Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

In the evening, Ren Cong reported the day's events to Ren Fengjue in detail.

When he talked about the four sets of winter clothes, his tone was quite indignant.

"This woman is truly impolite!"

"He accepted one hundred taels of silver without even a word of thanks, and then went on to ask for four sets of winter clothes!"

"The four sets of winter clothes from Jinxiu Clothing Store are enough to cover our household expenses for a whole year!"

"Regardless of whether her identity is true or false, in my opinion, she's clearly... treating you like a sucker!"

Ren Fengjue didn't care at all about the money he spent.

He lowered his eyes, watching the servant A Qiu bandage the wound on his shoulder, and asked, "You said she made last year's winter clothes? And you even asked the artist who kept the sample?"

Ren Cong nodded. "It's really strange. She just glanced at the drawing and immediately asked if the artist was dead..."

"Dead?"

Ren Fengjue frowned slightly.

Judging from Manager Liu's expression, it seems she really was right.

How could a woman from out of town who had just arrived in Beijing know these things?

Ren Cong glanced at the young marquis's expression. "Does the young master suspect something?"

Ren Fengjue shook his head, but smiled slightly and said, "No, I don't believe that she could have any connection with Jinxiu Clothing Store so soon after arriving in the capital."

-

How do I get to Jinxiu Clothing Store?

A sudden sound came from behind, startling Ah Chun so much that she almost dropped the plate she was holding.

"Miss Xia...?"

He turned around and patted his chest, still shaken: "How come... you walked without making a sound?"

Under the eaves, Xia Ximo was still dressed in coarse linen clothes, his figure almost blending into the night.

She then asked, "I want to go to Jinxiu Clothing Store, how do I get there?"

"Jinxiu Clothing Store?"

This puzzled Ah Chun. "At this hour, the clothing store should be closed long ago. What are you doing, young lady?"

On second thought, she remembered that during the day, Steward Ren Cong had just invited a tailor to make clothes for her.

Perhaps she's just eager for those new clothes?

He quickly explained, "The ones you selected during the day all need to be made on the spot by the embroiderers, which will take at least three to five days to complete."

"If you need any changes, just tell me, and I'll go there for you again tomorrow morning."

I thought my words would persuade the other party.

To everyone's surprise, Xia Ximo remained unfazed: "I'm going now. Just tell me how to get there."

There is no curfew in the capital, and quite a few people still go out at night.

But it's a bit too daring for a young woman to go out alone!

Ah Chun dared not say more, suppressing her urge to dissuade him, and pointed in the direction to the east.

"Turn left after exiting the alley, go straight to the main street, and then walk east to the end..."

"if--"

He wanted to elaborate, but the other person walked out of the courtyard without looking back.

"..."

Staring at that thin figure, Ah Chun stood there stunned for a long time before remembering something and hurriedly rushed towards Ren Fengjue's study.

-

After nightfall, the streets of the capital city present a completely different scene.

The lights were dazzling, and tourists thronged the area, making it even more prosperous and bustling than during the day.

Looking at the peaceful and prosperous country before him, Xia Ximo's mind was inexplicably filled with a completely opposite image.

The land was filled with cries of despair, and the people were living in misery.

In the dusty memories, that seems to be the norm.

The lotus lantern in his hand suddenly trembled.

A dark figure appeared gracefully and hovered beside her.

"The world has become like this."

The shadowy figure spoke, his tone tinged with a hint of wistfulness.

This is a formless guardian spirit, unlike ordinary ghosts. It is not afraid of yang energy, nor does it need to hide in dark corners.

You can freely enter and exit wherever the lamp is located.

The spirit of the lamp is named Worry-Free. Half an hour ago, it suddenly appeared in Xia Ximo's room.

In its words, when it encounters a wronged soul that the Soul-Crossing Lamp wants to convert, the lamp spirit will appear on its own initiative.

The deceased, nameless painter was one of the targets.

Perhaps because he hadn't been seen in public for a long time, Wuyou was filled with emotion. After introducing himself, he didn't mention the main business, but wished he could tell all the stories of his past.

Xia Ximo had no patience; she swept a cold glance at him and cut straight to the point.

"so?"

Wuyou coughed lightly before saying, "As you saw just now, this painter only has a wisp of his soul, which is sealed on the painting. Clearly, his three souls have been separated and his seven spirits have scattered. It is obviously the work of a sorcerer from the mortal realm!"

"She has been lingering here for too long, unable to enter the underworld; there must be a great injustice behind her suffering!"

"However, this scattered soul doesn't have much consciousness. We need to find the main soul to know the whole story."

It touched its empty nose, deliberately building suspense, and asked, "That wandering soul kept chanting a name, did you hear it clearly?"

Xia Ximo did not answer, picked up the lotus lantern beside him, and walked outside.

Wuyou could only sigh silently. As expected of the Nine Nether Souls Prisoner, who was famous throughout the underworld, he had such a strong personality!

At this moment, it sighed, but naturally received no response, so it yawned and quietly drifted into the crowd.

Xia Ximo coldly watched the ghost, seeing it sometimes perch on a person's back and sometimes rest on their shoulder.

Taking advantage of not being noticed, they acted recklessly like naughty children.

The noise only subsided after they had circled around the crowd and the noise had gradually died down.

As soon as I reached the end of the street, I saw the sign for Jinxiu Clothing Store.

A lantern hung in front of the door, but the door was tightly closed, and there was no one around; all was silent.

Xia Ximo stepped forward and knocked on the door without hesitation.

A short while later, a young servant came to open the door, and his attitude was fairly polite.

"Is there anything I can help you with, young lady?"

Xia Ximo stated bluntly: "Find someone named Ren Dongxing."

The servant's expression changed slightly. He looked her up and down carefully and said, "Our young master is not in the manor. Why don't you come again tomorrow, young lady?"

After he finished speaking, he was about to close the door when Xia Ximo stretched out a hand and blocked the door.

The servant looked up and saw a pair of deep, cold eyes staring at him, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression. This sent a chill down his spine, and his limbs froze, becoming unresponsive.

Until someone behind me asked, "Who's outside?"

The servant couldn't help but shudder, then came to his senses. Seeing that it was Manager Liu, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said truthfully, "Manager, someone is looking for the young master. It's a young lady."

Manager Liu frowned slightly, about to say something to send the person away, but then he caught a glimpse of the other person's face through the crack in the door and was immediately taken aback.

This…

This is the young lady from the young marquis's residence!

A smile spread across his face, and his attitude immediately became respectful as he hurriedly stepped forward.

"Young lady? Why have you come in person? Please come in!"

The servant knew that Manager Liu was someone of great importance when he saw how quickly the other party's attitude changed, but he was still very puzzled.

What exactly is the identity of this down-on-her-luck young woman?