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

Xie Jinchen's temple twitched almost imperceptibly. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his tone icy:

"Yi Che, if you're not going to talk about serious matters, then get out of here. Don't disturb her lunch."

Yi Che jolted awake, his muddled mind clearing slightly. He quickly waved his hands, a look of panic flashing across his face. "Speak, speak! I came here today to discuss serious matters!"

He turned to Jiang Dusheng, his expression much more serious this time, and bowed solemnly: "Miss Jiang, I have come today to ask you... is there any way to save Shuang'er tonight?"

He quickly added, his eyes earnest, "It's not about stopping her from taking revenge, but about saving her from being annihilated."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng sighed softly, "One is determined to make the other forget, while the other desperately wants the other to live. The lovesick men and women of this world are always so diametrically opposed, yet they arrive at the same destination by different paths."

Yi Che's face turned bitter. He said in a low voice, "I know, Shuang'er must have come looking for you. She wants revenge, and I respect her and understand her."

He paused, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of ruthlessness and determination, "I have secretly sent someone, disguised as a wandering Taoist priest, to persuade Chen Youcai to remove those talismans from his home under the pretext of unfavorable feng shui."

"They also had someone pretend to be a drunken madman who accidentally tore down the consecrated Buddha statue on the gate of Wang Laizi's mansion..."

He looked up, his eyes bloodshot yet unusually bright. "I just want her path to revenge to be less thorny and smoother."

Yi Che's voice lowered, filled with suppressed pain, "But Miss Jiang, I respect her choice, but I also hope that she might still have a glimmer of hope, that she might still have... an afterlife."

Even if I drink the Meng Po soup and cross the Naihe Bridge, I will never remember who I am again...

His eyes were red and he was about to cry, but he held them back. "As long as she can still exist, as long as she has a chance to start over... that's enough. I just need to know that she still exists in this world... that's enough."

Jiang Dusheng listened quietly and suddenly felt that converting ghosts seemed simpler than converting people's hearts.

Although ghosts and spirits have deep obsessions, they often have clear goals, distinct likes and dislikes. Once they resolve their karmic entanglements and their obsessions dissipate, they are liberated.

Human nature is stubborn, and deep feelings are hard to let go. Reasoning cannot convince them, and emotions cannot be severed. They often fall into more complicated entanglements, drawing a circle around themselves and leaving others helpless.

She hesitated for a moment, her gaze lingering on Yi Che's despairing face for a while, before slowly speaking:

"There might be a way. But I can only point you in the right direction. Whether you can make it through depends on your own karma and destiny."

Yi Che's eyes suddenly lit up, as if a drowning person had grabbed onto a piece of driftwood. "What method? I'm willing to pay any price! As long as Shuang'er can have a chance!"

Jiang Dusheng slowly said, "Jiang Shuangjiang is only one step away from becoming a vengeful ghost, and she has decided to use all her soul power as the price to forcibly take revenge."

"This act violates the natural order of Yin and Yang, and will inevitably incur the backlash of Heaven. It is almost certain that his soul will be scattered."

Yi Che's breath caught in his throat, and his face turned ashen.

Jiang Dusheng continued, speaking slowly, "If we want to give her a chance to live, firstly, we need a pure and benevolent will to share some of the karmic backlash with her. If you have accumulated great merit, you might be able to protect her to some extent, but it will be a drop in the ocean."

"Secondly, Chen Youcai and Wang Laizi committed many evil deeds in their lives and are burdened with karmic obstacles. If Jiang Shuangjiang only takes their lives to end their sins in this life, perhaps... there is still a slight chance."

"Because he killed someone who deserved to die, the judge of the underworld may consider allowing his remnant soul to enter the underworld for trial and then determine his reincarnation."

"But if she insists on causing these two to be completely destroyed, then the sin itself will be even greater, and their chances of survival will be... slim."

She paused, her voice growing deeper: "If it really comes to that, you need to find a guide recognized by the underworld to legally guide your remnant soul to the underworld when it is about to dissipate, so as to prevent it from being completely annihilated by the power of Heaven."

"Thirdly, and most importantly, Jiang Shuangjiang herself must retain a trace of clarity and a faint yearning for the next life at the moment when she completes her revenge and releases her resentment."

"This last glimmer of hope is the foundation upon which a remnant soul can be guided. If she is completely consumed by hatred, leaving only destruction, then all is lost."

Jiang Dusheng looked at Yi Che, his gaze clear and untainted, "That's all I can tell you."

"I am not a judge of the underworld, and have no right to interfere with the Book of Life and Death; nor am I her blood relative, and cannot offset it with fate."

"If I were to forcibly intervene with magic, it would only increase my own karma and be of no benefit to her. On the contrary, the intervention of external forces might make the punishment from Heaven even more severe."

"If you really want to do something for her, you might want to think carefully: have you or she ever accumulated any special good karma or karmic connections?"

"Furthermore, perhaps before she seeks revenge, you could subtly let her know that your ultimate wish is for her to be well in her next life, which might plant a seed of clarity in her heart."

Her tone turned stern as a warning, "But remember, you must not force her to change her mind, and you must not try to alter her decision. Otherwise, your obsession will become her final inner demon."

"And all I can do is, when I sense that her soul is about to dissipate, use a soul-soothing talisman to temporarily stabilize her soul for a moment, buying a brief opportunity for a potential guide."

"But this talisman is not perfect, and it requires her remaining remnant soul to cooperate with it."

"This is my compassion as a cultivator for a soul on the verge of dispersal. It is not a promise, nor do I bear any karmic consequences. Whether it succeeds or not depends on the will of Heaven and on her own."

Jiang Dusheng's gaze fell on Yi Che's face, his tone calm yet distant, "Young Master Yi, deep affection is short-lived, and excessive intelligence is bound to bring harm. You have already done enough for her."

"Some roads, some tribulations, she must ultimately walk and overcome alone. Others can light the way, but they cannot take her journey."

"All I can point out is a narrow path with little hope. How you choose, whether to try, is between you and her; you must bear the consequences of your actions."

After listening, the light in Yi Che's eyes flickered.

He understood what Jiang Dusheng meant.

She wouldn't personally intervene to reverse the situation, but she provided methods and directions.

Each of these paths is incredibly difficult, and success or failure depends on too many uncontrollable factors, especially Jiang Shuangjiang's own final thoughts.

The pain and struggle on Yi Che's face were gradually replaced by understanding.

Yes, this is originally a matter between him and Shuang'er. Their love and hate, their life and death separations, how can we always expect others to bear the price and resolve the disaster?

After a long pause, Yi Che took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Jiang Dusheng, more solemnly than ever before:

"Thank you for your frankness and guidance, Miss Jiang. I understand now."

He straightened up, his eyes still filled with deep sorrow, but with a newfound resolve. "Regardless of what happens after tonight, whether we live or die is the consequence that Shuang'er and I must bear. We can't blame heaven and earth, nor can we blame anyone else."

"I won't disturb your meal any longer. Thank you for taking care of me tonight."

After saying that, he nodded to Xie Jinchen, turned and left. His back looked heavy, but he was no longer hesitant.

The room fell silent again.

Ruan Guyan and Wang Dazhuang seemed to be shocked and remained silent.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Dusheng turned to look at Xie Jinchen beside him.

She suddenly spoke, her voice very soft, "Xie Jinchen, do you think it's cold-hearted of me to stay out of this?"