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

Jinxiu Clothing Store is a long-established brand in the capital. In addition to having a clothing shop in the best location in the city, the owner also bought a house for the embroiderers to rush to finish their work and to entertain some distinguished guests.

Out of respect for Ren Fengjue, Manager Liu dared not be negligent in the slightest. He led Xia Ximo through corridors and courtyards to an elegantly decorated flower hall, where he respectfully served her hot tea and snacks.

Shopkeeper Liu had no idea what the other party's true intentions were, but he vaguely felt that it was related to those winter clothes. So he took the initiative to say, "The clothes that you chose during the day have already been arranged to be made by the embroiderers. They will be delivered to you in three days at most."

Seeing that the other party did not respond, he continued politely, "If there is anything you need, just let me know. There's no need to come all this way in person."

Xia Ximo didn't beat around the bush and simply said, "I'm here to find a man named Ren Dongxing."

Seeing that the other party remained unmoved, Manager Liu was already annoyed, but he didn't show it on his face. He asked again, "Is the young lady looking for our young master?"

"That's really unfortunate. He didn't go to the manor today, and as for where he went, it's not appropriate for a servant to inquire."

"What brings you here, young lady?"

At this point, Manager Liu couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Although Ren Dongxing was the young master of the clothing store, he only held the title and never paid any attention to the affairs of the store.

The number of distinguished guests coming and going every day is so large that the managers take turns entertaining them, but I have never seen anyone specifically ask for the young master's name.

On second thought, however, this woman's identity was special, and her relationship with Young Master Ren was extraordinary. Upon closer examination, the reasons behind this made one somewhat uneasy.

The young master has always been fond of womanizing and has a habit of being a womanizer. Could it be that he accidentally offended the person in front of him?

Otherwise, why would a young woman suddenly come to my door at night?

Xia Ximo didn't reply for a long time, which made Manager Liu even more uneasy, so he simply put on a smile again.

"Well then, if the young lady really has something urgent, I'll send someone to your residence to inquire right away."

As he spoke, he called in a waiter to serve him, while he prepared a carriage and immediately left the clothing store.

-

Inside the Musi Tower in the west of the city, Ren Dongxing, drunk and flushed, was flirting with two courtesans.

Suddenly, I looked up and saw Manager Liu walking around from behind a screen.

He initially thought it was his elderly father causing trouble again, which was quite disappointing, but upon closer listening, he was taken aback.

"You said a girl came to my clothing store looking for me?"

Unable to hide the curiosity in his eyes, Ren Dongxing asked again, "How is she? Is she pretty?"

Manager Liu was terrified, gritting his teeth as he said, "My young master, what time is it? We absolutely cannot afford to offend the young marquis."

Upon hearing this, Ren Dongxing grunted, picked up the wine glass on the table, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

In his view, Ren Fengjue was just lucky to be born into the right family. They were all relatives, so how come his father became a founding marquis?

His own branch of the family were just ordinary merchants, powerless and corrupt, and had to rely on Lord Ren's whims.

However, although he thought this way, he dared not disobey in any way.

In less than half an incense stick's time, Ren Dongxing returned to Jinxiu Clothing Manor.

It was nearly midnight, and the night was deep.

Guided by Manager Liu, Ren Dongxing went straight into the flower hall, but once inside, he found it empty.

The tea on the table had gone cold.

This left Ren Dongxing completely bewildered, but the waiter pointed to the side gate and said, "The girl went into the garden without saying a word."

In an attempt to cultivate an air of refinement, a garden in the style of Jiangnan was specially built within the estate, filled with flowers and trees, a lotus pond, and artificial hills and pavilions.

Unfortunately, the north is bitterly cold, and after several snowstorms, the garden has long been barren and devoid of any life.

Ren Dong walked to the corridor and looked around. Sure enough, he saw a thin figure standing in the garden. However, under the soft moonlight, he looked somewhat eerie.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he slowly approached along the cobblestone path, and the figure gradually became clear in the moonlight and snow.

Finally, he saw a deathly pale face.

"what!"

With a scream shattering the silence, Ren Dongxing practically tumbled and crawled all the way back to the flower hall.

Manager Liu came running at the sound, and was quite surprised to see his young master looking at him. "Young master, what's wrong?"

Ren Dongxing, however, seemed dazed. He slumped into a chair, his lips trembling, before slowly saying, "I just... felt like I saw a ghost."

"..."

Manager Liu was speechless and could only instruct the waiter beside him, "Go to the kitchen and get a bowl of hangover soup."

"I'm not drunk!"

Ren Dongxing grabbed his sleeve, his voice trembling, "It's—the deceased Zhu Yan!"

"So her name is Zhu Yan."

Manager Liu did not answer; instead, he was met with another woman's voice, clear and cold.

A thin figure stood by the side door, his face obscured in the dim light, yet enough to terrify Ren Dongxing.

"It's her! She's here again!"

Ren Dongxing simply pulled Manager Liu to stand in front of him.

Manager Liu's face flushed red and then turned pale. Suppressing his urge to curse, he said, "Young Master, please look carefully. This is not Zhu Yan, but a distinguished guest from the young Marquis Ren's residence."

He then explained to Xia Ximo outside the door, "Our young master just had a couple more cups of wine at the banquet, please forgive him, young lady."

Xia Ximo sneered and slowly walked in from outside the door. Her steps were light and slow, and her soft heels landed silently.

Only after seeing the woman's reflection on the ground did Ren Dongxing gradually calm down.

The master once said that ghosts have no shadows.

Moreover, Zhu Yan's soul had long been sealed away, making it impossible for her to find him again.

Thinking of this, Ren Dongxing dared to peek half his face out from behind Manager Liu.

In the candlelight, a woman dressed in coarse linen stood in the hall. At first glance, she appeared destitute, yet her innate beauty was undeniable.

As the saying goes, "Like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without artifice," this kind of temperament is incomparable to the vulgar beauties in brothels and theaters.

In an instant, Ren Dongxing's eyes lit up, his fear vanished, and he even began to have some wild thoughts.

He casually straightened his clothes, slowly stood up, and resumed his usual dashing demeanor, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Just now, Manager Liu told me that the young lady was looking for me. May I ask what brings her here?"

Xia Ximo stared at him coldly with eyes as deep as a still pool, but after a moment, she lowered her head and stroked the black lotus lantern in her hand.

"There's a wrongful conviction I want to address in person so I can get to the bottom of this."

Upon hearing this, Ren Dongxing's heart skipped a beat, and the smile that had just appeared on his lips instantly froze.