As soon as the words fell, a servant reported that Miss Qian had arrived.
Qian Ruolan had been busy making knee warmers these past few days, so she rarely came over.
She made a pair for her elder brother and another pair for Chu Huan.
Nanli’s expression turned awkward, blaming her poor needlework skills for being of no help.
But when she took a look, she noticed a trace of spiritual impurity on Qian Ruolan’s body, causing her to furrow her brows.
"Ruolan, it seems you have encountered something unclean." Qian Ruolan was startled, quickly standing up and stuttering, "N-n-no... it can’t be, right?"
Nanli reassured her, "You have my talisman on you, so those filthy things can’t harm you. It’s likely that someone around you has been possessed, which is why you’ve been affected by a bit of spiritual impurity."
Qian Ruolan pondered, but couldn’t find anything amiss with the people around her.
Nanli didn’t bother speculating either and suggested paying a visit to the Qian residence.
The Qian family was well aware of Nanli’s abilities, so the head of the bandits was quite nervous about her visit.
"Could it be that there’s something wrong with this house? When I bought it, I specifically had a geomancer examine it, and they said the feng shui was good, prosperous for both descendants and wealth. That’s why I bought it," the head of the Qian family said.
Nanli took a look around and commented, "The feng shui of this house is average. If Uncle Qian truly desires prosperity for his descendants and wealth, I can help set up a formation."
The head of the Qian family eagerly nodded.
That geomancer had indeed deceived them.
Nanli searched the courtyard but found nothing amiss.
She then had the Qian family gather in the front yard so she could see if any spiritual impurity had attached itself to someone.
After a thorough search, she still found nothing.
However, she noticed that Qian Wenwu was absent, so she asked, "Is Cousin Wenwu busy with his studies?"
The head of the Qian family was about to say yes, but a maid spoke up weakly, "No, Young Master is sleeping."
The head of the Qian family grew angry.
"How can he be sleeping again? Didn’t he sleep all day yesterday? It’s already mid-morning, why is he still sleeping!"
The Qian family had been merchants for generations, and they had finally produced a seedling who was interested in studying.
They had spent a considerable amount of money hiring tutors for their son.
The entire clan was counting on their son to bring honor to the family name, and the imperial examination was just around the corner.
How could their son have the audacity to sleep!
It truly infuriated him!
As the head of the family grew angry, the servants lowered their heads, trembling in fear, not daring to speak.
Qian Ruolan spoke up, "Father, please don’t be angry. It’s possible that my brother has been overworking himself with his studies these days, so he needs more rest."
Nanli asked, "Was Cousin Wenwu diligent in his studies before?"
"Yes," Qian Ruolan nodded.
"He used to study tirelessly, but it seems he exhausted himself in the past, and now he’s constantly fatigued."
She pondered what she could cook for her brother to nourish his body and invigorate his spirit.
Nanli’s thoughts stirred, and she said, "Take me to see him."
Upon hearing this, the head of the Qian family immediately became alert.
"Could there be a problem?" After all, his son was not one to indulge in sleep.
He used to sit at his desk and start studying at the crack of dawn.
"We won’t know until we see," Nanli replied.
The head of the Qian family promptly led the way, and Qian Ruolan followed suit.
Qian Wenwu was in his study, lying sound asleep on the desk, seemingly having a pleasant dream as a faint smile graced his lips.
Upon catching sight of the scene, Nanli couldn’t help but feel alarmed.
A drowsy spirit was tightly entwined around Qian Wenwu’s body, almost merging with his very soul.
This was no trivial matter, prompting her to express the gravity of the situation to the head of the Qian family.
The host of Qian staggered, his complexion turning pale.
"Is it possible that this spirit cannot be expelled?" he trembled.
"It poses quite a challenge. If the drowsy spirit completely merges with my cousin’s soul, he will lose all motivation in life, feeling fatigued after taking just a few steps," Nanli explained.
Thus, while the drowsy spirit may not be inherently harmful, its impact on a person’s well-being is significant.
The host Qian was on the verge of tears.
He had been counting on his son to bring honor to the family, how could he have become afflicted by such a thing?
"What can we do now?" Qian’s voice quivered.
In a moment of inspiration, Nanli suggested, "Perhaps the venerable monks at the Wanfo Temple can cure this drowsy spirit."
The Qian family and their entourage didn’t fully grasp her meaning, but once the monks from the temple arrived, everything became clear.
A dozen monks sat on cushions, rhythmically striking wooden fish and chanting scriptures.
Although the words of the scriptures were incomprehensible to them, after listening for a while, they felt dizzy and overwhelmed.
If the humans were affected to such an extent, one could only imagine the impact on the drowsy spirit.
It had been on the verge of merging with Qian Wenwu’s soul, finding a host, but the sound of the scriptures disrupted its plans.
Qian Wenwu woke up in a daze, his mind clouded by the influence of the drowsy spirit, now only desiring to bang his head against a wall.
Nanli acted swiftly, summoning a binding talisman.
As a result, Qian Wenwu was subjected to an even more intense barrage of scripture, causing him unbearable pain.
After just half a day, the drowsy spirit could no longer endure and gradually detached itself from Qian Wenwu’s soul, seeking another target.
Nanli raised an eyebrow and swiftly employed a ghost-restraining talisman, capturing the drowsy spirit within her spiritual pouch.
Seeing this, the dozen monks ceased their recitation.
"We are grateful for the assistance of all the venerable monks," Nanli expressed her gratitude.
"Nanli, there’s no need to be so polite," the monks replied joyfully.
They had earned a substantial sum of silver for their visit, greatly improving the quality of meals at the temple.
They couldn’t help but think that if such good fortune were to occur again, they must be called upon.
Qian Wenwu hadn’t expected that the monks could recite scriptures to expel spirits. He gratefully presented them with silver and instructed his servants to respectfully escort the monks back to the Temple.
As the monks rode away in a spacious carriage, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
"If our ancestral master were to find out that it took over a dozen of us reciting scriptures together to expel that drowsy spirit, he would surely be furious," one monk remarked.
Moreover, they had lost much of their ability to capture spirits and now had to rely on Nanli’s assistance.
Another monk sighed, "Our temple has declined. Aside from the abbot, no one else possesses the skill to capture spirits."
Exorcising demons was even more out of the question.
The mortal realm had long been devoid of evil spirits, and over the past millennium, this lineage had already been severed.
Their ancestral master had learned a bit, but he traveled extensively and couldn’t guide them much.
After the drowsy spirit was expelled from Qian Wenwu’s body, he quickly returned to normal.
The Spring Imperial Examination was scheduled for early March.
The court had always attached great importance to the triennial imperial examination, and although Emperor Muwu had grown distant from the brothers Ye Siheng, he entrusted the important task to Ye Siheng.
The nine-day Spring Imperial Examination not only tested everyone’s knowledge but also their physical fitness.
March was still bitterly cold, and no matter how knowledgeable one was, if they couldn’t withstand fainting in the examination hall, they wouldn’t even be able to submit their papers.
Fortunately, Chu Huan, being from a martial family, had been fond of studying but also practiced martial arts from a young age, so his physical condition was decent, allowing him to endure.
Yan Ling was also in the examination hall, his feet curled up from the cold, his mind in a fog, not knowing what to write on the test paper.
But it didn’t matter, he had brought along a talisman that was sure to guarantee his success.