Chapter 2: The Attitude of Seeking Help

Master said that the evil spirit from eight years ago had not yet departed, and even with his cultivation, it was difficult to subdue it.

When she first arrived in the capital of the Dao, she kept a low profile, opening a small apothecary and working as a modest healer.

After sending off the elderly woman, Yun Qing exhaled softly, stepped into the inner room, and stretched her arms lazily.

Today, only one last customer remained.

She pulled out the straight, smoky blue hairpin from her hair and gazed at the apricot blossom that bloomed at its tip. Playfully, she said, “Father, today you’ve changed the flower again. I still haven’t had enough of yesterday’s pear blossoms.”

The hairpin glowed faintly blue at her voice, and a gentle laugh echoed from within it. “Alright, alright, Qing’er likes pear blossoms, so Father will become a pear blossom. Father hopes Qing’er will have a new hairpin every day, so no one will say she can only afford one.”

With those words, the apricot blossom on the hairpin transformed into a pear blossom.

Hearing this, Yun Qing chuckled softly. “Father truly loves me the most!”

Eight years ago, when Yun Qing first came to the temple, she learned of the massacre at the Marquis’s mansion, and the temple was filled with cries and turmoil.

At that time, her master gave her a smoky blue hairpin. For some reason, upon seeing it, she felt a deep sense of comfort.

The hairpin was imbued with spiritual energy and changed into a different flower each day; she cherished it dearly.

It was only three years into her cultivation that she unexpectedly heard the voice of her father, Sheng Yuting, emanating from the hairpin. She then learned that on the day her master went to the Marquis’s mansion to suppress the evil energy, his power was insufficient, and he nearly perished there.

Before escaping, he saw a faint remnant of Sheng Yuting’s spirit lingering and used magic to seal all the remaining fragments of his soul into the jade hairpin.

When Yun Qing’s cultivation reached a certain level, she finally heard Sheng Yuting’s words from the hairpin.

Her father urged her to be strong and constantly found ways to cheer her up. With his comfort and encouragement, she had been able to persevere until now.

“Father, rest assured. I will surely restore our Marquis’s mansion! I will drive out all those villains and evil spirits!” Yun Qing promised earnestly.

“Father believes in you! Keep it up, Qing’er!” Sheng Yuting always encouraged her with vigor.

She glanced at the time on the hourglass and said, “Father, I have to get busy now. You rest well.”

“Good daughter, go on and tend to your tasks.”

Yun Qing nodded and placed the jade hairpin into the sacred water held in a golden basin.

After a moment, she lifted the curtain and stepped outside, where a man stood by the wide-open door.

He was tall and slender, his long hair held up by a purple jade crown waving in the breeze. He wore a dark purple robe embroidered with layers of peonies in subtle patterns. His sharply angled long eyebrows slanted toward his temples, and his obsidian-like phoenix eyes were captivating. Beneath his straight nose, his thin lips were tightly pressed, and his complexion was somewhat pale.

This was Ye Wang, Ye Jincheng—the fake fiancé.

Half a month ago, Yun Qing had a prophetic dream that Ye Jincheng would come to the Marquis’s mansion today to discuss their marriage.

Initially, he thought Sheng Jintang was unsuitable and wanted to cancel the alliance, but after seeing her distributing porridge kindly at the mansion gate and witnessing her gentle and pure smile, he changed his mind. From that day on, the marriage was arranged.

Yun Qing would never let that scheming woman have an easy time.

His long, well-defined hand gripped the doorframe tightly; the other clutched his chest as he said, “Yun Qing, give me medicine!”

Yun Qing lifted the corner of her lips lightly. The only reason Ye Jincheng had been intercepted by her halfway was because the medicinal pills she had given him before would only last until today.

She leisurely fanned herself and strolled over to Ye Jincheng, smiling as if enjoying the spectacle. “Is this the attitude of a prince begging for help?”

“If you don’t give me medicine, I’ll tear down your clinic!” Ye Jincheng growled angrily, veins bulging on his forehead.

“Do you dare!” Yun Qing was not one to be trifled with. Everyone who came to the Three Lives Hall had received her kindness and treated her with utmost respect.

Only this ill-fated prince was cold, sullen, and foul-tempered. If it weren’t for Sheng Jintang’s liking for him, she wouldn’t have bothered to associate with this enemy.

With a sharp “snap,” she slapped her fan down on the nearby table. Before she could feign dismissal, his long fingers had already seized her neck and pinned her against the wall.

The swift move caught Yun Qing off guard. She had sent Su Lan, a martial expert, undercover into the Marquis’s mansion to gather information. Now, only she remained in the clinic.

She swallowed nervously. Could this man be trying to strangle her?

“I warn you, if I die, there’ll be no one to heal you…” Yun Qing threatened.

Before she could finish, Ye Jincheng bent down and covered her lips.

The warm, soft sensation was surprisingly novel. Yun Qing froze for a moment, cheeks flushing crimson.

As he drew closer, a pungent fragrance filled her nostrils. Yun Qing came to her senses and noticed a peach-pink mist emanating from him.

“It’s the seductive spirit… Ye Jincheng, when did you get involved with this?!” She grit her teeth, questioning him, only to have him silence her lips again.

Seeing his breath grow erratic and his clothes beginning to slip, she bit her lip in anger, pulling a talisman from her sleeve and pressing it onto him.

Ye Jincheng stopped moving, his consciousness fading, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

Yun Qing straightened her clothes, then stepped over him and closed the wide-open door. Squatting down, she slapped his face several times.

“Dare to be so lewd to me! What kind of nonsense is this? If anyone saw this, what would happen to my reputation! Is it gone or not?”

Seeing the handsome face marked with several slap prints, she finally placed her hands on her hips and breathed heavily.

If he hadn’t been possessed by the seductive spirit, at the very least, she would have dragged him to the backyard and buried him alive for what he did!

Truly outrageous!

A cold, eerie wind howled through the room. Yun Qing twirled her fingers, and from thin air, a red silk thread appeared in her hand. Bound to the thread was the pink-hued evil spirit.

“Audacious fiend, who sent you here?” she demanded.

The seductive spirit struggled stubbornly against the red silk bindings. Yun Qing narrowed her eyes. “If you don’t speak, then die!”

She could figure it out anyway.

She tightened the red thread and traced a talisman toward the spirit. A gust of wind pushed it away; the spirit howled and exploded in midair, vanishing without a trace.

With calm restored, Yun Qing sat down, sweating profusely.

If Ye Jincheng hadn’t come to the Three Lives Hall first and had gone directly to the Marquis’s mansion, after witnessing Sheng Jintang’s kindness and growing fond of her, they might have become close.

A lone man and woman, kindred spirits, aided by a seductive spirit…

“That shameless green tea, that’s how she became the princess consort! Absolutely disgraceful! Ugh!” Yun Qing placed her hands on her hips, fuming as she vented about Sheng Jintang’s despicable behavior.

To calm herself, she took the pre-prepared medicinal pills from her sleeve and moved closer to Ye Jincheng’s side.