Chapter 280
Chapter 280
By the time Xia Ximo and Ren Fengjue returned to the mansion, Yan Zhengchu and the others had found all of Xiaoyun’s remaining souls.
Yu Lang was drinking tea to calm his nerves while complaining to Daoist Yan.
The souls everyone else had retrieved looked normal. Only the po soul of aversion he had been sent to find was hideous and frightening.
Moreover, it had gone to Ning’an Courtyard, where the princess consort had lived…
Vice Minister Yu’s legs had already felt a little weak as he entered.
Then a blood-covered figure with disheveled hair suddenly lunged at him, and he almost threw away the Soul-Guiding Candle in his hand.
He had been shocked and terrified. Fortunately, he still remembered Yan Zhengchu’s instructions and made no sound.
Thus, he had returned to the rear courtyard with the po soul chasing him all the way…
The moment he handed back the Soul-Guiding Candle, Yu Lang wanted to give Yan Zhengchu a thorough scolding.
But the Daoist said with a broad smile, “I knew no one but Vice Minister Yu could handle this!”
Yu Lang was speechless.
Now Xia Ximo returned and handed Xiaoyun’s Primary Soul to Yan Zhengchu.
Everyone was curious. With such a vast area beyond the mansion, how had she found it so quickly?
Zhu Peng knelt and thanked her repeatedly, overflowing with gratitude.
Yet Xia Ximo said coolly, “I didn’t find it. Someone brought it to me.”
Everyone was startled.
Zhao Wan was the first to ask curiously, “Who? Someone you know?”
Xia Ximo looked at her. “The Holy Son. He said he was sending it out of respect for you.”
Zhao Wan was astonished too.
But she was not pleased. Instead, she snorted. “What is that supposed to mean? Is he trying to flatter me and curry favor?”
Yu Lang put down his tea and reasoned, “But that doesn’t add up. How did he know we were looking for Xiaoyun’s soul? Could he… have a spy in the mansion?”
Zhao Wan immediately defended her household. “Impossible! We know the backgrounds of every servant in Prince Wu’s Mansion. No one can simply slip their people in!”
Xia Ximo did not wish to say much more.
Only then did Ren Fengjue speak. “The Holy Son did indeed send it…”
He related everything they had just seen and heard in the street.
The others reacted in different ways.
Zhao Wan scoffed at once. “Do I need him to show me respect? How self-important!”
Yan Zhengchu said, “The people of Liangzhou City have been thoroughly bewitched by these Three Holy Sons. How can they have become so brazen?”
Yu Lang added, “At this rate, won’t people start building temples and statues to worship him?”
Axia voiced his doubts. “Does this Holy Son really have such abilities? Why does it sound like something arranged beforehand to fool people?”
As everyone offered an opinion, Xia Ximo spoke calmly. “He does have genuine ability.”
Yan Zhengchu was taken aback.
He had never seen anyone whom Miss Xia would call capable.
Xia Ximo explained truthfully, “When that woman brought her infant to the Holy Son, an aura of death surrounded the child. That is a sign of someone near death, whose soul is about to leave the body.”
“After he acted, the aura of death dispersed, and the infant began crying. That meant the danger had passed and the child had revived.”
Ordinary eyes could not see such things, but Xia Ximo could.
Amid their shocked expressions, she continued, “Later, when the old man brought his granddaughter, there really was an extra shadow at the girl’s feet. After the lash struck it, the shadow disappeared.”
“The black liquid the girl bent over and vomited was what the shadow had become. When the iron rulers pierced it, it dispersed immediately.”
Yan Zhengchu’s expression turned frighteningly grim. “From what Miss Xia says, he really can catch ghosts, drive out evil, and even bring the dead back to life? Won’t… the human world fall into chaos?”
“No!” He still felt that something was wrong. “Life and death are predetermined. Otherwise, wouldn’t the Underworld Administration’s Book of Life and Death be nothing but a decoration? There must be something strange behind this!”
Yu Lang turned to Ren Fengjue. “My lord, we may have concealed our identities when entering Liangzhou City, but we certainly can’t keep this from the Marquis of Zhenbei. What should we do next?”
Ren Fengjue smiled. “Once we chose to come to the Marquis Mansion, I no longer intended to hide. Next, we should probably visit Zhu Family Village first, then find a time to call on the Marquis of Zhenbei in person.”
“As for the Three Holy Sons, they are closely connected to the marquis. Once we meet Jiang Ting, things will become clearer.”
Hearing them, Zhao Wan immediately guessed their true purpose in coming to Liangzhou City.
“Ren Fengjue, did His Majesty send you to the Northern Border to investigate Jiang Ting?”
Ren Fengjue replied, “No. Connections between several cases led us all the way to Liangzhou.”
At the mention of investigating cases, Zhao Wan lost interest at once.
Firecrackers suddenly sounded in the distance, reminding her of the matter at hand. “We’ve been busy for so long that we forgot we haven’t had our New Year’s Eve dinner! I’m hungry.”
She immediately called to everyone, “Even the greatest case can wait. To the West Warm Pavilion!”
Before leaving the rear courtyard, Zhao Wan suddenly stopped and glanced at the men from Zhu Family Village. Turning to Steward Sun, she instructed, “Include them in your New Year’s dinner later too.”
Steward Sun immediately agreed.
Snow began falling silently again.
A table of delicious dishes had already been prepared in the West Warm Pavilion.
Zhao Wan had a servant bring a jar of wine and promptly poured several bowls. Watching, Yu Lang and Yan Zhengchu felt uneasy.
“Your Highness, this wine…?” Yu Lang wanted to ask but feared that mentioning the princess consort would grieve her.
Zhao Wan understood at once. “I already had all the wine Mother brewed disposed of. This is Tusu Wine.”
Tusu Wine, also known as New Year’s wine, was made by steeping various medicinal ingredients.
It could be drunk on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day to ward off evil influences and pestilence.
Moreover, drinking New Year’s wine followed a particular order, from youngest to oldest.
After pouring, the princess immediately declared, “Now, we’ll start with the youngest!”
She asked Xia Ximo at once, “Are you the same age as me?”
Xia Ximo paused, a little startled.
Ren Fengjue glanced at her and answered for her. “She’s sixteen this year.”
Now it was Zhao Wan’s turn to pause. First, she teased Ren Fengjue. “You remember that very clearly! How attentive of you!”
Then she beamed at Xia Ximo. “That makes me the older sister. I’m a year older than you. So you’re the youngest here and must drink first.”
Xia Ximo swept a glance toward her and said nothing.
But inside the Soul-Ferrying Lantern, Wuyou laughed. “Mogu, you’re clearly the oldest of them all!”
Though her age in life was unknown, she had existed as a soul for a hundred years.
Zhao Wan handed her the wine directly. “Come on, drink. You can’t get out of this.”
Decisive as ever, Xia Ximo lifted the bowl and drained it in one swallow.
Seeing how readily she drank, Zhao Wan copied her, tipping back her head and finishing her own.
But she could not manage it as well as Xia Ximo. The moment she finished, she began coughing violently.
Yu Lang wanted to laugh but hastily suppressed it. Picking up his bowl with an air of great seriousness, he said, “Then Axia is next, followed by me, then Lord Ren, and finally Daoist Yan…”
Outside the window, snow swirled freely. Amid laughter, New Year’s Eve quietly passed.
With the crack of a firecracker, the New Year arrived.