After Swapping Lives, the Metaphysics Side Character Became the Wealthy Family's Beloved - Chapter 40

“Qianqian, Qianqian—is that all you can think about? Your precious Qianqian almost got me killed!”

Madam Wang’s fury was palpable.

“Mom, I know you don’t like Qianqian, but I love her. No matter how much you oppose us, I’m going to be with her!” Xu Tong declared righteously.

What a touching display of devotion!

Madam Wang’s eyes flashed with scorn.

Xu Tong frowned. Qianqian was beautiful and driven—why couldn’t his mother see that?

Just as he was about to argue further, Madam Wang sneered:

“Go ahead, call your beloved Qianqian. If you can get through, I’ll never interfere again.”

Xu Tong’s face lit up. He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed.

Idiot.

What had she done to deserve such a useless son?

Had all the amniotic fluid flooded his brain when he was born?

Xu Tong tried several times, but no one picked up.

“She must be busy.”

“Oh, please. Your Qianqian was exterminated by a master. Let me spell it out for you—I went to her hometown. Sun Qian was never human to begin with. See this?” She pointed to the faint red mark on her cheek. “This is proof!”

“Mom, I get that you hate her, but faking an injury and making up stories won’t work. I’m marrying Qianqian, no matter what!”

With that, Xu Tong stormed out.

Madam Wang clutched her chest, vision darkening. She nearly collapsed.

That absolute moron!

She dialed a number, her voice sharp:

“Lao Xu, get home now and deal with your idiot son! And one more thing—that Sun Qian isn’t human.”

“Qiuying, watch your language. I know you dislike her, but there’s no need for insults. It’s unbecoming.”

“I’m not insulting her! She literally isn’t human! I—”

“Enough. I’m busy. We’ll discuss the kids later.”

The call ended. Madam Wang massaged her temples, a headache pounding behind her eyes.

I wonder how things went at Majiagou…

The group of four returned home, with Elder Qingxu chattering nonstop the entire way.

The old priest had an ulterior motive—he was determined to recruit Li Qiao into his temple.

Li Qiao refused outright. “Sorry, but no.”

“Why not?”

“I’m already the master of my own temple.” She grinned.

Elder Qingxu blinked. “That’s impossible!”

“Do you think my sister is too young to be a temple master?” Li Shaoyang teased from the driver’s seat.

“It’s… unusual.”

He’d genuinely never met one so young.

“Which temple do you oversee?”

There wasn’t a single temple he didn’t know of.

Elder Qingxu smirked confidently.

Li Qiao raised an eyebrow. “Xiangyun Temple.”

His face froze.

Xiangyun Temple? The name echoed in his mind like a gong.

Did such a place even exist?

“Elder, have you never heard of it?” Li Shaoyang prodded.

Elder Qingxu: “…”

“It’s fine if you haven’t. Now you know.” Li Qiao’s tone was breezy.

“…Well said, young friend.”

…

Soon, they arrived at the villa.

Upon entering, Li Qiao found her mother reclining on the sofa, a damp cloth pressed to her forehead.

“Mom… are you okay?”

“Qiaoqiao!” Liu Yusi pulled her into a hug, babbling nervously. “You scared me to death! I thought I was done for back there!”

The memories of that horrifying scene still sent chills down her spine.

“Mom, you had my protective talisman. Nothing would’ve happened.”

“I trust you, Qiaoqiao.”

Liu Yusi had never experienced such terror before. That woman—no, that ghost—had been inhuman.

No wonder the talisman had burned so fiercely.

She bombarded Li Qiao with questions:

What kind of ghost was it?

Was it dealt with?

Li Shaoyang jumped in, dramatically recounting the entire ordeal.

“A Ghost General? A Savage Ghost?!”

Liu Yusi paled, her head spinning.

Clutching Li Qiao’s arm, she whimpered: “That’s terrifying!”

It suddenly struck her—the Xu family had really drawn the short straw.

Just then, Madam Wang’s voice rang out from the doorway.

“Yusi! Yusi!” She rushed inside, her gaze locking onto Li Qiao.

“Master! What happened to Sun Qian? She wasn’t human, was she?”

“She wasn’t,” Li Qiao confirmed.

There was no point hiding it now.

Before Li Qiao could elaborate, Li Shaoyang launched into another vivid retelling, ending with a smirk:

“That Savage Ghost almost became your daughter-in-law!”

His tone was unmistakably gleeful.

(Not that anyone could blame him—the irony was rich.)

Madam Wang’s face turned ashen. “Will my son… be in any more danger?”

“As long as he behaves, no.”

(The unspoken warning hung heavy: If he doesn’t, all bets are off.)

“But—Master, isn’t there a way to guarantee it? My son is a brainless fool! Please, save him!”

Useless as he was, he was still her flesh and blood.

Madam Wang dropped to her knees—

Li Qiao jolted in alarm, while Liu Yusi lunged to stop her.

“What are you doing? Kneeling to a child? Do you want to shorten my Qiaoqiao’s lifespan?!”

Flushing with shame, Madam Wang stammered: “I—I got carried away. I didn’t mean to…”

Tears welled in her eyes.

Liu Yusi sighed, her anger softening.

“Fine. Let’s hear what Qiaoqiao suggests.”

All eyes turned to Li Qiao, burning with expectation.

With a resigned exhale, Li Qiao decided to analyze Xu Tong’s fate through his name.

Madam Wang wrote down the character “瞳” (Tong)—his namesake.

Li Qiao studied it silently.

“The character is composed of ‘目’ (eye), ‘立’ (stand), and ‘里’ (within). Combined with his birth chart, it doesn’t indicate major calamities—but minor misfortunes will plague him endlessly.”

Madam Wang’s hands clenched. “Master, is there a way to fix this?”

“Yes. Have him carry this talisman for a month. It’ll neutralize the minor curses. But if he goes looking for trouble himself…” She shrugged.

(Some people just asked for disaster.)

Madam Wang nodded fervently. She’d drag her idiot son by the ear if she had to.

Li Qiao handed her a talisman—

Elder Qingxu, who’d been silent until now, suddenly perked up, his eyes blazing with excitement.

“May I… examine this?” His voice trembled with barely contained awe.

After a hesitant pause, Madam Wang passed it to him.

The old priest’s hands shook as he inspected the talisman like it was a holy relic.

This energy…

“Did you draw this?” His gaze was practically incandescent.

Li Qiao nodded.

Elder Qingxu’s jaw dropped. “Genius! Absolute genius! Who taught you this? How many months did it take you to master?”

Li Qiao frowned. “Months?” Was his tongue malfunctioning?

Elder Qingxu barreled on: “Longer, then? That makes sense—a talisman of this power would take at least a year to perfect!”