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

The next morning, Jiang Dusheng was in his courtyard, wiping the piece of white bone flute with a soft cloth.

The maid Xiao Huan tiptoed in and announced, "Miss, Madam Xu has arrived. She requests that you go to the front hall to greet her."

Jiang Dusheng continued what he was doing, only giving a faint "Hmm": "I understand."

She put away the bone flute, got up, and prepared to leave.

"Master! Master!"

Wang Dazhuang's spirit hurriedly floated out from the corner, circling around Jiang Dusheng, "Take me with you? I want to see the excitement too."

Since losing his paper doll body, he has always felt uncomfortable floating around and has lost some of his sense of participation.

Jiang Dusheng paused, glanced at the fleeting soul, thought for a moment, walked to the table, and picked up the leftover scraps and scissors from cutting the paper figure.

With swift, flying movements, so fast that only afterimages could be seen, a paper figure appeared on the table in no time, identical to the charming maid from yesterday, only with more lively features.

"Go in." She touched the paper figure's forehead with her fingertip.

Wang Dazhuang cheered, and his soul darted inside.

The paper figure swayed as it stood up, twisted its waist, and stretched its limbs, quite satisfied.

"Thank you, Master!"

Wang Dazhuang tried to adopt a submissive tone, feigning the demeanor of a meek maid, but the excitement in his eyes betrayed him.

Jiang Dusheng ignored him, put the bone flute into his sleeve, and took the newly made "maid" to the front hall.

Before even stepping into the front hall, one could hear a woman's gentle, smiling voice coming from inside; it was none other than Madam Xu, Chen Baojuan:

"Dusheng truly lives up to her reputation as someone who has been nurtured by Buddhism since childhood. Her demeanor is calm and serene, and her words and actions are perfectly appropriate. In my opinion, many so-called noble ladies cannot match her composure."

Immediately following was Song Suya's obviously polite reply: "Madam Xu, you flatter me. Dusheng has just returned from the temple and is still learning many rules. He does not deserve such praise."

Jiang Dusheng walked straight in without stopping.

Inside the hall, Chen Baojuan and Song Suya sat at the host's and guest's seats, respectively, each holding a teacup.

Chen Baojuan was wearing a light purple dress with lotus-patterned scrolls today.

Her hair was neatly styled and adorned with two elegant jade hairpins. She wore a perfectly appropriate smile, making her look like a dignified and refined lady of an official's family.

As soon as she saw Jiang Dusheng enter, she immediately put down her teacup, her smile deepened, and she stood up to greet him, taking two steps forward.

"Miss Jiang has arrived."

Jiang Dusheng nodded slightly, his manners impeccable yet distant: "Madam Xu."

Chen Baojuan turned to Song Suya, his smile becoming even more earnest, and his tone taking on a more intimate tone:

"Madam Jiang, I'm embarrassed to say, but the moment I saw Dusheng, I felt an instant connection with her and took a great liking to her."

"Would you mind inviting Master Du to our residence today? Perhaps we could have a chat and a simple meal?"

Song Suya paused almost imperceptibly in the teacup she was holding.

She had originally planned to have Dusheng accompany her to a jewelry shop today to strengthen the bond between mother and daughter.

Before she could figure out how to respond, Jiang Dusheng spoke up, but the content of his words made Song Suya's heart skip a beat:

"Yes. I felt an immense sense of kinship with Mrs. Xu the moment I met her."

Incredibly warm and welcoming?

Hearing this, Song Suya looked at the two standing together. One was gentle and warm, while the other was aloof and taciturn, yet they inexplicably possessed an aura that made it difficult for others to blend in.

The bitterness in her heart was almost overflowing.

To Dusheng, her mother was less dear than any stranger.

But she couldn't show the bitterness in her heart, so she forced a smile, her voice a little hoarse:

"Since Madam Xu is so kind, and I am willing, then let's go. However, I have just returned, so if I am not polite enough, I hope Madam will forgive me."

"Don't worry, Madam Jiang, I will treat Dusheng as my own child." Chen Baojuan smiled and warmly took Jiang Dusheng's hand. "Shall we go now? The carriage is outside."

Jiang Dusheng obediently let her lead him out of the front hall with Chen Baojuan.

Wang Dazhuang hurriedly followed with somewhat unnatural steps, trying his best to play the role of a silent maid.

Once they boarded the Xu family's carriage, the curtains were drawn, cutting off their view of the outside world.

The gentle and kind smile on Chen Baojuan's face had barely faded when it was replaced by an apologetic expression.

She released Jiang Dusheng's hand and said seriously, "Miss Jiang, I am truly sorry for coming here so abruptly and for using this excuse to ask you to leave the manor."

As if he had already expected this, Jiang Dusheng remained unmoved and simply said, "It's alright. Has there been any progress regarding Xu Yishuo's matter?"

Chen Baojuan nodded, a look of pain and anxiety flashing in his eyes: "Yes. Yi Shuo's brother traveled through the night the day before yesterday and has already transported her remains back to Changling."

Her voice choked slightly, and she took a deep breath before continuing, "In addition, the Dali Temple has already arrested Wang Rui from his post and is escorting him back to the capital without stopping. He is currently being held in the Dali Temple prison."

Her brows furrowed, and her tone turned somber: "But Wang Rui, ever since he was arrested, has vehemently denied killing his wife!"

"He only admitted to keeping a mistress, and that after Yi-shuo discovered it, the couple had a fight. But he insisted that Yi-shuo died suddenly from a heart attack due to anger at the time."

"He was afraid that our Xu family would pursue the matter and ruin his future, so he made a moment of folly and lied to the outside world, claiming that Yi Shuo was not dead. He insists that he did not intentionally kill her and cries out that he is innocent!"

The carriage swayed slightly, and the interior was completely silent.

Jiang Dusheng lowered his eyes, and the bone flute in his sleeve seemed to emanate a coolness and vibration.

Chen Baojuan lowered his voice even further, his voice filled with confusion: "Originally, we wanted to have the best coroner carefully examine Yi Shuo's body, hoping to find irrefutable evidence."

"But who would have thought that Tianshui City is located in the south, where the climate is humid. In just a few months, Yishuo and her body had decomposed to the point that only a skeleton remained."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then continued, "The coroner from the Dali Temple has carefully examined the skeleton and reported that it is intact and there are no obvious signs of external force."

"Judging from the bone structure, the deceased did not appear to have suffered any serious external injuries that could have been fatal."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng raised his eyelids, his clear eyes looking at Chen Baojuan, and asked again to confirm, "No external injuries on the remains?"

"Yes," Chen Baojuan frowned, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the handkerchief, "That's the strange thing! Yi Shuo clearly died unjustly, and that beast Wang Rui admitted to the argument, yet there are no corresponding injuries found on her remains!"

"This makes us wonder... whether this skeleton is actually Yi Shuo's."

A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes: "But the coroner's deduction is that the owner of the remains was a young woman, whose age perfectly matches that of Yi Shuo when she died."

Jiang Dusheng listened quietly, his fingertips gently caressing the white bone flute.

interesting.

"Madam Xu," Jiang Dusheng said, steadily tucking the bone flute into his sleeve and standing up, "could you take me to see that skeleton?"

Chen Baojuan hesitated, "The remains are currently being kept as important evidence in the mortuary of the Dali Temple, under the supervision of designated personnel, awaiting review. It may not be convenient for outsiders to view them easily."

Jiang Dusheng remained calm: "Since it is crucial evidence, any doubts must be clarified. I have a way to examine some traces that are difficult for ordinary people to detect."