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

Jiang Dusheng was speechless for a moment, stumped by his increasingly shameless behavior.

She finally understood that Xie Jinchen was a complete contradiction.

If you say he's pedantic and conservative, he didn't hesitate at all when he barged into her room last night. He did everything he should and shouldn't have done. How could he be pedantic at all?

However, if you say he is unconventional and willful, yet obsessed with the completeness of that final step, insisting on waiting until the wedding day and refusing to cross that line, his stubbornness is infuriating.

Jiang Dusheng always acts directly. When dealing with disobedient ghosts, he either beats them until they submit or chants sutras until they have splitting headaches and beg for mercy.

To deal with Xie Jinchen, fighting is not an option, nor is it something we can bear to do.

Chanting scriptures... seems like a good option.

Jiang Dusheng regained his calm and composed demeanor.

Under Xie Jinchen's gaze, she slowly and deliberately took out a scripture from the bundle beside her.

Seeing this, Xie Jinchen raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled as to why she had taken out the scriptures at this moment.

Jiang Dusheng ran his fingertips over the cover of the sutra, glanced at him, and said in a flat tone:

"Since you're not in a rush, let's put the marriage on hold for now. In a few years, when you feel the time is truly right, we can talk about it then."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen frowned immediately: "Jiang Dusheng, you know perfectly well that I am not..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Dusheng had already opened the scripture book, lowered his eyes to look at the text, and his clear voice rang out clearly in the closed carriage:

"Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove, Anathapindika's Park, in Shravasti..."

She really started chanting scriptures.

Xie Jinchen: "..."

He stared at her in astonishment.

The carriage was not very spacious to begin with, but Jiang Dusheng spoke clearly. His voice was not loud but extremely penetrating. Each word carried the solemnity and ethereal quality unique to Buddhist scriptures, seeping into the ears.

At first, Xie Jinchen just found it interesting, so he simply relaxed his body, leaned against the car wall, and watched her leisurely.

His gaze fell on her slightly parted lips and drooping eyelashes, and he found it quite amusing that she was putting on such a serious face while clearly seeking revenge.

He even thought that it would be good for her to read for a while, to calm her down.

However, Jiang Dusheng was clearly not just talking for fun.

How profound is her skill in chanting scriptures?

Back then, she could even clear the minds and dispel the malevolent spirits of those who were difficult to exorcise.

Moreover, in this confined space, facing a living person with excellent hearing?

Gradually, Xie Jinchen's relaxed smile began to falter.

The voice of the scripture was not loud, but it was like a gentle stream, penetrating everywhere.

Xie Jinchen wanted to interrupt, but she seemed completely absorbed in it, surrounded by an aura of undisturbed tranquility, not even glancing at him, completely isolating him from the world.

Xie Jinchen wanted to get closer and do something to distract her, but as soon as he moved, her chanting seemed to rise slightly, creating a barrier.

The most crucial point is that Jiang Dusheng happened to be reciting the Diamond Sutra.

"All forms are illusory," thus breaking free from all attachments to appearances.

As she read it aloud, each word was calm and powerful, as if questioning his obsession with form.

"A Bodhisattva should give alms in this way, without clinging to any particular form. Why is this so?... "

"Not dwelling on appearances..." Xie Jinchen heard this and inexplicably felt his ears burning.

He insisted on giving her a complete form, in which form should she reside?

Is it a matter of worldly etiquette and propriety? Is it a matter of social status and dignity?

Or... his own persistent desire to make up for her past loneliness and give her everything perfect?

"...One should not let the mind dwell on form, nor should it let the mind dwell on sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects; one should let the mind arise without dwelling on anything..."

Xie Jinchen suddenly became somewhat restless.

He prided himself on his unwavering resolve, claiming that everything he did was to protect and love her, and to give her everything she needed.

But is this love also mixed with an overly strong obsession with giving?

Is his obsession with that perfect form, in a sense, also an obsession with proving his love?

Last night, he restrained himself from taking the final step. Was it out of respect, or another form of restraint?

Jiang Dusheng's voice remained steady, echoing throughout the carriage.

She did not intentionally use the scripture to allude to Xie Jinchen, but this recitation, full of peaceful power, itself created a peculiar field, like sunlight shining down, revealing all things.

Xie Jinchen was caught in the middle and had no way to avoid it.

Those scriptures seemed to transform into tiny needles, not painful, but gently pricking certain stubborn corners of his heart.

He wanted to hold Jiang Dusheng's hand, to pull her into his arms and silence her with a kiss, but looking at her focused recitation, those lustful thoughts seemed to have nowhere to land.

At this moment, she seemed to be enveloped in an undisturbed halo.

Xie Jinchen finally understood what it felt like for those ghosts who were saved by Jiang Dusheng's chanting of sutras.

It's not pain, but a sense of powerlessness from being repeatedly washed over by an inescapable force.

Xie Jinchen rubbed his temples, trying to dispel the increasingly clear chanting in his ears, only to find that the sound seemed to be imprinted in his mind.

Jiang Dusheng turned the page and continued reading: "If one seeks me through form or sound, that person walks a false path and cannot see the Tathagata..."

Xie Jinchen took a deep breath, finally unable to bear it any longer, and suddenly leaned over, pressing down on her hand that was turning the page.

With his other hand, he gently pinched her chin, forcing her to lift her face and interrupting the incessant chanting.

Eyes facing each other.

He saw a fleeting, triumphant smile flash across Jiang Dusheng's eyes, so quick it was almost impossible to catch, but it was definitely there.

The carriage fell silent instantly, and the continuous chanting of Buddhist hymns abruptly stopped.

Xie Jinchen stared at her, his dark eyes swirling with helplessness, anger, resentment at being tricked, and above all... an overwhelming tenderness.

He stroked Jiang Dusheng's chin with his fingertips, his voice slightly hoarse, "Jiang Dusheng, you really are..."

He couldn't find the right words to describe his feelings at that moment.

Jiang Dusheng let him pinch her chin, blinked, and looked completely innocent:

"What? I am reciting Buddhist scriptures to calm my mind and spirit. Is there anything wrong with that? Does Prince Xie not find this pure sound acceptable?"

Xie Jinchen was so angry at her for drawing such a clear line that he laughed in exasperation.

He suddenly lowered his head and lightly bit her lip—not a kiss, but more like a punishment.

"Jiang Dusheng," he stepped back slightly, but still maintained a very close distance, his gaze fixed on her, not allowing her to escape, "you win."

He admitted it readily, but his next sentence was resolute: "Get married in a few years? Don't even think about it." He spoke each word clearly, leaving no room for negotiation.

Xie Jinchen's voice lowered, filled with the honesty of admitting defeat, "But... I admit, perhaps I was too stubborn about formalities, which put unnecessary constraints and torment on you and myself."

He didn't explain himself very clearly, but Jiang Dusheng understood.

The bottom line he set for himself has begun to crack.

It's not about abandoning principles, but about learning to find a balance between principles and genuine feelings.

The triumphant smile in Jiang Dusheng's eyes finally spread out completely. She closed the scripture and casually put it aside.

Xie Jinchen kept a close eye on her expression, and only when he saw that the deliberate coldness and aloofness between her brows had finally dissipated did the tension in his heart finally ease.

Instead of backing away, he half-encircled her in his arms, his tone clearly showing displeasure:

"Just now, you coldly addressed me as Prince Xie."

He repeated those three words as if they were some unbearable term of address: "I don't like it."