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

"A conspiracy?" Du asked in astonishment.

"Yes."

Ren Fengjue continued to speculate: "I suspect that it is not that Princess Wu colluded with the ghosts, but that the ghosts controlled and used the princess."

If he remembered correctly, the predecessor of this Wu Wang Mansion was the residence of a famous general from the previous dynasty.

But after the previous dynasty fell, the general disappeared.

Later, when the Great Qi Dynasty was founded, King Wu resided in Liangzhou, and the emperor bestowed this mansion upon him, which was then renamed King Wu's Mansion.

Now, considering what happened in the mansion and the secret chamber below, it's not hard to guess that this was left by that general.

So, is the ghost hiding behind him also related to him?

Unaware of these connections, Du's voice sounded somewhat bewildered: "You mean... that faceless monster has controlled the princess?"

Ren Fengjue explained, "You may not know this, but the Wu King's Mansion was originally the residence of a general from the previous dynasty..."

"And this underground chamber is probably unknown even to King Wu, so how could the Queen know about it?"

"When you disappeared, King Wu sent people to search the place thoroughly for a long time, but to this day, no one knows about this place."

Upon hearing this, Madam Du choked up.

"I know... the prince has treated me well."

Seeing her moved, Ren Fengjue said, "The prince passed away three years ago, and Princess Fenghua is his only bloodline in this world. If you truly care about your relationship with the prince, you shouldn't harm the princess."

Upon hearing of King Wu's death, Lady Du could no longer hold back her tears.

Over the course of ten years, even as she transformed into a vengeful spirit filled with hatred, she could never bring herself to hate the man who once held her in the palm of his hand.

Ren Fengjue comforted her, saying, "Aunt Du, don't be sad. As long as you're not a truly wicked person, you'll have the chance to be reincarnated after death. You might even meet again someday."

"Your soul has lingered here for too long; it's time to find a way out."

"If you can help me escape this secret room, I will definitely give you justice and let you go in peace."

In the darkness, Madam Du gave him a deep look, then shook her head and said, "Although something protects you within your body, you are still just a mortal. How can you fight that evil spirit on your own?"

"Of course, I'm not the only one. Accompanying me to the Prince's Mansion are a Taoist priest from Yunhe Mountain and a junior official from the Dali Temple. Whether it's catching thieves or catching ghosts, the two of them can be of great help."

"Moreover, given their capabilities, they'll likely find this place very soon!"

Ren Fengjue spoke without the slightest hint of guilt, and one wonders what Master Yan and Yu Shaoqing would think after hearing these words…

After all, Du had been trapped in this secret room for ten years. Now, hearing what he said, she could indeed vaguely sense an unfamiliar atmosphere in the secret room.

But she wouldn't blindly believe them, only saying, "If they really have the ability to find this place, I will tell them your location!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold wind swept by, and then the sound of Zhao Wan falling to the ground was heard.

Clearly, Mr. Du has already left.

-

Inside the passageway, Xia Ximo was blocked by a group of vengeful spirits.

The familiar aura of malevolence immediately ignited her hatred, and all she wanted to do was go on a killing spree.

Wuyou sensed the murderous intent in her heart and was so frightened that she quickly appeared to dissuade her.

"Mo Gu, these vengeful spirits are all innocent. You must show them mercy!"

However, Mo Gu, who was showing signs of being possessed by a demon, could not listen to its words.

Before the vengeful spirits could get close, she struck first.

Wuyou sensed her greatly increased soul power and was terrified. Seeing that the vengeful spirits were immobilized by bone magic and were about to be burned by the red lotus karmic fire, it immediately thought of the "qin silk" given to it by the Earth Lord.

To prevent Mogu from making a grave mistake, it closed its eyes and, using the terminology taught by the Earth Lord, summoned Qinsi.

After the strings of the zither wrapped around Xia Ximo's body, they indeed locked her soul power.

Upon seeing this, the vengeful spirits immediately fled in panic.

Xia Ximo was bound by the strings of the zither, and the red mark on his forehead gradually faded, but his eyes were cold.

Wuyou quickly explained, "I didn't betray you, this stringed instrument is..."

It quickly put away the strings and explained, "This faceless ghost is most skilled at reading people's minds and using your weaknesses to deal with you. Just now..."

Xia Ximo had slowly regained consciousness, but she said, "I know you were helping me just now, I don't blame you."

Wuyou was taken aback by these words.

Seeing that Xia Ximo wasn't angry, it breathed a slight sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you're not mad at me!"

Xia Ximo immediately asked, "So, what is the zither string?"

Wuyou quickly covered her mouth.

Xia Ximo glanced at it. "I know even if you don't say it. It must have been given to you by the Underworld Lord."

"..."

How could Wuyou dare to answer?

On one side is the Lord of the Underworld, and on the other is the Nine Netherworld Prisoner Soul; it cannot afford to offend either of them!

After a moment of silence, Xia Ximo did not press the matter further.

Just then, Yu Lang's voice rang out from inside the passageway.

"Miss Xia, we've finally found you!"

Xia Ximo turned around and saw Yu Lang and Yan Zhengchu walking quickly toward them.

But the maid and the Golden Feather Guard did not follow.

"stop."

Having learned her lesson, Xia Ximo planned to be more careful this time. After calling out to them, she asked, "When was the first time we met? Tell me one by one."

Upon hearing this, both of them were taken aback.

Yu Lang thought for a moment and replied, "The first time I saw him... was on a merchant ship traveling from Xiling County to the capital!"

Although Yan Zhengchu didn't understand, he still tried to think for a moment: "It seems to be... the Red Sleeve Pavilion in the capital!"

Wuyou, suppressing a laugh, whispered, "They're real, because you wouldn't think about them for no reason..."

A strange light flashed in Xia Ximo's eyes, but he gave it a cold glance.

"Too talkative."

These two words made Yu Lang swallow back what he was about to say.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in, and another figure was reflected on the wall.

Wuyou immediately stopped smiling, and was about to scold which blind vengeful spirit had come looking for death again, but the other party coldly said, "I know where the person you are looking for is. If you trust me, come with me."

Before they could reply, the vengeful spirit turned away.

Xia Ximo hesitated only slightly before following, and Yu Lang and Yan Zhengchu followed closely behind.

Wuyou wanted to advise them to be careful, but she smelled a familiar "ghostly scent" from that vengeful spirit.

"It seems to be..."

Xia Ximo: "It's the missing Du family."

Wuyou nodded: "The resentment emanating from it is even stronger than the previous ones!"

Although many concubines had died in the inner quarters of the Prince's mansion, only Du died in this secret room, and her death was the most tragic and desperate.

The longer it stays, the heavier the resentment it carries will be compared to other vengeful spirits.

Following Du's directions, they arrived at a more spacious secret room, where there was a human-shaped stone sculpture.

He was a majestic and imposing military general, clad in armor and carrying a long sword at his waist.

Du pointed to the statue and said, "The person you are looking for is right under this statue."