Chapter Thirty-Two: The Miraculous Talisman

Among the four great families of Yunhai City, the Nangong clan possessed moderate strength, yet it teetered on the brink of decline, for it was the most sparsely populated of them all. The core members numbered fewer than ten. The elder generation had already passed away, leaving only Nangong Zhenyu and Nangong Yukun among their seniors.

Nangong Zhenyu had two children: Nangong Ye and Nangong Xue. Nangong Yukun had only one daughter, Nangong Mei. Should Nangong Xue die, only Nangong Ye and Nangong Mei would remain to divide the family inheritance. Of course, if Nangong Ye could be eliminated or rendered powerless, Nangong Mei would become the sole legitimate heir of the Nangong family.

Yet, throughout the years, Nangong Mei had never found the opportunity to remove Nangong Ye. Among the younger generation of the four great families, Nangong Ye was the most capable—a true leader among his peers. Nangong Ye loathed Nangong Mei to his core, but for the sake of the family’s dwindling numbers, he endured her time and again, unwilling to break the fragile kinship.

“Blood is thicker than water, Nangong Mei! Xue’er is your cousin—do you truly wish for her death?” Nangong Ye roared, his voice thick with frustration and anger. “Get out now. I don’t want to see you.”

Nangong Mei snorted coldly, unperturbed. “All this fuss and the squandering of family resources for someone half-dead. At this rate, the family will soon be ruined by your hands.” She dared not break with Nangong Ye entirely; after all, he was the first heir and formidable in his own right.

So Nangong Mei left the room, but did not go far. She lingered at the doorway, keeping a close watch—afraid that Nangong Xue might, against all expectation, recover.

“Someone, prepare a sedative for Miss Xue. Mind the dosage. And be careful—if she struggles, don’t let her get hurt,” Nangong Ye instructed in a low voice.

The family’s private physician, already prepared, signaled to two nurses to hold Nangong Xue’s arms and settle her gently onto the bed. The nurses, practiced in such tasks, worked deftly, employing subtle restraining techniques. No matter how violently Nangong Xue struggled, she could not break free.

The doctor administered the injection. Within five minutes, the sedative took effect. Once the nurses released her, Nangong Xue collapsed weakly onto the bed, her eyelids drooping as though she might fall asleep at any moment.

The doctor spoke: “Young Master, the eldest Miss’s condition is worsening. Each time we use a sedative, the dosage must be increased. Her body has developed resistance. As things stand, the drug’s effect will last no more than an hour. Furthermore, I suggest we minimize use of sedatives from now on. Her body is extremely weak; her organs are failing…”

Nangong Ye understood all too well that Nangong Xue’s illness was beyond hope. Yet what could he do?

“Prepare for emergency resuscitation,” he instructed. If the talisman Angel was about to use proved ineffective, the doctor would have to intervene, at least to manage the side effects of the sedative.

The doctor nodded, unaware of what was to come.

Once all was arranged, Nangong Ye gave Angel a nod, signaling her to begin.

Angel, with great care, drew a silk scarf from her satchel, unwrapped it, and produced an exorcism talisman. Now, standing less than a meter from Nangong Xue, she felt the talisman tremble slightly in her hand.

At the appearance of the talisman, Nangong Xue—though semi-conscious from the sedative—reacted like a startled cat. She sprang upright on the bed, baring her teeth and letting out a hoarse, animalistic growl at Angel. The sudden transformation startled Angel greatly.

Nangong Ye immediately called the nurses to restrain Nangong Xue and tied her gently but securely to the bed with soft cotton rope.

“What is happening?” Nangong Ye turned to the private physician. No one present expected the talisman to be the cause.

The doctor thought for a moment. “The only plausible explanation is that Miss Xue’s drug resistance is even more severe than we imagined. By the way, what is that Miss Angel is holding? Is it a spirit talisman?”

Angel nodded. “I bought this from an expert at the Sapphire Market. I don’t know if it will work, but I want to try—there’s nothing to lose.” For reasons she could not explain, holding the talisman calmed her heart.

The doctor’s eyes betrayed a trace of disdain. These heirs of noble families, all educated to the highest standards, and yet so superstitious! If modern medicine could not cure it, how could they hope a worthless scrap of paper would save a life so far gone? It was laughable. Still, he dared not speak openly—offending the family could cost him his position. To be a private physician for one of the four great families brought a generous salary; countless doctors would give anything to serve the Nangong family.

“Young Master, forgive my boldness, but this sort of thing is unlikely to help. Why not let me treat Miss Xue directly—counteract the sedative, and then administer a high-protein injection to boost her strength?” The doctor hoped to reassert his own importance.

Nangong Ye shook his head, rejecting the suggestion. Years of failed treatments had eroded his faith. Now, with even a glimmer of hope for his sister’s recovery, he would not let it pass.

Angel withdrew a fruit knife from her bag. To the astonishment of all, she cut her finger and let her blood drip onto the talisman. Instantly, the talisman emitted a faint golden glow—fleeting, yet Angel was sure she saw it. Excited, she turned to Nangong Ye. “Did you see that?”

Nangong Ye, puzzled by her action, only shook his head. “See what?”

“The talisman glowed! Didn’t you all see it?” Angel asked.

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

“Are you sure you weren’t imagining things?” Nangong Ye pressed.

Angel was adamant. “I’m absolutely certain.”

Without further word, Angel tossed the talisman onto Nangong Xue, silently reciting the first word of the Nine-Syllable Mantra: “Lin!”

The talisman drifted down, and as it touched Nangong Xue, it burst into flame, reduced in an instant to a heap of ash. In that fleeting moment, Angel glimpsed a faint golden light vanish into Nangong Xue’s body—gone in the blink of an eye.

Naturally, no one else saw it.

Angel believed it was her own blood on the talisman that allowed her to witness the phenomenon. This convinced her that the talisman was genuine.

The instant the exorcism talisman turned to ash, everyone was left in shock. But to their eyes, the spectacle was all that happened—the talisman had no apparent effect, and if anything, seemed only to agitate Nangong Xue further.

Her eyes now blood-red, Nangong Xue growled like a beast, straining violently against her bonds. The cotton rope, though soft, was sturdy enough that even an adult man would struggle to break free—but under Nangong Xue’s wild thrashing, several strands snapped.

Nangong Mei, who had been watching with her heart in her throat, feared Nangong Xue might recover. But seeing her break free and act like a wild animal, Mei relaxed, a trace of smug satisfaction curling her lips.

The doctor quickly ordered the nurses to restrain Nangong Xue, but the two women who had once subdued her with ease now found themselves powerless. Nangong Xue, transformed, broke her bonds with a few powerful jerks, knocked the nurses aside, and lunged toward Angel.

Moments before, Angel and Nangong Ye had been filled with hope at the talisman’s reaction; now, despair overwhelmed them. Angel did not even try to dodge—she simply watched as Nangong Xue charged at her…

When Nangong Xue was but a meter away, she suddenly halted, staring intently at Angel. The red in her eyes faded, returning to normal. “Cousin…” she murmured. With that, Nangong Xue collapsed to the floor.

“It worked! She called me cousin!” Angel cried, swept from despair to elation in an instant. She knelt and embraced Nangong Xue.

Nangong Ye shouted, “Doctor, check her, now!”

The doctor was too stunned to react at first, but at Nangong Ye’s command, he quickly had the nurses lift Nangong Xue onto the bed and began the examination.

Nangong Ye supported Angel at the bedside as they watched over the unconscious Nangong Xue in silence.

After ten minutes of tests, the doctor stared at the results in astonishment, unable to believe his eyes. The equipment was state-of-the-art; surely, there was no error. Nevertheless, he ordered a second round of tests. Only after the same results appeared did he accept the truth of what he held.

“Well? Speak! Don’t just stand there!” Nangong Ye and Angel cried anxiously, their hearts in their throats after seeing the doctor’s shock and his insistence on retesting.

With a grave expression, the doctor finally announced, “Young Master, Miss Angel, a miracle has indeed occurred. According to the examination, all of Miss Xue’s vital indicators have improved significantly, and her neural activity has returned to normal.”

Tears welled in Angel’s eyes. Choking with emotion, she said, “I knew Xue’er had recovered—she called me cousin before she fainted.”