Nanli froze, her mouth slightly agape.
Fan Shizhong almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
Second Master Fan cursed, "You little brat, taking advantage of the situation, aren’t you?!"
Xie Beihan couldn’t hear any sound at his ear because his mind was blank as if it had exploded.
However, the ominous energy did weaken slightly, no longer entwining around Fan Yunxi’s soul. Nanli quickly reacted, using a dispelling charm to cleanse her of the ominous energy completely. Nanli then immediately set up a formation with charms to temporarily seal the ominous energy within the mansion, preventing it from leaking out further.
Fan Yunxi had regained her senses, her gaze clear.
Xie Beihan stepped back quickly, his face still flushed, and his lips seemed to still retain Fan Yunxi’s warmth.
Fan Yunxi hadn’t completely lost her memory and knew what had just happened. She touched her lips, feeling too embarrassed to speak.
Xie Beihan stuttered, "Miss Fourth, I’m... I’m sorry, I slipped."
Fan Yunxi lowered her head, unsure of how to respond.
But Fan Shizhong stepped forward angrily, saying, "Noble Prince Xie, your timely ’slip’ was too convenient. How can you be so frivolous with my daughter? How will she ever be able to marry in the future!"
"Yes!" Second Master Fan added, "You Capital nobles are all so licentious!"
Xie Beihan couldn’t defend himself.
But Fan Yunxi shook her head gently. "Father, Uncle, my ill fortune has spread to Huainan next door, and no one dares to propose marriage to me. This isn’t a big deal; don’t make things difficult for him."
Moreover, it was Xie Beihan who transferred some positive energy to her, allowing her to be safe.
Second Master Fan massaged his temples, feeling frustrated. He whispered angrily, "Why are you so clueless, child? If no one dares to marry you, isn’t that an opportunity? You should cling to him tightly; don’t let him go. Do you really want to remain unmarried for the rest of your life?"
Fan Shizhong glared at his brother. "Stop giving bad ideas. Our Fan family’s children are not such despicable and shameless people!"
"Brother, this is the best solution. I’m doing this for Xi’er’s own good," Second Master Fan said. "Is the Fan family going to collapse? Can’t even afford to raise a girl?"
"If you say another word, I’ll immediately enforce family law," Fan Shizhong said, his anger rising.
Second Master Fan had no choice but to shut his mouth in frustration.
However, just as Nanli finished sealing the ominous energy, she said, "Are you done arguing? Let’s dig up this plum tree."
The others looked embarrassed. Fan Shizhong remembered there were more important matters to attend to and quickly composed himself, instructing the servants to proceed. It was already completely dark, and some servants brought lanterns and torches for illumination.
However, while digging, there was a constant gust of cold wind that almost blew out the torches.
The servants were terrified, and Fan Yunxi and the maids in the courtyard were even more frightened, their faces pale.
Nanli formed hand seals, and a silver light landed on the torches, preventing the wind from blowing out the flames.
The onlookers marveled secretly, and Second Master Fan was even more terrified. He now realized that these two were nobles from the Capital, and this young girl was none other than the famous Ninth Princess. He regretted his previous disrespect towards her and didn’t know where to hide.
The last headless corpse was finally dug up.
The previously surging ominous energy had been sealed, and the remaining ominous energy wasn’t very strong. Nanli only needed to use one suppression charm to quell it.
"In this courtyard... buried corpses..." The maidservant in the courtyard didn’t even look, just hearing about it made her whole body numb, her vision darkening.
Fan Yunxi’s expression was also grim. She had lived in this courtyard for almost two years! But she was clever. A flash of insight came to her, "May I ask, is my misfortune related to living here?"
Nanli nodded, "Yes, whoever resides in the main house of this courtyard will have misfortune."
Fan Yunxi’s nose tingled, her eyes reddened, tears swirling. "Father, I am not blaming you. This courtyard is warm in winter and cool in summer. It was your love for your daughter that gave her this courtyard."
Fan Shizhong regretted, "I’m sorry, Xi’er!"
After her coming-of-age ceremony, he had let her move here. Over the past two years, they had visited many temples and Taoist temples, but they had never thought that the problem was their residence.
Fan Yunxi wiped her tears, feeling a bit depressed but not wanting to blame her own father, "It’s not Father’s fault. This courtyard is comfortable, and Father loves his daughter, so he gave it to her."
Fan Shizhong knew it was useless to say anything now. He stepped forward, respectfully bowing to Nanli, pleading, "Princess, our Fan family has been doing good deeds since our ancestors. We’ve never done anything outrageous or harmful. Now that we’re in this predicament, please help us, Princess."
Nanli was still observing the last headless corpse. Seeing that the seal on it was different from the other four, she understood that it was the focal point of the formation. It was also a place where the resentment was gathered and transformed into ominous energy. No wonder Fan Yunxi had been so unlucky. She must have accumulated a lot of good karma in her past life to survive these two years.
Second Master Fan couldn’t help but speak up, "Brother, it’s easier and faster to change to a new residence. Whoever loves this mansion can have it."
Xie Beihan, who had been silent, suddenly became spirited. "Changing places won’t help. You have been living here for so many years; you have already become part of the formation. Sixth Sister, am I right?"
"You’re right," Nanli said solemnly. "This formation has been in place for a long time. You all have accumulated more or less ominous energy. In another year or two, you’ll either have accidents or die of illness. To survive, you must break this formation, and the ominous energy will dissipate."
Second Master Fan was scared. His legs went weak. "Princess... Do you have a way to break the formation now?"
"I have a method, but I don’t have what’s needed to break the formation," Nanli replied.
Fan Shizhong pursued, "What is needed to break the formation? Princess, please tell me. Our Fan family has already devoted all our efforts."
"Human heads," Nanli answered. "The heads of these five headless corpses."
Many people were shocked to hear this. Xie Beihan pursed his lips. "Human heads? Sixth Sister, this is too eerie."
"This is already a sinister formation of headless corpses," Nanli explained. "First, the heads are chopped off, then preservation charms and soul-binding charms are applied, keeping the spirits confined within these bodies. Last but not least, the headless corpses are placed in the designated positions. If it’s been three to five years, I can still barely break the formation. But after ten or eight years, the ominous energy is too strong. The only way to break the formation is with the heads of these headless corpses."
The people who set up this formation were indeed ruthless. This formation not only drained people’s fortunes but also took their lives. What deep enmity did they have with the Fan family?
Fan Shizhong understood. He struggled to speak, "So, if we can’t find the heads of the headless corpses, all hundred members of our Fan family will die? Without exception?"
"Those who have been living here won’t escape this calamity. If you’ve only been living here for three to five years, I can use dispelling charms to ward off the ominous energy and save your lives," Nanli said.