Without noticing the strange expressions on everyone's faces, the urgency in the eyes of Song Yongming and his wife was almost palpable.
"President Jiang, we truly wish to apologize to Master Jiang in person. Could you please let us see her?"
Jiang Yucheng opened his mouth, seeming to take a good while to recover his senses. He spoke somewhat breathlessly, "Xuxu... she isn't here."
The Song couple seemed to panic at his words, pressing him with questions. "Has the Master not returned yet? When will she be back? Perhaps we could wait for her here?"
Inside the living room, a collective flicker of embarrassment passed over the faces of the Jiang family members.
How were they supposed to say it? Guan Xuxu had moved out, and she certainly wouldn't be returning today at the very least.
Seeing the Jiang family remain silent, the Song couple grew even more anxious. "President Jiang!"
Just as Jiang Yucheng was about to speak, Jiang Huai stepped forward. "Xuxu likely won't be coming back today. Uncle Song, Auntie Song, if this is urgent, I can contact Xuxu for you. If she is available, I can take you directly to her."
"That would be wonderful!" Song Yongming didn't bother with polite refusals at this point. "I'll have to trouble you, then."
Jiang Huai nodded with a smile, then turned aside to make a quick phone call. He returned shortly.
"Xuxu says she already knows why you've come. She is heading to the Song family home now. You can meet and talk there."
Hearing that Guan Xuxu was willing to go directly to their house, Song Yongming and Mrs. Song were overjoyed. Forgetting all pleasantries with the Jiang family, they immediately called out their goodbyes.
Seeing this, Jiang Huai followed them out. "I will see the two of you home."
Song Yongming understood perfectly well; Jiang Huai was worried his sister would be mistreated at the Song house. Given that Yuli's situation was critical, he didn't care about such things.
It wasn't until the car glided into the night that the rest of the Jiang family finally reacted.
"The Songs are in such a hurry to find Xuxu... could something have happened to the young miss of the Song family?" the Third Aunt from the third branch asked uncertainly, her tone laced with obvious worry.
Jiang Yucheng's brow furrowed, his expression heavy. "Something must have happened."
Moreover, it was highly likely to be exactly what Xuxu had predicted.
The villa district where the Songs lived was not particularly close to Yinjiang No. 1. It took over half an hour for the car to pull up in front of the Song Family Villa.
By the time the three of them arrived, Guan Xuxu had just reached the front door as well.
When he saw the young girl dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, Song Yongming still felt a flicker of uncertainty despite having heard her age from his wife. Her appearance was simply too youthful and well-behaved.
In contrast, Mrs. Song had lost all of her previous polite distance. Her eyes glowed with eagerness the moment she saw Guan Xuxu.
"Master Jiang, I was too impulsive earlier today. Thank you for being willing to come."
Since Guan Xuxu had come, she intended to help solve the problem. She didn't put on any airs at this moment. "Let's go inside first."
The Song couple didn't delay, hurriedly leading Guan Xuxu inside. As they walked, Mrs. Song didn't forget to explain the current situation.
"Every afternoon after her nap, Xiao Li'er goes for a walk and plays in the community's children's play area. You clearly warned me this morning, Master, but I didn't take it seriously. I still let her go out this afternoon, and somehow, Xiao Li'er disappeared halfway through. At first, I thought it was a kidnapping..."
"But only ten minutes later, the security guards found her by the fountain. I thought it was just a false alarm, but not long after Xiao Li'er got home, she suddenly fainted. No matter how we try to wake her, she won't budge. The family doctor checked her but couldn't find a cause..."
Mrs. Song paused, unable to hide her anxiety and grief. She looked at Guan Xuxu. "Later, the doctor was at a loss and prepared to send her to the hospital for more detailed tests. But when they picked her up, something fell off her body."
It was that very item that had led Mrs. Song to find Guan Xuxu again.
It was the protective talisman Guan Xuxu had left before departing. At the time, Mrs. Song had told someone to throw it away, but she hadn't expected that Xiao Li'er, thinking it was a toy, had secretly picked it up and hidden it on her person.
When it fell, Mrs. Song and the servants didn't even know what it was at first because it had turned into black ash. Strangely, even though it had been scorched to ash, it still perfectly retained its original shape.
Eventually, the butler recognized it and reminded her.
It appeared to be the protective talisman Guan Xuxu had left behind.
Because Guan Xuxu's amulets were folded in a very specific way, it wasn't hard to tell.
Mrs. Song later had Xiao Li'er's body checked and found that she had no signs of burns or scalds. Only the amulet, which should have been made of yellow paper, had turned to black ash.
Mrs. Song was a highly educated woman who believed in materialism; she had never believed in ghosts or gods and knew nothing about such matters.
However, Old Mrs. Song had recently taken up Taoism and knew a few things. She guessed that the yellow paper had turned to ash because it had blocked some malignant influence. But since Xiao Li'er remained unconscious, it meant the malignant influence was still there. Old Mrs. Song insisted they invite a Master.
It was only then that Mrs. Song thought of Guan Xuxu again. Worried that she would hold a grudge for being kicked out earlier that day and refuse to help, she had gone specifically to apologize.
For the sake of their daughter's safety, the Song couple no longer cared about their pride.
Guan Xuxu could see that the Song family's concern for Song Yuli was genuine, so she offered a rare word of comfort. "Rest assured. As I said, Miss Song has a destiny of long-lasting fortune. Even if she suffers some losses now, her life will be preserved."
While they spoke, the group had already reached a room on the second floor of the villa.
As the door opened, a sudden wave of fire rushed straight toward their faces.
The Song couple was startled. Song Yongming instinctively pulled his wife back, and Jiang Huai, walking behind, instinctively tried to pull Guan Xuxu behind him. However, before he could move, Guan Xuxu simply raised a hand and gave a casual wave.
The oncoming tongue of fire instantly vanished without a trace.
Before the Song couple could marvel at her actions, they caught sight of the scene inside the room.
In Song Yuli's bedroom, a ritual altar had been set up at some point. Standing directly in front of the altar was a middle-aged man wearing a yellow Taoist robe. He held a peach wood sword, chanting something as he swung the blade through the air.
The tongue of fire they had encountered upon entering was an effect of his ritual.
Even though he suspected his daughter had encountered something "unclean," seeing such a flagrantly superstitious scene made the veins at Song Yongming's temples throb.
He turned his gaze toward another elderly lady in the room and spoke with a touch of helplessness, "Mom, what is going on here?"
The woman in the room was the one said to be religious Old Mrs. Song. She was a somewhat plump lady of a wealthy household. Hearing her son's voice, she hurried forward to explain.
"Didn't you say Li'er ran into some dirty thing? I asked around and invited a Master I'm familiar with. Don't worry, the Master said it's nothing serious. Once he finishes the ritual, she'll wake up. He even said she might become a bit smarter."
Mrs. Song looked embarrassed. "Mom, didn't we say Yongming and I were going to invite a Master?"
It was a breach of etiquette to invite two separate practitioners for the same problem; even if Mrs. Song didn't understand the rules of the Xuanmen, she knew it was poor form to have two different parties show up at once.
Old Mrs. Song, however, looked indifferent. "What's wrong with having a few more look at her? I only bothered because I care about that precious girl of yours."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Guan Xuxu and Jiang Huai standing beside Mrs. Song, her eyes filled with suspicion.
She recognized Jiang Huai; he was the eldest grandson of the Jiang family. The so-called "Master" certainly wasn't him, so it had to be the young girl next to him.
She frowned slightly. "Is this the Master you found? Why is it just a slip of a girl?"
Her tone was thick with disdain for the girl's age.
Guan Xuxu raised an eyebrow slightly.
Did this profession also favor men over women nowadays?
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