The members of the Song Family were rarely treated to such a solemn expression from Jiang Xuxu. Their hearts skipped a beat, worrying that there were unforeseen risks involved in the matter.
Instead, they heard Jiang Xuxu speak.
"The person who switched away Xiao Li'er's 'one wit' all those years ago was a maid who worked for the Jiang Family for many years. Back then, she happened to help an evil cultivator. In return, the evil cultivator offered to switch the wit of her foolish son. She set her sights on Xiao Li'er, who happened to be a guest at the Jiang Family home at the time."
Naturally, these details were later confessed by Madam Wu. Jiang Xuxu had no intention of hiding the truth from the Song Family.
Upon hearing the reality of the situation, the expressions on the Song Family members' faces became complicated. It would be a lie to say they held no grudge against the Jiang Family. After all, the perpetrator was a worker they had hired; who could have imagined a maid would harbor such a venomous scheme?
Their Xiao Li'er had merely gone over as a guest, only to be targeted and forced to live the past eight years as a toddler. All this time, they had remained completely oblivious, assuming Xiao Li'er had simply suffered brain damage from falling off a horse...
In their hearts, they blamed the Jiang Family for their poor judgment of character. Yet, ironically, it was Jiang Xuxu, a member of that same Jiang Family, who had discovered the problem and proactively offered to help them.
Song Yongming took a long, deep breath, finally letting out a heavy sigh after a long silence. "As long as Xiao Li'er can return to normal... let it be."
The two families shared a long-standing relationship. If they truly became enemies over this, it would only make things difficult for Master Jiang, who was caught in the middle. Right now, they only wanted Xiao Li'er to get better.
The Song Family's open-mindedness earned them a rare spark of approval from Jiang Xuxu. She offered a slight smile and said, "Rest assured, she will recover."
With that, Jiang Xuxu headed upstairs. She took a lock of Xiao Li'er's hair on the spot and, using the midday sun as a guide, arranged a small Samsara Array.
Compared to her last feat of shocking everyone with flying talismans, the array she set up this time appeared remarkably simple and unadorned. The onlookers only saw her whisper a few Taoist incantations before burning the hair wrapped inside a yellow talisman. Then, she stood up and turned to them. "It is done."
The Song Family didn't know how to react. Song Yuli, in particular, had heard his mother's vivid description of Master Jiang's spellcasting and had expected to witness a grand spectacle today.
The result was... just this?
He had no way of knowing that the previous display was entirely for the sake of convincing the Song Family especially Old Madam Song. Jiang Xuxu had put on a bit of a performance back then. Now that the Song Family fully believed in her capabilities, she was too lazy to continue the show.
The most sophisticated techniques often required the simplest methods.
Fortunately, the Song Family was more concerned with Xiao Li'er's condition than the process. They instinctively turned toward the girl, their expressions tense.
They noticed that Xiao Li'er's gaze seemed slightly clearer than before. Her beautiful large eyes swept over them before landing on Jiang Xuxu. After a moment, she spoke curiously.
"Doggy Big Sister, aren't we playing the treasure hunt game today?"
The Song Family's hearts sank almost instantly. Why... why was she still exactly the same as before?
Mrs. Song turned to Jiang Xuxu in a panic. "Master Jiang... did the ritual fail? Why does Xiao Li'er look like she hasn't recovered?"
Facing the Song Family's doubts, Jiang Xuxu remained perfectly composed.
"She is already healed."
Song Yongming frowned as he looked at his youngest daughter, whose eyes were still full of innocent naivety. He couldn't see how she was "healed" at all.
Sensing the family's confusion, Jiang Xuxu explained:
"She was eight years old when her 'one wit' was switched away, so mentally, she is still eight years old now. Restoring that missing intellect won't give her the mental capacity of a sixteen-year-old overnight. However, from this day forward, she will grow up slowly just like a normal child."
The only difference was that she would be mentally trailing her peers by eight years. While the gap might seem jarring now, as time passed, it would gradually shrink until she finally matured into an adult.
Hearing this, the Song Family finally reached a realization. It made sense. Xiao Li'er had been in a childlike state for eight years; it was impossible for her to suddenly become a sixteen-year-old girl just because her soul was restored. If she had grown up in a single night, they would have had to wonder if someone else had replaced her soul.
Once she understood this point, Mrs. Song felt an immediate sense of relief. Looking at Xiao Li'er's still-pure features, her eyes glistened with tears.
"This is good. Her childhood is simply a bit longer than everyone else's. Our Song Family princess doesn't need to be in a hurry to grow up."
Seeing that the Song Family had accepted the outcome, Jiang Xuxu pulled a jade plaque from her backpack and personally hung it around Xiao Li'er's neck.
"This is a protective jade amulet I made myself. It can ward off all forms of evil schemes and protect her well-being from now on."
Ultimately, the reason Song Yuli had been targeted repeatedly was due to her exceptional fate.
Song Yongming saw that the quality of the jade plaque was top-tier, significantly better than the one that had shattered previously. He immediately transferred five million to Jiang Xuxu as payment for this service.
To his surprise, Jiang Xuxu returned the money directly.
"This time, someone has already paid the fee."
Song Yongming was stunned. Jiang Xuxu showed him a payment notification on her phone for the amount of ten million. He was just about to wonder who would be so generous when he saw the sender's note: Jiang Yucheng.
Song Yongming: "..."
"The Jiang Family bears some responsibility for the stolen wit. Consider today's visit my way of representing the Jiang Family to make amends for that mistake." Today, Jiang Xuxu wasn't just acting as Master Jiang; she was also representing her family.
Hearing this, the last bit of resentment Song Yongming held toward the Jiang Family vanished completely.
After leaving the Song residence, Jiang Xuxu was about to get into her car when a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind her.
"Xuxu?"
Jiang Xuxu turned her head and saw Pei Yuancheng standing not far away. He was looking at her with a look of restrained surprise and an affectation of deep affection.
"I came to visit my second uncle. I didn't expect to run into you here. What a coincidence."
Pei Yuancheng explained in a gentle tone. Seeing that she didn't respond, he continued, "I saw you at the banquet the other night. I wanted to come over and say hello, but I was worried you'd be unhappy to see me... After all, there might be a misunderstanding between us."
Jiang Xuxu raised an eyebrow. "Misunderstanding?"
Seeing that she had finally engaged with him, Pei Yuancheng immediately said:
"Right. Ruirui must have told you that we're dating now, hasn't she? But that's not the truth. After you found your real family following that car accident, Ruirui lied to me, saying your relatives were just destitute paupers from the deep mountains.
I was worried your future would be ruined if you were sent away, so I begged her to convince Uncle Guan to let you stay with them. As a condition, I agreed to be her boyfriend..."
Jiang Xuxu's eyebrows climbed even higher.
"So you're saying, you did it for me?"
Pei Yuancheng looked at her bitterly. "I suppose this is just fate playing tricks on us. Xuxu, do you know? The person I've always liked is you. I know you've always liked me too..."
Jiang Xuxu had originally intended to see what kind of elaborate lie this man had been waiting here to spin. Hearing this, she finally couldn't help but cut him off.
"Pei Yuancheng, who told you that I liked you?"
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