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

Although time has passed, when Ah Wu talks about the past, his eyes still light up.

He pointed to the moat outside the courtyard and said, "That scholar's surname is Zhong, his given name is Yi, and he lives in Liuhua Lane up ahead..."

Ah Wu remembers that back then, the academy opened at 5:15 AM every day.

But Zhong Yi would wait outside the door before dawn every day.

Whether in the sweltering summer or the freezing winter, he was always the first to arrive at the school, studying diligently and practicing calligraphy.

Zhong Ming, however, was different.

He would always sneak into the classroom after morning reading. He wasn't particularly diligent in class, but fortunately, he was quick-witted and had a good memory.

These two people, with such different personalities and styles, actually became close friends in private.

Whether in class or out of class, the two were always inseparable.

Because they share the same surname, to outsiders they seem to be closer than brothers, even if they aren't blood brothers.

"I remember one night, Brother A-Ming climbed over the wall and left the hospital to go to Liuhua Lane to find Brother A-Yi. The two of them even secretly went to the west side of the city to drink together."

"When the headmaster found out about this, he called the two of them into his room and beat Ah Ming twenty times with a ruler, but only scolded Ah Yi a couple of times."

"Brother A-Ming wasn't angry at all. Instead, he was all smiles and took all the responsibility upon himself."

Upon hearing this "bell ringing" from A-Wu, Ren Fengjue and Yu Lang exchanged a glance, both somewhat puzzled.

At this time, Zhong Ming was vastly different from the Minister of Justice he would later become.

The supervisor couldn't help but correct him, "Uncle Wu, you can't call him Brother Ming anymore."

A-Wu paused for a moment, then chuckled and scratched his head.

"That's true. Minister Zhong has changed a lot since he entered the court as an official. If it were before, he certainly wouldn't be angry..."

The supervisor raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice, saying, "To rise to the rank of a second-grade official in the imperial court, one must have experienced a great deal. How could he still be the same as before?"

Yu Lang then asked A Wu, "I heard from people in the county that these two had arranged to go to the 'Ghost and God Temple' together, but the scholar from Liuhua Lane didn't go. Uncle A Wu, do you know the details?"

Upon hearing this, A-Wu's back visibly stiffened again, and he was about to speak...

The academy's supervisor then added a reminder: "These days, it's forbidden to mention ghost temples in the county."

A-Wu hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Ren Fengjue could clearly see his hesitation, so he said, "I think Uncle Wu probably knows some things that are different from what's said outside, right?"

Yu Lang seized the opportunity to chime in, "We've heard that this temple is very effective. Could it be that Minister Zhong was able to escape danger on his journey to the capital for the imperial examinations because he prayed to the gods?"

A-Wu turned to look out the window, his expression complex, and said, "This matter has been buried in my heart for many years. I was young then, and I mentioned it once, but no one believed me..."

These words surprised even the academy's supervisors.

Yu Lang immediately asked, "So, what is the truth?"

A-Wu recalled: "The two of them made an appointment to go to the Temple of Ghosts and Gods together the day before they were to go to the capital for the imperial examination. I heard it with my own ears at the time."

"Because people go to temples to worship ghosts and spirits around midnight..."

"But Minister Zhong didn't go that night at all."

Upon hearing this, the academy's supervisor couldn't help but chime in: "Didn't they say that a scholar was seen in front of the Temple of Ghosts and Gods back then?"

A-Wu shook his head: "Perhaps it's a coincidence. I don't know if Brother A-Yi went or not, but Minister Zhong definitely didn't go."

"I clearly remember that around 9 PM, he hadn't finished packing his bags..."

When Zhong Ming was halfway through packing his luggage, he suddenly felt hungry. Just as he was about to go out to find something to eat, he saw A Wu coming out of the kitchen.

He waved and asked with a smile, "Xiao Wu, is there any food left in the kitchen?"

A-Wu replied, "No, I just went to check."

Zhong Ming pulled out a handful of copper coins and stuffed them all into his hand. "Go to... that pancake vendor in the west of the city. They should still have some left. Go buy me ten. Keep the rest of the money for yourself."

Ah Wu didn't count the exact amount of money, but he was happy and immediately went to make the trip.

When he returned, Zhong Ming gave him a steamed bun and wrapped five more in oil paper, asking him to deliver them to Zhong Yi's house.

Ah Wu remembered that it was almost midnight, and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Ah Ming, didn't you and Brother Ah Yi agree to go to the Ghost Temple to pray? It's so late, aren't you going yet?"

Zhong Ming waved his hand and said, "I was going to go, but after thinking about it, I decided against it. Man proposes, God disposes. I was lucky to pass the imperial examination, so I'll just consider this trip as accompanying A-Yi to the capital to broaden his horizons."

A-Wu nodded as if he understood, and then delivered the steamed buns to Liuhua Lane as instructed.

At that time, the lights were on inside Zhong Yi's house, but no one answered the door after he knocked for a long time.

So he had no choice but to stuff the steamed bun through the window...

"Later, when I returned to the academy, it was past midnight, and the light in Minister Zhong's study was finally turned off."

"I remember this matter clearly for many years. Later, when Brother Ayi was on his way to the capital for the imperial examination, he had an accident. Everyone said that it was because he did not seek the protection of the gods and spirits before his journey that he could not escape this calamity."

"I said that Minister Zhong didn't go either, but they didn't believe me, saying he definitely went..."

Yu Lang speculated, "Does this mean that Minister Zhong didn't go, but Zhong Yi might have?"

"If that's the case, then the temple of ghosts and gods isn't necessarily that effective."

"No wonder they don't believe you; isn't this tantamount to slapping them in the face?"

Ah Wu understood perfectly well, but he just smiled and said, "That's indeed the case."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Xia Ximo, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly asked A-Wu, "Where is the Ghost Temple from back then? Could you point me in the right direction?"

A-Wu replied, "That place was originally a graveyard, and now there's nothing to see there anymore; it's completely desolate."

"It's alright, just tell us how to get there."

Awu hesitated for a moment before saying, "The kitchen is finally finished, so why don't I take you there?"

As Xia Ximo stood up, Ren Fengjue and Yan Zhengchu also stood up.

Yu Lang thought to himself, "It's already dark, why do we have to go to such a gloomy place?"

Although unwilling, I still had to keep up with their pace.

After leaving the academy, Ren Fengjue secretly slipped the last small piece of gold he had on him to a boy at the door. After watching him hand it over to the supervisor, he left with A Wu.

After walking eastward along the moat for about fifteen minutes, there was no one around. Looking around, all that could be seen were solitary graves standing under the cold moon, amidst the desolate mountains.

A-Wu pointed to an open space among the abandoned graves and said, "The Ghost Temple was originally there..."

Xia Ximo took a few steps closer, and it seemed as if the wind was brushing past his ears. That strange yet familiar feeling surged into his heart again.

In a flash, she seemed to see a pile of corpses...