The old matriarch surely wouldn't forget the "that woman" Mianmian mentioned.
"What on earth? Why bring up that woman? Such a bad omen!"
"Old Matriarch, don't you remember? Back then, to suppress that woman's malevolence, we followed the master's advice and built this Buddhist hall. Now, the second young mistress has suddenly gone mad without any warning. It's really quite unusual."
The old matriarch finally stopped scolding Mianmian. She even felt a cold, eerie wind blowing out from the ancestral hall, creeping densely into her collar.
It was truly creepy here.
The old matriarch decided to return to Cihua Courtyard to discuss the matter further.
After the old matriarch and her entourage left, Caixue, who had been eavesdropping at the door, stepped back and pulled Zhao Luoning aside to discuss.
"Miss, who is the woman they're talking about?"
Zhao Luoning shook her head.
"Since Hongshao left, few people have told me about the Jifu's past. When you have time, Caixue, go and ask someone about it."
It wasn't that Zhao Luoning was being nosy. It was a habit she had developed in the business world. Any bit of gossip could be the key to defeating her opponents.
Now, both Mrs. Ji and the old matriarch were almost on the opposite side of her.
Of course, she had to find out what the old matriarch was afraid of.
Caixue nodded in agreement.
Cihua Courtyard
"Old Matriarch, how about we send the second young mistress to Zhaoming Temple first? Let the abbot of Zhaoming Temple help dissolve the malevolence of 'that woman' in her. Then, we can invite someone to perform a ritual. If the Buddhist hall doesn't work, we can invite a Taoist priest. There must be a way to suppress her, right?"
"Let's give it a try. If it still doesn't work, we'll have to invite Master Kongliao down the mountain."
The old matriarch rubbed her forehead wearily. Just thinking about the continuous turmoil in the mansion recently made her feel ill at ease.
Mianmian nodded and was about to give the order when the old matriarch stopped her and added,
"Go and invite the mistress here."
Mianmian was taken aback. She had originally wanted to say a few good words for the mistress, but seeing the old matriarch's obviously bad complexion, she didn't want to add to her troubles. So, she obediently went to pass the message.
...
The Main Gate of Jifu
Before Zhao Luoning could figure out what was going on, she received an order from the old matriarch to go up the mountain.
She thought Ji Shisu had finally agreed to let her go. She was wondering why he was going back on his word.
Unexpectedly, just as she got into the sedan chair, Ji Shisu, who had heard the news, showed up and tried to stop the carriage like a mantis trying to block a chariot.
The coachman quickly pulled on the reins with all his might. The horse neighed and turned its head to the left, barely avoiding Ji Shisu.
Inside the carriage, Zhao Luoning and Caixue were jolted around by the sudden movement. It took a while for the horse to calm down. Caixue quickly lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage to see what had happened.
Just as everyone was still in shock, Ji Shisu's angry roar came from beside the carriage.
"Who gave you permission to send her out of the mansion without my consent?"
Ji Shisu scolded the servants and tried to get into the carriage to pull Zhao Luoning out, but he was stopped by the servant sitting in front of the carriage.
The servant pulled Ji Shisu out of the carriage. After his mood had calmed down a bit, he explained to him,
"Second Master, you've misunderstood. No one is trying to send the second young mistress away. She's just going to Zhaoming Temple to meditate for a few days. She'll come back naturally when things are over."
Both Ji Shisu and Zhao Luoning were taken aback.
They both silently asked the same question in their minds.
Meditate? For what?
Seeing that Ji Shisu still didn't understand, the servant had to pull him aside and tell him the whole story.
After hearing the story, Ji Shisu was still skeptical.
"Really? You're not lying to me?"
The servant was a bit annoyed. This second master could be really stubborn and driving people crazy.
"If the second master doesn't believe me, you can go and ask the old matriarch. If I say a single false word, I'll come to the second master for punishment myself after sending the second young mistress back."
Ji Shisu still had his doubts, but he thought that since it was the old matriarch's decision, she must have thought it through carefully.
Thinking this way, he pushed aside the servant and walked directly to the sedan chair. He lifted the curtain and roared at Zhao Luoning, who was sitting inside expressionlessly with a blank look in her eyes.
"Don't even think about running away. When I've finished dealing with my business, I'll go to Zhaoming Temple and watch you myself."
Zhao Luoning felt cold sweat dripping down her forehead. What on earth was Ji Shisu trying to do?
Did he think of her as something? Watching her?
At that moment, she had an illusion - Ji Shisu's expression seemed as if he wanted to tie her to his side with a rope and take her everywhere with him to feel at ease.
After delaying for about a stick of incense time, Ji Shisu finally agreed to let her go.
The carriage bumped along the road.
Zhao Luoning was puzzled. Didn't Ji Shisu understand her intentions?
It shouldn't be!
So, it seemed that Ji Shisu was just pretending to be stupid and being a nuisance.
Zhao Luoning sat up straight.
She wasn't in a hurry. Let's see who could outlast the other!
Not long after Zhao Luoning left, the old matriarch indeed invited a Taoist priest. He set up an altar in front of the Buddhist hall and mumbled incantations for a long time.
No one understood what he was drawing on the yellow paper or what he was chanting.
Finally, they clearly heard the Taoist priest, who was said to be the most powerful mage in the area, shout, "Done!"
Then, a puff of smoke rose from the altar. Before anyone could figure out what was going on, the Taoist priest was already packing up his magical tools.
"Master, is that it?"
The old matriarch seemed a bit incredulous and stepped forward to ask. Unexpectedly, the Taoist priest replied while packing up the talismans,
"Of course, this isn't enough. It was right for you to use the Buddhist hall, but you were just missing a person. That's why she keeps causing trouble.
That's also the reason why such a big Buddhist hall can't suppress this vengeful spirit.
Just now, I calculated with my fingers. This fated person is among your descendants.
I trouble you, Old Matriarch, to think carefully. Among your younger generations, who has the strongest affinity with Buddhism? As long as you let that person move in, I guarantee that your family will be peaceful and free from evil spirits in the future."
The Taoist priest's words gave the old matriarch confidence, so she asked further,
"We've been in business for generations. I haven't seen anyone with a strong affinity for Buddhism. Please calculate more carefully, Master."
Among the maids, there was obviously someone who didn't believe him. Mianmian was one of them. She saw the Taoist priest fiddling around for a long time and achieving nothing. She didn't understand what he was doing and thought he was just trying to deceive them. So, she whispered to Mujin,
"This is clearly a fraud. He's a Taoist priest. How could he know anything about Buddhism?"
Unexpectedly, these words reached the Taoist priest's ears. He was furious and retorted,
"Miss, your words are too narrow-minded. Taoism and Buddhism are like one family. A true practitioner naturally doesn't distinguish between sects.
Since you don't believe me, Miss, I'll calculate who this fated person is right now. If such evil spirits appear again in the future, just come and find me."
Although the old matriarch thought Mianmian had spoken out of turn, if it weren't for Mianmian's provocation, the Taoist priest might still be keeping them in suspense. So, she didn't scold Mianmian and just watched to see what the Taoist priest would do.
The Taoist priest shook his head and chanted a long incantation again. Then, after calculating with his fingers, he asked,
"Among your grandsons, is there anyone who is currently living in a nunnery or a Buddhist hall? If so, that person is the one."
Living in a nunnery or a Buddhist hall?
Almost at the same time, everyone thought of someone.