Lady Tian shuddered all over and turned around abruptly. Despite the dim light, Chu Hanming could clearly see that Lady Tian was holding his pouch! His expression changed instantly. He threw off the covers and angrily got out of bed, shouting, "What are you doing with my pouch?!"
This was his lifeline!
Lady Tian was startled by his crazed look. She quickly turned and opened the door to leave. In her panic, she didn’t notice the stairs at her feet, screamed, and fell heavily to the ground.
A sharp pain shot through her. Lady Tian groaned as her knees went numb from the pain, leaving her unable to stand.
Chu Hanming easily caught up with her. Under the silver moonlight, seeing Lady Tian’s pale face, he felt a pang of heartache. He forgot about the talisman in the pouch and said, "I just said one thing, and you ran away? Now look, you’re hurt. Does it hurt? Can you get up?"
Though his words were reproachful, they were full of concern.
Lady Tian’s eyes welled with tears. "I’m fine."
But as she spoke, any movement caused her to grimace in pain.
Chu Hanming’s heart ached even more, and he shouted, "Someone! Someone, help!"
He needed servants to help, as he couldn’t lift Lady Tian by himself without causing her more pain.
Before any servants arrived, a slender white hand extended toward them.
Chu Hanming was stunned and looked up.
Seeing Nanli’s cold, beautiful face, he was so frightened that his heart nearly stopped, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Uncle," Nanli thought for a moment, "sorry to scare you. I used a teleportation talisman, so there were no footsteps."
Chu Hanming wasn’t afraid of this but rather...
He glanced at the pouch not far away, wanting to retrieve it quietly.
Lady Tian, realizing the protective effect of the talisman, was secretly pleased with her fall. She quickly said, "A’Li, why are you here? I’m not seriously hurt. Your uncle dropped his pouch while helping me. He’s very protective of the talisman inside. Can you check if it’s damaged?"
Chu Hanming almost spat blood and glared at Lady Tian.
He crawled over to pick up the pouch. "It doesn’t matter if it’s damaged. It’s just a protective talisman."
But somehow, when the pouch returned to his hand, it felt scorching hot. Not only his skin but also his insides felt extremely uncomfortable, as if his whole body was being torn apart.
Lady Tian was already panicking. "What...what is this?!"
Because green flames had sprung from the pouch, rapidly spreading over Chu Hanming’s body!
"It’s Ghost Fire!" Lady Tian remembered and shouted.
Chu Hanming rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the Ghost Fire.
The servants who had come out were stunned by the scene.
Nanli’s face darkened. She quickly formed a seal, drawing the Ghost Fire to gather in her palm. She showed no sign of pain, and with a clap, she extinguished the Ghost Fire.
She sighed in relief, but anger rose in her heart.
She picked up the pouch and opened it to find the talisman inside devoid of vermilion marks, indicating it had been used. However, she still caught a trace of its aura. As expected, it was a Soul-Burning Talisman she had drawn!
She turned her head and glared at Chu Hanming, coldly saying, "Uncle, why do you have this Soul-Burning Talisman? Who were you planning to harm?"
A Soul-Burning Talisman, as the name implies, is used to burn souls. The fire is from Avici Hell, the Ghost Fire she had brought back from the underworld. It was perfect for dealing with evil spirits. She hadn’t drawn many, only giving Zhi Mi two. She hadn’t given them to anyone else.
She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Did you steal it?"
Such a dangerous talisman wouldn’t have been given away easily by Zhi Mi. It was sealed within another talisman to prevent it from being easily triggered.
Chu Hanming, relieved after the Ghost Fire was extinguished, was stunned by her question. "What Soul-Burning Talisman? Isn’t this a True Word Talisman?!"
Hearing the name "Soul-Burning Talisman" shocked him. He wouldn’t dare admit to harming anyone.
Nanli frowned. "Who told you this was a True Word Talisman?"
So, Chu Hanming hadn’t forgotten about needing a True Word Talisman.
Realizing he had been caught, Chu Hanming confessed hesitantly, "Lord Xie drew the True Word Talisman design. I remembered it and then...borrowed a talisman from Zhi Mi."
His voice grew smaller as he spoke, feeling guilty and remorseful. If Nanli hadn’t been there, the Ghost Fire would have consumed him entirely.
Lady Tian, usually gentle, was furious and scolded, "Chu Hanming, how dare you say you just borrowed it? You almost lost your life!"
Chu Hanming, feeling wronged, retorted, "I begged A’Li for a talisman. If she had helped, would I have done this? I almost died!"
Nanli raised an eyebrow and sneered. "Uncle, haven’t I always helped you when you were in trouble? Is your conscience eaten by dogs?"
Chu Hanming quickly apologized, realizing his mistake. "A’Li, I’m sorry. I really needed the True Word Talisman to save my life."
Lady Tian started crying. "What’s going on? We’re family. If it’s life-threatening, wouldn’t A’Li help?"
Nanli rolled her eyes. "Don’t try to guilt me. You’re not my father."
If it were a real threat, she would help without hesitation. But Chu Hanming had done something he shouldn’t have, stealing Zhi Mi’s talisman.
Used to their routine of playing off each other, Chu Hanming and Lady Tian were surprised Nanli wasn’t moved and issued a stern order.
"A’Li, he’s your uncle." Lady Tian said, "I admitted what I did wrong. Please help him."
"Alright." Nanli nodded slightly.
Chu Hanming and Lady Tian barely had time to feel relieved before Nanli turned to the onlooking servants and said, "Wake everyone in the manor and bring them to the main hall."
The servant hesitated. "Including the Grand Lady?"
"Of course." Nanli replied.
Chu Hanming was alarmed. "No, no! Don’t wake mother! A’Li, your grandmother is old, you can’t disturb her at night!"