The next second, Xia Liang once again pulled a half-white, half-black Lifespan Talisman from his coat.
The surrounding mbers of the Chu Family froze, their faces turning pale as death. Even Elder Chu Guoying swayed, struggling to stand steady.
"Master... Master Xia," Chu Guoying exclaid in horror, "are you going to shorten my lifespan as punishnt?"
He hadn't forgotten that Xia Liang had told him he wouldn't live more than three months. If Xia Liang made a mark, his life would be over.
Hearing this, Xia Liang simply shook his head. "This is the last thing Chu Lingmu will do for you as part of the Chu Family."
He glanced at Chu Lingmu, who paused for two seconds before grasping his aning and nodding firmly.
Seeing her nod, Xia Liang turned back to Elder Chu Guoying. "I'm gifting you one year of life. Your illness will be halted for a year. After that, whether you find a cure or not has nothing to do with ."
With that, Xia Liang slowly drew a horizontal line on the white side of the talisman bearing Chu Guoying's na.
Strands of black hair began to sprout from the completely white hair of Chu Guoying, making him look sowhat more vigorous.
Yet, Chu Guoying couldn't bring himself to feel any happiness at all. He knew that although Xia Liang had helped him, he had also definitively severed ties with the Chu Family. He was also taking Chu Lingmu with him.
The other mbers of the Chu Family understood as well. They would no longer be able to leverage Master Xia's na, nor would they dare to.
"From now on, Chu Lingmu and your Chu Family have no connection whatsoever," Xia Liang declared.
Taking Chu Lingmu's hand, he led her down the stairs. But after only a few steps, a figure charged over and knelt before them.
"Master Xia, I was wrong! I should have knelt to you earlier! I gave everything to beco the director at Li Group! I can't lose this job!"
The one kneeling was none other than Chu Yiyi. Having realized who Xia Liang truly was, she finally understood that his initial words to her must have been true. A single thought from him could likely change her future, let alone a re director's position.
Watching her, Xia Liang remained silent, simply looking toward Chu Lingmu.
Chu Yiyi imdiately turned and knelt before Chu Lingmu, pleading, "Cousin, can't you give this chance? I was wrong! I was really wrong!"
Seeing Chu Yiyi kneeling before her, Chu Lingmu felt an unprecedented sense of catharsis. It was as if all the years she had been bullied had finally washed away.
SLAP!
Without a word, Chu Lingmu struck Chu Yiyi across the face, then turned and walked downstairs without a second glance.
Only a single sentence from Xia Liang echoed on the second floor.
"It's too late to beg now..."
「Driving on the Third Ring Road.」
Chu Lingmu's expression was exceptionally relaxed. It seed as if she hadn't been this happy in over a decade. After leaving the Chu Family Hotel, she deleted the contact information for most of the Chu Family from her phone. She knew that, thanks to Xia Liang, these people wouldn't dare to bother her again. After so many years, she had finally, completely severed her ties with the Chu Family.
"Master Xia, thank you so much for today," Chu Lingmu said excitedly from the passenger seat. "I haven't felt this gratified in a long ti."
Xia Liang rely smiled casually. "To be honest, I was only supposed to accompany you for a al today. I didn't expect those people to insist on provoking . I had no choice."
"But Master Xia, who exactly are you? You can even control lifespans. It's not really a magic trick, is it?" Chu Lingmu asked, looking at him with curiosity.
Xia Liang paused for a mont, then suddenly shot her a mischievous smile. "Well then, would you like to try out this 'magic trick' of mine?"
"No, no, forget it! I was just joking," Chu Lingmu said, hurriedly waving her hands. "I'm still so young, I don't want to lose so much of my life and turn into an old hag."
Their car stopped outside a residential complex within the Third Ring, right outside the house Chu Lingmu had bought for herself. Through live streaming, she had made quite a bit of money over the years. But in truth, all that money wasn't even enough to pay for a single divination from Xia Liang.
"Then I... I'll head in now," she said, yet she made no move to get out of the car.
Xia Liang chuckled, then pulled a talisman from his coat and handed it to her.
"This is?" Chu Lingmu asked, puzzled.
"It's a peace charm. It'll keep you safe," Xia Liang said offhandedly.
Though he spoke as if it were a trivial matter, Chu Lingmu knew that anything from Xia Liang was far from ordinary. Moreover, the quality and material of this talisman were similar to the Lifespan Talisman he had used before, so it was certainly precious.
"Master Xia, thank you." She carefully placed the peace charm inside her phone case, afraid of damaging it.
"What's there to thank for? Have you forgotten our relationship? It's only natural for to give you things."
"But wasn't that just an act? Elder Chu Guoying's birthday celebration doesn't allow outsiders. If we hadn't said that, you wouldn't have been able to get in."
"Sigh," Xia Liang feigned a sigh. "So you only saw it as an act."
Chu Lingmu started to speak but then seed to think of sothing and stopped, her face turning red.
Just then, Xia Liang abruptly changed the subject. He pressed a button on the console, and the windows turned opaque, preventing anyone from seeing inside.
"You know," he said, "this car is actually quite spacious."
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