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

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhuang stopped sobbing.

Her fingers twisted together somewhat awkwardly, and her voice lowered, filled with grievance and resentment:

"I...I was destined for a short life. I didn't commit any great evils in my life, but I didn't accumulate any great virtues either. I died in a daze. My biggest obsession...is that I'm not reconciled!"

He lifted his paper-thin face, his eyes seemingly shining with a light. "I just want to live a little longer, to see more of the world's excitement, and to taste more delicious things I've never tried before."

"Even if it's like this now, I'd like to stay a little longer... that's all I want."

After he finished speaking, he cautiously added, "Of course! If it can help you, Master, that would be even better! You have such great magical powers, Master; following you will surely bring some excitement!"

Jiang Dusheng was speechless for a moment when he saw his expression.

This obsession... is so pure it's almost laughable.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright."

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhuang immediately perked up his ears.

"After I leave the Jiang family, I will definitely need someone to manage the miscellaneous affairs... a manager."

Jiang Dusheng spoke slowly and deliberately, his gaze sweeping over Wang Dazhuang's eyes, which suddenly lit up:

"However, it is not right for a ghost to linger in the mortal world for a long time. Relying on paper figures is not a long-term solution, and it will also damage your own soul."

Before she could finish speaking, Wang Dazhuang jumped up from the ground, his body trembling slightly with excitement.

"Me! I can do it! Master! Choose me! In my past life... well, although I never managed a household, I was clever! I learn quickly! I can do anything!"

"Serving tea and water, sweeping the yard, running errands, guarding the gate... Ah, guarding the gate might be a bit lacking, but I can scare people!"

"Master, please let me play for a few more months. Once I've sorted everything out for you, you can send me to be reincarnated, okay?"

He was terrified that Jiang Dusheng would change his mind, and he wished he could tear his heart out.

Of course, if... he has one.

Jiang Dusheng rubbed his ears, annoyed by the noise, and gave him a disapproving look: "Alright, stop wailing, I'm not dead yet."

Wang Dazhuang immediately shut up, his two paper hands obediently folded in front of him, but the expectation in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Jiang Dusheng waved his hand, too lazy to argue with him anymore: "Go, have someone boil some hot water for me."

"Alright! Master, please wait a moment! I'll be right there! I guarantee the water temperature will be just right!" Wang Dazhuang was full of energy after receiving the assurance.

The paper-thin figure darted out of the room in a flash, startling Xiao Huan, who had just reached the courtyard gate and was about to ask if they needed water.

Watching Wang Dazhuang's retreating figure, Jiang Dusheng shook his head.

She turned her gaze back to the ever-brighter moon outside the window, feeling the growing chill within her body, and gently exhaled.

It's almost midnight.

After taking a bath, Jiang Dusheng changed into a soft, white nightgown and went to bed early.

The thick brocade quilt covered him layer by layer, but it still couldn't keep out the chill that had been growing stronger as the moon rose high in the sky.

It wasn't ordinary cold, but a kind of malevolent energy that surged uncontrollably upwards, wandering through the limbs and bones.

She felt her body growing increasingly stiff, and her fingertips growing icy cold.

My blood felt like it was freezing, and my jaw was trembling slightly.

She curled up in the blankets, trying to draw some warmth, but to no avail.

The icy cold energy within her body was like a living thing, constantly challenging the facade of calm she was forcibly maintaining.

The cinnabar on his forehead was faintly hot, creating an eerie contrast with the coldness around him.

Time passed slowly, the moonlight outside the window grew brighter and brighter, and the chill in the air grew heavier and heavier.

Jiang Dusheng couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath, his voice trembling slightly from the cold:

"Didn't that bastard Xie Jinchen say he'd be here soon? What time is it now...?"

Just as she was about to faint from the cold, a slight noise finally came from outside the window.

It sounded like the rustling of clothes brushing against the tiles, followed by a light knocking on the window.

Jiang Dusheng didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, let alone get out of bed to open the window.

She simply pulled the blanket tighter around herself, closed her eyes, and gave a disgruntled snort.

The people outside the window seemed to notice the unusual silence inside the room.

After a slight hesitation, the window bolt was silently and skillfully pried open from the outside.

A tall, slender figure nimbly vaulted through the window and landed silently.

Xie Jinchen was dressed in dark-colored casual clothes suitable for nighttime travel, his dark hair was tied up with a jade crown, and a few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead.

After entering the house, he immediately closed the window tightly to block out more night wind.

"Why did it take you so long to get here?" Jiang Dusheng's low voice came from inside, clearly weak and with a slight, suppressed tremor.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen paused slightly.

He stood in the outer room and did not enter the inner room.

Her gaze swept quickly across the rather deserted boudoir, finally settling on the screen through which a figure could be vaguely seen.

His voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet night: "At three-quarters past 9 PM... I thought that was early?"

Through the screen, Jiang Dusheng could vaguely see Xie Jinchen's figure.

Seeing that he was standing properly in the outer room, even a few steps away from the door of the inner room, looking as if he wanted to retreat outside, he was very polite.

Jiang Dusheng was so angry that his teeth itched, and the already unbearable chill seemed to intensify as a result.

She gritted her teeth, almost forcing the sound out from between them:

"You're sitting so far away, do you think you can cure illnesses from a distance?"

Xie Jinchen was taken aback by her words. In the dim candlelight of the inner room, one could see a faint blush rising on his earlobes.

He raised his hand, awkwardly touched the bridge of his high nose, and coughed softly: "...It was my oversight."

Having said that, he finally stepped forward, walked around the screen, and entered the inner room.

As soon as Xie Jinchen stepped into the inner room, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

A dim oil lamp was lit inside, barely illuminating a hazy area.

On the bed, Jiang Dusheng was almost curled up inside two thick brocade quilts, with only his pale face and long black hair scattered on the pillow showing.

Her brows were furrowed, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips were so pale they were almost indistinguishable from her complexion. Only the vermilion mark between her brows stood out strikingly.

Even though she was wrapped up so tightly, her body still seemed to be trembling slightly.

"You..." Xie Jinchen's heart suddenly tightened, and all the restraint he had felt from being alone with a woman in her boudoir late at night was instantly replaced by surprise and doubt.

He took two steps forward and instinctively lowered his voice to ask, "What's wrong?"

He had initially thought that Jiang Dusheng's earlier claim about curing the illness was just an excuse, but now that she looked like this, there was absolutely no sign of it being fake.

What surprised Jiang Dusheng even more was that as Xie Jinchen approached the bed, with each step he took, the chilling aura surrounding him seemed to encounter some kind of nemesis, and began to retreat.

The icy cold that had almost frozen her was now like a warm current, its impact significantly reduced.

Although it is still uncomfortable, it is no longer an endless erosion.

She could even feel a comforting and reassuring warmth emanating from him.

...

Jiang Dusheng had thought that it might work, but he never expected it to be this effective.

At this moment, all notions of male-female separation become insignificant in the face of the biting cold and the rare relief.

She struggled to lift her eyelids, looking at Xie Jinchen who stood a few steps in front of the bed, her voice weak and urging:

"Come here."