"Good! Come into my umbrella now. I’ve drawn a spell on it that can take you away from here," Nan Gong Huan twirled the umbrella, and the spell on it glowed faintly.

  However, the spell’s duration was limited. It seemed that before getting her potion master’s badge, she needed to buy a spirit artifact that could house souls, something that could permanently accommodate the two souls.

  "We’ve already acknowledged you as our master. Please give us new names," the two souls didn’t rush to enter but instead requested new names.

  Abandoning their old names meant leaving behind their past and starting anew, pledging loyalty to their new master.

  "New names..." Nan Gong Huan looked at the earnest expressions of the two souls and pointed at each of them. "You were reborn amidst the flames of vengeance and the glow of blood. From now on, you shall be called Yan Ji (Flame Maiden) and Xue Ji (Blood Maiden)."

  The two souls spoke in unison, "Yan Ji (Xue Ji) thanks the master for the new names!"

  The two souls flew into the umbrella, and Nan Gong Huan closed it, holding it firmly in her hand.

  Then, she snapped her fingers, and several tree roots rose from the ground, wrapping around the sisters’ bodies and burying them deep underground.

  "Gurgle..." Dong Yan Cuo’s stomach made an untimely noise.

  Nan Gong Huan looked at him, and he innocently and helplessly covered his stomach, saying, "Huan Huan, I’m a bit hungry..."

  Before he could finish, Nan Gong Huan had already stuffed a large chicken leg into his mouth and placed another in his hand.

  The rich aroma filled his nostrils, and Dong Yan Cuo’s eyes immediately lit up with a voracious hunger. He ate quickly, his face soon glistening with grease.

  Nan Gong Huan couldn’t help but click her tongue. Two hours without food, and the poor boy was starving. Thankfully, she always carried plenty of food in her storage space.

  ...

  Hua Rong Pavilion, the largest spirit artifact shop in Jianglou City, sold many exquisite artifacts with various functions.

  As Nan Gong Huan stepped into the pavilion, the attendant responsible for greeting guests merely glanced at her and snorted disdainfully. Oh, it’s the useless waste from the Nan Gong family. I heard she was publicly humiliated by the Wei family this morning. What a joke!

  "We don’t welcome ugly freaks here," the attendant sneered. What if she scared off the other distinguished guests? Could she afford the consequences?

  "Is that so?" Nan Gong Huan smiled faintly and whispered, "Cuo Cuo, go."

  Slap—Bang!

  First came the crisp sound of a slap. Dong Yan Cuo struck with such force that the attendant was sent flying into a wooden door, which also collapsed under the impact!

  The door fell heavily on the attendant, producing a dull thud and knocking him out cold!

  The commotion immediately drew everyone’s attention.

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  "My, my, Hua Rong Pavilion is really something, hiring a waste to guard the door," Nan Gong Huan waved her hand, feigning extreme disgust.

  Then, she took out a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into Dong Yan Cuo’s mouth.

  Cuo Cuo was getting better and better at this!

  Seeing the situation, the manager of Hua Rong Pavilion quickly put on a smile and hurried over.

  "Isn’t this Miss Huan from the Nan Gong family? My apologies for not welcoming you properly. Please come in. What would you like to buy? I’ll personally recommend some items for you," the manager smiled warmly, while also giving the unconscious attendant a kick. Immediately, someone came to carry him away.

  What a fool! Even though Nan Gong Huan’s reputation wasn’t great, her family was wealthy!

  "A soul-nurturing artifact. Recommend something," Nan Gong Huan slightly lifted her chin, exuding an air of unattainable elegance.

  There were actually quite a few people who bought soul artifacts. Nurturing one’s soul was also a way to strengthen the body.

  "Please follow me to the second floor, Miss Huan," the manager was very accommodating, politely leading the two to the second floor, where half of the space was dedicated to displaying soul artifacts.

  Jade pendants, bracelets, necklaces... mostly accessories for women.

  Nan Gong Huan browsed through them one by one. The items here were clearly priced, with the cheapest starting at a hundred thousand spirit coins, and the most expensive exceeding a million.

  Suddenly, Elder Ling called out, "Wait! Take a look at the previous one."

  Nan Gong Huan paused and stepped back to the previous item she had glanced at.

  Here, there was a model of a human hand, and on the index finger of the model, a red crystal ring sparkled brightly.

  "Two million spirit coins... Wait, is this a case of mistaking fish eyes for pearls?" Nan Gong Huan muttered softly. Using her spiritual energy to inspect it, she found that while the red crystal appeared to be a treasure, it actually contained a piece of worthless rock inside!

  The red crystal had the power to conceal objects, which had fooled the jewelers, but it couldn’t deceive a spirit master!

  Based on its actual value, it was worth at most three hundred thousand spirit coins.

  "Not the ring. Look at the tassels on the velvet cloth beneath it," Elder Ling’s voice carried an indescribable excitement.

  Nan Gong Huan then noticed that beneath the human hand model, there was a piece of elegant black velvet cloth, with two decorative black tassels hanging from its corners.

  These two tassels... Nan Gong Huan examined them for a while but couldn’t see anything special. Then, using her spiritual energy to sense them, she was suddenly astonished to discover that they were a rare treasure capable of housing and nurturing souls!

  If Yan Ji and Xue Ji were to enter them, they could cultivate their soul power on their own!

  "These are the tassels of the Soul-Severing Banner, a divine artifact of my clan that could house millions of souls. Unfortunately, the banner was torn apart in a great battle. I never thought these two tassels would remain intact and end up here," Elder Ling sighed with a hint of nostalgia.

  "Do you sell this velvet cloth?" Nan Gong Huan pointed at the black velvet cloth and asked the manager.

  "Ah?" The manager was momentarily stunned, not quite processing the question. In all his years here, this was the first time someone had ignored the precious artifacts and asked for the cloth used to pad them!

  Nan Gong Huan looked at him and repeated, "Do you sell it?"

  "Of course, of course. Miss Huan, you are a distinguished guest. If you want it, we’ll gladly give this cloth to you as a gift," the manager quickly put on a natural smile, took out the velvet cloth, folded it neatly, and placed it in Nan Gong Huan’s hands.

  It was a small favor to win her goodwill, after all. Her grandfather was the head of the Nan Gong family, a figure of high status.

  "Thank you," Nan Gong Huan touched the two tassels, secretly guiding Yan Ji and Xue Ji into them.

  With her goal achieved, Nan Gong Huan prepared to leave.

  But as she turned, she saw Nan Gong Qian’er and Wei Yu Gong walking up the stairs, arm in arm.

  "Sister Huan?" Nan Gong Qian’er paused, clearly surprised to see Nan Gong Huan in such a place. Wasn’t she supposed to be cultivating in the Spirit Condensation Pavilion?

  Nan Gong Huan raised an eyebrow. Second-level cultivation?

  She suddenly felt the anger emanating from Yan Ji and Xue Ji within the tassels and gently stroked them to calm their emotions.

  Then, an invisible gust of wind flew out from the tassels and brushed against Nan Gong Qian’er’s face.

  "The one who killed us, Nan Gong Qian’er, shall have her fortune crumble, her reputation ruined, reduced to a dog, suffer unbearable pain, and ultimately die without a burial place!"

  It was the belated curse of the twin souls!