Chapter 75: Miss Huo

The mere burial of Huo Rouzhen prompted so many people in Dan County to spontaneously send off her spirit.

What if it were General Huo himself?

When General Huo died in battle, Old Man Bai disregarded his own safety and searched for his remains on the front lines for three days and three nights.

The border region has the Northwest Army, and within the Northwest Army is the Huo Family Army.

The Huo family army consisted of General Huo's personal guards, who were directly under his command and were among the most valiant and skilled warriors in the entire Northwest Army.

Su Zhenzhen didn't understand the art of ruling, but she knew that the less capable a person was, the more stingy they were.

Emperor Chang was constrained by powerful families in the court, while the common people regarded General Huo as their guardian deity. Could he really tolerate having someone else by his side?

Jiang Sijin stared at Su Zhenzhen for a while, "What are you thinking about? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Su Zhenzhen shook her head. "General Huo's sister was born to a concubine and rarely appears in the capital. It's normal that you don't know her."

Even if I don't say it now, Jiang Sijin will find a way to force it out of Hensheng, so it's better to give up her idea as soon as possible to avoid her asking other questions.

Jiang Sijin's expression was very unpleasant. "What? Did I not give birth to someone of the Huo family bloodline?"

Su Zhenzhen glanced at her with some surprise before realizing that, strictly speaking, Jiang Sijin was also born of a concubine, and she was particularly concerned about her royal bloodline.

"General Huo acknowledged her as his younger sister."

The implication is that even Hensheng acknowledges you as his aunt.

Therefore, you are also of pure royal blood.

As expected, Jiang Sijin was appeased by those words and stopped pestering Su Zhenzhen to comb her hair so she could go and show off her status to the soldiers.

Su Zhenzhen felt increasingly confused, as if some secret was emerging, but she just couldn't grasp it.

Just as he was about to release General Huo to ask where his family genealogy was, Hensheng walked over in a somewhat flustered manner.

"Zhenzhen, we found a female corpse in the well today when we were cleaning it. The body was intact."

Su Zhenzhen's expression darkened, and she followed Hensheng without saying a word.

The body was carried up and placed on a wooden board; if it weren't for the bloodless lips, it would have looked as if the person were asleep.

She looked quite young, only about sixteen or seventeen years old, and still had her hair styled in a girl's bun. Her clothes were made of common linen, and there were thin calluses on her fingertips, indicating that she must have come from a poor background.

Su Zhenzhen checked repeatedly and confirmed that the person was dead.

However, because the body was so well preserved, it was impossible to determine how long the person had been dead.

At that moment, a voice kept clamoring in my mind.

"Miss Huo, Miss Huo."

Su Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and released General Huo directly from the storage compartment.

"Take a good look, do you recognize her?"

General Huo, who had just come out, was a little confused. Looking at the female corpse on the ground, he blurted out without even thinking.

"I don't know him."

Su Zhenzhen asked again, "Are you sure?"

General Huo nodded with great certainty, "I can count the number of women I knew on one hand until I died."

"I suspect she is the Miss Huo that the old man with the big knife was talking about."

"What?"

Not to mention General Huo, even Qingshan and the others were shocked.

Hensheng was very puzzled. "Zhenzhen, why do you have such doubts?"

"intuition."

Su Zhenzhen couldn't explain her intuition either. She put General Huo back into the storage compartment and stared at the corpse in silence.

After showing off her status, Jiang Sijin saw a crowd gathered around and ran over to join in the fun.

"What happened? Someone's dead? Who died?"

Hensheng explained it to her concisely and clearly, "Auntie, we found this woman when we were dredging the well. Auntie suspects that she is Miss Huo, but General Huo does not recognize her."

“Miss Huo?” Jiang Sijin glanced at her and then hid behind Hensheng. “Is it possible that she is a maid of the Huo family? She was given the surname Huo by the mistress, which is why General Huo doesn’t recognize her.”

Su Zhenzhen remembered that General Huo said his birth mother died young, but didn't mention how old his grandmother was when she died, so she released the person from the storage compartment.

General Huo was having trouble switching between states of consciousness, which went from a state of confusion to clarity, then back to confusion, and now back to clarity.

"What's wrong now?"

How long did your grandmother live?

This stumped General Huo. "I've never met her since I can remember. My grandfather and father rarely mentioned her either. I don't know if she died before I was born or if she lived out her days somewhere."

Su Zhenzhen sighed helplessly, "Then who raised you when you were little?"

General Huo's answer was also very simple: "I grew up with my mother in the capital before I was four years old. After I turned four, I came to the border region and started learning martial arts from a young age."

Su Zhenzhen was completely convinced. Needless to say, General Huo had been a hostage in the capital when he was young. Later, when military officers from the border states needed to be trained, he was sent to his father's side, leaving his mother alone in the capital as a hostage.

Later, General Huo's father grew old, and his son went to the battlefield to fight the enemy, so the father returned to the capital as a hostage.

"Where is your family tree?" This is very important.

General Huo thought for a moment, "He should be in his residence in the capital."

"You're really done this time, so get some rest."

After saying that, Su Zhenzhen put General Huo back into the storage compartment, determined not to waste any of his spiritual power.

Hensheng offered a suggestion, "Zhenzhen, why don't we summon this girl's ghost?"

Su Zhenzhen smiled wryly, "I'll give it a try."

He then performed a hand seal and incantation, chanting, "I will guide your soul, may your soul return!"

A chilling wind blew and dark clouds filled the sky, adding to the desolate atmosphere of the dilapidated mountain county.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed, and not a single ghost has been seen.

“I knew it.” Su Zhenzhen relaxed her whole body. “The reason this girl’s body didn’t decompose is because the yin energy in the mountain county is strong, and she was in a cool well, which is equivalent to being buried underground. But it is precisely because of the yin energy here that it has an corrosive effect on her soul. It is very likely that her soul has become a green-eyed person and has long since perished.”

Hensheng was a little confused. "The green-eyed people we encountered before were living people infected with yin energy. This girl's body is intact, so why is she different from them?"

“That’s why I said her body is in the well,” Su Zhenzhen explained patiently. “The well is underground, without light, which is equivalent to her being buried. Why do people often say that burial brings peace? Because once buried, no matter what you are, you can’t offend or disturb the deceased. So there’s nothing wrong with her body, but her soul was infected by yin energy. Of course, it’s also possible that her soul has already been reincarnated.”

Jiang Sijin asked, "Why do you think she was buried in the well? Is it possible she drowned in the well?"

Su Zhenzhen's eyes lit up. How could she not have thought of that? She had actually assumed the girl hadn't drowned just because there was no water in the well.

"Hensheng, do me a favor."