Yun Qingqing ignored Divine Doctor Tang’s questioning, swiftly drawing a yellow talisman with a few brushstrokes and slapping it onto Madam Yun’s forehead with a crisp “smack.”
“Hey! You stubborn girl, why won’t you listen…” Divine Doctor Tang couldn’t stop her in time, clicking his tongue in frustration.
But before his words fully faded, he suddenly saw the yellow talisman scorch without any fire, instantly turning into ashes and dissipating into the air!
A bone-chilling, mournful shriek suddenly echoed through the room, causing everyone present to shudder.
Seeing the mass of black energy surge upward, Yun Qingqing swiftly formed a hand seal and pointed toward the sky, shouting sharply:
“Purify!”
A golden glow, invisible to ordinary people, spread from her fingertips, enveloping the black energy and purifying it completely in moments!
“Look quickly! Madam’s breathing has stabilized!” Nanny Zhao exclaimed joyfully.
Everyone immediately turned to the bed and indeed saw that Madam Yun, who had previously been barely breathing, now had a steady rise and fall in her chest, and her complexion visibly improved.
“She’s fine now. She’ll wake up within an hour at the latest. Nanny Zhao, go prepare some light porridge. Make sure to oversee it personally and don’t let anyone else handle it.”
“Yes! Right away!” Nanny Zhao hurriedly agreed and left the room.
Divine Doctor Tang stepped forward in shock to check Madam Yun’s pulse again, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“This… she’s truly saved?”
Yun Qingqing wiped the fine sweat from her temple and glanced at him, suddenly frowning again.
“Hmm? You are shrouded in black clouds, destined to have no descendants! But from what I see, you clearly…”
“How dare you speak like that, cursing me like this! How can someone so young be so malicious!” Divine Doctor Tang’s expression darkened as he angrily retorted.
Old Master Yun’s face also turned grim as he said sternly:
“Qingqing, Divine Doctor Tang is highly respected. He likely didn’t intentionally refuse to treat your mother. How can you speak to him like that?”
Just then, a young servant rushed in from outside, heading straight for Divine Doctor Tang and urgently saying:
“Master, something terrible has happened! Young Master… he accidentally fell into the water. When he was rescued, he… he had already stopped breathing!”
Divine Doctor Tang was horrified. Without even grabbing his medicine box, he turned and ran outside!
“Wait!” Yun Qingqing called out loudly to stop him. “You clearly aren’t destined to have no descendants. There’s something strange about this!”
Divine Doctor Tang halted in his tracks, turning back to look at Yun Qingqing with uncertainty, then glanced at Madam Yun on the bed before dropping to his knees with a thud!
“I beg you, esteemed master, to guide me and save my son’s life! I only have this one son!”
Yun Qingqing pulled him up and pressed the freshly drawn yellow talisman into his hand, instructing:
“You’ve been afflicted with a sterility curse. Take this talisman. In a sealed room, allow no one but your son and yourself to enter. Burn this talisman, and he will naturally recover from danger.”
“But you must strictly follow my instructions. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
Divine Doctor Tang thanked her profusely before hurrying away with the talisman.
Old Master Yun was dumbfounded and asked with some concern:
“Qingqing, this… are you really confident you can save his son?”
Yun Qingqing replied calmly:
“It’s just some low-level trickery. As long as he doesn’t act on his own and follows my instructions, everything will be fine.”
Old Master Yun wanted to say more, but Yun Qingqing rubbed her temples and said:
“Grandfather, my mother still needs quite a few medicinal herbs to fully recover. I have a list here—could you please send someone to prepare them? I’m a bit tired and would like to stay here quietly with my mother for a while.”
Seeing her weary expression and the still-damp white clothes she wore, Old Master Yun quickly nodded, urging her to rest well. He took the prescription and left.
In another courtyard of the Yun Estate.
Without warning, Second Madam Liu spat out a mouthful of black blood.
“Ah! Second Madam, what’s wrong? I’ll go fetch a physician right away…” The young maid was terrified and immediately ran toward the door.
Second Madam’s pale face showed a hint of panic as she shouted:
“Get back here! Who gave you permission to meddle?”
The young maid stopped in surprise and confusion. “But Second Madam, you’re coughing up blood…”
“Can’t you hear that Madam said it’s nothing?” Lotus Leaf, Second Madam’s personal maid, helped her catch her breath while speaking coldly. “Leave now. If you dare breathe a word of what happened today, I’ll make sure your mouth is beaten shut!”
“…Understood.” The young maid fearfully closed her mouth and retreated.
Only then did Lotus Leaf cautiously look at Second Madam:
“Madam, could it be… something has happened in the eastern courtyard?”
Second Madam gritted her teeth and frowned:
“The master who taught me this Soul-Stealing Curse warned that if the curse is broken, it would rebound onto the caster… I never expected someone could break it just as it was about to succeed!”
“Go to the eastern courtyard immediately and see what happened. Be careful not to let anyone notice you.”
Lotus Leaf nodded. “Yes, I’ll go right away.”
…
Phoenix Nest Palace.
The Empress looked at the elderly man in Taoist robes with white hair and a white beard, smiling as she said:
“State Preceptor, you’ve arrived. Please, have a seat.”
After they were seated and tea was served, the Empress immediately dismissed all the servants and eagerly said:
“State Preceptor, the reason I asked you here today is to discuss something with you.”
“Please speak, Your Majesty,” the State Preceptor replied calmly.
The Empress immediately recounted the news that the Regent King and the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yun Estate would soon be married.
Finally, she said with great anticipation:
“That Yun Qingqing’s father is dead, her mother has become a living corpse, and she herself was burned into a hideous monster. Even a woman like this, the Regent King is willing to marry—clearly, he has given up on himself due to his disability.”
“State Preceptor, I asked you here to confirm whether the Regent King’s True Dragon Qi Fortune has nearly depleted. Is it time to take back the tiger tally in his possession?”
“Hmm…” The State Preceptor nodded. “It does seem that way. Allow me to perform a calculation to ensure there are no mistakes.”
“Please go ahead, State Preceptor.”
The Empress smiled, not particularly worried about any surprises.
However, after the State Preceptor closed his eyes slightly and performed a finger calculation, he suddenly gasped in alarm.
“This is bad!”