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

As the officials from Kaiming County arrived, the guards and servants of Yuelai Villa quietly retreated another ten feet away.

Shen Li knelt alone in the courtyard, isolated and helpless.

Ge Chuan and the others were invited by A Xia from the yamen using Ren Fengjue's personal jade token.

They were ordered to wait outside the door for instructions, and they remained anxious throughout.

As for what exactly happened inside Yuelai Villa, no one knows.

However, everyone has witnessed Shen Li's kidnapping of Ren Fengjue, and it is a foregone conclusion.

Now, even if he had a hundred mouths, he could no longer exonerate himself.

Ge Chuan carefully looked Ren Fengjue up and down, and only when he saw that Ren Fengjue was unharmed did he feel a little relieved.

Just as he was considering how to begin his questioning, Ling Yue suddenly rushed over, knelt on the ground, and cried out, "I beg you, Magistrate, to uphold justice for my Ling family!"

Although Ge Chuan had never met her, he could guess her identity with just a little thought.

"You are... Miss Shen?"

Ling Yue's face was firm: "Sir, I have taken my mother's surname. My name is Ling Yue."

"oh…"

Ge Chuan, unaware of the whole story, looked quite puzzled: "But I remember, your mother... didn't she pass away more than ten years ago? Why is it only now..."

"Because only today do I have the opportunity to publicly expose the evil deeds my biological father, Shen Li, has sown over the years."

As Ling Yue spoke, she recounted all the evil deeds that Shen Li had committed since becoming the son-in-law of the Ling family.

Her speech was clear and even more logical, and she showed no sign of panic or timidity, as if she had suddenly gained enlightenment and been reborn.

The ghostly spirit, hidden in the shadows and not daring to approach, listened silently to her daughter's voice, sighing deeply.

County Magistrate Ge Chuan frowned deeply as he listened.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly virtuous and respected Mr. Shen, who loved his wife and daughters dearly, turned out to be such a treacherous and unscrupulous person.

He felt a chill run down his spine. After considering his words carefully, he said to Ling Ling, "I am aware of everything you have said."

"However, the marriage between Shen Li and Ling Ling was real back then, and there is a marriage certificate to prove it. Moreover, the Ling family's property was personally handed over to Shen Li by the former head of the family. Therefore, it does not constitute the crime of embezzlement."

"As for the charge of 'murdering his wife and daughter,' the letters provided by Qin Shu alone are insufficient evidence. They only prove that Shen Li had the intention to harm her, but there is no concrete proof. Moreover, the midwife from that time is no longer alive, so this case may be difficult to pursue."

As Ge Chuan spoke with a forced smile, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for fear of making a mistake.

Then, he glanced at Ren Fengjue again, quickly changed his tone, and said, "But he dared to harm an official of the imperial court, and that alone is enough to convict him."

"If he becomes a prisoner, whether his property will be confiscated or returned to its rightful owner will be determined by this official upon returning to the yamen."

Hearing this, Ling Yue finally smiled.

Yu Lang and Yan Zhengchu, who were standing to the side, also realized what was happening.

It turns out that what Lord Ren just did was "deliberate".

The aim was to lure Shen Li into a trap and then pin a sure-fire charge on him.

At this moment, Shen Li realized he had been tricked, and his whole body stiffened and felt cold.

Having lived a life of constant anxiety and scheming for decades, I never imagined that I would be outmaneuvered by a young man with such a simple trick.

He lay on his back on the ground, laughing wildly, and let the two constables drag him out of the manor.

The bright moonlight bathed the earth, and he saw the four large characters "Yuelai Villa" getting farther and farther away, becoming more and more blurred, until they became a miniature.

Just like his life decades ago.

The night we first met on the lakeside, the lanterns were dazzling, and laughter filled the air.

Perhaps, there is such a bright moonlight elsewhere?

If he hadn't lingered by the cabin at that time, and hadn't noticed the elegantly dressed Miss Ling on the shore...

What will the ending be?

Two days later, the signboard of Yuelai Villa was taken down and replaced with the former "Lingjiazhuang".

Those servants who had been dismissed by Shen Li were subsequently summoned back.

After everything at the villa was settled, Ling Yue wrote a letter of divorce on behalf of her mother and sent it to the county jail, thus fulfilling her mother Ling Ling's last wish.

That night, Yu Lang and Yan Zhengchu, who had been resting in Lingjiazhuang for two days, were leisurely drinking in the Wangyue Courtyard.

It was only after asking the former servants of the Ling family that I learned that the Ling family originally started out with a winery business, and their winemaking skills were second to none in the entire Northern Territory.

Just as they were drinking and getting quite tipsy, Yan Zhengchu suddenly asked with a surprised look, "Young Master Yu, have you noticed something?"

Yu Lang, slightly tipsy, asked, "What?"

"Your shadow... seems to have returned on its own."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shaoqing quickly looked down and instantly sobered up: "When did you get back? How come I only just noticed?"

"Her resentment has subsided, and she must have found a place to belong, so she will naturally return your shadow to you."

Yu Lang couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say that the vengeful spirit stole my shadow to find a substitute? Did she really want to capture me as her substitute?"

Yan Zhengchu smiled and said, "If she really had that ability, wouldn't she have gone directly to Shen Li?"

"I suspect that she recognized us as soon as we entered the village and wanted to ask for help."

"Among us, you seemed the easiest to approach, so we kept your name in our photos..."

"..."

Yu Lang: Got it, he's easy to bully.

Meanwhile, on the banks of Kaiming Lake, where lanterns cast their glow, the moonlight was warm and inviting.

Ling Yue was finally able to go out and have some fun without any restrictions. She came to the lakeside and released a lake lantern by hand for the first time.

"Mother, if there is an afterlife, whether we are still family or not, I hope that our bond can last a little longer."

The lake lanterns carried her prayers toward the center of the lake, and her gaze followed them.

Not far behind, a gradually blurring figure gazed at the figure on the shore with tears in its eyes, its gaze filled with reluctance.

"Humans and ghosts are different. Your obsession has been resolved and your resentment has dissipated. In a little while, your soul will also dissipate."

Xia Ximo leaned against a tree, gazing at the wisp of soul about to dissipate on the lakeshore, and coldly reminded him, "It's time to get going."

Hearing this, Shadow slowly withdrew his gaze and asked her, "Will... Yue'er and I ever meet again?"

I'm hearing this question again.

There was no change in her indifferent expression. After thinking for a moment, she carefully replied, "As long as we are alive, we will meet again someday."

Upon hearing this, Wuyou almost fell off her shoulder.

How strange!

She actually said that.

"We'll meet again someday while we're still alive..."

Shadow repeated the sentence several times before finally smiling with relief.

Xia Ximo took out the Soul-Crossing Lamp, held it in his palm, and the shadow immediately turned into a halo of light, lingering around the lotus lamp and dissipating at the wick.

After guiding the departed souls, she put away the lantern and turned to leave, only to see a figure standing by the roadside—Ren Fengjue.

He didn't know when he arrived, but he was quite conscious of keeping a certain distance from her, just watching from afar.

Xia Ximo glanced at him, walked up to him, looked around, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you alone?"

Yu Lang and Yan Zhengchu were too engrossed in drinking at the manor to come.

Ah Xia and the carriage had also vanished without a trace.

Ren Fengjue smiled and explained, "This section of the road is too narrow for a carriage to pass through, so I'll let A-Xia go back first."