"From your words, I can already sense that your master was a person of immense pride, unyielding spirit, and quiet defiance."
Gu Lili smiled faintly. "In truth, I'm much the same. When I've set my mind to something, I won't give it up easily. But once I've let it go, I never look back. For example…"
"For example?"
"For example—our marriage," she said, using it as an illustration. "If you ever hurt me, or take up with another woman, I'll walk away without hesitation. I'll divorce you and never look back."
A quiet laugh glimmered in Long Yubei's dark, fathomless eyes. "Even if you leave me, you'll be the one at a loss."
"No." She shook her head gently. "When I married you, I didn't measure gain or loss. As the saying goes, what we gain is often by chance, and what we lose is part of life. I believe that. What is truly mine, no one can steal away. What isn't, will slip through my fingers no matter how tightly I hold on."
Long Yubei was quietly stunned by her words. Such a mindset was unexpectedly comforting.
Being with her felt simple and pure—as though whatever the future held, the only thing that mattered was savoring the tenderness of the present.
…
It had been just over a week since they last saw Madam Gu at the family estate.
Now, standing before Gu Lili, the woman looked utterly haggard—her face bare of makeup, exhaustion written into every line, her appearance greatly diminished.
Gu Lili offered a faint, elegant smile. "It's rather early for a house call, Madam Gu. What brings you here?"
Internally cursing, Madam Gu knew the girl was feigning ignorance with deliberate malice.
Still, she kept her face pleasant. "Lili, I was wondering… do you have a way to rid me of the unclean things that are clinging to me?"
"Of course I do," Gu Lili replied serenely. "But I have two conditions. Fulfill both, and I will see it done."
Madam Gu leaned forward urgently. "Name them."
"First, you must offer a public apology to my master—sincere, clear, and with repentance. If you can manage that, I'll reveal the second condition, which is far easier."
Madam Gu's heart twisted with resistance, but the situation left her no alternative.
Since Gu Lili walked out on her that day, she had sought help from every self-proclaimed spiritualist and temple she could find—but they were all frauds, or utterly incapable of communing with spirits.
In the days that followed, she had lived in perpetual terror and torment.
"I agree," she said at last.
"The second condition," Gu Lili continued slowly, "is ten million yuan. Compared to your life, this sum is barely worth mentioning in your household."
"I agree to both. Just help me now—please."
Gu Lili smiled and shook her head. "That won't do. First fulfill my requests. Only then will I act."
Left with no choice, Madam Gu returned home and drafted a written statement of apology and repentance. She signed it, pressed her fingerprint at the bottom, and stamped it with the Gu family seal.
Only then did she rush back with the money in hand—a check for ten million.
Gu Lili accepted it, performed the ritual, and handed her a talisman.
When Madam Gu learned the evil had been dispelled, she was overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, clutching the charm tightly as she departed.
At her side, Long Yubei looked upon his wife with unabashed admiration.
"In a single hour, you made ten million. Even your husband feels humbled," he said with a sly smile. "Your talent for making money is truly extraordinary."
"I only bluffed her. That ten million was the price of the charm—her apology was long overdue." She handed him the statement. "Post this online for me. Then bring it back—I want to burn it at Mount Xiliang when I pay tribute to my master."
Long Yubei took the paper and nodded in assent.