Chapter 190
Chapter 190
Now it was Ren Fengjue’s turn to freeze.
He asked nervously, “May I ask… how I offended Miss Xia last night?”
Xia Ximo’s hand paused, and something strange seemed to flicker through her eyes. But she answered with only two words.
“I forgot.”
“…”
She continued eating at her leisure and added, “You cannot hold your liquor. Drink less from now on.”
Ren Fengjue hurriedly nodded, almost as though making her a promise.
“It was… the first time I ever drank too much. It will not happen again.”
Xia Ximo lowered her eyes and said nothing more. But she stared at the plate of stir-fried vegetables before her, lost in thought for a while.
Her heart felt stranger still.
…
In a single night, Mount Yunhe had undergone earth-shaking changes.
The sect leader, Master Tianji, was dead.
As the chief disciple, Yan Zhengchu should have inherited the position directly.
But he refused, arguing that he was still young and lacked sufficient seniority.
He said they could discuss the matter in a few years, once his junior brothers had grown to adulthood.
For now, he would continue living among them simply as their senior brother.
Remembering the bond they had shared as master and disciple, Yan Zhengchu buried Master Tianji’s body at Yunxi Rock without erecting a grave marker.
Afterward, he planned to repair the secret chamber behind Xuanji Hall and dispose of the remaining items.
Ren Fengjue and his companions stayed on Mount Yunhe for another two days.
Yu Lang found it curious that Lord Ren had often seemed distracted since the night he became drunk, yet never mentioned when they would descend the mountain.
Still, the mountain was rich in spiritual qi. Each day they woke refreshed and clear-minded, making it an excellent place to recuperate.
If Ren Fengjue did not mention leaving, Yu Lang would simply treat it as a vacation.
But around the hour of the Dragon on the third day, an urgent message arrived from the Capital. The Ministry of Justice had recently received a case that required Ren Fengjue’s decision.
It was a missing-person case.
And it involved Zhong Ming, the Minister of Justice.
After reading the letter, Ren Fengjue immediately sank into thought.
Zhong Ming had vanished.
A man who had been confined to his sickbed for nearly two years had mysteriously disappeared overnight.
The Zhong Family’s servants had searched the entire county, but Minister Zhong had vanished from the face of the earth without leaving a trace.
Yu Lang was puzzled as well.
“Minister Zhong has not been heard from in a long time, ever since he took sick leave a year ago.”
“Six months ago, I heard he petitioned His Majesty for permission to return to his hometown and recuperate in peace. How could he suddenly disappear?”
The report had reached the Ministry of Justice Office three days ago.
As soon as Guan Yue learned of the matter, he sent a message here by carrier pigeon.
In other words, Zhong Ming had likely been missing for at least six or seven days.
Ren Fengjue estimated the distance between their present location and the prefecture where Zhong Ming lived, then instructed, “Pack our things. We will go there directly.”
Yu Lang asked, “Are we returning to the Capital?”
“We are going to Beiding County.”
Knowing the matter was urgent, Yu Lang asked no more. “Then I will tell Daoist Yan now.”
The moment he stepped outside, he saw Yan Zhengchu walking toward them.
“Daoist Yan! I have something to tell you!”
At the call, Yan Zhengchu quickened his pace. “Perfect timing. I have something to tell you as well…”
Seeing a palm-sized mirror in his hand, Yu Lang asked, “What magical artifact is that?”
“It is a Profound Light Mirror. I found it inside the secret chamber…”
His grave expression made Vice Minister Yu even more puzzled. Could there be something wrong with the mirror?
“Let us speak inside. Lord Ren is there.”
Ren Fengjue was mildly surprised that Yan Zhengchu had arrived so quickly.
Before Ren Fengjue could speak, Daoist Yan came straight to the point. “Young Marquis, Martial Uncle’s guess was correct!”
Before Ren Yao left, he had mentioned that Master Tianji must have been hiding another secret.
With that in mind, Yan Zhengchu had pieced together the events before and after…
It had been all but proven that Master Tianji destroyed the seal on the Yin Tomb beneath Fu Tower.
Yan Zhengchu had personally faced those Vengeful Ghosts that night. They were indeed powerful.
But the Baleful Qi upon them was clearly different from the wisp carried by Murong Chen, the Former Dynasty Crown Prince.
Was that not enough to show that an even more powerful Vengeful Ghost had not been sealed inside the Yin Tomb?
In all likelihood, it had entered the secret chamber together with Master Tianji…
Ren Fengjue’s expression changed slightly. He hurriedly asked, “Did you discover something?”
Yan Zhengchu nodded and silently recited an incantation.
The Profound Light Mirror in his palm immediately floated into the air.
Two blurred figures then appeared in the mirror, accompanied by faint voices.
The first time they watched it, Ren Fengjue and Yu Lang were utterly confused.
They could neither see nor hear clearly. All they knew was that two people were speaking.
Only on the third viewing did they realize that the figures were Master Tianji and his senior brother, Tianwen.
Yan Zhengchu said, “This is a conversation my master once had with Martial Uncle Tianwen inside the secret chamber. I do not know why it was preserved in the Profound Light Mirror.”
“I suspect my junior brother Bai He was responsible…”
Yu Lang pressed his ear closer and listened carefully. “It sounds as though your Martial Uncle Tianwen was threatening your master…”
Yan Zhengchu said solemnly, “I listened no fewer than ten times before I could make out a few clues…”
“They mentioned the Ren Family, Martial Uncle’s sword, and even… the Young Marquis.”
“The general meaning was that only by eliminating Martial Uncle’s sword and the Ren Family bloodline could my master survive.”
Yu Lang was shocked. “Why would that be?”
Yan Zhengchu shook his head and looked at Ren Fengjue. “The conversation was unclear. I can only speculate…”
“But the Mount Yan Evil Ghosts caused so much chaos in the Capital and went to the Marquis Mansion in search of the sword. Someone must have ordered them.”
“Martial Uncle Tianwen dared come directly to Mount Yunhe and confront my master with such confidence. I fear… he too was acting under orders.”
“So I began to think that my master’s destruction of the Yin Tomb seal must also be connected with whoever is behind all this.”
Ren Fengjue had remained silent. Only after Yan Zhengchu finished his analysis did he ask, “Then someone wants to eliminate me?”
Yan Zhengchu’s tone grew heavier. “I fear it is not a person, but a ghost!”
Yu Lang broke into a cold sweat on Lord Ren’s behalf. “Should we send word back to the Capital now and ask for more guards to protect you?”
Ren Fengjue answered, “We already know this thing is most likely not human. What use would more men be? We might as well hire Daoist Yan as a personal protector.”
Yan Zhengchu waved a hand. “Even my master and martial uncle were helpless against it. I certainly would not be a match! We would be better off asking Xia…”
He nearly let the truth slip and hurriedly turned away, only to find Xia Ximo standing in the doorway.
Not only had she arrived without a sound, but the look she gave him was frightening.
Daoist Yan hastily tried to repair his mistake. “What I mean is, we would be better off asking… someone else!”
“No need.”
Ren Fengjue seized the opportunity to ask, “I intend to leave for Beiding County immediately. I would like to offer two ingots of gold to hire Daoist Yan and Miss Xia as personal protectors. What do you both say?”