Li Che looked at his family, but seeing that not a single one of them believed he had truly changed, a bitter smile tugged at his lips. He felt both heartbroken and shocked—had his past behavior really been that egregious?
"Dad, Third Uncle, I really didn't bully my little sister! Heaven is my witness, how could I possibly bully her!" Li Che sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
Yet, no one believed him.
Nuonuo covered her little mouth with her hand and giggled secretly. *Third Brother is so pathetic!* It seemed it was up to her to step in.
"Daddy, Uncle, Third Brother really didn't bully Nuonuo. The reason Third Brother acted that way was because a nasty Selfish Ghost was clinging to him. Nuonuo has already chased the Selfish Ghost away!" Nuonuo said, beaming at everyone.
Li Lingxiao and the others fell silent and looked at Li Che.
Li Che nodded as if his head were a garlic press—it was true, it was all true! He had even seen what the ghost looked like! Seeing their silence, he lamented that he should have taken a picture with his phone. Now, no one believed him.
"Dad, what my little sister said is true!" Li Che tried to explain.
Li Hanchen smiled slightly and said gently, "Thank you, Nuonuo. If not for you, we would have misunderstood your third brother."
Li Che: *Huh? They believe him now?*
Nuonuo giggled. "Hehe, it's nothing!" The little bun was feeling shy.
Knowing that Nuonuo had dealt with the ghost for his third son, Li Lingxiao took her from Mo Yun'er's arms. He remembered how she had fallen asleep immediately after handling the Spirit Child last time. Guessing that exorcising ghosts must be mentally draining, he decided to take her upstairs to rest.
"Nuonuo, Daddy is going to take you upstairs to sleep now, okay?"
Li Lingxiao’s voice was low and gentle. Feeling tired, Nuonuo rubbed her eyes against his chest and nodded.
When Li Lingxiao entered the bedroom with Nuonuo, he found a fluffy little creature already sitting on his large bed—that squirrel again!
Holding Nuonuo with one arm, Li Lingxiao strode over, intending to toss Qiuqiu out once more. Seeing the "Devil's Hand" approaching, Qiuqiu shrieked, "Nuonuo! Nuonuo! Nuonuo, save me!"
But the little bun was already fast asleep in Li Lingxiao's arms and didn't react to the shouting. In the end, the squirrel was tossed out of the bedroom.
"Nuonuo! You little liar!" Qiuqiu grumbled, holding its head in frustration.
Chuyi, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle. It was indeed quite funny, but he didn't blame Nuonuo; today’s task of catching the Selfish Ghost had been entirely her own doing, which was surely even more exhausting than yesterday. Qiuqiu, having seen the effort Nuonuo put in, didn't truly hold it against her either and retreated to its tree hole.
After tucking Nuonuo in, Li Lingxiao returned to the living room to find Li Che enthusiastically describing to Li Hanchen and the others how Nuonuo had caught the ghost, treating her like a hero.
"Third Uncle, you didn't see how incredible Nuonuo was! With just a few waves of her hands, the ghost vanished!" Li Che was eager to repeat the story the moment he saw Li Lingxiao.
Though Li Lingxiao was eager to hear how impressive his daughter had been, there was a more pressing matter. "Nuonuo's abilities are not those of a typical child. You must not speak of this to anyone, or I fear it could bring her harm."
Li Lingxiao looked solemn. There were still many mysteries surrounding Nuonuo, and to protect her, he had to keep these things secret.
"Lingxiao, what kind of people do you take us for? Of course we understand," Li Hanchen replied, fully aware of the danger.
Li Lingxiao nodded. The family discussed the final details for tomorrow's banquet, ensuring there would be no slip-ups regarding Nuonuo.
Meanwhile, in her sleep, just as Nuonuo was about to enjoy a pleasant dream, Chuyi appeared.
"Nuonuo."
Chuyi watched the little girl dreaming of eating a giant chicken leg, feeling speechless. *Who could this greedy child possibly take after?*
Hearing his voice, Nuonuo looked up, and with a wave of Chuyi's hand, the chicken leg vanished.
"Brother Chuyi, where did my chicken leg go?" Nuonuo looked down at her empty hands, a look of sadness crossing her little face.
Chuyi hated seeing her like that, but this wasn't the time for pleasantries. "Nuonuo, your main task now is to master Spellcraft and Daoist Arts quickly. Only then can you catch enough ghosts to see your Mommy."
At the mention of "Mommy," Nuonuo’s face became determined. "Okay, Master Chuyi!"
Chuyi, who had been walking toward her, nearly stumbled at the word "Master." He couldn't accept that! If she called him Master, he would lose so much cultivation and years of his afterlife!
"You don't need to call me Master. Just call me Brother Chuyi," he said, clearing his throat. If her mother found out, he wouldn't be able to survive in the Underworld.
Nuonuo nodded; she was used to calling him Brother Chuyi anyway. "Then, Brother Chuyi, what are we learning today?" She couldn't wait to work hard to see her Mommy.
Chuyi sat cross-legged and had Nuonuo sit before him. "Nuonuo, we aren't learning anything else today. I've discovered traces of ghosts on your Uncle, Aunt, grandparents, and your other two brothers. But these aren't the same as the one Li Che had."
Nuonuo’s expression turned serious. "Brother Chuyi, how can I help Grandpa and Grandma?" She knew they treated her well and wanted to protect them.
"I don't know yet. Unlike the one on Li Che, these ghosts seem tied to an object they possess, or perhaps someone has cursed them. I only sensed the presence of the ghosts, so I need to confirm the specifics. Today, I will teach you a Protective Dharma; if you sense something wrong at the old mansion tomorrow, you must use it to protect yourself."
Nuonuo’s face fell. Sensing her distress, Chuyi asked softly, "What's wrong, Nuonuo?"
Nuonuo looked up, her large eyes filled with tears. "Brother Chuyi, Nuonuo can protect herself, but Grandpa and Grandma can't. Nuonuo wants to learn the spell to protect them first."
Chuyi’s heart melted. This little girl—the first thing she thought of when faced with trouble was the safety of her family. Where could you ever find another child like her?