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

As dusk fell, the carriage stopped at the intersection of Dongsi Street.

Xia Ximo got out of the car and, based on Ren Fengjue's directions, quickly found a house at the end of the street.

—The Meng Residence.

The place was shrouded in gloom and deserted; even the surrounding residents had mostly moved away.

As night fell, there was not a single light to be seen.

Xia Ximo pushed open the gate and saw that the house was not dilapidated. It must have been moved out temporarily after the "self-immolation" incident.

The house doesn't occupy a large area, but its overall layout is actually very similar to the Ren residence, except that it has an extra courtyard.

Since Xia Ximo entered the house, a cold wind has been blowing around the house from time to time, and the wailing sound it makes is like the weeping of ghosts.

Strangely, however, no ghostly figure could be seen even as they walked to the door of the burned-down study.

The fact that the soul-ferrying lamp was constantly trembling was enough to show that the soul of the wronged was nearby.

"come out."

Xia Ximo placed the Soul-Crossing Lamp in his palm, but instead of calling upon the spirit guarding the lamp, he was calling upon it.

Wuyou reluctantly poked half her head out and grumbled, "Didn't you tell me to shut up?"

"Now you can speak."

"..."

"Can we find its location?"

Faced with the unreasonable Nine Nether Soul, Wuyou had little temper and lazily replied, "I can sense it's nearby, but I just can't see it."

This wisp of soul is indeed very strange.

Normally, after a person dies, they become a ghost, and ghosts also have three souls and seven spirits.

If the three souls are not complete and the seven spirits are not in order, then one cannot cross over to the underworld.

Most people who die unjustly refuse to enter the underworld because of their grievances and obsessions.

However, it usually takes forty-nine days for the three souls to separate and the seven spirits to disperse. From then on, without guidance, they can only wander in the human world.

However, Meng Zhiyuan had only been dead for a little over a month when his soul had already dissipated, which was quite suspicious.

Could it be that sorcerers from the mortal realm are interfering once again?

Xia Ximo wondered, "Did someone scatter its soul?"

Wuyou shook his head, but couldn't help but talk on and on: "Based on my experience of hundreds of years, a soul that has been scattered by magic is usually sealed away."

"Although the official's soul was unconscious, it still retained a strong obsession, and could even enter and leave the place where he died, and went to that bridge."

"If it wasn't done by human intervention, then either you offended the ghost messengers, or you encountered a more powerful and vengeful ghost."

As they spoke, the sky had completely darkened, and another gust of cold wind swept by.

At this moment, the ashes on the ground slowly condensed into a black shadow, transforming into a wisp of a ghostly spirit burning in the flames.

Wuyou said, "We're out!"

Xia Ximo looked closely and discovered that it was yet another wisp of unconscious, scattered soul.

As Wuyou said, this scattered soul clearly still retains its obsession and is still replicating the events of its previous life.

Facing the empty "desk," it grinds ink, picks up its brush, and lights a lamp...

His eyes were glazed over, but he was muttering to himself.

"Can you hear what it's saying?"

Wuyou had no choice but to go closer to listen. "It seems that he kept repeating the same sentence: 'Your Majesty, I am willing to share your worries.'"

Xia Ximo listened silently, but a thought formed in his mind.

Even the scattered soul is thinking about national affairs, so its main soul is very likely...

-

Ren Fengjue only got into the carriage after watching Xia Ximo's figure completely disappear at the street corner.

A-Xia asked, "Young master, shall we go back?"

"I won't reply."

Ren Fengjue stretched and leaned against the carriage wall, instructing, "There are a few tails following behind. Go grab one and I'll interrogate it."

"Yes."

Ah Xia responded and lightly jumped off the carriage.

In a small alley not far from the East Street intersection, four men in disguise were poised to receive orders.

One of them said, "As soon as that carriage leaves, let's rush in!"

The remaining three answered, "Okay."

No sooner had they finished speaking than a figure suddenly appeared behind them.

Before the four could even react, their opponent swiftly appeared before them and struck their pressure points.

A gleaming dagger was pressed against the leader's neck: "Come with me."

"..."

Ren Fengjue sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, resting, his slender fingers gently tapping the small table beside him.

Sure enough, footsteps sounded outside as I calculated the time.

A-Xia: "Young master, the person has been brought."

Ren Fengjue then slightly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain: "Confess yourself. Who sent you? You even dared to follow me?"

The man outside suddenly knelt on the ground, trembling as he looked at the spotless official boots: "Young Marquis, spare my life! I wasn't following you, how dare I follow you?"

"Oh?"

Ren Fengjue sneered, "So you know my identity."

"If they're not following me, then who are they following?"

The man kneeling on the ground immediately confessed, "I was ordered by Minister Mu to... to pick up that young lady!"

Ren Fengjue frowned slightly: "Mu Zheng, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery?"

"yes!"

When Mu Zheng first took up his post in the capital a few years ago, he visited the residence of Marquis Renxuan several times.

Ren Fengjue had seen him in his father's study at that time.

A man nearing forty, whose hair had turned gray, still dressed as a down-on-his-luck scholar despite having been promoted to Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

He appears to be mild-mannered, but speaks gently and clearly.

In his father's words, he was a good civil servant.

These were the only impressions Ren Fengjue had of this person.

Thinking of this person again now feels unreal.

"If you were asked to 'pick up people,' why didn't you do it openly and honestly? Why are you hiding?"

Knowing that Ren Fengjue was not easy to deal with, the person on the ground trembled and dared not answer.

"Think carefully before you answer me. If you dare to hide a single word, you know what will happen."

The man was so frightened that he kowtowed several times to the ground.

"Young Marquis, I dare not conceal the truth."

"Minister Mu's exact words were that he must bring that girl to see him no matter what."

"We were just following orders, and we really don't know anything more."

Hearing this, Ren Fengjue felt more at ease.

Even if Mu Zheng has no ill intentions, he is definitely hiding something.

Regardless of whether this "Xia Ximo" is the real Xia Ximo, his actions are highly problematic.

With this in mind, Ren Fengjue made a decision in his heart.

"In that case, go back and tell Minister Mu that this young lady is doing very well with me, and he doesn't need to trouble himself with her."

"If he insists on seeing me, then please come to my residence."

"If I find out again that he's secretly causing trouble for this young lady, don't blame me, Ren Fengjue, for being impolite."

After hearing his words, the people on the ground responded in unison.

"Let him go."

It was completely dark when A-Xia hung two lanterns in front of the car.

At that moment, a slender figure slowly emerged from the street corner.

Ren Fengjue looked at it with a hint of surprise.

Xia Ximo was also surprised that the other party was still waiting for her here.

Their eyes met in the darkness, and in the end, Ren Fengjue spoke first.

"I'm hungry, Miss Xia, why don't you join me for dinner?"