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

That day, the person who suddenly disappeared in the temple on the outskirts of the city was Simeng.

When Ruyan found her in another side hall, she was kneeling on a prayer mat, praying to the empty Buddhist temple, with a strange smile on her lips.

"Si Meng, what are you doing here?"

The temple has long been abandoned, and the gods and Buddhas are no longer there.

Seeing that scene, Ruyan felt something was off and went forward to try to pull her away.

Unexpectedly, Simeng seemed to be possessed, and no matter what she did, she couldn't be pulled.

Left with no other choice, she had to call upon her fellow servants for help to forcibly take Simeng, who was in a trance-like state, out of the temple.

Back at Hongxiu Tower, Simeng claimed to be unwell and locked herself in her room, refusing to see anyone.

When the head housekeeper, Sister Fu, found out, she was very unhappy. Ru Yan was afraid that Sister Fu would blame her, so she took out some of her own money and said some nice things to appease Sister Fu's anger.

Ruyan genuinely cared about Simeng and even spent money to hire a doctor to examine her and prescribe medicine.

She took the medicine for two days, and Ruyan took care of her for two days as well.

Seeing that Simeng was growing increasingly haggard and unable to serve guests, Ruyan also felt pity for her.

One night, King Yu came to see her. After spending some time together, she mentioned Simeng to Zhao Xing.

"My sister is also pitiful. Although she was born into an official's family, she never had a good life."

"After their home was raided, the women in the family were sold off. Because she was young, she was sold several more times and eventually ended up here."

"Her health has always been poor, and she's fallen ill again these days. I'm really worried about her. What will she do here all alone if I leave in the future?"

As she spoke, she knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

His Highness King Yu felt sorry for her and promised her, "Don't cry anymore. Whether I redeem one or two, it's all the same. You don't need to worry. I'll take care of her."

The next day, after seeing King Yu off, Ruyan happily went to find Simeng, intending to tell her the news.

It was a sunny afternoon.

Simeng's room was dark and gloomy, with not a single ray of light penetrating through.

When Ruyan entered, Simeng was doing her makeup in front of the mirror.

She had been ill for several days, her face was as pale as paper, and even with makeup on, she looked extremely haggard.

"Si Meng, why are you up?"

"Didn't the doctor say you should rest in bed as much as possible?"

"Open the windows to let in more air, so you can recover faster."

As Ruyan was speaking, she was about to open the window for her when she heard Simeng coldly ask, "I heard that His Highness Prince Yu came again last night?"

"Sister is truly blessed. Even though His Highness Prince Yu has just been betrothed to the eldest daughter of the Zhuang family by the Emperor, he still thinks of you."

"Why don't I have such good fortune? I was born the daughter of a disgraced official, and I was sold off everywhere. Even if I ended up in a brothel, I would be a lowly person no one wanted."

Hearing the unusual tone in her voice, Ruyan was taken aback.

"Si Meng, why are you saying these things all of a sudden?"

Simeng sneered, stood up, and slowly walked over to her. "Sister, come here."

Then, he pulled her in front of the mirror, took out a brocade box from his dressing case, and handed it to her.

"My sister's wedding is coming soon, and I'd like to give you a gift."

If Ruyan heard such words normally, she would be genuinely happy.

But at this moment, she felt only fear.

Because the dream I'm seeing is just too abnormal.

"Si Meng..."

Ruyan, unaware of what had happened, said in a trembling voice, "You don't need to give me a gift, I..."

She had intended to tell the other party that news…

But in front of her, Simeng opened the brocade box, inside which was a dazzling pearl.

"Does your sister like this gift?"

Ruyan was stunned again. At that moment, she thought the other party was sincere.

I was even... a little moved.

However, before she could express her feelings, she heard Simeng whisper in her ear, "I know you'll like it, so I'll grant your wish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold wind swept through the room.

Through the dim bronze mirror, Ruyan discovered that a cloud of black mist was floating behind Simeng.

She was so frightened she wanted to scream, but Simeng covered her mouth with her hand. "Ruyan, do you know?"

The black mist followed her hand and began to seep into Ruyan's eyes...

Her vision began to blur, but Simeng's voice grew clearer in her ears.

"I've always been jealous of you. Why do you have King Yu backing you up? Why do you have the opportunity to enter the royal palace and enjoy a life of luxury?"

"Why you! And not me!"

"Why should I?!"

Amidst Simeng's increasingly frantic questioning, Ruyan was unable to respond. The black mist seeped into her eyes, sealing her soul.

In the end, it completely devoured her.

At this point, the ghost couldn't help but cover its eyes and begin to tremble: "Then I lost consciousness..."

"It was like being trapped inside something, unable to get out or make a sound. I couldn't even hear anything; all I felt was intense hatred."

"I hate Simeng, I hate everyone at Hongxiulou, I even hate every patron, including His Highness Prince Yu..."

"That hatred enveloped me and tormented me; I started to have a crazy urge to kill them!"

"But I have always been grateful to His Highness King Yu, so why would I want to kill him?"

Xia Ximo said, "That's because you're controlled by evil energy."

The ghost shook its head blankly and continued, "I don't know how much time passed after that, until suddenly, a crack appeared in front of me, and I crawled out of it."

"But I don't remember anything anymore. I can only wander around by feeling, as if I've come to a place that feels like I've been before."

"later…"

What happened next is not hard to guess.

The bead that King Yu gave to Princess Ding'an must have sealed away Ruyan's soul.

After the bead shattered, the soul escaped from it.

Having absorbed a great deal of malevolent energy and been affected by evil spirits, she could not remember anything from her previous life, nor did she know who she was.

That's how it became a mindless and formless ghost...

"alright."

Xia Ximo coldly interrupted her, "Now that we know who killed you, I can give you a chance to pay for your crime with blood. Tell me, what do you want to do?"

The spirit pondered for a moment, then whispered, "I have only one unfulfilled wish in the mortal realm, and that is to see His Highness King Yu one last time."

"You only want to see one man?"

Xia Ximo frowned, a rare expression flickering across his face. "You don't want revenge?"

The ghost shook its head slightly. "I think I've hated Simeng enough. I also know she won't have a good ending."

"We've been sisters for many years, and I have a clear conscience, both in terms of friendship and duty."

"Only His Highness King Yu still feels a trace of regret when he thinks about it."

Xia Ximo gave her a cold look: "Being infatuated is the most useless thing in the world."

The ghost looked at her with a smile: "Indeed useless, but it seems that I am someone who has been troubled by 'love' all my life."

"I wish that in my next life I could be like you, free and unfettered, living a carefree and open life."

Xia Ximo remained silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and opened the Soul-Crossing Lamp in his palm.

The ghost understood and immediately bowed gracefully to her, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, young lady."

She put away the soul-ferrying lamp, lifted the carriage curtain, glanced in the direction of the Wang residence, and suddenly lowered her head and said, "Before that, let's go see what happens to your enemies."