Chapter 255: Chapter 255

"I find it strange too. For no reason, why is he investigating you?" Pei Ji’an said.

"Maybe it’s because I’ve changed so much that he’s suspicious of some issue?" Qu Fulan joked with herself. Although she felt uneasy, it didn’t prevent her from capitalizing on the situation; she knew how to say things to her own advantage.

Indeed, this explanation immediately elicited a look of realization from the Heir Pei.

After all, aside from this explanation, there really wasn’t a more fitting one.

Who could suddenly suspect something as far-fetched as soul borrowing? Even Xiao Shiqing, without solid evidence, would probably be perplexed by various thoughts.

If he had solid evidence or some means to leverage against her, he would have acted long ago, rather than waiting three months.

The more she thought about it, the more at ease Qu Fulan became. Moreover, now she didn’t rely on Xiao Shiqing to survive, nor did she need to care too much about his feelings. The main thing was the Heir Pei; as long as he harbored no suspicion, she would remain calm.

"If the princely heir wants anything else to eat, just order without reservation," Qu Fulan generously said.

Though her money pales compared to the Heir Pei’s wealth, she had also amassed savings exceeding a thousand, making her akin to a well-endowed household. Not to mention treating him to one meal, even a dozen would be effortless.

It was known back then that a young lady from a affluent family, with a dowry of over a thousand, could live in comfort for a lifetime. Those of average means, with a dowry of two to three hundred, could still maintain dignity in her husband’s home.

In essence, Qu Fulan had earned herself a dowry.

Though she had accumulated quite a bit of money, Qu Fulan didn’t plan on stopping. In business, one doesn’t simply stop after making a profit; it’s about expanding the scale when possible, or having other plans.

Otherwise, if one day the economy isn’t doing well, a certain business fails, without another industry to support, wouldn’t that mean losing everything?

Moreover, the business she was running needed continuous investment and rotation, and couldn’t simply be stopped on a whim.

The key is she’ll need money to investigate the Li Family’s case in the future. For that, money is crucial, without which, who would help run errands or investigate the case for you?

Whether it’ll be enough is uncertain.

"Your current business seems to be going quite well," Pei Ji’an said.

He still didn’t know that what Qu Fulan was selling were "eye masks"; Qu Fulan only mentioned selling women’s intimate apparel, so he didn’t pay much attention.

"It’s okay, mainly because of the princely heir’s support, others give face to me."

Alongside Madam Pei, Qu Fulan had made various delicacies to reward them.

"Tomorrow, I have some errands to run, and I’ll be back in about three to four days. If you have any urgent matters you can’t resolve, let Shi Yi and others send me a message," Pei Ji’an said.

Qu Fulan nodded, "Heir, feel free to go. Nowadays, everyone assumes I’m a relative of the Pei Mansion, so they won’t easily make things difficult for me. Even if there are any troubles, there’s still Prince An and others."

Pei Ji’an knew she had good relations with Prince An and his people; should any trouble arise, they wouldn’t stand idly by, and thus he felt more at ease.

But no one anticipated that Xiao Shiqing would take action precisely during Pei Ji’an’s absence.

To be precise, as soon as Pei Ji’an left, Xiao Shiqing "took" someone away.

While Pei Ji’an was present, their strengths were balanced, and Xiao Shiqing couldn’t take anyone away. But now that the counterpart wasn’t there, taking Li Jirou away became exceedingly simple.

By that time, night had already fallen, and Qu Fulan, after reviewing accounts throughout the day, was heading back to Gaoyi Lane to rest, only to find Xiao Shiqing and several guards at her doorstep.

Qu Fulan was taken away after being pressure-point-struck, while Shi Yi and others were tangled with other guards, unable to attend to her.

She was thus brought to the Xiao Mansion.

Qu Fulan hadn’t anticipated that, despite her avoidance of repeating the original character’s fate in every possible way, she would still enter there in this manner.

Xiao Shiqing took her to a room but still didn’t unlock her pressure points, instead speaking to her as follows.

"The reason you don’t wish to see me now is because you’re possessed. I invited a master to exorcise for you, and afterward, you will become clear-headed."

Apparently, in Xiao Shiqing’s eyes, her various abnormalities and rejection of him were due to possession.

Lv Daopo’s skills were not profound, who had once said something about being incompatible with the eight characters, but such words were only things she had read in Taoist scriptures, never encountering them in reality, nor understanding what they truly meant.

After all, nobody really encountered the bizarre situation of soul borrowing, and it was unlikely for any person to think in terms of such depth.

Saying these words was merely a means to project oneself as having profound skills and deceive others.

Whomever heard such words wouldn’t think they were deep and inscrutable?

However, such words could only deceive ordinary people, not someone like Prince Xiao. Lv Daopo initially attempted to mystify, but under a few lashes, she confessed everything.

It turned out Lv Daopo was merely a lackey, incapable of explaining Li Jirou’s abnormal behavior; the truly formidable one was her master, Elder Zeng.

Xiao Shiqing invited Elder Zeng, who calculated with Li Jirou’s eight characters, claiming possession by an evil spirit, necessitating exorcism to restore normalcy.

Hence, today’s events transpired.

Qu Fulan lay on a bed under pressure point restraint, unable to speak or move.

Several Daoists circled the house, tapping and chanting various spells.

Various talismans adorned door frames and outer wall surfaces.

Qu Fulan felt that even a normal person, subjected to such curses, might encounter problems.

Especially since she inherently had issues.

That Elder Zeng was indeed formidable, as Qu Fulan distinctly felt the half mandarin duck jade pendant in the spatial realm begin to glow, alleviating her discomfort.

So every time the Jade Pendant glowed, it meant it was protecting her?

Did the previous glows signify someone was trying to harm her?

Before Qu Fulan could deliberate further, the Jade Pendant’s light began to dim within the space.

Simultaneously, the distressing feeling returned.

As she fainted, her only thought was Xiao Shiqing was crazy; he was possessed.

Xiao Shiqing indeed had become somewhat mad, overly fixated on Li Jirou, incapable of accepting her rejection, unable to comprehend it.

They had grown up together as childhood friends, and whatever happened ought to be endured together, not chosen with outsiders.

She didn’t recognize the purse, nor was her needlework the same; these could be explained by the passage of time or perhaps a past injury causing her needlework skills to regress.

Yet a person’s long-accumulated behavioral habits aren’t easily altered.

Her numerous signs differed greatly from before, almost completely contradictory.

How could a person drastically change to the point of being utterly unrecognizable?

Even family upheavals couldn’t yield such disparity. For origınal chapters go to NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Thus, there was only one explanation, as Elder Zeng said, she was possessed.

Hence, exorcism was necessary, and post-exorcism, she would revert to normal.

This exorcism ceremony was executed over three days, performed once daily, lasting half an hour each time.

Qu Fulan’s Jade Pendant in the spatial realm flickered like a dying battery, causing her to drift into a stupor.

Until the third day, as the Jade Pendant went dark and suddenly shattered in the spatial realm, Qu Fulan vomited blood and completely fainted.

Simultaneously, Pei Ji’an felt a sharp pain in his chest outside.