The Lin family villa was protected by a large yang energy formation.

Upon seeing Lin Zheng in person, Yu Ning understood the purpose of this formation.

President Lin’s entire Zodiac and Five Elements were guarded by golden light, a mission given by the heavens to prevent mortals from glimpsing divine destiny.

Her master had always advised her about dealing with such powerful figures: “Take every opportunity, be proactive, and be thick-skinned to benefit.”

Blindly clinging to a powerful figure was a must, or she’d regret it forever.

At twenty years old, Yu Ning had only ever met one such figure: President Lin.

“The formation is to protect him, preventing evil spirits from possessing his body, and it’s set in the Taoist holy land of Sanqing Mountain to amplify its energy.”

The powerful aura of Lin Zheng’s physical body made it an ideal vessel for spirits to achieve their goals.

For wandering ghosts, possessing such a body could grant them a prosperous life.

Such a body without a soul was practically an evil spirit magnet.

“But…” Yu Ning paused.

“Go ahead, child,” Grandmother Lin encouraged.

“This formation protects President Lin from being possessed by evil spirits, but it also blocks his own soul from re-entering his body. The Taoist who set this up has some skills, but not much.”

This explained why President Lin had become a vegetative state.

“Lin Zheng is the lifeline of the Lin family and ties to my promise to them. Can you awaken him? Your master said you are his most talented disciple,” Grandmother Lin looked at Yu Ning with anticipation.

Not wanting to disappoint the old lady, Yu Ning replied honestly, “My master wasn’t entirely truthful. Our sect practices five arts: Mountain, Medicine, Fate, Appearance, and Divination. I do have some talent in Appearance, but compared to my older brothers, I’m not proficient in the other arts.”

Due to special reasons, she couldn’t currently draw talismans independently.

Using the three boxes of talismans her master left, she could handle minor matters, like helping the fifth Lin elder with exorcism.

However, summoning a soul for a powerful figure exceeded her current abilities; she could do it, but it would take a long time.

She could wait, but could the big shot?

Reviving such a figure promised infinite benefits, possibly even a breakthrough for her, allowing her to draw talismans without relying on her master’s boxes.

But high rewards came with high risks.

Failing to revive such a significant person would result in a massive loss of merit.

A disciple’s merit was linked to their master’s.

If she gained merit, her master would too. If she lost merit, her master’s would decrease as well, making masters very cautious about taking on disciples.

She didn’t want to drag her master down.

Yu Ning confessed, “I’ll contact my senior brother; he’s more capable than I am.”

“Good, very good,” Grandmother Lin seemed to agree, and Yu Ning reached for her phone.

“I mean, you have a good character.”

“???”

“Not doing things beyond your ability, just like your master: humble and cautious.”

“…” Yu Ning was speechless; Grandmother Lin’s admiration for her master was too biased.

“The task of awakening Zheng must be done by you.”

Seeing Yu Ning about to refuse, Grandmother Lin took out a box from her pocket. Inside was an ordinary jade bracelet.

“It’s your master’s order.” Grandmother Lin solemnly placed the bracelet on Yu Ning’s wrist, which fit perfectly.

“Yes.” Seeing the bracelet, Yu Ning didn’t decline further.

She recognized it as the bracelet her master kept under the altar, which had mysteriously disappeared.

It turned out it was with Grandmother Lin.

Yu Ning thought her master had left it as a token for her to follow Grandmother Lin’s commands.

“Don’t take it off; that’s also your master’s instruction.”

Grandmother Lin looked at Yu Ning with a distant gaze, as if seeing her own youth through this young life.

Yu Ning felt Grandmother Lin’s gaze was strange but couldn’t pinpoint why.

“How long will it take to awaken Zheng?” Grandmother Lin asked.

“Quickly, a month; slowly, it’s hard to say.”

Returning the soul wasn’t difficult.

The hard part was first finding President Lin’s soul, a task akin to finding a needle in a haystack among the vast sea of people.

“Then stay here. Tell me if you need anything.”

“I do need something – can you have Mrs. Lin leave this place?”

“Why?” Grandmother Lin frowned.

“I can’t say.”

Yu Ning’s claim of having “some” talent in Appearance was modest. In this art, she was unmatched below the Celestial Master level.

She could read most people’s faces but couldn’t read Mrs. Lin’s, which was terrifying.

Unlike President Lin, who had golden energy protecting him, Mrs. Lin didn’t, yet Yu Ning couldn’t see her face.

This left two possibilities.

First, Mrs. Lin was a cultivator with a level far above Yu Ning’s.

Second, Mrs. Lin was either extremely good or extremely evil, carrying immense karma, far beyond a few human lives.

Either case was too much for Yu Ning, who still relied on her master’s talismans to stay safe.

“Child, to be honest, I can’t make that decision,” Grandmother Lin said, troubled. “If Zheng were awake, I could send her away, but now it’s up to my grandson.”

“I understand,” Yu Ning nodded, realizing she had to deal with Lin Anbang to get rid of Mrs. Lin.

With no clear view of Mrs. Lin’s background, Yu Ning couldn’t leave such uncertainty.

If conditions weren’t favorable, she’d create them to send Mrs. Lin away.

A commotion arose outside.

Wu Yan, who had just been driven out, was wheeling back into the yard, gesturing wildly at the bodyguards, saying something unknown.

“Shouldn’t you go check?” Grandmother Lin asked Yu Ning.

Yu Ning shook her head silently, though a hint of envy was in her eyes.

She could guess what happened.

To make Wu Yan this anxious, her precious daughter must be in trouble.

Yu Zihan and Yu Ning shared a life-and-death destiny bond, so Yu Ning couldn’t get close, only watch from afar.

The wind blew in from the window, lifting Yu Ning’s lotus leaf sleeves.

In that moment, Grandmother Lin saw the scars crisscrossing Yu Ning’s arm.

Yu Ning tried to cover them, but Grandmother Lin had already seen, grabbing her wrist and lifting the sleeve. She gasped at the sight.

“Why so many scars?” The old wounds stretched from her arm to her back, likely more under her clothes.

“It’s nothing,” Yu Ning didn’t want to explain.

These scars were from the beatings she received from Wu Yan while living in the Yu family.

As a child, she often wondered why other mothers treated their children gently while hers constantly beat her.

Good mood or bad, Wu Yan always hit her.

To win her mother’s favor, she studied hard, putting in several times the effort of others to keep her grades up.

But the more excellent she became, the more she got beaten.

It wasn’t until the Yu family found the real daughter that Yu Ning understood.

Wu Yan wasn’t heartless; she just reserved all her love for her own child.

Just like now, Wu Yan was frantic for Yu Zihan’s safety.

“Poor child,” Grandmother Lin saw the bitterness in Yu Ning’s mature eyes, a sign of a life too hard too soon.

“I have my master, I’m not pitiable.”

Yu Ning turned her gaze from Wu Yan, no longer envious, only indifferent.

She had outgrown the age of trying to earn her parents’ love through effort.

“Grandmother, something’s wrong!” Jia Qingqing rushed in from outside.