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

Just then, a cheerful voice came from outside the hall, "Ah Chen! What brings you here?"

Before the words were even finished, a young man in fine clothes rushed in, clearly familiar with the place, without even knocking.

Jiang Dusheng looked up at the sound and paused for a moment on him.

As Yi Che entered the hall, he immediately saw Jiang Dusheng. He stopped abruptly, as if frozen in place, his eyes widening instantly.

He looked incredulously at Xie Jinchen, who was leaning against the couch with his eyes closed, and then at Jiang Dusheng, who was calm and composed beside him.

His finger trembled as he pointed at Xie Jinchen, then at Jiang Dusheng, as if he had seen a ghost.

"You! You you you!" He seemed to have finally found his voice. He rushed to the chaise lounge, grabbed Xie Jinchen's arm and shook it violently.

"Ah Chen, wake up! You can't let her bewitch you!"

He was heartbroken, as if Xie Jinchen had already stepped into an abyss. "You are the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion! How could you stoop to be someone's gigolo?!"

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

She wanted to remind Yi Che that his forehead was dark and a mass of gray, ominous energy, almost indistinguishable from the yang energy of a living person, was perched on his shoulder.

While it may not immediately endanger one's life, prolonged exposure will inevitably lead to bad luck and a constant stream of minor misfortunes.

But now, looking at his exaggerated expression of believing that Xie Jinchen had fallen into prostitution, she suddenly... didn't want to talk anymore.

Xie Jinchen was startled awake by Yi Che's sudden movement. Far from being annoyed, he deliberately went along with Yi Che's words, slowly saying, "There's no other way..."

He drew out the words, his gaze seemingly sweeping over Jiang Dusheng out of the corner of his eye, "Willingly sink into depravity."

This statement was half jest and half implication.

Jiang Dusheng's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and that irregular feeling of palpitation resurfaced.

She couldn't help but frown. Was she really sick? Why did her heart keep racing because of his ambiguous words?

Xie Jinchen sat up, slapped Yi Che's hand away, and said seriously, "The current owner of this house is Miss Jiang. In the future, when you come in, remember to send someone to announce your arrival first."

Yi Che was completely stunned, his gaze shifting back and forth between Xie Jinchen and Jiang Dusheng. The heartache on his face turned into disbelief, and finally turned into a long sigh:

"It's over, it's over, you've already given away the house, you're really determined..." He beat his chest and stamped his feet, as if his friend was terminally ill.

Xie Jinchen didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "Why aren't you staying at home? What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Che blushed slightly with embarrassment and stammered before saying, "Um... I recently met a young lady who is gentle and polite, and we get along very well."

"But my parents are a bit prejudiced and unwilling to agree right now. So I settled her in the house next door for the time being." As he spoke, he pointed to the west wall of the courtyard.

Jiang Dusheng understood.

It turns out that the house next door was this man's private residence. And the gentle woman he described was probably not even alive.

She took a few steps closer, her smile exceptionally kind and approachable. First, she pointed to Xie Jinchen, then said to Yi Che:

"Young Master Yi, out of consideration for your acquaintance with Xie Jinchen, I'll give you a word of advice."

She paused, her tone becoming meaningful, "Sometimes you really have to listen to your parents' advice, especially when it comes to something as important as your lifelong commitment."

Upon hearing this, Yi Che looked completely bewildered, not understanding her implied meaning at all. "Ah? What do you mean by that, Miss Jiang? My parents are just too old-fashioned..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Jinchen had already stood up.

He also sensed the unusual, dark aura emanating from Yi Che.

"Perfect timing," Xie Jinchen interrupted Yi Che, his voice calm and unwavering. "I'm also curious, what kind of woman could captivate the proud and aloof Young Master Yi? Would you be so kind as to introduce me?"

Seeing Xie Jinchen's interest, Yi Che immediately forgot his earlier doubts and grinned:

"Of course it's convenient! She gets bored being alone in the yard and always complains that I don't spend enough time with her. She'll be delighted if you come over!"

His tone was filled with excitement.

Jiang Dusheng shook his head decisively and took a step back, "I'm not going."

She looked at Xie Jinchen, then glanced at Yi Che, whose face was full of expectation, and added, "I don't want to see anything ghostly today."

Yi Che didn't hear the last few words clearly. He only heard her say that she wasn't going. Just as he was about to persuade her again, he saw Xie Jinchen walk up to Jiang Dusheng's side.

Xie Jinchen naturally reached out and grasped Jiang Dusheng's hand, which was hanging by his side.

He looked down at her, his gaze deep, his tone flat, "No, you do."

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

Yi Che: "!!!"

Yi Che's attention was instantly drawn to the two's clasped hands, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

He pointed to their clasped hands, his fingers trembling, and he looked heartbroken once again.

"Ah Chen, Ah Chen, you're completely finished!"

Xie Jinchen ignored him, took the clearly unwilling Jiang Dusheng by the hand, and walked straight out of the courtyard, leaving behind the words, "Lead the way."

Yi Che led the two to the front hall of his mansion next door and greeted them warmly, "Achen, Miss Jiang, please have a seat. I'll go and call Shuang'er to come out and meet you."

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

Once his figure disappeared, Jiang Dusheng immediately snorted coldly, his voice icy, "I'm not going to help him deal with this female ghost."

Xie Jinchen sat down on the chair next to her and replied indifferently, "Hmm, I won't help."

He paused, looking at her slightly pale profile, "Yi Che may be unreliable in other aspects, but he never skimps on food and drink."

"The chefs in his mansion were hired from Jiangnan at great expense, and their skills were no less than those of any famous restaurant in Changling."

"Tonight is the fifteenth. You may not have an appetite, but here you can always find something warm and palatable to tide you over."

Just then, footsteps approached.

Yi Che returned with a beaming smile, accompanied by a graceful woman.

The woman was dressed in a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a delicate and pretty face, her eyes lowered, and an inherent gentle and pitiful temperament.

"Ah Chen, Miss Jiang, let me introduce you," Yi Che said with a smile and a boastful tone, "This is Jiang Shuangjiang, Shuang'er."

He then turned to the woman, his tone gentle, "Shuang'er, this is my best brother, Xie Jinchen, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and this is Jiang Dusheng, Miss Jiang."

Jiang Shuangjiang raised her eyes as instructed, her gaze quickly sweeping over Xie Jinchen before landing on Jiang Dusheng's face.

The moment their eyes met, her gaze flickered almost imperceptibly, only to be instantly concealed by a gentle smile.

She bowed slightly, her voice soft: "Shuangjiang greets Young Master Xie and Miss Jiang."

Jiang Dusheng raised his eyebrows slightly and curved his lips into a smile.

Tsk, this is a ghost with some skill. Its gentle, kind, respectful, and frugal demeanor is much more convincing than that of ordinary wandering ghosts.

She didn't respond, but just watched quietly, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.

Xie Jinchen nodded slightly as a greeting, then turned his gaze back to Yi Che. "I'm a little tired after a long day's travel. Do you have anything here to fill my stomach?"

He asked directly, revealing that he had come solely for the sake of satisfying his appetite.

Yi Che nodded quickly, "Of course! I haven't had dinner yet either, let's have it together!"

He loudly ordered his servants to prepare a feast.

Before long, a table of exquisite dishes was laid out.

Just as Xie Jinchen had said, the dishes were diverse and the aromas were elegant, showing the host's attention to detail in this area.

Xie Jinchen naturally picked up the soup spoon and first ladled a small bowl of chicken soup for Jiang Dusheng, who didn't have much of an appetite, and pushed it in front of her.

Yi Che saw this and shook his head again, mouthing "hopeless" to Xie Jinchen.

Jiang Dusheng noticed his little movements, took a few sips of soup, and then looked up at Jiang Shuangjiang, who was sitting next to Yi Che and always kept her head down.

She suddenly spoke, her tone casual as if it were a normal conversation, "Miss Shuang'er, judging from your accent, you don't seem to be from Changling. Are you from the South?"

Jiang Shuangjiang's hand holding the chopsticks tightened almost imperceptibly, but her gentle smile remained on her face.

"Miss Jiang has excellent hearing. I do come from a small town in the south, a remote place that you may not have heard of."

Jiang Dusheng seemed to have taken a liking to her. He put down his chopsticks, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at her with clear eyes that carried an invisible pressure. "The South... I've heard quite a few strange and wonderful stories there."

"Have you ever heard of a ghost that specializes in disguising itself as a gentle woman, approaching the living, and using affection as bait to quietly absorb yang energy to nourish its yin spirit?"