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

After a brief silence, Xie Jinchen quickly regained his composure and returned to his usual calm.

"cough."

He coughed lightly, thus dispelling the awkward atmosphere from before, and looked at Jiang Dusheng, his tone returning to calm.

"Please forgive me, Miss Jiang, but sending someone to investigate was a last resort. The matter is of great importance, and we must be cautious to confirm that you are not a spy sent by the other side."

Jiang Dusheng tilted his head slightly, and a few strands of his black hair slipped down his shoulder.

She stared intently at Xie Jinchen and asked directly, "And now?"

"You're not," he said firmly, his voice low and resolute. "Someone like you..."

He paused, as if searching for the most appropriate description.

His gaze lingered for a moment on her eyes, which seemed to see right through him, before he finally spoke slowly:

"I will not be coerced by anyone, nor will I... submit to such a person."

The words "that kind of person" were emphasized heavily, conveying undisguised disgust.

This clearly refers to the person behind the scenes who may be involved in the disappearance of his mother's remains.

Jiang Dusheng understood.

She nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter, and steered the conversation back on track:

"I can help you find your mother's remains."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen's eyes brightened slightly: "Thank you! Please feel free to ask for anything you need, young lady. As for payment, any amount of silver is acceptable."

To his surprise, Jiang Dusheng shook her head, her slender white fingers gently brushing the rim of the teacup: "I don't want money."

Xie Jinchen was slightly taken aback.

Don't want money?

What does she want? Rare treasures? Martial arts manuals?

As he was pondering, Jiang Dusheng leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them.

Her scent, as clear and crisp as pine needles after a snowfall, wafted over from her body.

Then, in a tone devoid of any allure, she uttered a single word that instantly froze the air in the entire private room:

"you."

"..."

Xie Jinchen's expression froze, a rare occurrence.

Even those peach blossom eyes, which seemed to see right through people, now showed a rare hint of surprise.

Standing behind Jiang Dusheng, Wang Dazhuang, who was trying his best to play the role of a wooden man, couldn't help but open his paper mouth wide in an exaggerated way.

Yi Che, sitting next to Xie Jinchen, gasped, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable.

Jiang Dusheng looked at Xie Jinchen's stunned expression, then glanced at Yi Che, who was so excited he was about to faint.

Only then did he belatedly realize that his words seemed to have caused some subtle misunderstanding.

She sat up straight and widened the distance she had deliberately closed earlier.

His face remained calm and composed. "Don't misunderstand."

"What I mean is, I need you to come to my place on time every full moon night, and stay in the same room with me all night."

However… this addition, instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, made some of the associations even more outrageous.

Yi Che's teacup fell to the table with a clatter, spilling tea everywhere.

His finger trembled as he pointed at Jiang Dusheng, then looked at Xie Jinchen, his face turning red and white in turns.

He opened and closed his mouth several times before finally finding his voice, but it was stammering and incoherent:

"Ah Chen! Did you hear me!" His voice rose eight octaves, almost cracking.

"She doesn't even intend to give you a title! She expects you to go to her residence every month and share a room with her?! You are the heir of a Duke's mansion, how can you stoop so low as to do something worse than a gigolo?!"

The word "male concubine" was practically squeezed out from between his teeth, and his face turned red as soon as he finished speaking.

He was both anxious and angry, as if Xie Jinchen's innocence was in grave danger.

The private room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the only sounds were Yi Che's heavy breathing and the soft patter of tea dripping onto the table.

Xie Jinchen had recovered from his initial shock.

The stiffness on his face had long since faded, replaced by his usual deep expression.

Unlike Yi Che, he wasn't agitated. He spoke slowly, his voice steady, revealing no emotion, "Miss Jiang, I need a reasonable explanation."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng was taken aback for a moment.

Explanation?

The real reason is, of course, that her body is imbued with malevolent energy, which needs to be neutralized and balanced by the purple aura.

Especially during the full moon when yin energy is at its peak, the evil energy is most likely to stir and backfire. Only when someone with auspicious purple energy is by one's side can one get through this safely.

The purple aura emanating from Xie Jinchen was rich and pure, making it a walking remedy for her.

In the past, she had to endure the pain in the Buddhist temple, relying on the monks to chant sutras to alleviate some of her suffering, although it was only a drop in the ocean.

But this involves her weaknesses and secrets, how could she easily tell a stranger who is still testing the waters of cooperation?

In an instant, Jiang Dusheng made a decision.

So, under Xie Jinchen's gaze and Yi Che's almost burning stare, she remained silent for a moment, her long eyelashes drooping, as if she was carefully considering her words.

Then, she slowly raised her head, her gaze falling intently on Xie Jinchen's impeccably handsome face, as if she were evaluating an item.

Jiang Dusheng cleared her throat and began her explanation in a serious tone:

"To be honest, although I grew up in a Buddhist temple, listening to chanting and practicing Buddhism..."

Her tone was steady, her words clear, as if she were telling someone else's story:

"However, Buddhism emphasizes the elimination of greed, anger, and ignorance. I may be able to keep the other precepts, but only... regarding the word 'form,' my six senses have not been purified, and I have become attached to it, thus breaking the precept."

Xie Jinchen's fingers, which were twirling the beads, suddenly stopped.

Jiang Dusheng seemed oblivious to his subtle expression and continued his repentance without changing his demeanor:

"Perhaps because I rarely saw outsiders since childhood, once I returned to secular life and entered the world, seeing the prosperity of this mortal world and the magnificent people, this... this little bit of infatuation grew like weeds and was hard to suppress. Especially on the night of the full moon every month, when the yin energy is strong and the inner demons are stirred."

As she said this, she looked at Xie Jinchen again with sincere eyes, even with a hint of helplessness and distress:

"There is an extra need to gaze upon the most beautiful faces in the world to soothe inner demons and calm delusions."

She paused, as if emphasizing the necessity: "Ordinary looks are not very effective."

"Only a face as handsome as the Crown Prince's can have a calming effect."

"Therefore, all you need to do is for the Crown Prince to sit quietly in my room for one night on the fifteenth of each month, allowing me to observe him. This is for medicine to cure an illness, and has nothing to do with romance, so the Crown Prince need not worry about it."

A deathly silence fell over the private room.

"..."

Xie Jinchen stared at her intently, his handsome face, which had been frozen in time for millennia, now displaying a truly remarkable expression.

If he believes this nonsense, then he should write Xie Jinchen's name backwards.

"Pfft! Cough cough cough!"

Yi Che choked on his own saliva this time, coughing until his face turned red, and his hand pointing at Jiang Dusheng trembled like a leaf in the wind.

"You, you... what kind of reason is that? Treating illnesses by looking at faces?! And it has to be Ah Chen's face?! I'm good-looking too! Why don't you come to me for treatment?!"

He regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth; what was that all about!

Wang Dazhuang had already covered his mouth tightly with his paper hand, his entire paper body was shaking like a leaf, and his soul was laughing so hard it was about to fall apart inside the paper figure.

He admired the master's skill in making up stories!

Jiang Dusheng ignored Yi Che's self-recommendation and simply looked back at Xie Jinchen calmly, with an expression that said, "It's the truth, believe it or not."

Xie Jinchen stared at her for a long time, then suddenly, he slowly began to twirl the jade beads in his hand again.

one more time.

The deep sea in his eyes gradually calmed down, replaced by a slowly rising interest.

He suddenly chuckled softly, the sound escaping from his throat, magnetic but devoid of warmth.

"I see." He spoke slowly, leaning forward slightly to close the distance between himself and Jiang Dusheng.

The voice was kept extremely low, so that only the two of them could hear it: "Miss Jiang's illness is quite peculiar."

His gaze lingered on her face, as if trying to find traces of her lying.