Chapter 195
Chapter 195
Concubine Qiu roared, desperate to rush inside and argue, but the guards and servants held her back.
Zhong Dingyan also hurried to clarify. “No, I cannot be certain.”
“That was all I saw. Then Second Brother cried out, and I… I woke up.”
He turned to Ren Fengjue. “I also find it impossible that Father killed Second Brother. He always scolded Second Brother for being useless, but he indulged him at heart.”
“How could he kill him over two gold ingots?”
“Daoist Master!”
Zhong Dingyan turned to Yan Zhengchu. “Can you use the Soul-Transfer Art again? I want to see more clearly!”
“Even if… even if it costs me several more years of life, I do not care.”
Yan Zhengchu looked troubled. “No. Your body could not withstand another attempt, and…”
“And what?”
“Forgive my bluntness, but there is a reason you suddenly woke…”
“What reason?”
After weighing his words, Yan Zhengchu answered, “The Second Young Master died the moment you heard his cry.”
“You saw every memory he had before his death.”
Zhong Dingyan felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. He sagged against the couch, still unable to accept it.
Could that truly be what happened?
Father killed Second Brother?
Over only two gold ingots?
The three questions echoed endlessly in his mind, but his heart could offer no answer.
Silence held the room until Xia Ximo suddenly spoke.
“That ‘Zhong Ming’ may not have been the real Zhong Ming.”
Zhong Dingyan shuddered again. “If that wasn’t Father… who was it?”
Xia Ximo’s deep eyes stared coldly at him. “You should know better than anyone.”
Zhong Dingyan lowered his gaze and recalled the details of the vision…
Father had originally been asleep on the couch.
Then he had silently appeared behind Second Brother.
He had not spoken a single word from beginning to end.
And he had been barefoot…
It was a tiny detail.
But Zhong Dingyan knew his father had always been strict and meticulous, especially about dressing properly and observing etiquette.
Even throughout his illness, he had never once lost his composure under any circumstances…
Even if angered by the sight of Second Brother stealing, he would never have gone forward barefoot to rebuke him…
So…
After reviewing those details, Zhong Dingyan immediately agreed. “I also felt that… the father I saw was strange, unlike the father I know…”
He then carefully recounted everything he had seen and heard.
Yan Zhengchu considered it for a while. “From that description, possession by a ghost cannot be ruled out…”
He asked, “Before this, did you ever notice anything unusual about Minister Zhong?”
Zhong Dingyan immediately shook his head. “Father has been ill for more than a year. Apart from taking medicine and recuperating, he rarely even left his room…”
Yan Zhengchu was puzzled too. “That is indeed strange. If a ghost had truly stayed in this room, it could not have left no trace of Yin-Sha Qi…”
They had identified the killer.
But the trail had gone cold.
When had the ghost possessed Zhong Ming, and where had Zhong Ming gone?
Ren Fengjue paced the room, considering these questions. Then he suddenly asked Yan Zhengchu, “I recall that Daoist Yan possesses a tracking technique. Could it be useful here?”
Yan Zhengchu replied with difficulty, “My Soul-Seeking Spell is meant to track ghosts. There is not a trace of ghost qi in this room, so I fear it will be useless…”
An idea suddenly came to Yu Lang. “Didn’t the servant say that when he entered the room, Minister Zhong’s prayer beads, the ones he always kept in hand, were lying on this small table? Could they carry the ghost’s aura?”
Zhong Dingyan immediately understood. He rose and took an exquisite pearwood box from a nearby shelf.
When he opened it, a string of prayer beads lay inside.
Yan Zhengchu examined them closely. “There is no ghostly aura on them, but they do carry some spiritual qi. And since they were Minister Zhong’s personal possession, they may still work…”
Zhong Dingyan immediately handed him the beads. “Please try, Daoist Master.”
“Mm…”
Yan Zhengchu had little confidence, but under the circumstances, they could only attempt a desperate remedy.
Yet when every pair of eyes turned toward him, sweat gathered in his palm.
Ren Fengjue noticed his nerves. “We should examine the room elsewhere and let Daoist Yan try alone.”
The others understood and immediately moved away.
Ren Fengjue used the opportunity to ask Zhong Dingyan more about Zhong Ming’s condition over the past six months.
As they spoke, his eyes involuntarily drifted toward Xia Ximo nearby.
The bedchamber had an outer and inner room. Without the slightest hesitation, she walked into the inner room.
Zhong Dingyan followed Lord Ren’s gaze and started slightly. “My lord, who is this young lady?”
“She…”
Ren Fengjue’s expression subtly changed, but he answered truthfully. “She is General Xia’s daughter…”
Understanding immediately dawned on Zhong Dingyan. “I see…”
He had long heard from his father of the marriage arrangement between Renxuan Marquis Manor and the Xia family.
“Congratulations, Lord Ren.”
Ren Fengjue paused at Zhong Dingyan’s words. He had intended to explain that the engagement had already been broken.
But after a moment’s thought, he swallowed the explanation.
He answered with only two words. “Thank you.”
After entering the inner room, Xia Ximo shook the Soul-Ferrying Lantern inside her pouch and asked, “Did you find anything?”
Wuyou did not dare emerge fully, showing only half a head while sniffing around.
“Mogu, this ghost may truly be formidable. It left no trace anywhere, inside or out.”
“At the very least, its cultivation is far deeper than Bai Qingshuang’s at Fu Tower…”
Xia Ximo frowned.
Neither Wuyou nor Yan Zhengchu had detected anything.
But she inexplicably felt something familiar.
The feeling could neither be seen nor heard. It was like an invisible pull.
She thought again of the dream she had on Mount Yunhe.
In that dream, she had clearly felt the same thing.
Could the dark shadow be connected to Minister Zhong’s case?
Lost in thought, she suddenly sensed someone approaching behind her and quickly turned to see Ren Fengjue.
“Did I startle you?”
Seeing her expression, Ren Fengjue took another step forward, concern showing in his eyes.
Xia Ximo collected herself. “It had nothing to do with you.”
Ren Fengjue was always exceptionally perceptive. After studying her, he said gently, “If you need rest, I can ask Young Master Zhong to arrange a guest room.”
“No need…”
As they spoke, a soft cough sounded behind them.
Yu Lang poked his head around the folding screen. “My lord, we may have a clue to Minister Zhong’s whereabouts.”