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

"Snapped!"

Shi Qinglian placed the teacup on the stone table with a crisp sound.

The gentle and peaceful mask on his face finally cracked, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

That was the chill of having one's secrets exposed and one's sore spot touched.

For the first time, Shi Qinglian called out her full name in a completely cold, unpretentious voice:

"Jiang Dusheng," he said slowly, "being too smart is sometimes not a good thing."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng stood up, her purple dress brushing against the smooth stone surface.

She looked down at Shi Qinglian, who was still seated, her face devoid of any smile, only a clear and resolute expression:

"No need for further advice. I won't listen."

She turned and walked out of the pavilion, her voice carried on the wind, clear and firm, "Bring it on, whatever tricks you have. I'll take them."

She walked steadily, her back straight, and her purple dress stood out against the green bamboo, like an indestructible magnolia.

After taking a few steps, Jiang Dusheng suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at Shi Qinglian, as if casually mentioning a trivial matter:

"Oh, right, I forgot to remind the Grand Preceptor." Her voice was soft yet chilling, "Absorbing the soul of a former emperor, using its remaining dragon energy and resentment to forcibly nourish oneself and elevate one's cultivation..."

"Although this method can achieve quick results, if one's destiny is not that of a true dragon, and one's temperament cannot suppress the evil aura and imperial backlash accumulated over hundreds of years by the emperor's soul..."

She paused, and successfully saw Shi Qinglian's face instantly turn extremely ugly.

"But it might... backfire and cause harm to oneself."

Jiang Dusheng smiled, a smile that held a hint of the fighting spirit that belonged to someone her age:

"My master always says that my talent is just as good as yours back then."

She tilted her head, her eyes shining brightly. "Actually, I'm very curious, if we were to really fight one day, who... would win?"

After saying that, she didn't linger. She turned around and walked away calmly along the bamboo path she had come from.

The purple figure quickly disappeared behind the green bamboo shadows.

Shi Qinglian stared intently in the direction where she disappeared, her fingers unconsciously tightening until her knuckles turned white.

a long time.

The tea on the stone table had long since gone cold, the steam dissipated, leaving only a pool of cool fragrance.

Shi Qinglian slowly sat back down on the stone bench, muttering to herself in a low voice, as soft as a sigh:

"Xie Jinchen, your luck is truly excessive. Such a perceptive and extraordinary woman has fallen for you..."

Such a woman should have stood at a higher level, or at least should not belong to someone like Xie Jinchen.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the dark emotions churning in his chest.

However, that emotion only grew stronger.

When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with an unfathomable darkness.

All gentleness and compassion had vanished, leaving his face looking somewhat sinister in the swaying bamboo shadows.

He gazed at the cold cup of tea on the stone table, as if gazing upon his own once pure heart, which had ultimately been tainted by desire and obsession.

Then, Shi Qinglian slightly tugged at the corners of her mouth, forming a cold smile, her voice low and hoarse:

"It really makes you want to destroy it..."

Jiang Dusheng had just stepped out of the Cleansing Platform and had not yet calmed his mind when he was stopped by a eunuch who had been waiting by the side of the road.

"Miss Jiang, His Majesty requests your presence and is waiting in the Imperial Study." The eunuch's voice was not loud, but his attitude left no room for refusal.

She knew in her heart that these successive summons were applying pressure layer by layer until they broke her heart and forced her to submit.

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Study was solemn.

Emperor Cangqi sat behind his desk, his gaze complex as he watched Jiang Dusheng enter.

Before she could finish her bow, he spoke directly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger:

"Jiang Dusheng, after speaking with the Imperial Advisor, you must already have your answer."

Jiang Dusheng raised his eyes, his gaze clear and calm, without the slightest hesitation, his voice resounding firmly in the empty hall:

"Your Majesty, my answer remains unchanged."

Emperor Cangqi's brows furrowed instantly, anger flashing across his face. He abruptly stood up, as if about to reprimand him.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

Outside the hall, a eunuch scrambled in, his voice shrill and distorted, "Thank you, thank you, Your Highness! He broke into the Pure Heart Terrace and...he beat up the Imperial Preceptor!"

"What?!"

"What?!"

Emperor Cangqi and Jiang Dusheng spoke almost simultaneously, their faces showing astonishment.

Jiang Dusheng instantly recalled Huiming's warning: Xie Jinchen's evil energy must not be disturbed for at least six months.

Her expression changed drastically. Disregarding imperial etiquette, and before Emperor Cangqi could react, she darted out of the imperial study like a wisp of purple smoke and rushed towards the Jingxin Terrace.

The tranquility and elegance of the bamboo grove at Jingxin Terrace are no longer what they once were.

Broken bamboo stalks lay scattered about, a stone table was overturned, and teaware was shattered—a scene of utter chaos.

Shi Qinglian's appearance at this moment was completely different from the otherworldly master she had been when brewing tea.

His usually spotless white robe appeared slightly disheveled.

On that handsome face that always wore a gentle smile, there were several obvious bruises, especially on his cheekbones and the corners of his mouth.

Xie Jinchen, dressed in purple robes and with ink-black hair, stood amidst the chaos. His ink-black hair was tied up with a golden crown, with a few stray hairs falling across his forehead, adding to his unruly air.

Although his aura of malevolence was faintly fluctuating, he did not use it and showed no signs of losing control.

Xie Jinchen stared coldly at Shi Qinglian, like a ferocious beast whose scales had been touched.

Shi Qinglian wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked at Xie Jinchen, who was panting slightly but whose fighting spirit had not diminished:

"You should be grateful for your status. If it weren't for His Majesty's influence..."

He paused, a sinister glint in his eyes, "Otherwise, with your current malevolent aura that could backfire and go out of control at any moment, if I were to actually use my spiritual power, you... might not have been able to gain such an advantage today."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen was not afraid at all. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and sneered, his smile carrying his usual roguishness and nonchalance: "There's nothing I can do..."

His tone was even a bit smug, "Who told me I was lucky to have two dads?"

Shi Qinglian had indeed retained some rationality and caution, worrying that if she used her spiritual power to seriously injure or even kill Xie Jinchen, she would not be able to explain it to Emperor Cangqi.

After all, Xie Jinchen is still the highly regarded heir apparent, and besides, keeping him alive is still useful.

Therefore, he only used his fists and feet to fight back, trying to defeat his opponent.

Xie Jinchen's skills were honed through real battles on the battlefield, with each move ruthless and pure martial arts. How could Shi Qinglian, who was pampered and relied more on magic, be a match for him?

That's why he ended up in such a sorry state.

But now, after hearing Xie Jinchen's words, the last bit of reason in Shi Qinglian's eyes faded, and a wisp of pale golden spiritual power condensed at her fingertips.

Just then—

"stop!"

"Thank you, Jinchen!"