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

The old woman's face darkened, and she retorted angrily, "Nonsense! My formation is perfectly fine, and I'm getting younger with age. Where is the disaster?! Young lady, mind your own business. This is my family matter, and it's none of your concern!"

"I advise you to leave now, and I can pretend nothing happened tonight. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and waved.

On the ground of the courtyard, a faint black pattern appeared, which was the protective Yin formation she had set up for many years. The evil aura surged and rushed straight towards Shen Jingshu.

Shen Jingshu's expression remained unchanged as she rapidly formed hand seals, condensing a clear, mysterious light from her fingertips.

"Family matters? Using evil magic to kill is not a family matter; it is harming others and committing a sin."

She raised her eyes and coldly shouted, "Evil forces borrow lifespan, defying heaven and the Dao! Formation, break!"

A bright, mysterious light exploded instantly, shooting straight to the ground!

With a soft "boom," the black array patterns hidden on the ground for many years shattered and vanished without a trace.

The eerie, chilling aura that had lingered over the old house for days instantly dissipated, and a gust of night wind swept away the chilling atmosphere of the entire building.

Back home in the city, Luo's father, whose life was steadily fading and declining, suddenly relaxed, and his chaotic and decaying aura instantly stabilized.

And in the old courtyard—

The old lady suddenly trembled, and her complexion lost its rosy hue at a visible speed.

His once youthful and firm skin quickly became loose and wrinkled, his dark temples turned gray in an instant, and his vitality collapsed.

In just a few seconds, she went from looking like she was in her fifties to looking like a frail and aged woman in her seventies, even more withered and haggard than before.

"No—! My lifespan! My life!!"

The old woman screamed in terror, her legs gave way, and she collapsed heavily to the ground, her eyes filled with despair and madness.

The moment the formation shattered, the old woman felt as if all the strength to support her body had been drained away.

She slumped in the cold courtyard, trembling all over. Her skin quickly became dry and loose, her once black hair turned completely white, and her once full and rosy face became withered and sunken, with layers of wrinkles covering her face.

In just a few breaths, she was not only reduced to her original seventy-year-old appearance, but even more frail and aged than before she had extended her lifespan.

The stolen lifespan and the vital energy that did not belong to her were all devoured by the rules of Heaven, leaving nothing behind and being returned to her.

"Impossible...impossible! I've been setting up this formation for so long, and I'm clearly getting younger with age! How could this be..."

The old woman gripped the soil tightly, her eyes bloodshot, looking like a madwoman, muttering and roaring incessantly, full of resentment and bitterness.

She was unwilling to let her dream of defying fate and extending her life be shattered, and she could not accept the outcome of being reduced to her original state overnight, or even having her fate worsen.

Shen Jingshu stood in the night wind, her expression cold and her words impartial: "Defying the heavens and stealing your son's lifespan is an extremely ominous and wicked act. You have taken away your eldest son's fortune and lifespan for a full month. Once the formation is broken, all the losses will backfire on you. This is the retribution you deserve."

Looking at her disheveled, aged, and seemingly deranged grandmother, Xiao Luo felt a mix of emotions.

That was her own grandmother, but at this moment she couldn't muster even a shred of sympathy.

The thought of her father, who was rapidly aging and dying, lying in bed, and how he had been so tolerant and filial since childhood, only to have his life cut short by his own mother, filled Xiao Luo with a chilling feeling.

"Grandma, Dad was the most filial son in your life. Even though you didn't love him when he was little and favored your younger brother, he still came back to see you every year and gave you money for your old age. But what about you? How could you be so heartless as to take his life?"

The old woman raised her eyes, glaring at Xiao Luo with a ferocious expression: "He's lucky! He deserves it! Who told him to be so blessed! If it weren't for him, I would have died long ago! I only borrowed a few years of his lifespan, was I wrong?!"

Stubborn to their mistakes and unrepentant in their evil intentions.

Shen Jingshu spoke calmly, extinguishing her last hope: "It's not just that. During your lifespan, you damaged the fortune of three generations of your descendants. From now on, your youngest son and your grandchildren will suffer from diminished fortune, have no way to make money, be entangled in trivial matters, and experience constant misfortune. This is all the consequence of your selfish desires."

"Your final fate will be to live out your old age alone, without anyone to care for you, and to die in loneliness."

Upon hearing this, the old lady froze completely.

All her favoritism and scheming in her life were for her youngest son, but in the end, she ruined the fortunes of her most beloved youngest son's family with her own hands.

An overwhelming sense of despair overwhelmed her instantly.

She slumped to the ground, her eyes vacant, her whole body trembling, unable to utter another scream.

Mr. Luo, who had been lying in bed with a weak breath and aging rapidly day by day, suddenly felt light in his body.

The decaying, deathly aura that had surrounded him faded away, and his disordered and exhausted bodily functions gradually returned to normal.

The visible rate of aging completely stopped, and the ashen complexion slowly regained a hint of life and color.

Luo's mother, who had been staying by the bedside all night without sleeping, was stunned for a moment, then her eyes reddened, and she wept with joy.

—Her husband survived. His life was saved.

Let's go back to the old house in the countryside.

The night was slightly cool, the cold wind had dissipated, and all the evil spirits and malevolent energy in the old house were completely cleared away.

Looking at the old lady who was completely exhausted and lying on the ground, Shen Jingshu instructed Xiao Luo: "The formation has been broken, and her lifespan has been restored. Your father will no longer decline. After a period of rest, he will gradually recover to normal."

Xiao Luo, who had been on tenterhooks for a whole month, finally felt relieved. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she nodded emphatically, "Thank you! Master Shen! Thank you for saving my father!"

If she hadn't rushed over overnight to break the formation and sever the evil, her father would have surely died within a month.

"What happened to her?" Xiao Luo asked, looking at her frail and aged grandmother on the ground.

"Her lifespan has ended, but she is burdened by her evil deeds. From now on, she will be bedridden and constantly suffering from illness, which will be her norm." Shen Jingshu said calmly, "She brought this upon herself, and she cannot live on."

As dawn approached, the sky began to lighten with the pale white of a fish's belly.

The two did not linger, bidding farewell to the dilapidated and gloomy old house, and left the village that harbored evil magic.

On the way back, Xiao Luo looked out the window at the passing rural scenery and let out a long sigh of relief.

The pent-up feelings of depression, fear, and grievances that had been building up in my heart for days vanished completely.

Favoritism is not wrong, and selfishness can be forgiven, but to harm one's own flesh and blood in order to prolong one's own life is a heinous crime that crosses the line of natural justice.

Back in their city home, as soon as they opened the door, they saw Luo's father sleeping peacefully in bed, his face radiant and his breathing steady, no longer showing the lifeless and decrepit look he had before.

Luo's mother turned and saw the two of them, smiling through her tears, "Much better! Your father looked so much better this morning. The doctor just came to check on him and said his bodily functions have stabilized. It's amazing!"

Xiao Luo felt a lump in her throat, turned to look solemnly at Shen Jingshu, and bowed deeply: "I cannot thank you enough, Master Shen, you are our family's savior."

Shen Jingshu gently helped her up, her eyes warm: "Good and evil will eventually be reincarnated, and Heaven is never unjust. Those who harm others will ultimately harm themselves, while those who uphold good will ultimately find peace."