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

Inside the Soul-Crossing Lamp, Wuyou began to wail like a ghost again.

"Waaah, everyone uses 'blood is thicker than water' to describe family ties, but I think some blood ties are not as strong as this."

"On the contrary, there are so many people in the world who turn against each other, even kill one another, for the sake of profit..."

"Fate is so cruel... Waaaaah!"

Despite the buzzing sound in his ears, Xia Ximo surprisingly didn't find it annoying.

Huang Yuqiong did not become an evil spirit.

That soul-ferrying lamp can guide her to the underworld.

So, without the people around her noticing, she slowly walked out of the shop.

Yan Zhengchu was about to stop her, but Ren Fengjue stopped him first; "No need to pay attention, Miss Xia has her own things to do."

Hearing this piqued Master Yan's interest: "What does Miss Xia want to do?"

Ren Fengjue glanced at him, but replied, "No need to know."

"..."

In some ways, aren't these two becoming more and more alike?

Yan Zhengchu swallowed the words that were about to come out, and could only cross his arms and watch Xia Ximo walk out of the corridor.

Outside, the rain that had fallen for almost a whole night was finally starting to stop.

When Thirteen and Huang Yuqiong saw Xia Ximo come out, they both looked over.

The latter looked at them coldly and said, "Once the affairs of this world are settled, I can send you to the underworld."

Upon hearing this, Huang Yuqiong gave her another deep look and asked, "Are you... a messenger from the underworld?"

"No," Xia Ximo said, "the underworld officials can't save you."

Huang Yuqiong smiled and said, "No wonder I felt a little scared when I first saw you. So that's why..."

Xia Ximo asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Huang Yuqiong looked at Thirteen, then leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words to him.

Thirteen's expression was complicated after hearing this.

Huang Yuqiong walked up to Xia Ximo and said, "The only thing I can't let go of right now is Thirteen."

"I know he's done a lot of foolish things in the past six months..."

"But everything he did was for me..."

Xia Ximo, of course, understood that she wanted to plead for mercy, and immediately interrupted her: "You don't need to tell me that. The underworld has its own rules, and the human world has its own laws."

"He will be punished for what he has done."

"And you, too, cannot interfere with any of this."

Huang Yuqiong seemed to want to say something more.

Thirteen, standing to the side, said, "Sister, you don't need to worry about me. As long as you can be reincarnated, I think we will have a chance to meet again in the human world."

"Thirteen has grown up. Just like my older sister said, he can now stand on his own."

Hearing what Thirteen said, Huang Yuqiong seemed extremely gratified. Her eyes were filled with tears, but her face was radiant with a gentle smile. Finally, she nodded.

"I believe in you, sister."

Xia Ximo held the Soul-Crossing Lamp in his palm. "Come in."

Huang Yuqiong then transformed into a shadow and flew into the lamp.

After seeing Huang Yuqiong disappear, Thirteen couldn't help but glance at the lamp in Xia Ximo's hand, "Sister, she..."

"She will go where she is meant to go."

Xia Ximo put away the lamp, said nothing more, and walked directly towards the dry well in the rain.

Upon seeing this, Thirteen immediately followed closely behind.

After exchanging glances, the people in the shop nodded and followed after Ren Fengjue.

Xia Ximo found Huang Yuqiong's body inside the cave.

At this moment, the corpse, no longer affected by the Soul-Nourishing Pearl, had begun to decompose rapidly.

The spirit of the lamp, Wuyou, said to Huang Yuqiong's ghost, "Now the soul ferryman will convert your remains. In a moment, the soul lamp will guide you on the path to the underworld."

Huang Yuqiong responded softly from inside the lamp.

Just then, she heard Thirteen calling "Sister" from afar. Suppressing her reluctance, she slowly closed her eyes.

Xia Ximo heard footsteps coming from the passageway and vaguely sensed the emotions of the soul in the lamp. He immediately reached out and touched the space between the eyebrows of the corpse.

"Let's get going."

When Thirteen stumbled and ran over, he saw that the corpse had turned into dust in an instant, and was scattered by the wind in the cave.

A tiny glimmer of light vanished at the wick.

Xia Ximo put away the lamp and turned around, only to see Ren Fengjue and the others also entering the cave.

Yan Zhengchu looked around, but Huang Yuqiong's remains and soul were nowhere to be seen. He scratched his head and asked her, "Where is Huang Yuqiong?"

"I'm gone."

Leaving only two words is indeed typical of her style.

Thirteen knelt on the ground, trying to hold the last bit of powder in his palm.

However, when he opened his palm again, there was nothing left.

Seeing that Fourteenth Prince was still lying on the ground unable to move, Yu Lang asked Ren Fengjue, "My lord, what should we do with this giant?"

Ren Fengjue looked up and glanced around the cave.

It's clear that although the cave appears to be naturally formed, the passage leading to the "Qiongying Inn" is by no means a coincidence.

Although the origins of the giants are unknown, if they are truly the "Dinus" from the North, how did they end up here?

He said, "Wait until dawn, then have the Yan County government come and handle it."

Yu Lang felt this wasn't like Lord Ren's style and couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't Your Excellency intend to intervene?"

Ren Fengjue simply smiled.

"If I remember correctly, the old magistrate has only two days left before he retires and returns to his hometown."

"He has spent half his life in officialdom, serving the court. At the last moment, he should do one great thing so that he can 'retire after achieving his goals'."

-

At the crack of dawn, the entire Yan County government was mobilized.

The person leading the group was none other than Huo An, the old county magistrate who was about to retire and return to his hometown.

He rushed from Yan County to Ge Town without stopping for a moment.

Some of the yamen runners, unaware of the situation, whispered among themselves, "Has some important person arrived? Or is this the first time we've seen our magistrate so nervous..."

"I don't know, it's really strange..."

"Was there another murder in Gezhen last night?"

"That 'Deadly Inn,' how many people have died there in the last six months? It's really eerie!"

Suddenly, the county constable who was traveling with them coughed twice, and they awkwardly shut their mouths.

After entering Ge Town, the group indeed headed straight for the "Qiongying Inn".

Huo Ancheng got off the carriage with trepidation, straightened his clothes, and then led the county magistrate and county constable into the inn.

Inside the shop, there were quite a few people sitting.

Huo An glanced around and his heart sank when he saw Ren Fengjue, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Yu Lang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who were leading the group.

"Lord Ren! Minister Yu!"

He stepped forward and bowed respectfully, but before he could speak, he heard a voice from above: "Magistrate Huo, there's no need for such formalities."

"Last night, while I was passing through this area, I came across a murder case. The deceased was a merchant traveling between the Northwest and the Southwest."

"According to the shop assistant Thirteen, more than one such case has occurred in the inn in the past six months."

"Since Ge Town is under the jurisdiction of Yan County, then this matter will be handed over to Magistrate Huo."

From the moment he stepped through the door, Huo An knew he couldn't escape this time, so how could he dare to refuse?

"Leave this matter to me, and I will certainly give Lord Ren a satisfactory explanation."