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

Jiang Dusheng nodded and was about to get up.

Chen Baojuan, who was standing nearby, quickly stood up and instructed, "Xun'er, the Dali Temple is an important government office, and there are many people and eyes around, so it's not appropriate for me to go with you. You must be careful and keep a close eye on Miss Jiang."

"Don't worry, Mother, I understand," Xu Nanxun solemnly replied.

Outside the mortuary of Dali Temple.

The place was secluded, perhaps because it had been prepared in advance; the passageway was deserted, with only two expressionless jailers guarding the door.

The air was filled with a mixture of herbs and some indescribable scent.

Wang Dazhuang wanted to follow Jiang Dusheng inside, but Xu Nanxun stopped him, saying he was embarrassed:

"Miss, I'm sorry, but Lord Shaoqing has ordered that only Miss Jiang is allowed to come inside with me. Please wait outside."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng glanced at Wang Dazhuang and said, "You wait outside."

Wang Dazhuang's paper-thin face instantly collapsed, but he didn't dare to act rashly.

She could only shrink into the shadow of the pillars, looking longingly at Jiang Dusheng's back.

The mortuary was dimly lit, with only a few small windows at the top letting in a few beams of light to illuminate the dust particles floating in the air.

The surrounding area consisted of cold stone walls, with several stone slabs for laying corpses placed against the walls, most of them empty.

Only the central sheet, covered with a white cloth, outlines the human figure below.

To be precise, it's the outline of the skeleton.

Inside, a person stood with their hands behind their back, facing away from the door, seemingly examining the skeleton beneath the white sheet.

He wore a deep scarlet official robe with a jade belt around his waist, and his posture was as upright as a pine tree.

Even from behind, his figure exuded an air of nobility and majesty that seemed completely out of place in the gloomy environment.

Hearing footsteps, the person slowly turned around.

The light and shadow fell precisely on his face.

Jiang Dusheng paused for a moment.

Xie Jinchen.

In the dim light of the mortuary, that handsome, almost otherworldly face lost some of the aloofness he usually maintained, and gained more of the solemnity and sharpness that belonged to this place.

His gaze swept over, and when it landed on Jiang Dusheng, a subtle ripple seemed to pass through his eyes.

Jiang Dusheng looked at him and suddenly felt like he was being haunted by an evil spirit.

Seeing each other again in this cold and desolate place now feels especially vivid.

Why is this young master everywhere? And why does he have to be the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?

Xie Jinchen clearly hadn't expected it to be her.

He raised his hand, seemingly casually touching the bridge of his high nose, then took two steps forward, his voice carrying a hint of amusement:

"Miss Jiang, we meet again. What a... coincidence."

Xu Nanxun glanced at Xie Jinchen, then at the indifferent Jiang Dusheng, and hesitated before asking, "Achen, Miss Jiang, do you...know each other?"

"know."

"I don't know him."

The two spoke almost simultaneously, but their answers were completely opposite.

Jiang Dusheng's tone was crisp, clearly indicating his intention to distance himself from the situation.

Xie Jinchen chuckled softly upon hearing her reply.

Turning his gaze away from Jiang Dusheng's face, he turned to Xu Nanxun, his tone regaining its composure:

"Nanxun, Miss Jiang, please."

He stepped aside and pointed to the morgue board covered with a white sheet.

The three walked to the morgue.

Xu Nanxun looked at the white cloth, her eyes slightly red, took a deep breath, and was about to reach out to remove it.

"No need," Jiang Dusheng suddenly said, interrupting Xu Nanxun's actions.

Xu Nanxun and Xie Jinchen both looked at her at the same time.

Jiang Dusheng's gaze didn't even fall completely on the white cloth. She only moved slightly closer, her spiritual sense stirred, and the bone flute in her sleeve emitted a stagnant feeling that had no resonance with the skeleton in front of her.

The soul's own attraction and grief for its own remains, which should be present, is completely absent here.

She looked up at Xu Nanxun, her tone resolute:

"This is not Xu Yishuo."

Despite being mentally prepared, Xu Nanxun's expression still turned ugly the moment Jiang Dusheng finished speaking.

His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched suddenly, the knuckles cracking, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, his teeth clenched tightly:

"That beast Wang Rui! He actually dared... he actually dared to use a skeleton of unknown origin to impersonate Yi Shuo and bury it in Yi Shuo's cenotaph!"

"Where exactly did he put Yi Shuo's real body?!"

Xie Jinchen, who stood quietly to the side, had a slightly darker look in his eyes.

His gaze swept over Xu Nanxun's violently heaving shoulders and back, finally landing on Jiang Dusheng's face.

Jiang Dusheng happened to look at him as well. "Lord Shaoqing, may I go see Wang Rui now?"

Xie Jinchen and Xu Nanxun appear to have no connection on the surface.

But only a very few people know that they are actually best friends who would entrust their lives to each other.

His personal visit today, ostensibly to uphold fairness, actually stemmed from a desire to lend a helping hand to the Xu family.

He met Jiang Dusheng's clear gaze, and without much hesitation, nodded decisively: "Okay."

Dali Temple Prison - Interrogation Room

Compared to the cold and empty morgue, the prison felt even more filthy and oppressive.

The passageway was long and narrow, with cells separated by rough wooden fences on both sides. The air was filled with the smells of mildew and blood.

Occasionally, the groans of prisoners or the dragging of chains could be heard, sending chills down one's spine.

Led by Xie Jinchen, they arrived without hindrance at the entrance to a private cell.

The room was dimly lit, with only an oil lamp casting a flickering, dim yellow light on the stone wall, distorting the shadows of people.

Wang Rui lay sprawled on the prison chair, his prison uniform filthy and his hair disheveled.

The jailer opened the cell door.

Startled by the noise, Wang Rui looked up and, upon seeing Xie Jinchen and Xu Nanxun in their official robes, a flicker of fear crossed his eyes.

Finally, his gaze settled on Jiang Dusheng.

In this filthy place, a white robe remained untouched by dust, and a single dot of cinnabar between his brows was breathtakingly beautiful.

She stood there, as if she carried an invisible barrier, shutting out all the darkness and filth of the prison.

Wang Rui's heart suddenly pounded wildly, even more so than when he was facing the instruments of torture.

Who is this woman?

Xie Jinchen did not sit down, but stood with his hands behind his back in the shadows by the door, subtly relinquishing the main seat.

Xu Nanxun suppressed his anger, took a step back, and fixed his gaze on Wang Rui.

Jiang Dusheng slowly stepped forward and stopped three steps away from Wang Rui.

The distance was just right, neither too far nor too close, allowing the light from the oil lamp to clearly illuminate each other's expressions.

She didn't ask a question immediately, but just looked at Wang Rui quietly, her gaze almost tangible, scraping over every tremor of the muscles on Wang Rui's face and every evasive glance.

Silence can sometimes be more suffocating than a shout.

Wang Rui felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze and was the first to give in, his voice hoarse as he hissed:

"Brother Xu...it was my fault. I shouldn't have kept Yi Shuo's death a secret. It's all my fault!"

"But...but I really didn't kill her! That day, we were arguing about my mistress. She was very angry and pointed her finger at me and cursed. In a moment of panic, I pushed her."

"But I just wanted to calm her down! Who would have thought... she suddenly clutched her chest, her face turned deathly pale, and just like that, she collapsed, lifeless!"

He squeezed out a few tears and pounded his fist on his chest.

"If I had known she had a heart condition, why would I have argued with her? I regret it! I was just afraid, afraid I wouldn't be able to explain myself, afraid my future would be ruined, so I was blinded by greed and hid it from her... But I really didn't kill her!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Nanxun sneered, wishing he could kill this beast in human form immediately.

Xie Jinchen's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at Jiang Dusheng.