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

The moment Ren Fengjue stepped into the South Courtyard, a night breeze blew in, bringing a chilly feeling that did not belong to a spring night.

He couldn't help but stop and look at the sky, where he saw that among the bright moon and sparse stars, there were also a few dark clouds.

When Tianqing saw him return, he quickly came forward to greet him, "Young Master, you're finally back."

Ren Fengjue nodded, and noticing that her expression seemed off, asked, "What's wrong?"

Tianqing lowered his head somewhat dejectedly and said worriedly, "Miss... no, I mean the young mistress, she just said she wanted to be alone for a while, but when I knocked on the door, she ignored me."

Ren Fengjue couldn't figure out the reason either, but he still comforted her, "It's okay, I'll go in and take a look. You go down and rest first. I'll call you if anything happens."

Since the young marquis moved to the Ren residence, the south courtyard has been mostly empty.

There weren't many servants in the courtyard to begin with, and after he moved out, they were mostly reassigned to other courtyards.

Now that the wedding has taken place, knowing that Xia Ximo prefers peace and quiet, only Tianqing was left in the courtyard to take care of her.

After Tian Qing left, Ren Fengjue pushed open the door and entered.

The moment the door opened, a chill even more intense than the outside air rushed out.

This surprised Ren Fengjue somewhat. He saw Xia Ximo lying motionless on the bed, as if he had fallen asleep.

He closed the door behind him and then checked the windows to make sure the cold wind wasn't blowing in because the windows or doors were left open.

It wasn't until he walked to the bedside and felt the chill intensify that he gradually came to his senses.

"Mo'er!"

Ren Fengjue reached out and touched Xia Ximo, his heart sinking as he realized that the chill was emanating from her.

He quickly lifted her from the bed, his voice trembling, "What... happened?"

Xia Ximo's face was deathly pale, and she was barely breathing, but she still managed to open her eyes and glance at him.

"It's so cold..." she whispered.

Ren Fengjue hugged her tightly and took the wedding quilt from the bed, wrapping it all around her.

"Your body..."

Suddenly realizing something, his voice became hoarse, "Isn't there still more than a year left? Why?"

Xia Ximo nestled in his arms, and only the pure yang energy emanating from him could give her a sense of warmth.

She paused for a moment before saying, "The Soul-Crossing Lamp has been lit, and I don't have much time left."

"It's lit up?"

Ren Fengjue was stunned for a moment before he understood.

No wonder she seemed a bit off after returning from Yaoguang's residence that day.

It turns out that the Soul-Crossing Lamp had already been lit at that time.

This also means that she has completed her mission in the underworld and it is time for her to leave the human world.

Ren Fengjue hugged her even tighter, his expression full of reluctance. "What...can I do to buy a little more time?"

"I'll go...I'll go find Master Yan!"

A person who is usually calm and composed was now so flustered that he didn't know what to do.

Xia Ximo grasped his hand and said calmly, "Don't go looking for him, it's no use."

Ren Fengjue grasped her hand in return, but could not utter a word.

The bright red wedding candles inside the room were only half lit, and the wedding banquet had not yet completely ended. The night was clearly still very long.

They finally got married after so much trouble, why couldn't they have a little more time?

He felt it was unfair, and his emotions were bottled up inside, with no real reason to vent them.

Xia Ximo rested in his arms for a while before her body became too stiff and cold.

She turned her head to look at the water clock, then reached out and stroked his face, smiling softly.

"There's still an hour left, so stay with me for a while."

Ren Fengjue, suppressing the tears welling up in his eyes, could only nod.

Xia Ximo smiled gently again and leaned her body further into the bridal bed.

Ren Fengjue immediately understood her meaning, and promptly took off her shoes and socks, moved the pillow, and let her lie down inside.

Then, he lay down beside her.

Xia Ximo covered the two of them with the quilt, then took his hand from under the quilt and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Ren Fengjue, who had been lying there stiffly, couldn't help but turn to his side and hug her tightly after feeling her actions.

Tears that I had held back for so long finally spilled from the corners of my eyes, but I didn't want her to see them.

The heartache was so intense that even breathing felt dull...

The two embraced silently under the wedding quilt, the candlelight illuminating the two golden mandarin ducks on the bedding, making them appear dull and lifeless.

After a long while, Xia Ximo finally lifted her head from his embrace, bringing them face to face.

At that moment, her eyes shone even brighter than candlelight.

"Ren Fengjue".

She softly called his name and said, "In the last life, you waited for me for a hundred years. In this life, perhaps... you will have to wait a long time."

"If... there is a next life, I'll wait for you."

Ren Fengjue shook his head and said, "I'm willing to wait for you, even if it takes several more centuries."

"That won't do." Xia Ximo sighed. "I'm afraid... you'll forget me."

"I won't forget."

Xia Ximo smiled again, "The Underworld Lord said that our fate is not limited to this life, but may extend to countless lifetimes."

Ren Fengjue paused for a moment, unsure whether her words were meant to comfort him.

But he replied with certainty, "There definitely will be."

Xia Ximo brought her face even closer. "Then I hope that a hundred years from now, when I return to the mortal world in a different body to help souls cross over, you will recognize me."

As she spoke, she reached out and cupped his face in her hands, then kissed him.

Compared to the passionate and lingering kiss two hours earlier, this one was gentle and profound…

Ren Fengjue responded cautiously, their lips meeting with a kiss, though perhaps because of the tears mixed in, it carried a bitter taste.

Just then, a cold wind began to blow outside the door, the wind lashing against the window, a sound from the netherworld.

Immediately, two enormous figures were reflected on the door.

Xia Ximo knew who it was, of course. She glanced at them coldly but didn't say anything.

The two messengers outside the gate were quite sensible. Knowing that this person was not to be trifled with, they simply informed him in spirit language and then retreated directly outside the courtyard gate.

Although Ren Fengjue could not see the ghost, he could still sense the strange aura that did not belong to the human world.

His reluctance to part surged up again, and he hugged Xia Ximo even tighter.

Inside the Soul-Crossing Lamp, Wuyou had already cried herself into a weeping ghost.

"The Earth God is really something. How could he bear to separate lovers who have finally become a couple?"

As soon as it finished speaking, a voice responded from inside the lamp.

"You audacious spirit of the lamp, how dare you speak ill of the Earthly Lord!"

Wuyou knew that it was a warning from the underworld messengers to her.

Normally, it would never dare to make a sound.

But now, driven only by a sense of righteous indignation, he mustered his courage and retorted angrily, "I didn't say anything wrong! Even if the Earth God were here, I would still say the same thing!"

The next second, the string that the Earth Lord had given it bound it into a knot.

Before Wuyou could even react, she was dragged back to the Netherworld.

"Mogu, save me!"