The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Although thinking was mentally taxing, it allowed Wang Zhen to focus his chaotic mind on one thing. After figuring out the ins and outs of the ghost story, his mind calmed down considerably.

He returned to the bedside and sat cross-legged. This time he quickly entered a meditative state, but since he had only opened the Ren and Du meridians, and the Yongquan points on the soles of his feet and the Xuehai points on his thighs were not yet open, he had to sit and gather his energy.

Wang Zhenhuan quickly got into the zone, and actively gathering his qi was indeed different from passively gathering it. If the speed of passively gathering qi was one, then the speed of actively gathering qi was two or even three.

The speed is several times faster, which means that although his cultivation method allows him to gather energy on his own, he still needs to set aside some time each day to actively meditate and gather his energy.

You can never truly understand something like this without experiencing it firsthand. No wonder Master Xuan Yangzi told him before that the basics of cultivation are simple, but perseverance is key. He sensed the spiritual energy slowly and gradually entering his body.

His own strength was also constantly increasing. Wang Zhen estimated that if things could continue like this, he would be able to open up the meridians in his upper limbs and break through the Seeking Truth realm to enter the Crimson Qi Seeing Truth realm in about three days.

However, this was only in an ideal state. After about two hours, Wang Zhenhuan began to feel his meridians throbbing and aching. This was his body warning him that if things continued, his overly fragile meridians would definitely cause problems.

So Wang Zhenzhen stopped holding his breath and opened his eyes. It was already past midnight, and the temperature was even lower in the winter night. A cold wind blew in from outside the window, and he shivered.

He hurriedly got out of bed and closed the window he had forgotten to close. After keeping the cold air out, Wang Zhenhuan felt much better. Although meditation and gathering qi could improve cultivation...

However, cultivation can only be done step by step; if one is impatient for quick results, one will inevitably suffer from qi deviation. Therefore, Wang Zhenhuan was not in a hurry and was about to lie down and rest after returning to his bed.

In a daze, he vaguely heard a woman crying. At first, Wang Zhenhuan thought he had misheard; the sound was very faint. If it weren't for the spiritual energy enhancing his hearing, he certainly wouldn't have heard it.

So he got up and sat on the bed, listening carefully for a moment. Sure enough, he hadn't misheard; there was indeed the sound of a woman crying. However, the sound was faint and intermittent, so he couldn't hear it very clearly.

Wang Huanzhen's first thought was of the Chen residence across the street, and the spirit of the unjustly deceased young lady. He went to the window again, opened it, and looked across the river. But he didn't see anyone at the entrance of the Chen residence.

And as he opened the window, the crying suddenly stopped. Wang Zhenhuan was puzzled and closed the window again. He lowered his head, intending to go back to bed, when he suddenly noticed a sliver of white in the corner of his eye.

He was startled, and his spiritual energy surged forth with his will, instantly manifesting to protect himself. Wang Huanzhen looked up and saw a woman dressed in white standing in the corner of a room not far away.

When the woman saw Wang Zhenhuan suddenly look at him, and a faint red glow emanating from her body, she was terrified. With a cry of alarm, she vanished from the corner. Only then did Wang Zhenhuan realize what had happened.

This woman was none other than the white-clad figure he had seen earlier, lingering at the entrance of the Chen family mansion. She was the young lady of the Chen family who had died unjustly!

Wang Zhenhuan stared silently at the corner of the wall. This was the first time he had ever seen a female ghost. This female ghost was different from what he had imagined. Although it was only for a brief moment, he still managed to clearly see the female ghost's appearance.

She was dressed in white, her face pale. She looked almost identical to a normal person, except her body was translucent. There was a clear mark on her neck, undoubtedly a ligature mark.

The young lady from the Chen family looked quite young, with a touch of baby fat on her pretty face. Aside from that, Wang Zhenhuan couldn't make out her features. Filled with doubt and startled by the female ghost, he was wide awake.

He sat back down on the bed, lost in thought. It was midnight, the time of day when yin energy was at its peak. She chose this time to be out and about. Wang could really understand.

But what he couldn't understand was why this female ghost would come looking for him. He wasn't a local from this place; he was just a passerby. And he had never revealed his spiritual cultivation to outsiders.

How did this female ghost learn that he possessed cultivation? And why did she specifically come looking for him? Could it be that he has already exposed his identity? Wang Zhen was startled, then shook his head.

If their identities had been exposed, the people from Qinglong Manor would have come knocking long ago, not now. Although Qinglong Manor is now sealed off, that's just the public narrative; who can truly know the real situation?

Besides, although the manor is secluded, people outside still need to live. Therefore, there's absolutely no reason to let this escaped fugitive go unpunished, especially since his identity hasn't been exposed.

Where did the female ghost find out? Wang Huanzhen suddenly remembered the waiter's unconscious state earlier. The waiter had been possessed by a ghost, which was why he came to his room door looking for him.

Now that he thought about it, the person who possessed the waiter's body was very likely this female ghost. She had also learned of his identity from the waiter. Wang Zhenhuan closed his eyes and recalled the previous scene.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide. He remembered what the waiter had said when he was possessed. The waiter addressed him as "Little Taoist Priest"! This proved that the female ghost had learned his identity from the waiter!

Having figured this out, Wang was much relieved. He was afraid his identity would be exposed, but since it wasn't, it meant the female ghost must have something to say to him.

What could it be? Could it be that they want him to send her to the underworld to be reincarnated? But the problem is that he's just a half-baked Taoist priest, and he hasn't even learned the scriptures for the deceased. How can he help her?

No, that's not right!

Wang Huanzhen, recalling his earlier speculations before meditation, suddenly had a plan in mind. He spoke softly to the empty room, "Come out, this humble Taoist will not make things difficult for you."

After speaking, he opened his eyes wide and looked at the empty room. Although the room was not lit at this time, Wang Zhenhuan had already reached the Seeking Truth cultivation level and could see things at night. He could see everything in the room clearly.

About fifteen minutes passed, and the room remained quiet. There wasn't a soul in sight, not even the chirping of insects. Wang Zhen frowned. Had he misunderstood? Was the female ghost not looking for him?

Just as he was wondering, a white figure quietly floated in from outside the door. Why do I say floated? Because Wang Zhen saw that although the white-clad figure was very close to the ground, it did not touch the ground.

After the female ghost entered, she did not speak, but looked timidly at Wang Zhenhuan and bowed to him.