Chapter 163
Chapter 163
Ge Chuan was in utter turmoil, all the while carefully watching Lord Ren’s expression.
He noticed that from the moment they entered the village, his lordship’s faintly furrowed brow had not once smoothed out.
Even when speaking with others in a calm and steady voice, he carried an effortless air of authority.
Yet now, for some reason, Lord Ren’s face had not only relaxed, but a trace of gentle amusement had even appeared in his eyes.
Ge Chuan found this unbelievably curious. He followed his gaze and saw the figure of a woman slowly approaching from the village entrance.
So it was her…
With only a little thought, Magistrate Ge remembered that she had once appeared in Kaiming County as well.
Though he did not know her identity, judging from Lord Ren’s attitude toward her alone, he could already make out a few clues.
This lady might very well become the future Young Marquise.
Ren Fengjue involuntarily took two steps forward and hurriedly asked, “Why are you here?”
Under everyone’s gaze, Xia Ximo continued walking at an unhurried pace.
To others, it seemed as though she was putting on quite an air.
But she showed not the slightest change in expression because of so many people staring at her. Instead, without looking aside, she walked straight up to Ren Fengjue and gave a simple instruction.
“Come with me.”
She said nothing more, leaving everyone unable to guess what exactly she was up to.
But Ren Fengjue clearly trusted her without question. Without hesitation, he followed after her.
Seeing this, how could the rest of them dare delay?
Xia Ximo led the group past row upon row of houses and arrived at the back mountain of Tu Family Village.
There, a winding mountain path stretched deep into the hills.
It was the depths of winter, and the forest was bleak, with fallen leaves piled thick on the ground. Even so, Ren Fengjue still noticed wheel tracks pressed into the soft earth beneath his feet.
The tracks happened to stop at the foot of the mountain.
Suddenly, one of the yamen runners pointed toward a thorny thicket not far away and reported, “My lord, there’s something over there.”
Everyone stopped in their tracks. Seeing that Ren Fengjue did not speak, Ge Chuan ordered, “Two of you, go take a look.”
The two yamen runners received the order and stepped forward, pushing aside the brambles. As expected, an old, battered flatbed cart was hidden inside.
Ren Fengjue understood at once, but he glanced at Xia Ximo.
She, however, said nothing at all. She stepped directly onto the mountain path and headed into the forest.
At that moment, the sky abruptly darkened.
The wind swept through the woods with a mournful howl.
All the yamen runners could feel something uncanny in that wind, and chills crept up their backs.
Someone suddenly asked in a low voice, “Have any of you heard… that this mountain was once said to be haunted?”
Another immediately replied, “I have relatives here in Tu Family Village. That rumor’s been around for a long time.”
“They say that ever since someone who died a violent death was buried on this mountain, the yin energy here has become extremely heavy.”
“They also say a man once came up the mountain to chop firewood and ran into that vengeful ghost. He only took one look, but after he got home, he came down with a high fever that wouldn’t break. In less than two days, he was dead.”
“What? That really happened? Don’t scare me!”
Hearing such rumors, the yamen runners immediately exchanged uneasy glances.
Seeing that the sky was growing stranger and stranger, they could not help thinking of retreat.
Ge Chuan, walking ahead of them, had more or less heard what they were saying. He immediately turned back and glared at them, lowering his voice as he scolded, “A bunch of grown men, and you’re scared of ghosts? Look at that young lady!”
At those words, the yamen runners could not help craning their necks one after another to look at the “young lady” at the very front.
Xia Ximo had been walking at the head of the group the entire time. That slender figure of hers looked as though it feared no danger or obstacle.
She truly was not afraid at all.
At last, one of the slightly bolder men lowered his voice and asked the town official, Li Cheng, “Sir, where exactly are we going, following this woman?”
Li Cheng looked toward the back mountain, his scalp prickling with dread. Of course, in his heart, he would rather be anywhere else.
But with Magistrate Ge pressing down on him from above, what choice did he have?
He could only say, “Wherever the county magistrate goes, we go. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“…”
The mountain path was steep and narrow. In under ten minutes, the group had gradually made their way deep into the mountain.
Just then, Xia Ximo suddenly stopped. Everyone behind her stopped as well.
Her ears twitched. The sound of the wind was fading, but in the next moment, a faint rustling came from within the forest.
Someone held out a hand and asked in confusion, “Is it raining? Why do I hear rain?”
At first listen, it did sound like the soft patter of rain striking leaves.
But the sound was coming closer and closer. From afar, it resembled rain; up close, its strangeness became clear.
Obviously… something underground was burrowing through layer after layer of rotting leaves, swiftly closing in around them.
“It’s bugs!”
“How can there be so many bugs in this season?”
“Ah! What kind of bugs are these?”
Although the Corpse Worms were hidden beneath the leaves, with only one or two peeking out, their bodies glowed with a bluish light. In the dim, overcast mountain forest, they were glaringly conspicuous.
Seeing everyone descend into panic, Ren Fengjue immediately raised his voice and said, “No need to panic. You all have insect-repelling sachets on you. They won’t dare come close.”
Hearing this, the yamen runners pressed their backs against one another and tightly clutched the sachets filled with cinnabar and realgar powder.
The Corpse Worms caught the scent and, sure enough, stopped advancing. However, they did not disperse.
Ren Fengjue finally found his chance. He reached out and pulled Xia Ximo behind him, saying, “I’ll go in front…”
With his Pure Yang Body, just standing there was already enough to “ward off evil and repel ghosts.”
As he opened the way ahead, the Corpse Worms did indeed retreat one after another.
Xia Ximo did have ways to deal with these worms as well, but with Ren Fengjue blocking the front, it was certainly much less trouble.
Only, when she suddenly lowered her head, she discovered that his left hand was still tightly holding her right hand.
He showed no intention of letting go…
Xia Ximo followed his steps, and for some reason, a faint tingling sensation spread through her entire right arm.
Only when the Yin Soul inside the Soul-Ferrying Lantern reminded her that they had nearly reached the place did she react.
“Ren Fengjue.”
She called his name softly.
Only then did Ren Fengjue stop and ask, “Are we here?”
Xia Ximo nodded.
Then she slipped free of his hand and slowly walked up to the town official, Li Cheng.
No one knew what she meant to do.
Li Cheng also looked utterly at a loss.
Then Xia Ximo spoke coldly: “One year ago, a death case occurred in Yunxia Town. The deceased was a pregnant woman.”
“At the time, that woman’s husband, her parents-in-law, and even her own parents all claimed she had hanged herself.”
“But the woman’s younger sister said that her sister had been murdered by her husband’s family in a conspiracy.”
“In the end, how did you rule on this case?”
Her words startled Li Cheng all over again. When he looked back toward the mountain forest, the memory became clear as well.
The woman who had hanged herself back then-hadn’t she been buried on this very mountain?
Could this matter actually have something to do with him?
Under one sharp gaze after another, Li Cheng could only bite the bullet and answer, “I do have some impression of that case. After investigation, it was determined that the woman had indeed hanged herself…”
But Xia Ximo let out a cold laugh and asked again, “You never even examined the body. How exactly did you determine that?”