Upon seeing her third brother unharmed, Nanli breathed a sigh of relief.
"I am unscathed," she smiled, "Did my brother experience any fright?"
"I was terrified at the time, but with the talismans you provided, we hid inside the house, and that vengeful spirit couldn’t harm us,"
Chu Huan expressed his gratitude.
Fortunately, due to his love for reading, he had carefully studied the instructions on the way there.
Thus, when danger struck, he swiftly and accurately found the necessary talismans, not only protecting himself but also safeguarding Confucius and his fellow students.
"That’s good," Nanli took out a money pouch, "I will trouble my third brother to collect some money for me. Anyone whose soul I have saved from being sucked away shall pay ten taels of silver."
There were still some lingering ghostly energies that she needed to cleanse, so she had to continue her efforts.
Upon hearing the request for payment, some scholars immediately changed their expressions and said, "Why must we pay? How can cultivators be so mercenary?"
Chu Huan, displeased by these words, glared at the person, "My sixth sister has worked tirelessly to come here. We are all able to stand here safely thanks to her. What’s wrong with collecting some money?"
He even felt that ten taels of silver was too little.
Some people, witnessing Nanli’s manipulation of souls and purification abilities, recognized her true talent and stopped gossiping, instead taking out silver to pay.
After this round, with dozens of people before and after, they collected five to six hundred taels of silver.
Fortunately, the money pouch was also inscribed with talismans, so there was no worry about it being insufficient.
Nanli had finished her busy work, all the souls were restored to their bodies, and she went to the town to check on the common people, ensuring that everyone was safe and sound, before finally relaxing.
She had arrived timely this time.
The souls collected by the female ghost had not yet been refined, which allowed her to save everyone’s lives.
After completing these tasks, it was already dark.
Exhausted, Nanli found an inn in the town to rest and then sent a message to Ye Siheng before finally being able to relax.
Not long after nightfall, Ye Siheng arrived with the Black Armor Guards.
Ye Siheng let someone to count, and unexpectedly, the common people and the scholars had all walked through the gates of the underworld once, but their souls had been saved and no one was injured.
The next day, as Nanli descended from the inn, the innkeeper shouted, "The young lady is awake! The young lady is coming down!"
In an instant, a large group of common people rushed into the inn, carrying various vegetables, fruits, and gifts, surrounding Nanli : "You saved our entire family, young lady!"
"Please accept this small token of appreciation!"
"Don’t be polite, young lady. We have nothing else to offer."
"..." Each person presented their gifts to her.
Chu Huan trailed behind, witnessing his sister being surrounded, unsure whether to rejoice or worry.
Nanli, too, found herself encircled, but with a flicker of golden light, she had already ascended to the second floor.
Her newly arranged coiffure was now disheveled, and she helplessly spoke, "Listen to me, everyone."
This kind of situation was not unfamiliar to her; she had grown accustomed to it.
The commoners were astonished, for the person who had just been downstairs had somehow appeared on the second floor.
This young lady was truly formidable!
Gradually, the crowd quieted down.
It was then that Nanli spoke, "Yesterday, I have already received payment from the academy, so there is no need for you to present gifts in gratitude."
A woman exclaimed, "It’s different, this is ours. How can it be the same?"
"I understand that you all wish to express gratitude, but I have already received enough money, and taking more would make me uneasy," Nanli said.
Hearing this, the people understood the temperament of a cultivator and did not insist further.
However, they couldn’t let go of the debt of saving their lives, so they bowed and expressed their thanks before slowly departing.
Nanli wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead before returning to her room to rearrange her coiffure.
When she came back downstairs, the innkeeper had already prepared breakfast and set the table.
Ye Siheng and Venerable Monk Yuanfan were seated there.
After a night of rest, Monk Yuanfan had recovered and looked much better.
Nanli pulled Chu Huan to sit down together.
Chu Huan glanced at Ye Siheng, feeling somewhat apprehensive, and whispered, "Little Sister, isn’t this inappropriate?"
Although the Ninth Prince was only a few years older than him, their status and seniority were not on the same level.
He, a young master of a marquis’s mansion and a commoner, rarely had the opportunity to stand beside the Ninth Prince.
"What’s inappropriate about it? Hurry and eat, I’m starving," Nanli handed Chu Huan the chopsticks and picked up her own.
She started with the red date cake.
Seeing her carefree demeanor, Chu Huan almost gave her a thumbs up.
The most surprising thing was Ye Siheng observed this without finding anything amiss and even began discussing yesterday’s events with Nanli.
Nanli blinked with delight and said, "So, you found his lair. Fortunately, otherwise I wouldn’t know how to deal with that dark tide."
Monk Yuanfan was astonished, "There are still things you can’t handle? Truly remarkable."
"I am human, not a deity," Nanli retorted, giving him a disdainful look.
"Even if I were a deity, there would still be things beyond my reach. This Prince Qi should be practicing ghost cultivation, and the dark tide he created is infused with vengeful spirits, incredibly ferocious."
Master Yuanfan’s face grew solemn as he said, "It seems he has been practicing ghost cultivation for quite some time; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to create such a thing."
"However, practicing ghost cultivation easily leads to the loss of one’s own sanity.
This time, he was backlashed because his skills were not yet perfected," Nanli explained.
Otherwise, why would Prince Qi need to hide and control the dark tide?
Who could challenge him openly?
It was truly unimaginable that, despite being a prince, he would still need to practice such ghostly arts.
Chu Huan, initially trembling with fear, couldn’t help but speak up about the fate of the Qi Country, "I heard that Prince Qi suffered from bullying in his childhood, and his own brother was harmed. Could it be that because of this, he turned to ghost cultivation?"
Listening to their conversation, this ghost cultivation seemed extremely formidable.
Ye Siheng nodded, "It seems to have started about ten years ago when Prince Qi began stirring up trouble in the Qi Country. His mother was killed by the empress, so when his younger brother was born, he was burned alive shortly after. Not long after, the empress also died a violent death in the palace. Since then, Crown Prince Qi has controlled the court of the Qi Country, and no one dares to oppose him."
While Nanli felt pity for Prince Qi, she couldn’t overlook the fact that his ghost cultivation had caused the deaths of many.
Master Yuanfan sighed, "No wonder the Qi’s fortune has declined in recent years. With such a prince, the country is doomed."
However, Nanli countered, "I don’t think so. I previously divined that a wise ruler will emerge in the Qi."
The appearance of this wise ruler would ensure the continuation of the Qi’s prosperity for another hundred years.
Yuanfan blinked in astonishment, "When did you divine this?"
The two of them resumed their discussion, which was totally incomprehensible to Ye Siheng and Chu Huan.
They exchanged a glance, both sensing each other’s helplessness.