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

The butler pushed open the door, and Xia Ximo went inside.

Zheng Ze, who was sitting at his desk, looked up and clearly recognized her.

"I drew... Daddy!"

He pointed excitedly to his painting and added, "And me!"

On the paper were two figures, one tall and one short, one long and one young. It was not hard to tell that they were Zheng Daoyuan in his youth and Zheng Ze in his childhood.

Xia Ximo glanced at it, then looked at the ghost floating beside him.

"Do you understand the pain of being separated from your loved ones now?"

"Did you ever imagine this day would come when you killed Lady Liu and her child?"

Xia Ximo's cold words immediately silenced the ghost's crying.

He was clearly surprised that the other person was talking to him.

"You...can you see me?"

Zheng Daoyuan's expression was complicated: "Why can you see me? Why can't my son... see me?"

Why is this happening?

He spoke, his voice trembling, his face contorted in pain.

Clearly, he has not yet fully accepted the fact that he is dead.

Xia Ximo said, almost emphasizing each word: "You are already dead."

These words made Zheng Daoyuan even more devastated, and a chilling wind suddenly swept through the room.

The housekeeper had no idea who she was talking to. Suddenly, he heard the wind blowing and the window rattling. He was so frightened that he stood at the door, unable to go in or out.

At this moment, Wuyou also released the souls of Zhou Zigui's family of four from the lamp.

Zheng Daoyuan was so frightened by what he saw that he wanted to run away, but Xia Ximo used his soul power to freeze him in place.

As Zhou Zigui approached him, Zheng Daoyuan's eyes widened in disbelief: "It's you! It's you!"

He believed that the person who killed him that day was the one standing before him.

Zhou Zigui had no idea why the other party was so afraid of him. He clenched his fists angrily and cursed, "You corrupt official, you killed my wife! You deserve to die!"

Zheng Daoyuan glanced at Liu Shi, then burst into tears: "I...I didn't mean to kill her, I just..."

"I was just momentarily bewitched, mistaking her for my deceased wife..."

"If I had known it would end like this, I would never have done it!"

"Madam Zhou, please forgive me!"

Lady Liu merely gave him a cold glare, but said to her husband, "My lord, he is now dead, and he and his child are separated by death, never to see each other again."

"And after the case is made public, he will be condemned by the world and infamous for eternity."

"He will pay the price, no less."

After hearing Liu's words, Zhou Zigui slowly calmed down and said coldly, "My wife will never forgive you."

Zheng Daoyuan murmured, but couldn't utter a single word.

He glanced at Zheng Ze again, almost subconsciously.

At this moment, Zheng Ze gently tugged at Xia Ximo's sleeve, asking expectantly, "Sister, do you know where my father went? Why doesn't he come to see me anymore?"

Xia Ximo remained silent.

The butler outside the door couldn't see the ghost, but he could feel the room suddenly getting cold. He was scared, but thinking of the young master, he still braced himself and went in.

"Young master, have you forgotten? Master has gone on a long trip and won't be back for several days..."

He's not coming back.

Xia Ximo interrupted the butler, looking at Zheng Ze's confused expression, and asked, "Have you ever done anything wrong?"

Zheng Ze thought about it carefully before timidly replying, "I...did it."

She then asked, "Do you know that you will be punished for doing bad things?"

Zheng Ze nodded, seemingly understanding her words, "Father also...did something bad?"

Xia Ximo paused slightly.

Under the watchful, anxious gaze of the housekeeper, she finally spoke: "He has caused someone else's child to be unable to see their father."

"Therefore, punish him by prohibiting him from seeing you for the next few decades."

These words stunned Zheng Ze. He lowered his head, looking at his painting, and asked softly, "When can I see him again?"

Xia Ximo thought for a moment before answering, "Decades later, you will go to a place called 'the Underworld.' At that time, you will ask the 'people' there."

-

At 1-3 PM, at the Duke of Du's residence.

Du Yueming could more or less guess Ren Fengjue's purpose for his sudden visit.

After all, the two had known each other for so many years, and this member of the Ren family would only come to the temple for a reason.

Upon hearing the servant's report, the young master claimed to be ill and refused to go to the hall to receive guests.

He thought this would save him trouble, but to his surprise, Ren Fengjue came directly to his courtyard a short while later.

They also called a physician from the prefecture.

"Since the young master is ill, he should see a doctor."

Du Yueming was now in a real bind.

"It's nothing serious, I'll be fine after lying down for a while."

After saying that, he leaned back on the couch and pulled the thin quilt around himself.

Ren Fengjue didn't leave. After the servants finished serving the tea, he leisurely sat down to drink tea and eat snacks, without any attempt to avoid suspicion.

Seeing that he lingered, Du Yueming sighed helplessly, threw back the covers, sat up cross-legged, and said impatiently, "Ren Fengjue, what do you want to know? Just ask already!"

Ren Fengjue smiled and put down his teacup, praising the pastries before saying, "I mainly wanted to ask about the background of Manager Bai of Fu Lou. I think the young master should know very well."

Du Yueming knew he was right, and pointed at him, cursing, "I knew you went to Fu Lou with bad intentions!"

In the end, it was all for the sake of investigating the case!

Ren Fengjue composed himself and said seriously, "You were there last night regarding the Fu Lou incident; it was all witnessed by everyone. I don't need to elaborate, do I?"

"Fu Lou is no ordinary restaurant, and Manager Bai is definitely not a kind person."

Looking back on what he saw and heard last night, Du Yueming was still somewhat frightened.

This building is indeed eerie.

He thought about it carefully before saying, "I only started having some dealings with Manager Bai about half a year ago, but I really know nothing about other things in Fu Lou."

After Zi Fu Lou became famous overnight in the capital, Du Yueming couldn't wait to go and find out more.

However, he spent a lot of money to pre-order the brand several times, but he never succeeded even once.

There were many rules inside the building. I asked around for seven or eight days before finally getting a red card.

When they arrived, they were turned away at the door, told that the place was full.

This matter infuriated Du Yueming, and he couldn't help but harbor a secret resentment.

He thought to himself, "What a lousy building! I don't care about it!"

The turning point came not long after, at a banquet at Zuihualou Restaurant.

During the journey, Du Yueming drank two cups of light wine. When he was slightly tipsy, he talked to the people at the table about Fu Lou.

Out of anger, he casually made a few disparaging remarks about Fu Lou, adding that most of the rumors circulating in the capital were unfounded and should not be believed.

Just as they were getting into the conversation, someone knocked on the door, claiming to be Manager Bai of Fu Lou, who wanted to invite Young Master Du over for a chat.

Upon hearing that it was actually the manager of Fu Lou, Du Yueming couldn't help but put on airs and deliberately declined the offer in front of everyone.

Unexpectedly, after a while, Manager Bai came to invite him in person.

I still remember that night, a graceful figure was reflected on the screen in front of the door, and just that figure alone was enough to make people's imaginations run wild.

That soft, seductive voice made every man in the building feel like his bones were melting.

The capital has never lacked beauties, and Du Yueming had a particular fondness for them.

Immediately, all old and new grudges vanished.

He just wanted to catch a glimpse of her face!

However, once he excitedly arrived at Bai Qingshuang's private room, he immediately wilted.

It turned out that there was another person inside the pavilion besides Bai Qingshuang.