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

As soon as she finished speaking, the smile on Jiang Shuangjiang's face instantly faded, almost impossible to maintain.

She raised her eyes, looking directly at Jiang Dusheng. A hint of warning flashed deep within her gentle eyes, and her voice lowered slightly:

"I am ignorant and have never heard of such a thing. However, I have heard that some Taoist practitioners are most averse to meddling in other people's business."

An invisible clash of auras between the two caused the temperature in the hall to drop slightly.

Yi Che looked left and right, completely unable to understand what they were saying. He only felt that the atmosphere was a bit awkward and stagnant, so he quickly smiled and tried to smooth things over:

"Oh dear, do you guys usually enjoy listening to these supernatural and ghostly plays? They're kind of scary. Let's eat first, let's eat!"

Jiang Dusheng suddenly chuckled, and with a flick of her wrist, the bone flute was slammed onto the table.

She raised her eyes, her gaze landing on Jiang Shuangjiang. Her voice was clear and sharp, carrying a sense of pressure: "Miss Jiang, I'm not exactly patient, and my temper is unpredictable. So, I'll give you one more chance..."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, "Tell the truth, reveal your origins and purpose, or... take a beating right now. Choose one."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Che froze completely, dropping his chopsticks onto the table. "Miss Jiang? What happened? Shuang'er, she..."

He subconsciously wanted to speak up for Jiang Shuangjiang, but was intimidated by the completely different cold and fierce aura of Jiang Dusheng in front of him.

Jiang Dusheng glanced at him, looking at him as if he were an idiot, then simply turned to him and asked a question so blunt that Yi Che almost jumped up:

"Young Master Yi, tell me honestly, how many times have you shared a bed with this devil?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Che's face turned bright red, all the way to his ears.

He pointed at Jiang Dusheng, both ashamed and angry, and stammered, "You, you, you... how could you, a young lady, ask such a question... Ah Chen, aren't you going to do anything about this?!"

Xie Jinchen had been merely observing, but now that he had been called upon, he slowly put down his spoon, looked up at Yi Che, whose face was flushed, raised an eyebrow, and said something that almost made Yi Che faint:

"Yes, it's something we should do." Xie Jinchen nodded, then continued very naturally, even frowning slightly with a concerned expression, "So, how many naps did you actually get?"

Yi Che: "..."

His fingers trembled with anger as he stared at the two people in front of him.

One was all smiles, as if chatting casually, while the other looked serious, as if reviewing military intelligence. My head was buzzing.

At this moment, Jiang Shuangjiang's gaze was fixed on the bone flute on the table, and then slowly moved to the Buddhist beads that were showing on Jiang Dusheng's wrist.

The gentle, feigned smile faded from her face, and her voice, seemingly coming from afar, carried a hint of probing, "Young lady, you carry Buddhist treasures and ritual implements. It seems you are a member of the Buddhist community?"

Jiang Dusheng curled his lips, "He's only lived in a Buddhist temple for over ten years."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuangjiang's pupils contracted slightly, then she let out a low laugh. The laugh was no longer gentle; instead, it carried a hint of desolation and mockery: "No wonder his name is Dusheng. Was he meant to save all living beings from suffering? What a pity..."

She suddenly raised her head, the last trace of pretense in her eyes peeling away to reveal a deep, ghostly aura beneath. "A lonely soul like mine, adrift in this sea of ​​sin, is beyond redemption!"

"Shuang'er?! What are you saying?" Yi Che panicked completely and tried to grab her hand, but found that her fingertips were so cold that they seemed to be colder than a living person's.

Jiang Shuangjiang turned to look at him, her eyes filled with pity, self-mockery, and a hint of reluctance that she herself might not have even noticed.

Her icy hand gently stroked Yi Che's shocked and bewildered face, the movement carrying an unprecedented tenderness:

"I've wandered this world, and most of the people I've met are hypocritical and deceitful. Only you have a pure heart, utterly sincere, and treat me like a precious jewel..."

She paused, her voice lowering to a long sigh, "I had planned to stay with you for a few more days before quietly leaving."

"Now it seems that's impossible. Forget about me, just consider it... a dream." After saying that, she gently blew a breath towards Yi Che's face.

Yi Che's eyes widened, and he wanted to say something, but he felt his consciousness instantly leave him, his body went limp and he fell unconscious.

Just as his forehead was about to hit the table, Xie Jinchen stretched out a finger and casually tapped his shoulder.

Yi Che leaned to one side, rested against the back of the chair, and fell into a deep sleep, his posture even quite peaceful.

Inside the hall, candlelight flickered.

Jiang Dusheng remained seated leisurely.

She looked up at Jiang Shuangjiang, whose ghostly aura was growing stronger. The relaxed smile on her face remained unchanged, but her eyes were clearer.

Jiang Dusheng casually reached out and grasped Xie Jinchen's hand.

Xie Jinchen's eyebrows twitched slightly, he adjusted his posture, and gripped the handle back.

Jiang Dusheng then looked at Jiang Shuangjiang, who was poised to attack, tilted his head, and raised his free hand.

With a "poof," a cluster of pure golden spiritual energy ignited at his fingertips.

Although small, it repelled some of the surrounding eerie and ghostly aura.

Spiritual energy danced at her fingertips, making her features vivid and lifelike.

"I'm not really into manual labor; it's too much trouble."

Jiang Dusheng's voice was light and cheerful, the spiritual energy at his fingertips flickering with his words, "I'll ask you one last time, are you going to tell me yourself, or wait until I shatter this ghostly body you've painstakingly condensed?"

She paused, then chuckled softly, "May Buddha be merciful, but I... may not be so sure."

Jiang Shuangjiang's gaze met Jiang Dusheng's in mid-air.

One of his eyes was dark and menacing, filled with an unfathomable amount of resentment and chilling coldness.

His eyes were clear and bright, as if they could see the origin of all things.

The candlelight in the hall flickered suddenly, even though there was no wind.

Jiang Dusheng looked at Jiang Shuangjiang, his voice calm, "Jiang Shuangjiang, who told you that if you're sinking into the sea of ​​sin, there's no way to cross it?"

"You linger in the mortal realm, absorbing yang energy to refine your soul, simply because you have grievances that have not been redressed."

"But this method harms both oneself and others, and is ultimately not the right path. The mixed Yang energy will continuously erode your soul, making you increasingly agitated, and eventually causing you to lose your true nature and become a wicked ghost that only knows how to devour."

"If you believe me, tell me what your obsession is. Perhaps there is still another way to go."

Jiang Shuangjiang's ghostly aura surged violently, revealing her intense inner struggle.

She glanced at Yi Che, who was unconscious with a slight frown, a complex pain flashing in her eyes. In the end, all her intense emotions turned into a desolate, bitter laugh.

"I know I can't beat you." She looked at Jiang Dusheng, her voice low and hoarse, yet filled with a desperate resolve. "But!"

She abruptly looked up, her eyes brimming with ghostly tears, her aura soaring to the heavens. "No matter what, this revenge must be taken! If this hatred is not quelled, I would rather my soul perish and be forever lost in nothingness than step into the cycle of reincarnation!"

The golden spiritual energy at Jiang Dusheng's fingertips was still dancing. Upon hearing this, she simply nodded calmly, her tone even somewhat gentle:

"Tell me first. If there is truly an unresolved injustice or a deep-seated blood feud, as long as you don't harm innocent people indiscriminately, I might not stop you."