Shang Jingchen watched as the yellow talisman on her forehead rapidly faded in color.
Once the talisman faded, she seemed to be freed from her bonds.
At some point, her eyes had turned bloodshot.
She moved her lips, wanting to say something, but Ye Zhixing was quick-witted and fast-handed, directly sealing her mouth and preventing her from speaking once again.
On top of that, she slapped another talisman on her.
This time, she used two.
Just now, Shang Jingchen had noticed that Ye Zhixing kept stopping her from talking.
He did not really understand why.
Shang Jingchen asked outright: "Ye Zhixing, why do you keep sealing her mouth? Does she have something to say?"
Ye Zhixing glanced at him, then walked toward the room.
Yet, she still explained it to him.
"She wanted to sacrifice herself to trigger the final, destructive outbreak of the curse." Her voice was very calm, but the words she uttered were bone-chilling.
Shang Jingchen pressed his lips together, his expression looking rather grim.
"Will there—be any consequences?" he could not help asking.
"The person under the curse will be immediately afflicted. It is equivalent to a life for a life."
"The death will be very painful. The most vicious method imaginable." When Ye Zhixing said this, her brow and eyes were filled with coldness.
Shang Jingchen looked at Yin Xiu, his sharp gaze as if he wanted to hack her into a thousand pieces.
He would absolutely not let her off!
However, he was not in a rush to take immediate revenge; instead, he followed Ye Zhixing.
He wondered what she was going to look for now.
Walking into the master bedroom, he caught a whiff of a rotting stench. It was particularly severe inside the bedroom.
He saw Ye Zhixing pinching her fingers together, her eyes scanning around, likely searching for something.
Shang Jingchen's gaze followed Ye Zhixing's figure as she moved.
Before long, he saw Ye Zhixing stop in front of the dressing table.
He did not dare to speak, afraid of disturbing her.
Ye Zhixing immediately moved the dressing table aside.
Seeing her intention, Shang Jingchen immediately came over to help.
Working together, the two of them quickly pushed the dressing table away.
Behind the dressing table was the wall, and Ye Zhixing easily found a small hidden compartment behind it.
Pushing open the hidden compartment, a doll was revealed.
The doll was wrapped in cloth.
Ye Zhixing pulled the doll out directly; on its head was pasted Shang Jingchen's name.
Shang Jingchen watched Ye Zhixing's every move without blinking.
He saw Ye Zhixing paste a talisman on the back of the doll.
Then she snapped it open.
Inside, the doll was hollow and contained certain items: yellow paper, hair, and blood, making the rotting stench even more pronounced.
"These things inside—are they mine?"
"Yes." Ye Zhixing neither confirmed nor denied further, simply stating the fact.
Unfolding the piece of yellow paper, it bore his Eight Characters of Birth Date.
His lips tightened into nearly a straight line.
He only felt his scalp tingle uncomfortably.
Ye Zhixing put the items into a bag made of yellow paper, which had a talisman drawn on it.
She took out a Fire Starter, directly ignited it, and placed it on the floor.
Her expression remained calm the entire time.
Seeing those things burn into ashes, Shang Jingchen immediately felt as though he had relaxed a great deal.
His body even felt lighter, and his physical sensation became much more comfortable.
This feeling was far too obvious!
She then wrapped the ashes up in yellow paper.
At this moment, a painful scream came from the living room.
"Jingchen, come out and take a look—" This was Second Uncle Shang's voice.
There was a hint of panic in his tone.
Ye Zhixing, however, was very calm, showing no intention of going out to look at all.
Seeing her so unperturbed, Shang Jingchen did not want to go out either.
Ye Zhixing looked around the room once more.
Shang Jingchen was startled—could there be more?
Fortunately, not long after, she emerged from the master bedroom. But she did not go to the living room either, heading instead to another bedroom.
The rotting stench here was even thicker.
The rotting smell throughout the entire house must have originated from this place.
A teenager was lying on the bed, but the teenager's body had already begun to decompose. It was a ghastly sight.
This was Yin Xiu's son.
A flash of shock swept through Shang Jingchen's eyes.
"Was he murdered?"
"His mother used him in an exchange as well."
"The more people involved in the exchange, the greater the power..."
"Call the police."
Giving it a cold glance, Ye Zhixing left.
In the living room, Yin Xiu was also lying on the floor, her expression ferocious and her body rigid. She was dead.
Second Uncle Shang and Third Uncle had witnessed the entire process just moments ago, and now they were drenched in sweat, their faces ashen, their bodies still trembling slightly—
They looked utterly terrified. Their limbs were weak, making it impossible for them to walk.
Shang Jingchen looked on with cold eyes, having no intention of comforting them.
Ye Zhixing asked, "Is there an organization in the Capital that handles metaphysics cases?"
"Yes, it's a separate agency. The Supernatural Bureau."
He had only heard of it before and had never interacted with those people.
However, his old friend Heyan knew people there.
"Call them and have them come handle this."
"Alright."
Pondering for a moment, Shang Jingchen asked again, "Do my affairs have anything to do with these two people?"
He already trusted Ye Zhixing deeply now.
Having witnessed her strength with his own eyes, he was completely won over by her.
"No metaphysical connection has been found for now, but judging from their physiognomy, they are insidious, cunning, slick, and selfish. I do not advise keeping them around," Ye Zhixing said coldly.
"Alright."
Leaving Yin Xiu's place, Ye Zhixing decided to return to the villa.
If her calculations were correct, his sister Shang Nuannuan would be waking up soon. She had to keep a close watch.
Actually, there were still many matters at the company, but Shang Jingchen chose to follow Ye Zhixing.
He was also very concerned about his sister's condition.
As for his Second Uncle and Third Uncle, Shang Jingchen paid them no mind, leaving them behind at Yin Xiu's house; giving them a thorough scare was probably for the best anyway.
Half an hour later, Shang Jingchen and Ye Zhixing returned to his villa.
The two of them had gone out early in the morning, and there was no one else at home.
He originally wanted to call someone to come over to the house.
But Ye Zhixing said there was no need.
She had already set up protections. There was no need to worry.
After a morning of tossing and turning, lunchtime arrived before they knew it.
The two of them had not exchanged many words all morning, both focused on doing their tasks earnestly.
Ye Zhixing went to Shang Nuannuan's room; she had not woken up yet.
The two of them were left alone together.
"Ye Zhixing, thank you for today's matters," Shang Jingchen said earnestly.
"Don't mention it, I am merely doing what is my duty." Her gaze fell upon Shang Nuannuan, her voice exceptionally cold.
"Then my fateful destiny, can it be changed back?" Shang Jingchen asked directly.
"Yes, but this is the hardest part. It cannot be done overnight."
"We must find your Fate-Altering Talisman. Right now, there are no clues whatsoever about the person behind the scenes."
"The doll that woman used earlier—the black Qi wrapped around it is of the same origin as the black Qi on your body." Ye Zhixing spoke very slowly, analyzing it for him.
If someone were impatient, listening to her talk would surely drive them crazy.
Shang Jingchen, however, listened to her with great patience.
Not a single word she spoke was wasted.
"Alright, I understand."
"It will be fine as long as you can change it back before you turn thirty. If you still can't change it by thirty, then your destiny will be locked in stone. You will remain with your current fateful destiny forever."
Shang Jingchen pressed his lips together. That meant he had two years left.
"Thank you for your trouble, Abbot Ye."
"Don't mention it, it's just a matter of taking what each of us needs."
Shang Jingchen looked at her; this young woman was truly too calm. It seemed nothing could affect her emotions.
With things on his mind, Shang Jingchen spoke no further, and neither did Ye Zhixing, plunging the room into silence.
After who knows how long, the person who had been deep in sleep suddenly opened her eyes—