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

Xia Ximo narrowed his eyes.

She really doesn't like to help people.

He's never been one to meddle in other people's business.

Whether to help or not is a choice.

Whether you can help or not is a skill.

No one had ever said anything like that to her.

"How will you know I can't help if you don't even try?"

Watching the man's retreating figure, Xia Ximo's tone was firm and left no room for refusal: "Take me to see your wife."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zigui slowly turned around and gave her another deep look.

He's not very old, but he's got quite a big mouth.

Yet her eyes, filled with coldness, possessed a menacing quality that seemed incongruous with her appearance.

They are not to be underestimated.

A strange thought suddenly came to his mind.

Perhaps she really can help me?

In the sunlight, Zhou Zigui glanced at his shadow and, for some unknown reason, nodded.

"If you're not afraid, come with me."

Although the Zhou family was not a wealthy family, they used to run a pastry shop in the East Market. The shop was in a good location, so the business was always good.

I've made a lot of money over the years.

Zhou Zigui was the only son in his family. He lost his father at a young age, so he started working in the shop with his mother at an early age.

Later, his mother also passed away. Before her death, she arranged a marriage for him, marrying a woman named Liu from a neighboring county. They had a son and a daughter, so that he would not be left all alone.

But just six months ago, Liu had an accident on her way back from her parents' home with her two children.

I was supposed to arrive home around 5 PM, but I waited until dark and still no one was there.

Zhou Zigui was anxious, so he handed the shop over to the shop assistant and hired a horse-drawn carriage to pick up people along the way.

Because Liu's family home was in Yan County, dozens of miles away from the capital, he repeatedly instructed his driver to take the main road for safety reasons.

But as they traveled all the way to Liu's maternal home in Yan County, they found no trace of her.

The father-in-law said that his daughter and grandson had lunch and then set off, and they should have been home by 5 PM.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zigui felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his back went cold with fright.

He immediately reported the matter to the authorities in Yan County.

After a night of searching by the authorities, the bodies of his wife, Liu, and their two children were found at the foot of a cliff at dawn.

But the carriage and its driver have disappeared.

Therefore, the authorities focused their suspicions on the coachman Ada and spent another day arresting him.

Ada confessed to the deaths of Liu and her children without hesitation.

He admitted that he had evil intentions because he saw that Liu was beautiful, and deliberately took her to a secluded place to assault her.

At that time, Liu struggled desperately, and her two children cried and shouted beside her.

In a moment of panic, Ada killed the three men and abandoned their bodies at the bottom of the cliff.

The authorities apprehended the murderer and brought him to justice, thus closing the case.

On the way, Zhou Zigui took the initiative to recount his experiences from half a year ago, but his expression was blank. Even when he talked about the tragic deaths of his wife and children, his face remained as still as dead water.

Xia Ximo listened silently without interrupting.

Wuyou couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Now that the case is closed and the murderer has been brought to justice, the ghosts of Liu and her children should have entered the underworld to be reincarnated."

"If the murderer were someone else, the ghost of the Liu family would surely harbor resentment. However, apart from the yin energy, Zhou Zigui does not possess the aura of a wrongfully deceased soul."

"That's really strange."

Xia Ximo remained silent, her gaze falling instead on a house shrouded in gloom not far away.

"arrive."

As Zhou Zigui pushed open the gate, a gust of cold wind blew in his face, as if ghosts were whispering among themselves.

He stepped in first, saying, "My wife, I'm back."

Xia Ximo glanced inside, about to follow, when someone behind her said, "Miss, that man surnamed Zhou is a madman. He talks nonsense all day long at home. You must not believe a word he says!"

She turned around and saw a beggar standing at the intersection.

He said some nice things, but his eyes kept glancing inside.

I have no idea what plans they are making.

"Aren't you afraid of ghosts?"

Xia Ximo gave him a cold look.

The beggar saw her icy, knife-like eyes and knew she was not someone to mess with, so he immediately ran away.

Xia Ximo followed and stepped into the house.

The house is small, with only one entrance, and you can see the whole thing as soon as you enter.

At this moment, all that could be seen in the courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and a single osmanthus tree stood there, looking rather eerie.

The two side rooms on the left and right have probably been uninhabited for a long time, covered in dust and cobwebs.

Overall, it's practically an abandoned house.

Inside the main room, Zhou Zigui entered in the dark. Although the room was dimly lit, no lamps were turned on.

Facing the darkness, he began to talk to himself again.

"My lady, why are you hiding there?"

"Don't be afraid, she's here to help us."

"What? You don't like her?"

"Fine, then I'll kick her out!"

As they spoke, Zhou Zigui walked straight out of the main house and said to Xia Ximo in the courtyard without any politeness, "My wife doesn't welcome you. You...you'd better leave now!"

Xia Ximo ignored him and walked straight into the house.

However, before they even got close, a gust of cold wind blew in and slammed the door shut.

Clearly, she was not welcome here.

Xia Ximo remained unfazed despite being turned away, coldly stating, "The paths of Yin and Yang are separate, and the paths of humans and ghosts are different."

"If you died unjustly, you should seek redress as soon as possible and be reincarnated in the underworld."

"By forcibly keeping people in this world in this way, you will only harm yourself and others."

After saying that, she didn't bother with the matter anymore and turned to walk outside.

Wuyou floated behind her, puzzled, and asked, "Walking so fast, don't you want to earn gold anymore?"

Xia Ximo said calmly, "If a ghost doesn't want revenge, it naturally won't reveal who the murderer is."

"How could I not want revenge?"

Worry-free was even more puzzled.

If Lady Liu truly suffered immense humiliation before her death, she must have harbored extremely deep resentment and would very likely transform into a vengeful ghost filled with vengeful energy.

Even though Zhu Yan, the painter from Jinxiu Yizhuang, had her soul scattered, one could still sense her resentment from her scattered soul.

But Liu Shi didn't harbor any resentment at all.

Of course, there is something even more puzzling: why is Zhou Zigui able to see ghosts?

Even, living under the same roof as this ghost for half a year?

This is all so strange.

By the time they returned to the Ren residence, it was already completely dark.

Ren Fengjue was chatting with Yan Zhengchu in the hall.

Hearing the noise outside the door, the two of them looked out at the same time.

Yan Zhengchu was the first to greet her: "Miss Xia, the young marquis has already paid for your gold ingot."

Ren Fengjue immediately recalled the words he had spoken to Xia Ximo when they parted ways in front of the Ministry of Justice.

I wondered, since she came back so late, could she really be thinking about "paying back the money"?

He stood up, about to speak.

Xia Ximo walked to the door and said to Yan Zhengchu, "Taoist, I have a question to ask you."

Upon hearing this, Lord Ren had no choice but to swallow back the words he was about to say.

Yan Zhengchu was also surprised. Having accepted the gold, he was clearly no longer averse to being called a "Taoist".

He even replied with a smile, "Miss Xia, please feel free to ask any questions you may have."