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

These words were spoken calmly, yet each one carried immense weight.

Jiang Dusheng was stunned after hearing this.

My heart skipped a beat for a moment, then started beating even more violently.

In the darkness, she couldn't see Xie Jinchen's expression, but she could sense the seriousness in his words.

An unprecedented sense of panic, confusion, and even a hint of fear gripped her heart.

Jiang Dusheng tried to process the impact of those words, but didn't know how to respond.

Only the sound of their intertwined breathing remained in the room.

After a long silence, she suddenly spoke, her voice somewhat ethereal in the darkness:

"Xie Jinchen, I once met a very special ghost. It didn't like to take lives; it just liked to dig out people's hearts and livers to play with, saying it wanted to see what was inside..."

She paused, her tone turning strange, and asked tentatively, "You...you wouldn't happen to be a heart-reaping demon too, would you?"

Xie Jinchen: "..."

A moment later, he coldly uttered five words, "If you're not going to sleep, get out."

"...Oh." Jiang Dusheng immediately shut up, gave an awkward reply, closed his mouth, and tried to calm his breathing.

Silence returned to the room, with only their breaths, close to each other, intertwining in the darkness.

If the candlelight in the room had not been extinguished, Xie Jinchen would have seen that Jiang Dusheng's originally fair ears were now completely red.

Like the finest rouge spreading out, it reached all the way to her earlobes, peeking out from among her scattered black hair, revealing all the pretense of feigned composure.

The next day, the group continued their journey.

Inside the carriage, however, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Before the evil aura of daytime manifested, the two simply sat side by side without holding hands.

Xie Jinchen closed his eyes to rest, his face returning to its usual indifferent expression. He didn't want to talk to a wooden post that didn't understand romance.

Jiang Dusheng was still in a state of turmoil because of the words "exchange sincerity for sincerity" from the previous night. They kept swirling in his mind, so he simply remained silent and did not say a word the whole way.

Finally, at dusk, the carriage entered the still bustling city of Changling.

Through the carriage curtain, Jiang Dusheng said to Wang Dazhuang, who was driving the carriage, "Dazhuang, didn't you say you had your eye on a house? Let's go take a look. If it's suitable, we'll settle on it today."

Wang Dazhuang quickly replied, "Yes, Master! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" His tone was full of confidence.

Jiang Dusheng turned his gaze to Xie Jinchen on the other side of the car, "Tonight is the fifteenth, you still need to stay with me."

Xie Jinchen didn't lift his eyelids, only letting out a short syllable from his throat: "Mm."

The carriage eventually stopped deep in a rather quiet alley in the west of the city.

The alleyway leads directly to the bustling main street, offering a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle.

Before us stands a simple and elegant three-courtyard house.

Although there is no plaque above the door, the doorposts and stone steps are clean and there is a faint sense of spiritual energy flowing through them. In the distance, the outline of the imperial city walls can be vaguely seen.

As Jiang Dusheng stepped off the carriage, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.

She walked slowly forward, not entering the gate immediately, but instead taking a few steps around the perimeter of the courtyard wall.

"Facing south, it is a place where the wind can be sheltered and energy can be gathered; there is a bright hall in front and a mountain behind..." she muttered to herself, becoming more and more alarmed as she looked at it.

The feng shui layout of this house is far beyond what ordinary wealthy families could possess or arrange. It seems to have been guided by a master, and may even have borrowed the residual energy of the dragon vein of Changling City itself.

"Dazhuang, you're something else." She turned to look at Wang Dazhuang. "This place, let alone five thousand taels, I doubt even fifty thousand taels could buy it. How did you find it?"

Wang Dazhuang blushed at her praise, but when she mentioned the price, he immediately shrank back guiltily, his eyes darting around, and he dared not reply.

Jiang Dusheng's doubts were aroused, and he said, "Where is the landlord now? Let's settle the handover today and move in."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhuang's eyes darted around even more, and he quietly raised his paper finger, pointing towards the direction of the carriage.

To be precise, she quickly gestured towards Xie Jinchen, who had just gotten out of the car, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the door, looking at her expressionlessly.

Jiang Dusheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening, abruptly turning to stare at Wang Dazhuang, practically squeezing out the words through clenched teeth: "The landlord... is him?!"

Wang Dazhuang nodded guiltily, his voice barely audible, "That day I was looking for a house outside, my legs were almost broken, but I couldn't find one that really suited your taste."

"I just happened to run into Prince Xie, and when he asked, I told him..."

"After hearing this, Young Master Xie said that he has many vacant houses under his name, and since this one is just sitting empty anyway, and the feng shui is alright, then... then let me show it to you..."

His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

Jiang Dusheng looked at Xie Jinchen, but the other party simply looked back calmly, as if to say: He is mine, so what?

Seeing that she seemed eager to draw a clear line, Xie Jinchen's lips curled up almost imperceptibly before he regained his indifference.

He took a few steps forward, stood in front of her, and said lazily, with an air of nonchalance, "What, you don't want it?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over her slightly tense face. "We've been traveling for two days straight. If you don't want to, I don't have time to accompany you to the inn. I'm exhausted and need to go back to the Duke's mansion to rest."

The meaning couldn't be clearer: You don't want it? Then you'll have to endure the fifteenth night's appointment by yourself.

Jiang Dusheng understood the threat in his words and was furious.

She stared at him, her chest rising and falling slightly.

Then, he took a deep breath, snorted through his nose, turned his face away, and said in a stiff tone, "Who said I didn't want it?"

A glint of triumph flashed in Xie Jinchen's eyes. He nodded in satisfaction, said nothing more, and took the lead in pushing open the half-closed courtyard gate and walking inside.

He moved with the familiarity of being back in his own home, walking straight through the neatly tidied front yard to the main hall.

He found a chaise lounge with soft cushions, leaned back on it without any hesitation, closed his eyes to rest, making it clear that the house was his and he was completely at ease with the rest of the house.

Jiang Dusheng followed him in and felt even more annoyed by his matter-of-fact attitude.

She walked up to him and reached into her purse to take out banknotes.

Xie Jinchen didn't even open his eyes, only lazily waving his hand, as if shooing away annoying flies:

"Stop arguing. I'm tired. I'm not in the mood to collect money right now, and I'm too lazy to do the accounting. You keep it for me for now, and we'll talk about it later."

Jiang Dusheng's hand holding the silver note froze in mid-air. Looking at his stubborn and unyielding rogue-like appearance, he gritted his teeth and finally took the silver note back.

She knew that reasoning with Xie Jinchen in his current state was pointless.

She turned around, shoved a silver note into Wang Dazhuang's hand as he followed her in, and said irritably, "Go out and buy a few new quilts and mattresses!"

Wang Dazhuang held the silver notes but didn't move. Instead, he cautiously glanced at Xie Jinchen on the bed, then at Jiang Dusheng, and whispered:

"Master, there's no need to buy anything. Prince Xie has instructed that all the furniture and furnishings in this house, including the brand-new bedding and curtains in the storeroom, should be left for our use, to avoid the hassle of moving things around..."

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

Too lazy to argue with Wang Dazhuang anymore, she took out the broken jade earring from her bosom and handed it to him, her voice regaining its composure:

"Go to Ruan Hong Xuan and find a girl named Yue Rao. Give her this earring and tell her that I have rescued Wen Yu Sui's soul and sent it to its proper place. Tell her to rest assured."

Wang Dazhuang quickly took the earring, carefully put it away, and replied, "Yes, Master! I'll go right away! I guarantee I'll get it done!"

After saying that, he ran out in a flash, afraid of being tortured by Jiang Dusheng's glare again.