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

However, just as he was on the verge of despair, a warm current suddenly surged from the deepest part of Jiang Dusheng's consciousness.

That was the Pure Land of the Spirit Platform, which had been nourished by Buddhist scriptures and chants for more than ten years.

Yes, she was kept behind.

It remained at Nanchansi Temple, before the Buddha.

However, was being left behind in the Buddhist order truly nothing but misfortune and abandonment for her?

no.

The master's seemingly unreliable banter hides a wisdom that sees through the ways of the world.

The daily routine of morning bells and evening drums, chanting scriptures and practicing breathing exercises, though austere and lonely, strengthened her body and made her mind clear.

This austere spiritual practice, while not providing her with luxurious clothes and food or the pampering of her parents, gave her the ability to make a living and distinguish right from wrong in this turbid world.

It gave her the strength to wield a sword and slay evil spirits, the insight to see into people's hearts, and the composure to maintain her true self amidst chaos.

She is no longer the little girl who could only look up at her parents' backs and passively accept everything.

She is Jiang Dusheng.

He is Jiang Dusheng, who can wield a sword to slay evil spirits and chant scriptures to guide souls.

Her value, her significance, is no longer confined to the day she waited in front of the temple gate but could not find her family.

Rather, it was written by herself through every step she took thereafter and every soul she transformed.

Deep within Jiang Dusheng's mind, the enlightenment that had been almost submerged by illusions, like a lotus bud struggling to emerge from the mud, blossomed layer by layer in an instant, its brilliance shining brightly.

Saving all living beings does not mean saving them from all suffering in the world.

That was the Buddha's great vow, beyond the reach of a mere mortal like her.

Her approach is to "rescue those in distress, assist those in trouble, uphold moral principles, and act within her means."

Every person we help is a person we can save, every soul we can save is a soul we can rescue.

Regrets, karma, and even self-doubt encountered along the way are all inevitable impurities on the path of spiritual practice.

Brush it away, for clinging to it only creates new obstacles.

The questions posed by those vengeful spirits are perhaps the very ego she needs to confront and transcend.

Those who help others must also help themselves.

Today's inner demons may just be the opportunity for a breakthrough.

A single thought brings clarity, and the mind is suddenly serene.

"All forms are illusory. If one sees all forms as non-forms, then one sees the Tathagata."

Last night, Xie Jinchen's deep chanting seemed to transcend the barriers of the illusion, resonating clearly in Jiang Dusheng's heart.

Her tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

There was initially a trace of confusion in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a clear and bright light, making him more transparent and determined than before.

The spiritual energy that had been disordered by inner demons quickly calmed down and even showed signs of improvement.

She slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

As the illusion faded completely, Jiang Dusheng felt a pang of anxiety as he looked at the increasingly clear black aura on Xie Jinchen's face.

Xie Jinchen's inner demons are probably even more dangerous than hers, and there are signs that they are getting out of control.

It seems we can't wait for him to break free on his own any longer.

"Thank you, Jinchen. I apologize for the offense." Jiang Dusheng murmured, his eyes shining brightly, without the slightest hesitation.

She stepped forward, stood in front of Xie Jinchen, and gently pressed her forehead against his furrowed brows.

In an instant, a torrent of thoughts filled with pain and violence surged toward her like a burst dam.

Jiang Dusheng saw Xie Jinchen's inner demon illusion.

A scorching sea of ​​fire.

Young Xie Jinchen was trapped in an ancestral hall, surrounded by raging flames and choking smoke.

The firelight illuminated a tall and imposing figure outside the house.

Young Xie Jinchen cried, coughed, and futilely pounded on the tightly closed doors and windows in the fire.

Xie Dai, standing outside the door, showed no fatherly affection on his face, only a hint of struggle.

He was even holding a torch in his hand, as if he wanted to add more fuel to the fire.

But in the end, as his young son's desperate cries almost faded away, a complex emotion flashed in Xie Dai's eyes.

Finally, he kicked the door open and, ignoring the flames, rushed in and carried out the nearly unconscious Xie Jinchen.

However, before Xie Jinchen fell unconscious after being rescued, he vaguely heard his father whispering to his confidant. The fragmented words pieced together a terrible truth:

"They are not of my blood, keeping them alive could be a great threat... but in the end I can't bear to..."

"What happened today must not be revealed... otherwise..."

The illusion suddenly shifted, and the scene changed.

A room filled with the smell of medicine, exquisitely furnished yet exuding a deathly stillness.

The beautiful woman lay on her sickbed, barely breathing.

She held Xie Jinchen's young hand tightly, her eyes showing no fear of death, but rather an almost burning desire.

Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, yet exceptionally clear, each word striking the heart of young Xie Jinchen:

"Chen'er, your mother has spent her whole life trapped within these high walls, guarding this empty fame and glory, like a delicate caged bird, even her cries are bound by rules..."

She coughed violently a few times, but her eyes shone with an even more frightening light. "This life has been so tiring..."

"Chen'er, you must live more freely, see the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas that your mother has never seen, and experience the joys and sorrows that your mother dares not even imagine..."

"Don't end up like your mother, trapped and dying in this golden cage..."

After she finished speaking, her hand slipped limply to the ground, and a tear slid into her hair, carrying endless regret and longing.

The fantasy shifts again.

Jiang Dusheng saw himself walking on a misty road with his back to Xie Jinchen, his steps resolute, without looking back.

No matter how he called after her, her figure grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely into the depths of the mist, leaving only boundless emptiness and coldness.

These three scenes intertwine and amplify, repeatedly refining Xie Jinchen's already unstable mind due to the murderous aura.

That black aura is a sign that the malevolent energy has been stirred up by inner demons and is about to spiral out of control and backfire.

Jiang Dusheng's consciousness, like a ray of moonlight, permeated this turbulent and dark sea of ​​consciousness.

Her thoughts manifested as a voice, resounding directly into the depths of Xie Jinchen's soul, peaceful yet powerful:

"Xie Jinchen, watch that fire."

Her consciousness guided him, "Fire is harmful, but you also survived it."

"Surviving isn't about remembering the burning pain forever, but about understanding the resilience of life. The choice he made that day was his, but today, the power to define that past is yours."

Listen to your mother. She wants you to be free. Your path is yours to choose, not bound by the past.

"You saw my departing figure?" Jiang Dusheng's consciousness seemed to chuckle softly. "That was just your fear. I am right here, outside your sea of ​​consciousness, beside you."

"No one can predict the future. But at least for now, I haven't left. Instead of fearing the future, let's seize the present."

Jiang Dusheng's consciousness, like light breaking through chaos, forcefully probed into the depths of Xie Jinchen's raging and scorching sea of ​​consciousness.

When this familiar consciousness deeply touched Xie Jinchen's most private forbidden zone, his entire soul trembled violently.