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

Suppressed breathing, accompanied by soft sobs, echoed continuously in the silent room until it gradually subsided.

Jiang Dusheng's consciousness was floating, as if he were in warm ocean waves, his whole body was so weak that he didn't even want to move his fingertips.

I felt a warm current slowly merging with another domineering force in my mind.

Just as she was about to drift into a hazy sleep, she heard Xie Jinchen's voice, still tinged with lingering passion:

"Jiang Dusheng, circulate your spiritual power."

She struggled to lift her heavy eyelids, her gaze unfocused as she looked at the handsome face so close to hers. She moved her lips, her voice slightly hoarse: "I... have no strength left."

She found it difficult even to lift her arm at that moment.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen let out a low, hoarse laugh, his chest trembling slightly.

The tremor made Jiang Dusheng instantly realize that the evil dragon, which had seemed to have given up, was showing signs of raising its head again.

She was instantly jolted awake, most of her lingering sleepiness dispelled, and she became more alert.

The intense afterglow of that moment still lingered, and I still remembered the tingling sensation of being completely controlled.

The instinct to rest overwhelmed everything; she quickly focused her mind and formed a hand seal:

"The mysterious Yin acts as the guide, and the Great Harmony as the matchmaker."

"When Heaven and Earth unite in harmony, all evil energy returns to its true nature."

"The Yin energy flows, while the Yang energy lies dormant."

"In the primordial harmony, one returns to the innate state."

As her spiritual energy circulated, the Yin energy within her body resonated with it, stirring up the Yang energy that had been suppressed within Xie Jinchen.

A cool power rose from her body, radiating a mercury-like glow.

At the same time, the faint dark red light emanating from Xie Jinchen's body was no longer the violent and restless black it used to be, but had become much gentler, like a tamed flame, slowly merging with the clear light.

The forces of yin and yang, through the complete connection of limbs and breath, build a bridge.

Xie Jinchen groaned, clearly feeling a scorching aura of malevolence being drawn from the depths of his body by the cool power, slowly flowing into Jiang Dusheng's body.

The process was like a gentle stream being diverted from a riverbed that had been silted up for many years.

As the incantation was repeated three times, the clear light emanating from Jiang Dusheng gradually intensified, while the dark red that had appeared in Xie Jinchen's eyes due to the intertwining of lust and murderous aura seemed to fade slightly, replaced by a clearer look.

But deep in his eyes, an unsatisfied darkness still lingered.

The process went more smoothly than Jiang Dusheng had anticipated. The compatibility between the two's spiritual power and aura was extremely high, and they encountered almost no obstacles. But it was also... much slower.

Jiang Dusheng clearly felt that not only had Xie Jinchen's evil energy been partially guided and refined, but her own cultivation level had also risen accordingly, her mind was clearer and more luminous, and her control over the Yin energy within her body seemed to have improved as well.

however…

She discovered that... the demonic energy that had been diverted and refined was nothing compared to the vast and boundless demonic energy within her and Xie Jinchen's bodies, like a drop in the ocean.

She opened her eyes in confusion, looking at Xie Jinchen with bewilderment: "Why is it that although your cultivation has increased, it seems that only a small portion of the baleful energy within you has been channeled away?"

This efficiency was far from what she had expected.

Xie Jinchen seemed to have anticipated her question. Seeing that she had completed the initial refining process, he no longer restrained himself. He steadily supported her with his arms while she sat up in the same position as before.

The brocade quilt slipped off, revealing a smooth back and firm arms.

His movements inevitably caused disturbance.

Caught off guard, Jiang Dusheng instinctively hugged his neck tightly.

As he walked steadily toward the bathhouse, he explained in a low voice, "The malevolent energy within me is born and grows with my bloodline; it has long since become a part of my soul."

"You don't actually think you can dissolve all the primordial evil energy that's accumulated within me for over twenty years in just one go, do you?"

Jiang Dusheng leaned on his shoulder, stunned when he heard this, but then he understood what he meant.

She sighed softly and made a tiny gesture. "So, you mean... you can only refine this little bit each time?"

At this rate, it would take forever to refine the vast evil energy within him.

"Mm." Xie Jinchen replied frankly, his smile deepening as he carried her into the bathroom.

Warm water was already prepared in the bathroom, and steam was rising from it.

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

What was the point of her previous insistence on consummating her marriage with Xie Jinchen?

She looked at the composed Xie Jinchen with a mournful expression and couldn't help but blurt out, "Xie Jinchen, I regret it. This method is too slow and won't work."

Xie Jinchen wasn't about to let her escape, and tightened his grip on her.

The place that had just fallen silent, upon sensing the retreat in her words, surprisingly regained its vigor and intensity with astonishing speed, its presence so strong that it could not be ignored.

Jiang Dusheng froze, instantly afraid to move.

Xie Jinchen turned his head and gently rubbed and kissed the skin on her neck, leaving a fresh blush mark. At the same time, his low, husky voice, accompanied by hot breath, brushed against her ear:

"Jiang Dusheng, it's too late to regret it now."

He slightly propped himself up, hovering above her. His beautiful peach blossom eyes shone brightly in the dim light, churning with lingering delusions.

Jiang Dusheng froze, instinctively trying to dodge, but was held firmly in his arms by his strong arms, unable to move.

"You...you put me down first...this method is too slow..." She stammered, trying to struggle, but her resistance was more like a flirtatious attempt to win him over, which only deepened the darkness in his eyes.

Before she could finish speaking, the once calm surface of the bathtub suddenly rippled like a storm.

This was followed by Jiang Dusheng's unexpected low exclamation and Xie Jinchen's satisfied sigh.

This time, Xie Jinchen was clearly no longer as eager to confirm and demand as before, but rather approached the task with a calm and controlled attitude.

He patiently guided her, pulling her back into the vortex after she had become slightly distracted.

Jiang Dusheng was quickly overwhelmed by the overwhelming sensory assault and his consciousness began to dissipate once again.

She could only rise and fall with his rhythm, her fingertips clinging weakly to his strong arms.

The rising steam blurred the figures of the two, leaving only the flickering candlelight casting ambiguous, swaying shadows on the rippling wall.