My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

Qin Liuxi covered her nose and took a few steps back, and Teng Tianhan, too, was caught off guard, the stench turning his face pale as he retched a few times.
How could it smell so foul?
Only Teng Zhao, after his complexion changed several times, silently took out two wads of paper to plug his nose, which made things much better.
Don’t ask him where he got the paper. If you do, the answer is it’s discarded talisman paper that he had kicked into his pocket and forgot to throw away, now conveniently put to use.
Lord An and his son, although also looking a bit pale, seemed quite embarrassed seeing Qin Liuxi and the others in that state.
“Has the master arrived?” An anxious female voice came closer.
Qin Liuxi had cast a Detoxification Spell on herself, and her complexion improved slightly before she turned to look at the approaching person—a richly dressed lady adorned with a red hairpin, who exuded an aura of elegance and nobility, yet anxiety and exhaustion were apparent in her brows, and not even makeup could conceal her weariness.
“Commandery Princess.” Lord An stepped forward to support his wife and said, “We’ve sent for the expert; rest assured that the strange affliction of young An Yi will be solved.”
Mrs. An looked at Qin Liuxi and her pupils contracted in surprise: “So young?”
“He may be young, but he is capable,” Lord An commented.
Mrs. An suppressed her anxiety and glanced at Teng Tianhan, thinking that if this doesn’t work out, they would request a temple master from Jinhua Temple.
Qin Liuxi nodded at Mrs. An as a form of greeting before entering the courtyard. Seeing that everyone didn’t look well, she cast another Detoxification Spell and the thick miasma dissipated like windless smoke, leaving the air fresh and invigorating.
Mrs. An’s eyes brightened – her husband hadn’t lied, the master really did have the ability. She brushed past her old man and stepped forward, saying: “Master, you must save my son, I implore you.”
Having entered the courtyard, Qin Liuxi began to inspect the surroundings and said: “Don’t worry, it’s not a serious problem. Please tell me, what places has Young Master An visited?”
From the smell earlier, she already had a few guesses.
“I have a manor with hot springs, where peach and pear trees are planted, and it is currently the peak of the blossoming season. That child had arranged to stay at the manor for two days with a few of his roguish friends. Three days ago, he returned, completely dispirited as if he hadn’t slept at all, utterly exhausted, and also reeked,” Mrs. An recounted the incident involving her younger son in detail.
That was the strange ordeal An Yi encountered; ever since he returned from the manor three days ago, his body started to emit an odor for no reason, spreading from his room to the entire courtyard, driving away anyone who dared approach, overwhelmed by the stench.
Strangely, the stench wouldn’t drift away and hung over the entire courtyard, making it unbearably foul just by pushing the gate.
Aside from the inexplicable stench, dog-tired An Yi simply couldn’t sleep. Doctors had consulted him and prescribed sleeping pills, even lit calming incense, but the moment he closed his eyes, he’d be startled awake, as if someone forbade him from sleeping. Even changing courtyards didn’t help.
One can go without food for days, but sleeping is indispensable. Not to mention, there was that overpowering stench that even layers of strong fragrance couldn’t mask, making it impossible to eat anything.
In just three short days, An Yi had become haggard beyond recognition, causing his entire family immense distress. Mrs. An instinctively felt her son had encountered something malevolent, but dared not invite any well-known Taoist or master ostentatiously, opting instead to send someone discreetly to Jinhua Temple, which, to their dismay, had suddenly closed its doors.
Teng Tianhan had also heard about it from Lord An, and as the An family despaired over An Yi’s mysterious affliction, Qin Liuxi arrived at the capital and was recommended to assist through connections.
It truly was fortuitous timing.
“Junior Temple Master, you said the courtyard is filled with negative energy, what could be the problem?” An Hao, supporting his worn-out mother because of his brother’s strange condition, asked.
“Let’s examine the person first.”
The group proceeded inside the house. As the courtyard was too foul-smelling, there weren’t many servants around, only An Yi’s personal attendant and two rough-mannered maids, with the attendant currently keeping watch inside the bedroom.
Qin Liuxi entered and surveyed the place with her eyes before walking into the bedroom.
Upon entering, she saw a young man with two dark circles under his eyes, looking haggard and sitting vacantly at the edge of the bed – alternating between laughing and murmuring as if afflicted with hysteria. By his side, a servant covered his face.
The room’s atmosphere was as foul as a cesspit, unbearable to the senses, made even stranger by the incense of sandalwood and others burnt in the room.
Everyone’s faces changed again, and they couldn’t help but retch.
The servant numbly bowed to his masters and stepped aside; he didn’t dare say he had lost his sense of smell.
Qin Liuxi stood with her hands behind her back, staring at the young man, or to be precise, at the creature coiled on top of his head, baring its teeth at her in a threatening manner.
A weasel.
A weasel that had gained spiritual awareness was perched on An Yi’s head, its claws prying at his eyelids to keep him from sleeping, emitting a stench from its body, and from time to time, spouting some harsh words in An Yi’s ear.
Upon seeing the newcomers, this Yellow Immortal didn’t even take them seriously, not until it felt something off about the gaze upon it, and upon looking, it realized that Qin Liuxi’s eyes were fixed on it.
She could see it.
“Are you the God Stick called by this family?” the Yellow Immortal asked in shock, but then it relaxed, thinking what could a mere youth with Yin Yang Eyes really do?
Qin Liuxi sized up the Yellow Immortal and suddenly asked: “What did this poor sod do to you, that you’re treating him like this?”
Everyone: “?”
Following Qin Liuxi’s gaze, they saw nothing; could there be something else in this room?
Lord An and the other two huddled together, shivering.
Was it really this damn kid who had attracted the evil spirit?
Teng Tianhan asked his son in a whisper, “Can you see it?”
Teng Zhao formed a mantra with one hand, reciting an Eye-opening Spell, brushing his fingers across his eyes and looking intently without any expression.
Seeing his son’s actions, Teng Tianhan felt like his heart turned wooden; the boy had truly learned his arts, with such a full display of skills.
Bearing the suffocation in his heart, he asked curiously, “What is it?”
“A weasel.”
“What?”
Everyone gasped; a weasel?
The weasel then howled, “What weasel, I am the Yellow Immortal!”
“Isn’t the Yellow Immortal just another weasel?” Qin Liuxi snorted with a laugh: “Hurry up and pack away your stench; it’s killing me.”
She then cast a Detoxification Spell, as the smell was making her dizzy.
“I won’t, I want to stink him to death! He dared to call me stinky and ruined my chance of getting a seal; I’ll torment him to death.” The Yellow Immortal grinned its teeth and let out a massive stinky fart.
Qin Liuxi was furious; this was a challenge to her.
She lunged forward in a single leap, attempting to grab it.
With a bounce, the Yellow Immortal leaped from An Yi’s head, scornfully saying, “You little brat, thinking you can catch this immortal, you overestimate yourself, huh…”
It looked down at a talisman stuck to its foot, tried to shake it off but only managed to ignite it, and the sparks quickly climbed along its fur.
“Ah, ah, ah,” the Yellow Immortal twisted and writhed in an attempt to pat out the fire, wailing and shrieking, “You immoral God Stick! Who sets fire without a word! That’s too despicable, put out the fire for me quick!”