Chapter 55: Very Expensive Fees

Lu Zhaoling gave a gentle flick of her hand, and the talisman pinched between her fingers suddenly burst into flames.

Mistress Wu and Xiao He could not help crying out in surprise.

What, what, what is this going on? How could the Second Young Lady Lu make a paper talisman catch fire out of thin air?

Lin Rong and Physician Fu were a bit more composed and clamped their mouths shut just as the exclamations were about to burst forth.

"Second Young Lady Lu, be careful..."

Mistress Wu still failed to hold back, her heart aching as she watched the orange-yellow flame inching toward Lu Zhaoling's slender, scallion-white fingers.

After all, Second Young Lady Lu was merely a young girl two years older than her own daughter.

"It's fine."

Lu Zhaoling glanced at her, replied in a calm voice, and then tossed the burning talisman into a bronze basin.

"It will smell awful. Open the windows to air out the room."

Lin Rong hurriedly rushed to push the windows wider open.

The moment the flame landed inside the basin, it grew fiercer, almost accompanied by a crackling sound, instantly consuming the life-stealing talisman and the sachet. When the fire reached the lock of hair and the few fingernails, black smoke billowed upward, and a foul, nauseating stench spread through the air.

Even Physician Fu took a few uncomfortable steps back.

Fortunately, Lu Zhaoling had been burning these items near the door.

A life-stealing talisman could not be too far away from Lin Eran while being destroyed, or else it would not work, forcing everyone to endure this ordeal.

Almost instantly, the contents inside were burned down to nothingness, leaving behind only a tiny pinch of ash.

At the same time, on the outskirts of a small town hundreds of miles away from the capital, inside a small dwelling, a young girl sitting cross-legged outside suddenly spat a mouthful of blood.

Immediately afterward, her hair turned completely white in an instant, and rapid wrinkles crept across her once-tight face. Even her eyelids drooped down. Most notably, her hands began to turn dark, wrinkled, and emaciated, and her once rosy and smooth fingernails developed vertical ridges.

"Ah! Who is it? Who destroyed my talisman?!" she shrieked hoarsely, her eyes blazing red.

At the Lin Estate.

"Are there any pomegranate trees planted in the estate?" Lu Zhaoling asked.

"Yes."

Though she had no idea why Lu Zhaoling would suddenly ask this, Mistress Wu answered hastily.

This had always been their home; before Lin Rong was posted outside the capital ten years ago, they had continuously lived right here.

People in the capital truly seemed to love planting pomegranate trees.

"Just bury this ash under the pomegranate tree," Lu Zhaoling said.

Lin Rong hurriedly instructed a servant to handle it.

Lu Zhaoling turned and walked back toward the bed.

She saw that the sickly and deathly aura on Lin Eran's face had dissipated, and the faint golden light atop her head was now so dim it was barely visible.

"Second Young Lady Lu, is she all right now?" Mistress Wu asked eagerly.

"It's not that simple. Although the life-stealing talisman has been destroyed, Miss Lin has been ill for so long after all. The depletion of her body and the exhaustion of her vitality are real, and it will take a few days to recover."

Hearing Lu Zhaoling put it this way, Lin Rong felt even more reassured.

"Do we need to give her some nourishing medicine?" he asked.

Lu Zhaoling looked toward Physician Fu.

"Old Fu is certainly more skilled than I am when it comes to nourishing medicinal diets. Continue giving her the decoctions prescribed by Old Fu. But that alone is not enough; I will draw another talisman to draw some vitality for Miss Lin."

This kind of talisman consumed a great deal of mental energy, which was why she would definitely charge a hefty fee!

"Thank you for the trouble, Second Young Lady Lu."

Lu Zhaoling once again took up her brush and drew a talisman.

Just as before, the moment the talisman was completed, they all saw a golden glow flash across the runes. Gazing at that talisman, they actually felt a sense of longing welling up within them.

It was a feeling hard to describe.

Yet Physician Fu, being the oldest person present, unconsciously took a step closer, feeling a sudden impulse to reach out and take that talisman.

A shock ran through his heart, and he could not help asking Lu Zhaoling, "Second Young Lady Lu, what kind of talisman is this?"

"The Vitality-Nourishing Talisman," Lu Zhaoling replied, casting a glance at him at the same time. "This is a talisman of my own creation; various Taoist temples should not have it. However, my body is weak right now, and I can only draw it this once. If you want one, you will have to wait until my health recovers."

A talisman of her own creation!

Though Physician Fu did not know what a Vitality-Nourishing Talisman was, based on the sensation he had just experienced, he knew this must be an incomparably precious and useful talisman!

Lin Rong, however, fully grasped the implication.

This talisman could only be drawn once by Lu Zhaoling right now, which meant it was expensive.

And very soon, Lu Zhaoling made them understand precisely why this talisman was worth such a high price.

With the talisman pinched between her fingers, Lu Zhaoling flicked her wrist and cast it toward Lin Eran.

They watched as the talisman swiftly drifted to Lin Eran's forehead, hovering in mid-air. Then, with a subtle movement of Lu Zhaoling's fingers, the talisman suddenly vanished directly into Lin Eran's forehead, leaving not a single trace behind!

Xiao He once again quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide with astonishment.

Mistress Wu rubbed her eyes and looked somewhat blankly at her husband. "Husband, did you see..." The talisman had vanished, sinking right into Eran's forehead.

However, she did not finish her sentence because she saw her husband—who was usually so calm that he wouldn't bat an eye even if Mount Tai collapsed before him—standing there with his mouth open wide enough to fit an entire egg.

"..."

Mistress Wu turned her gaze back toward Eran. And the moment she looked, she witnessed the transformation taking place in Lin Eran.

Lin Eran's hands, with their emaciated, withered, and darkened skin, were slowly regaining their vitality.

Her cheeks, which had been sunken from thinness, were plumping up as if being intensely hydrated.

The few strands of white hair on her head were actually turning black inch by inch.

Everyone stood frozen in front of the bed as if struck by a paralyzing spell, eyes wide and mouths agape, watching the changes taking place on Lin Eran's body.

The room was so quiet that even a falling needle could be heard.

Mistress Wu even held her breath, terrified that a single heavy sigh from her would turn everything before her eyes into a mere bubble.

Until finally, Lin Eran was fully restored to her original appearance, and her hands returned to their former soft, plump, and fair condition.

Of course, she still looked somewhat pale.

That was the lingering pallor of a long illness, but it was already completely normal.

Hot tears welled up in Lin Rong's eyes.

Lu Zhaoling's body swayed slightly, and Qingyin immediately noticed, stepping forward just in time to steady her.

"Young Lady, are you alright?"

These words jolted everyone else out of their trance.

Mistress Wu rushed to the bedside and tightly grasped her daughter's hand.

"Eran!"

Lin Rong wiped away his tears with his sleeve and bowed deeply to Lu Zhaoling.

"Many thanks to Second Young Lady Lu. The Second Young Lady has bestowed a great kindness upon us."

Physician Fu recovered from his shock and looked at Lu Zhaoling with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Lin Rong also came to his senses. "Second Young Lady Lu, please sit down and rest first. I will have someone brew a pot of ginseng tea. Might that be of any use to you?"

It seemed that Second Young Lady Lu's health was truly poor. Yet she had still been willing to exhaust her mental energy to save Eran—this was a debt of gratitude too heavy to measure.

Lu Zhaoling did not stand on ceremony.

"Brew it, then."

It would be of some use, after all.

Lin Rong hurriedly instructed Xiao He to brew the ginseng tea.

Xiao He dashed over, dropped to her knees before Lu Zhaoling, and kowtowed heavily three times in succession, her forehead turning slightly red by the time she rose.

"This servant thanks Second Young Lady Lu for your boundless grace!"

Lu Zhaoling: "..."