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

Meanwhile, Xie Jinchen brought Wang Dazhuang back to the house.

As soon as he entered, Wang Dazhuang ran up to Jiang Dusheng and wailed at the top of his lungs, "Master! My dear master! You almost didn't get to see your loyal Dazhuang again!"

"That Duke Xie is too... uh, too imposing! His guards arrested me without a word and subjected me to severe torture!"

He twisted the piece of paper into a shape of grief and indignation, "You insist on forcing me to reveal your affair with Prince Xie... no, your schemes! You say that your staying by the Prince's side must be for ulterior motives!"

He puffed out his chest, his paper-thin face held high, "Too bad, he didn't expect that I, Wang Dazhuang, am of iron will and my mouth is tight! No matter how much he threatened or bribed me, I didn't say a single thing I shouldn't have!"

Jiang Dusheng glanced at his wrinkled, comical appearance, and his lips twitched slightly.

Xie Jinchen had already walked to her side and naturally took her hand. The warmth from his palm made her pause slightly.

"Thankfully, I made it back before midnight," he said softly.

Wang Dazhuang was still boasting, "But Young Master Xie is truly righteous! Seeing me being bullied, he immediately told me to fight back! Hehe, you didn't see that guard's face, it was as black as the bottom of a pot!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng's gaze fell on Xie Jinchen's face.

In the candlelight, the barely noticeable redness and minor cuts on the corner of his mouth did not escape her notice.

Her gaze instantly turned cold, and she grabbed his wrist tightly with the hand that was being held. "Did he hit you?" Her voice was not loud, but it was filled with chill.

Xie Jinchen hesitated for a moment before uttering the word "It's alright."

Catching a glimpse of the clear anger in her eyes, a thought flickered in his mind, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth turned into a low, restrained reply, "Mm."

He even turned his head slightly, as if trying to hide it, but this only made the scar more clearly visible to Jiang Dusheng.

He lowered his eyelashes, his thick lashes casting a small shadow beneath his eyes, and said in a tone so calm it was almost deliberate, "It's alright. At least we brought your people back safe and sound."

He paused, glancing at the water clock beside him. "It's almost midnight. I'm covered in dust from outside, so I'll go wash up first, then..."

As he spoke, he turned to leave.

Seeing this, Jiang Dusheng gripped him even tighter and pulled him back, saying, "What are you washing for? Where else are you hurt?"

Without a word, she pressed Xie Jinchen down onto the stool next to her, leaned closer, and lifted his chin with her fingertips to carefully examine the wound under the light, her delicate brows furrowing more and more tightly.

Wang Dazhuang, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but widen his eyes and open his mouth.

Is this seemingly fragile and vulnerable Xie Shizi, who needs care, really the same Xie Shizi from the Duke's mansion who had a cold gaze, an imposing aura, and casually told him to "fight back"?

Jiang Dusheng had no time to pay attention to Wang Dazhuang at the moment.

She pulled Xie Jinchen straight back to the inner room, took out her small medicine box, scooped out a little cool ointment with her fingertip, and gently applied it to the red, swollen, and broken skin on the corner of his lips.

When the ointment touched the broken skin, Xie Jinchen subconsciously hissed softly, his body stiffening slightly.

Jiang Dusheng's movements became even lighter, but he couldn't help but curse, "As expected, he's not my biological son! He's really heavy-handed when he starts hitting!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Xie Jinchen grabbed her wrist as she was applying medicine, raised his eyes, and looked straight into her eyes.

His eyes lacked their usual coldness and aloofness, replaced by more complex emotions. His voice lowered as well. "Jiang Dusheng, for the sake of the beating I took, do me a favor, okay?"

Jiang Dusheng stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "What?"

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he clearly uttered his obsession: "Give Wang Dazhuang a new face."

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

Just how deep is this person's resentment towards Shi Qinglian? Can't he get over that face?

Seeing her pursed lips and silence, her eyes slightly dimmed, Xie Jinchen gave a self-deprecating bitter smile, and his voice lowered, as if carrying a sense of loneliness:

"Fine, if you don't want to agree, then you don't want to agree. In your heart, Wang Dazhuang is more important, Shi Qinglian has a nice name and is good-looking, but I'm the only one..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Dusheng suddenly narrowed his eyes, cupped his face in his hands, and examined him carefully and earnestly.

She looked left and right, her brow furrowed slightly, as if examining something highly suspicious.

Then, with a serious expression, she muttered to herself, "Something's not right. Could it be that I was possessed by some evil spirit at the Duke's mansion?"

Before she finished speaking, with lightning speed, she slapped a bright yellow talisman directly onto Xie Jinchen's forehead.

The talisman fell down, covering half of his eyebrows and eyes.

"What kind of demon dares to possess Xie Jinchen!" Jiang Dusheng took a half step back, his hands forming a sword incantation, and shouted sharply, his aura imposing, "Show yourself and retreat at once!"

Xie Jinchen: "..."

With a talisman stuck to his forehead, he seemed frozen in place, even his breath caught in his throat for a moment.

In the candlelight, half of his handsome face was hidden in the shadow of the talisman, his expression completely frozen, only his eyes were deep and unfathomable in the dim light.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, causing the talisman on his forehead to tremble slightly.

Then, he raised his hand, slowly and deliberately pinched the edge of the talisman with two fingers, and gently peeled it off.

The movements were gentle, yet inexplicably carried a sense of impending danger.

He lifted his eyelids, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he looked at Jiang Dusheng, who was earnestly performing an exorcism.

"Jiang, Du, Sheng." He enunciated her name slowly and deliberately, grinding it between his teeth with a hint of resentment. "You'll sleep alone tonight."

After saying that, he stretched out his arm and used the same method against him, sticking the talisman, which still carried his body heat, onto Jiang Dusheng's smooth forehead with a "smack".

"Go catch your ghost!" he sneered, stood up and walked straight to the next room, closing the door three times louder than usual.

Jiang Dusheng was left standing there alone, a yellow talisman hanging down, half-covering his eyes, and blinked.

She felt the cool touch of the paper on her forehead, raised her hand to touch it, and looked through the wall at the next room that seemed to be emitting a chill. Finally, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

A smile spread from the corners of her lips, brightening her eyes. The cinnabar mole between her brows danced vividly in the flickering candlelight.

But before the smile could fade, the familiar chilling aura within him began to quietly surge as midnight approached.

She suppressed her smile, raised her hand to remove the talisman from her forehead, carefully folded it, and tucked it into her sleeve.

Half an incense stick later, there was still no movement from the next room.

Jiang Dusheng sat cross-legged on his bed, trying to endure the chill, but instead of dissipating, it seemed to creep up his spine like a venomous snake.

Finally, she got off the bed, slipped on her shoes, and walked to the door of the next room.

"Bang bang bang!" She didn't hold back and pounded on the door, the sound particularly clear in the quiet night. "Xie Jinchen, I'm so cold."