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

Wang Dazhuang forgot about eating; his paper doll body darted to Jiang Dusheng's table, his voice trembling with tears, utterly aggrieved:

"Master! Is there something I did wrong? I've done everything I was asked to do with all my might!"

He counted on his fingers, "Did I not clean properly? Or did I buy the wrong flavor of snacks? Waaah... Isn't one ghost enough? Why do you have to bring other ghosts back?"

He became more and more heartbroken as he spoke, and his tears flowed even more profusely. His mournful, abandoned appearance was truly both funny and pitiful.

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

Looking at Wang Dazhuang's tearful, paper-like face, she was momentarily at a loss for whether to be angry or amused.

She just thought having more helpers would be more comprehensive, so why did it become like she was looking for a new lover when it came to him?

"Take your tears back." Jiang Dusheng pointed expressionlessly to the plate of steamed sea bass in front of him. "Don't let any drip onto my fish."

Ghost tears are heavy with yin energy; if they drip into food, you can forget about enjoying your meal in peace.

"Oh..." Wang Dazhuang responded with a wronged tone, but the paper figure's shoulders were still shrugging, looking pitifully at Jiang Dusheng.

Jiang Dusheng rubbed his temples and patiently explained, "Finding a doorman and messenger is to help you with some chores."

"Now that you have to manage the household affairs and often go out to run errands for me, it's inevitable that you'll sometimes neglect one thing for another. Having another helper will make things easier for you."

After hearing this, Wang Dazhuang calmed down slightly, but he still muttered to himself, with lingering unease:

"Then...Master, I need to guide the new ghost you've found. He needs to know the rules, and who is the most important and indispensable person in this house!"

He puffed out his paper-thin chest, implying that the most important person was, of course, Wang Dazhuang…

Oh no, it's the master himself.

"And also, he has to take orders from me! And also... he can't be better looking than me! He can't be more capable than me!"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Guyan stood up, her voice soft, tinged with a barely perceptible unease:

"Miss Jiang, I wonder... if the lone goose could stay by your side?"

She paused, as if gathering her courage: "Although my soul is not as solid as Brother Wang's, it has become much more stable these days thanks to the incense offerings and your chanting of scriptures here. It is no longer as easily scattered as before."

"I...I also want to stay by your side, do what I can, and accumulate some merit."

She lowered her gaze slightly, her voice becoming softer, "I only hope that in the next life, I can live a peaceful and prosperous life, and never suffer such injustice and pain again."

Jiang Dusheng was slightly surprised. She had only casually mentioned finding a doorkeeper, but Ruan Guyan took the initiative to ask her to stay.

She had assumed that after Ruan Guyan fulfilled her wish, she would choose to reincarnate.

But...on second thought, this really does save trouble.

Ruan Guyan was a daughter of an official family. She was well-educated, reasonable, thoughtful, and of pure character. She was indeed much more reliable than some random ghost whose background was unknown.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhuang immediately wiped away his tears and chimed in, his ability to change his expression at an astonishing speed:

"Master! That's wonderful! Sister Ruan is a kind, thoughtful, and sensible person! With her help, our house will definitely be even more tidy inside and out!"

He patted his chest, looking as if he had an unwavering judgment of character, completely forgetting that he had just been worried that the new ghost would threaten his position.

Jiang Dusheng glanced at Wang Dazhuang, offering no comment on his ability to change his expression, and nodded to Ruan Guyan:

"Alright. Since you're so willing, then stay. After we finish eating, I'll cut out a paper doll body for you so you can move around more easily."

She looked at Wang Dazhuang and said, "Tomorrow, you will take Guyan and pick out two or three hardworking maids. From now on, someone will share the task of sweeping the courtyard, and you will be able to free up your hands to do other important things."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Guyan's spirits brightened, and she quickly replied, "Yes, thank you for taking me in, Miss! Guyan will do her best."

Wang Dazhuang happily agreed and had already started planning what kind of person he would buy tomorrow.

The next morning, as dawn broke.

Xie Jinchen did not return last night, so the case at the Dali Temple must be quite troublesome.

Just as Jiang Dusheng got up to wash and dress, Ruan Guyan walked in. "Miss, someone from the palace has arrived and is waiting in the front hall. They say... the Grand Preceptor requests your presence."

Jiang Dusheng was tidying his sideburns in front of the mirror when he heard this. He didn't stop, but a knowing look flashed in his eyes, as if he had expected it.

Sure enough, after only one day, some people couldn't sit still anymore.

She got up, walked to the wardrobe, and took out one of the new clothes Xie Jinchen had sent her.

The long, wide-sleeved dress, embroidered with magnolia branches in pale purple, is elegant in color yet exudes nobility, and the embroidery is exquisite but understated.

She changed into a dress and looked at herself in the mirror. The person in the mirror had a cool and aloof look, and the purple dress made her skin look like jade. She had a unique charm.

The Imperial Palace, the Purification Terrace.

Jiang Dusheng followed the eunuch through the bamboo path and saw a white stone pavilion built by the water. Inside the pavilion, a man in plain clothes with black hair was brewing tea with his eyes downcast. His movements were fluid and graceful, giving him the air of a hermit.

Hearing footsteps, Shi Qinglian raised her head, revealing a gentle smile, as if it were just an elder summoning a junior, "You've arrived? Sit down."

Jiang Dusheng approached and sat down on the stone bench as instructed, but his gaze subtly swept over Shi Qinglian.

Upon seeing this, she felt a slight chill.

Unlike the ethereal Shi Qinglian I had seen a few months ago, the person before me…

Although his aura remained calm and he tried his best to keep it stable, Jiang Dusheng's spiritual senses allowed him to keenly perceive that a trace of impurities was faintly entangled within the originally clear Buddhist power.

The aura was obscure and unclear; it was not evil, yet it was quietly eroding the originally pure and righteous Buddhist light.

"Grand Preceptor," Jiang Dusheng began, his tone calm, "you didn't summon me here today just to enjoy a cup of tea, did you?"

Shi Qinglian poured tea for her without pausing, and upon hearing this, laughed, "What? You won't even call me 'Master Uncle' anymore?"

Jiang Dusheng returned the smile with a slight one, but the smile did not reach his eyes: "You have long since left the Buddhist order and entered the world to become an official, and are now the Imperial Preceptor. This title of 'Uncle-Master' is not proper in terms of etiquette, and in terms of sentiment... it has also faded."

The smile on Shi Qinglian's face faded slightly. She put down the teapot, her gaze fixed on her face, no longer beating around the bush:

"I told you to stay away from Xie Jinchen. Why didn't you listen?"

Jiang Dusheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "I may not even heed all my master's words. Why should I necessarily follow your admonitions, Grand Preceptor?"

Shi Qinglian leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them, her voice low and melodious, carrying a captivating rhythm:

"If I were to say..." He stared into Jiang Dusheng's eyes, enunciating each word clearly, "if you insist on marrying him, I will stop you. At all costs."

This is no longer admonition, but a threat.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he chuckled, his laughter even carrying a hint of mockery: "Then... why don't you give it a try?"

She set down her teacup, her gaze fixed on the depths of Shi Qinglian's seemingly calm eyes, as if trying to pierce through the surface and see into his soul:

"Let me guess why you are so insistent on preventing me from marrying Xie Jinchen."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, but every word was like a needle: "Is it because of jealousy?"

"Are you jealous that, despite not being a direct descendant of Duke Xie, he still receives some genuine protection and cultivation from the Duke? Are you jealous that, even amidst the turmoil, he hasn't lost his integrity and still retains a sincere heart?"

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes sharp: "So, what he has, you want him to lose."

"What he cherishes, you want to destroy and take away. You use your so-called obstacles to fill some unspeakable emptiness and injustice in your heart. Is that right?"