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

Jiang Dusheng looked at Huang Aman and said, "Don't worry, I've agreed to this."

"Three days later, I will disguise myself as your daughter and personally go to meet that so-called mountain god."

Upon hearing this, Huang Aman was about to kneel down and kowtow again, but Jiang Dusheng steadily supported her.

"Thank you, Master! Thank you for your compassion! I would repay your great kindness even in my next life, as an ox or a horse!"

"There's no need for that." Jiang Dusheng took out a folded yellow talisman from his sleeve. "Keep this talisman close to your body and never let it leave your side."

"Go back to the village first, keep the villagers calm and don't let them become suspicious. Also, make sure your daughter is safe. Three days later, I will follow the spiritual energy of this talisman to find your Willow Tree Village."

Upon hearing this, Huang Aman accepted the talisman with trembling hands, clutching it tightly to her chest as if it were a lifeline, and nodded repeatedly.

Then, she looked troubled, nervously rubbing her rough hands. "Master, how much silver will this cost? My family is poor, but even if we sell everything we own and ask our relatives for help, we can definitely..."

Jiang Dusheng shook his head, revealing a faint smile, "One copper coin is enough to ask for a destiny."

Her gaze drifted out the window, as if piercing through the building to reach the distant mountain valley:

"That malevolent spirit is deeply malevolent, harming people and disturbing their peace. By converting it, I can accumulate merit and benefit my spiritual practice."

Huang Aman was overwhelmed with gratitude and thanked him profusely before carefully putting away the talisman and leaving, turning back to look at it every few steps.

About half an hour after Huang Aman left, Xie Jinchen arrived.

Two guards followed behind him, each carrying a black lacquered and gilded food box.

The food box was opened, and several seemingly light but extremely exquisite seasonal side dishes and a bowl of milky white fish soup were placed on the table one by one, instantly filling the room with fragrance.

"The Duke's cook had nothing better to do, so he made some," Xie Jinchen said casually as he sat down beside her. "Have some first, and I'll take you to the palace when it gets a little darker."

Jiang Dusheng nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and took a few bites. The taste was indeed excellent.

As she ate, she suddenly remembered something, looked up at Xie Jinchen, and said in a calm and casual tone, as if to say that the weather was fine today, "By the way, Xie Jinchen, I'm getting married."

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out.

The celadon teacup in Xie Jinchen's hand was crushed by his bare hands.

A sharp shard of porcelain pierced his palm, and a bead of bright red blood instantly seeped out, mixing with the warm tea, and dripping onto the table through his fingers.

He froze in place, still holding the position of crushing the teacup, his raised eyes fixed on Jiang Dusheng's face.

Jiang Dusheng was startled by this sudden turn of events. Looking at his bleeding hand, he immediately realized that his words had been too ambiguous.

"You..." She quickly put down her chopsticks, leaned over, and grabbed his tense wrist, her brows furrowed. "Let go!"

Xie Jinchen didn't move, he just stared straight at her, the emotions surging in his eyes had not yet subsided.

Jiang Dusheng felt a little anxious and, disregarding everything else, quickly and concisely recounted Huang Aman's account of the mountain god's wedding in Willow Tree Village.

As she explained, Xie Jinchen's tense shoulders and back relaxed slightly, but his gaze remained intensely serious.

He slowly released his grip, letting the blood-stained shards of porcelain fall onto the table with a soft, scattered sound.

The guards had already cleverly handed over a clean handkerchief and wound medicine. Jiang Dusheng took it and wanted to bandage Xie Jinchen, but Xie Jinchen dodged him.

Xie Jinchen took the handkerchief himself, lowered his eyes, and slowly wiped the bloodstains and tea from his palm.

The movements appeared calm, but the slightly white knuckles betrayed the immense force exerted in that instant.

"Jiang Dusheng," he said, his voice low and hoarse, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, "this joke is not funny at all."

Jiang Dusheng looked at Xie Jinchen, who lowered his eyes, completely concealing the turbulent emotions surging within them.

For some reason, that familiar yet unfamiliar intense throbbing in her heart came back without warning, pounding against her chest and making it hard for her to breathe.

She instinctively clutched her chest, her brows furrowing, and reached out with her other hand to grasp Xie Jinchen's wrist, her tone carrying a dependence she herself was unaware of:

"Xie Jinchen, I think I'm sick. My chest feels very uncomfortable."

Xie Jinchen was still angry because of her joke, but when he heard her weak voice and her furrowed brows, which did not seem to be fake, all his anger was instantly replaced by worry.

He grabbed Jiang Dusheng's wrist with his other hand, and his fingertips immediately touched her pulse.

Although Xie Jinchen was not well-versed in medical principles, he could still sense that the pulse was beating unusually rapidly and erratically.

"Go, invite Doctor Zhou from the manor here," he ordered the guard beside him without turning his head.

The guards responded and left.

Before long, an elderly doctor carrying a medicine box arrived, almost being carried in.

Doctor Zhou was still a little unsteady on his feet, but when he caught a glimpse of Xie Jinchen's gloomy face, which looked like it could drip water, and Jiang Dusheng clutching his chest beside him, he immediately held his breath and became extremely alert.

Under Xie Jinchen's intense gaze, Doctor Zhou held his breath and carefully took Jiang Dusheng's pulse, observed his complexion, and asked several questions.

"How was it?" Xie Jinchen asked immediately when he saw him withdraw his hand.

Doctor Zhou stroked his beard and pondered, "Your Highness, at first glance, this young lady's pulse does not appear to indicate a heart ailment. However..."

He paused slightly. "The pulse is slightly floating, and the Guan pulse is a little sluggish. In my opinion, this is due to spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, caused by improper diet."

"Presumably, the young lady's daily diet is irregular, or she often eats raw or cold foods. In addition, she may be overthinking and straining her mind, which depletes her vital energy. The stomach and heart are close together. When the qi is reversed and uncomfortable, she may experience palpitations and chest tightness, which can easily be mistaken for a heart disease."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng clutched his chest and exclaimed in realization, "So that's how it is... This does seem to be one of my old ailments."

"Back when I was in the temple, I often went out to catch ghosts in order to accumulate merit, and I would forget to eat on time, or just eat some dry food and cold steamed buns to get by. Sometimes my stomach would cramp."

Jiang Dusheng still had a hint of confusion between his brows, and added, "But I've never felt my heart beating this fast before."

Upon hearing this, Doctor Zhou stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "The spleen and stomach are the foundation of postnatal health and the source of qi and blood production."

"When the spleen and stomach are out of balance, the circulation of qi and blood may become disordered, disturbing the yang qi in the chest. This can lead to symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms. The location of the symptoms is in the heart, but the source is in the stomach."

"Young lady, you should continue to eat on time, with warm and soft foods, and avoid excessive thinking and worry. As your spleen and stomach function gradually recovers and your qi and blood flow smoothly, these discomforts will slowly disappear."

Jiang Dusheng nodded thoughtfully; she understood.

The doctor down the mountain is still no good; his explanations are all rather vague.

I still need to find some time to go back to the temple and let my senior brother take a good look at me.

Is this unusually rapid and violent heartbeat really just due to an upset stomach?