Ning Yitao and Zhaocai waited for Duan Qinghuai and Duan Yushu, who were supporting Uncle Cao.
Both brothers had panda eyes under their eyes. Duan Yushu couldn't stop yawning.
Duan Yushu felt like his upper and lower eyelids were fighting. He was extremely exhausted. He hadn't adjusted to the time difference yet, and he'd stayed up all night. He could fall asleep immediately if he closed his eyes.
When Duan Qinghuai saw Ning Yitao, he immediately wanted to send Duan Yushu away. He was afraid that Ning Yitao's attention would be drawn to his elder brother again.
Duan Qinghuai turned to Duan Yushu and said considerately,
"Brother, go to sleep first. I'll take Uncle Cao back."
Before Duan Qinghuai could finish his sentence, he felt a heavy weight on his shoulder. Duan Yushu resolutely dumped the sleeping Uncle Cao on him and staggered towards his room.
Duan Yushu was too sleepy to think. He didn't want to figure out why Duan Qinghuai was suddenly being so kind. He just wanted to sleep.
Ning Yitao stepped forward to help Duan Qinghuai support Uncle Cao. She glanced at Uncle Cao, who was either in a deep sleep or unconscious, and asked, "How is he?"
Speaking of this, there was full of confusion in Duan Qinghuai's eyes. Recalling last night's situation, he frowned and said,
"It's very strange. When you just left, Uncle Cao lay still on the bed. But in the middle of the night, for some reason, his movements were very strange. He was dancing on the bed like some kind of sacrificial dance."
"Brother Yushu and I called him, but he just stared straight at the ceiling. We couldn't stop him. It took a long time for him to stop."
Zhaocai chattered on the side,
"There must be something in that room, and it's more powerful than me."
Ning Yitao didn't say anything else. She evaded the main point and replied,
"Take Uncle Cao back first. Later, I'll give you a lock. Lock that storage room with the new lock."
Ning Yitao's expression was enigmatic. No one knew what she was thinking.
When Ning Yitao and Duan Qinghuai were sending Uncle Cao to the gate, she suddenly stopped and grabbed Duan Qinghuai, who was still walking forward.
Duan Qinghuai was stunned and asked, "What's wrong?"
No one expected that Ning Yitao suddenly reached out her hand to Zhaocai's mouth.
Ning Yitao didn't say a word, but Zhaocai immediately knew what she wanted.
Zhaocai obediently opened his mouth and spat out a triangular glass bead. This was a container for storing souls that had been passed down in the sect.
Ning Yitao neatly made this into a pendant and put it around Uncle Cao's neck.
Zhaocai proudly explained to Duan Qinghuai,
"This is a unique technique passed down from our Tianxuan Sect. It can not only store souls but also stabilize them. So you don't have to worry about him running around."
Ning Yitao nodded in agreement,
"Uncle Cao often goes to that storage room because he is attracted by something inside. His soul is not stable, and his yang energy is insufficient, so he is easily bewitched."
Just as she finished speaking,
A gust of wind blew. Ning Yitao looked at the surface of the pond beside them.
The sun was slanting, and the light clouds were unfurling. They were like colorful sleeves gently caressing the mountain tops. Crows cawed in the treetops, and the willows were gilded. The evening wind ruffled the water surface like a bronze mirror.
The golden sunlight poured down layer by layer, dyeing the sky with orange ripples.
The rolling clouds inlaid with wavy golden lines were like the goddesses in the Dunhuang murals. They were pious and radiant. All the waves were looking towards the east. The golden light of the rising sun was gradually spreading and gently shining on Uncle Cao.
Uncle Cao's pale and thin face showed some vitality under the sunlight.
Ning Yitao stared at Uncle Cao's face. His eyelids were trembling, as if he was about to wake up.
Ning Yitao squinted at the sun that hadn't fully risen yet. After thinking for a moment, she said to Duan Qinghuai,
"Accompany Uncle Cao to a place with good sunlight and stay there until noon. He will wake up. You stay with him. There is quite a bit of yin energy on both of you. Get rid of the yin energy together. It will be less likely for you to be harassed by little ghosts."
Duan Qinghuai naturally understood the implication of her words. There was confusion in his eyes. He asked, "Are you going back to the Sanhua Taoist Temple alone?"
All he could think about was that Ning Yitao was going to abandon him. Duan Qinghuai pitifully added another sentence, urgently saying,
"It's so remote here. You'll definitely get lost. And you haven't even fully figured out how to use a smartphone yet. Are you sure you don't need me to accompany you?"
Seeing Duan Qinghuai's panicked look, Ning Yitao smiled and said,
"Are you looking down on me? Don't worry. Xie Qian is waiting for me at the gate now. She's here to pick me up to the airport. The next episode of "Spirit Battle" is about to start."
Duan Qinghuai knew that Ning Yitao didn't mean to leave him on purpose. But when he heard about the "Spirit Battle" program, he couldn't help but lower his head. He had a high nose bridge, and his bangs naturally hung down, half covering his long, dark eyes. His eyelashes were upturned.
Duan Qinghuai was worried. Thinking of the danger they encountered in the castle last time, he uneasily admonished,
"Be careful this time. Never let your guard down."
Ning Yitao lifted her lips and smiled. The smile on the corner of her mouth was so shallow and faint, like a feather floating lightly, falling into Duan Qinghuai's eyes.
"Wait for me to come back with the championship."
The young girl smiled brightly and warmly under the rising sun. Duan Qinghuai watched her back as she walked away...
*******
As soon as Ning Yitao reached the gate of the villa area, she saw two figures, one tall and one short, from afar.
When she got closer, she saw clearly who it was.
It was Xie Qian and Di Sumu. No, he had changed his name and bid farewell to the past. His name was now Xie Sumu.
Xie Qian, who had found her child again, finally got rid of the burdens that had been weighing on her heart for so many years. She was suddenly enlightened, and she was like a pearl that had been covered in dust, shining brightly again.
Now, even without Di Yong, she could live a good life with Xie Sumu on her own.
If it weren't for Di Yong and his family's harassment, Xie Qian thought she would definitely be happier.
Ning Yitao got into the car directly. As soon as Xie Qian got into the car, Ning Yitao said the first thing to her, "Don't be soft-hearted."
Xie Qian knew what she was referring to. When Di Yong first came to her, seeing him without his legs, Xie Qian couldn't help but feel heartache.
After so many years of relationship, he was like an inseparable part of her family. She couldn't help but care about him. But she also knew.
Di Yong came to her now only because he had no money and no job. He could only rely on his parents, and his parents had also broken their bones and were hospitalized.
Di Yong had almost spent all his savings to save his own life and installed prosthetics.
But he didn't pay the medical expenses for his parents. It was Xie Qian who secretly went to the hospital to check on their situation. Feeling sorry for the old people, she softened her heart and paid the medical expenses to cure them.
Otherwise, the two old people would have been paralyzed in bed and unable to move.
But the three of them only harassed Xie Qian's life. She couldn't bear to call the police.
But a poisonous snake would always bite back. It was time for this story of the farmer and the snake to end.
Xie Qian replied seriously,
"I know. I'll solve this matter properly."
Ning Yitao said earnestly, "It's time for you to break away from your current life and start a new one."
Just when they thought this topic was over, Xie Sumu said in a muffled voice to defend his mother, "Sister, don't talk about my mother like that."
Xie Qian quickly explained to Xie Sumu, afraid that Ning Yitao would be angry. She said anxiously,
"Quickly apologize to sister. Sister was just helping mom. Have you forgotten? It was this sister who saved you."
Ning Yitao didn't care what they said. She just carefully examined Xie Sumu, who she hadn't seen for a few days. She nodded in satisfaction and praised Xie Qian,
"You've done a good job. His soul is much more stable now. Remember to take him to bask in the sun more often and go to places with a lot of people. The yang energy there is strong."
Instead, Zhaocai jumped out and started arguing with this kid who looked about the same age as him.
Ning Yitao didn't hear what Xie Qian and Zhaocai were saying. Her attention was attracted by a stack of documents in the car. She reached out and picked them up.