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

Princess Yongning quickly scanned the letter in her hand, her expression growing colder with each reading.

She slowly stood up, her usually gentle features now filled with sternness: "Prince Chu, to commit murder in public, attempting to kill a witness, do you have any respect for the law?"

"Guards! Take Prince Chu away and keep a close watch on him!"

Princess Yongning's voice, carrying an unquestionable authority, resounded throughout the waterside pavilion.

She stopped looking at Chu Yanzhao, whose face was ashen, and instead instructed her trusted nanny:

"Prepare a carriage immediately. This prince will personally carry these...letters to the palace to meet His Majesty. The right and wrong of today's matter involve the laws of the court and the reputation of the imperial family. His Majesty shall make the final decision."

The guards from the princess's mansion immediately stepped forward and politely but firmly asked Chu Yanzhao, who was still trying to argue, to leave.

Chu Yanzhao let out a muffled roar, but it quickly disappeared outside the waterside pavilion.

A once elegant and lively flower banquet suddenly came to an end.

The guests, each with their own expression, dispersed in hushed whispers. What they had seen and heard today was destined to become the most sensational topic of conversation in Changling City for a long time to come.

Seeing that the situation was under control, Jiang Dusheng gave Princess Yongning a look.

Princess Yongning nodded slightly, gesturing for her to come closer, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Leave through the west side gate first; the carriages and horses are ready."

Jiang Dusheng nodded and replied in a low voice, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Princess."

She knew that Princess Yongning had taken a risk in this move.

Chu Yanzhao has been detained and his letter has been confiscated; the palace will soon receive the news.

Emperor Cangqi might use this as an excuse to detain her in Changling City, using her as a pawn to restrain Xie Jinchen.

If Princess Yongning lets her go now, she will inevitably be questioned by the emperor later.

She remembered this favor.

Without further hesitation, Jiang Dusheng quietly got up and prepared to leave while everyone's attention was still drawn to Chu Yanzhao.

However, just as she stood up, a figure with a sobbing voice rushed over and blocked her way.

Jiang Wanqing's eyes were red and teary. She reached out to tug at Jiang Dusheng's sleeve, her voice choked with emotion.

"Sister, I..."

She paused, then asked in a tearful voice, "Brother Yanzhao, is it true..."

Jiang Dusheng frowned, turned aside to avoid her hand, glanced at her indifferently, and interrupted her before she could finish speaking:

"Miss Jiang, please have some self-respect. I, Jiang Dusheng, am the one who saves the living, the dead, the afflicted, the souls, and all those who are meant to be saved, except—"

"I won't save brainless idiots."

She paused, and seeing Jiang Wanqing's expression freeze instantly, uttered the last two words: "Get out of the way."

After saying that, she walked past Jiang Wanqing and Song Suya, whose face was equally pale and who seemed hesitant to speak, and left with Ruan Guyan.

As for Wang Dazhuang, the moment everyone's attention shifted, he had already scurried behind a pillar, sobbing, and then silently turned into a wisp of smoke, making his escape.

Jiang Dusheng rode in the princess's carriage, speeding through the secluded alleyways.

The carriage arrived at a relatively open fork in the road. Not far ahead was the main road out of the city, and after crossing another street, there would be the city gate.

However, at that moment, the speeding carriage suddenly stopped, the driver tightened the reins, and the horse neighed.

The driver's panicked voice came from ahead: "Miss...Miss, someone is blocking the road ahead!"

Jiang Dusheng felt a chill run down his spine, but he wasn't surprised.

She slowly opened her eyes, which had been closed for rest, her gaze clear and cold like a deep pool.

He raised his hand and lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.

As far as the eye could see, a person stood quietly in the middle of the road at the alley entrance, blocking the way.

The man was dressed in a plain brocade robe, with a tall and straight figure, and was holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.

His face remained aloof and otherworldly, but his aura was completely different from what he had seen before. He had lost some of his compassion and transcendence and gained more of his melancholy.

Sunlight slanted down from behind him, casting a long shadow in front of him, creating an inexplicable sense of mountain-like obstruction.

Jiang Dusheng had already anticipated that it wouldn't be so easy to leave the city, but he never expected that it would be him who came.

She calmly said to the still-shaken coachman ahead, "Go back first and tell the princess that I left the city on my own. There's no need to see me off any further."

The coachman glanced at the imposing Shi Qinglian ahead, then at the calm-looking Jiang Dusheng, and dared not say anything more. He left the carriage where it was and hurriedly ran back the way he came.

Jiang Dusheng alighted from the carriage and stood alone in the alley, his plain clothes fluttering slightly in the wind.

She faced Shi Qinglian not far away, separated by only a dozen feet, yet it seemed as if an invisible chasm separated them.

Shi Qinglian slowly raised her eyes, her gaze falling on her, seemingly churning with complex emotions before finally settling into silence.

He spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an invisible pressure: "Nephew, this path is blocked. I warned you long ago that Changling City is a place of trouble. Now that you're involved, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"If we turn back to the city now, I... will not fight you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng chuckled lightly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Then you should still make your move. Today, I must leave this city gate."

As she finished speaking, a powerful aura emanated from her, her back straight, like a lone pine tree growing on a cliff, unmoved by winds from any direction.

Seeing her resolute attitude, the last trace of emotion in Shi Qinglian's eyes subsided. She raised one hand to her chest and softly chanted a Buddhist prayer:

"Amitabha. In that case, nephew, let me see just how much skill your senior brother has taught you."

As the last word faded, the prayer beads he was twirling abruptly stopped. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the beads floated in front of him, each bead emitting a soft golden light.

"go!"

With a flick of her finger, Shi Qinglian sent several Buddhist beads off the string, which transformed into several golden streaks of light that struck Jiang Dusheng's major acupoints.

With a light tap of his toes, Jiang Dusheng's figure drifted backward like a willow catkin in the wind, his clothes fluttering as he created a distance of several feet.

At the same time, her hands moved rapidly in front of her chest, and she shouted:

"Om, Ah, Hum!"

As she uttered the three-syllable mantra, the prayer beads on her wrist rose into the air, the eighteen beads shining brightly, forming a circular golden light screen that blocked her way.

"Bang bang bang!"

The Buddhist beads that Shi Qinglian shot out struck the light screen, producing a dull thud, golden light scattered, air waves rolled, and dust was stirred up from the ground.

"My master's Insight-Dispelling Pearl is indeed powerful, but it alone is not enough to stop me."

As Jiang Dusheng spoke, his hand seals changed, and the eighteen Buddhist beads suddenly scattered, arranging themselves in an array in the air, vaguely forming a swastika symbol, which enveloped Shi Qinglian.

A hint of surprise flashed in Shi Qinglian's eyes. She had clearly not expected Jiang Dusheng to be so skilled in using Buddhist formations, combining strength and gentleness, and seamlessly switching between offense and defense.

He dared not delay, and quickly formed a hand seal. The remaining Buddhist beads in front of him spun rapidly, transforming into a huge golden lotus platform phantom that protected him at the center.

"Vajra Lotus Throne, protect my Dharma body!"

The golden beam of light struck the phantom of the lotus platform, producing a hissing sound.

Shi Qinglian, protected by the lotus platform, pierced through the dazzling golden light and locked her gaze on Jiang Dusheng, speaking in a deep voice:

"Your cultivation has advanced significantly, and your use of magic is masterful, but the aura around you is mottled, as if entangled by the power of the underworld, definitely not from a pure Buddhist lineage. Where exactly did you obtain all of this?"

Jiang Dusheng, manipulating the swastika Buddhist seal, remained unmoved upon hearing this, simply saying:

"Uncle-Master, why ask so many questions? There are countless Buddhist teachings, all of which are the right path. I have my own destiny. Today, I only wish to leave the city."