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

Upon hearing the news of Ren Dongxing's passing, Ren Shuo's expression changed drastically. He no longer cared about dealing with Xia Ximo and turned to rush towards the inner garden.

Upon seeing this, the gray-robed Taoist hesitated for a moment, then turned to follow, but was suddenly tripped by a strange force and unable to move.

He turned around in surprise and saw that the woman in the formation had broken free of the ropes and was walking towards him.

Seeing this, he picked up his whisk and was about to make hand seals to draw talismans, but his hands also froze, unable to perform the action.

That strange restraining force, like an impenetrable net, instantly enveloped his entire body, leaving him with no power to retaliate.

Knowing he was no match for the Taoist priest, he couldn't help but feel panicked.

"Are you... a human or a ghost?"

If she is a human, why is she surrounded by a dense aura of yin energy that almost completely obscures the presence of a living person?

If she was a ghost, how was she able to break the "Soul-Locking Array" unscathed?

Xia Ximo did not answer him, but continued to press him.

Under the bright moon, her figure was slender and ghostly, yet she was clearly far more dangerous than any ghost.

Her face gradually became clear in the Taoist's pupils.

Despite having an innocent and naive face, it was so striking that people dared not look directly at it.

"Where is Zhu Yan's main soul?"

As he watched helplessly as the other party approached him step by step, the Taoist's eyes filled with fear.

He didn't understand why the other party was so determined to find the soul of an unknown painter.

To offend the powerful Ren family for the sake of such a lowly person.

What good could she possibly gain?

"Since she's already dead, why are you still clinging to this matter? What exactly was your relationship with her?"

The Taoist priest was unwilling to give up, so he dared to ask a question.

However, Xia Ximo's answer once again surprised him.

"It's alright."

Her gaze was colder than the frosty moon of this winter night, chilling to the bone.

"I want to see him alive or dead, that's all."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest couldn't help but shudder and quickly replied, "Her main soul is currently under the peach tree in the back garden, along with her remains. Just... peel off the talisman on it, and it will be released immediately."

Before the other party could reply, he hurriedly tried to defend himself: "But this matter has nothing to do with me. I was just doing a job for money. I didn't kill the person. Please don't blame me..."

Xia Ximo said indifferently, "Take me there, and you can dig it out yourself."

Upon realizing that the restraining force binding his body had disappeared, the Taoist's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

He dared not play any tricks, and immediately staggered forward to lead the way, soon arriving at the burial place of Zhu Yan.

Under the cold moonlight, only a section of the "peach tree" remained, with snow piled up at its base, obscuring its original appearance.

The Taoist priest found the right spot and began digging with a shovel. After a short while, he unearthed a skeleton.

However, just as he was about to step forward to remove the talisman, he heard a noise behind him.

The two turned around and saw Ren Shuo leading a group of guards from the clothing store to quickly surround them.

The dozen or so guards all had knives at their waists; judging by their appearance, one might think that bandits had broken into the manor.

Even the usually kind and gentle Master Ren had red eyes and a fierce aura about him.

"Capture this witch! I want her to be buried with my son!"

At Ren Shuo's command, the guards drew their swords and rushed towards the tree, only to be met with a pair of deep, cold eyes.

Facing the gleaming blade, she showed no fear, clearly not taking these threats seriously.

The guards were momentarily stunned by her.

Immediately afterwards, a strange white mist drifted over, circled the crowd, and caused the guards' blades to slip from their hands.

The white mist then dissipated, transforming into a white shadow that floated beside Xia Ximo, reminding him, "Your yang energy is very weak right now; you can't use your soul power anymore."

Mortals cannot see the soul with their naked eyes, nor can they hear its voice. The guards stood there, stunned, and could only look at each other in bewilderment.

"A bunch of useless idiots!"

Having just lost his son, Ren Shuo had lost his mind. He picked up a knife nearby and quickly swung it at Xia Ximo.

However, before the sharp blade could even get close to her body, a resistance blocked it, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move it an inch.

This bizarre scene brought Ren Shuo back to his senses.

He looked up, but was so frightened by the sight before him that his arrogance vanished.

A dark shadow appeared in front of Xia Ximo, blocking the blade for her.

Having lived this long, I've seen my share of ghosts.

He even witnessed Zhu Yan transformed into a vengeful ghost last winter...

But the dark figure before them was formed from the most yin and evil black energy, far surpassing any ordinary vengeful ghost.

In the midst of the stunned silence, a clear male voice suddenly rang out from outside the crowd: "Stop!"

The shadowy figure scattered upon hearing the sound.

Ren Shuo stumbled, as if struck on the wrist by something, forcing him to drop the knife in his hand.

Upon hearing the sound, the guards scattered and hurriedly knelt in a row.

"I have met...Young Marquis."

Ren Shuo then realized he was in trouble. In a panic, he took several steps back, but he was still shaken.

Ren Fengjue quickly made his way through the crowd and stood before them.

"This Miss Xia is a guest of my household. Even if she has offended your uncle in any way, she should explain it to me first."

"What is Uncle doing now?"

Faced with the questioning, Ren Shuo felt extremely guilty and was momentarily speechless.

He knew that this young marquis in the Ministry of Justice was always upright and incorruptible, and if something really happened, he might not give him face.

The current situation, with the human remains in the ground, constitutes a crime scene.

Meanwhile, a dozen or so guards gathered there, and he drew his sword, all of which was witnessed by the other side.

It's indeed difficult to sever ties in the short term...

The old fox quickly calculated in his mind, then decided to go all in, forcing out a tear, his face full of grief and indignation: "Donglang, you've come at the right time! This woman... used evil magic here, killing your brother..."

"You absolutely must stand up for your brother!"

As he spoke, he suddenly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Ren Fengjue was already displeased when he heard him call him by his childhood name, and then he kept calling him "your younger brother," clearly trying to use the relationship between the two families to keep him in check.

He deliberately didn't respond, his gaze sweeping around, taking in the bones buried in the ground.

Then, he glanced at Xia Ximo again.

Her face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, and her frail body stood swaying precariously in the night wind.

Realizing something was wrong, Ren Fengjue took a few steps closer to her.

"summer…"

Before she could even ask a question, she floated lightly into his arms.

Ren Fengjue reacted quickly and reached out to hug her, but was then startled.

The body in my arms was unbelievably cold…

Knowing that there was no time to lose, he immediately picked the person up in his arms and said sternly, "No one is allowed to leave this place until the matter is investigated."

He then instructed Ren Cong, who was accompanying him, "Go and fetch the prefectural physician. Also, quickly send Yu Lang here."