Chapter 5: The Blood of One's Closest Kin Is Required

“Master, Madam, you’re back! That’s wonderful—Madam, you’re finally awake.” The middle-aged butler’s eyes reddened with emotion upon seeing Bai Lu regain consciousness.

“Butler, please arrange accommodations for the young master first,” Pei Hexuan said with a smile.

“Young master?” The butler glanced at Bai Qianzhou, who smiled and waved at him.

The butler scrutinized her with a puzzled expression, feeling that this young master seemed familiar, yet unable to recall where he had seen her before.

“Yes, this young master is the one who revived Lulu,” Pei Hexuan explained.

“Oh, thank you, young master! Thank you so much!” Upon hearing this, the butler immediately adopted a respectful demeanor toward Bai Qianzhou.

“Young master, perhaps you should rest today and start tomorrow?” Pei Hexuan asked Bai Qianzhou.

“It’s better to begin as soon as possible; the longer we wait, the more complications may arise.”

“Very well. Young master, where would you like to start?”

“Your bedroom.”

Pei Hexuan let Bai Lu rest while he led Bai Qianzhou to their bedroom.

Bai Qianzhou surveyed the room, her gaze finally settling on a seemingly ordinary doll that exuded an unusual aura.

“This doll was hand-sewn by my wife for our newborn daughter,” Pei Hexuan’s voice was low and heavy. “Unfortunately, the child disappeared shortly after birth. My wife was heartbroken and divorced her ex-husband. When she left, the only thing she took with her was this doll as a keepsake.”

Bai Qianzhou’s eyes sharpened like a hawk’s as she fixed her gaze on the doll, silently pondering, “Are you saying she took it herself?”

“Not exactly,” Pei Hexuan hesitated. “She told me that after the divorce, the other woman—the mistress who broke up their marriage—threw out all her belongings. My wife took nothing except for this doll.”

“Have you ever opened the doll?” Bai Qianzhou’s brow furrowed slightly.

“No, my wife forbade anyone from touching it. We all knew how important it was to her, so we never dared to touch it. Young master, do you suspect something is wrong with this doll?”

Bai Qianzhou said nothing. She unzipped the back of the doll and pulled out everything inside.

“What is this?” Pei Hexuan’s face instantly turned pale as he stared at the palm-sized straw doll in Bai Qianzhou’s hand, his body trembling slightly.

“It’s a voodoo doll for casting spells,” Bai Qianzhou flipped the straw doll over. Pei Hexuan could clearly see an old talisman paper pinned to its back, inscribed not only with sigils but also a birth date written in red ink.

“This is... this is my wife’s birth date,” Pei Hexuan reached out to grab the straw doll, but Bai Qianzhou moved it away.

“This object is dangerous. It’s best if you don’t touch it, Mr. Pei,” Bai Qianzhou said, lightly tracing the talisman with her finger, her frown deepening.

She stared at the bright red birth date on the talisman, her suspicions confirmed: the birth date was not written in cinnabar but in blood—the blood was hers. A surge of anger and chill swept through her heart.

This was truly the wicked scheme of her former father! First, he abandoned her as a newborn in the desolate wilderness to die, then used her blood to curse her own mother. Was his hatred for them so profound?

“Young master, can this curse be lifted?” Pei Hexuan’s voice trembled.

“Yes, but it requires the blood of her closest kin,” Bai Qianzhou replied calmly.

“The blood of closest kin?” Pei Hexuan grew even paler.

“What’s wrong? Is it difficult?” Bai Qianzhou sensed something amiss in Pei Hexuan’s expression and tensed.

“If we cannot provide the blood of her closest kin, how long can my wife survive?” Pei Hexuan’s voice quavered, laden with anxiety and despair.

“Three days.”

Pei Hexuan staggered, steadying himself against the bed to keep from collapsing.