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

Yan Zhengchu was also busy in the guest room, and he became even busier after Yu Lang brought the iron box.

"The box has the characters for the Five Elements engraved on its side, corresponding to the compass on the lid, so it should have been made by someone from the Taoist school."

Master Yan pondered for a moment before saying, "I can't guarantee whether it can be opened; I need to study it first."

Ren Fengjue, fearing he might disturb him, left with Yu Lang.

At this moment, Yu Shaoqing's stomach also started to rumble, just like the scene was described.

Ren Fengjue understood immediately: "Let's go, let's go to the street and see if there are any nighttime eateries or vendors."

Unlike the capital, Beiding County was almost deserted on the streets as night approached 11 PM.

After walking two streets, I only saw one stall with its lights on.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a nighttime eatery selling all kinds of food, including steamed buns.

Yu Lang immediately remembered that A Wu from the academy had mentioned a stall selling steamed buns in the west of the city, which was still available late at night.

Before the incident, Zhong Yi had asked his son Zhong Dingyan to go to the street to buy steamed buns.

Judging from their expressions, this is probably the place they're talking about.

"Sir, let's go try some steamed buns too."

Ren Fengjue was thinking the same thing as him, so he immediately nodded.

But when they got to the stall, the owner told them that there were only three steamed buns left, but there were some noodles and dumplings.

Yu Lang wanted to eat steamed buns, so he said, "Then give me all three."

The stall owner smiled and agreed, then asked, "It's cold now, how about you two have two more bowls of 'Longevity Soup'? A bite of bread, a sip of soup, warm and chewy."

Yu Lang hurriedly asked, "What is the Longevity Soup?"

The stall owner explained, "Beiding is bitterly cold, and every household cooks this soup in winter to ward off the cold."

"Because it contains several medicinal herbs that promote longevity, it is called 'Longevity Soup'."

Yu Lang loved these novelties he had never tried before, and quickly said, "Okay, then just give us two bowls to try."

The stall owner immediately invited them to sit at a small table next to him, and soon served them two bowls of hot soup, plus three steamed buns wrapped in oil paper.

Yu Lang was already starving and was about to feast when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of several clusters of white light moving about in the distance.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be several white lanterns.

Just then, a cold wind blew by, and something floated down from the air and landed right at Yu Lang's feet.

It was, in fact, just a piece of paper money.

"This…"

Yu Lang felt a chill run down his spine.

Ren Fengjue glanced at it as well before saying, "It's a funeral at night, no need to panic, just don't look around."

The funeral procession was completely silent; as it passed by the main road next to it, not even a sound could be heard.

Only after walking a distance did we see a few scattered pieces of paper money on the ground.

Yu Lang breathed a sigh of relief and slowly took a sip of soup, but then heard the stall owner sigh softly and say a few words of lament.

"It seems that Miss Wen has already gone..."

"So young, it's such a pity."

Yu Lang paused, his hand holding the spoon still, and couldn't help but ask, "From what you're saying, the deceased... was a young woman?"

The stall owner nodded: "Yes, this young lady from the Wen family is not only young and beautiful, but also a famous talented woman in our Beiding County. She is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

"It's a pity that beauty is often short-lived..."

Although it was just a few words, you could still tell there was a story behind it.

Yu Lang asked again, "How could someone so young have passed away?"

The stall owner explained, "I heard that her fiancé, with whom she was betrothed since childhood, broke off the engagement. Not only that, but he also married a courtesan."

"Miss Wen fell seriously ill from anger, and passed away in less than a month..."

Yu Lang murmured, "Was it also an arranged marriage before birth?"

Ren Fengjue paused slightly and couldn't help but glance at him.

Yu Lang immediately coughed lightly, changing the subject: "That is indeed a pity. It's simply not worth it for a man like that."

"Who can argue with that?"

The two of them sighed a few more times.

Ren Fengjue, however, remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

The soup was quickly finished, and as the stall owner had said, it did indeed have a warming effect.

Before leaving, Ren Fengjue instructed the stall owner to cook two more bowls of dumplings and prepare a bowl of soup, intending to take them back to the Zhong Mansion.

Back at the mansion, Yan Zhengchu was still in his room studying how to open the box. When Yu Lang went to knock on the door, he was too busy to answer.

Seeing this, Yu Shaoqing had no choice but to tiptoe in, place the hot dumplings on the table, and then leave.

The door closed with a soft sound, but Master Yan suddenly frowned.

Just now... I seemed to sense a chilling aura.

He glanced back at the compass not far away, but there was no movement.

When Ren Fengjue returned to the guest courtyard with a soup and a cake, he was surprised to find that the light was still on in Xia Ximo's room.

It turns out she wasn't asleep either.

As he reached the door, he hesitated for a moment, and just as he was about to knock, the door suddenly opened.

Xia Ximo stood by the door, and when she saw him, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Ren Fengjue quickly explained, "I...I just went out with Yu Lang and brought back some food. Would you like to try some?"

He handed over the food box, trying his best to appear relaxed and natural.

But the more it is done this way, the more it seems deliberate.

Xia Ximo hesitated for a moment before taking the food box and then politely said, "Thank you."

Ren Fengjue didn't say much, just nodded slightly: "Then you should get some rest."

After saying that, he immediately turned around and went back to his room.

Xia Ximo, carrying the food box, stood still for a while before closing the door again.

At the same time, Yu Lang returned to his room and closed the door behind him.

Just then, something fell out of the sleeve and made a soft sound on the ground.

He looked down and found it was a brocade pouch that didn't belong to him.

After bending down to pick it up, I looked at it carefully and was surprised again.

The brocade pouch exuded a faint fragrance, and it was embroidered with mandarin ducks with their necks intertwined, clearly indicating that it was a token of love.

Yu Lang's cheeks flushed as he looked at the picture, and he thought to himself, "Could it be that some girl has fallen for me?"

As I pondered this, I realized something was amiss.

Since leaving the capital, I haven't seen any young women, but I've seen quite a few female ghosts.

Yu Shaoqing frowned slightly. Although he felt strange, he was also inexplicably overcome with drowsiness. So he casually tossed the brocade pouch aside and went straight to bed.

In a hazy state, he felt as if he had arrived at the back garden of a wealthy family.

Flowers bloom and willows turn green all around, orioles fly and swallows dance, a scene of springtime beauty.

As you walk along, you can faintly hear the elegant sound of a zither.

Yu Lang stopped, only to find a pond of lotus flowers in full bloom in front of him.

Deep within the lotus blossoms, there are pavilions, from which the sound of the zither emanates.

He involuntarily followed the sound of the zither, but suddenly, his path was blocked by two bamboo curtains.

The sound of the zither lingered, accompanied by a fragrant breeze. Looking through the bamboo curtain, one could see a stunningly beautiful woman sitting inside.

Yu Lang's breath hitched, and he froze on the spot.