Chapter 106

Chapter 106

The four-horse carriage was spacious.

Aside from Ren Fengjue and Xia Ximo, it could easily have seated another two or three people.

But Lord Ren was clearly harboring selfish intentions.

He watched as Xia Ximo leaned against the carriage wall, her head tilted slightly. As the carriage moved, the wind lantern hanging at the front quietly slipped a corner of its glow inside, the faint halo illuminating her tranquil face in a way that made one reluctant to disturb her.

The window beside her had been left open by a crack, and he was worried that cold wind and strands of rain might seep in.

Ren Fengjue rose softly and had just reached out to shut the window tight when the person beside him suddenly opened her eyes.

In that instant, the entire carriage was unmistakably filled with killing intent.

He had not expected her to possess such astonishing vigilance even while asleep.

Lord Ren froze mid-motion. “Did I startle you…?”

Xia Ximo sat up unhurriedly, obvious fatigue still lingering on her face.

After finishing everything, she had only meant to close her eyes and rest for a moment. She had not expected to fall asleep without realizing it.

“How is the Crown Prince?” Xia Ximo asked, her expression still cool.

Ren Fengjue, however, knew that the mere fact she had taken the initiative to ask was already rare.

“He has awakened.”

After waking, the Crown Prince was astonishingly clear about everything that had happened over the past year.

That included how Murong Chen had devoured his soul; he remembered it all with perfect clarity.

“Over the past year, he essentially coexisted with Murong Chen’s soul. He was also fully aware of all the evil deeds Murong Chen committed, but he was unable to interfere.”

“He said Murong Chen established Fu Tower because he wanted to find suitable people there to refine the Yin-Yang Fiend.”

“Over the course of the year, he did manage to gather those sinister items, but he was always missing one Supreme Yin Soul.”

“As for Manager Bai, her identity is indeed mysterious. She was the one who sought out Murong Chen of her own accord and even offered him a Soul-Nurturing Pearl.”

“Bai Qingshuang’s origins cannot be determined for the time being. Daoist Yan suspects that what happened fifty years ago may have had something to do with her…”

Xia Ximo listened quietly without interrupting.

Ren Fengjue glanced at her, then continued, “The Crown Prince also said that in Murong Chen’s memories, he saw the Yin Tomb beneath Fu Tower…”

Xia Ximo finally spoke. “What did he see?”

Ren Fengjue paused briefly. “At first, I suspected that the person who destroyed the talisman, opened the stone door to the secret chamber, and released Murong Chen was Bai Qingshuang…”

“But the Crown Prince said it was a Daoist priest…”

“Mount Yunhe?”

At the time, when Zhao Li said those words, Yan Zhengchu had also been present. The moment he heard that the talisman had been destroyed by a Daoist priest, he had righteously defended Mount Yunhe on the spot.

“Mount Yunhe has always been an orthodox Daoist sect. This matter should have nothing to do with them.”

Because of his own Little Uncle, Ren Fengjue’s impression of “orthodox Daoist sects” was deeply ingrained.

Xia Ximo merely gave a cold snort. “That talisman was destroyed with exceptional finesse. It must have been done by someone who understood the key to that talisman.”

“If it truly was done by a Daoist priest, then I fear it cannot be unrelated to Mount Yunhe.”

Hearing her analysis, Ren Fengjue was momentarily speechless.

He thought to himself that it was fortunate Yan Zhengchu was not here. Otherwise, he would inevitably have argued with her over this.

After a moment’s consideration, he said, “In the end, the Crown Prince does not know the full sequence of events. I’m afraid we cannot draw a conclusion on this matter yet.”

At that, Xia Ximo swept him a glance but did not continue the conversation.

From the look of it, she neither wished to debate nor to concern herself with the matter any further.

Then she abruptly changed the subject. “Since the matter has been resolved, when will you fulfill what you promised me?”

Only then did Ren Fengjue remember the matter of “dissolving the marriage agreement.”

For some reason, now that he thought of it again, a faint reluctance stirred in his heart…

But a gentleman’s word was his bond. What he had promised, he absolutely had to do.

He answered somewhat unnaturally, “Once the Fu Tower Case is fully concluded, I will certainly give you an explanation.”

It took another day before the Ministry of Justice, working together with Dali Temple, finally identified the dead involved in the Fu Tower Case.
After Du Yueming sent over the list, he had still been half skeptical. But once the notice on the Fu Tower Case was released, he immediately behaved himself. For days on end, he did not dare step outside at night.

Ren Fengjue was so busy his feet barely touched the ground, yet he still had to make time for a trip to the palace to report the matter to the emperor.

Ever since Emperor Qingkang had experienced the matter of Meng Zhiyuan, the Minister of Works, he had gradually come to believe in ghosts and gods.

However, to keep His Majesty from worrying, Ren Fengjue deliberately kept him in suspense regarding the Yin-Yang Fiend and the old affairs of the previous dynasty.

He only said that once the Crown Prince entered the palace in the coming days, he would explain everything in full.

By nightfall, Ren Fengjue returned to the Ren Residence. To his surprise, Yu Lang was there as well, but this time, the man had not come to see him.

He had come to see Yan Zhengchu.

Seeing the two of them sitting in the hall, muttering away in a most secretive manner, Ren Fengjue could not help giving a soft cough and pausing in his steps.

In the end, the two rose and greeted him, but then stopped talking.

Clearly, they meant to keep it from him.

Ren Fengjue could not help smiling. Sensibly enough, he turned and went back to his study on his own.

However, he had only just sat down when Ren Cong hurried into the study, his face full of anxiety.

“Young Master, something has happened over at the Marquis Mansion.”

Ren Fengjue’s expression changed, and he rose again. “What happened?”

Ren Cong hastily said, “After the Marquise returned from the palace the day before yesterday, she suddenly fell ill…”

“What did Physician Zhang say after examining her?”

“He said it was a case of wind-cold. He has already performed acupuncture and prescribed medicine, but the Marquise’s condition is very strange. She also insisted that she must see you.”

The Marquise, Lady Rong, had always been in excellent health.

In the course of a year, never mind ailments like wind-cold or wind-heat, she rarely even suffered headaches or dizziness.

The moment Ren Fengjue heard that her condition was “strange,” worry stirred in his heart, and he headed straight for the door.

“Prepare the carriage. We are going directly back to the Marquis Mansion…”

Yan Zhengchu and Yu Lang, who were talking in the hall, saw Lord Ren had only just returned to his study before hurriedly rushing out again. Hearing the commotion, they both looked outside.

“Where is Lord Ren rushing off to now?”

A’chun, standing at the side, replied, “News came from the Marquis Mansion. It should be a message from the Marquis.”

Yu Lang nodded. Then he suddenly thought of the unresolved matter concerning that “Xia Ximo” at Renxuan Marquis Manor. Could Lord Ren be in such a hurry to handle that?

Distracted for only a moment, he pulled his thoughts back to his own “proper business” and continued speaking to Yan Zhengchu. “Let’s continue with what we were saying…”

“Mm…”

“Last time, Daoist Master used the ‘footprints’ to track down that monster that eats Living Soul. Are you confident this time?”

Yan Zhengchu smiled faintly, looking as though victory was already in his grasp.

“Naturally, I am quite confident. Otherwise, when I saw the ‘bloody footprints’ at Fu Tower back then, I would not have gone to the Eastern Palace first.”

Yu Lang looked as if he had come to a sudden realization.

At the time, when the bloody footprints were discovered inside Tongtian Pavilion, his first instinct had been-pursue it!

Yan Zhengchu, however, had been in no hurry. After making a quick divination on his fingers, he had only said that they had to go to the Eastern Palace first.

“We did not pursue it then because we were using it as bait. After all, there was still a Manager Bai behind all this.”

Yu Lang’s eyes nearly lit up. “Then can we pursue it now?”

He was thinking that by the time Lord Ren finished dealing with his “family matters” and returned, this matter would have results as well. Would that not be killing two birds with one stone?

Who would have thought Yan Zhengchu would simply close his eyes, fold his arms, and say nothing?

Seeing him like this, Yu Lang understood at once and immediately held up two fingers. “One ingot of gold.”

Yan Zhengchu reluctantly opened one eye. “Two ingots.”

“…”

Yu Lang was both exasperated and amused. “You are a Daoist. What do you need so much money for?”

Yan Zhengchu merely put on a mysterious expression. “I have my uses for it.”

“Fine. Two ingots of gold, then.”

“Deal.”

It was truly refreshing to do business with these children of high-ranking families.

The two were just about to head out when they discovered that, at some point, a figure had appeared outside the hall doors.

“You just said that monster that eats Living Soul isn’t dead?”