"Xiao Li, stay back! Do not come any closer to this circle." Bai Xifeng commanded, her voice cutting through the air with enough authority to make the frantic maid freeze in her tracks.
Suddenly, a harsh, crimson light erupted from the ground, swirling around Bai Xifeng like a cage of fire. The monk's men intensified their chanting, their voices rising to a fever pitch. Yet, in the center of this mystical storm, Bai Xifeng remained utterly unmoved. She did not scream, she did not collapse. Instead, she simply leaned her head on her hand and let out another long, disinterested yawn.
The monk and his disciples finished the final incantation, their eyes wide with anticipation. They waited for the scream of a fleeing demon or the agonizing convulsions of a possessed girl. However, as the seconds ticked by, their anticipation turned into cold, creeping shock.
Absolutely nothing happened.
The spell, a powerful ritual designed to burn the soul of any inhabiting evil spirit, seemed to slide off Bai Xifeng like water off a duck's back. If she were truly possessed, the thing inside her should have been shrieking in agony by now. Instead, she looked like she was contemplating taking another nap.
The red light eventually flickered and died, leaving the courtyard in a heavy, awkward silence. The monk and his men exchanged bewildered glances, their confidence shattered.
"So..." Bai Xifeng broke the silence, her eyes tracking the monk with an amused glint. "Are we finished with the light show? Or is there a second act?"
"You... you aren't possessed?" the monk stammered, his voice trembling. "That is impossible. My formation has never failed to detect a shadow."
"And why exactly were you so certain that I was?" Bai Xifeng asked, her voice dripping with mock curiosity. "Oh, wait... I suppose someone 'reliable' gave you a tip-off." As she spoke, she casually glanced toward a dense cluster of ornamental bushes at the edge of the courtyard.
Behind the foliage, several figures gasped in unison, their hearts skipping a beat. It was Bai Chunhua, Bai Huiling, and a small group of their most trusted maids. They had come to feast their eyes on the sight of Bai Xifeng being tortured and humiliated.
"Second Sister... Did she just see us?" Bai Huiling whispered, her voice tight with panic.
Bai Huiling had followed her older sister here after being promised a front-row seat to Bai Xifeng's suffering. Ever since the incident that left Bai Huiling bruised and humiliated, she had been craving revenge. She wanted to see that "trash" sister broken.
"Stay still. It's just a coincidence." Bai Chunhua hissed, though her brow was furrowed in confusion.
Bai Chunhua refused to believe Bai Xifeng had sensed them. In the cultivation world, only those with superior cultivation could detect the presence of those at a lower level. BAI Chunhua was currently at the High Rank of the Foundation Establishment, a feat that made her a genius among her peers in this kingdom. Since Bai Xifeng was widely known to be incapable of cultivation, there was no logical way she could have pierced Bai Chunhua's concealment.
"She's just bluffing. Let's keep watching." Bai Chunhua added, though her grip on her silk handkerchief tightened.
Hidden in the shadows, they continued to spy on the scene, unaware that their cover was already blown.
Bai Xifeng's lips curled into a subtle, dangerous smile. She did not just found the sisters. She also knew that the Old Madam had sent her own spies to watch the fallout from the "exorcism." Of course, she had not detected them through her own raw power—she was still too early in her journey for that. It was Baishe, his spirit sense far exceeding anyone in the mansion, who was whispering the exact locations of every hidden viper into her mind.
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