The man once hailed as the Nie Family's exemplary son-in-law, Bai Xiao, not only killed his wife and child with his own hands, but also brought another woman's son and passed him off as the Nie Family's legitimate heir!
Not long after Bai Xiao turned himself in at the county yamen, this bombshell news exploded in Kaihe County.
Some sighed, some found it hard to believe.
But most were scolding and cursing.
The magistrate of Ning County held an emergency court session.
It was already late, but the yamen was still packed with onlookers.
Even at the Nie Residence, the maidservants were huddled in small groups whispering about it.
Jiang Xiaoxiao had just seen Nie SangSang off to be reincarnated and was struggling to keep her eyes open.
Old Master Nie had arranged guest rooms for them.
Chen Sixi, who had already fainted from fright, was carried into a guest room by servants.
After a hot bath assisted by the Nie Family's maids, Jiang Xiaoxiao fell straight into bed as soon as she returned to her room.
When she woke up, the outside world had changed.
Bai Xiao confessed to all his crimes.
Originally, such heinous crimes would merit the death penalty.
But last night, somehow someone sneaked into the prison, not only cutting off Bai Xiao's tongue and manhood, but also severing the tendons in his hands and feet.
Overnight, the once high and mighty son-in-law of the Nie Family had become a limbless, tongue-less murderer whom everyone spat on.
Only Old Master Nie could have done such silent and thorough work.
Everyone knew it in their hearts, but no one spoke of it.
As Nie SangSang's father, if he remained unmoved even after his daughter's tragic death, he would truly have failed as a parent.
Those who had previously supported the Nie son-in-law now loathed Bai Xiao so much they wanted to spit in his face.
Even Mr. Guo at the Baihe Teahouse was rewriting his story book to retell Bai Xiao's tale.
Jiang Xiaoxiao had no interest in any of this - she was just incredibly hungry.
Her hunger always intensified after using her spiritual powers.
Fortunately, after washing up, a Nie Family maid soon brought her breakfast.
There was bird's nest soup, milk, as well as unnameable dishes and snacks.
Now the entire residence knew this young lady was a deeply hidden master, so the maid addressed her reverently, "Great Master, breakfast is served. Please take your time."
Jiang Xiaoxiao sat down and picked up her spoon.
The bird's nest soup was sweet, the milk fragrant.
But her mind still wandered to the lean pork and veggie congee that Xie Xun used to cook.
When Xie Xun came in, he saw Jiang Xiaoxiao sitting at the table, spoon in hand, staring vacantly.
"Why aren't you eating?" Xie Xun asked.
"It's not delicious," Jiang Xiaoxiao tossed the spoon back into the bowl and looked up at Xie Xun. "I want to eat lean pork and veggie congee."
Xie Xun glanced at the table.
As the wealthiest family in Kaihe County, the Nie Family naturally used the freshest and finest ingredients.
This breakfast table offered an abundance of colorful, fragrant, and delicious foods.
"Not delicious?" Xie Xun noticed she hadn't touched the bird's nest soup or milk.
"It's just not delicious!" Jiang Xiaoxiao puffed out her cheeks stubbornly, clearly refusing to eat any of it.
Xie Xun seemed to understand something. "Shall we go home then?"
"Okay."
As the two headed out to bid Old Master Nie farewell, they saw Chen Sixi running towards them from the corridor, wailing.
"Xie Xun, Xie Xun! I had a nightmare last night, about ghosts. It was freaking terrifying!"
Even now, Chen Sixi still felt that the scene before he passed out last night must have been a dream.
It had to be a dream, otherwise how could he have heard a ghost's voice? Hehehe...
That's right, it was just a dream!
"But, can someone tell me what's going on with the Nie son-in-law?" He looked bewildered. "Did the world change while I was asleep?"
Xie Xun glanced at him. "If you don't go home now, your family's world will really change."
Chen Sixi suddenly remembered he hadn't been home since last night.
His father must be going crazy with worry.
"Oh no no no, I gotta go, buddy! Xie Xun, next time there's fun stuff happening, don't forget to call me!"
Chen Sixi turned and dashed towards the main gate.
Xie Xun took Jiang Xiaoxiao to the main courtyard to see Old Master Nie.
Although Old Master Nie had vented his anger over his deceased daughter, this incident had taken a toll on him as well.
Overnight he had aged significantly.
His health was already poor, and now there were streaks of white in his sideburns.
Lady Nie was out making Buddhist offerings and wasn't home these past few days, so a maid was attending to Old Master Nie.
Upon entering, Xie Xun briefly paid his respects to Old Master Nie.
Old Master Nie was lying on a small couch and struggled to sit up when he saw the two of them.
"Thank you both for last night."
Old Master Nie looked grateful.
He never expected to see his daughter one last time in his lifetime.
With that final meeting, he could die without regrets.
After he finished speaking, he gave a meaningful look to the maid.
The maid left and soon returned with a tray.
On the tray were stacks of silver ingots.
"This is just a small token of my gratitude. I hope you won't refuse to accept it."
"You misunderstand, Old Master," said Xie Xun. "Although we didn't come to help for free, what we want is more valuable than silver."
"Oh?" Old Master Nie narrowed his eyes. "I can't imagine what our family has that's worth more than silver."
Xie Xun smiled faintly. "Information."
"Information?" Old Master Nie was stunned for a moment.
"The Nie Family has already opened a branch of its cloth business in the capital Yanjing City. Obtaining information from there shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
Xie Xun didn't beat around the bush. "If Old Master Nie insists on showing gratitude, I hope you can leverage your connections to help me gather some information about Yanjing City, especially about the imperial family."
Old Master Nie grew increasingly curious. "Young man, you're interested in Yanjing City?"
Xie Xun smiled calmly. "Just some personal matters."
Old Master Nie understood instantly. "Ah yes, who doesn't have a few secrets? Since you refuse the silver, I won't pry into your private affairs."
"Our family branch managers submit their accounts at the end of every month, including the Yanjing City branch."
"Here's what we'll do - come by my residence at the end of each month, and I'll give you a report."
With his objective achieved, Xie Xun left the Nie Residence with Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Old Master Nie arranged for a carriage to take them back.
Jiang Xiaoxiao hadn't eaten breakfast earlier and was still hungry, which always made her drowsy.
She leaned against the carriage wall and quickly fell asleep.
Before she knew it, her head lolled onto Xie Xun's shoulder.
Xie Xun had been about to straighten her up, but catching sight of her serene sleeping face made his heart settle.
He withdrew his hand, slightly adjusting his posture, then sat properly without moving again.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of Shi Mo Village, and Jiang Xiaoxiao woke up right on time.
Realizing she had been leaning on Xie Xun's shoulder, she rubbed her eyes but showed no sign of embarrassment.
If it had been another young lady, Xie Xun might have thought she was shameless.
But with Jiang Xiaoxiao, he understood her nature.
She wasn't shameless - she simply didn't comprehend the complexities of human emotions. In her world, all that existed was eating and sleeping.
Perhaps it was precisely because she lacked the ordinary human experiences of joy, anger, sorrow and desire that she had achieved such astounding cultivation at her young age.
Xie Xun pulled his wandering thoughts back.
When they arrived home, they unexpectedly saw someone standing outside the small courtyard.
Xie Xun recalled Jiang Xiaoxiao mentioning she would have a visitor these past couple of days, but never imagined it would be him!
