Su Tan was a renowned diviner from a prestigious Taoist lineage who married Song Tingchen, a rising general, and bore him a son named Song Xiao. For five years, she concealed her identity and used her cultivation, merits, and personal dowry to protect her husband from killing karma and to heal her sickly son and in-laws. After her entire Su clan perished in battle, she became increasingly isolated and vulnerable. When Song Tingchen decided to take Liu Qingyin, the daughter of a man who died saving him, as a second wife, Su Tan refused. The Song family, having grown dependent on Su Tan’s protections and wealth, pressured her to accept the arrangement. Song Xiao, influenced by Liu Qingyin, rejected his mother, calling her a bad woman and preferring Liu Qingyin as his second mother. Heartbroken and realizing her sacrifices were unappreciated, Su Tan insisted on a divorce. Song Tingchen and his son mocked the blood talismans Su Tan had drawn to protect them, stomping them into the snow. Su Tan left the General’s Residence, cutting ties with her husband and son.
Three years passed. Su Tan lived quietly in the capital with her senior sister, Cui Wan, practicing her arts in seclusion. She was summoned by Prince Chen, Lu Zhiheng, to treat his daughter, Princess Zhaoyang, who suffered from a persistent high fever that defied imperial physicians. Su Tan agreed to help and returned to the capital. Upon her arrival, she encountered Song Tingchen and Liu Qingyin at Huguo Temple, where tensions immediately flared. Song Xiao continued to insult Su Tan, while Liu Qingyin performed acts of fragility to gain sympathy. Su Tan responded with cold indifference, slapping Liu Qingyin when the woman deliberately knocked over a memorial lantern and feigning injury. Song Tingchen blamed Su Tan for her aggression, failing to recognize Liu Qingyin’s manipulations.
At Prince Chen’s mansion, Liu Qingyin attempted to claim credit for curing the princess using a Soul Return Pill she had purchased, hoping to secure her status and influence. However, Su Tan revealed that the pill was ineffective for the princess’s condition, which was actually caused by a supernatural entity. The princess was haunted by a Night-Wailing Ghost, the spirit of a premature infant from the royal family who had been smothered to death by a concubine named Bai. The ghost had latched onto Princess Zhaoyang, mistaking her for a sister. Su Tan confronted the ghost, subdued it with her talismans, and learned the truth behind its tragic origin. She provided a talisman to allow the ghost to return to its mother’s grave for peace, resolving the supernatural affliction.
Princess Zhaoyang, whose nickname is Sui Sui, bonded with Su Tan, calling her a fairy sister and offering her affection and candy. This interaction contrasted sharply with Su Tan’s strained relationship with her own son. Song Tingchen observed Su Tan’s kindness toward the princess and felt a growing sense of loss and regret, particularly when he noticed Su Tan giving away a jade pendant she had carved for Song Xiao to the princess instead. He realized too late that Su Tan’s coldness was a result of his and his son’s rejection. Liu Qingyin’s schemes were exposed as Prince Chen dismissed her contributions and treated her with indifference, while Su Tan maintained her dignity and independence. The story follows Su Tan’s journey of healing from emotional abuse, reclaiming her power as a master diviner, and moving forward without the Song family, while Song Tingchen begins to confront the consequences of his past actions and the true nature of Liu Qingyin’s deceit.
