Chapter 75
Chapter 75
Yu Lang went out and asked around. Relying on the connections he had in the capital, he barely managed to procure three tokens by around the hour of the Rooster.
But just as he entered the Ren Residence, intending to report back to Lord Ren, a yellow talisman flew straight at him and struck him between the brows.
He immediately toppled backward.
Then the figures before his eyes blurred, and he gradually sank into darkness.
Knock, knock, knock…
It sounded like someone was knocking at a door right beside his ear.
Yu Lang jolted again and turned around in astonishment, only to find himself inside a study.
And the layout of this study was very familiar. It was the one he had visited earlier that day-the study of Zheng Daoyuan, the Prefect of Shuntian.
“How did I end up here?”
Yu Lang was utterly confused.
Before him lay the vast black night, and a thin, frail figure stood by the door.
A chill ran through him. He did not want to go over at all.
Yet his body was completely beyond his control. He strode quickly to the door and yanked it open.
“It’s… it’s you?”
Cold wind poured straight into the room, and Yu Lang heard himself “speak.”
But that voice was clearly not his own…
What was going on?
The person outside the door gave a sinister laugh. “I need to borrow something.”
“Aren’t you already dead?”
Yu Lang stumbled back in terror, only to hear himself ask another question.
Only then did he realize what was wrong.
Right now, he was no longer “Yu Lang” at all. He had become “Zheng Daoyuan.”
The strange man outside the door advanced step by step. He looked down at him with disdain. “Your soul is far too filthy. I never cared to take it.”
“Unfortunately, ‘his’ desire for revenge is far too persistent.”
“Only by killing you can I feel at ease.”
With that, he extended his withered right hand and covered Yu Lang’s head.
Yu Lang cried out in fright, and his entire being was flung out of “Zheng Daoyuan’s” body.
When he looked again, he found himself leaning against a chair in the main hall of the Ren Residence, while Ren Fengjue and the others stood to one side.
Yan Zhengchu put away the yellow talisman and handed it to Xia Ximo. “This talisman should last about ten days to half a month, but if we can’t recover the Three Hun and the other Six Po soon, it won’t be of any use.”
Xia Ximo accepted the yellow talisman expressionlessly and put it into her pouch. Then she turned to Yu Lang. “What did you see just now?”
Yu Lang was still a little dazed. As he thought back, a chill crept up his spine.
“I… think I became Zheng Daoyuan.”
“What exactly is going on?”
Yan Zhengchu explained with a smile, “That yellow talisman just now contained one of Zheng Daoyuan’s Po. I used a spell to awaken its memories from before death…”
“Then it ended up flying into you by accident, which is why you briefly entered Zheng Daoyuan’s memories from just before he died.”
This explanation made Yu Lang’s eyes light up. He was both excited and afraid.
“Is it really that miraculous?”
Yan Zhengchu: “…”
Xia Ximo had no patience for his nonsense and asked again, “After you became ‘Zheng Daoyuan,’ what happened?”
Yu Lang was somewhat afraid of her, so he honestly recounted everything he had seen in the Illusionary Realm.
Yan Zhengchu hissed softly and speculated, “Then that should mean this Evil Entity devoured Zhou Zigui’s soul, took on his appearance, and even helped Zhou Zigui kill Zheng Daoyuan for revenge.”
Yu Lang’s curiosity surged, and he could not help asking, “What kind of Evil Entity could possess such abilities?”
Before he could get an answer, Ren Fengjue suddenly extended a hand toward him. “The tokens?”
Only then did Yu Lang remember the real reason he had come. He took out two red tokens and one green token from inside his robe.
“I asked everyone I could possibly ask before I managed to get these three tokens.”
Ren Fengjue took them casually and gave a perfunctory verbal acknowledgment. “Thank you for your trouble, Vice Minister Yu.”
But there were only three tokens.
That meant, without question, that only three people could go.
Yu Lang deliberately gave a soft cough, then said, “Three tokens can only correspond to three people.”
“So, Lord Ren, how do you plan to arrange things tonight?”
Before Ren Fengjue could answer, Xia Ximo silently drew the green token out of his hand.
She did not stand on ceremony with him in the slightest.
Yan Zhengchu also casually took a red token and explained, “Without me, this definitely won’t work either.”
Ren Fengjue looked at the last token in his hand. With a single glance, Yu Lang understood at once that this had nothing to do with him.
Since there would be no excitement for him to watch, his interest vanished. He sighed, sat down by the tea table on his own, and poured himself a cup of hot tea.
After nightfall, the three of them each changed clothes and gathered in front of the Ren Residence.
To avoid drawing attention, Yan Zhengchu had abandoned his Daoist robes and dressed instead like a scholar.
He was already fair and refined to begin with. Now, with his Daoist robes removed, his hair properly combed, and a folding fan in hand, he actually looked uncommonly elegant.
Xia Ximo had not intended to dress up or change clothes, but she could not out-stubborn Tianqing. In the end, she changed into a cloak made of pomegranate-red feather gauze, the most fashionable style in the capital at the moment. Snow-white fur trimmed the collar and cuffs; her hair was arranged in a Lingyun coiffure, and her makeup was done in a plum-blossom style.
The outfit softened her usual cool, aloof air, yet for all its vivid beauty, it was not vulgar in the least.
Ren Fengjue had always been used to dressing casually, his clothes mostly in dark colors. Today, for once, he had changed into a white robe with a jade belt, his hair bound with a gold-and-jade crown. He looked every inch a graceful, noble gentleman.
He glanced at Yan Zhengchu and nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at Xia Ximo, and a trace of astonishment flickered through his eyes. “That red suits you very well.”
Xia Ximo merely swept him a glance and ignored him. Lifting her skirt, she boarded the carriage.
Watching that dazzling flash of red, Ren Fengjue inexplicably felt a sense of déjà vu.
Inside the carriage, Yan Zhengchu took out two yellow talismans and handed one to each of them. “Carry these with you, in case we get separated.”
Xia Ximo looked rather disdainful and did not want to take it.
But considering the condition of her current body, she accepted it with great reluctance in the end.
Ren Fengjue tried to advise her. “Yu Lang said the green token in your hand grants direct access to the second floor. Why don’t we exchange? You can go together with Daoist Yan.”
“No need.”
Xia Ximo had her own plan in mind.
As she saw it, the greatest problem in Fu Tower was most likely on the third floor, at Tongtian Pavilion.
The second floor was closer. If they were forced to charge in, it would be easier from there.
Knowing she would not listen to persuasion, Ren Fengjue said, “I’ve already transferred several elites from the Shadow Bureau to hide around Fu Tower. If anything truly goes wrong, they can enter the building and assist us.”
Yan Zhengchu smiled. “When it comes to arresting people, your government office is certainly the expert. But when it comes to ‘catching ghosts,’ having me is enough.”
He said it with absolute confidence.
Ren Fengjue could say nothing more.
The carriage rolled slowly onward and arrived at Fu Tower around the hour of Xu.
Compared with the deathly quiet of the place during the day, as though it had been asleep, Fu Tower after the lanterns were lit had indeed transformed completely.
Even from half a li away, they seemed able to hear the roar of the crowd.
As they drew closer, lantern light shimmered before their eyes and guests filled the entrance like clouds. It truly displayed the prosperity of Shangjing’s wealthy quarter to the fullest.
Once the carriage stopped, a young attendant immediately came forward to help settle it. Even coachmen who would not be entering the tower had a place to rest and be served.
“This grandeur really does live up to its reputation,” Yan Zhengchu remarked with a sigh as he looked at the people coming and going.
The moment Xia Ximo got out of the carriage, she headed straight for the main entrance. From the look of her, she could not wait another instant.
Ren Fengjue quickly gave Axia a few instructions, then had no choice but to quicken his pace and follow.
But he had not taken more than a couple of steps when someone called out from behind him, “Young Marquis?”
“I didn’t expect to see you here too. Now that’s rare.”
Ren Fengjue turned to look, and immediately felt a headache coming on.