chapter 7 Talisman and ghost

"Xiushan Sanatorium.

Viola Su hurriedly entered the special care ward where her mother was. Her face, initially filled with a glimmer of hope and excitement, suddenly darkened as she found her father inside. She could only ask in a low voice, 'Dad, why are you here?'

Since her mother was hospitalized, her father had been busy managing the conglomerate's business, so he rarely visited. Viola had to take leave from school, and most of the time, she was the one taking care of her mother.

"Hmph! If I hadn't come, how would I know that you'd recklessly interfere with the doctor's treatment!" Radbourne Su grumbled displeased. "Just a while ago, your mother was causing a ruckus here!"

Causing a ruckus? Who was really causing a ruckus!

Viola felt deeply aggrieved. She knew that her parents' relationship had been strained recently. Her mother had been the one managing the Su Group all along, while her father only represented the conglomerate at important events. He didn't actually oversee the actual operation of the company. If it weren't for her mother's tireless efforts, would the Su Group have grown to its current scale of tens of billions? She just hadn't expected her mother to suddenly be hospitalized for some kind of 'evil encounter', and now her father had turned into a diligent 'good man' who loved his work. Wasn't this strange?

"Did you... give Mom another dose of sedative?" Viola's heart sank. She could see that her mother was now asleep. "Too many sedatives can damage the brain and body!"

"But should we just let her go wild here?" Radbourne Su retorted. "If the board members of the conglomerate find out she's going crazy, it'll affect our plan to go public with the A-shares! Once we successfully list on the stock market, raising money will be like child's play!"

"You only care about money!" Viola finally couldn't bear it. "Have you ever truly cared for Mom?"

"If we didn't have money, could she afford to stay in this special care ward?" Radbourne Su impatiently stated. "Your mother has lost her mind. Don't follow her in her madness. Focus on your studies!"

"If Mom doesn't recover, I won't go to school!" Viola stubbornly declared, tears welling up in her eyes. At this moment, her mother, who was sleeping in the bed, suddenly jolted awake and shouted, 'Ghost!'

"Mom, what's wrong!" Viola rushed over, embracing her mother's shoulders, hoping to share some of her burden or bring her some comfort.

Radbourne Su, on the other hand, kept shaking his head. "The sedative's effect is too weak. The doctor needs to increase the dosage!"

"Don't you dare call for the doctor—can't you see how scared Mom is!" Viola, at this moment, felt a deep pity for her mother. The usually gentle her, had even considered confronting her father.

"If we don't call for the doctor, then what should we do? Let her go crazy?" Radbourne Su seemed to have grown impatient with his daughter.

In the next moment, Radbourne Su saw a small peach wood charm in his daughter's hand. Suddenly, he couldn't contain his anger. "Where did you get this charm? Do you know how much money you've wasted on those so-called consecrated artifacts you bought before? Although our Su family is wealthy, you can't just recklessly spend and squander! At this rate, are you planning to go crazy with your mother? Quickly, give it to me and call the doctor!"

Viola's father was originally intending to scold her, but to his surprise, his daughter, Viola, also looked horrified. Because she too saw the spirit. It was an elderly lady in a black floral qipao similar to those worn in the Republic of China era. Her gaze was dark and profound, with an eerie, twisted smile on her withered face. In her arms, she held a faceless doll...

In this situation, Viola could only instinctively shout, "Ghost!"

"Xiao Hua, did you see... her?" Moira Chen's weary face revealed a look of despair. But as a mother, she summoned courage from somewhere, tightly embracing her daughter, and spoke to the old hag, "Don't harm my daughter! Otherwise... even if I die, I will seek revenge from you!"

However, Radboune Su seemed completely unmoved by the mother-daughter sentiment. He simply went to call the doctor. Perhaps he believed that his daughter had also been infected by his wife's madness.

Viola Su clung to her mother, curled up on the hospital bed. Watching the old hag float towards them, she trembled with fear. Suddenly, she remembered the "Evil Warding Charm" she had bought from Andrew Qi. Although she didn't have much confidence in the peach wood charm, she had no choice now. She threw it directly at the old hag.

Puff!~

The peach wood warding charm touched the old hag, and it ignited like gas meeting a spark. The entire old hag, along with the ghostly doll in her hand, were engulfed in peach-colored flames. Within the flames, a mysterious symbol flickered. Strangely, the flames did not scorch anything else.

In the midst of the flames, the old hag emitted a shrill scream. Her form twisted and contorted within the fire, teeth bared and claws outstretched as if she was trying to break free. But after a moment, she was completely consumed by the charm's flames. Only her agonized screams echoed in Viola and Moira's ears.

As the flames vanished, a pile of ashes remained at the bedside.

"Mom... is that ghost gone? Did you hear her screams?" Viola asked, uncertain if what she had seen and heard was real.

"I saw it too! She really was burned to death!" Moira Chen, who had regained some of her composure, confirmed. "Xiao Hua, it seems like your charm worked. I even saw a symbol just now!"

"Yes, I saw it too." With confirmation that the old hag was truly gone, Viola finally began to relax from her fear and tension. "I spent twenty thousand on this charm. Dad even said I was wasting money. But if burning this old hag means you'll recover, even two million or twenty million would be worth it!"

"Well, my good daughter! Money is not important. Family is what matters most. Symbols that can truly release power... only a genuine Feng Shui master can create them!" Moira Chen lovingly embraced her daughter. She, having seen much of the world, knew that the wealthier the family, the more they valued the art of Feng Shui. Some of her friends even had dedicated Feng Shui consultants. Getting to know a true Feng Shui master was an important matter, especially in times like this when they encountered malevolent spirits.

Regardless, it would be best to have a few more of these charms on hand. Even though they had just burned one ghost, who knew if there might be another.

At this moment, Radboune Su had already entered the ward with doctors and nurses. He said, "Inject both of them with sedatives, my wife's dosage should be higher!"

"Stop—" Moira Chen suddenly shouted. The aura of the former female CEO and powerful woman erupted from her. The doctors, nurses, and even Radboune Su were all stunned. Then, she got up, straightened her clothes, and calmly said, "Arrange for our discharge."

"Zi Yun... you're alright? Really alright?" Radboune Su seemed somewhat incredulous.

"You'd wish something happened to me, wouldn't you!" Moira Chen stopped Radboune, pulling Viola along. "Xiao Hua, today we'll stay in a hotel. Also, hurry and find that master. I want to know who dares to plot against Moira Chen!"