Inside her boudoir, she stroked the wood carving fashioned from precious purple sandalwood, doubt clouding her eyes.
Could this thing really save her life?
She knew all too well how weak her body had become. Even a passing breeze could leave her bedridden for a long time. She seemed unable to muster the spirit for anything, her whole body weary and drained of strength.
Gazing at the bright moon beyond the window, Liu Jingjing did not even know whether she would still see the morning sun the next time she woke.
Yet as she held the unusual wood carving in her hands, she still sensed something strange. A faint warmth spread through her body, while the cold, eerie feeling that had always lingered behind her slowly receded. Even her palpitations, panic, and the fear in her heart seemed to have been washed clean.
"Could this wooden statue really be useful?"
Surprise filled Liu Jingjing's eyes. A trace of complexity appeared on her gaunt cheeks, along with a hint of joy.
"I wonder where Brother Huai found such a treasure. Once I recover, I must return it to him promptly!"
Before she knew it, as the moon climbed above the willow branches, Liu Jingjing gradually felt sleepy. Huang Liang had yet to return, but she was already used to his nights away from home. She prepared to sleep in her clothes.
Deep within the Huang Family's rear courtyard.
At this moment, yellow ritual banners filled the area around the altar. At its center stood an offering table, upon which nine unusual lotus lamp pillars had been lit. The pillars were covered in countless strange and bizarre runes. In the middle was the ritual dais, where two tiny straw dolls were bound by seven red threads. Each doll bore a set of