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

The jade pendant is translucent and in perfect condition. To outsiders, it is just a warm, exquisite, and unremarkable piece of jade jewelry, with no sign of anything unusual.

But in Shen Jingshu's eyes, it was a completely different and terrifying scene.

The jade pendant appears pure and flawless on the surface, but inside it is shrouded in a layer of dark, malevolent energy. The patterns conceal a dense and intricate array of locks, which is a sinister formation specifically used to lock a person's fate and change their luck.

The formation is invisible and colorless, and ordinary people cannot detect it with their naked eyes. They will be subtly affected and have their fortune, longevity, and life force drained day and night.

"Jing Shu... Could the problem lie with this jade pendant?" Bai Zhi's voice trembled, her eyes completely blank.

"That's right." Shen Jingshu nodded, her tone icy. "This is the core of the fortune-changing formation."

"Two years ago, I gave you a jade pendant as a coming-of-age gift. It seemed like compensation, but in reality, it was a pretense of affection under the guise of close family that made you willingly wear it close to your body. The jade pendant is imbued with your vital energy, completely locking in your destiny, and then continuously transferring your good fortune, wealth, and vitality to your younger brother."

Bai Zhi felt ice-cold all over, a chill running down her spine, and she barely dared to breathe: "Then... then should I just throw it away now? I'm never wearing it again!"

"No." Shen Jingshu immediately stopped her in a deep voice, her tone extremely serious, "You absolutely cannot throw it away."

"You've worn this jade pendant day and night for the past two years, so it's become deeply ingrained in your life force, bound to your destiny, and closely connected to your fate. It's not an ordinary ornament; it's a magical artifact that has absorbed your luck for two years and is engraved with an evil array."

"If you carelessly discard it, the formation will not break; instead, it will trigger a backlash. Your luck and remaining vitality will not only fail to return to their original positions but will also be completely scattered and depleted. You will rapidly decline, become seriously ill, and even shorten your lifespan."

"Moreover, the discarded array core jade tablet, once it falls into the outside world, will be tainted with your aura and destiny, making it extremely easy for unscrupulous metaphysicians to pick it up and use it. At that time, you will completely become a vessel of fortune that others can manipulate at will, leading to endless troubles."

Bai Zhi's heart pounded, her hands and feet turned ice-cold, and she looked up blankly: "Then... what should I do?"

"I must personally perform the ritual to break the formation, purify, sever the causal link, and untie the bond." Shen Jingshu's gaze was resolute. "Only by dissolving the formation can the chains of fate that steal from you and the jade tablet, and between you and your brother, be completely severed, allowing all the fortune and vitality that belong to you to flow back to their rightful place."

Bai Zhi's fingers trembled uncontrollably as she held the jade pendant. The warm, cool jade landed in her palm, but at that moment it felt like a branding iron burning her skin.

She had caressed this jade countless times before, naively believing it was her parents' way of expressing their apology. Whenever she felt physically and mentally exhausted, she would subconsciously clutch the jade pendant to comfort herself, knowing that at least she still held a place in her family's hearts. Now, knowing the whole truth, she felt only nausea and a desolate sadness in her heart.

"When exactly did they start planning all this?" Bai Zhi's voice was dry, and her eyes were red. "Even those tender words at the coming-of-age ceremony were all pre-arranged acts, just to make me accept this deadly thing without any warning."

"It must have been planned for a long time," Shen Jingshu said softly. "Your original destiny is too dazzling, while your younger brother's destiny is too poor to bear the sudden wealth. The fastest way to help your brother rise to prominence is to slowly plunder your luck through a fortune-changing array. Find a sorcerer who understands unorthodox methods to forge a pair of jade pendants that communicate with each other's fortune. One will be given to you as the array's core to absorb blessings, and the other will be given to Bai Haochen to receive the fortune."

"The two pieces of jade resonate with each other, flowing day and night, and over two years, they will continuously transfer your blessings and longevity to them."

Bai Zhi suddenly remembered that on her coming-of-age ceremony, her parents had given Bai Haochen a similar jade pendant. She had previously thought it was just a commemorative gift from the set, but now everything became clear.

"I remember now! Haochen also received an identical jade pendant that day, and he wore it on his person ever since!"

"Then that's it." Shen Jingshu nodded slowly. "The two jade pendants act as a medium to form a complete smuggling array. You are responsible for outputting, and he is responsible for absorbing. As long as the array is not destroyed, this causal chain will continue forever. As long as you live, your energy, fortune, and health will continuously flow to Bai Haochen."

Bai Zhi's lips trembled slightly, and an endless chill welled up in her heart.

Instead of hoping their children will live well, even their closest relatives resort to insidious schemes to exploit their daughters' lives to benefit their sons.

"How could they be so cruel... I am their daughter too."

Seeing her dejected appearance, Shen Jingshu gently comforted her, "It's come to this, there's no need to wallow in grief. Now that you know the inside story, there's still a chance for things to turn around."

She extended her finger and gently tapped the jade pendant on the table: "Within three days, I will find an auspicious place with abundant yang energy, set up an altar, and perform a ritual. First, I will purify the blood and energy attached to the jade pendant, sever the causal threads connecting the array, and break the restriction on your luck. The moment the array is broken, the stolen luck and vitality will slowly begin to flow back to you."

"What should we do with this jade?" Bai Zhi asked.

"The formation has been broken and purified. The jade tablet itself is just ordinary jade. The evil power has dissipated, and it can no longer be stolen. I will seal it away and bury it deep in a suitable place to completely prevent future troubles. It must never fall into the hands of anyone in the Bai family again."

Bai Zhi carefully noted down every word, then quickly asked, "So, do I need to be there? Is there anything else I need to prepare in advance?"

"You must be there in person, using your own life essence as a catalyst, to completely sever the bond between the jade pendant and your destiny." Shen Jingshu carefully instructed, "Prepare your birth date and time in advance. Also, during this period, remember not to show any abnormality in front of your parents. Live as usual and pretend that you know nothing."

"Once the Bai family realizes that you have seen through the formation and fears that their plan has failed, given their greed and ruthlessness, they might take risks and resort to even more insidious methods. It is not advisable to alert them now."

Bai Zhi took a deep breath, forcefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and forced herself to calm down.

She couldn't break down, she couldn't panic. She was unwilling to become a stepping stone for her brother's success, wasting her life for the family's wealth and glory. She was determined to reclaim all the blessings, health, and prosperity that belonged to her.

"I understand. I will act cautiously and not reveal anything." Bai Zhi looked up at Shen Jing Shu, her eyes full of sincerity. "Jing Shu, if I hadn't met you, I'm afraid I would never have understood the root of my decline until I died. I will remember this kindness."

"We get along well, there's no need for such formalities," Shen Jingshu smiled faintly. "But there's one more thing you need to be prepared for after the formation is broken. Stealing luck is an evil act against the heavens. With the formation collapsing, the backlash from the heavens will begin, and the fortunes of the Bai family members will gradually decline, with Bai Haochen being the first to be affected. All the good fortune he gained out of thin air will dissipate, and he will revert to his original fate, or even worse after the rebound."

Bai Zhi remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

This path was chosen voluntarily by the parents and younger brother, and they should bear all the consequences themselves.

Sunlight streamed through the glass window and shone on the jade pendant on the table, reflecting a cool, clear luster.