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

After hearing this, Xie Jinchen's expression softened somewhat, but the worry in his eyes remained. He said to Doctor Zhou, "Doctor Zhou, please prescribe a formula to nourish the spleen and stomach."

After Dr. Zhou finished writing the prescription and took his medicine box to leave, a subtle tension lingered in the air.

Xie Jinchen raised his hand, signaling the guards to remove the dishes that had gone cold and take them to the kitchen to reheat them.

His gaze returned to Jiang Dusheng, who was still rubbing his chest in deep thought.

"Three days later," he said, his voice regaining its usual composure, "I will go with you to Willow Village."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the cinnabar birthmark between her brows, and his voice fell clearly and calmly, "I will play the role of the mountain god's bride for you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng suddenly looked up at him.

For the first time, his face, which was usually carefree and unconcealed, revealed undisguised astonishment.

Beneath his palm, that erratic throbbing surged forth again without warning, clearer than ever before.

No, this feeling...

In a flash, an unprecedented thought shattered her long-held cognitive fog like a thunderclap.

She suddenly realized that this might not be an illness at all.

But this thought, which had just sprung up like a spark, was forcibly suppressed by the teachings heard between morning bells and evening drums, and almost extinguished.

Wait a minute…

Master clearly said that once you enter the Buddhist gate, receive the precepts and uphold the rules, you should see through the illusions of the world and sever all worldly entanglements.

Love and obsession, greed, anger and desire, are the thorns that obstruct the path and the demons that disturb the mind.

Buddhist disciples should always keep the sword of wisdom at hand, severing emotional ties and turning their hearts toward enlightenment, only then can they attain purity and freedom.

Although she practices both Buddhism and Taoism and cannot be considered a pure Buddhist disciple, she should still be influenced to some extent, right?

Xie Jinchen stared at her in a daze.

Those eyes, which were always clear and bright, were now veiled with a thin mist of obvious confusion and self-doubt.

Her brows were furrowed, as if she were engaged in a life-or-death struggle deep within her consciousness with a ghost more powerful than the one she had subdued a thousand-year-old demon.

Xie Jinchen's eyes darkened slightly, and he remained silent. He suddenly reached out and skillfully pulled out a calming and tranquilizing talisman from the edge of a stack of yellow talismans peeking out from her waist pouch.

Then, with a "snap," the talisman was gently affixed to her smooth, full forehead.

The cool touch and the peaceful aura emanating from the talisman brought Jiang Dusheng back to his senses.

"You've snapped out of it," Xie Jinchen said calmly, withdrawing his hand.

Jiang Dusheng blinked, raised his hand and peeled the talisman off his forehead, but his gaze remained fixed on Xie Jinchen's face.

An even more absurd question blurted out, "Xie Jinchen, you...you don't actually like men, do you?"

Xie Jinchen: "..."

He closed his eyes, seemingly speechless for a moment, choked by her peculiar train of thought.

When he opened his eyes again, he spoke slowly and calmly, "No."

Xie Jinchen paused, then, meeting her still inquisitive gaze, said clearly, word by word:

"I like wood."

Then, he stood up expressionlessly, his robe sleeves brushing against the edge of the table as he walked out.

"Hey? Where are you going? The food isn't even heated up yet, aren't you going to eat?" Jiang Dusheng called out from behind him.

Xie Jinchen didn't stop walking, nor did he turn his head.

The voice drifted over from a distance of several steps, its emotion unreadable, yet it inexplicably made the air freeze for a moment:

"I'm not eating anymore."

He turned his head slightly, his gaze seemingly sweeping over her still-standing figure, and uttered the rest of his sentence, "I don't want to eat with a block of wood."

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared into the shadows of the porch outside the door, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Jiang Dusheng was left sitting alone, still clutching the calming talisman in his hand, staring blankly in the direction he had left, motionless for a long time.

My heartbeat was still a little erratic, but the intense feeling of impact seemed to subside slightly after he left.

Jiang Dusheng sat there for a while until the guard brought in the reheated food. She then snapped out of her reverie, waved her hand absentmindedly, and gestured for the food to be put aside.

She stopped looking at the exquisite dishes, stood up, walked quickly back to her room, and closed the door behind her.

The unusual heartbeat and Xie Jinchen's words, "wooden blockhead," were like two fine thorns, piercing her usually clear mind.

It didn't hurt, but it was very awkward, making it impossible for her to immediately calm down and meditate as usual.

Jiang Dusheng sat down at the table, stared at the blank letter for a moment, and then suddenly reached into the drawer next to him to find pen and ink, his movements carrying a rare air of irritation.

As she ground the ink, she muttered unconsciously, "This master is unreliable; he just spouts empty platitudes... I should ask another one."