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

The person who came to speak with him was Du Yueming, the son of Duke Du.

At this moment, he was slowly getting off the carriage with the help of his servants.

Despite the cold weather, he was only wearing a thin, jade-green satin brocade robe, with his waist belt adorned with numerous precious ornaments.

So much so that when she walked, her jade pendants jingled, attracting a lot of attention.

"Young Master."

Ren Fengjue nodded politely, which was considered a greeting.

The two had known each other since childhood, so Du Yueming naturally didn't care about his cold attitude and still smiled.

"What brings you here today? Are you alone? Or...?"

Xia Ximo walked too fast ahead, and Ren Fengjue didn't have time to introduce her, so he pulled Yan Zhengchu over and said, "I'm with a friend."

Du Yueming glanced at Yan Zhengchu and asked, "This young master looks unfamiliar. What is your name?"

Yan Zhengchu immediately clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "My surname is Yan."

"Nice to meet you."

Since he was Ren Fengjue's friend and colleague, Du Yueming gave him some face: "Please invite the young master to my residence for drinks another day."

Yan Zhengchu smiled and agreed.

After exchanging pleasantries, Du Yueming eagerly pulled Ren Fengjue upstairs and whispered in his ear, "A few days ago, Lady Hou brought General Xia's daughter to my residence..."

"I took a look at you from afar, and you were actually quite good-looking; you were a good match for me."

Unexpectedly, Ren Fengjue simply replied, "Oh? Is that so?"

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Du Yueming guessed that he was unhappy about being "arranged to marry before birth".

He sighed, "We people, though born into privilege, are sometimes powerless to change our circumstances, especially in these arranged marriages between powerful families, sigh..."

He changed his tone and continued, "Fortunately, my old man is quite open-minded. At the beginning of the year, he even wanted me to marry Feng Qing, the daughter of the Grand Commandant."

"I really dislike those daughters of civil officials; they're all like silent gourds, completely lacking in charm."

Ren Fengjue listened to his rambling as he entered the building.

He had just handed over the red card when Du Yueming clicked his tongue again, "How can this red card reflect your status as the young marquis of Renxuan Marquis's mansion?"

"Come on, I have two green tags here. Come with me to play."

Hearing this, Ren Fengjue was truly eager for it, but then he thought of Yan Zhengchu.

"And my friend..."

"Sure, sure..."

Du Yueming beckoned to a waiter, "Go and get another green tag from my carriage."

Ren Fengjue was quite surprised: "How come you have so many brands?"

Du Yueming said mysteriously, "I come almost every night. Manager Bai promised me that he would have all kinds of cards, from red cards to green cards."

Ren Fengjue raised an eyebrow again: "You seem to know that Manager Bai quite well?"

Du Yueming snorted, but her eyes looked somewhat unnatural.

"We're not really close; it's just a matter of each getting what they need."

Ren Fengjue took in all of his "little actions" but showed no sign of surprise.

After standing in front of the door for a while, the waiter brought out the green badge, and the three of them went upstairs on their own.

After Xia Ximo entered the building with the green token, a stunningly beautiful maid led her to the second floor.

Seeing that she was a female guest who came alone and had an outstanding appearance, she immediately attracted the attention of many men in the hall as she walked up the U-shaped mahogany staircase.

"And whose family is that woman?"

"I don't recognize him, he looks unfamiliar."

"This is the first time I've seen a female guest come alone; it's quite a rare sight."

The man downstairs reluctantly turned his gaze away only after watching the red figure disappear into the stairwell.

Xia Ximo followed the maid into a small, fragrant room.

"Would you like wine or tea, young lady?"

"Tea."

She uttered a single word.

The maidservant bowed respectfully: "Please wait a moment, young lady."

Xia Ximo looked around and saw that there was a crescent-shaped window in the Xiang Pavilion, with beaded curtains hanging on both sides.

Standing by the window, one can enjoy the magnificent view from the first floor.

It turned out that there was a huge glass sculpture in the center of the hall.

The carving depicts a slender, graceful hand with clearly defined fingers.

A masked woman is dancing gracefully in the palm of your hand.

Looking at the four corners of the hall, you can see a delicate, slender hand carved from glass reaching out from each corner, holding a glass lamp.

Xia Ximo stroked the Soul-Ferrying Lamp inside the pouch and asked, "Did you find anything?"

After a long pause, Wuyou finally replied, "No, there's not a trace of soul energy."

Just as she was about to speak, her gaze caught sight of two familiar figures walking into a boudoir across the street.

Ren Fengjue and Yan Zhengchu.

The two of them actually went up to the second floor?

When Ren Fengjue looked up, he also saw her. Their eyes met from afar, and both were slightly taken aback.

Du Yueming followed his gaze and suddenly narrowed her slender eyes.

"Hey, whose woman is that?"

Clearly, he also noticed Xia Ximo, dressed in red, standing by the window in the opposite pavilion.

"I had no idea there was such a stunning beauty in the capital?"

Ren Fengjue felt a slight displeasure upon hearing his words, and quickly changed the subject: "I've heard that Manager Bai in this establishment is truly a beauty that could topple kingdoms. I wonder if I'll have the honor of meeting her today?"

Du Yueming then shifted his sticky gaze from Xia Ximo, but clicked his tongue.

"You, Ren Fengjue, this is the first time I've ever heard you inquire about women in all these years I've known you."

"What? Only someone as handsome as Manager Bai can catch your eye?"

Ren Fengjue didn't explain, only saying, "Just out of curiosity."

Du Yueming glanced at the water clock beside him and said, "Manager Bai usually doesn't appear until around 9 PM. In a little while, he'll be performing a dance you've never seen before on that 'Glassy Hand'."

"If you have seen Manager Bai's dance, no other dancer will ever catch your eye again."

Ren Fengjue did not respond.

A maid suddenly entered and asked Du Yueming, "Young Master, would you like a young lady to keep you company with drinks tonight?"

Du Yueming countered, "Are there any newcomers?"

"some."

Du Yueming quickly waved his hand: "Bring them all in, and let the young marquis have a look too."

Ren Fengjue frowned, about to decline, when he caught a glimpse of a handsome young man walking into the opposite pavilion.

It seems she's going to "choose" who to drink with her?

This woman!

Could it be that he's been distracted by beauty and forgotten his mission?

As Ren Fengjue thought this, he saw the young man sitting down next to Xia Ximo and smiling as he poured her wine.

He occasionally lowered his head and whispered a few words.

Xia Ximo remained seated to the side, making it impossible to see her expression at that moment.

Lord Ren felt as if something was slowly gnawing at his heart, and he became somewhat uneasy.

Just then, a group of beautiful women walked in from outside the door.

It happened to block his view.

Du Yueming greeted him with a smile: "Young Marquis, these are all the dancers in the brothel. Take a look and see which one you like? They can all stay and drink with you."

As she spoke, she put her arm around Yan Zhengchu's shoulder and asked him, "Young Master Yan, take a look and see which one you like..."

Yan Zhengchu stood up and pretended to stare intently at the dancer in front of him for a while.

Suddenly, he unfolded a folding fan with one hand and quickly drew a transformation talisman in the air with the other.

Just as they were about to see what was going on, Ren Fengjue suddenly stood up.