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

Xie Jinchen didn't give her a chance to back down. He reached out, and his kiss, burning with intensity, landed on her.

Unlike the tentative and restrained touches during the day, this time, his lips and tongue were burning hot.

He held her slightly parted lips in his mouth, which were trembling with surprise, and pried open her teeth without giving her a chance to refuse, greedily taking in all her breath and sweetness.

Jiang Dusheng was robbed of all ability to breathe and think by this sudden kiss.

My mind went blank, with only the burning and tingling sensation between my lips and teeth instantly spreading throughout my body.

Xie Jinchen deepened the kiss while holding her waist, leading her step by step toward the bed on the inside of the room.

His steps were steady, and even with someone in his arms, he did not stagger in the slightest.

Jiang Dusheng's hands rested helplessly on his chest, which was only covered by his undergarments; beneath his palms was his burning skin and his rapidly beating heart.

One blow after another, the vibrations made her palms go numb.

Finally, her knees touched the edge of the bed.

Xie Jinchen pulled her along, and they fell backwards onto the soft brocade quilt.

The bed sank under their weight. Xie Jinchen did not release her lips. Instead, he used the backward position to push her legs apart with his knees and leaned on her even more tightly.

"Hmm..."

The sudden contact caused both of them to let out a muffled groan.

His kiss gradually left her lips, sliding down her neck, leaving a wet and hot mark there.

His burning palm pressed against her waist like a branding iron, moving upwards.

Finally, the tip of his nose and the tip of his finger rested on the undulating contours.

Jiang Dusheng couldn't help but tilt his head back, broken breaths escaping from his throat, "Thank you... Jinchen..."

The call seemed to rouse him.

His hand reached down to her waist and found the thin sash.

Just a gentle pull…

However, the moment his fingertips touched the sash, Xie Jinchen abruptly stopped.

He lay on top of her, his chest heaving violently, his breath heavy and hot, spraying onto her sensitive neck.

His body was incredibly hot, and a certain pent-up power could be clearly felt even through the fabric.

But Xie Jinchen stopped.

Jiang Dusheng opened his misty eyes in a daze and looked at him.

He had his eyes closed, fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and his brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were enduring some kind of pain.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes.

The darkness in his eyes remained deep, the flames of desire still burning, but a hint of clarity and struggle had emerged in the depths.

He propped himself up, creating a slight distance between them, his gaze still fixed on her.

Xie Jinchen's fingertips ultimately only brushed against her disheveled hair on the pillow, gathering her messy clothes to cover the glimpse of her skin that he had just revealed.

"Jiang Dusheng..." he began, his voice hoarse and strained, filled with lingering passion and restraint, "I can't..."

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength:

"Not here, not now, not... so hastily."

His gaze fell on her still slightly swollen, rosy lips, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"That pot of soup...it was a misunderstanding. But my longing for you is not."

"Precisely because it is so real, so overwhelming..." He slowly shook his head, "I want to save it for our wedding night, for the moment when we are officially married."

He leaned down and placed a deeply precious kiss on her forehead, like a brand.

"So... don't provoke me." His voice was low, carrying lingering desire, yet incredibly clear, "I'm not as resolute as you think."

Jiang Dusheng noticed the close contact between them under the brocade quilt.

Even through clothing, its presence is as striking as a lurking giant python, silently displaying its vigorous vitality.

Once her rapid breathing had calmed down a bit, she turned her head to the side, her voice still slightly hoarse, yet revealing a hint of sincerity:

"Xie Jinchen, I believe you now." She paused, her ears turning as if burned red. "Then the soup... you really don't need to drink it."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen was taken aback at first, then chuckled softly, his voice clearly restrained, "You rest, I'll go take care of it."

Although he spoke somewhat vaguely, Jiang Dusheng instantly understood the meaning behind it, and the heat that had just subsided on his face suddenly flared up again.

Inside the room, after Xie Jinchen left, Jiang Dusheng tried to calm his still somewhat rapid breathing and pounding heart.

She pulled the blanket up to cover her burning face.

Trying to dispel the lingering images in my mind and the lingering tingling sensation in my body:

"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form; so too are sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness..."

She closed her eyes and tried to visualize the Heart Sutra: "All phenomena are empty of inherent existence, neither arising nor ceasing, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing..."

But as she continued reciting, the warmth of his fingertips, the entanglement of their lips and tongues, the heart-pounding heat when their bodies touched…

Like the most stubborn illusion, it repeatedly breaks through the barrier of emptiness and emerges clearly.

"Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no mental formations, no consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma..."

Jiang Dusheng repeated the words to himself several times before his mind finally managed to break free from that enchanting chaos and return to calm.

The following day, Changling City awoke in the thin mist and the gradually brightening sky.

After having breakfast, Jiang Dusheng changed into a simple and elegant moon-white long dress, her hair was simply tied up in a bun with a jade hairpin inserted diagonally. She wore no extra ornaments, yet she exuded a cool and otherworldly aura.

The Duke of Wei's mansion is located in the east of Changling City, close to the imperial city. It is a magnificent place with vermilion gates and high walls, but at this moment it is shrouded in a sense of worry and anxiety.

The servants had obviously been instructed beforehand. When Jiang Dusheng presented the visiting card and verified that it was correct, they did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. They immediately bowed and led the way, respectfully leading her directly into the inner courtyard.

In the hall, the Duchess of Wei had been waiting for a long time.

She was about forty years old, wearing a jade hair ornament. Her well-maintained face should have been elegant, but at this moment, her brows and eyes were full of unconcealed haggardness, obviously because she had not slept well for many days.

She clutched a silk handkerchief tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Upon seeing Jiang Dusheng enter, she immediately rose from her seat and hurried to greet him, barely maintaining her composure, but her voice betrayed her obvious urgency:

"Miss Jiang, you've finally arrived! That night at the palace banquet, I was fortunate enough to witness your divine beauty as you repelled a hundred ghosts from afar..."

"To be honest, my daughter Mingli has been in a coma for a month now, and has not woken up since. Medicine has been ineffective, and her breath is getting weaker and weaker every day..."

"We've tried everything, even folk remedies. We beg you, young lady, to use your magic to examine her closely. Has Li'er... has she offended something she shouldn't have?"

"Or... was she possessed by something unclean, or had her soul stolen?" She almost cried as she said the last sentence.

Jiang Dusheng remained calm and did not panic despite the other party's anxiety.

She nodded, her voice clear and steady, carrying an inherent reassuring power:

"Madam, please don't be anxious; worry will harm your health. We need to see your daughter before we can make a judgment on the specific situation. Please lead the way."

Seeing Jiang Dusheng's composure, the Duchess of Wei felt somewhat relieved. She quickly dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and said repeatedly:

"Alright, alright, Miss Jiang, please follow me."

As she spoke, she led Jiang Dusheng into Chao Weimingli's boudoir.

Wei Mingli's boudoir was exquisitely and elegantly decorated, but at this moment, the room was filled with a strong and lingering medicinal smell, as well as a sense of melancholy caused by the owner's long period of unconsciousness.

On the canopy bed, with the brocade curtains half-drawn, Wei Mingli lay quietly, her face as pale as paper and her lips pale.

If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would be almost indistinguishable from the deceased.

Even so, you can still tell that she has beautiful features and is a natural beauty.