Chapter 207
Chapter 207
Ren Fengjue continued, “If I am not mistaken, Zhong Ming did not die because of the mountain brigands. You killed him, didn’t you?”
Zhong Yi trembled from head to toe.
For an instant, he seemed to see Zhong Ming’s disbelieving eyes once more.
Even as his soul was pulled away, Zhong Ming had never understood what was happening…
Watching his expression, Ren Fengjue continued, “You killed him and took his place, using his body to live on.
“In all these years, have you never felt the slightest guilt?”
Zhong Yi’s lips moved faintly, but no sound emerged.
Of course he had felt guilty.
Especially during those few days when he returned home alone after passing the metropolitan examination.
He had been afraid to hear the name “Zhong Ming.”
Ren Fengjue went on, “Do you remember Ah Wu from Beiding Academy? He grew up at the academy alongside Zhong Ming.
“He said that on the night before Zhong Ming left, Zhong Ming told him something to this effect: he had only been lucky enough to pass the provincial examination and never expected to earn any further honors. He merely wanted to accompany you to the capital and broaden his horizons.”
Zhong Yi abruptly raised his head.
Zhong Ming had never told him that.
He had only ever joked with him, “With the two of us and our learning, how hard could it be to secure official posts in the capital? The troublesome part is that we are both surnamed Zhong. If someone calls for ‘Lord Zhong,’ we may not know which of us he means.
“We are the same age, but I was born a few months before you. In the future, you can be ‘Younger Lord Zhong,’ and I will be ‘Elder Lord Zhong’…
“No, that won’t do. It doesn’t sound dignified enough…”
As Zhong Yi remembered those words, a storm of emotions churned within him.
He had thought that after so many years, time would allow many things to pass.
But it turned out that was not true.
At this moment, he still wore the face he had possessed back then.
And when those distant memories returned, they seemed to have happened only yesterday.
Tears gradually welled at the corners of his eyes.
Knowing that he had been moved, Ren Fengjue continued, “How precious is it for a person to find a true friend like Zhong Ming in this life?
“And there is even less need to speak of Young Master Zhong. Though the eldest son of a minister’s family, he was neither arrogant nor impetuous, and he was deeply devoted to his parents.
“You know better than anyone how he treated you during the two years you were ill.
“Think carefully. Was that so-called Ghost God helping you, or harming you?”
The emotions pent up inside Zhong Yi finally erupted.
He shouted, “I don’t need you lecturing me here! I have wronged no one!”
“Zhong Ming was less learned than I was. Even if he had reached Shangjing and taken the imperial examination, he would never have accomplished much. I replaced him, went to the capital, and ultimately became a second-rank official at court. Was that not a blessing for him?”
“As for my eldest son, there is even less to say. I gave him his life! I gave him twenty years of wealth and privilege and made him a minister’s son whom everyone envied!”
“Now that I need his body, shouldn’t he serve my purposes?”
“I regret only that mortal lives are so brief. As long as my spirit remains immortal, I can take whatever life I desire!”
“But in a hundred years, every one of you will turn to ash and become nothing!”
Hearing his deranged ravings, everyone knew he was beyond redemption.
Yan Zhengchu could not help saying, “Young Marquis, that Vengeful Ghost has already corrupted his mind. There is no reasoning with him. We should capture him now!”
As he spoke, Yan Zhengchu reached for the Bagua Gourd, intending to draw Zhong Yi’s soul inside.
At that moment, however, the guards’ screams came from outside.
Then a seductive laugh echoed all around them, drifting closer and farther away, now distinct and now faint.
The compass in Yan Zhengchu’s robes immediately reacted.
Understanding dawned on him. “It is one of the Mount Yan Evil Ghosts: Bai Qingshuang!”
Without another thought, he raced outside in pursuit.
Only then did Yu Lang remember that she was still at large, and his heart tightened.
“Why did she appear at this exact moment instead of sooner or later?”
Ren Fengjue replied, “It is no coincidence. She must be connected to that so-called Ghost God.”
The instant he finished speaking, the doors and windows flew open. A strange gale howled into the room.
It not only extinguished the candle but sent the tables, chairs, and other furnishings rocking violently, filling everyone with unease.
The three people inside were caught off guard and could no longer keep their footing.
In the urgency of the moment, Ren Fengjue had no choice but to seize Xia Ximo’s hand.
But no human strength could withstand the unnatural gale. No matter how Ren Fengjue gathered his strength and rooted his feet to the floor, he could not resist its force.
The two staggered backward together. Reacting swiftly, Ren Fengjue wrapped an arm around Xia Ximo and drew her toward a corner.
Yu Lang was thoroughly buffeted by the wind as well. A flying candlestick suddenly struck his forehead, making him see stars with pain.
In the confusion, he ducked behind a heavy red sandalwood screen in the corner, finally escaping the unidentified objects whipping through the air.
When he looked toward Ren Fengjue and Xia Ximo nearby, he saw the two clinging tightly to each other in such a perilous situation. Vice Minister Yu could not help feeling envious.
He shouted, “Lord Ren, over here! This can shield you!”
Hearing him, Ren Fengjue was about to bring Xia Ximo over when he caught sight of several chairs swept up by the gale and hurtling toward them.
He immediately slipped an arm around Xia Ximo’s waist, gathered his breath, and darted to one side.
Yet the gale did not cease, and the room offered little space. No matter how agile he was, he could not move freely.
Unable to dodge in time, he tripped over something beneath his feet.
Seeing Lord Ren about to fall amid the chaos, Yu Lang instinctively covered his eyes.
In the next instant, however, Ren Fengjue felt a strange force buoy him up, and he somehow regained his footing.
Only then did he and Xia Ximo safely reach the shelter behind the screen.
At that same moment, the gale inside the room subsided.
“Let go.”
Xia Ximo glanced at the hand around her waist.
“…”
Ren Fengjue released her sheepishly and stepped back twice.
Yu Lang looked around and discovered that Zhong Yi’s soul had vanished.
He was about to speak when Xia Ximo’s figure blurred. She had already raced outside in pursuit.
Before he could react, Ren Fengjue followed her out as well.
Xia Ximo spotted a dark figure standing by the window and immediately gave chase.
She sprinted after it and left the Zhong residence in the blink of an eye.
The situation, however, was remarkably similar to the dream she had experienced that night on Mount Yunhe.
The dark figure kept neither too far ahead nor close enough for her to reach. It never gave her a chance to approach before melting into the night and disappearing without a trace.
Xia Ximo stopped. For the first time in ages, agitation rippled through her usually tranquil heart.
She had begun to feel it: hatred.