Xiaoxiao's cultivation level was not high, so she certainly couldn't make an illusionary talisman. Therefore, this talisman must have been given to her by someone else, probably her master, whom she mentioned earlier. This talisman should have been drawn by her master. An illusionary talisman belonged to the category of high-grade superior talismans, and she could draw such talismans herself, but using up all her yuanqi could only produce three or four such high-grade superior talismans. In other words, such high-grade superior talismans were extremely difficult to make.

With her previous experience in drawing talismans, even with all her yuanqi consumed, she could only guarantee success in drawing three or four such high-grade superior talismans. Generally, few people drew such talismans, as they were less practical than other life-saving talismans.

Since her master helped her make such a talisman, it showed that he favored her greatly. And her master could draw such grade talismans, indicating his cultivation level was not low. This time, however, they were careless.

But according to Wanshi Yan's words, Master?

Wanshi Yan approached Li Yunge and struck a talisman on him, making him freeze in place, unable to move or perceive anything outside.

Wanshi Yan entered the house and said, "I know this woman, named Xiaoxiao, she is also my master's disciple. After the senior apprentice left, my master took in many disciples. Xiaoxiao should be part of the third batch of disciples. I stayed with my master for thirty years, and the last few years before I left, my master took in Xiaoxiao and several others."

"The second batch of disciples were not talented, and in the end, they all exploded. The third batch of disciples, my master did not use all of them as containers for yin beasts, but kept some to teach them. Xiaoxiao was one of those kept. My master also took in disciples later, but I am not familiar with them, I only know Xiaoxiao and her batch."

Wanshi Yan sat on the sofa. "Sit down first, we can't rush this. Let me tell you about the past."

Indeed, they couldn't rush it. Gu Qin and Qin Xiansheng could only sit and listen to him recount the past. "Xiaoxiao's talent was not bad, but certainly not as good as ours. I remember Xiaoxiao was brought back by my master when she was about ten years old. I left when she was around eighteen, and I haven't seen her much in the past few decades."

In other words, Xiaoxiao was quite old. For cultivators, age didn't matter; reaching a certain cultivation level made it easy to maintain one's appearance. One could live for hundreds or thousands of years. According to Xiaoxiao's age, she was just a teenager in terms of ordinary humans.

Of course, it was said that breaking through the Refining the Void and Merging with Dao stage, entering the Great Transcendence stage, could lead to eternal life and becoming an immortal, passing through the heavenly tribulation, and entering the world of immortals.

Of course, this was hearsay; Gu Qin had never personally witnessed anyone reaching the Great Transcendence stage.

Wanshi Yan suddenly laughed. "Actually, since I found out that my master intended to use me as a container for a yin beast, my personality changed significantly. Back then, to vent my anger, I killed many of my master's disciples, and Xiaoxiao and the others probably feared me. I killed those designated as yin beast containers because they wouldn't live long anyway. I just wanted to let them end their suffering sooner. Sometimes, I would rather die than live like that, enduring such pain..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Gu Qin understood the pain he described. She had seen the suffering of two people tormented by yin beasts, a pain even cultivators like them could not endure.

However, Gu Qin still felt something was off. Even if those people suffered, it wasn't right for him to decide their fate.

Gu Qin turned to look at the corpse of Xiaoxiao at the door, activating her Heavenly Eye to verify Wanshi Yan's words.

Minutes passed, and she withdrew her gaze. Her Heavenly Eye had no effect on Wanshi Yan, but it worked on Xiaoxiao. She saw Wanshi Yan and confirmed that the things he said were true; Xiaoxiao and the others truly feared him.

"Will your master come looking for us?" Gu Qin pondered. Recalling Qin Jiu's encounter with the old man, despite their best efforts, they only managed to injure each other. With three of them now, it was uncertain who would win if they faced him.

Wanshi Yan laughed. "I think even if my master saw us together with the senior apprentice through the illusionary talisman, he wouldn't dare trouble us. If alone, he might come, but facing both of us, he doesn't stand much of a chance. That old man is afraid of death, and I doubt he'd come looking for us."

This matter could only be put on hold. Even if that old man came, they would have to deal with it step by step. There were other matters to attend to now. Gu Qin's gaze landed on Li Yunge and the corpse at the door. "How do we handle the body?"

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Qin Xiansheng stood up and took out his phone. "Leave it to me." He knew Mu Lao, and dealing with such matters was relatively easy.

As for Li Yunge, Gu Qin went over, removed the talisman from his body, and prepared to call the police. Gu Qin didn't stop him but said, "If you want to call the police, go ahead. But how do you explain the woman hidden in your house? How do you explain the coffin building? How do you explain your wife living in such an eerie building? If you claim you didn't mean to harm your wife, do you think anyone will believe you?"

Li Yunge paused, his fingers trembling as he stared at Xiaoxiao's lifeless body on the ground. He genuinely loved Xiaoxiao, and the thought of never seeing her again pained him deeply.

Gu Qin sneered. "You love her? Do you know pain? Then do you know what your wife is going through? Do you know how your two sons will react when they find out the truth?"

Sons? Li Yunge snapped back to reality. "Don't tell my sons about this."

Gu Qin said, "If you don't want your sons to know, I won't interfere. I won't bother anymore, but if your wife wants anything, you must fulfill her every wish."

"Alright." Li Yunge hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing. He genuinely loved Xiaoxiao, but his sons were his blood, and he didn't want them to know his ugly side.

Qin Xiansheng called someone to handle Xiaoxiao's body.

The next day, Gu Qin told Wan Jing that the matter was resolved and that Li Yunge would comply with any requests she had.

Wan Jing's request was simple: divorce. She didn't ask for any money from Li Yunge, only that he tell their children that he was at fault and destroy the coffin building.

Li Yunge breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't really want his two sons to know about his infidelity, but there was no other choice. After much hesitation, he told them the truth. His sons were disappointed in him, but eventually agreed to their mother's divorce.

The coffin building was demolished a few days later.

The Wan family also learned about Li Yunge's infidelity. Wan Jing's younger brother even had Li Yunge beaten up.

A week later, Gu Qin went to give Wan Jing acupuncture and continued her medicinal baths.

A month later, Wan Jing recovered almost completely. Instead of accepting the payment offered, Gu Qin asked her to donate the money to help others in need.

Seeing their daughter recover, the Wan family was overjoyed. As Wan Jing's health improved, her sons began to miss her. Having not worked for years, she found employment as a teacher at a school.

Li Yunge's mother, Wan Jing's former mother-in-law, visited several times, pleading with Wan Jing to forgive her son. She claimed he had made a mistake and begged her to forgive him for the sake of their grandchildren.

Li Yunge's mother didn't know that her son had wanted to kill his own wife. She only heard the story her grandsons told her, believing that Li Yunge had cheated on her. She even went to ask Li Yunge, who confirmed he had broken off with the mistress. She then came to plead with Wan Jing to forgive her son.

But how could Wan Jing forgive someone who wanted to kill her?

Her former mother-in-law came several times, and upon learning that Wan Jing would not forgive her son, sighed and left, never returning.

But Gu Qin would not easily let Li Yunge off. She had left a trace of yin energy in his body, and he would suffer for it later.

By year-end, the matter was finally resolved. Gu Qin had initially worried that Qin Dage's master might come looking for them, but she needn't have worried. Just as Wanshi Yan predicted, the old man was too afraid to come.

Another year passed, and everyone was happy. Gu Qin put the matter behind her.

That year, they were going to spend the New Year at Grandfather Cheng's home in Liangping City, Southern Province. Cheng Yinxiang had an older brother who was married with two children—a niece and nephew. They were Gu Qin's cousin sister and cousin brother, Cheng Chuchu and Cheng Yueguang.

Two days before New Year's Eve, the family drove to Liangping City with Lu Tang.

Cousin sister and cousin brother were very excited about Gu Qin's arrival. After all, she was the hero who had been featured online. They even took her out to dinner with friends and classmates, which was a bit like showing off among friends.

Gu Qin was somewhat amused and bemused.

Cousin sister and cousin brother were both very nice, and Gu Qin mostly went along with them.

Cheng Yinxiang's younger brother was reassured that his parents were doing well living in Beijing.

Cheng Yinxiang hoped that after the New Year, her parents could return to Beijing with her. Her parents were comfortable in Beijing and visibly healthier, so they agreed, mainly wanting to take care of their grandson.

After the New Year, everyone returned to Beijing. After the Lantern Festival, school resumed. Gu Qin got busy with feng shui consultations, including some related to architectural feng shui. One case involved a trapped building, a typical Beijing courtyard house. Originally, there was nothing wrong with the courtyard house, which the homeowner had given to his son for marriage.

The daughter-in-law found the courtyard too old-fashioned and decided to renovate it. Not only did she renovate it but also altered the layout, blocking one wall and changing the entrance to another side. Unfortunately, the new entrance faced a large wall a few meters away, creating a direct view of it upon exiting.

Furthermore, she modified the courtyard's landscape. The original small flower bed in the corner contained various flowers and plants, with a small osmanthus tree nearby. She disliked it and demolished the flower bed, replacing it with a large garden in the center. She transplanted a tall pine tree and planted some flowers and shrubs around it. The tree, already several decades old, grew taller and larger within a few years, its branches lush and dense.

Afterward, family members started experiencing health issues, and the children often encountered work-related problems. Living together, the elders felt it might be due to altering the land, disrupting the feng shui.

When they mentioned this to their son and daughter-in-law, the couple remained silent. Though they originally didn't believe in these things, the elders sighed and said, "Ever since we altered the courtyard, Xiao Bao has been falling sick frequently. The doctors can't figure out why. This can't go on forever. Maybe we should consult a feng shui expert."

Thinking of their hard-won son, who had always been frail since birth, and the frequent illnesses affecting the family, they realized this was not a sustainable situation. Hospital check-ups yielded no results, and hearing the elder's suggestion, they became inclined to seek help.

Those who could afford such a courtyard were generally well-off. Naturally, they wanted a skilled feng shui expert.

They found one through a friend's recommendation, and the person had previously been a client of Gu Qin. Since altering the courtyard's feng shui, things had gone smoothly for the family.

The couple directly called Gu Qin, and she visited the next day.

When they saw Gu Qin, the couple and the elders were somewhat skeptical. After all, this feng shui master looked very young. If not for a friend's assurance, they would have dismissed her.

Upon seeing Gu Qin, the couple and the elders were somewhat doubtful, considering her young age. Without a friend's assurance, they would have dismissed her.

Gu Qin entered the courtyard and observed the layout carefully. She noted the changes made to the courtyard, especially the relocation of the pine tree to the center. She concluded that the alterations had disrupted the natural flow of qi, leading to the health issues.

After explaining the issues, Gu Qin suggested several solutions, including rearranging the courtyard and removing the pine tree from the center. She also recommended placing protective talismans and conducting rituals to restore the balance of qi.

The couple and the elders listened intently, trusting her expertise. They agreed to follow her recommendations, hoping to improve their family's health and well-being.