Talisman

Weisheng finally opened his mouth to ask his years-long buried question, "Do spirits need to eat food?" 

…

Everyone looked at him as if he said something wrong. Xiaoling smiled faintly. 

"Spirits are sent back to the Mortal Realm. Hence, they live like mortals." Xiaoling explained, "They can't interact with mortals without prior permission. Hai, Ru, and Qiang can only interact with you because the Heavens permit them to do so." 

"So, they can live like mortals but are not allowed to interact with mortals?" Weisheng raised an eyebrow. 

"Correct," Xiaoling nodded. 

Qiang frowned, "Big sister, you-" 

"A'Qiang," Xiaoling interrupted her swiftly, then shook her head. 

Weisheng narrowed his eyes in confusion. He could tell whatever Xiaoling told him wasn't 100% true. He wondered why she had to leave things out. Before he could ponder more over it, Xiaoling leaned toward him. 

She whispered in his ear, "By the way, I apologized to my dear Godmother." 

Weisheng turned his eyes to look at her. 

"You should apologize after tea," Xiaoling pulled herself back, "It's all about timing," She said.

Weisheng looked at the lady's back. She was reading a book by the fireplace, paying no attention to those at the table. Weisheng knew she was eccentric, but he hadn't imagined the magnitude. 

Weisheng's spirit mates finished their tea and continued their day. Ru went to the Heaven Realm, Hai went to look for the cat, and Qiang went with Hai to help him out. 

Weisheng sat beside Xiaoling, contemplating his next course of action. Xiaoling kept gesturing to him to go and apologize to her Godmother. She kept poking his arm with her elbow. 

He finally accepted his defeat and exhaled deeply. He stood up and slowly approached the lady. His legs trembled, and his stomach felt warm. He slowly walked in front of her, then knelt on the pillow. He performed a kowtow the same way he had observed Xiaoling doing it. Then he raised his body, keeping his gaze as low as possible. 

He wondered how to address her, "Um-" He pressed his lips together. Suddenly, he remembered how Ru had addressed her, "Lady Ren, I apologize for offending you the other day. Please, forgive me." 

The lady narrowed her eyes, and Weisheng could feel it in his peripheral vision. He heard footsteps closing it. 

"Dear Godmother," Xiaoling walked up to them, "Look at how innocent and sweet and cute and adorable he is," She gently said, "How can he harm us? Come on~ Don't be mad~" 

The lady sighed deeply, "Fine," She scoffed, "But if trouble comes knocking your way, don't come to me for help!" 

"Of course, dear Godmother," Xiaoling smiled and walked up to Weisheng, pulling his arm to make him stand. They simultaneously bowed to the lady and left the lounge together. 

Weisheng exhaled deeply as soon as they left the room. Xiaoling chuckled at him. 

"What?" Xiaoling asked amusingly, "Does she scare you that much?" 

Weisheng nodded, still going through the aftereffects of nervousness, "She might be scarier than the evil spirits." 

Xiaoling burst out laughing, "I mean," She shrugged, "I agree with that. But once you get to know her, she's really nice!" 

Weisheng gave her a side eye in disbelief, and she couldn't help but laugh. 

"Alright, alright," Xiaoling shook her head, "Before you turn me into a laughing machine, we should go to the courtyard and continue where we left!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the courtyard. 

Weisheng was flustered and confused. Statistically, Xiaoling was above him. So, he couldn't dare complain about her sudden actions. 

They reached the courtyard shortly. Xiaoling slowly knelt on the grass, gesturing next to her. Weisheng knelt next to her, waiting for further instructions. 

Xiaoling pulled a blank, rectangular piece of paper from her hanfu's arm. She stretched it out to straighten its creases. 

"Do you have a pen?" Xiaoling asked. 

Weisheng instantly tapped over his clothes, realizing he was wearing a hanfu, not his regular suit. He hesitantly coughed. 

"What?" Xiaoling looked at him, "No pen?" She asked, "I guess the Heavens will reprimand me if I wrote on the talisman with a pen," She chuckled, "Not that it matters." She shrugged, "Go fetch me a calligraphy pen from the table there," She pointed at the pavilion. 

Weisheng nodded, "Yes, Master," He instantly stood up, making his way to the table. He walked awkwardly. He had forgotten that he was wearing a hanfu up until now just out of nervousness. Now that he knew what he was wearing, he felt embarrassed. He wondered if Xiaoling thought he looked funny. Technically, she did call me 'innocent and sweet and cute and adorable' earlier. 

"Don't tell me that was because I'm wearing this?" He whispered to himself while walking back with the calligraphy pen box. 

"Hm?" Xiaoling asked. 

"Uhh, nothing…" Weisheng knelt back in place. He didn't notice his hanfu awkwardly creasing under his knees. 

Xiaoling chuckled, "Let me," She grabbed the corners of his hanfu and gently tugged them out, gently laying them on the grass. 

Weisheng looked at her with wide eyes, the calligraphy pen box held in his hands. 

"Looks like Hai did a bad job with your wardrobe," Xiaoling said, straightening the other creases of his hanfu, "I'll have him change it," She added, "Or you can bring your stuff here and live with us," She smiled. 

"I can do that?" He asked, his eyes still wide open. 

"Of course!" Xiaoling smiled, "What belongs to me belongs to you!" 

Weisheng was surprised. Although he was still a 'nobody' to this small family, he felt like a part of it already. He watched Xiaoling as she picked a brush from the box and drew on the paper. Then, she pulled another piece of paper to write something on it. The only difference was the text she wrote and the color of the two papers. She held them out before his eyes. 

"This red one is called the Underworld Totem," She explained, "Many cultivators use it to summon evil spirits from the Underworld to practice. This is what we will do today." 

Weisheng slowly nodded. He was rest assured, knowing Xiaoling was right beside him to avert possible danger. 

"This white one?" Weisheng asked. 

"This one is for your protection," Xiaoling said, "Although I'm summoning low-grade evil spirits from the Underworld, your Cursed Eye might make fluctuations. I'm not the strongest person out there, so I can't always protect you. This talisman will protect you if such things happen." She said while grabbing his arm. 

She pulled his sleeve up and slapped the talisman onto it. 

"If the talisman disappears," Xiaoling said, "Then that means its strength ran out. If both I and the talisman can't protect you, then you go to the lounge. Evil spirits can't enter there because of my Godmother. Understood?" 

…

Weisheng nodded skeptically. Up until now, he had thought Xiaoling was the strongest person to stay beside if he wanted to live. But her words made him nervous.