Chapter Thirty-Three: He Must Be Found

Standing at the doorway, Nangong Mei scoffed disdainfully and muttered under her breath, “She’s already at death’s door. Even if she regains consciousness, what difference does it make? It’s nothing but a fleeting return of clarity before death.” Though Nangong Mei believed it was merely a brief respite, she was still anxious that Nangong Xue might truly be recovering.

“It’s all that damned An Qi’s fault. Just wait and see—I won’t let her get away with this,” she grumbled. Leaving a loyal servant to keep watch at the door, Nangong Mei slipped away quietly.

An Qi accepted the tissue Nangong Ye handed her, dabbed the tears from her eyes, and managed a smile. “The person who sold me the talisman kept his head down. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I’m sure he was young. At the time, I was worried I’d wasted my hundred thousand yuan, but I never expected the talisman would actually work.”

Only then did Nangong Ye realize that An Qi had spent a hundred thousand on the talisman. Yet, seeing the results, he thought it was worth every penny—indeed, even a million would not have been too much. Still, when An Qi first risked so much on a talisman of uncertain authenticity, it had been little more than a gamble.

“Cousin, when Xue’er wakes up, I’ll go personally to Baolan Market to find that master and thank him properly,” Nangong Ye said sincerely.

“By the way, he also gave me a protective charm. If the exorcism talisman worked, this one must be genuine too,” An Qi recalled, remembering the protective charm the stranger had gifted her when she bought the first talisman.

Nangong Ye smiled. “Cousin, you should keep it with you. But I hope you never need to use it.”

“I was thinking of giving it to Xue’er.” An Qi opened her shoulder bag, intending to take out the charm and place it beside Nangong Xue.

Before she could retrieve it, Nangong Xue, who’d been unconscious, stirred her fingers slightly. Then her eyes fluttered open, and the dullness usually clouding her gaze was replaced by a spark of vitality and brightness. Seeing Nangong Xue awake, An Qi forgot all about the protective charm.

“Xue’er, you’re finally awake! You nearly scared me to death.” An Qi propped the pillow at the head of the bed, gently helping Nangong Xue to sit up, her tone soft with concern.

Now fully aware, Nangong Xue spoke in a gentle voice, “Cousin, what happened to me? I felt as though something had taken control of my body, and then I fell into endless darkness. I kept walking and walking, and it seemed I would never reach the end…”

“Just now, a pale golden lightning bolt appeared in the darkness, tearing it apart. I saw the light, saw the way out, and then I woke up.” As she spoke, her face was filled with fear—she never wanted to return to that endless night.

An Qi comforted her, “Silly girl, it’s all over now. What you need to do is rest and recover, and then we’ll go together and thank that master.”

Nangong Ye wanted to ask his sister what had happened before her strange illness, but, seeing she had just awakened, he held back his questions, not wanting to upset her.

“Xue’er, when Mom and Dad hear you’re awake, they’ll be overjoyed,” Nangong Ye said with a smile.

Nangong Xue mischievously blinked and grinned. “But aren’t you happy too, now that I’m awake?”

She was even joking. It seemed his beloved sister truly was on the mend. Relieved, Nangong Ye laughed, “Of course I’m happy! Are you hungry? I’ll have someone make you some porridge.”

“I’m starving! I feel like I could eat a whole cow,” Nangong Xue said, clutching her stomach and licking her lips, looking every bit the adorable little glutton.

Her antics drew laughter from everyone present.

Nangong Xue’s recovery brought great joy to all, but none noticed the faint black mist lingering at her brow. Though barely perceptible, it was steadily growing, and even Nangong Xue herself was unaware of it.

After eating some porridge, Nangong Xue’s strength returned considerably. Although still thin, her complexion was rosy again and her breathing much improved. According to the family doctor, a month of rest would see her fully restored.

By six o’clock that evening, An Qi, who had spent the afternoon chatting with Nangong Xue, noticed the hour growing late. She rose to her feet. “It’s getting late. I should go. Rest well, and I’ll visit you again tomorrow.”

Nangong Xue nodded and tried to rise to see An Qi out. She had barely sat up when her body refused to obey. Her vision darkened, and she collapsed.

An Qi was terrified and immediately called for Nangong Ye and the others.

Upon hearing the news, Nangong Ye rushed over with the family doctor. The moment he entered, he saw his sister—who had seemed fine just moments before—lying unconscious.

“Hurry up and check her! Find out what’s wrong!” Nangong Ye shouted at the doctor.

After ten minutes of examination, the private physician, holding the diagnostic report, was left gaping in astonishment.

Before the doctor could speak, the anxious Nangong Ye snatched the report and stared at the unfamiliar figures, momentarily stunned. Over the years, he had learned enough from the doctor to understand some of the results.

The report showed that Nangong Xue’s condition was deteriorating again, her body slipping once more into decline.

“How is this possible? She was just fine!” Nangong Ye bellowed, flinging the report to the floor in anger.

An Qi fell into deep thought. How could this happen? Had she made some mistake? No, she had carefully recorded every important detail; there should not have been any error. Forcing herself to calm down, she tried to recall exactly what the talisman seller had said.

Suddenly, it came to her. When she paid, the man had mentioned, “Don’t worry, miss, it’s well worth the price. Just remember, the talisman isn’t of the highest grade, so the effects may not be pronounced. Of course, mine is far more effective than those mere imitations.”

Yes, those were his words. He had meant that the exorcism talisman was not especially powerful and might not be a permanent cure.

Thinking back over what had happened, An Qi became certain: the exorcism talisman had healed her cousin, but not completely. The strange illness had returned.

She shared her thoughts with Nangong Ye.

On hearing this, Nangong Ye barked, “Send people to Baolan City to find that master. Pass on my orders—every business under the family name must halt operations today. Everyone is to go out and search for him!”

Frightened, the servants hurried out. Only once they’d left did it occur to them that while they could search, they had no idea whom they were looking for. Yet, not daring to return and ask, they headed to Baolan City to find the talisman seller, planning to bring everyone back for the young master to identify.

After giving his orders, Nangong Ye turned to An Qi. “Cousin, only that master can save Xue’er now. We must find him.”

An Qi nodded. “I’ll go too, since I’m the only one who’s seen him.” With that, she left the room.

The servant assigned by Nangong Mei to monitor An Qi, seeing her leave, hurriedly ducked aside and sent a text message to Nangong Mei.