Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

Gu Ming was completely stunned. His eyes were wide open, his body was stiff, his mouth was agape, and his face was full of disbelief.

He blinked hard, thinking he was seeing things because he was still recovering from a serious illness, and stammered, trembling, "Brother! I... I didn't see wrong, did I? The talisman... it started burning by itself!!"

Although Gu Yunzhou already knew that Shen Jingshu possessed extraordinary skills, witnessing such clean, efficient, and fluid Xuanmen techniques still left him with a deep sense of shock.

Compared to his brother's panic, he forced himself to remain calm, but in his heart, he completely let go of his worries.

Such orthodox, pure, and unpretentious techniques are not something that ordinary itinerant sorcerers can imitate.

At this moment, all the contempt, doubt, and disdain in Gu Ming's heart were completely crushed by the scene of the talisman burning out of thin air.

The talisman burned quietly with a bright flame, and wisps of blue smoke swirled and rose into the air. Instead of scattering, they slowly gathered in the center of the room.

The indoor temperature suddenly dropped.

The once warm bedroom was instantly filled with a bone-chilling cold. The lights flickered and dimmed, and the air was stagnant and cold, making one's back feel inexplicably cold.

Gu Ming was already shaken, and when this cold wind swept over him, all the hairs on his body stood on end. He instinctively gripped the blankets tightly, shrank back towards the headboard, and his face turned ashen.

The wisps of smoke gathered thicker and thicker, gradually condensing into a blurry, thin, human-shaped phantom.

It was an elderly ghost with a hunched back, its clothes tattered and faded, surrounded by a faint grayish-white aura, its face blurred, carrying endless grievances and sorrow, quietly floating in mid-air in the room.

He was not vicious enough to harm people, but only tragically lonely and adrift, with no one to worship him for many years.

Gu Yunzhou's breathing hitched slightly, and he instinctively stepped in front of his younger brother, his expression tense but still relatively calm.

Gu Ming, on the other hand, was so frightened that his teeth chattered, his eyes were fixed on the ghostly figure, his hands and feet trembled, and even his voice cracked: "A ghost... there really is a ghost..."

He had been arrogant and disrespectful while drunk, but now that he had seen the real person in person, he was so frightened that he lost all his temper.

Shen Jingshu remained calm and composed, her tone cool yet gentle as she spoke softly to the ghostly figure in mid-air: "Old man, I summoned you here only to settle our karmic debts, and I have no ill intentions."

She possesses pure spiritual energy and an upright destiny. A righteous aura subtly emanates from her, which will not suppress or harm the other party, but will steadily control the situation and prevent any accidents.

The old ghost's illusory figure flickered slightly, and a hoarse, weak voice echoed eerily within the room: "It was... he offended me..."

"I live alone in the desolate mountains, without relatives or friends, and have been lonely and miserable all year round. I only hope that a few sticks of incense can comfort my restless soul. That day, someone set out incense and candles and offerings, just asking for a little thought. But he got drunk and made a scene, insulting my memorial tablet, kicking my offerings, and speaking disrespectfully, thus diminishing my good karma..."

Old Ghost's voice was full of grievance.

He never intentionally harmed anyone; he was simply lonely and resentful for a hundred years, and was offended by Gu Ming for no reason. So he took the opportunity to entangle Gu Ming's soul and punish him. He had no intention of killing or harming anyone.

Shen Jingshu turned to look at Gu Ming, who was trembling on the bed, and said in a light tone, "Did you hear that? He was just a lonely soul in the desolate mountains, he didn't provoke you, he just quietly guarded his own little place. It was you who was drunk and reckless, and provoked him first for no reason."

Gu Ming was both scared and ashamed, his head bowed low, his face full of remorse: "I...I was wrong...I drank too much that day, my mind was muddled, and I spoke without thinking. I really didn't mean to..."

He was filled with remorse. He had been having a good time, but he had to offend the spirits and bring disaster upon himself. He had been unconscious for three days and almost got into serious trouble.

Shen Jingshu calmly mediated: "Old man, youthful innocence, playfulness, drunkenness, and recklessness are not necessarily evil. He has been unconscious for three days, his soul is trapped, which can be considered a punishment."

She then looked at Gu Ming and solemnly instructed him: "What goes around comes around, and the fault lies with you. If you want to put an end to this matter, you must apologize in person. Tomorrow morning, go to that desolate mountain and pavilion in person, prepare incense, candles, offerings, and paper money, sincerely worship and apologize, and offer incense to appease his wandering soul."

"From now on, you must not be arrogant, disrespectful, or blasphemous towards spirits and deities, understand?"

"I understand! I understand everything!" Gu Ming nodded hurriedly, trembling with fear as he repeatedly agreed, "I'll go first thing tomorrow morning! I'll personally apologize and offer my respects, and I'll never dare to do anything reckless again! Please forgive me!"

As he spoke, he bowed deeply to the old ghost in mid-air, admitting his mistake with utmost sincerity.

The ghostly figure watched him silently. The resentment that had been building up for days slowly dissipated under the boy's sincere remorse and Shen Jingshu's gentle mediation.

He had no intention of creating a deadly feud, and now that the other party has realized their mistake, is willing to make amends, and sincerely repents, most of his resentment has naturally dissipated.

The faint, ethereal figure nodded slightly and uttered in a hoarse voice: "Since you know you're wrong... then let it go."

Seeing this, Shen Jingshu condensed a wisp of gentle spiritual energy at her fingertips and gently sent it into the old ghost's soul.

The gentle, pure spiritual energy enveloped his frail soul, repairing his damaged virtue and soothing his lingering sorrow.

"I will give you a wisp of spiritual energy to strengthen your foundation. After the incense is offered tomorrow, your resentment will dissipate, and you can peacefully drift away, quietly awaiting reincarnation."

This wisp of spiritual energy is pure and precious, a tremendous gift to the lonely soul.

The old ghost's phantom trembled slightly, bowing deeply to Shen Jingshu, filled with gratitude.

Then its form gradually became ethereal and transparent, quietly dissipating with the evening breeze by the window, completely disappearing without leaving a trace of chilling remnant.

The temperature inside the room plummeted and instantly warmed up, the flickering lights returned to brightness, and the oppressive, chilly atmosphere vanished.

The entangled karma that had troubled Gu Ming for three days was now completely resolved.

Shen Jingshu turned to look at Gu Ming, who was now relaxed and whose complexion was gradually warming up: "Alright, the cause and effect are resolved, and the entanglement is gone. Get a good rest for the night, and remember to fulfill your promise to worship tomorrow. You will be safe and sound from now on."

Gu Ming let out a long sigh of relief, feeling completely exhausted yet more relaxed than ever before.

Looking at the young and composed Shen Jingshu in front of him, he no longer had any contempt or doubt in his eyes, only awe and admiration.

How can this be considered a lack of skill?

This is clearly a hidden master, a true expert!

Gu Yunzhou, who was standing to the side, was completely relieved and his face was full of gratitude: "Jing Shu, thank you so much today! You saved my brother's life."

Shen Jingshu glanced at the time and said softly, "The matter is settled. It's getting late, I'll head back now."

"Jing Shu, let me take you!" Gu Ming hurriedly tried to get out of bed, his eyes full of eagerness.

After what just happened, his opinion of Shen Jingshu had completely changed, and he was filled with awe and only wanted to take the opportunity to get closer to her.

"Don't move." Shen Jingshu raised her hand to stop him, her tone gentle but authoritative. "You've been unconscious for three days, and your body is severely depleted. You need to rest now. Eat something to replenish your strength, get a good rest tonight, and go to the mountains to pay your respects and apologize tomorrow."

Gu Ming reluctantly lay back on his pillow and obediently nodded: "Alright then, I won't see you off."

"I'll escort Jing Shu downstairs," Gu Yunzhou replied smoothly.

The two walked slowly down the spiral staircase, one after the other.