Surprise! The Fake Heiress is Actually an Ancient Master of Metaphysics! - Chapter 32

Tan Lingyin glanced at Huo Jingyan standing not far away. The man’s pale, handsome face looked almost ethereally beautiful in the night.

He didn’t speak, merely watching her quietly.

Yet, in that moment of eye contact, Tan Lingyin somehow saw trust in his gaze.

He believed in her.

Huo Jingyan strode toward her with his long legs. “Miss Tan, just do what you need to do.”

“Jingyan! That vengeful spirit carries five centuries of resentment and malice. If she goes berserk, you’ll be in more danger than anyone!” Xuan Qing was so anxious his eyebrows nearly knotted together.

Tan Lingyin reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she behaves.”

Manao, staring at Huo Jingyan standing beside Tan Lingyin, was so entranced by the overwhelming purple aura around him that her ghostly form emerged, black spectral patterns creeping across her cheeks.

So fragrant, so unbearably fragrant…

If she could absorb this man’s yang energy, she would surely become a ruler among spirits!

Seeing her reveal her true form, Tan Lingyin snapped coldly, “How dare you!”

At the same time, she condensed a surge of mystic energy and struck Manao directly between the brows.

Manao shrieked in pain, curling up on the ground and writhing in agony.

Tan Lingyin had infused this strike with the power of her divine soul.

She needed Manao to understand exactly who she would be serving from now on—to frighten her into obedience from the very beginning.

“If you ever dare covet him again, I won’t show mercy!” The girl’s voice was icy, her tone a stern warning.

Huo Jingyan glanced sideways at her cold, solemn face, especially those mesmerizing fox-like eyes, chillingly captivating.

He hadn’t expected her to care so much about him.

Manao, struck by the divine-infused mystic energy, nearly dissipated on the spot.

Gritting through the pain, she knelt and kowtowed repeatedly. “Spare me! Manao won’t dare again! Never again!”

A flicker of pity crossed Tan Lingyin’s eyes as she stepped into the formation. She bent slightly and extended a hand toward Manao. “Get up.”

She couldn’t physically touch Manao’s spectral form, only offering a symbolic gesture of support.

Manao looked up at her meekly. “Master, you are…”

“Shh, you know it in your heart.” Tan Lingyin smiled gently. “I was a bit harsh earlier, but you must understand—he isn’t someone you can touch.”

Manao nodded. “I understand. I won’t dare again.”

“Stay with me from now on. Once your wishes are fulfilled, I’ll send you on your way.” Tan Lingyin spoke softly. “But while you’re with me, you’ll handle any troubles that arise. Don’t waste your five centuries of cultivation.”

“As you command! Manao will give her all!”

Satisfied, Tan Lingyin nodded. “I’ll draw a Soul-Nourishing Talisman. You’ll rest and recover inside it from now on.”

Manao gasped in delight. “I can reside in a Soul-Nourishing Talisman?”

“Of course. If you serve me, I won’t treat you poorly.” Tan Lingyin’s lips curved into a faint smile as she retrieved a clean talisman from her bag.

Dipping a brush into cinnabar ink, she glanced around before walking over to Huo Jingyan. “Mr. Huo, lend me your back.”

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” Li Heng came running from a distance.

But Huo Jingyan had already turned around. “Go ahead, Miss Tan.”

Li Heng abruptly halted, silently retreating a few steps.

Hiss… Something about Mr. Huo lately just didn’t seem right…

Tan Lingyin pressed the talisman paper onto Huo Jingyan’s back, swiftly drawing a Soul Nourishing Talisman with her brush.

“Thank you,” Tan Lingyin said softly, giving Huo Jingyan’s back a light pat once she finished.

Huo Jingyan turned to look at her, meeting her smiling eyes, and couldn’t help but curve his lips slightly in response. “You’re welcome.”

Tan Lingyin took the Soul Nourishing Talisman and returned to Manao’s side. “A verbal promise isn’t enough. I need to place a Soul Brand on you.”

“What’s a Soul Brand?” Manao asked, confused.

Tan Lingyin explained, “It won’t affect you, but if you betray me, the brand will scatter your soul to the winds.”

Without hesitation, Manao replied, “I’ll follow your orders, Master. I would never betray you!”

Tan Lingyin nodded in satisfaction.

She raised her hand, pressing her index and middle fingers together. A faint golden light gathered at her fingertips as she traced a unique golden sigil in the air.

After murmuring an incantation, the golden sigil settled onto Manao’s forehead.

Manao immediately felt something shift—she sensed an inexplicable connection forming between herself and the young woman before her.

Tan Lingyin observed the golden thread linking them and declared, “From now on, I am your master.”

“Manao greets my master,” Manao said, performing a slight curtsy in the manner of olden times.

“Good. Now, enter the Soul Nourishing Talisman,” Tan Lingyin instructed, lifting the freshly drawn talisman between her fingers.

Manao hesitated, glancing at the coffin where her own corpse lay. “But my body…”

“I’ll take care of it,” Tan Lingyin assured her.

“Thank you, Master.” With that, Manao vanished into the talisman.

Tan Lingyin tucked the talisman into her bag, finally relaxing.

Seeing that Manao had been secured, Master Xuanqing released the spell he had been maintaining. “Ah, my health hasn’t been great lately, and holding the formation for so long really took it out of me…”

Huo Jingyan stepped forward to support him. “Thank you for your efforts, Master Xuanqing.”

Master Xuanqing waved a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. Thankfully, we had Tan Lingyin here.”

“Young girl, what do you plan to do with the corpse?” he asked.

Tan Lingyin walked over to the coffin, gazing at the pale body inside. “Burn it. Collect the ashes and give them to me.”

Master Xuanqing immediately gestured to the others. “You there, carry the body out and burn it.”

The bodyguards, well-trained in handling such tasks, moved efficiently—though dealing with a centuries-old corpse was a first for them.

As the body burned, Tan Lingyin set the coffin aflame as well. The wood had absorbed too much sinister energy; leaving it intact would only invite trouble from wandering spirits.

The ashes of both the corpse and the coffin were collected in two metal boxes and handed to Tan Lingyin.

Unsure where to bury the remains for now, she simply took them back to the villa.

In the living room, Master Xuanqing asked, “Young girl, did you divine Manao’s past?”

Tan Lingyin nodded. “Of course.”

“Tell us! We’re all curious!” Master Xuanqing had been eager to learn why Manao had turned into a vengeful spirit and couldn’t resist asking the moment they returned.

Tan Lingyin arched a brow, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Master Xuanqing, couldn’t you figure it out yourself?”

Elder Xuanqing’s face flushed red as he quickly tried to justify himself, “I—I was completely focused on the formation at the time, I didn’t have time to calculate her fate.”

“So that’s how it was,” Tan Lingyin replied. She knew he couldn’t actually divine it, but she didn’t want to expose him—after all, it was perfectly normal for Master Xuanqing to be unable to calculate events from five hundred years ago.

Li Heng chimed in, “Miss Tan, please tell us quickly! I’m very curious too!”