A master of metaphysics is farming.

Back at the inn, He Sui'an sat down with the uncle.

Only Xing Ji was serving in the room; Zhu Nan was nowhere to be found.

He Sui'an had already poured the hot tea. "Is it resolved?"

"I guess so," Xiang He said, blowing on her teacup to warm it up, taking a small sip, and exhaling her breath. "It's nice and warm!"

Seeing how much she enjoyed it, He Sui'an handed her a hand warmer, saying, "Warm your hands."

"Thank you."

After Xiang He warmed up a bit, the uncle's clenched fist twitched slightly. "You... you dealt with the ghost under the bridge?"

"Hmm, but the ghosts of those who died unjustly are easy to deal with."

Hearing her casual tone, the uncle's face darkened. "Killed...killed?"

"What use is there in keeping an evil spirit alive if it isn't killed?"

Xiang He smiled, then blinked and fixed her gaze on the uncle's face. "What, do you know that underwater ghost?"

The man's fists clenched even tighter, and his jaw tightened even more, as if he was trying hard to control his anger.

Seeing this, He Sui'an felt quite helpless. "Don't scare the old man. What happened?"

Feeling bored after being easily exposed, Xiang He took out the palm mirror and stroked it with her fingertips. "Mirror Flower, Water Moon, bring her out."

The mirror floated in her palm, a halo of light emanated, and two misty white streaks appeared, followed by a gray streak, standing steadily to the side.

The sight took the middle-aged man by surprise. As the three figures appeared, his pupils focused on the gray figure, and his eyes were filled with a mixture of surprise and sadness.

He hurriedly got up and walked over, but his hands passed right through the female ghost when they touched her.

Looking at his empty hands, the man choked up, "You...you're really dead...?"

The female ghost was soaked, and a patch of water dripped from where she stood. Her eyes were filled with tears. "Father... your unfilial daughter..."

Her knees buckled and she knelt down. "Daughter... shouldn't have listened..."

The father and daughter wept together. Xiang He rubbed her hands together, leaned forward, and rested her chin on one hand. "Tell me," she said, "what did you hear from the magistrate? Why did you die unjustly in the water? Where is your body?"

The reason why there is no yin energy underwater during the day is because of the sunlight. They are weak ghosts, and if they release yin energy during the day, the sunlight can easily dispel it.

The night was bitterly cold, and the yin energy was emanating from the female ghost. She wanted to break free from the male ghost's restraints, and the stronger her desire, the heavier the yin energy became. Meanwhile, the male ghost was also releasing yin energy to imprison the female ghost and lock her in place.

Excessive yin energy can easily corrode even fine wood; the rapid corrosion is caused by this yin energy.

The reason for the repeated disconnections is likely due to the presence of a female ghost.

She could roughly figure out the relationships involved, but there were still some things she couldn't easily think of, so she could only ask the two people in the know.

"By the way, where did Zhu Nan go?"

“Prefectural government.”

Upon hearing this, Xiang He's brow twitched. "You're quick on the uptake. What if it's not like that at all?"

He Suian poured hot tea again, glanced at Xing Ji, and Xing Ji understood and left the room.

"I do not do anything without being absolutely certain."

Judging from his confident tone, Xiang He knew he had gotten some information from the uncle. She mumbled a few words and then slumped onto the table.

He lifted his eyelids to look at the father and daughter, "Can you tell me now?"

Mirror Flower Water Moon quickly helped the kneeling uncle up and led him to sit down at the table.

The female ghost stood to one side, sobbing, "I...I am a maid in the magistrate's mansion. One night, I was delivering ginger soup to the drunken magistrate, and as I approached, I heard him saying...saying..."

She choked up and nodded slightly to He, "Tell me slowly, the night is still long."

He Suian felt rather helpless. Just then, Xing Ji brought in the food, and He Suian handed her chopsticks, saying, "Have some?"

"Alright."

As Xiang He ate her meal, the female ghost, who had finally calmed down from her sobs, continued, "The magistrate said that the official silver had been distributed, and as usual, one-tenth of it would be set aside for the craftsmen to figure out how to use it. He also told them to remember to hide the rest well..."

“Oh, embezzlement.” Xiang He swallowed. “Even more corrupt than me.”

He Suian picked up a piece of meat and put it in her bowl. "What happened? Did something interesting happen just now?"

The fragrant meat was in the bowl. Xiang He picked it up and ate it, saying, "I'll tell you in a bit."

Seeing her leisurely expression, Jinghua Shuiyue casually found a place to sit down, opened the chess box on the table, and began to play chess.

The middle-aged man was somewhat stunned. Despite the urgent situation, they seemed relaxed and not tense at all...

Xiang He noticed his expression and smiled, "What's done is done, there's no use in worrying." She turned to the female ghost, "And then?"

"After that... I accidentally broke a soup bowl and ran away. The magistrate's men caught up with me and pushed me into the river during the scuffle..."

Xiang He nodded slightly, "Your uncle's body was retrieved?"

The middle-aged man was taken aback. "How did you know...?"

“I’ve looked under the bridge, and neither of the two ghosts’ bodies are there. If your daughter’s body is retrieved, this matter cannot be kept from the people.”

The people only talked about the people who fell off the bridge, but didn't say there were two of them, which means that they only retrieved the male ghost's body. They didn't retrieve the female ghost's body, but someone else retrieved the female ghost's body first.

The person who retrieved the female ghost's body didn't seek an explanation; they must have been waiting for an opportunity.

The only person who probably knows the truth is the female ghost's father.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been there eavesdropping.

Seeing her calm expression, He Sui'an put down his chopsticks. "Now that you've guessed correctly, what are you planning to do next?"

"That depends on what you do."

Xiang He glanced at the uncle, "Uncle, besides what she heard, is there any substantial evidence? It's difficult to handle this without evidence."

The man frowned and shook his head. "My daughter ran out of the house, and I happened to be passing by when I was taking out the night soil. I rushed over as fast as I could, but I still couldn't save her..."

A father watched helplessly as his daughter fell into the water, unable to stop her. By the time her body was found, she was already cold.

This was a huge blow to him, but he remained rational and didn't rush to demand an explanation. Instead, he waited for an opportunity to find clues.

However, as an ordinary citizen, he had very few clues to find.

Until their appearance tonight.

Thinking of this, the man knelt down again, pleading, "Please, both of you, help us..."

Xing Ji stepped forward and helped the uncle up. "Don't worry, the young master and young lady will find a way."

After finishing her meal, Xiang He patted her stomach and said, "What do you plan to do? If you're going to invite an adult over, I have other ideas."

"Please, even if the magistrate sends someone to report tonight, he will still be a step slower than us."

“Alright then,” Xiang He took a sip of warm tea to soothe his throat, “In that case, Jinghua has to help me.”

Jinghua, who was playing chess nearby, smiled and said, "When the Daoist Master calls, I will certainly complete the task."

Upon hearing that they had a plan, the uncle felt a great weight lifted from his heart, and looked up at his daughter beside him, "We've finally..."

The female ghost nodded softly, sobbing, "Father, your many days of hiding were not in vain..."