Mistaking My Wife for a Spirit Pet - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Nan Zhi’s mood was complex, even bordering on irritability.

She rubbed her forehead in frustration and said, “How would I know a lucky cat? It was the Young City Lord.”

“The Young City Lord?” Ning Wan was incredibly shocked and subconsciously asked, “Then how do you know the Young City Lord?”

Nan Zhi: …

This is probably something that can’t be said.

It’s her fault for talking too much.

She frowned and decided to take the initiative. “The bad luck talisman I drew is not a good thing. What were you thinking, putting it on a sick person who’s been bedridden for a long time?”

Back and forth they went.

The two of them very tacitly looked away.

As they fell into silence, a peddler’s shout rang out, cutting through the space between them and making Nan Zhi even more irritable.

She rubbed her forehead again, feeling her mood becoming uncontrollably more frustrated as time passed. There’s plenty of time for banter…

Letting the Young City Lord be angry by herself won’t do.

Nan Zhi sighed. To prevent the trip to Parasol Tree Mountain from turning into a difficult journey to Parasol Tree Mountain, she decided to send her friend away.

After sending her away, she systematically searched from east to west, and from south to north. Finding nothing, she took out her copper coins again and tossed them up.

Minor Yang, Major Yang, Minor Yin.

Although it had been a hundred years since she had performed a divination, her ability to interpret the hexagrams had not faded.

She immediately deciphered the most likely direction and followed that path until it was dark, but she still hadn’t seen her.

Unknowingly, she had followed the main road back to the inn’s entrance.

The moonlight shone on the eaves, and the plankton by the water’s edge all peeked out. She stood there for a moment before deciding to go back into the inn.

In the lobby, the innkeeper was counting on his abacus, and the waiter was hurrying to the kitchen. Nan Zhi didn’t stop and went straight up to the second floor.

But…

The moment she stepped onto the second floor, she stopped.

It turns out that the place she had been searching high and low for was right here—

The moonlight shimmered, the lake water sparkled, and she was leaning against the railing, quietly looking at the fish playing in the water.

Nan Zhi pursed her lips. She didn’t make a sound or continue to walk forward. The sound of the lake water on a moonlit night, the Young City Lord’s indifferent profile, everything made her hesitate.

How did she manage to be so clumsy with words that she made the Young City Lord angry?

After a while, the tassels on the eaves swayed in the wind, and the fish leaped out of the water again. At the same time, Yu Shu turned her head.

Their eyes met.

Nan Zhi’s expression solidified, but Yu Shu frowned.

The Young City Lord was still angry.

A thoughtless remark had made the Young City Lord sulk for a long time.

Nan Zhi’s heart settled. She quickly walked forward and swiftly grabbed Yu Shu’s hand.

Yu Shu, who had no time to react,’s expression suddenly changed. She gritted her teeth and warned softly, “Nan Zhi!”

Nan Zhi turned a deaf ear and seized Yu Shu’s wrist.

“Slap—”

A talisman was slapped into Yu Shu’s palm.

Yu Shu was shocked that Nan Zhi had laid her hands on her. A surge of anger rose in her heart. She immediately took out an artifact to fight back.

But… her palm felt inexplicably itchy.

She lowered her head to look.

Three paper dolls made from talismans were bouncing in her palm, their movements very comical.

Yu Shu subconsciously frowned.

What is this doing?

The little people in her palm made another move. They were bending their legs in unison… kneeling and bowing?

Yu Shu put the artifact back into her storage bag and watched quietly.

And then—

The three little people shook their bodies and started to speak.

With a strange voice that she didn’t know which organ it was coming from, they all said in unison:

“I was wrong, I was wrong~”

“I was wrong~”

One after another, their voices were very noisy.

Besides the noise, a surge of frustration welled up in Yu Shu. She was frustrated that her emotions were always out of her control.

Her heart was blocked.

She expressionlessly closed her palm, trapped the three little people in her storage bag, and made sure they couldn’t make any more annoying sounds.

However…

The hand on her wrist let go. The owner of the hand lightly coughed and took over the little people’s mission:

“Young City Lord, I was wrong.”

Yu Shu’s eyebrows twitched slightly. She quietly looked at Nan Zhi.

Nan Zhi looked up, their eyes meeting.

“My mistake was…” She blinked her eyes and said seriously, “I found something interesting, but I didn’t tell you in time.”

“But, is it still too late?”

“…”

Disappointment crept into her heart, but Nan Zhi’s hand kept waving in front of her. In a moment, Yu Shu saw the interesting thing Nan Zhi was talking about.

A white finger placed a hard object in her palm. The finger was withdrawn, revealing its true appearance.

It was a lifelike little white tiger.

“…”

So annoying.

Yu Shu had never felt that Nan Zhi was this annoying. She once again closed her palm and put the lifelike little white tiger into her storage bag.

She said—

“It’s not interesting.”

“Boring.”

Nan Zhi’s heart understood. The corners of her lips slowly rose. “Then what is the most interesting thing?”

Yu Shu huffed softly and turned her head away.

Nan Zhi laughed. She reached out her finger and poked Yu Shu’s shoulder, saying softly, “No movement. She moved in front of Yu Shu, holding a handful of green dates she had specially found. “Do you want some?”

Yu Shu secretly glanced at them.

A handful of fresh green dates was in a slender, fair hand.

It was indeed something she liked to eat, but she had never told Nan Zhi.

“I won’t tell you to go find them.”

“Oh.” Nan Zhi nodded to herself, smiling. “I can only go if the Young City Lord tells me to? But if the Young City Lord doesn’t speak, can I not go on my own?”

“…”

Yu Shu lowered her eyes. The fingers of the hand by her side trembled slightly.

Hard to bear.

She quietly looked at the green dates, her throat moving.

She knew very well that the hardship was not because she wanted to eat the green dates.

“Young City Lord?”

Yu Shu suddenly came back to her senses, her gaze falling on Nan Zhi’s face.

Her hair was neatly combed to the back of her head. Her long, narrow eyes were filled with gentleness. The corners of her lips were curved as she quietly looked at her.

Yu Shu subconsciously pursed her lips. As if possessed, she took a piece from Nan Zhi’s hand. She asked naturally, “Is it delicious?”

Nan Zhi raised her eyebrows slightly and curled her lips. “It’s not.”

Yu Shu: …?

The gentle emotions that had welled up in her were washed away by a mudslide.

Her heart was blocked. She wanted to get angry, but she just couldn’t.

At this moment, Nan Zhi moved. She lightly pinched a green date with her thumb and index finger and held it in front of her, saying, “I was just teasing you. It’s very sweet.”

As she spoke, Yu Shu leaned forward and took a small bite.

She secretly told herself that she didn’t want to eat the green dates.

She chewed, savoring the taste.

But… she only realized it after she came back to her senses.

Nan Zhi’s hand was still in the air. Her expression was slightly stunned. After a moment, she naturally withdrew her hand and said, “Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

She wasn’t angry anymore, but Yu Shu still huffed softly, her tone resentful. “A fool probably won’t be angry for too long anyway…”

Nan Zhi couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She was so amused by Yu Shu’s words.

Yu Shu looked at her sullenly.

Nan Zhi pursed her lips and smiled. “I’m not a fool. If an amazing artifact refiner like the Young City Lord is a fool, then there are no smart people in the Nine Provinces.”

Yu Shu still looked at her sullenly.

Obviously, this answer wasn’t enough to satisfy her.

Nan Zhi once again curled her lips, feeling that her smile was inexplicably hard to suppress and bear, so she just let it go. She softened her voice. “What I meant by a fool with a lot of money is…”

Just that you’re a fool, and you have a lot of money.

But you’re very cute.

How can someone just provide a one-time acquaintance with fifty thousand spiritual stones to cover their food and clothing for the next ten years?

“The Young City Lord is very good.”

“But because the Young City Lord is so good, others will take advantage of you.”

Nan Zhi paused for a second and said very seriously:

“I just… don’t want the Young City Lord to be taken advantage of by others.”

Yu Shu was suddenly stunned. She subconsciously and slowly closed her hand.

So what Nan Zhi meant was—

She was too good to others, and Nan Zhi was jealous?

Yu Shu couldn’t help but widen her eyes, her heart filled with disbelief. She opened her mouth, trying to explain, “But that’s your… sister-in-law.”

Nan Zhi subconsciously frowned. In her opinion, Su Yao was the most terrifying, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk about the miserable experience of being scammed.

After two seconds of silence, she said with forced righteous indignation, “My sister-in-law is no exception.”

If others scammed the Young City Lord, it would have nothing to do with her, but Su Yao was related to her, which made her feel like she owed fifty thousand spiritual stones.

“Nan Zhi, but…”

Nan Zhi interrupted, “Young City Lord, I’m serious.”

Yu Shu was stunned again. After a moment, she suddenly smiled, her eyes sparkling, and she responded softly, “Okay~”

Under the moonlit night, a small fish leaped out of the water to match the mood. The two of them smiled at each other. The atmosphere after that was a little strange. Yu Shu’s face turned red, and Nan Zhi also felt a little uncomfortable.

At this moment, an inappropriate voice appeared.

“You two…”

Nan Zhi looked in the direction of the voice, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

Yu Shu looked to the side and her brows furrowed.

Clearly, both of them felt that this uninvited guest had come at an inappropriate time.

And the uninvited guest—Ning Wan, she looked down at her nose and then at her heart. Finally, she forced a smile. “Nan Zhi, can I talk to you for a moment?” After that, she asked Yu Shu, “Young City Lord, can you lend me Nan Zhi for half an incense stick’s time?”

Very proper, making it impossible to refuse.

Yu Shu agreed for Nan Zhi first. She raised her eyebrows slightly. “Are you going?”

Nan Zhi’s mouth twitched. She slightly lifted her chin, her eyes gesturing at Ning Wan, and then walked toward the room.

With a “creak,” Ning Wan followed closely behind.

A voice came from inside the room.

“The people from the Ancient Moon Pavilion are nearby. Do you have any more talismans?”

Nan Zhi: “I don’t have a single one left.” When Su Yao borrowed the spiritual stones, she also borrowed the talismans.

“Ah…” Ning Wan let out a disappointed sound. “Then I’ll get a head start. I’ll find you when the heat dies down.”

Nan Zhi frowned. She suddenly remembered the phrase, ‘a perfect match made by heaven.’

“What do you think of the person from the Ancient Moon Pavilion?”

Hearing the Ancient Moon Pavilion, Ning Wan’s expression became difficult. “They’re forcing people, forcing them to marry. What kind of opinion do you think I could have?”

Nan Zhi was silent.

Her friend’s disgust was so obvious.

Hesitantly, she once again chose to believe in the old man Changling’s divination. “Miss Shen’s body has always been weak. If I hadn’t rushed over in time to remove the bad luck, she would have… it wouldn’t have been good.”

When Shen Mian was mentioned, Ning Wan was clearly guilty. “Speaking of which, everyone says your bad luck talisman is amazing.”

Nan Zhi sighed. She waved her hand, and spiritual energy turned into a barrier that appeared on the ceiling.

“What’s this…” Ning Wan’s eyes flickered. Her attention was completely focused on the ceiling.

The room was filled with the scent of medicine. The person in the room looked haggard. Her eyes were closed, and her eyebrows were furrowed in hidden pain.

Nan Zhi waved her hand, making the image on the ceiling disappear. She asked, “Do you understand what my master’s divination meant?”

Ning Wan inexplicably felt a surge of frustration. Her lips opened and closed. She was still stubborn and said:

“What does someone else’s life or death have to do with me?”

“So, are you going to force me to marry someone I don’t know?”

Nan Zhi felt tired from listening. She rubbed her forehead wearily. Forget it, I don’t want to deal with this anymore.

“Alright, I’ll find you after the heat dies down. When the time comes, we’ll clear the path to Celestial Mountain. You get six, I get four.”

With a “creak,” the door opened and closed. Ning Wan was about to leave.

Nan Zhi suddenly spoke, calling out, “Wait.”

Since she entered the Ancient Moon Pavilion, she had a feeling.

Old man Changling’s words, “You absolutely must not interfere,” were not as simple as they sounded.

…

The inn room was used as a divination room. The bed was moved to the center of the room.

Nan Zhi placed a wooden stand on the south side of the wooden cabinet for the incense burner.

She faced north, washed her hands, and burned incense. Then she took out fifty yarrow stalks from a bamboo tube and fumigated them over the incense burner.

She set aside one of the fifty yarrow stalks, one hand for heaven and one for earth. Then she set aside another one for man.

After that, she alternated the yarrow stalks between her hands.

After the third change, her fingers suddenly trembled.

After the sixth change, her movements stopped.

Nan Zhi lowered her eyes and looked at the yarrow stalks in her hand. She thought that old man Changling was warning her.

After the ninth change, her hair roots gradually turned white.

After the twelfth change, her spiritual energy surged.

Nan Zhi knew very well that she should stop immediately. At most, she would lose some vitality, but her ominous premonition was too strong.

After the fifteenth change, her face was completely pale.

After the eighteenth change, her white hair reached her waist.

Nan Zhi saw the final hexagram, with two changing lines. In the end, it was the Wuwang hexagram (unexpected disaster).

She took one step at a time, her hand trembling as she pushed open the door.

Ning Wan and Yu Shu were both outside the door. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to have been having a pleasant conversation.

Nan Zhi opened her mouth and said with difficulty, “Ning… Wan…”

The two of them turned around in response, their expressions instantly changing.