The more Old Madam Song looked at Guan Xuxu, the more suspicious she became.
"She's so young, what could she possibly handle? Yuehua, were you scammed again?"
She looked at Mrs. Song, her eyes filled with doubt.
Mrs. Song's expression soured. "Mom! Though Master Jiang is young, she has real ability. Don't say such things."
She didn't want to offend her guest.
Old Madam Song curled her lip, refusing to believe such a young girl could possess any true skill. At most, she likely relied on a silver tongue to swindle people.
What did it matter if her daughter-in-law, Yuehua, was highly educated? When it came to judging people, she was still inferior to the matriarch. Fortunately, she had arranged for another master to come earlier. If they had relied on this little girl, they would have been far too late.
In the end, this family still had to rely on her.
The old woman wanted to take the girl down a notch, so she turned to Guan Xuxu. "You say you have real ability, then you'll have to show us something."
It didn't have to be much at the very least, she should be able to perform a sword dance like a true master, right?
"Mom!" Mrs. Song was truly beginning to get angry, fearing the old woman's attitude would offend Guan Xuxu. She turned to Guan Xuxu and said hurriedly, "Master Jiang, I am terribly sorry. Please don't take it to heart."
Guan Xuxu didn't mind. She gave Mrs. Song a small nod and walked straight past the old woman and the master who was currently performing a ritual, heading toward the bed.
From the moment she entered the room, she could see Song Yuli lying there. Despite the chaotic atmosphere in the room, the girl showed no sign of waking.
The master had been watching the newcomers out of the corner of his eye since they entered. However, since he was in the middle of "performing a ritual," he couldn't simply stop. He maintained an air of being undisturbed by the outside world as he continued his motions.
It wasn't until he saw Guan Xuxu approach the bedside that he let out a sharp shout.
"Do not approach! You will interrupt my spell!"
Guan Xuxu cast a sideways glance at him, then looked away. She took Song Yuli's hand and examined her fingers closely.
Seeing that Guan Xuxu completely ignored his warning, the master's face flushed with rage. He abruptly stopped his ritual and turned to Old Madam Song.
"Old Madam Song! What is the meaning of this? Did I not say that no one was to be allowed to disturb me while I am working?"
Old Madam Song also looked displeased. She quickly addressed him, "Master Lu, I am deeply sorry. I will have them leave immediately."
She turned to glare at Guan Xuxu, but just as she was about to order her out, Guan Xuxu released Song Yuli's hand. She turned to look at Master Lu, her clear eyes devoid of any emotion as she asked, "Master Lu, since you've set up an altar for this ritual, surely you have determined exactly what is wrong with Miss Song?"
Seeing her ask for his guidance, Master Lu merely snorted. "Miss Song was targeted by a little ghost. I was in the middle of exorcising it for her, but because you refused to listen and interrupted my spell, that ghost took advantage of the chaos to escape!"
The implication was clear: the ritual had failed and the girl wouldn't wake up, all because of Guan Xuxu. It had nothing to do with him.
Guan Xuxu let out a light laugh. She looked at Master Lu as if he were a common swindler.
"If you possessed even the slightest bit of spiritual perception, you would know there isn't a single trace of evil energy in this room. The reason Miss Song is in a coma isn't because she's being haunted by a ghost. It's because someone used an evil technique to try and steal her destiny."
Hearing this, Song Yongming and Mrs. Song's expressions changed instantly. they rushed forward.
"Master Jiang, what evil technique? Is someone trying to take my little Li'er's life?"
Guan Xuxu looked at them and replied, "They aren't after her life. In the world of Xuanmen, it is called Life-borrowing. As I said before, Miss Song has a destiny of great fortune. Her fate was meant to be free of disaster and hardship, a life of smooth sailing. Because of this, someone took an interest in her destiny and wants to 'borrow' her lifespan to extend their own."
As she spoke, she pulled Song Yuli's hand over and pointed to a faint red mark on the pad of her thumb.
"This Cinnabar Mark on her finger is proof. Someone tricked her into giving a thumbprint, which served as her tacit consent for the Life-borrowing."
As for when the mark was made, it was likely during the ten minutes Mrs. Song mentioned she had gone missing.
Song Yongming and his wife leaned in to look. Sure enough, there was a faint red print on Song Yuli's thumb. It had clearly been wiped, and if one didn't look closely, it was almost impossible to find. After their daughter fell ill, the couple had been too anxious to notice such a small detail.
Old Madam Song didn't believe it either and leaned in to see for herself.
Song Yongming was now past the point of caring about his mother or the other practitioner. With a grim expression, he looked at Guan Xuxu. "Master, has my daughter's life already been borrowed? Can it be taken back?"
Guan Xuxu looked at him and gave a simple nod. "It can."
Seeing that she had stolen his employer's trust with just a few words, Master Lu felt a wave of resentment. He opened his mouth to belittle her further, but before he could speak, a figure approached him. It was the handsome young man who had entered with the Song couple.
He had moved next to Master Lu without anyone noticing. He spoke in a cold, detached voice.
"Shut your mouth. If you say one more word to my sister, I'll make sure you leave the Song residence on a stretcher."
His voice wasn't loud in fact, it was quite pleasant and gentle but the words sent a chill down Master Lu's spine. Master Lu's heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, he forgot how to speak.
In that moment, Guan Xuxu reached into her backpack and pulled out a thumb-sized brush dipped in cinnabar and a Jade Tablet.
She made a stroke with the red brush on the Jade Tablet and then gently placed the tablet against Song Yuli's forehead.
Song Yongming and his wife were standing right by the bed. They weren't sure if it was their imagination, but the moment the Jade Tablet touched Song Yuli's forehead, they seemed to see a wisp of black qi flicker across the tablet before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Guan Xuxu then pulled several Yellow Talismans from her bag. Sensing Jiang Huai's movements, she shifted her gaze slightly and noticed the frustration and resentment on Master Lu's face.
Recalling his theatrical flailing earlier, Guan Xuxu didn't think such movements were particularly attractive, but it seemed people found a bit of a "show" more convincing. Old Madam Song had also asked her to show some "real ability."
Guan Xuxu thought for a moment. While she couldn't dance, she certainly knew how to put on a convincing display.
With that thought, she took a step back. All emotion vanished from her exquisite, bright face. Her entire aura shifted, becoming sharp and focused.
She raised her hands, palms facing each other. As she pulled her hands apart, the five Yellow Talismans that had been between her palms seemed to be drawn by an invisible force. They stood straight up in the air between her palms, perfectly aligned.
This single move caused the eyes of everyone in the room, including Master Lu, to widen in shock.
Her lips parted slightly as her voice rang out, clear as spring water yet carrying a sharp authority.
"The Heavenly Way is clear, the Earthly Way is peaceful. Chaos and Order blend, a hundred gods return to their mandate. By the Edict I have received Break!"
As the final word left her lips, she pushed her palms outward. The Yellow Talismans that had been hovering in the air shot forward, flying straight toward Song Yuli on the bed.
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