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

Before long, the old lady brought out two neatly folded old cotton quilts. The fabric was washed until it was white, but it had a strange cold and damp smell, without any warmth from being dried in the sun.

"The house has been uninhabited for a long time, so just make do with what you have. Sleep quietly at night and don't wander around. The wind is strong in the countryside at night, and there are many unclean things around."

Her tone was flat, seemingly a well-intentioned admonition, but there was a subtle warning hidden in her eyes.

Xiao Luo already had many doubts in her heart, and when she heard these words, she felt a chill run down her spine and quickly nodded in agreement.

The old lady put down the bedding, exchanged no more pleasantries, turned around and went back to the master bedroom at the innermost part of the room. The moment she closed the door, her seemingly kind eyes turned completely cold.

The two entered the guest room on the west side. The room was small and simple, with old windows that let in gusts of night wind through the cracks, causing the lights inside to flicker.

After the door closed gently, shutting out the noise from outside, Xiao Luo, her voice trembling, said urgently in a low voice, "Master Shen, did you see that? My grandmother is acting very strangely! Last time I saw her, she was so weak she was almost dying, but in less than a month, she's getting younger and younger. It's just too abnormal!"

Shen Jingshu stood by the window, looking through the window at the closed door of the master bedroom next door. Her eyes were cold and sharp, taking in the faint shadowy aura swirling around her.

"It's not that she's gotten younger; it's that she stole your father's lifespan and extended it onto herself."

Every word was chillingly cold.

Xiao Luo froze, a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Her nose stung with tears and anger: "It really was her...it really was my grandmother who sucked away my father's life force? Even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could she do this to her own son?"

"The greed in people's hearts is the most terrifying thing." Shen Jingshu sighed softly. "Your grandmother was destined to die young and her lifespan was coming to an end. Unwilling to die of old age, she had evil thoughts. She used the bond of blood ties with her closest relatives to set up a sinister longevity-borrowing array, using her eldest son's fortune, vitality, and lifespan as sacrifices to defy fate and prolong her own life."

"No wonder my father aged twenty years overnight, his life force completely gone. It turns out that all his lifespan was transferred to her..." Xiao Luo's eyes reddened, her heart filled with sorrow.

"That's not all." Shen Jingshu frowned slightly, her tone becoming increasingly grave. "Her life-sustaining array isn't a one-time use; it's a continuous drain. Your father's life force is still constantly draining away. As long as the array remains intact, she will continue to live off your father's life."

As soon as he finished speaking, the night deepened, and the entire old house fell into complete silence.

The village lights went out one by one, and all was silent. Even the chirping of insects and the barking of dogs disappeared, creating an eerily quiet atmosphere.

Around midnight, when all was quiet, a very faint, subtle noise suddenly came from the master bedroom next door.

It wasn't the sound of footsteps or turning over; it sounded like someone was whispering obscure and incomprehensible incantations, their voice hoarse and aged, broken and intermittent, lingering in the night.

Immediately afterwards, a chilling, bone-deep cold air slowly seeped in from the cracks in the wall, permeating the entire guest room.

The temperature inside the room suddenly dropped. What was supposed to be a warm summer night now felt like falling into a freezing winter cellar. Xiao Luo was instantly covered in goosebumps, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably.

She covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound, and looked at Shen Jingshu in horror.

Shen Jingshu's eyes narrowed slightly as she slowly raised her hand, a faint wisp of profound energy gathering at her fingertips.

She heard it clearly: the old lady next door was opening an altar at midnight to continue absorbing the life force of her own son.

The obscure and chilling incantation still lingered intermittently in the next room.

The chill in the old house grew stronger, flowing along the walls and continuously converging towards the master bedroom.

Others could not sense anything unusual, but in Shen Jingshu's eyes, she could clearly see wisps of gray, deathly energy being pulled in from the outside along the invisible array's veins—that was the last remaining life force of Xiao Luo's father.

It flowed continuously into the old lady's body.

Xiao Luo felt ice-cold all over, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her eyes red-rimmed, filled with fear, anger, and chill: "She...she's still harming people in the middle of the night? Still sucking my dad's life out of him?"

Shen Jingshu's eyes were cold as she nodded slightly: "Midnight is the time of transition between Yin and Yang, when Yin energy is at its peak. It is precisely when her life-extending formation is operating at its most powerful. Her deliberate decision to have us stay overnight tonight is not out of kindness at all."

Xiao Luo was startled: "Why is that?"

"She sensed that someone was investigating her formation and felt uneasy. She left us at the old house, firstly to keep a close watch on us, and secondly because she was afraid we would secretly break the formation, and wanted to nip the potential threat in the bud."

As soon as he finished speaking, the chanting from next door abruptly stopped.

The entire old house fell into an eerie silence.

The next second, the wooden door to the master bedroom next door creaked open and slowly opened a crack.

An aged yet exceptionally clear gaze peered through the crack in the door.

Xiao Luo's scalp tingled instantly, and the hairs on her body stood on end. She instinctively shrank behind Shen Jingshu.

A moment later, the old lady, wearing an old coat, slowly walked out from next door.

In the darkness of night, she completely shed the gentle demeanor of an ordinary old woman she had during the day.

His brows and eyes were relaxed, his face was strangely red, and there was a dark and sinister look in his eyes. Where was there any trace of old age or frailty? He was clearly a sinister figure who had stolen longevity and was full of vigor.

She stood on the veranda, coldly staring at the tightly closed guest room door, her voice hoarse and low, devoid of its previous kindness: "This young lady from the city does have some discernment. Since you've figured it out, stop hiding and come out."

Shen Jingshu's eyes sharpened, and she pushed open the guest room door and walked out slowly.

Xiao Luo gritted her teeth, suppressing her fear, and followed closely behind her.

The night wind was bleak in the courtyard, and the shadow of the old locust tree twisted and swayed, enveloping the entire courtyard.

The old woman stared intently at Shen Jingshu, a chilling smile playing on her lips: "I knew someone was interfering today; turns out it's someone who knows what they're doing. Who are you?"

"The one who broke your evil formation and confiscated your sinister arts," Shen Jingshu said calmly, yet every word was sharp. "You dare to steal the lifespan of your own eldest son, your closest blood relative? Defying the heavens to borrow life, damaging your virtue, and cutting off your own future—aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"

"Divine retribution?"

The old woman seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world; she tilted her head back and laughed, her eyes filled with greed and madness.

"I'm practically buried in the earth, I've lived my whole life, toiled my whole life, why should I die in my old age?!"

"My eldest son is blessed with good fortune, long life, and is destined to be filial to me and take care of me! What's wrong with borrowing a few decades of his life? He's my son! His life should rightfully belong to me!"

Xiao Luo, who was standing to the side, trembled all over as she listened, staring incredulously at her paranoid and vicious grandmother.

"So... you called my parents back a month ago on purpose? You just wanted to set up a lifespan-borrowing formation to drain my father's lifespan?!"

"good."

The old woman made no attempt to hide it, readily admitting it, her face utterly contorted in rage.

"He's honest and kind-hearted, and has the best luck; borrowing his life is the safest bet!"

"I didn't plan to live much longer anyway. If I give him twenty more years, I can live a peaceful and comfortable old age and enjoy my retirement! So what if he lives a few decades less? He has a wife and daughter; that's enough for him!"

These selfish, callous, and distorted words sent chills down one's spine.

Shen Jingshu's eyes turned completely cold: "Your greed is insatiable, and you're not just borrowing lifespan. You've favored your youngest son and exploited your eldest son for years, which has already diminished most of your good fortune. Now, you're defying the heavens by stealing your son's lifespan and using a Yin array to drain his blood and steal his luck. Not only will you exhaust your remaining good karma, but you will also bring misfortune and decline to three generations of your descendants."

"You think you're prolonging your life? You're squandering the entire family's fortune!"