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

Seeing this, Xie Jinchen didn't press for answers. He simply leaned back in his chair, started fiddling with the jade prayer beads again, and his tone returned to its previous calm:

"Okay, I'll pretend you don't know."

His gaze swept over Jiang Dusheng's seemingly calm face, and he continued, "Over the years, I have been secretly investigating the whereabouts of my mother's remains. My father was not entirely unaware of this."

"I'm just being cautious. He doesn't have any solid evidence yet, and he's unsure of my purpose or how much he actually knows."

He paused for a moment on the Buddhist prayer beads between his fingers, then looked at Jiang Dusheng: "His sending someone to test you today is just the beginning."

"Next, he may use more methods to probe your bottom line, and may even do something detrimental to you."

"Just in case, I've assigned a team of female bodyguards skilled in stealth to accompany and protect you. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng shook his head almost without hesitation, his eyes clear and calm:

"No need. If there really is a recluse like me behind your father, ordinary guards would probably find it difficult to guard against, and would easily expose their presence, increasing the chances of things going wrong."

A slight smile curved her lips, revealing a hint of eagerness. "Besides... I'm quite interested in the person behind him, so I might as well test their strength."

She needs to know the strength of her potential rivals in order to better plan her actions.

Xie Jinchen gave her a deep look, but he saw no fear in her eyes, only a hint of eagerness and sharpness.

He nodded, not pressing the matter: "Be careful in everything you do. He failed to probe me today, and he will definitely take further action. If anything happens, send someone to find me immediately."

He naturally changed the subject here, his slender fingers lightly tapping the table:

"You previously said you wanted to break free from the Jiang family's constraints."

"The Empress's birthday banquet in five days may be the best opportunity for you to seize the moment."

Jiang Dusheng had intended to use the banquet to make a name for himself, but Xie Jinchen's words seemed to imply something else.

She leaned forward slightly and asked, "What do you mean?"

Xie Jinchen did not answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you know that besides the harem and court officials, there is another person before His Majesty who, though without a specific official position, holds a transcendent status, even my father has to be wary of him, and whose words can even influence His Majesty's thoughts?"

Jiang Dusheng shook his head.

She had only recently returned from the temple and knew little about the powerful figures in Changling City, let alone had time to inquire about such matters.

Xie Jinchen was not surprised and slowly uttered a few words: "Imperial Preceptor, Shi Qinglian."

Shi Qinglian…

Jiang Dusheng silently recited it in his mind.

Xie Jinchen continued, "I have heard that this person's magical power is unfathomable. He is not only skilled in alchemy and health preservation, but also knowledgeable in many esoteric arts. He is highly trusted by His Majesty."

"If you can borrow even a bit of his power, it will be much easier for you to break away from the Jiang family and become independent. At that time, the Jiang family will not dare to force you to stay."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng's eyes suddenly brightened.

She even unconsciously let out a soft "Huh," her fingertips tracing the rim of the teacup with a hint of admiration, and blurted out:

"Shi Qinglian...what a beautiful name. I wonder what she looks like?"

Xie Jinchen: "..."

He clearly hadn't expected that Jiang Dusheng's first focus after hearing this would be this.

He glanced at her silently for a moment, then let out a cryptic sneer, "Looks..."

He paused, his peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly as if recalling something. "So-so. But Shi Qinglian is definitely not as otherworldly as her name suggests."

"He is cunning and unpredictable, and a master at manipulating people. Even members of the royal family treat him with deference... But he is definitely not a good person. Don't be fooled by appearances or reputation."

Jiang Dusheng keenly sensed the unusual coldness in his tone and nodded thoughtfully.

She then looked up, her clear gaze meeting Xie Jinchen's directly, "You... have a grudge against him?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen let out a soft snort, his eyes slightly narrowed, and his tone returned to its usual nonchalant tone:

"No. I just simply look down on his pretentious, aloof, and untainted demeanor."

"It's as if everything in the world is under his control, and everyone's fate can be manipulated at his whim. It's incredibly boring."

These words, though spoken lightly, only further confirm that there was more to the story than met the eye.

Jiang Dusheng wisely refrained from asking further questions, but his curiosity about the so-called national advisor only grew stronger.

She wanted to ask Xie Jinchen if he knew she possessed a vast amount of purple energy, but she swallowed the words back.

If Xie Jinchen truly knows nothing about his own background, asking rashly would be tantamount to stabbing him in the heart.

She stood up deftly, smoothed out non-existent wrinkles on her skirt, and her expression returned to its usual indifference:

"Okay, I understand. If there's nothing else important, I'll be going now."

Xie Jinchen did not try to stop her, but as she turned around, his gaze lingered on her back for a moment, the prayer beads on his fingertips turning silently, and he said in a low voice, "Miss Jiang, be careful."

Jiang Dusheng didn't stop walking. He just nodded slightly to indicate that he had heard, then pushed open the door and went out, his figure quickly blending into the noisy crowd downstairs.

Back at the Jiang residence, Wang Dazhuang still looked like a stunningly beautiful yet strangely stiff paper doll.

He was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard. As soon as Jiang Dusheng pushed the door open and came in, he immediately leaned over, lowered his rough voice, and said mysteriously:

"Master! You're finally back! Guess what I overheard while I was aimlessly wandering around your Jiang residence today?!"

Jiang Dusheng walked into the room, casually placed the bone flute on the table, and raised an eyebrow at him: "What?"

Wang Dazhuang strained his exquisitely drawn eyes to feign shock: "Your parents are actually secretly arranging marriages for you!"

"They're whispering in the front hall! They're saying the Empress's birthday banquet is a good opportunity, and they've already secretly set their sights on several families! They want to take this chance to finalize your marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng paused for a moment while pouring tea, but then resumed his normal actions.

But a hint of coldness flashed across his clear eyes.

"Heh..." A cold laugh escaped her lips, filled with undisguised sarcasm. "You really never give me a moment's peace."

They never truly considered her family.

Want to marry her off like a commodity? That depends on whether she's willing to be on the scales of this transaction.

The coldness in Jiang Dusheng's eyes gradually subsided. She walked to her desk, spread out the letter paper, ground the ink, and picked up her brush.

"Wang Dazhuang," she ordered without looking up, "you go and deliver a letter back to Nanchansi Temple and give it to my master."

"Okay!" Wang Dazhuang immediately agreed, very eager to run errands for the master.

Jiang Dusheng's writing flows like dragons and snakes, concisely and clearly describing her encounter with Xie Jinchen, who possesses purple energy and is capable of suppressing the evil energy within her:

"Master, the destined person has appeared, and the auspicious purple energy is within reach. This disciple is foolish and does not know how to act in order to truly borrow this person's auspicious purple energy, transform it for my own use, and balance myself. I humbly request Master's guidance."

After writing it, she carefully sealed the letter and said to Wang Dazhuang, "You should first revert to your soul form. This will make it easier to travel and less likely to be noticed by ordinary people."

"When you come back, I'll give you a new body that's even stronger and more...handsome." She remembered that Wang Dazhuang seemed to have some obsession with "handsome".

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhuang's paper-thin face seemed to show a hint of anticipation, and he nodded hurriedly, "Okay, okay! I'll transform right away!"

The beautiful paper figure blurred and twisted, then transformed back into its original soul form.