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

"You said Buddhism emphasizes compassion..."

"What a pity, my master taught me scriptures and incantations to help people and ghosts, but he never taught me..."

Jiang Dusheng raised his hand, his fingertips shrouded in a faint, clear light, which was both the peace of Buddhism and the majesty of Taoism.

"I have to show mercy to a man like you who takes over another's body and thinks he's all love.

As soon as she finished speaking, she gave the other party no chance to argue.

He drew a talisman in the air, and golden light, carrying a powerful purifying force, rushed straight towards Li Shuanzi.

"If you have a grievance, go to the underworld to appeal. But to occupy the body of a living person and harm another's life—that path is blocked!"

The golden light completely devoured Li Shuanzi's soul. His unwilling roar, along with his distorted figure, faded away in the dazzling light and eventually returned to nothingness.

The room was deathly silent.

Granny Zhao and the maids stood frozen in place, staring at the girl whose skirt had turned white, feeling a chill rise up their spines.

After all, Granny Zhao was an old woman who had been immersed in the inner quarters of the household for many years. After a brief shock, she forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart.

She stepped forward, her posture even more respectful than before, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible fear:

"Miss...it was my oversight that allowed such filth to come near you. I will immediately inform Madam and have her select a new group of clean and capable people for you."

As she spoke, she glanced at Xiao Huan, who was lying unconscious on the ground, out of the corner of her eye.

The meaning is self-evident: such a person is probably unusable.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng shook his head.

His gaze swept over the group of maids who were silent as cicadas in winter, wishing they could shrink into the ground.

One by one, they were either unfortunate or restless; not one of them had a peaceful and serene appearance that could catch her eye.

She crouched down, her slender fingers casually touching the small ring lying on the ground:

"No need for that. Let's go with her."

Granny Zhao was surprised, not understanding why the young lady insisted on keeping this maid who had offended something dirty, but she showed no sign of it on her face and immediately agreed:

"Yes, Miss is kind; it was this old servant who was narrow-minded."

She hesitated for a moment, then made a proper arrangement:

"This old servant will first settle her in the side room and have a doctor examine her. Once she is fully recovered, she will be sent here to serve him personally."

"If you need anything these days, just summon a few third-class maids from the outer courtyard. Is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng finally raised his eyes and looked at Granny Zhao seriously for the first time.

His face was upright, with a wide distance between his eyebrows and eyes, a moderately high and low bridge of his nose, and a rounded tip, which made his whole face appear more composed and dignified, without a trace of flattery.

He is a loyal protector of his master.

Granny Zhao felt a chill run down her spine under that gaze that seemed to see right through her; a cold sweat broke out on her back. She asked cautiously:

"Young Miss...do you feel there's something wrong with it?"

Seeing her slightly flustered appearance, Jiang Dusheng suddenly smiled, revealing an innocent and harmless expression:

"It's nothing, I just think that the old lady is very considerate and a very nice person."

As she spoke, she took out a yellow talisman folded into a triangle from her sleeve and handed it over:

"Please keep this close to the girl's body, Granny. It will help stabilize her scattered soul and prevent any lingering illness."

"...Yes, this old servant will certainly take care of it." Granny Zhao took the talisman with both hands, her movements very careful.

After dealing with Xiao Huan's matter, Jiang Dusheng's gaze slowly turned to the remaining trembling maids.

She still had that sweet smile on her face, and her tone was so relaxed it sounded like she was joking:

"By the way, about what happened in this courtyard today..." Her gaze lightly swept over each terrified face, "If even a single word gets out, I'll have to release a few little ghosts to come and chat with you all in the middle of the night."

Upon hearing this, the remaining people turned deathly pale, shaking their heads vigorously as they repeatedly assured him:

"No, no! We didn't see anything, we know nothing!"

After Granny Zhao led the group of still-shaken servants away in a hurry, the door closed and the room returned to silence.

A semi-transparent female figure silently emerged from the shadows in the corner of the wall.

She was slender and graceful, and her face still faintly showed her former beauty, but a layer of lingering sorrow shrouded her brows.

She glanced at Jiang Dusheng, who was casually flipping through a book, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, with a hint of familiar reproach:

"Why are you scaring them? They're just a bunch of ordinary people."

Jiang Dusheng seemed to have known she was there all along, and didn't even look up.

He sat to the side, casually flipping through the book "Exorcism Record" that he had taken out of his bundle.

Hearing the female ghost's words, a playful smile appeared on her lips, and she answered crisply and decisively:

"Tsk, you just don't understand."

She finally lifted her eyelids, a wicked glint of interest flashing in her clear eyes:

"I'm just a person with a naturally kind heart..."

She deliberately dragged out her words, lightly tapping the page with her fingertip, "The most compassionate, the one who loves to see others terrified and pale is the most amusing sight."

The female ghost did not speak again.

He simply gazed at the scenery outside the window, a melancholy of returning home lingering in his eyes, and sighed softly:

"It's so nice... to be back in Changling."

Jiang Dusheng looked up at her retreating figure, his voice softer than usual:

"Xu Yishuo, I will visit the Xu family tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yishuo turned around, her eyes seemingly glistening with tears, and solemnly said, "Thank you."

Meanwhile, the main house of the main courtyard.

Wisps of blue smoke rose from the gilded incense burner, the priceless pear-scented incense.

The sweet and warm fragrance seemed unable to dispel the chill in Song Suya's heart.

She was restless, frequently glancing towards the door, the embroidered handkerchief in her hand already twisted beyond recognition.

As soon as she saw Granny Zhao step across the threshold, she rushed forward to greet her, grabbed Granny Zhao's arm tightly, and asked repeatedly:

"How is the child... is she settling in? Who has she chosen to take care of her?"

The image of Jiang Dusheng's smiling, threatening words flashed through Zhao Mama's mind.

She composed herself, lowered her eyes, and carefully replied:

"Reporting to Madam, the eldest young lady is quite composed and did not make many demands. She only kept a second-class maidservant by her side for the time being."

Hearing this, Song Suya's eyes reddened again. She slumped back into her chair, murmuring, "She's still blaming me, isn't she?"

She grasped Zhao Mama's hand, as if seeking approval, or perhaps defending herself:

"I know I wasn't a good mother... but when I sent her away back then, my heart was breaking. I had no choice..."

These words were like a key, unexpectedly unlocking the floodgates of memories sealed for eighteen years.

In a daze, she was pulled back to that afternoon when the wind was howling and the snow was falling heavily.

That was her first daughter after she married into the Jiang family, after going through many hardships; she had two sons before her.

She had been waiting for a long time, and finally a beautiful girl appeared.