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

Ren Fengjue snapped out of his daze, and after a moment of calm, his expression gradually returned to normal.

"I really have no objection."

To be honest, this engagement was something he could do without anyway.

Even if the person in front of me has many ties with me in name, he is still just a stranger.

His thoughts were now clear, and he continued, "However, the engagement was arranged by our parents. If we wish to annul it, we must inform them. How dare we make such a decision on our own?"

Xia Ximo remained calm and uttered two words.

"how long?"

Ren Fengjue choked for no apparent reason.

He has not been home for over a month due to the case involving the Minister of Works.

In his view, breaking off the engagement was indeed a small matter, but if his parents found out, they would definitely ask him all sorts of questions.

Moreover, there was something fishy about this matter, and he didn't want to deal with it rashly.

Considering this, we can only resort to a delaying tactic for now.

"This engagement is not a trivial matter. I will write a letter back to my father to mention it, and I should receive a reply within three to five days."

Upon hearing this, Xia Ximo simply responded with a faint sound and said nothing more.

Silence immediately fell over the area.

Yu Lang was stuck in the middle and felt something was off.

He glanced at Ren Fengjue discreetly and said softly, "Lord Ren, it's getting dark. Shall I take my leave?"

Ren Fengjue then realized something…

It was getting dark, and Xia Ximo had come to Kyoto alone, seemingly without a place to stay.

Although the two of them had no personal relationship whatsoever, they should still do their duty as hosts out of consideration for the past friendship between their elders.

Moreover, he had his own considerations...

After thinking for a moment, Ren Fengjue glanced at Yu Lang and said, "I have some things to discuss with Young Master Yu. Why don't you stay and have dinner with me?"

"..."

Before Yu Lang could reply, he turned to Xia Ximo and said, "Miss Xia, you must be tired from your journey. It's getting late. If you don't mind, please stay at my humble abode for a few days."

Yu Lang's words caught in his throat, slightly shocked, and he couldn't help but speculate in his heart.

Having known each other for so many years, he knew Ren's temperament well. He was extremely self-disciplined, and to this day, there had never been a woman in his residence.

It is said that even when Princess Ding'an, the emperor's most beloved daughter, made advances towards him, he ignored them all, focusing solely on solving the murder and the case.

He once thought that perhaps Lord Ren was not interested in women.

Looking back now, it all makes perfect sense.

It turns out that he had been keeping himself celibate for his fiancée all along, clearly showing how deeply he loved her!

Xia Ximo seemed to hesitate for a moment after hearing this.

This body is no longer suitable for living outdoors; excessive travel and hard work will only further deplete its yang energy.

If one's soul is lost again, there's no way to remedy the situation.

Staying by this man's side for the time being is a good thing, as it helps to suppress the chilling aura of the Netherworld.

"Can."

She parted her thin lips slightly, still sparing with words, not uttering a single unnecessary sentence.

Ren Fengjue didn't ask any further questions. He immediately summoned his servant, Achun, and instructed him, "Go and tidy up the guest room and arrange for Miss Xia to stay there."

Then, he looked at Xia Ximo and said, "My humble abode is simple. If Miss Xia needs anything, please let them procure it for you."

"Um."

Xia Ximo didn't stand on ceremony with him and turned to leave with his servant.

This attitude makes it seem like they're not at all unfamiliar with each other.

Yu Lang suppressed his laughter, holding it in for a long time, and then looked at Lord Ren with a somewhat ambiguous expression.

Hearing the footsteps fade away, he said, "This Miss Xia doesn't seem to really want to break off her engagement with Lord Ren. She's probably... encountered some difficulties."

Ren Fengjue didn't reply. He sat down to the side, poured himself a cup of tea, and remained calm with a deep look in his eyes.

After a moment, he put down his teacup and asked, "How do you know that her identity is definitely genuine?"

Yu Lang's smile faded: "Lord Ren wouldn't suspect anything..."

"General Xia's daughter has been frail and sickly since childhood. She moved into her uncle's house six years ago, and during that time, only my mother has seen her once."

In other words, apart from Madam Hou, no one in the Ren family had ever seen this Miss Xia.

"I just asked her if something had happened to the Mu family that made her travel all the way to Kyoto to find me."

"In the end, she just wanted to break off the engagement with me without giving any reason, which was a bit strange."

Following his train of thought, Yu Lang pondered for a moment and suddenly came to a conclusion.

"Lord Ren! You're saying that Miss Xia...could it be that she's fallen for someone else?"

"..."

If she hadn't fallen for someone else, why would she be so determined to break off the engagement?

If that's really the case, then Lord Ren is truly pitiful!

Seeing that the other party remained silent, Yu Lang couldn't help but comfort him, saying, "In matters of the heart, there is indeed no logic to it. Lord Ren, there's no need to be too sad. What does a great man have to worry about not having a wife?"

Just as he was about to continue speaking, Ren Fengjue silently handed him a cup of tea.

"Yaoguang should still be in Jiangnan these days. Write her a letter and ask her to go to Xiling County to secretly investigate the Mu family's situation."

Yao Guang, a member of the Shadow Guard, is an expert in light footwork and excels in espionage and tracking.

Six months ago, she was assigned by the Emperor to the Three Judicial Offices to assist Ren Fengjue in handling cases.

The three of them traveled south together.

Yu Lang took a sip of tea awkwardly, his expression somewhat unnatural. "Lord Ren knows perfectly well that I don't get along with Miss Yaoguang, so why did you still send me to write this letter?"

"Incompatible?"

He had clearly harassed a girl, but got beaten up and lost face.

Ren Fengjue glanced at him. "Back in Wuzhou County, you were the one who offended her first. I think Miss Yaoguang is more magnanimous than you."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Yu Lang could only force a laugh and say, "Very well, Lord Ren, how could I dare disobey your orders?"

Ren Fengjue nodded, a smile appearing in his eyes: "Go and get on with it as soon as possible. I won't keep you for dinner."

"..."

Yu Lang hesitated, then left in a huff.

The hall fell silent, except for a charcoal fire burning brightly in the corner, occasionally crackling softly.

Ren Fengjue walked to the stove, bent down slightly, and stretched out his slender hands, feeling the warmth of the firelight on his palms.

Uncle Ren.

He lowered his eyes and called out softly.

Then, a middle-aged man who looked to be around forty years old walked in.

"Young master, what are your orders?"

Ren Fengjue flipped his palm over, his expression indifferent.

"In the next few days, have someone keep an eye on the whereabouts of 'the woman in the guest room.' Report to me clearly what she did and where she went throughout the day."

"Don't make a fuss about the Marquis's residence yet, and especially don't let the Marquis and his wife know."

"Go."

"Yes."

Just as the steward Ren Cong was about to leave to carry out his orders, Ren Fengjue called him back.

"etc."

He seemed to think of something, frowned again, and instructed, "Tomorrow morning, send her one hundred taels of silver first, and also call someone from the clothing shop to come over and have two sets of winter clothes made."