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

Jiang Dusheng picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, hesitated for a moment, and then wrote swiftly.

Her handwriting was unlike that of ordinary women, possessing a free and sharp quality that flowed like clouds and water.

However… at this moment, he appeared somewhat disoriented due to his restless state of mind.

"Master: I descended from Nanchansi Temple and entered the secular world, where I met a man. At first, I only felt that this man was deep and unfathomable, but after traveling together several times, I gradually felt that he was different. Recently, it has been even more so. His words and actions have caused my heart to pound and I am filled with anxiety and unease."

"Master Huiming once said that Buddhist disciples should sever all emotional ties and extinguish worldly desires. However, I am half Buddhist and half Taoist; is this state of mind a sign of budding emotions? If it is, how can I sever them? Master, you once jokingly said that if a man wanted to befriend me, I could take advantage of him and then not take responsibility. But if this feeling is real, how can I not take responsibility?"

"Furthermore, this young man possesses a unique purple-evil yang energy that can alleviate the suffering caused by the yin energy within my body, but he seems unwilling to do so. What should I do then?"

"This matter is confusing and disturbs my peaceful cultivation. I cannot understand it at all. Please, Master, enlighten me and guide me through this confusion. Your disciple, Dusheng, is in a hurry!"

The ink was so strong it almost penetrated the paper, a testament to the turmoil in her heart.

After writing, Jiang Dusheng put down his pen, picked up the letter paper, and gently blew on it to let the ink dry slightly.

Then, she took out a specially made talisman paper that shimmered with a faint silver light.

Jiang Dusheng carefully folded the letter he had written and then placed it together with the silver talisman.

She clasped her hands together, held the paper between her palms, and silently recited:

"Borrowing the power of Heaven and Earth, a single spark of inspiration. Yin and Yang as the guide, the talisman connects to the Nine Heavens."

"disease!"

The voice was low, yet it caused a slight ripple of spiritual energy in the surrounding area.

As the last syllable fell, a soft light suddenly shone from her palm, enveloping the letter and talisman.

A moment later, the light faded, leaving only the silver talisman in her palm, while the original letter had vanished.

The cinnabar patterns on the silver talisman paper glowed slightly, as if infused with some kind of spiritual energy.

Jiang Dusheng released his grip, and the silver talisman floated in mid-air, emitting a slight buzzing sound.

She whispered to the talisman, "Go quickly to find my master!"

The silver talisman trembled slightly, then transformed into a streak of light, whooshed through the window, and instantly disappeared into the scenery.

This is a simplified version of the more profound "Spirit Crane Transmission" technique in Taoism.

Using specially made talisman paper to carry information and sense the recipient's aura, it can travel thousands of miles and track the recipient on its own, making it much faster and more discreet than ordinary postal services.

Unfortunately, this method consumes a great deal of spiritual energy, and Jiang Dusheng would never use it lightly unless he was in a desperate situation.

After doing all this, Jiang Dusheng slowly exhaled a long breath and sat back down in his chair.

She subconsciously raised her hand and touched her chest again.

There, it seemed that some of the former steady rhythm had finally been found, and the frantic beating had stopped.

However, a strange sense of emptiness quietly spread and lingered.

What lingers even more is the inexplicably lonely and desolate silhouette of Xie Jinchen as he turned to leave.

into the night.

Xie Jinchen, along with Jiang Dusheng, bypassed the night patrols and sentries, and quietly infiltrated the palace.

High walls and deep courtyards were meaningless to them.

Xie Jinchen's familiarity with the palace routes far surpassed that of ordinary people. In addition, Jiang Dusheng used talismans to conceal their aura, and the two of them traveled almost unimpeded, eventually arriving outside an exceptionally desolate and barren palace.

Xie Jinchen held Jiang Dusheng firmly around the waist and slipped down quietly under the shadow of a high eave.

The person in his arms was unusually quiet, even excessively so.

"What's wrong?" Xie Jinchen lowered his head, his thin lips almost touching her slightly cool earlobe, his voice extremely low, his warm breath brushing against her almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Dusheng buried his face in his shoulder and neck, his voice muffled and confused, "It's nothing. It's just that my heart is restless, and the waves are hard to calm."

Xie Jinchen's eyes darkened slightly, and he was about to say something when Jiang Dusheng suddenly poked his head out from his arms, his sharp gaze sweeping around.

By the dim moonlight and the scattered firelight in the palace, one could see that the palace walls were mottled, exuding a sense of deathly silence and coldness accumulated over the years.

Thin wisps of gray resentment drifted among the ruins, and several indistinct ghosts appeared and disappeared in the corners.

"This is the Cold Palace?" Jiang Dusheng muttered to himself, his brows furrowing slightly. "So most of the wandering souls from the palace have gathered here."

With its heavy yin energy, deep resentment, and few people, it is indeed a good place for ghosts to linger.

Although the area of ​​the Cold Palace was quite large, there were not many houses where people were actually still living.

The two quickly found a courtyard in the northwest corner that looked somewhat tidy.

Xie Jinchen gestured for Jiang Dusheng to hide behind a pillar, while he flicked a wisp of smoke from his fingertip, which drifted into the room through the window crack.

After a short while, the already faint breathing sounds inside the room became even longer and more steady.

He pushed open the slightly ajar door, slipped inside with Jiang Dusheng, and quickly closed the door behind him.

The room was dimly lit, with only a flickering light coming from a broken oil lamp in the corner.

The furnishings were extremely simple, consisting of only a bed, a table, and a chair, and the air was filled with a faint smell of medicine and dust.

The bed curtains were half-drawn, and a figure could be vaguely seen lying on his side with his face turned inward.

Xie Jinchen walked slowly closer, his gaze falling on the profile illuminated by the candlelight.

Even though he was prepared, Xie Jinchen's heart still skipped a beat when he saw the face that resembled his deceased mother by seven or eight points.

However, Jiang Dusheng, who was standing next to him, had a slight change in his eyes the moment he saw that face clearly.

For those who cultivate themselves, observing qi and discerning form is a fundamental skill, especially their perception of the differences between skin and bone structure, which is far more acute than that of ordinary people.

"No." Her voice was soft, but firm. "This isn't Zhou Wanning."

As soon as she finished speaking, she stepped forward and reached out to touch the edge of the woman's cheek on the bed.

Her movements appeared casual, yet her fingertips contained spiritual power as she chanted, "Illusory forms and shapes, vanish without a trace."

"break!"

As the last word "broken" fell, a sudden flash of light appeared at her fingertips, instantly dispelling some kind of invisible film clinging to that face.

The light flashed and disappeared in an instant, and the woman's face on the bed had changed drastically.

It was a completely unfamiliar face, a young woman in her early twenties with delicate features.

Her eyes were closed, and she was fast asleep due to the sleeping gas, completely unaware of what was happening before her eyes.

Xie Jinchen's gaze fell on this unfamiliar face, but his expression didn't show much surprise.

He forced a smile, his voice devoid of emotion. "Guess, was it His Majesty who switched them, or my nominal father?"