Preparing to Cast the Spell

Hearing this, Zeng Xiaofan felt a slight pang of surprise. After all, Lin Yuhan possessed the striking appearance of a campus belle. Even if such a woman became a teacher, she would undoubtedly be a prominent figure throughout the entire school, with a virtually endless stream of suitors. Various second-generation wealthy heirs and powerful bosses would throw vast sums of money at a woman like this, hoping to use their wealth to open her legs. For a woman to remain chaste under such conditions was almost impossible. It was not that Zeng Xiaofan doubted Lin Yuhan's capacity for such purity, but rather that he had heard of too many so-called campus and class belles who appeared innocent on the surface while acting wildly and promiscuously behind closed doors. Zeng Xiaofan did not completely rule out the possibility that Lin Yuhan might also be one of those outwardly pure women. Naturally, in the presence of her family, he would not spell this out directly, so he merely said tactfully:
"Er... My friend earlier shouldn't be lying to me..."
"Judging from what she said, that event is nine times out of ten not a proper gathering..."
"It's possible that Yuhan has a side to her you guys don't know about. You should mentally prepare yourselves."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuling's expression darkened instantly, and she said with displeasure:
"Xiaofan! What do you mean by that?"
"Are you implying that my sister is the kind of loose, promiscuous woman who would attend wild parties?"
"Ahem... No... Aunt Yuling, don't get excited. I'm just saying we can't completely rule out the possibility..."
"If that really is the case, we might have to start our investigation by looking into the men she interacts with..."
"No!" Lin Yuling stated with absolute finality. "My sister is definitely not that kind of person! I can guarantee it!"
Her chest heaving violently with anger, Lin Yuling continued:
"I... I won't allow you to treat my sister like some sort of loose woman! Not even suspicion is allowed!"
"I... I... I'll check my sister's virginity right now to prove it to you!"
"No..." Zeng Xiaofan scratched his head, feeling somewhat dramatic, and quickly grabbed Lin Yuling's hand to stop her. "No... I was just casually saying that..."
"Don't be angry. I believe what you say... There's no need to check, really~"
"What kind of person your sister is doesn't matter anyway; I just wanted to help..."

"No!"
"In any case, I absolutely will not allow you to have wild thoughts about my sister in your mind."
"I'll take off my sister's pants and let you see for yourself, and then you'll know!"
"Aren't you a doctor? There's nothing embarrassing about a doctor examining a patient's body..."
"I'm going to take off my sister's pants for you to see right now..." As she spoke, Lin Yuling made a move to do just that.
Zeng Xiaofan hurriedly held her back. "Don't, don't, don't..."
"Please don't... Hey, business comes first. It'll be troublesome if your sister wakes up in a moment!"
"Let's drop this for now and think about what we should actually do instead," Zeng Xiaofan said with an awkward expression.
Only then did Lin Yuling bite her lip and relent, though she remained tightly furrowed and asked:
"Then... what should we do now?"
"If we can't find the person who cast the cursing arts for the moment, does that mean the evil spell on my sister won't be lifted?"

Zeng Xiaofan turned to glance at Lin Yuhan and said calmly:
"That's not the case. There is a method that can both lift the cursing arts from her body and prevent the other party from discovering it."
"This method is called the Substitute Technique."
"Substitute Technique? What does that mean?" Lin Yuling and her family all stared with wide eyes.
Zeng Xiaofan smiled slightly and replied calmly:
"Simply put, it uses Taoist arts to make other animals or objects take the place of the principal body in bearing the cursing arts."
"The principal body can thus remain unharmed. Essentially, this is a method of deception."
"In a case like Yuhan's, we have to use an animal as a substitute because humans are living beings who move around every day. If you were to use a lifeless object directly as a substitute, the person who cast the spell would discover it very easily."
"Therefore, we must use a living animal as a substitute so that it also has movement, breathing, and body temperature, making it naturally much harder to detect."

As Zeng Xiaofan explained patiently, Lin Yuling listened and seemed to gain a flash of insight:
"Oh! I understand now! This is just like the exercise tracking function on a mobile phone, right?"
"How many steps a person walks in a day can be sensed and recorded by the phone. If you put the phone on a monkey, the monkey walking will cause the phone to record and display step counts, distances, and positioning?"
Zeng Xiaofan nodded. "Exactly, that's the logic!"
"Yuhan will wake up before long. Go help me prepare some things, and it's best to complete the Substitute Technique before she wakes up."
"Otherwise, once she wakes up, I'm afraid there might be complications."
Lin Yuling nodded earnestly. "Just tell us directly what we need to prepare!"

Zeng Xiaofan's sword-like brows furrowed slightly, and he said solemnly:
"Uncle, go prepare a bowl of black dog blood, paper, ink, an inkstone, and a carpenter's ink marker for me."
"Aunty, go catch a chicken for me—it needs to be a young hen that has never laid eggs. Try to choose one with good plumage and feathers, one that looks very healthy."
"Aunt Yuling, go prepare peach branches, peach leaves, and peach blossoms for me. We'll need them to ward off evil spirits later."
"I'll boil some water at home and keep an eye on Yuhan in the meantime. Time is pressing, let's split up and take action!"
As soon as Zeng Xiaofan finished speaking, Lin Yuling nodded immediately and prepared to move.
However, Lin Ade and Lin Dongmei wore suspicious expressions. They pulled Lin Yuling aside and whispered:
"Is this guy you brought really trustworthy?"
"What he says sounds somewhat reasonable, but given how young he is, how could he possibly understand these things?"
"Could he be trying to chase us away so he can do something improper to your sister?"
Lin Dongmei also nodded repeatedly. "Exactly, exactly. Young as he is, even if he knows how to talk, I bet it's all for show."
"He understands the theory, but when it's time to act, he's useless..."

Hearing this, Lin Yuling also wore a hesitant expression. After all, she had known Zeng Xiaofan for quite a long time and had never seen him dabble in such matters.
Yet, for some reason, deep down in her heart, Lin Yuling held an inexplicable trust in Zeng Xiaofan.
After a brief moment of reflection, she said solemnly: "Dad, Mom, don't worry. Whether Xiaofan's skills are any good, I don't know~"
"But when it comes to his character, you can definitely rest easy! I can guarantee it to you! He would never do anything out of line."
Lin Yuling thought to herself that the other day she had bent over against that door, exposing her backside completely to him, and it had been obvious that his body had reacted rather strangely to the sight. Yet, even under those circumstances, he hadn't made a move on her; how could he possibly take advantage of the situation now?
Although Lin Yuling did not dare guarantee that her talent, cultural level, or appearance surpassed her younger sister's, she remained very confident in her ability to outshine her sister when it came to sex appeal.
Especially certain plump and luscious parts of her own body—just looking at them had been enough to make a man like Xie Jian lose his mind...
At this thought, a faint, complacent smile inevitably blo