Chapter 208
Chapter 208
Xia Ximo stood beneath the vast night sky for some time before her heart gradually regained its calm. Just then, she heard footsteps behind her.
“Miss Xia.”
Ren Fengjue had caught up to her.
He had followed close behind from the moment Xia Ximo left the Zhong residence.
Thinking something had happened, he was surprised when she abruptly stopped and stood perfectly still.
Ren Fengjue did not know what was going on, so he paused a short distance away and observed her for a moment.
Though he could not see her expression in the darkness, something about her slender figure seemed different from usual.
He knew that she rarely displayed emotion.
In all the time he had known her, he had almost never seen a complicated expression on her face.
And yet, Ren Fengjue could faintly sense one now…
The thought made him quicken his pace and call out to her.
Xia Ximo slowly turned around. Beneath the shadows cast by the night, her expression appeared normal.
Only her eyes seemed veiled in mist.
After observing her for a moment, he asked, “Did you discover something just now?”
Xia Ximo paused before replying, “I did not see it clearly. I am not certain.”
Seemingly unwilling to explain further, she started walking back.
Ren Fengjue called after her again. “Miss Xia.”
His tone made it obvious that he had something to say.
Xia Ximo stopped once more and looked back at him. “What is it?”
Under her gaze, Ren Fengjue appeared perfectly composed, but inwardly, a trace of nervousness had crept over him.
After weighing his words for a moment, he said, “I know that since entering the capital, you have been pursuing certain matters involving ghosts…
“I do not know why you are doing these things, but under our agreement, I have no right to ask…”
At that, Xia Ximo raised one eyebrow. “What agreement?”
Why did she have no memory of it?
Ren Fengjue explained, “You once said that you would investigate your ghostly affairs while I investigated my mortal cases, and neither of us would interfere with the other.”
Xia Ximo finally understood. She acknowledged this and asked, “And?”
Ren Fengjue cleared his throat awkwardly. “We have experienced far too much recently, some involving people and some involving ghosts.
“You must also have noticed that although each event appears different, they are closely connected beneath the surface.
“In other words, the matters you and I are investigating are fundamentally one and the same.”
Xia Ximo stared at him and went straight to the heart of the matter. “There is no need for such a long preamble. What exactly do you wish to say?”
“…”
“I wish to say… if you encounter some problem you cannot resolve, perhaps you could tell me about it…”
Once Lord Ren finished, his gaze drifted unnaturally elsewhere.
Xia Ximo, however, did not answer immediately.
In the silence, Ren Fengjue could not resist glancing at her.
He discovered that matters did not seem as bleak as he had imagined.
At the very least, there was no impatience in her eyes.
On the contrary, she appeared to be considering something seriously.
Hope rose in Ren Fengjue’s heart, only for him to hear her say, “No one can resolve my problems.”
“…”
She added, “It would be best if you and I remained uninvolved with each other.”
His hopes immediately came to nothing.
Yet he smiled faintly and feigned difficulty. “I fear that may be rather hard, Miss Xia.
“Only after leaving the capital on this journey did I learn how many secrets and dangers were hidden around me.”
“Besides, neither of us can claim the other has become entangled in this matter. We are already traveling the same road, are we not?”
Xia Ximo had intended to say something.
But then Ren Yao’s words came back to her.
He had asked her to keep Ren Fengjue safe and said the day would come when the truth revealed itself.
Could that so-called truth be the very problem she believed no one could resolve?
In the end, she said nothing and changed the subject. “Let us go back.”
It was only a brief, lightly spoken phrase, yet to Ren Fengjue’s ears, it sounded… like tacit agreement.
Watching her retreating figure, Ren Fengjue’s expression gradually relaxed again.
By the time they returned to the Zhong residence, Yan Zhengchu had also come back.
Yu Lang was describing the danger they had just faced, while Daoist Yan listened with a deep frown.
After checking the guards at the door and finding that they had merely lost consciousness temporarily, he relaxed slightly.
“The Ghost God must have rescued Zhong Yi’s soul. I did not expect this matter to draw out that Vengeful Ghost, Bai Qingshuang, as well.”
It turned out that after Daoist Yan gave chase, he fought Bai Qingshuang for a time.
Drawing on his previous encounters with her, Yan Zhengchu immediately brought out a ritual implement he had prepared in advance: the Qiankun Mirror.
Even when she transformed into wisps of smoke and concealed herself, the mirror’s light could reveal her whereabouts.
Just as Yan Zhengchu was certain of victory, however, a strange black mist drifted in from nowhere and wound tightly around him.
By the time he finally broke free, Bai Qingshuang had disappeared.
After thinking it over, Yan Zhengchu suddenly said to everyone, “I just remembered something…”
“I recall that when we were in the Eastern Palace’s secret chamber, the Former Dynasty Crown Prince carried a strange Yin-Sha Qi. Now I finally know where it came from…”
Yu Lang asked, “From that Ghost God?”
“Yes.”
Yan Zhengchu sighed. “Actually, the Underworld Envoy hinted at it that day. The envoy mentioned that Ghost-God Spittle had been incorporated into the Blood Array. I did not understand what that meant at the time, but now I do…”
Yu Lang was deeply startled. “So many events are connected to this Ghost God. Does that mean even what happened on Mount Yunhe was related?”
Yan Zhengchu nodded. “In all likelihood, yes…”
Ren Fengjue looked at Zhong Dingyan lying on the floor. “Daoist Yan, can Young Master Zhong still be saved?”
Yan Zhengchu looked troubled. “It is difficult to say…”
“I do not know what method that Vengeful Ghost used, but Young Master Zhong’s soul has already been extracted. His allotted lifespan is not yet exhausted, judging by his fate, but I do not know how long this body can last…”
Yu Lang said, “First Young Master Zhong is a good man. Who would have imagined he would have a father like this? He truly does not deserve such an end.”
Then he asked, “Daoist Yan, is Mount Yunhe not on close terms with the Underworld Administration? When those Vengeful Ghosts invaded last time, the Underworld Administration even sent someone up…”
Before he could finish, Yan Zhengchu immediately interrupted. “I was only speculating at the time. How would I know whether that was truly the case?”
Having heard only half the story, Ren Fengjue was inevitably curious. “Vice Minister Yu, when did this happen?”
Yu Lang hurriedly replied, “It happened on Mount Yunhe. Master Tianji unleashed Vengeful Ghosts with the Ghost-Commanding Art and declared that he would raze Mount Yunhe. At the critical moment, however, a figure in red…”
Terrified, Yan Zhengchu hurriedly covered his mouth and glanced cautiously at Xia Ximo.
But Lord Ren’s keen eyes still caught the small gesture. Following Yan Zhengchu’s gaze, he immediately looked toward the woman beside him as well.