The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 334: The Mediocre and Weak Eldest Daughter

Chapter 334: The Mediocre and Weak Eldest Daughter

Upon hearing Nanli’s words, the Song family members sensed a glimmer of hope and eagerly composed themselves before entering the mansion. Their anxiety was so great that they forgot to ask for tea from the servants.

Nanli paid no mind to these formalities. She used the bell to guide Song Zihan into the main hall before explaining, "Currently, Young Master Song has all his three souls and seven spirits intact, but each has suffered some damage. That’s why he appears confused and devoid of any emotions or desires."

Mr. Song pressed on, "Ninth Princess, what can we do?"

Nanli adjusted her expression, "I have a method. As his close relatives, you can use your own blood to repair his damaged soul. However, this will not only affect your physical bodies but also shorten your lifespans."

"But I must clarify, while this is a method, I cannot guarantee how effective it will be in repairing Young Master Song’s soul. It may result in no change at all, or it may completely restore his soul. Either way, you must be prepared."

Since Song Zihan was a person listed outside the Book of Life and Death, his life was not supposed to end. That’s why she was willing to resort to this method.

However, whether or not to use the blood of their loved ones to nurture the soul still depended on their willingness.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mr. and Mrs. Song immediately agreed, "It’s just blood. Ninth Princess, feel free to take it!"

Song’s brother also said, "That’s right. As long as there’s a chance, we must try."

Song’s sister-in-law nodded, "Husband is right. We are family; there’s no need to worry about these things."

Seeing their unwavering determination, Nanli felt a slight warmth in her heart. She handed the bell over to the Song family and explained its purpose. Although Song Zihan was currently devoid of consciousness, Nanli had placed a charm on the bell that allowed him to hear its sound. As long as someone shook the bell, its sound could convey the user’s intentions, and Song Zihan would naturally follow their commands. Therefore, taking care of Song Zihan’s daily life was not difficult.

Next, Nanli went to Song Zihan’s room and extracted a small amount of blood from the Song family members, setting up a formation to repair his soul. This formation would activate every night at midnight and last until dawn. However, the effectiveness of this process and whether it would yield any results remained uncertain.

The Song family members only asked about the precautions and paid no attention to how much time or blood it would consume.

Finally, Mr. Song took out a bulging purse and said with a somewhat embarrassed expression, "Ninth Princess, you have saved my younger brother and helped us greatly... I know that each of your charms fetches a high price. This money surely won’t be enough. Rest assured, I will think of other ways to raise more funds."

The Song family was not wealthy; their earlier move to the capital had already cost them a considerable amount. Not to mention the expenses incurred in preparing the betrothal gifts.

These several dozen taels of silver were their last cash reserves.

Nanli didn’t accept the money, saying, "My Fifth Brother is friends with Young Master Song. If I accept your money, he will surely be upset with me."

The Song family’s move to the Capital was originally dependent on Song Zihan. Now that Song Zihan had become like this, the Song family’s future in the Capital was undoubtedly going to be difficult. They needed to keep some money with them.

Mr. Song’s eyes grew slightly sour, "No, in this way, we will feel uneasy in our hearts."

They were not rich, but they had their dignity.

After thinking it over, Nanli said, "In that case, do you and your wife have any work here in the Capital?"

The couple shook their heads.

"In that case, you can work for me, and your wages will cover it," Nanli said.

The clinic needed more hands.

The couple was very grateful, and their eyes couldn’t help but turn red.

Before returning to the Mansion of Marquis Anyang, Nanli went to the Dalisi Procuratorate.

She learned that the three servants had died of poison and that all leads had been cut off. Nanli felt heavy-hearted, but she had been unable to get away from the Heir’s Palace at the time. Thus, she was only able to investigate now.

Although it was early autumn, the bodies had been left for several days and had already begun to decay and emit a foul smell. Nanli had experience in examining corpses, so she had prepared charms to disperse the odor. The stench in the mortuary dissipated temporarily, allowing her to examine the bodies.

"Forensics confirm it," Nanli stated, "they died from the Three-Day Gu poison, with no traces of other malevolent energies on their bodies."

"Your Highness, previously, Liang Zhen colluded with individuals from the Border Nation. The Inspectorate has already sealed and captured numerous shops that bred malevolent insects and Northern Frontier people. Despite my thorough investigations, I couldn’t determine the origin of this Three-Day Gu poison," Qin Zheng explained as he led Nanli out.

"What about the dead Three-Day Gu?" Nanli inquired further.

"They are well preserved," Qin Zheng replied, presenting them.

The dead Three-Day Gu were contained in glass bottles. Through the glass, Nanli poured them out to examine closely.

This made her furrow her brows slightly, surprised, "These Three-Day Gu are actually wild, not bred."

"What? There are wild ones too?"

"Yes, they prefer damp places and the fragrance of white magnolias. If you crush white magnolias into a paste and set traps, it’s easy to catch them," Nanli explained as she returned the Gu back into the glass bottle. Due to their wild nature, the antennae and size of these Three-Day Gu were slightly different, allowing her to identify them at a glance.

Qin Zheng stood under the sunlight, his brow furrowed, "The flowering season of white magnolias has already passed. Presumably, the culprit captured these Three-Day Gu long ago. Further investigation in this direction may not yield any results."

Nanli nodded and returned the glass bottle.

She then asked, "What about the Soul-Stealing Talisman? Any leads?"

Qin Zheng’s expression turned uneasy, and he dared not meet Nanli’s gaze directly.

He replied, "I have had Ming Chong and others check the Capital’s sorcerers and nearby Taoist temples, but they reported nothing suspicious."

"Furthermore, I have thoroughly investigated whether Song Zhubu had any grievances with others. He was diligent and kind, never offending anyone. However, today, Lord Xue visited and broke off the engagement with the Song family."

According to the three, to draw the Soul-Stealing Talisman, one must first cultivate a malevolent aura and then infuse it into the talisman. If someone has been tainted with such malevolence, their body would undoubtedly retain traces of it.

"They broke off the engagement? Which Miss Xue from the Xue family was betrothed to Young Master Song?" Nanli casually asked.

"It was the eldest daughter of the Xue family, named Xue Shengnan," Qin Zheng replied.

Nanli couldn’t help but curl her lips slightly at this revelation, "That’s quite interesting."

Xue Shengnan had been rescued by her elder brother earlier. Almost immediately, the Peach Blossom Palace reacted, and shortly after, the engagement with Song Zihan, who had almost lost his life, was annulled. It seemed Xue Shengnan was the source of these rotten peach blossoms.

Seeing Nanli’s expression change from puzzlement to determination, Qin Zheng eagerly asked, "Your Highness, have you discovered something?"

"First, check which members of the Xue family have died in recent years and where they are buried," Nanli instructed.

Qin Zheng immediately understood: Nanli suspected Xue Shengnan!

His mind raced quickly. His initial reaction was, "Your Highness, Xue Shengnan is just a young lady from a noble family, gentle and soft-hearted. While she might commission talismans, it’s unlikely she’s proficient in Bewitched Worms Technique, right?"