Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Xia Ximo glanced at the pearl. In terms of appearance, it was indeed identical to the one from yesterday.

And likewise, she could not see anything unusual about it.

To confirm whether the pearl truly had some hidden secret inside, Ren Fengjue was just about to let go and smash it when a voice suddenly came from the rooftop.

“Wait!”

Xia Ximo and Ren Fengjue looked up at the same time, only to see a raggedly dressed Taoist priest sitting on the roof opposite them.

He asked with a beaming smile, “Young Marquis, do you know what this pearl is called?”

Ren Fengjue recognized him at once as Yan Zhengchu, the Taoist priest who had appeared earlier at Prince Yu’s Mansion, and was slightly taken aback.

“Why are you here?”

“I told you. If fate allows, we will meet again.”

“…”

As Yan Zhengchu answered, his gaze kept drifting back and forth over Xia Ximo, who stood to the side.

Suddenly, he let out a cry of surprise, then quickly pinched his fingers together to calculate, muttering under his breath, “How very strange…”

“This young lady’s fate should have come to an end half a month ago!”

A rare flicker of astonishment passed through Xia Ximo’s eyes, but she did not respond.

She studied the Taoist priest carefully, and several fragmented images that did not belong to this body flashed through her mind…

“Junior Sister Mogu, when one lives in this world, the most important thing is to be happy. Look, even though Master punished me, he still cares about me deep down…”

“Junior Sister will always be my junior sister. Even if you leave the sect, you will still be my junior sister…”

“Everyone in the world says you are a demoness, but in your senior brother’s heart, you will always be my little junior sister…”

…

The chaotic memories darted back and forth through her mind. Just as they were about to become clear, they gradually blurred again…

When she tried to recall them once more, not a single trace remained.

Xia Ximo came back to herself and realized her palm was slick with sweat.

“Miss Xia, are you all right?”

Beside her, Ren Fengjue noticed that something was wrong with her expression and could not help asking.

“I’m fine.”

Xia Ximo answered calmly, suppressing the doubts in her heart, then asked the Taoist priest, “Do you know the origin of this pearl?”

Yan Zhengchu did not answer. Instead, he suddenly leaped down, slipping lightly through the window with remarkable agility.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he took two steps closer to them. On the way, he glanced at the Lamp Spirit floating in midair, frightening Wuyou so badly that it hurriedly shrank back into the Soul-Ferrying Lantern.

“This pearl is called a Soul-Nurturing Pearl. As the name suggests, it nurtures souls within it. It originally belonged to my Mount Yunhe.”

Ren Fengjue’s expression tightened. “Then why did it appear here?”

Yan Zhengchu explained, “Half a year ago, an Evil Entity infiltrated Mount Yunhe and stole twelve Soul-Nurturing Pearls. Before my master entered seclusion, he ordered me to descend the mountain and retrieve them.”

“But that Evil Entity is extremely skilled at concealing its tracks. Over the past six months, I have only discovered it once, in a small town to the south.”

As he spoke, he took out a pearl from his waist. It was indeed identical to the one in Ren Fengjue’s hand.

Yan Zhengchu continued, “However, by the time I arrived there, the situation was the same as it is here. The Soul Vessel had already been emptied.”

Hearing this, Ren Fengjue understood that this matter involved far more than it appeared to on the surface.

He asked, “What is a Soul Vessel?”

Yan Zhengchu answered, “A person is the Soul Vessel.”

Xia Ximo, who had been standing to the side, suddenly said, “It should be the young woman who died in this room, correct?”

“Correct.”

A look of appreciation appeared in Yan Zhengchu’s eyes, and he continued, “She had long since died. Even her soul had already dispersed, but her body was still being controlled by the Evil Entity.”

“The Evil Entity was using her body to absorb the Baleful Qi inside the Soul-Nurturing Pearl.”

“But a Soul Vessel is ultimately only human. Once a person dies, they become an empty shell. The corpse will rot, and once it has fully decomposed, it will be discovered.”
“At that point, the Evil Entity will have to find a new Soul Vessel.”

When he finished, Ren Fengjue and Xia Ximo wore very different expressions.

Compared with Ren Fengjue, however, Yan Zhengchu seemed more interested in Xia Ximo.

He looked her over again, his gaze lingering, and asked, “You’re not afraid?”

Xia Ximo stared at him coldly. “Afraid of what?”

Yan Zhengchu smiled. “That body of yours is unlike the Young Marquis beside you. Its yin energy is far too heavy. Ghosts and monsters are most likely to set their sights on you.”

“Well? Would you consider letting this Daoist Master draw you a couple of Evil-Repelling Talismans? Since you’re so beautiful, I’ll only charge you one gold ingot.”

Xia Ximo could not be bothered to respond. Instead, she turned and began examining the furnishings in the room.

Suddenly, her gaze fixed on one spot, as if she had discovered something.

Yan Zhengchu did not get annoyed at being ignored. Instead, he turned to Ren Fengjue, his tone shifting. “Still, the two of you are quite well matched. One has a Pure Yang Body, the other an Extreme Yin Body, and there is even a thread of marriage fate between you…”

Ren Fengjue knew the other man had already seen through everything, so no matter what he said now, Ren Fengjue was not particularly surprised.

Even when he was gathering his thoughts and preparing to ask something else, Yan Zhengchu spoke first.

“As for your connection with Mount Yunhe, it would be better for you to go home and ask your father, Marquis Renxuan. Forgive I, this humble Daoist, for being unable to say more.”

“…”

Lord Ren had no choice but to swallow his words.

All of a sudden, he lowered his head and glanced at the Soul-Nurturing Pearl in his hand. As though he had thought of a way to respond, he asked, “Daoist Master said that Evil Entity stole twelve Soul-Nurturing Pearls. How many have been found so far?”

“Including the one you have, only two.”

Yan Zhengchu looked rather troubled as he spoke, and he reached out to take the pearl from Ren Fengjue’s hand. “Perfect. You can return it to its rightful owner now.”

But Ren Fengjue swiftly put away the Soul-Nurturing Pearl and retreated several steps, instantly widening the distance between them.

Seeing how skilled he was, Yan Zhengchu could not help but look surprised. “What is the meaning of this, Young Marquis?”

Ren Fengjue smiled faintly. “I forgot to tell you. One of them was already shattered in the imperial palace.”

“Counting that one, that makes three. So, Daoist Master, you still have at least nine left to recover.”

“Why don’t the two of us cooperate? I will help you find the Soul-Nurturing Pearls, and you answer one question for me. What do you say?”

Yan Zhengchu was slightly annoyed. “It seems you still haven’t given up…”

Ren Fengjue immediately lowered his head and cupped his hands in a salute. “I only hope Daoist Master can answer one question. To me, it is extremely important.”

Yan Zhengchu let out a deep sigh, sounding somewhat helpless. “Didn’t I tell you to go home and ask? If I could say it, I would have said it long ago.”

“It isn’t about me…”

Ren Fengjue lifted his eyes to look at him, a trace of expectation in them. “Daoist Master should know someone else as well.”

“My Little Uncle-Ren Yao. Is he already dead?”

At the sound of that name, Yan Zhengchu’s expression changed as well.

In the silence that followed, the atmosphere turned cold. After a long while, the Daoist only gave a cold snort. Without answering, he moved just as suddenly as when he had arrived, his figure flickering as he leapt out through the window.

Watching the Daoist leave, Ren Fengjue had no time to give chase. He stood rooted in place, dazed for a moment.

Xia Ximo subconsciously looked back, and for the first time, she actually saw the word “loss” in his retreating figure.

A strange feeling flickered through her heart, and she could not stop herself from taking a few steps in his direction.

“Whether he’s dead or alive… is it that important?”

Hearing her voice, Ren Fengjue finally realized that she was speaking to him.

But faced with that question, his heart clenched tight. Even his hands involuntarily curled into fists.

He slowly turned his head, his eyes dark and deep.

“To me, it is very important.”