Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Upon hearing the news of Ren Dongxing’s death, Ren Shuo’s expression shifted drastically. No longer caring to maintain pretenses with Xia Ximo, he turned and rushed toward the inner courtyard.
The Gray-robed Taoist saw this and hesitated for a moment. He was about to follow when he was suddenly tripped by a strange force, leaving him unable to move.
He turned back in shock, only to see that the woman in the array had already broken free from the ropes and was walking toward him.
At the sight, he raised his fly-whisk, intending to pinch a seal and draw a talisman, but his hands froze mid-air, unable to perform the technique.
That eerie, restrictive force was like an airtight net, instantly enveloping his entire body and leaving him with no power to strike back.
The Taoist knew he was outmatched, and panic began to well up in his heart.
“You… are you human or a ghost?”
If she was human, why was she surrounded by such a dense aura of Yin energy that it almost completely masked the scent of a living person?
If she was a ghost, how could she have broken the Soul-locking Array completely unscathed?
Xia Ximo did not answer him, continuing her steady approach.
Under the bright moon, her figure was thin and ghost-like, yet she was clearly far more dangerous than any specter.
Her face gradually became clear in the Taoist’s pupils.
It was clearly still a young, innocent face, yet it commanded a fear that made one dare not look her in the eye.
“Where is Zhuyan’s Primary Soul?”
Watching her walk up to him step by step, the fear in the Taoist’s heart finally overflowed into his eyes.
He did not understand why she was so insistent on finding the soul of an Unknown Painter.
What could she possibly gain by offending the powerful Ren Family for such a lowly person?
“The person is already dead, so why won’t you let this go? What exactly is your relationship with her?”
The Taoist asked boldly, unwilling to give in just yet.
However, Xia Ximo’s answer stunned him once again.
“No relationship.”
Her gaze was colder than the frosty moon of this winter night, chilling him to the bone.
“If she is alive, I must see her person; if she is dead, I must see her soul. That is all.”
The Taoist couldn’t help but shiver upon hearing this. He quickly replied, “Her Primary Soul is currently under the peach tree in the back garden, along with her remains. You… you just need to peel off the talisman paper on top, and she can be released immediately.”
Before she could respond, he hurriedly tried to exonerate himself: “But this has nothing to do with me! I was just taking money to do a job. I didn’t kill her. Please, don’t take your anger out on me…”
Xia Ximo remained indifferent. “Take me there. You will dig her up yourself.”
Sensing the restrictive force around his body vanish, the Taoist’s legs went weak, and he nearly fell to his knees.
He didn’t dare play any tricks, immediately stumbling forward to lead the way. They soon arrived at the spot where Zhuyan was buried.
Under the cold moonlight, the “peach tree” was nothing more than a section of a trunk. Residual snow was piled beneath it, obscuring its original appearance.
The Taoist found the right spot and began to dig with a shovel. After a short while, he unearthed a set of remains.
However, just as he was preparing to step forward and remove the talisman, a commotion came from behind them.
The two turned around to see Ren Shuo leading a group of Clothing Manor guards, quickly surrounding them.
The dozen or so guards all had sabers hanging at their waists. Judging by the scale of the confrontation, one might have thought bandits had broken into the manor.
And Old Master Ren, who usually maintained a kind and benevolent facade, now had bloodshot eyes and was radiating a murderous aura.
“Seize this Sorceress! I want her buried with my son!”
At Ren Shuo’s command, the guards drew their blades and closed in on the tree in unison, only to meet a pair of deep, cold eyes.
Facing the glinting blades, she showed no fear, clearly not taking these threats seriously.
For a moment, the guards were actually intimidated by her.
Immediately after, a strange cloud of white mist drifted over. After circling the crowd once, it caused the guards’ blades to fly out of their hands simultaneously.
The white mist dissipated instantly, transforming into a pale silhouette that drifted beside Xia Ximo. “Your yang energy is incredibly weak right now,” it warned. “You cannot use any more soul power.”
Mortals could not see soul forms with the naked eye, let alone hear their voices. The guards stood frozen in place, glancing at one another in confusion.
“A bunch of useless trash!”
Driven to madness by the fresh grief of losing his son, Ren Shuo snatched up a nearby blade and lunged toward Xia Ximo.
However, before the sharp edge could reach her, an invisible resistance blocked the blade. No matter how much strength he exerted, he could not move it a single inch.
This eerie scene forced a sliver of sanity back into Ren Shuo.
He looked up, but the sight before him extinguished his fury instantly.
A mass of black shadows clung to the space in front of Xia Ximo, shielding her from the blade.
At his age, he had seen ghosts before. Last winter, he had even witnessed Zhuyan after she had turned into a vengeful spirit…
But this black shadow was composed of the most sinister and malevolent dark energy. It was far beyond anything an ordinary vengeful spirit could compare to.
In his daze, a clear male voice suddenly rang out from beyond the crowd: “Stop!”
The black shadow vanished at the sound.
Ren Shuo stumbled as something struck his wrist, forcing him to drop the knife. The guards scattered upon hearing the voice, hurriedly kneeling in a row.
“Greetings… Young Marquis.”
Only then did Ren Shuo realize he was in trouble. In a panic, he scrambled back several steps, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.
Ren Fengjue crossed through the crowd with long strides and came to a halt before them.
“Miss Xia is a guest at my manor. Even if she has offended you in some way, Uncle, you should have explained the situation to me first.”
He fixed a cold gaze on the man. “What exactly are you doing, Uncle?”
Faced with the questioning, Ren Shuo felt a pang of guilt. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He knew this Young Marquis from the Ministry of Justice was famously upright and impartial; if something truly happened, the young man wouldn’t necessarily give him any face just because they were family.
As things stood, the skeletal remains in the ground had already turned this into a murder scene. Furthermore, the Young Marquis had personally witnessed a dozen guards surrounding the girl while Ren Shuo himself drew a weapon.
It would be difficult to clear his name in a short amount of time…
The old fox’s mind raced. Deciding to go all in, he forced out a stream of tears and put on a face of grief and indignation. “Dong-lang, you’ve come at the perfect time! This woman… she used her evil arts here and killed your younger brother!”
He wailed, “You must seek justice for your brother!”
As he spoke, he collapsed onto his knees, his face a mess of tears and snot.
Ren Fengjue’s displeasure deepened when he heard the man use his childhood nickname, and the repeated mentions of “your brother” were clearly an attempt to use their family ties to tie his hands.
He deliberately ignored the plea, his gaze sweeping over the area to take in the sight of the bones in the soil. Then, he looked at Xia Ximo.
Her face was deathly pale, devoid of any color. Her thin frame stood in the night wind, looking as though she might collapse at any moment.
Realizing something was wrong, Ren Fengjue took a few steps toward her.
“Xia-”
Before he could finish his question, she went limp and fell into his arms.
Ren Fengjue reacted quickly, catching her, but he was immediately startled. The body in his arms was unnaturally cold.
Knowing he couldn’t afford any delay, he swept her up into a horizontal carry and said sternly, “No one is to leave this place until the matter is fully investigated.”
He then turned to the accompanying Ren Cong and ordered, “Go fetch the Household Physician. Also, have Yu Lang come here immediately.”