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

Xia Ximo said, "Jiang Ting claimed to be seriously ill and later adopted a son, but in reality, he was looking for a new 'container'."

Ren Fengjue frowned: "He wants a new body?"

"That's right, it's three different bodies."

"Those three holy sons..."

"This corresponds to his three souls."

"..."

Ren Fengjue was surprised. Although he had been dealing with ghosts most of the time, this matter was still puzzling.

He knew that the soul and spirit were one, and that the three souls and seven spirits were all indispensable and could not be separated at will...

How did Chongli cultivate to this level?

Xia Ximo couldn't think of an answer for a moment: "I guess the only way to find out about this is by asking Taoist Yan."

She continued, "Back in the day, the Xuantian Sect had a maze designed for cultivating secret techniques. Legend has it that only disciples who successfully emerged from the maze were qualified to become inner disciples and cultivate these secret arts..."

"Zhan Yi said that the Thousand Caves Cave today is actually the location of the labyrinth from back then..."

Ren Fengjue understood immediately. "Those missing boys, did they get lost in the maze?"

Xia Ximo nodded: "The maze is full of traps and poisons, making it impossible for ordinary people to survive inside."

"Back then, the Xuantian Sect was a sect of cultivators, and it was already very difficult for them to come and go. Let alone ordinary teenagers in Liangzhou City today."

"Zhan Yi said that a total of twelve people were imprisoned at the time, but in the end, only three people came out alive, and they were all covered in wounds."

Even without being told the details, Ren Fengjue could imagine how brutal the scene must have been…

After a moment of silence, he said, "Zhan Yi's personality must have changed drastically because of this..."

Xia Ximo nodded again, somewhat moved by Zhan Yi's plight.

"He wanted to break free from control, yet he feared the deaths of those around him because of him, until he accidentally stumbled into the Earthly Lord's protective barrier..."

A desperate person suddenly enters a dream world and sees a person who looks like a celestial being, and is overjoyed at the sight of such a person.

He told Bai Jue everything that was troubling him, but all Bai Jue could do was leave his soul in the barrier as instructed by the Earth Lord.

"Chong Li probably didn't know about the existence of that barrier. Since he couldn't find Zhan Yi, he used his status as the Third Holy Son to control the entire Xuanjing Hall, and even the entire Liangzhou City..."

Ren Fengjue said, "The cunning thing about Chong Li is that the three holy sons never show themselves alone. Apart from the one from Xuanjing Hall, the whereabouts of the other two are still unknown."

Xia Ximo looked towards the direction of the Zhenbei Marquis's residence and said, "Go and meet Jiang Ting again, and we'll know everything."

Ren Fengjue asked, "Didn't you say before that Jiang Ting was just a puppet?"

"But he must know a lot about Chong Li. Don't forget, it was his name that Xue Yin crossed out of the Book of Life and Death back then."

After hearing what she said, Ren Fengjue thought about it carefully.

What Chongli left behind in the world was merely a wisp of his soul.

Back then, he must have possessed the body of this person named Jiang Ting. Therefore, it is very likely that Jiang Ting and Chong Li have been sharing the same body all along.

Having thought about it, Ren Fengjue finally understood.

He immediately said, "I'll go with you."

Xia Ximo stared at him, slightly taken aback, before responding softly, "Okay."

Just then, a cough came from behind them.

The two turned around and saw Yu Lang, Yao Guang, and two Shadow Guards standing in the snow.

Yu Lang crossed his arms and said, "Aren't you two being a bit unfair? You can't have forgotten about us, can you?"

Ren Fengjue paused slightly, finding it difficult to admit that he had indeed forgotten about them for a moment.

Yao Guang stepped forward and said to Ren Fengjue, "My lord, judging from the situation just now, it seems that someone is trying to kill you. The situation in Liangzhou City is not clear right now, so we must not act rashly."

Ren Fengjue let out a long sigh, then glanced at Xia Ximo and said, "We're already trapped. Even if we do nothing, they'll come looking for us. Rather than waiting for them to come to us, we might as well take the initiative."

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances and immediately reached a consensus.

-

Upon hearing the announcement outside the gate of the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence, Wu Kai immediately frowned.

"What? He's here again? He comes and goes like this, what does he take the Marquis's mansion for?"

He felt a surge of annoyance at being played, thinking, "What on earth is Ren Fengjue up to?!"

Although he was angry, he still respectfully stepped forward and led Ren Fengjue, Yu Lang, and Xia Ximo into the hall, as the Marquis of Zhenbei had given the order.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. The Marquis will be here shortly."

Unlike last time, this time we only waited a short while before we saw Jiang Ting.

He hurried into the hall, looking quite emotional, and said to Ren Fengjue, "Nephew Ren, you've finally arrived..."

Unable to discern the truth at first glance, Ren Fengjue stood up and went straight to the point: "You must have heard about the dead bodies causing injuries in Liangzhou City, my lord."

Jiang Ting rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. "These past two days, I've been so worried about this that I haven't been able to sleep. How could the corpse suddenly start moving?"

Ren Fengjue smiled and said, "This matter should be asked of the Marquis."

Jiang Ting's expression stiffened slightly. "Nephew, I don't understand what you're saying."

Ren Fengjue continued, "You must remember Zhan Yi, the leader of the Suspended Mirror Hall, right, Lord Marquis?"

Mentioning this person, Jiang Ting's expression subtly changed again. "Of course there is. Xuanjing Hall has quite a reputation in Liangzhou."

Ren Fengjue nodded in agreement, "Now that we have the Three Holy Sons, our reputation is even more remarkable..."

Jiang Ting immediately asked, "What connection does Hall Master Zhan have with this matter?"

"Master Zhan said that the reason why the corpses are hurting people is all because of a kind of poison called 'Corpse Puppet Gu', which was made by the Lord of Lian Family Fortress."

"I heard that he had been trying to refine this poison for many years without success. It was only after you, Lord Jiang, gave him something that he was able to successfully refine it."

Jiang Ting immediately retorted, "Nonsense! How could this matter concern me?"

Ren Fengjue smiled and asked, "Does Your Excellency believe in ghosts and gods?"

Jiang Ting's expression grew increasingly grim: "Of course I don't believe it."

"Master Zhan is dead, but his spirit remains. Shall we allow him to emerge and confront you, Lord Marquis, face to face?"

Jiang Ting slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "I think you've gone mad, Nephew Ren! How can a third-rank official of the imperial court believe such nonsense?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Ximo, who was standing to the side, also slowly stood up.

She gave Jiang Ting a cold glance.

With just one glance, Jiang Ting felt a terrifying force binding his limbs, and his arrogance vanished instantly.

Xia Ximo slowly walked up to him and said, "Let Chongli come out to see me."