the tiger-chang resided, yet he had the incredible luck to emerge completely unscathed.
And now, even though she had not yet detected anything strange within the monastery, he was certain that there was a ghost within its walls.
“I left eight characters using soot from the bottom of a pot under the stove.”
Nan Yi leaned against his pillow, a deathly cold indifference rising on his pale face.
He mouthed silently:
【Mayflies shaking a tree, born at dawn and dying at dusk】
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became cold and stagnant, settling into a near-eerie stillness.
Nan Zhi watched Nan Yi silently, her eyes filled with a trace of scrutiny.
Was he playing a pig to eat a tiger, or was there some other hidden story?
She was waiting for an explanation.
“You must be thirsty. Here is some sweet tea that has just cooled down. I even added maltose; it’s nice and sweet. You two siblings loved this most when you were little.”
Chen Jingui was entirely oblivious. Humming a little tune, she poured two bowls of coarse tea and pressed them into their hands.
“Drink up! Didn't you just say you were thirsty? Sister Zhi, half a month ago, Immortal Hua sent someone to deliver quite a few things to our house. There was a bag of brown sugar in there. Once the water boils, I’ll poach two eggs for you... Oh, wait, is there something seriously wrong with Brother Yi’s health?”
She was completely unaware of the confrontation that had just taken place between the two.
“It’s nothing. He likely drained his vitality some time ago. He’ll be fine with some supplements and rest.”
The electricity in Nan Zhi's hand vanished, replaced by a smile as she released Nan Yi's hand.
“Mom, you’ve all lived in the monastery for quite some time now. Are you used to it? When I came by our house, I saw no one was looking after it, and the weeds in the yard have grown quite tall.
I heard a new pork shop opened on the front street. I imagine someone is taking advantage of your and Dad’s absence to openly steal your business!”
“What? Who dares?! I’ll tear his skin off and stuff three zhang of pig bladders into his mouth!”
As expected, Chen Jingui couldn't sit still. The thought of returning home immediately took root.
“Sister Zhi, since we couldn't find you earlier, there was no one at home to consult. I already told your father that this Demon Suppression Monastery is, after all, a place for government officials. It’s not right for us to stay here for nothing; it’ll only cause gossip.
Now that you’re back, I’ll have your father hitch a donkey cart in the next day or two. We two old folks will head back first to get the pork shop running. Since you’re looking after these two, I can rest easy.”
She slapped her thigh as she spoke.
“Don't underestimate the profits of that pork shop. Just from slaughtering pigs and selling meat, we can bring in a hundred coins a day.
And when the hunters and mountain folk come to sell their meat...”
“Alright. I’m busy right now as well, so let’s get things packed so you can leave in a day or two. We don't want any delays on the road to make Dad miss the time for buying pigs.”
Nan Zhi immediately cut Chen Jingui off.
“Brother Yi’s leg is injured, so it’s not convenient for him to move. I’m also busy handling the tasks the monastery head assigned me. When the time comes, I’ll have Sister Ye escort you.”
The mother and daughter settled the matter of leaving in just a few words. Only Nan Yi remained silent, gulping down his tea as if he were truly parched.
“Mom, when you go back this time, don't spend all your time thinking about making money and neglect your health. There’s never enough money to be made.
Look at my eldest sister; she’s an official of the Demon Suppression Division now, so impressive and powerful. And Sister Ye is highly regarded; she has a great future ahead. You might as well hire a young girl or a boy to do the work...”
He turned to chat with Chen Jingui, as if the preceding tension had been nothing more than Nan Zhi's brief hallucination.
Once Nan Dazhuang brought Nan Ye home, the sisters' reunion was even more affectionate.
That night, Chen Jingui prepared a feast of good wine and food. She slaughtered a fat chicken that had been raised for less than a month and bought a carp, half a sheep, a rabbit, and two jars of wine from the Taoist responsible for procurement in the monastery. The family enjoyed a lively and long-awaited reunion dinner.
...
Nan Zhi feared that delays would lead to complications. The next day, she bought a carriage pulled by two horses from the nearest town and packed off the still-drunken Nan Dazhuang and Chen Jingui.
Shen Luohe heard that the Nan family was leaving. Though he was busy beyond measure, he remembered to send a crate of local gifts and specifically assigned a cultivator at the Qi Refinement stage to help drive the carriage.
—Although Nan Zhi didn't know what secrets were hidden in this Demon Suppression Monastery, she decided to get the three of them out first.
As for the consistently strange Nan Yi...
Nan Zhi was somewhat uncertain, so she kept him behind under the pretext of “recuperating from his injuries.”
After all, Huiyuan's accomplices were still in the monastery. If she hurriedly sent away her own brother who was still ill, it would be no different from openly declaring that she had sensed something was wrong.
The only sober one, Nan Ye, didn't understand what was happening and was pushed into the carriage by Nan Zhi in a daze. Seeing Nan Zhi's grave expression, she also grew nervous.
“Eldest Sister, is it...”
Had something major happened?
Otherwise, why would she hurry them away while keeping the truth from their parents?
“Sister Ye, I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll have to trouble you to escort Mom and Dad.”
Nan Zhi glanced at the cultivator Shen Luohe had sent to help move things. She reached out to brush a stray hair from her sister’s ear, her lips moving barely visibly as she leaned in close.
“There is a letter in the bag, and something beneath the letter. This time, do not go home. Follow the official road straight north. Take these beads and go to the Bianjing Demon Suppression Division to seek out a nun named Miaoyun.”
Nan Ye’s eyes widened. In the next second, she felt a weight on her wrist. Reaching out in a panic, she felt a string of beads that were heavy and warm to the touch.
“I have made my own arrangements for the journey. Aside from Hongluo, you must trust no one. Once you reach Bianjing and show these beads, Miaoyun will understand everything.”
Nan Zhi hugged her sister and gently pushed her onto the carriage. The latter bit her lip hard, looked at the increasingly desolate and eerie Demon Suppression Monastery, and nodded vigorously.
“Alright, Eldest Sister. I will go and return quickly. You and Brother Yi must also take care of yourselves.”
“Don't worry, Martial Aunt Nan. I will surely deliver your family safely.”
The young cultivator driving the carriage looked to be only fourteen or fifteen, but his eyes were very sharp. Seeing Nan Zhi nod, he hopped onto the carriage seat and flicked the whip.
“Creeeeeak...”
The two horses snorted, their hooves clopping as the carriage began to move. The wheels turned slowly, and before long, they disappeared at the end of the road.
Sister Ye was always clever; hopefully, she would do as instructed.
Nan Zhi's heart was heavy.
Currently, she could not and dared not trust anyone in this Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery.
Only by sending her family away could she be free of constraints and focus entirely on her battle of wits with Huiyuan.
If she couldn't win, at worst, she would die and reload to try again.
To Nan Zhi, the Nan family members were not game data, nor were they NPCs who were supposed to perish along with Dingyuan.
She hoped that Miaoyun, whom she had only met once, would protect the Nan family for the sake of the Miaoyun Prayer Beads Nan Ye carried.
A great calamity was approaching, and chaos was about to erupt.
She had to keep becoming stronger to protect everything she loved.
Rate on N.U.
