Stop pretending, the fake heiress is actually a master of metaphysics.

"I wonder which family's young master will marry—by the way, Miss Shen, didn't you and young master Gu have a life-or-death bond? You should know something about this..."

Shen Nian pressed her temples, feeling rather lazy to deal with the chattering ladies any longer. She said, "You can ask him yourself; you don't need to come here to inquire. I have to leave now. Excuse me," and then departed from this troublesome place.

The birthday banquet for Old Master Shen lasted for most of the day. Apart from the commotion caused by Song Daiqing at the beginning, it was a happy occasion for both the host and the guests. At the end, apart from Song Daiqing and Shen Zhaozhang, the rest of the Shen family members were there to see the guests off.

The birthday banquet was only truly over after everyone had left.

Shen Nian returned to her room and heard from the maid that Old Master Shen had summoned Song Daiqing and Shen Zhaozhang to his study.

Not long after, Song Daiqing came out of the study, her face pale, and knocked on Shen Nian's door.

Song Daiqing cut to the chase: "I want to see your sister. Will you help me?"

Shen Nian raised an eyebrow: "Help you? Didn't Madam Shen just want to kick me out of the house? Why are you begging me now?"

Song Daiqing: "I carried you for ten months and gave birth to you. Even if I didn't raise you, I still owe you the debt of life. I only ask this one thing of you: let me see Yingwei. From now on, I will pretend I don't have a daughter like you, and you will pretend you don't have a mother like me."

"I will leave the Shen family. Once Yingwei is out, we will leave Jinghai and never get in your way again, okay?"

Shen Nian crossed her arms, pondered for a moment, and decided that out of sight, out of mind wasn't a bad idea, so she nodded: "Okay."

Does Shen Yingchuan know about this?

Song Daiqing said in a low voice, "I talked to him, but he's been in a daze these past few days, and he just developed a high fever. I don't know if he listened to me."

However, since Shen Yingchuan is already an adult, Song Daiqing felt there shouldn't be anything wrong with it.

Shen Nian nodded: "I'll take you to see Shen Yingwei the day after tomorrow morning."

After the old master Shen's birthday banquet came to an end, Shen Nian packed her bags and returned to Tiannan Mountain the next day, not wanting to stay at the Shen family for even a day longer.

Tiannan Mountain, the back mountain.

Gu Yuncheng stood on an open ground, holding a sword in one hand and a Five Thunder Talisman in the other.

Shen Nian specifically instructed the servants to clear out this area. After all, many plants and trees grow in the uninhabited areas of Tiannan Mountain. Now that it is summer, the weather is hot and the plants and trees are lush. If Gu Yuncheng's unreliable lightning strike goes astray and causes a forest fire, it would be very bad.

Shen Nian sat in a grand chair arranged by a servant under the shade of a tree, holding a teacup. She lowered her head to wipe away the foam on the tea surface and occasionally corrected Gu Yuncheng's mistakes.

Gu Yuncheng brandished his sword, following the footwork Shen Nian had taught him. However, after half a day, apart from being covered in sweat, the sky remained clear and there was no sign of thunder.

Gu Yuncheng wiped his sweat and said to Shen Nian, "Master, the sun has been shining for half the day. Is it really going to attract thunder? Maybe we should find a day when it rains and thunders... Hey! Master, don't hit me! Don't hit me!"

Shen Nian: ...

Shen Nian was too lazy to pay attention to his bunch of crooked and nonsensical nonsense, so she picked up a teacup and threw it at Gu Yuncheng.

Gu Yuncheng nimbly twisted his waist, caught the teapot with his other hand, and then eagerly handed it to Shen Nian: "Master, I really can't find the feeling for attracting lightning. Could you give me some more pointers?"

Shen Nian raised her hand, picked up his sword, and weighed it in her hand.

"Master, is there something wrong with this sword?"

That sword must have been custom-made by a master blacksmith whom Gu Yuncheng had found. Although the materials were ordinary, the shape of the sword was quite beautiful.

Shen Nian said, "It's nothing special, but it'll be enough for you."

Gu Yuncheng: ...

Shen Nian put down his teacup, walked into the wasteland with his hands behind his back, and raised his sword.

The next moment, the sky, which had been clear and sunny, suddenly darkened, and gusts of cool wind swept across the face, carrying the scent of an impending downpour.

Shen Nian held a Five Thunder Talisman between her fingertips. The moment she closed her eyes, the talisman became hot and shiny. Then, a bolt of purple lightning struck straight down from the sky.

Shen Nian stood with her hands behind her back amidst the lightning, glanced at Gu Yuncheng, and asked him, "Did you understand?"

Gu Yuncheng: ...

Are you perhaps the reincarnation of the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess?

Attracting lightning is just like turning on an air conditioner with a remote control.

Shen Nian raised her hand and flicked a small bolt of lightning onto Gu Yuncheng.

Strangely, despite being struck by lightning, Gu Yuncheng did not feel the slightest pain.

"Heavenly lightning subdues all evil spirits. Unless one is undergoing a tribulation and transcending their cultivation level, heavenly lightning generally will not harm a cultivator."

Shen Nian sheathed his longsword, flicked his sleeves, and the next moment, the thunder dissipated, the sky cleared up, and not a trace of gunpowder smoke remained on the ground.

"Try again."

Gu Yuncheng took his sword, but after trying again for an entire afternoon, he still couldn't find the right method.

Shen Nian sighed, thinking to himself that it was truly a misfortune for the sect to have taken in such a person. He waved his hand and told him to go eat.

The kitchen prepared light dishes for dinner. Gu Yuncheng had been practicing lightning summoning all afternoon and was so hot that he didn't have much of an appetite, so he wanted to eat something light.

As the three were eating, a message suddenly popped up on Shen Nian's phone.

It's a butterfly.

She said the Xuanmen Guild had found traces of the zombie.

The bad news was that by the time they arrived, the zombies had already fled, and the people were already dead.

There are two deep black holes on the lower right side of the neck, which are undoubtedly made by a zombie.

What a coincidence, Shen Nian knew this person.

That's the owner of that palace banquet restaurant.

Shen Nian told them to prepare glutinous rice and bamboo leaves last time and not to go out at night, but it seems they didn't listen.

That makes sense, given the age we live in, nobody would believe in zombies anymore.

The people who reported the case were the boss's two sons. The police went to check on them and, believing that the police station could not handle the case, transferred it to a special management department, namely the Metaphysics Association.

According to the owner's son, they saw off their last table of customers tonight and were preparing to close up shop.

The owner was organizing today's revenue in the front hall, while his two sons and other employees were tidying up ingredients in the back.

Suddenly, the chandelier was shattered by something, plunging the front hall and kitchen into darkness. Just as the group was groping to see what was happening, they heard a piercing scream from the darkness.

And then came screams that didn't sound like those of a living person.

The group was terrified and dared not move. Only after the lights were restored and they recovered from their shock did one of them pick up the prop and bravely chase after the attackers.

But all they saw was a white figure flashing through the night, moving so fast it seemed inhuman, leaping over the wall in a few quick movements and disappearing from sight.

When I went to the front hall, it was already a mess.

Various expensive bowls, plates, tables, and chairs were broken all over the floor, and the restaurant owner lay silently amidst the mess.