Chapter 77

Chapter 77

The private fragrant chamber where Xia Ximo had been sitting was now completely empty.

Both she and that brightly dressed young man had vanished without a trace.

Ren Fengjue pushed aside the dancing girl blocking his view and swept his gaze around.

Inside the chamber, along the corridor, down the stairs.

There was no sign of them anywhere.

This was bad.

Seeing his tense expression, Du Yueming was startled. “Young Marquis, what’s wrong?”

Ren Fengjue offered no explanation. “Excuse me for a moment.”

With that, he grabbed Yan Zhengchu and headed outside.

Yan Zhengchu awkwardly snapped his folding fan shut and stumbled along with him out of the chamber.

“Young Marquis, don’t panic. I have a Tracking Talisman…”

Only then did Ren Fengjue let go. “Find out where she is now…”

Yan Zhengchu quietly took out a compass, murmured an incantation, and the needle began spinning rapidly. In the end, it pointed toward-upstairs.

“She should have gone to Tongtian Pavilion.”

Ren Fengjue’s face changed. He looked toward the redwood staircase at the end of the long corridor.

The thought had barely crossed his mind before he unconsciously started walking in that direction.

Yan Zhengchu hurriedly caught hold of him. “Young Marquis, if you trust me, why not leave the search for Miss Xia to me?”

Ren Fengjue stopped in his tracks. Only then did he realize he had indeed been a little too impulsive…

He immediately forced himself to calm down. “Do you have a way?”

Yan Zhengchu did not forget to brag. “I am the chief disciple of Celestial Master Tianji of Yunhe Mountain. A mere ghostly thing is nothing to me.”

As he spoke, he leaned close to Ren Fengjue’s ear and lowered his voice. “Just now, I used a Transformation Talisman to reveal those dancing girls’ original forms. Heh… they really aren’t human.”

Ren Fengjue’s heart tightened. “What are they?”

“Skeletons.”

After uttering those two words, Yan Zhengchu looked around again, his expression solemn. “A ghostly creature that can make skeletons take on human form… there is definitely something very wrong with this place!”

Ren Fengjue frowned. “Daoist Yan, are you confident you can subdue the ghostly creature?”

At that, Yan Zhengchu pondered for a long while, then held up five fingers.

“We still don’t know what we’re dealing with. At most, I have a fifty percent chance.”

“…”

Ren Fengjue had always been decisive. He asked him, “Then how would Daoist Master like me to assist you?”

“Simple.”

Yan Zhengchu avoided the maidservants passing back and forth, pulling Ren Fengjue over beside the railing before saying in a low voice, “I have a magical artifact here that can force every Evil Entity in this place to reveal its true form.”

“All Young Marquis needs to do is place this item inside the four glass lamps at the north, south, east, and west corners of the main hall.”

As he spoke, he took four crystal-clear beads from his pocket.

Seeing that they were even a little smaller than the Soul-Nurturing Pearl, Ren Fengjue asked, “What are these?”

Yan Zhengchu answered, “This item is called a Xuanyuan Pearl. It is the sect-guarding treasure of Mount Yunhe. Before I came down the mountain, my master was only willing to give me ten of them.”

“Very well.”

Without a second thought, Ren Fengjue accepted the beads, proof enough of his complete trust. “Daoist Master, be careful. I will leave Miss Xia’s safety in your hands for now.”

“I will reward you generously.”

Yan Zhengchu quickly returned the courtesy and did not stand on ceremony with him. “Once this is done, I only hope Young Marquis will reward me with two extra ingots of gold.”

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and headed toward the stairs on his own.

In less than a moment, his figure suddenly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Ren Fengjue knew he had used a spell to conceal his tracks, so he immediately turned and went back into the chamber.

Seeing him return, Du Yueming hurriedly pulled him down to sit. “What happened just now?”

Ren Fengjue explained, “We ran into an acquaintance of Young Master Yan’s, so I went with him to say hello.”

Hearing this, Du Yueming immediately glanced outside. Seeing no sign of Yan Zhengchu, he did not ask further and simply called for the dancing girl beside them to pour the wine.

Ren Fengjue, meanwhile, looked out through the crescent-shaped window. Of the four glass lamps Yan Zhengchu had mentioned, one happened to be not far from this fragrant chamber.
With his finger strength and accuracy, landing a hit in one shot would hardly be difficult.

So he walked to the window, quietly held the bead in his right hand, gathered his strength in secret, and flicked it out with his index and middle fingers.

The bead fell precisely into the glass lamp. The bright flame inside suddenly flickered, giving off a faint wisp of eerie green light.

Then he looked toward the other three lamps, his peripheral vision sweeping over Du Yueming, and an idea suddenly came to him.

–

The door to the chamber opened.

A finely dressed young man bent at the waist and gestured for her to enter. “My lady, my master has been waiting for you for some time.”

Xia Ximo’s face was expressionless as she walked straight in.

Behind her, the chamber door closed with a soft thud.

Amid the curling smoke, a woman’s graceful silhouette appeared and vanished by turns. An ethereal laugh drifted around her, seeming both near and far from her ear.

“Miss Xia truly is brave.”

The airy voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.

Then a slender jade-like hand, smooth as congealed cream, quietly came to rest on her shoulder. The voice was soft and alluring, carrying a bewitching quality.

“I really do like this body of yours.”

“Not only is it an Extreme Yin Body, born in a yin year, yin month, yin day, and yin hour, able to bridge yin and yang…”

“It is also so beautiful, so delicate that even I can’t help but pity you.”

As she spoke, that hand slid up along Xia Ximo’s shoulder. Before it could touch her face, Xia Ximo reached out and stopped it.

“What sort of thing are you, to think yourself worthy of my body?”

Her tone was contemptuous, without the slightest hint of fear.

Bai Qingshuang was faintly surprised. Within the smoke, she took shape.

She stared at the “prey” that had delivered itself to her door, the interest in her eyes deepening.

“Do you know that just a few hours ago, someone came here to buy your life?”

“And that person is the only blood relative you have left in this world.”

“Does that not break your heart?”

Xia Ximo’s expression remained calm from beginning to end, and she could not even be bothered to answer.

Bai Qingshuang studied her as she laughed softly. “His daughter is now living in Renxuan Marquis Manor in your place, using your identity.”

“Naturally, he fears that if you remain alive, you will affect both his daughter’s marriage to Ren Fengjue and his own position as Vice Director of the Secretariat.”

“Once you die, that father and daughter will have nothing left to worry about in the capital.”

At that, Xia Ximo finally let out a sneer.

“A decent enough scheme. Unfortunately for you, you can’t kill me.”

Seeing her so wildly arrogant, Bai Qingshuang could not help asking in curiosity, “You are not afraid?”

Xia Ximo looked at her coldly. “If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have come.”

Bai Qingshuang was finally angered by her haughty attitude. “Do you know that this is not a place where you may come and go as you please?”

“Is that so?”

A cold smile rose at the corner of Xia Ximo’s lips. “Then let’s see how you plan to kill me.”

The moment her words fell, the smoke drifting through the air began to gather rapidly toward her.

In the blink of an eye, it wove itself into an airtight net and wrapped around her body.

Bai Qingshuang once again extended that white-jade hand and gently closed it around her throat.

But just then, the chamber door flew open, and a yellow talisman shot straight toward her.

Sensing danger, Bai Qingshuang was forced to let go. With a cloud of smoke, she struck the talisman down.

“Who is it?”

The yellow talisman fell to the floor, revealing a man’s figure standing in the chamber.

“So this is Tongtian Pavilion?”

Yan Zhengchu looked around, then said mockingly, “You fill the place with so much smoke-do you really think you’re up in the Nine Heavens?”

Bai Qingshuang’s expression shifted slightly. “Mount Yunhe?”

Yan Zhengchu straightened his robes and looked at her, raising his brows slightly. “None other than Daoist Master Yan Zhengchu of Mount Yunhe.”