“Put out your hand.”
Duo Fu obediently extended her hand.
Ming Wei untied the red cord from her wrist.
Duo Fu hurriedly said, “Miss, you said not to remove this.”
Ming Wei smiled faintly, “Just for a while. Some of our good friends are afraid of it, and they can’t find us when we’re wearing it.”
Duo Fu was confused.
That day, when Madam Liu made the arrangement, she had a hunch that the red cord given to her by Miss was no ordinary object.
She had kept this matter in her heart until yesterday when she heard that Miss’s lost soul was left with the Xuan Nu Niang Niang. It suddenly became clear to her.
Xuan Nu Niang Niang was a deity, and by staying with Miss, she would naturally be imbued with divine energy, so all of this was not surprising.
Ming Wei put away the red cord and said, “I’ll keep it for you for now. After we finish this game, I’ll give it back to you.”
“Okay.” Duo Fu nodded in compliance.
Ming Wei held her hand and gathered a faint magical power at her fingertips, gently touching her palm.
Duo Fu felt a tingling sensation in her palm, a strange feeling rising within her.
“In this garden, there are some good friends, but they are well hidden, not easy to find. Duo Fu, follow this feeling and find them.”
“Feeling?”
“Yes, feeling. If you concentrate, you will know where they are.”
Duo Fu was still confused, looking down at her hand.
“Go ahead.” Ming Wei sat down on the veranda. “I’ll wait here for you.”
“Oh…” Duo Fu had no choice but to turn around and follow Miss’s instructions to find the “good friends.”
Ming Wei watched her go.
This girl had a pure Yang fate, and under normal circumstances, she would never see ghosts in her lifetime. Just now, Ming Wei temporarily sealed her breath with magic, placing her between the realms of Yin and Yang. This would make her more sensitive than ordinary people. If there really was something hidden in the garden, it would definitely be discovered.
Ming Wei sat in the sunlight, clasped her hands, formed a hand seal, and closed her eyes to meditate.
Miss Ming Wei had been foolish for many years, and it was nearly impossible for her to regain her original powers in this body. However, being a pure Yin and Yang communicator, she had an advantage in cultivation that far exceeded others.
That was enough.
After all, she was a Fate Master, the foremost in the world of mystics.
The reason Fate Masters were considered as such was not just because of their profound magic but also because of the secret techniques unknown to others.
Even with insufficient magic power, she had a thousand ways to compensate.
On the other side, Duo Fu wandered around the garden, her mind filled with question marks.
What did Miss mean by “good friends”? Where could they be hiding? How could she find them? She was so confused that she wanted to go back and ask Miss, but Miss had already explained it clearly, and it was her own stupidity that couldn’t comprehend Miss’s intentions.
After circling around for a while, Duo Fu hadn’t found any good friends, and she felt a bit discouraged.
She had always known that she wasn’t very clever. Madam had said that serving Miss didn’t require intelligence; she just needed to be loyal.
Duo Fu had always believed that. But now, she felt that Miss had become smarter, and she was too stupid, like a burden to Miss.
No, she had to work hard to keep up with Miss. What did Miss say just now? Concentrate and feel, and you’ll know where they are. Concentrate, feel…
Duo Fu closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and quietly sensed her surroundings.
Unconsciously, her vision changed.
Even though she hadn’t opened her eyes, it was as if she could see many gray shadows, vague and elusive, appearing before her.
It was… a tree. Yes, it was the old locust tree in the garden, which had supposedly been alive for nearly a hundred years.
And there was a large stone under the tree, which was said to have been transported from a distant mountain and river when the garden was built.
In the water… there was a vase. When did it fall in?
Huh, there was a white figure to her right!
Duo Fu was startled, her hand trembling, and she opened her eyes.
All the shadows she had just seen disappeared, and the world returned to its original state, as if they were all just her illusions.
Duo Fu was still in shock, recalling the white figure she had just seen.
This seemed to be the white shadow that Little Xiang had mentioned! Yes, she had encountered it here!
Duo Fu stared at the empty ground in amazement.
A woman who was tending to the flowers and plants passed by and looked at her strangely. “Miss Duo Fu, what are you doing here today? Aren’t you supposed to be with Miss?”
Duo Fu, as if awakening from a dream, asked the woman, “Do you have something to dig with?”
“Yes.” The woman hesitated and brought out a small shovel. “What do you need it for?”
Duo Fu didn’t answer, but took the shovel and pressed it into the ground, digging up some soil.
“Miss Duo Fu?” The woman was completely confused.
Duo Fu paid no attention to her and kept digging the soil herself. In a short while, the shovel hit something hard.
Duo Fu tossed the shovel aside and pulled out a wooden box from the soil.
The woman was surprised. “Who buried this dressing box? It looks quite exquisite.”
Duo Fu wrapped it in a handkerchief and ran back to the veranda.
“Miss!” Duo Fu called out as she approached, out of breath. “I saw it! There was a white figure, just like Little Xiang said. I dug it up and found this!”
Ming Wei took the dressing box, smiled slightly, and said, “Good, you found the first good friend.”
“The first one?”
“Yes, do you remember what Nine and the others said? There’s more than one.”
Duo Fu nodded immediately. “Miss, wait a moment, I’ll continue looking.”
With that, she turned and ran off.
Ming Wei watched her retreating figure with a smile. This girl had more talent than she had imagined.
As a practitioner of mystic arts, being a pure Yin and Yang communicator was a rare advantage, and her pure Yang fate was secondary, but her simple nature was invaluable.
When she had spoken vaguely earlier, it was to see how long it would take her to understand. She hadn’t expected it to be faster than she had anticipated.
Ming Wei lowered her head to look at the dressing box, tapping it lightly. “Communicating with the ignorant, as expected.”
Duo Fu had discovered a new world and was full of enthusiasm. She searched inch by inch, and soon, various small items were piled up in front of Ming Wei.
An old wooden tablet, a worn-out wooden fish, a mirror, a painting scroll…
They were all inexpensive small items, but they all had one thing in common—they were old.
Ming Wei
picked up the wooden fish. Items from a temple like this, infused with the scent of incense, would have a slightly stronger spiritual presence than ordinary objects. Perhaps they had even developed a degree of autonomous consciousness. If so, she might be able to extract information from them about who had brought these items in.
As she wiped away the dust from the wooden fish, she suddenly heard Duo Fu scream.
Listening to the sound coming from the side of the willow tree, Ming Wei furrowed her brows, sensing that something was not right.
Duo Fu had already rushed back in a panic, grabbing Ming Wei’s sleeve and trembling. “Miss, I saw that evil spirit again, it’s so scary…”
Ming Wei touched her head and put the red cord back on her wrist. “Don’t be afraid, you won’t see it when you wear this.”
Duo Fu blamed herself, saying, “It’s all my fault. I knew there was something there, I saw the colors, but I couldn’t help but follow it.”
Ming Wei was taken aback. “Colors?”
“Yes.” Duo Fu nodded. “I don’t know if it was red or yellow… but there were colors.”
Ming Wei furrowed her brow and looked in the direction Duo Fu had mentioned.
In the world of Yin and Yang, there should only be black, white, and gray. Anything with color should either be a spirit or a living soul. Spirits and malevolent creatures were generally incompatible. Could it be that the malevolent creature had a living soul within it?
