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"Father, you wanted to see ?"
Just as Su's father was about to speak, Priest Wuxi suddenly shouted, "Evil spirit! How dare you stand before ? Surrender now!"
Su Li sneered as she looked at the goat-bearded priest.
Wuxi felt a chill under her gaze.
This young girl was unnerving. Despite her age, she carried an intimidating aura.
Xia Shi, noticing the priest's hesitation, coughed lightly.
She cursed inwardly—how could this useless man be so easily intimidated by Su Li's re glance?
But she still whispered a reminder, "Priest?"
Wuxi quickly snapped back to attention.
"Minister Su, please stand back. I will perform the ritual to expel the evil spirit from the young lady's body."
Su's father glanced at his daughter, then turned to Wuxi. "Do not harm my daughter."
Xia Shi tugged at Su's father's sleeve. "Don't worry, Master. The priest is only expelling the evil spirit. Once it's gone, the young lady will return to normal."
Su's father turned to Su Li. "Li'er, don't be afraid. It will be over soon."
Su Li looked at her father. "Father, do you really believe I'm possessed by an evil spirit?"
Su's father hesitated, then clenched his teeth. "The priest won't harm you."
Su Li stopped looking at her father.
She knew her father well. As an official, he was beyond reproach, but when it ca to those around him, he was always overly trusting—a kind-hearted man to a fault.
Unless their masks were torn off and the bloody truth laid bare before him, he would never believe how malicious these people could be.
Su Li watched coldly as the priest jumped around her, muttering incantations.
Suddenly, the priest shouted, thrusting a copper coin sword forward as if battling an invisible foe.
He worked up such a sweat that it dripped down his forehead.
Throughout it all, Su Li remained unmoved, her expression icy.
After two incense sticks' worth of ti, the priest finally stopped.
"Minister Su, the evil spirit has been expelled, but..."
Su's father asked anxiously, "But what?"
"But the young lady has been possessed for too long. Her fortune has been damaged. From now on, anyone close to her or near her will suffer continuous misfortune."
Su's father asked gravely, "Priest, is there a way to undo this?"
Wuxi stroked his goat beard and spoke slowly, "There is. Send the young lady to a nunnery. Let her cultivate virtue before the Buddha for five years. Once she accumulates enough blessings, her fortune will naturally be restored."
Su Li sneered inwardly. So, this was their plan.
She was to be branded as a cursed star, sent away to purify herself.
At fourteen, five years away would make her an old maid by the ti she returned.
And in five years, so much could change. By then, everything might be beyond recognition.
Su's father quickly asked, "Priest, is there no other way? I can donate half of my wealth for good deeds. Would that work?"
Wuxi shook his head. "No. This matter can only be resolved by the young lady herself. No one else can help. Minister Su, to put it bluntly, the young lady is now a harbinger of misfortune. The first to suffer will be her parents. I advise you to send her away as soon as possible."
Su's father still hesitated.
"What if I set up a Buddhist shrine in the mansion and invited a statue of the Buddha for worship?"
"That won't work. The young lady's fortune is completely depleted. She must distance herself from worldly affairs and undergo rigorous cultivation to restore it."
Su's father was about to speak again, but Su Li interrupted.
Su Li smiled and asked, "Are you saying that if I don't leave the mansion, I'll be a cursed star, bringing misfortune to those close to ?"
Wuxi replied, "Exactly!"
At that mont, Su Yue, supported by a maid, erged.
"Father, Auntie, Sister, what's happening?"
Xia Shi imdiately exclaid with joy, "Yue'er, you're better! The priest is truly miraculous!"
Su's father looked at Su Yue, who now appeared clear-headed, and his faith in the priest's words grew stronger.
Xia Shi knew it wouldn't be easy to convince Su's father to send Su Li away. After all, she was his eldest daughter.
A flash of malice crossed Xia Shi's eyes as she said, "Master, let's follow the priest's advice. He said the young lady will first bring misfortune to you and Madam. Madam is pregnant now—we can't afford to be careless."
Su Li hadn't expected that her mother's unborn child would beco a bargaining chip to force her out.
Su's father seed to make a difficult decision. "Li'er doesn't have to leave the mansion. If you're afraid, you can move to the estate. As for Madam, she can go to the Duke of Wei's residence to rest during her pregnancy. Everyone has their fate. I've lived my life without guilt—I'm not afraid!"
He then looked at Su Li. "Li'er, don't be afraid. Your father will stay with you."
Tears welled up in Su Li's eyes. She hadn't expected her father to make such a decision.
Xia Shi's face turned pale.
She had underestimated Su Li's place in his heart.
Su Yue imdiately shouted, "Father, you're willing to tear our family apart for Su Li? Have you lost your mind?"
Her voice was strong, showing no trace of her earlier weakness.
Su's father roared, "How dare you speak to like that!"
"Did I say anything wrong? Father, you're too biased! Ask yourself—if I were the cursed star, would you send away without a second thought? Since we were children, your eyes have only been on Su Li. When you ca ho from work, you always picked her up first. You called imperial physicians for her, but when I was so injured I couldn't get up, you didn't even bother to visit. Even when she beca foolish, you still carefully protected her fragile pride!"
Su Yue scread, as if venting years of resentnt.
Xia Shi quickly pulled her daughter back.
"Have you gone mad? How can you speak to your father like this?"
Su's father, furious, shouted, "Let her speak!"
He had always thought he had fulfilled his duties as a father to his second daughter, even if he didn't dote on her as much as he did Su Li.
She had never lacked for food, clothing, or luxuries. Whatever Su Li had, she had too.
As a concubine's daughter, she lived as well as any legitimate daughter.
Yet she was still unsatisfied.
Su Yue broke free from Xia Shi's grip. "I'll say it! It's Su Li, the cursed star, who should be sent away. But you want to send us away instead. Isn't that madness?"
Su's father's chest heaved with anger.
Su Li stepped forward. "Father, don't be angry. So people are just never satisfied."
Su Yue shot back, "Who's unsatisfied? Su Li, if I were you, knowing I was a cursed star, I'd leave the mansion myself to spare my parents!"
Su Li coldly retorted, "Oh? You found so random priest to force out. What if I find a priest tomorrow to declare you a cursed star? Would you leave too?"
Wuxi imdiately stepped forward. "Young lady, I am Wuxi, the head disciple of Priest Tianchanzi of the Taiqing Temple. I am not so charlatan."
Su Li glared at Wuxi. "I respect Priest Tianchanzi, but I've never heard of you!"
She turned to her father. "Father, shouldn't you send soone to the temple to verify his identity with Priest Tianchanzi?"
Su's father nodded.
Wuxi, however, showed no fear. After all, Tianchanzi did have a disciple nad Wuxi.
As the argunt reached a stalemate, the steward hurried in. "Master, Abbot Kongjian of the Guardian Temple is here!"
Su's father was stunned. Abbot Kongjian was a legendary figure, known for his wisdom and foresight.
Su's father imdiately said, "Invite him in at once!"
Xia Shi and Su Yue exchanged confused glances.
Wuxi, however, paled.
"Amitabha, young benefactor, we et again."
Su Li bowed. "Abbot Kongjian."
Everyone quickly bowed in respect.
Su's father stepped forward. "Abbot, what brings you here today?"
The abbot replied, "I was passing by and rembered that the young lady ca to the Guardian Temple so ti ago to seek a divination. At the ti, I couldn't decipher the heavens' will, but yesterday, by chance, I managed to interpret the divination. So I ca today to deliver the results."
Su Li bowed in thanks. "Thank you, Abbot. Was it a bad on? Did it say I was a cursed star, a harbinger of misfortune?"
Abbot Kongjian was shocked. "Young benefactor, why would you say that? The young lady is born with a noble destiny, destined for a life of smooth sailing and unparalleled honor. Those close to you will be blessed, turning calamities into blessings."
Su's father was astonished. "Is this true?"
"A monk does not lie."
Su Li said, "How strange. This priest claims I am now a cursed star, the opposite of what you say."
Abbot Kongjian turned to Wuxi, who was now sweating profusely.
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