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

Jiang Dusheng said no more, turned around and walked out of the main hall to the temple gate.

Almost at the same moment she came to a stop, the rapid sound of hooves came to an abrupt halt, stopping right outside the temple gate.

She slowly pushed open the temple gate, stepped out, and stood on the stone steps in front of the temple, looking down at the view.

About twenty horsemen stood solemnly in the open space outside the temple.

The person at the very front, riding a black horse, was tall and imposing, and even in the darkness of the night, one could feel his awe-inspiring and decisive aura.

He was dressed in a blue outfit, but his face seemed to be covered by a faint mist, making it impossible for Jiang Dusheng to clearly see his appearance and aura. He was obviously wearing some kind of treasure that could conceal his true nature.

Jiang Dusheng's gaze narrowed slightly, and he already had a guess in his mind. His clear, cold voice rang out in the night wind:

"The Duke of Zhenguo, Xie Dai?"

The man on horseback fixed his gaze on Jiang Dusheng, his voice deep and resonant, "Where is my son?"

Jiang Dusheng curled his lips into a cold, undisguised sneer, his words laced with sarcasm:

"Your son? He's been killed by some heartless bastard who sent an assassin."

Upon hearing this, Xie Dai's close followers glared at him angrily, their murderous intent rising.

Xie Dai wasn't angry; instead, his gaze sharpened as he locked onto Jiang Dusheng, his voice carrying a dangerous chill, "You doubt me?"

Jiang Dusheng met his gaze without flinching and retorted, "Isn't that right?"

"presumptuous!"

A burly man with a thick beard standing next to Xie Dai roared angrily, his hand already on the hilt of his sword, "You ignorant brat, how dare you be so disrespectful to the Duke! I think you're tired of living!"

Jiang Dusheng's gaze swept indifferently over the attendant, scrutinizing him from head to toe before he suddenly spoke, his tone calm:

"A narrow space between the eyebrows and a broken bridge of the nose with hidden wrinkles."

She paused, and seeing the other person's sudden change in expression, continued, "This is the sign of betraying one's master, being ungrateful, and selling out one's friends for personal gain."

The attendant's pupils suddenly contracted.

Jiang Dusheng continued, "Looking at the dark bluish-black discoloration around your wives' and concubines' palaces, it seems that one of your wives is chronically ill. The cause of her illness is probably not a natural disaster, but rather human error—perhaps abuse?"

"Puffy eyes with three white areas below the pupils indicate a fondness for drinking and gambling, and an unrestrained indulgence in desires. Your complexion is dull, and your wealth palace is dark and lusterless with red pimples, suggesting you are heavily in debt, with interest compounding to the point of being unpayable. What's wrong?"

She tilted her head slightly, her tone carrying an undisguised contempt:

"You've lost money again recently and are desperate. Are you trying to use this little bit of merit from protecting your master to ask for some reward money to fill your gambling debt hole?"

"Witch...witch! Nonsense!"

The attendant's face was extremely pale, as if he had been stripped naked in public, and his finger trembled as he pointed at Jiang Dusheng.

He wanted to refute, but the other person's words hit his most private sore spot, leaving him speechless except for denial, and cold sweat instantly soaked his inner shirt.

"Shut up!"

Xie Dai finally spoke, instantly suppressing the shrill shouts of his attendants and all the subtle commotion around him.

Xie Dai's gaze returned to Jiang Dusheng, and his gaze held not only scrutiny but also something indescribable.

With steady and nimble movements, he dismounted and stood on the stone steps that were level with Jiang Dusheng.

"Jiang Dusheng..." Xie Dai slowly uttered her name, his voice low, "Having traversed countless worldly affairs, she finally found a glimmer of hope."

"A good name."

He paused, his gaze shifting to the temple behind her, then seemingly settling on something even more distant:

"It does indeed fit the name 'Ashes and Dust' quite well. One seeks to transcend the tribulations of the mortal world, while the other is originally dust within the fire."

Then, he changed the subject, his tone returning to calm, as if the previous tense atmosphere had been merely an illusion:

"What, is this how Nanzen-ji Temple treats its guests? Won't they invite me in for a seat?"

Jiang Dusheng raised an eyebrow, stepped aside to make way for the temple entrance, and made a "please" gesture, his posture neither humble nor arrogant.

However, when Xie Dai's entourage instinctively tried to follow, she raised her hand to block them, her arm positioned in front of the door, her tone leaving no room for argument:

"If Your Excellency wishes to enter, there is no problem with it."

Her gaze swept over her wary attendants, her tone sharp and pointed:

"But those behind you... their aura of bloodlust and killing intent is too strong, they're shrouded in malevolent energy, so it's best to leave them alone. Don't disturb the Buddha's peace, or startle the monks in the temple."

She slightly raised her eyes to look at Xie Dai, the sharpness in her words clearly discernible:

"After all, our little temple in the mountains can't withstand too much external evil energy."

Xie Dai remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand to signal his attendants to step back and wait.

He followed Jiang Dusheng into Nanchansi Temple alone.

Inside Nanzen-ji Temple, under the Bodhi tree.

Jiang Dusheng and Xie Dai sat facing each other, with steam rising from the rough pottery tea set between them.

Jiang Dusheng picked up the earthenware pot, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it in front of Xie Dai.

Without any pleasantries, she looked directly at the face opposite her and got straight to the point:

"Was the ambush outside the inn in Qingshan Town today, orchestrated by ghosts, an attempt to kill Xie Jinchen, the Duke's doing?"

Xie Dai paused slightly in his teacup, letting out a short, soft chuckle:

"You're surprisingly frank."

He neither denied nor admitted it, but simply brought the teacup to his lips as if to taste it, then stopped, and through the rising steam, slowly said:

What if I say...no?

"If not," Jiang Dusheng's tone remained calm, but the sharp light in his eyes intensified, "then why do your followers all bear traces of the attacker's aura?"

Xie Dai remained silent, the tea in his cup rippled slightly.

He didn't answer Jiang Dusheng's question. Instead, he put down his teacup and lowered his voice, "How is Chen'er now?"

Jiang Dusheng picked up his cup of tea, gently blew on it to cool it, and said in a calm tone, yet each word was like a needle: "You won't die. Are you disappointed?"

Xie Dai seemed unfazed by the barb in her words, instead letting out a soft chuckle. The chuckle contained no hint of pleasure, but rather sounded like self-mockery.

"You don't need to test me with every word, every sentence laced with barbs. If I truly wanted to take his life, I would have let him be trapped and burned to death in the ancestral hall fire that year...wouldn't that have been cleaner?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly while gripping the teacup.

He knew it all along!

She knew that Xie Jinchen had long ago discovered that she was not his biological daughter.