Li Qingzi was not someone who liked to live in a muddle.
Upon her return, she immediately tasked her people with looking into the schedule and themes of nearby art exhibitions and competitions. Since Haida had its own art department, there were plenty of such events, each with its own specific prompt.
Once she had the facts, she knew that the man from earlier had been intentionally baiting her.
The competition theme had absolutely nothing to do with hands.
However, if she had agreed to be a hand model, there would inevitably have been a fair amount of physical contactsuch as him applying plaster to her while they were face-to-face. A naive young girl in such a specific setting could easily find herself falling into a "love trap."
Li Qingzi let out a cold sneer. Recalling Jiang Xuxu's warning to guard against villains, she had her staff look into the man's identity and his recent social circle.
She reached a conclusion very quickly.
It was indeed a trap set by a "villain."
Specifically, her stepsister.
After sending Second Aunt Jiang away, Li Qingzi sat before Jiang Xuxu. Her face showed no sign of nervousness or awkwardness; she simply gave a brief account of the morning's events before staring at Xuxu with burning eyes.
"You said before that I could come and find you."
Jiang Xuxu didn't speak. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a yellow talisman. "This is an Anti-Villain Talisman. If someone tries to scheme against you again, this talisman will cause their plans to backfire directly on them."
Li Qingzi didn't take it immediately. "Next time? What about this time?"
"Didn't you avoid the trap?"
Li Qingzi narrowed her eyes. "I did, but I don't like being toyed with."
As she spoke, she slid over on the carpet to sit right next to Jiang Xuxu, acting quite familiar. "Besides the Anti-Villain Talisman, do you have one that makes someone attract Bad Peach Blossoms?"
Jiang Xuxu understood her meaning instantly.
This was a "tooth for a tooth" approach.
She quite liked this personality.
After a moment of thought, Xuxu took out a clean sheet of yellow paper from her bag and dipped a small brush into cinnabar.
She sat upright on the carpet.
Then, she raised her brush. With the fluidity of a dragon in flight, she drew the talisman in a single, continuous stroke.
This was the first time Li Qingzi had ever seen someone draw a talisman. She felt that the moment Jiang Xuxu raised the brush, the aura surrounding her changed completely, giving her an otherworldly, transcendent feeling.
If she had harbored any doubts when she arrived today, they had completely vanished in that instant. This eldest miss of the Jiang Family truly had ability.
Li Qingzi sighed as she accepted the paper. "I only asked on a whim. I didn't expect you people in the Xuanmen to actually have such a talisman."
"We don't," Jiang Xuxu replied truthfully. Seeing Li Qingzi's stunned expression, she explained with a smile, "There is no talisman specifically for 'Bad' Peach Blossoms in the Xuanmen, but there is a standard Peach Blossom Talisman."
Jiang Xuxu pointed to the final stroke on the paper. "This stroke is extra. In terms of destiny and marriage, an 'extra' peach blossom is a Bad Peach Blossom."
So, calling it a Bad Peach Blossom Talisman wasn't technically wrong.
In the art of talismans, many sigils were derived from the ancient charms passed down by the ancestors. Most of the time, different paths led back to the same destination.
For example, many people online sought Weight Loss Talismans, Koi Talismans, or Studying Talismans. She could draw those as well.
A Weight Loss Talisman was essentially a Heart-Clearing Talisman, used to reduce worldly desiresincluding the desire to eat.
A Koi Talisman could be a Luck-Gathering Talisman, though luck-gathering itself merely brought forward one's existing future fortune rather than creating it out of thin air. Xuxu usually wouldn't draw those for people.
As for the Studying Talisman, it was a combination of a Heart-Clearing Talisman and a Spirit-Concentrating Talisman. It ensured a calm mind and focused spirit, which naturally made studying twice as effective.
Li Qingzi realized the logic. "I didn't know it worked like that."
She happily accepted the charms along with the Anti-Villain Talisman. She was about to offer her thanks when a payment QR code was held out in front of her.
Jiang Xuxu was strictly business. "The Anti-Villain Talisman is three thousand, and the Peach Blossom Talisman is five thousand. Eight thousand in total."
Li Qingzi didn't think it was expensive at all and pulled out her phone to scan the code.
Once Jiang Xuxu received the payment, Li Qingzi didn't let her take her phone back. Instead, she quickly tapped the screen twice, opened Xuxu's own QR code, scanned it, and added herall in one smooth motion.
"We're sisters from now on. Let's stay in touch; it'll be more convenient."
Seeing that Jiang Xuxu wanted to say something, Li Qingzi quickly added, "I can also send transfers remotely."
Jiang Xuxu went silent, smiled, and approved the friend request.
Immediately after, a notification popped up on the screen.
It was from Jiang Su.
[Jiang Su has initiated a transfer of 3,000 Yuan. Please accept.]
Before Jiang Xuxu could react, she heard a voice from above. At the top of the second-floor stairs, the teenager was waving his phone excitedly.
"Sister! I want an Anti-Villain Talisman too! Save one for me!"
Jiang Xuxu: "..."
Li Qingzi: "..."
"Jiang Su! Who told you that you could eavesdrop on us from upstairs? Get down here right now!"
Li Qingzi and Jiang Su clearly weren't meeting for the first time. She stood with her hands on her hips, shouting up at him.
Jiang Su remained as stubborn as ever. "I'll come down if I want to. Why should I listen to you?"
Jiang Xuxu looked up. "Come down and get your talisman."
Jiang Su's face flipped instantly. "Coming, Sister!"
The speed of his attitude change made Li Qingzi click her tongue.
She turned to look at Jiang Xuxu, clearly curious. How had she managed to tame the most reckless member of the Jiang family in such a short time?
At the banquet the other night, while Jiang Su hadn't gone out of his way to cause trouble, his attitude toward this cousin certainly hadn't been good.
"How did you do it?"
Jiang Xuxu knew she was asking about Jiang Su. She didn't hide it. "He had a fight with Lu Xuexi."
Although Jiang Su acted as if he wanted to cut ties with Lu Xuexi, Jiang Xuxu didn't think he could escape her control that easily.
At the mention of Lu Xuexi's name, Li Qingzi's expression turned subtle.
"Speaking of Lu Xuexi, there's an interesting story you probably don't know."
Jiang Xuxu glanced at her.
Li Qingzi's lips curled into a smirk. "Lu Xuexi's name originally used the 'Xi' for 'Morning Light.' However, before she came to the Jiang family, she heard that this generation used the Water radical for their names. So, her family changed it to the 'Xi' that means 'Creek.'"
Jiang Xuxu raised an eyebrow.
She noted the emphasis Li Qingzi placed on the phrase: Before she came to the Jiang family.
It seemed she had set her sights on becoming part of the Jiang family long ago.
"You knew each other before?"
Li Qingzi pursed her lips. "We happened to be in the same class in elementary school."
Jiang Xuxu didn't ask more, because Jiang Su had already come rushing through the door of the side hall.
"Sister! I'm here!"
As he spoke, he huddled close to Jiang Xuxu.
Li Qingzi looked at Jiang Su's "at-your-service" expression and found it quite distasteful. "Jiang Su, do you have no manners? Xuxu and I were talking, and you dared to sprawl on the floor and eavesdrop!"
Jiang Su didn't give her an inch. "This is my house! If I'm in my own home, it's not eavesdropping! You were just talking too loud! Besides, I couldn't care less about your stepsister's nonsense!"
"Jiang Su, I think you're asking for a beating!"
Li Qingzi gave a fake smile. Jiang Su felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, but he still kept his chin up.
"Just you try! Believe it or not, my sister can take care of you with a single wave of her hand!"
Jiang Xuxu, suddenly pulled into the conflict, met Li Qingzi's gaze. She slowly rotated her wrist and muttered softly, "I've drawn too many talismans. My wrist hurts."
The implication was that she couldn't even lift it.
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