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

"Miss Xia?"

Ren Fengjue's voice brought Xia Ximo back to her senses.

She looked up at him. "What?"

"It's nothing, I just saw you looking down at the ground and thought you'd discovered something..."

There were only pebbles and remnants of snow on the ground.

Xia Ximo's expression had returned to normal, and she simply replied with two words: "No."

Ren Fengjue was very observant and knew that she must be hiding something in her heart.

But since she didn't say anything, he naturally didn't ask any further questions.

"It's good that you're alright."

On the open ground not far away, Yan Zhengchu's expression was also not very good.

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Yu Lang asked him, "Taoist priest, can you tell what these so-called 'ghosts and gods' are?"

"No, too much time has passed, there's not a single trace left."

Yan Zhengchu further explained: "But such places are where yin and evil spirits gather, and they only gather and never disperse."

"I suspect that the people of Beiding County used to worship evil spirits, not any kind of gods or spirits..."

Yu Lang couldn't help but wonder, "Even if it's an evil spirit, why is it helping the people of Beiding County? Does it really think it's a god?"

"absurd."

Master Yan retorted unhappily, "Evil spirits are bloodthirsty and cruel, filled with malevolent energy. They only see killing. If they don't indiscriminately kill the innocent, how can they possibly help people?"

"They probably used some kind of sinister method to bewitch these people."

When Yu Lang heard what he said, he also felt that it made a lot of sense.

After all, he still vividly remembered the terrifying scene of those evil spirits at Yunhe Mountain.

As they were talking, Ren Fengjue and Xia Ximo walked up to them.

Yu Lang then asked Lord Ren, "We've inquired and looked around everywhere. Does Your Excellency suspect that Minister Zhong's death is related to so-called 'ghosts and gods'?"

Ren Fengjue nodded slightly and replied, "Not only that, I also suspect that it is related to the death of 'Zhongyi' thirty years ago."

"That would be difficult."

Yu Lang rubbed his forehead, somewhat troubled: "The time span between these two events is far too long. Even if Uncle Wu can prove that Zhong Ming didn't go to the Ghost Temple back then, what connection does that have with the death of Minister Zhong and the death of Second Young Master Zhong?"

Ren Fengjue smiled instead: "It may seem like it has nothing to do with each other, but if we make a bold guess and switch their identities, everything becomes easier to understand."

"What do you mean?"

Yu Lang and Yan Zhengchu asked the question almost simultaneously.

The cook, A-Wu, standing to the side was completely bewildered, unable to understand a single word they were saying.

Only Xia Ximo remained calm, her eyes clear, as if she understood everything.

Ren Fengjue looked at A Wu, "I remember Uncle A Wu saying in the academy that Minister Zhong's temperament changed after he entered the court as an official."

The question then arises: "You've spent every day with him, so you shouldn't have this feeling without reason. What's the basis for your feelings?"

A-Wu was taken aback by the question.

When he was at the academy earlier, the supervisor was present, so he did have some concerns and didn't dare to say too much.

Standing in this desolate wilderness, his question naturally made all those concerns disappear.

"At that time, Brother A-Ming passed the imperial examination with high honors and returned to his hometown. He even stayed at the academy for a few days."

"During those days, his demeanor and tone of voice were very different from before."

"Even the smiles on their faces have decreased significantly."

"This feeling isn't unique to me; other people in the hospital have also talked about it privately."

"The headmaster explained that Brother A-Ming had met the Emperor during his trip to the capital, so he would naturally be much more composed."

"He also said that Ah Yi's death was a great blow to him, and now that he has returned to his old haunts, he is bound to be reminded of the past and become silent."

"But I feel that in just a few months, Brother A-Ming has changed too much, and too quickly."

Ah Wu suddenly voiced his long-standing confusion, and his words became more detailed. He continued, "Moreover, there are some points that I find very strange..."

"Brother A-Ming has always liked to sleep in. When he was studying at school, he would only get up and wash up slowly after everyone else had gotten up. I have never seen him get up early in 360 days a year."

"But in the days after he returned from the capital, he always got up before dawn every day."

"That morning, I saw him get up early and walk around the academy, so I greeted him from behind, but he didn't respond even though I called 'Brother A-Ming' several times."

"That feeling of not hearing it was as if... I wasn't even calling his name."

"He only slowly realized what was happening when I got right up to him."

"I remember he looked very unwell, and his eyes were strange. He told me never to call his name from behind my back again..."

"After that, I dared not call him 'Brother A-Ming' anymore, and instead addressed him as Lord Zhong."

After A-Wu finished speaking, Yu Lang immediately became excited.

He said to Ren Fengjue, "I understand what you mean, sir. You mean, the one who returned from the capital wasn't Zhong Ming at all? But... Zhong Yi?"

Ren Fengjue replied, "This is just a guess. Back then, Zhong Yi went to the Temple of Ghosts and Gods to pray for their protection, which is why he was able to survive when he encountered bandits on his way to the capital."

"As for why he was able to survive, and even survive as Zhong Ming, that needs further investigation."

Ah Wu turned deathly pale with fright: "You mean, the real Ah Ming is... dead?"

Ren Fengjue reassured him, "It's just a bold guess, Uncle Wu, there's no need to take it too seriously."

A-Wu shook his head and explained, "No... it's not that I don't believe it, but a similar strange thing did happen in Beiding County before..."

"In the west of the city, there lived a loving couple. After the husband died of illness, the wife went to a temple to pray and beg for help..."

"As a result, the husband really did come back to life the next day, but soon after, they left Beiding County without any reason and disappeared without a trace."

Yan Zhengchu frowned deeply upon hearing this. "If these 'ghosts and gods' truly possess such power, then it's truly terrifying..."

A-Wu felt a wave of fear wash over him: "I'd only heard about it before, and I never really believed it, but now..."

The rest of the words were left unsaid.

But from his expression, it was clear that he believed more than the others…

Xia Ximo suddenly spoke up: "If what happened back then is true, then today's 'Minister Zhong' wouldn't have died so easily."

Ren Fengjue then said, "Miss Xia and I share the same thoughts."

Yu Lang felt a chill run down his spine when he recalled it.

"His body looks very suspicious. If he's not dead, then..."

Yan Zhengchu said in a deep voice, "The last person he came into contact with was Young Master Zhong."

Yu Lang's eyes widened, his mind racing for a long time, feeling that the truth was about to be revealed.

"In other words, the current Young Master Zhong may not be Zhong Dingyan anymore, but rather... the Zhong... Zhong Yi from back then!"