Chapter 72

Chapter 72

The young man hiding inside the trunk was Zheng Daoyuan’s son, Zheng Ze.

The moment he saw an unfamiliar face, he was so frightened that he immediately began wailing, drawing everyone inside and outside the room to look his way.

“Who are you people?”

“Are you ghosts?”

“There are ghosts here! Father, there are ghosts here!”

As Zheng Ze cried and shouted, he tried to pull the lid of the trunk shut again.

Hearing the commotion, the steward hurried into the small room. “Oh, my young master, what are you doing in here?”

Afraid Zheng Ze would cause trouble, he stepped forward to pull him out of the trunk.

But Zheng Ze was tall and broad. If he was determined to stay in the trunk, the steward alone truly could do nothing about him.

Zheng Ze kept shouting, “They’re ghosts! They’re all ghosts!”

Helpless, the steward was just about to call in servants to take Zheng Ze away when Xia Ximo suddenly asked, “Did you see a ghost last night?”

The words made everyone present suck in a breath.

The steward could not help shooting her a reproachful look.

Their young master was already simple-minded. Bringing up “ghosts” at a time like this was simply asking for trouble.

Yet the moment Zheng Ze heard her, his clear eyes almost shone. He nodded over and over, as if he had truly seen it with his own eyes.

“I saw a ghost!”

A chill swept through the room.

Ren Fengjue, standing outside the door, also went still.

From the looks of it, Young Master Zheng had been hiding in the study last night and had very likely witnessed the entire incident.

Xia Ximo had her own considerations as well.

She continued, “What did the ghost look like? What did he do?”

Zheng Ze pointed outside the door, right at the spot where Ren Fengjue was standing.

“He… he was right outside the door! Father opened the door, and it was you!”

“He talked too!”

He stood up inside the trunk, then suddenly lowered his head and said in a gloomy voice, “Lend me something for a while.”

“Father… don’t come over!”

“The ghost walked in! So scary!”

As he spoke, he hid himself back inside the trunk and buried his head tightly.

His words sounded incoherent at first, but on closer inspection, they seemed more like a conversation between “two people.”

Xia Ximo heard it too. She turned to glance at Ren Fengjue, and he seemed to understand her meaning at once, walking straight into the small room.

His gaze swept around, and he suddenly noticed a small writing desk by the south window. It looked as though it had been set up for a child.

Several wolf-hair brushes hung from the brush rack. A sheet of snow-white xuan paper lay spread across the desk, painted with flowers and birds of the four seasons, along with various figures.

Though the brushwork was childish, the birds’ expressions and the figures’ forms still possessed a certain lifelike charm.

Ren Fengjue had a thought. He slowly crouched beside the trunk.

In a gentle tone, he asked, “Does Young Master Zheng like to paint?”

At the mention of painting, Zheng Ze finally revealed half his head and answered cautiously, “Father said… I paint very well! He praises me all the time!”

Perhaps he still did not know the truth of his father’s death.

Ren Fengjue nodded approvingly, then asked, “In that case, can you draw the ‘ghost’ you saw last night?”

Having a “simple-minded” person draw a picture to identify the killer? Was this not treating the matter like a game?

The steward had the words on the tip of his tongue, but when he sensed a cold gaze beside him, he obediently shut his mouth again.

After hearing the request, Zheng Ze hesitated only briefly before actually nodding in agreement.

He clumsily climbed out of the trunk, went straight to the small desk by the window, sat down, picked up a brush, and began slowly sketching in an empty space on the paper.

Everyone looked on with curiosity.

Ren Fengjue also walked slowly to his side and began to observe carefully.

After drawing for a while, Zheng Ze suddenly stopped and looked up at him, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Lord Ren, meticulous in every detail, understood what he meant and immediately praised him. “You’re drawing very well.”
Everyone fell silent.

Only after receiving their approval did Zheng Ze continue drawing.

What was astonishing, however, was that this foolish Young Master Zheng truly did possess remarkable talent. Before long, a figure seemed to come alive on the paper.

Long hair hung loose, covering the face. The figure was dressed in rags, thin and frail, looking as if it might collapse at any moment-as though a single gust of wind could knock it over.

It did look somewhat like the lingering “Yin Soul” from the rumors.

Ren Fengjue studied it closely, his brows knitting slightly. Then he suddenly looked up at Xia Ximo and gave her a small nod.

Xia Ximo immediately stepped closer to take a look, but a face suddenly flashed through her mind.

Zhou Zigui.

Though she had only met him once, she still remembered the impression he had given her then. It was exactly like the person in this drawing.

But he was clearly already dead.

Even if she assumed it had been his ghost, that still did not add up.

Zheng Ze was brimming with yang energy, making it difficult for yin energy to invade him. Someone like him should not be able to see ghosts at all.

As she focused in thought, a figure lightly leaped onto the windowsill beside them, startling everyone in the room.

Yan Zhengchu leaned against the window frame, a hint of smugness on his face.

“You two, I, this humble Daoist, have already discovered the whereabouts of this ‘ghostly creature.’ Now, for just one gold ingot, I can tell you everything.”

The moment he said this, Guan Yue could not help stepping forward.

“How dare you! You actually have the nerve to extort an imperial official!”

However, before Ren Fengjue could speak, Xia Ximo spoke first.

“Ren Fengjue, give it to him.”

Guan Yue looked utterly shocked.

Unexpectedly, Lord Ren agreed as well. “Very well.”

Guan Yue: “?!”

–

Night fell.

In the western district, Fu Tower blazed with flowing lantern light, its guests arriving in endless streams.

A thin, ragged figure walked up to the entrance with light steps.

Seeing him, the guards at the door hurried forward and blocked his way.

“Do you have a Banquet Token, sir?”

After all, Fu Tower, known as a “paradise on earth,” was not a place just anyone could enter.

Those entering the tower had to purchase a Banquet Token in advance, and the tokens were divided into three colors.

The red token was third class. Its holder could only be seated in the main hall on the first floor.

The green token was second class and granted access to the fragrant chambers on the second floor.

Only the first-class token was white, allowing direct entry to the third floor’s Tongtian Pavilion.

It was said that since the tower first opened, only His Highness the Crown Prince had ever been to the third floor.

Yet the person before them now handed over a lustrous white jade token.

The guard’s expression changed, and he hurriedly stepped aside with respect. “Honored guest, please come in.”

“Find Bai Qingshuang.”

At his command, two breathtakingly beautiful maidservants immediately approached with graceful, swaying steps to lead the way.

They bypassed the lively crowd on the first floor, went up the stairs, then passed through the fragrant chambers on the second floor, where laughter and conversation flowed pleasantly.

By comparison, the third floor was very quiet.

When the doors to Tongtian Pavilion opened, a misty haze filled his view.

Incense smoke curled through the air, dreamlike and illusory.

At his side, a maidservant said softly, “Allow us to help you undress, sir.”

“Mm.”

Once his tattered clothes were removed, he stepped barefoot into a bathing pool and slowly sat down.

As the hot water rose over his body, he closed his eyes and leaned against the edge of the pool.

Then a slender, lotus-white arm reached out from beneath the water and slowly wrapped around his neck.

“I didn’t expect you to take a liking to this body…”

The woman’s soft, seductive voice brushed against his ear, carrying a fragrant breath that could bewitch the soul.

His expression remained indifferent. He merely gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment.

“Wash properly. Clean the Yin-Sha Qi off your body.”

“Otherwise, if those little Daoist priests from Mount Yunhe start hounding you, they won’t be easy to shake off.”

The woman laughed sweetly, then raised a hand to stroke his cheek. Her voice carried a mesmerizing allure.

“Welcome back to the mortal world.”