Chapter 51 Who Can Draw Talismans

Lu Zhaoling took another two steps forward, almost reaching Lu Ming.

Such a face suddenly appearing so close made Lu Ming's heart tighten inexplicably, and he instinctively stepped back.

"Are you thinking of hitting me?"

Remembering how Lu Zhaoling had previously slapped Lu Zhaoyun, Lu Ming felt it was entirely possible she might strike.

Right now, he felt a bit resentful toward his wife and parents. Why on earth hadn't they disciplined this damned girl properly in the countryside?

Lu Zhaoling looked at Lu Ming with a hint of strangeness.

Although she didn't quite consider herself related to them by blood, there was a faint, hazy aura covering Lu Ming—though it didn't quite look like the natural blur of a direct blood relative.

With someone like Madam Lu, she could instantly tell there was no blood tie.

But Lu Ming...

Lu Zhaoling always felt there were some lingering mysteries about him.

It was also possible because her soul had not yet perfectly fused with her body, coupled with the fact that she had died of severe injuries, exhausting all her spiritual energy at the time. Now reborn thanks to Prince Jin's imperial purple aura, she was still far from recovering her peak abilities.

Once she recovered a bit more, she would take a closer look at what was going on with Lu Ming.

"What kind of stimulation did Lord Lu receive in the palace?" She glanced at him with a trace of mockery.

Such a big man, could he really be afraid of her hitting him?

Lu Ming also grew somewhat angry and ashamed. Why on earth had he backed away just now?

"Take a look at what you look like right now!"

"What do I look like? I look like someone who has been abused in the countryside for ten years, see clearly now? This is the evil seed sown by the Lu family."

Lu Zhaoling spread her arms slightly, letting him look at her frail and skinny frame.

When she was bathing a few days ago, she even discovered all sorts of new and old scars on her body.

Some were from whipping, some looked like bruises from being beaten, and others were knife wounds that had scabbed over.

This body suffered from long-term malnutrition, a weak digestive system, a cold uterus, anemia, and all sorts of ailments. It was precisely because of this that she had such a hard time fusing with it.

For ten years in the countryside, those old folks of the Lu family truly spared no effort in torturing her.

"Stop talking nonsense, what kind of evil seed is this?"

Lu Ming's face darkened. "Your grandparents said that you were premature to begin with, naturally frail and sickly from birth. You should blame your own birth mother for that! Even while pregnant, she kept tossing and turning! They said that someone like you needs to be raised coarsely, to let you connect with the earth and receive the blessings of Buddha and Bodhisattvas, which is why you were sent to the countryside."

"If not for that, could you have lived until now? Besides, back then the Daoist priest said you were a jinx, but the imperial city is at the feet of the Son of Heaven, and keeping a jinx like you here makes it easy for you to be suppressed! Sending you to the countryside was for your own good! It's bad enough that you don't know gratitude, but how dare you accuse us of wrongdoing?"

As he spoke, he almost began to believe his own words.

That's right, that was precisely how it was!

Lu Zhaoling wore an expression of sheer disbelief, and then began to applaud lightly.

"Lord Lu's ability to talk nonsense without a shred of shame truly opens my eyes, I am deeply humbled."

"You!"

Lu Ming said angrily, "You won't even call me father, and yet you think you're in the right?"

It was only at this moment that he realized Lu Zhaoling had consistently addressed him as "Lord Lu" and had never once uttered the word "Dad" or "Father."

"Because you're not worthy."

Lu Zhaoling didn't care at all about filial piety or reputation; she simply refused to call him dad. Could the laws of the Great Zhou dynasty drag her out and behead her for that?

She wasn't a man who needed to take the imperial examinations or become an official.

She had even been bestowed a marriage decree, meaning her marital prospects could no longer be used to threaten her. This was simply wonderful.

Otherwise, if Lu Ming and his wife tried to arrange a marriage for her by virtue of being her parents, she would have had to find a way to refuse, which would have been troublesome.

Her fiancé was Prince Jin, and Lu Ming wouldn't dare to mess with him—how lovely.

On this single matter, she actually had to thank Prince Jin.

"You rebellious daughter!" Lu Ming was choked with anger.

"You are going to attend Princess Changning's scripture-copying gathering tomorrow. If you lose face there, Prince Jin's reputation will also be dragged down by you, and you'll see if he spares you then! Don't think that because a marriage was decreed it's set in stone and completely secure. Let me tell you, if your reputation is ruined, His Majesty can call off this marriage too!"

Remembering the kick Prince Jin had delivered earlier that day, Lu Ming felt a chill in his heart.

If Lu Zhaoling went out tomorrow and was mocked by everyone, would Prince Jin come looking to him to settle the score?

"I will find someone to teach you all sorts of etiquette, you'd better study properly! Furthermore, in the capital, you can bump into someone with a peerage or official rank higher than mine at any turn. If you keep acting this arrogant and offend the wrong person, I won't be able to help you!"

Having said all this, he didn't even want to look at Lu Zhaoling's face anymore, turned around, and flicked his sleeves as he walked away.

As a result, right as he was stepping out of the courtyard gate, his foot caught on something, and he pitched forward heavily, slamming his chin against the ground. Instantly, all his teeth ached numbly.

"Ouch, that looks painful just watching," Lu Zhaoling winced.

Lu Ming scrambled back up, in pain and full of resentment. He swallowed his cries of agony, gritted his teeth, and limped away.

"Bad luck still has some effect after all," Lu Zhaoling clicked her tongue. "It's just a pity that whatever talisman he was wearing warded off the worst of it, otherwise it wouldn't have been just a simple fall."

Qingbao asked curiously, "Miss, are you saying Lord Lu has bad luck?"

"Yes."

"Then is there any talisman that can ward off bad luck?"

"Well, an exorcism talisman, a peace talisman, a body-protection talisman—any of those work."

Qingyin said, "But we haven't heard of anyone in the capital who knows how to draw talismans."

Mentioning this, Lu Zhaoling was also somewhat curious. "Are there no Daoist temples in the capital?"

From the memories she had of the countryside, there were Daoist temples there, and people drew talismans.

"There are Daoist temples, just outside the city, called Qingfeng Temple. But we've never heard of anyone going to request talismans there," Qingyin said.

Qingbao, however, seemed to recall something. "It's not just Qingfeng Temple; there's actually another Daoist temple called Sansheng Temple, though it's a bit far from here. Our manor hasn't gone there for talismans, but others might have."

"That's true," Qingyin asked. "Miss, should we go and inquire about it?"

Lu Zhaoling was somewhat interested in the two Daoist temples, mainly wanting to see how deep the cultivation or mystical arts of the Daoists here really were.

Judging by the item on Lu Ming, someone there must genuinely have some real skills.

Back in her original world, a peace talisman she drew could sell for two thousand yuan. She wondered if she could sell talismans here as well.

"Let's go another day. Aren't we supposed to go to some gathering tomorrow..."

Lu Zhaoling suddenly reacted. "Did Lu Ming just mention a scripture-copying gathering?"

Qingyin and Qingbao were also stunned. "Could it be that Princess Changning wants the young ladies to copy scriptures?"

They both looked at Lu Zhaoling with worry in their eyes.

Their young miss knew how to draw talismans, but would she even know how to copy scriptures?

Weren't they told she hadn't read books or learned writing in the countryside?

"It seems Lu Zhaoling is waiting for me to make a fool of myself tomorrow," Lu Zhaoling chuckled. "No worries, we'll deal with it when we get there."

Meanwhile, at the Lin family estate.

Doctor Fu was administering acupuncture to Lin Yanran for the third time.

When he finished and withdrew the needles, Lin Rong and Madam Wu both looked anxiously at their daughter.