In the hall, all the servants of the outer courtyard were dismissed.

Gongsun Jiuniang later asked Chen Xu another question: "The second point I came for is to ask you, when you killed the Ghost King, did he leave any last words?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xu raised his brows slightly.

Earlier, Gongsun Jiuniang said many things, but these, Chen Xu had already mentally prepared for.

After all, when he killed Xie Huaizheng, he had almost looked through Xie Huaizheng's entire life.

Therefore, Chen Xu had already considered what issues might arise from killing him.

Even though there are still many secrets in the world that Chen Xu can't understand, based on what he can see, he can infer many possibilities.

So at first, as Gongsun Jiuniang spoke, Chen Xu's expression remained nearly unchanged.

He remained calm, neither angry nor anxious.

It wasn't until this moment, when Gongsun Jiuniang asked him about Xie Huaizheng's last words.

Was this really a question about the last words?

Chen Xu's thoughts turned slightly, and he immediately understood that what she was asking was nothing to do with last words but rather about that dam breach ten years ago—

During the Yuan Cang River dyke collapse, Xie Huaizheng had once collected evidence related to the corruption of Liu Shao, the treacherous chancellor!

Perhaps Gongsun Jiuniang wanted to ask Chen Xu: did you get hold of those items Xie Huaizheng collected before he was wiped out?

That piece of evidence, enough to shock the world, once led to Xie Huaizheng, as an imperial envoy, to be disgraced and meet his end in the Celestial South.

Now, even Xie Huaizheng's spirit has been scattered, yet those old matters seem not truly ended.

Chen Xu, in a flash of realization, understood all of this. Things appeared quite dire, but he did not panic.

He merely sighed softly and said, "What last words were there? The evil ghosts of Pufeng Mountain, consuming human lives, had long lost the humanity and rationality they had when living.

I went to Pufeng Mountain merely because they wanted to eat me, and I fought back in resistance."

He seemed completely unaware of Xie Huaizheng's identity, only saying, "A battle between life and death, how perilous it was; I had to save my life..."

Saying this, Chen Xu's previously calm expression finally showed a slight change.

With a bitter smile, he said, "To save my life, I actually used a treasure given by an elder, and in the end, I managed to kill that den of evil ghosts in the nick of time.

Frankly, it was because of that elder's backing; otherwise, I would not have dared to venture into Pufeng Mountain.

Does the Xuanyi Messenger know, when I infiltrated Pufeng Mountain, I saw the hills covered with bones, the ground seething with blood, the ghosts all frenzied and without reason...

At that moment, I was utterly shocked inwardly."

Chen Xu shook his head slightly at this point, displaying a look of deep sorrow.

Reflecting on Xie Huaizheng's lifetime, all tragedies seemed to begin with the dyke breach of the Yuan Cang River.

And that was the second dyke breach of the Yuan Cang River in recent decades.

The last one was forty years ago, and the most recent one was ten years ago.

No matter which incident, the breach of the Yuan Cang River brought great suffering and misery to the Seven Prefectures of the South.

Chen Xu's words almost immediately made Gongsun Jiuniang reveal a guilty expression.

This Xuanyi Messenger from the Prison Control Department always had an aura like a sharp sword's chill, and now, with her face showing guilt, that unmatched sharpness immediately diminished by more than half.

Gongsun Jiuniang, for a moment, almost didn't know how to respond.

She was silent for a while before finally finding her voice again to say:

"All the ghosts are completely mad? Indeed, if those evil ghosts dared to sneak into the city and try to abduct the top candidate from our Yunjiang Prefecture's academy exam in broad daylight, it shows how rampant they've become.

When the heavens intend to destroy someone, they first make them mad; now I understand..."

Gongsun Jiuniang's tone turned a bit introspective.

She sighed lightly, and after a moment, added, "Indeed, it is our dereliction of duty that we failed to notice how those evil ghosts of Pufeng Mountain had already gone mad to such a degree.

I suppose those evil ghosts have consumed too much human blood, causing their minds to be invaded, hence ultimately losing their sanity.

We should not have let things slide just because we were unable to handle it..."

At this point, she sincerely apologized to Chen Xu.

Chen Xu immediately responded, "The duties of the Prison Control Department to protect Yunjiang daily are paramount, and occasionally being unable to cope is common. How could I have any grounds to blame?

The Xuanyi Messenger must not blame herself, or it would leave me with no place to hide my face.

If it weren't for the Xuanyi Messenger's rescue that day, I might have long been abducted on the street, and there would be no later matters."

Gongsun Jiuniang was still feeling guilty; she sorted out the developments from Chen Xu's words.

Thinking back, Chen Xu was almost abducted by the evil ghosts, which alarmed the elder he mentioned, prompting the elder to send a treasure and secretly escort him to Pufeng Mountain for revenge.

This is reasonable and makes perfect sense.

Otherwise, given Chen Xu previously with inadequate cultivation fell victim to the evil ghost's Sixth Sense Barrier, nearly abducted on the street—

Given this scenario, how could he then easily exterminate a den of ghosts at Pufeng Mountain later?

Who could possibly have such a rapid boost in cultivation in such a short time?

Of course, it might also be that Chen Xu pretended to be abducted in a staged act, possibly having conceived a plan to infiltrate Pufeng Mountain through the "abduction".

But Gongsun Jiuniang is not a fool; she meticulously recalled all she experienced before, concluding that at the end of the academy exam, Chen Xu was indeed "abducted".

In summary, Chen Xu seemed to have explained everything thoroughly.

Gongsun Jiuniang, having successfully warned the other party and received a satisfactory answer, then nodded slightly, "Regarding the Pufeng Mountain affair, in the end, it's our Prison Control Department that should thank you.

Exterminating the evil ghosts deserves a reward, which is customary by the Prison Control Department, all issued by the Imperial Court with precedence.

Therefore, Mr. Chen should not refuse; I will arrange for someone to deliver the reward to you another day."

Having said that, she prepared to rise and take her leave.

But how could Chen Xu just let her go like that?

Chen Xu swept his palm, and suddenly there appeared a wine jug and two wine cups on the table beside him.

A small white porcelain cup spun itself around, coming to rest in front of Gongsun Jiuniang.

Chen Xu personally filled the two cups with wine, gesturing to Gongsun Jiuniang, "Xuanyi Messenger, in your visit here, I have nothing much else to offer, but only this cup of thin wine to entertain.

May the Xuanyi Messenger not be contemptuous, but drink this cup fully before leaving."

His words were very humble.

But as soon as the wine began to pour out of the jug, Gongsun Jiuniang acutely sensed this was no ordinary wine but Spirit Wine imbued with spiritual Qi!

Gongsun Jiuniang looked at Chen Xu in surprise.

Treating guests with Spirit Wine casually, this was not the behavior of a child from a poor family.

Of course, considering the "elder" Chen Xu mentioned, Gongsun Jiuniang had already formed a judgment.

Some born in ordinary farming families, if they possess exceptional talent, may be noticed by some luminaries and cultivated in secret, which is quite reasonable.

Otherwise, how else to explain how this scholar from Jichuan County suddenly rose to prominence in Yunjiang?

Gongsun Jiuniang then raised her wine cup, brought it to her lips, and took a gentle sip.

Chen Xu raised his cup to drink with her, curious as to how much praise he might earn for himself if Gongsun Jiuniang complimented the wine.

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