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

Wang Huanzhen stared at Chen Shanren's pale face, his heart skipping a beat. The man he had just seen on the mountain was now a living, breathing person, and in less than an hour, he had become like this.

Could it be that Ao Shuang made the move?

This was the first thought that popped into Wang Zhenhuan's mind. He quickly turned around and said to the waiter, "Xiao Liu, you go back first. I'll go across the street and see what's going on."

"Let's go, sir. You don't know the way, and there's no ferry across the Huai River; you can only cross by bridge. I know the way; I'll take you there," the waiter said, walking ahead.

Wang Zhen thought about it and didn't refuse. There was indeed no ferryman on the Huai River; this wasn't just a rumor, but something he had seen with his own eyes the day before. And now, he was eager to find out about Chen Shanren's situation.

So he followed Xiao Liuzi, and the two left the inn. Xiao Liuzi, being a local, led Wang Zhenhuan through many twists and turns until they found a wooden bridge, which, judging from its condition, must have been recently built.

After crossing the bridge, the two saw the procession of yamen runners approaching them. As he and Xiao Liuzi moved aside to make way, they kept a close eye on Chen Shanren, whom the runners were carrying.

Chen Shanren's face was deathly pale, his eyes wide open, and his mouth slightly agape. His clothes, however, remained unchanged, just as Wang Zhenhuan had seen them at Puji Temple.

Wang Huanzhen squinted and quickly noticed something suspicious. This Chen Shanren didn't have a single wound on his body! There wasn't even a wrinkle on his clothes.

It was as if... they had been scared to death alive!

Wang Huanzhen grew increasingly alarmed as he looked at Chen Shanren's corpse. It was different from the corpse of someone who died normally. The body temperature of a normally deceased person would slowly drop over time, and rigor mortis wouldn't develop so quickly.

However, Chen Shanren's remains had already undergone rigor mortis in less than an hour. His entire body was carried upright by the yamen runners, as stiff as a piece of wood.

His hands were placed in front of his chest, raised in mid-air, in a gesture of resistance. The surrounding people, watching his bizarre death, were all whispering among themselves. Xiao Liu was also somewhat frightened.

He reached out and grabbed Wang Huanzhen's sleeve, tugged at it, and whispered to him, "Sir, Chen Shanren's death was so frightening, we should leave quickly."

"Okay, let's go back first," Wang Zhenhuan nodded, following behind Xiao Liuzi. He lowered his head in thought, occasionally glancing back at the quiet Chen family mansion.

As the yamen runners disappeared around the street corner, the crowd that had gathered gradually dispersed. What puzzled Ling Wang the most was that this Chen Shanren was, after all, the head of a household.

Not only did no one appear in the Chen residence, but not even a servant showed up. This was no longer strange; it was as if... there was no one alive in the entire Chen residence!

Thinking of this, Wang Zhenhuan suddenly stopped in his tracks. He waved to Xiao Liuzi and called out, "Liuzi, you go back first. I have something to do somewhere else."

The waiter was taken aback by Wang Zhenhuan's words, turned around to look at him, and asked in confusion, "Sir, are you coming back tonight? Should I prepare some food for you?"

"Of course I'll be back, what are you thinking? I'll be back by noon, it won't even be evening. Go on!" Wang Zhenhuan waved at him, laughing and scolding.

"Hey!" A smile finally returned to Xiao Liu's face. He nodded, turned, and ran towards the inn. Wang Zhenhuan stood there, watching him walk away.

He was gradually getting used to having this person around. Xiao Liu was obedient, sensible, and kind. Moreover, he was extremely good at reading people and would never ask questions he shouldn't.

Wang Zhenhuan felt very comfortable spending time with Xiao Liuzi. Lost in thought, he turned and slowly walked towards the Chen residence. He arrived at the entrance of the Chen residence.

To his astonishment, he found no one there, and the gates of the Chen family mansion were tightly shut. It was as if what had just happened hadn't occurred in their home at all. This bizarre scene almost made Wang Zhenhuan think he had come to the wrong place.

He hesitated at the door for a moment, then got up and went up the steps to the front door. He knocked on the door, but after a while, no one came to open it.

Wang Zhenhuan was puzzled and was about to knock on the door again. Suddenly, the door opened a crack, and a middle-aged woman stood behind it, showing only one eye as she looked at Wang Zhenhuan without saying a word.

Wang Huanzhen felt a little uneasy under her gaze. He coughed, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "May you be blessed. I happen to be passing by and heard that someone in your household has passed away. I have come to inquire whether the master of the house needs a Taoist priest to perform a funeral rite."

"No need!" the woman said coldly, slamming the door shut. Wang Zhenhuan stood at the door, touching his nose. Now he was certain that something serious had happened to the Chen family.

He took a few steps back, stood at the gate, and looked around. After confirming that no one was around, he gathered his strength and leaped up the gatehouse. Then, he quickly reached the roof of the side room along the courtyard wall.

Wang Zhenhuan hid behind the roof, peeking out half his head to quietly look into the courtyard of the Chen family mansion. The vast Chen mansion, despite the bright sunshine, was eerily quiet, without a sound.

The middle-aged woman who had opened the door for Wang Zhenhuan was nowhere to be found. The entire courtyard was paved with bluestone, neat and clean. It was clear that someone cleaned it regularly.

In the center of the courtyard stood a bronze incense burner taller than a person. Wang Zhenhuan's curiosity grew even stronger; he longed to go down and examine each room thoroughly. However, reason told him that it was daytime.

If he were discovered, things would get really messed up. Trespassing is a serious crime punishable by exile these days. Besides, this operation was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he wasn't disguised at all.

So after much deliberation, Wang Zhenhuan decided to keep looking. If no one showed up, he planned to come back that night. He was now desperate to find out the cause of Chen Shanren's death.

If it truly was the work of the River God Ao Shuang, then Chen Shanren must have known something and was silenced by him. His request to go down into the cave with Wang Huanzhen was definitely suspicious.

At that point, Wang would really have to make other plans. Why did Chen Shanren have to choose this time of year? Because of this immortal's cave, he'd been feeling uneasy for the past two days.

Wang Zhenhuan was furious. He clenched his fist and slammed it against the eaves before leaving.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind him and patted his shoulder!