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

The rules of the esoteric schools of the world have always emphasized determining cause and effect before deciding on rewards and punishments.

Ordinary ghosts that haunt people, disturb their peace, and intentionally harm them should be suppressed, captured, or helped to cross over.

However, if a living person commits evil deeds first, and a vengeful spirit seeks justice later, this is the natural law of cause and effect, and it is only right and proper. Taoist practitioners should not interfere arbitrarily, let alone favor the wicked or suppress the vengeful spirits.

Luo Yurou spoke up at the opportune moment, her tone indifferent and fair: "Master, she is obsessed with revenge and has never harmed the innocent. For years, she has only targeted Jiang Miaomiao, always adhering to the bottom line and never committing indiscriminate killing. This grudge is Jiang Miaomiao's debt of killing, and she should repay it herself."

Shen Jingshu nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the pitiful and frail white-clad female ghost before her. She softened her tone and said, "I can help you break the protective spell on her and release you from your years of confinement, allowing you to face your enemy directly."

Xiao Yi shuddered, a glimmer of light suddenly igniting in her empty eyes as she looked at Shen Jingshu in disbelief.

"But I have one condition." Shen Jingshu changed the subject, her eyes sharp and impartial. "I'm helping you seek justice and get revenge, not condoning your wanton killing to vent your anger. You only need to make Jiang Miaomiao confess in public, reveal all the truth of what happened back then, ruin her reputation, make her pay for the karma of killing, and put an end to your lifelong obsession. You must not commit any additional killings or harm her life."

Xiao Yi has been wandering for years, haunted by obsessions. What she seeks is not simply revenge through death, but the redress of her grievances and the karmic retribution for good and evil.

She immediately nodded emphatically, her soul trembling slightly, and bowed respectfully to Shen Jingshu: "I promise you! As long as her hypocritical mask can be exposed, and everyone can know her vicious true face, making her pay the price she deserves, I will never commit murder unjustly! If I break this oath, I am willing to have my soul scattered and not enter the cycle of reincarnation!"

Seeing Xiao Yi make a blood oath, Shen Jingshu's eyes relaxed slightly.

Good and evil will eventually be rewarded; the cycle of karma is inevitable.

Jiang Miaomiao used her power to cover up her crimes and lived a carefree life for several years, believing that her past was buried and no one knew about it. Little did she know that the cause and effect had already been predetermined.

Tonight marks the beginning of her sins being exposed and her fall from grace.

A gentle wisp of mysterious light condensed at Shen Jingshu's fingertips as she spoke softly, "Wait patiently. Tomorrow, I will clear your name of this long-standing injustice."

The night passed peacefully.

The next morning, as dawn broke, warm sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the villa's guest rooms, dispelling all the chill and malevolence of the previous night.

After a night's rest, Xiao Yi's soul settled peacefully in the corner of the room. Having received Shen Jing Shu's tacit promise to seek justice, the heavy resentment on her body had faded considerably. She was no longer a vengeful ghost on the verge of losing control, but rather possessed a calm acceptance of justice.

Luo Yurou also retreated to the spirit gourd to recuperate early, and everything returned to normal.

The servants at the Xu family villa prepared a sumptuous breakfast early in the morning. Xu Zhixia, along with Song Ran and Lin Miaomiao, came to call Shen Jingshu downstairs for a meal.

Breakfast was just halfway through when the doorbell of the villa was suddenly rang.

The maid went to open the door and returned a moment later to report that Miss Jiang Miaomiao of the Jiang family had come to visit in person.

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table was taken aback.

Xu Zhixia was slightly surprised: "Jiang Miaomiao? Why did she come over this morning? We only officially met at the banquet last night, we're not close enough for her to take the initiative to visit me."

Although she was puzzled, she still got up and went out to greet the guests.

Shen Jingshu's expression was serene, her fingertips gently caressing the rim of the cup, her mind clear and understanding.

She had anticipated this scene.

Last night at the banquet, Jiang Miaomiao encountered a series of strange accidents. The amulet she had carried for many years had turned black and lost its effectiveness, greatly weakening its power to suppress the evil spirits. Overnight, Xiao Yi was continuously plagued by yin energy, causing her to have nightmares and feel uneasy. She also experienced many misfortunes this morning.

Panicked and timid, she vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Recalling the banquet last night, she realized that Shen Jingshu was the only one who kept staring at her. With her quick mind, she immediately guessed that Shen Jingshu might know the secret and be able to break the strange situation on her.

To put it bluntly, she came seeking self-preservation and a way to break free from her predicament.

Before long, Xu Zhixia led Jiang Miaomiao, who looked haggard and had dark circles under her eyes, into the living room.

However, after just one night apart, Jiang Miaomiao, who was so elegant and radiant at yesterday's banquet, seemed like a completely different person.

Her face was pale and haggard, with dark circles under her eyes. She looked fearful and uneasy, and her whole aura was weak and listless. She exuded an unconcealable sense of gloom and had completely lost the noble composure of a noble lady.

As Jiang Miaomiao entered the room, her gaze quickly swept across the living room, and her eyes immediately and accurately landed on Shen Jingshu, who was sitting calmly. A hint of urgency and dependence flashed in her eyes.

She walked straight up to him, not even bothering to exchange pleasantries with the others, her voice trembling with barely concealed panic: "Miss Shen, may I speak with you alone for a few minutes? I have something I'd like to ask you."

Xu Zhixia, who had been watching the whole thing, immediately sensed something was wrong and subconsciously looked at Shen Jingshu.

Shen Jingshu remained calm and nodded slightly: "Okay."

The others tactfully got up and moved aside, leaving the two of them alone in the living room.

The large living room fell silent instantly.

Jiang Miaomiao's taut nerves finally snapped. She took a step forward, her voice trembling, "Miss Shen, do you know anything about metaphysics? You kept staring at me at the banquet yesterday. Couldn't you tell that there's something wrong with me?"

She endured an incredibly agonizing night.

After falling asleep, she was plagued by nightmares, filled with blurry, bloody afterimages and chilling cries, which repeatedly woke her up. In the morning, she broke a glass while drinking water, sprained her ankle while putting on her shoes, and nearly ran a red light and caused a car accident on her way here. The series of dangerous accidents instilled a deep sense of fear in her.

What terrified her most was that the Taoist temple amulet she had worn close to her body for many years had inexplicably cracked this morning, and the amulet's spiritual energy had completely dissipated.

The life-saving charm that the Jiang family obtained for her has become ineffective.

After so many years of peace and quiet, she suddenly turned into this after returning to China to attend a banquet. Even if she's slow to realize, she knows that something dirty has gotten into her.

Shen Jingshu looked up at her, her gaze clear and cold, seeing right through her pretense and fear, without beating around the bush, and spoke softly:

"It's not that you have something on you, it's that you owe a life. Cause and effect are cyclical, and retribution is coming your way."

A single sentence, falling lightly to the ground.

But it was like a thunderclap, exploding loudly in Jiang Miaomiao's ears.

Her face suddenly turned deathly pale, her body swayed violently, her pupils contracted sharply, and her eyes were instantly filled with extreme panic and chaos.