After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Jiang Dusheng joined his fingers together, his fingertips quickly sketching in the air.

A rune instantly condensed and silently entered Wang Dazhuang's trembling soul.

"Come back to the mansion with me."

She turned around, her clothes fluttering slightly, and said calmly, "I'll cut the paper into shape for you when we get back."

Wang Dazhuang dared not utter a word, and hurriedly nodded and bowed as if he had been granted a pardon, following closely behind.

Jiang Dusheng walked ahead, his steps unhurried, without turning back. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you."

She paused slightly, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "What I just injected into your soul was a Soul-Chasing Talisman."

She said casually, "No matter where you run to, to the deepest hell, I will still... drag you back."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhuang felt as if a burning mark had been branded deep within his soul, and a faint, almost imperceptible, pulling force emanated from him.

He was so frightened that his very soul trembled three times, his head shaking like a rattle drum, his voice trembling with sobs:

"No, no! Master, your power is boundless and your supernatural abilities are vast. I would never dare! I would rather die than run away!"

Jiang Mansion · Jingxin Garden

Jiang Dusheng paused as he stepped into his courtyard. Song Suya was pacing back and forth in her yard, her face showing undisguised anxiety and worry.

Upon seeing Jiang Dusheng appear, Song Suya practically ran over, lifting her skirt.

Her voice was visibly tense. "Dusheng, you're back? Where...where have you been?"

Jiang Dusheng didn't stop, heading straight for the closed door of the main room. His tone was flat, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

Song Suya was taken aback by her lukewarm attitude, and all the words she had prepared stuck in her throat.

She took a deep breath and dug her fingertips into her soft palm, trying to calm herself down with the pain.

"Mother... Mother has something I want to tell you." She spoke with difficulty, her voice barely audible, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Jiang Dusheng pushed open the door with a creak, stepped aside to let her in first, and casually asked, "What is it?"

Song Suya stood in the center of the room, nervously twisting her silk handkerchief in her hands, almost crushing the exquisite handkerchief.

She hesitated for a long time, her breathing becoming cautious, before finally mustering the courage to speak, "It's about Chu Jiayanzhao, the man you were betrothed to since childhood..."

She paused, the words that followed seemed to weigh a ton, pressing heavily on the back of her tongue, and she couldn't utter them.

The air seemed to freeze.

Jiang Dusheng poured himself a glass of cooled water and took a slow sip.

The icy liquid slid down her throat, and she slowly raised her eyes to look at Song Suya, who was standing there frozen.

Those eyes were clear and bright, as if they could see through all pretense and look directly into the most unbearable corners of people's hearts.

Song Suya felt flustered under her gaze. She bit her lip hard, steeled her resolve, closed her eyes, and quickly said:

"He and Wanqing somehow developed feelings for each other, and they fell in love. So...so..."

"So—" Jiang Dusheng gently put down the teacup, the bottom of the cup landing on the pear wood table with a soft clinking sound.

She calmly picked up where Song Suya left off, her tone steady, "You want me to voluntarily give up this marriage to her, is that right?"

"It's not about letting me!"

Song Suya blurted out, but then crumbled under Jiang Dusheng's all-knowing gaze.

She lowered her head in embarrassment. "It's about letting them be. Dusheng, they truly love each other. Forced love is never sweet. You..."