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

After the maidservant left, Jiang Dusheng looked at Madam Xu, who was struggling to maintain her composure, and said, "Xu Yishuo's soul should not linger outside for too long."

As she spoke, she took out a short, white flute from her sleeve. It was simple in style and seemed to be made of some kind of special bone.

"I will put her into the bone flute. This soul-nourishing flute can nourish her soul and prevent it from dissipating further."

Without the slightest hesitation, Madam Xu nodded hastily, tears welling in her eyes, "Yes! Yes! Everything will be as you say, Miss!"

Jiang Dusheng held his flute and drew a line in the air, silently reciting a soothing incantation.

Xu Yishuo's soul transformed into a wisp of white smoke, which was slowly drawn into the flute.

The surface of the bone flute flashed with light, then immediately returned to calm.

"Madam Xu, I must take my leave now." Jiang Dusheng put the bone flute back into his sleeve.

"Once your family has successfully transported Xu Yishuo's body back, please send someone to find me. At that time, I will perform a ritual for her to help her soul return to the underworld and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Madam Xu had regained some of the composure of a matriarch, though her voice remained hoarse.

"I was quite out of line just now, and my tone was not good. Please forgive me, Miss Jiang."

She then called for someone to fetch the silver notes.

Jiang Dusheng waved his hand: "No need for payment. She has already paid. In Tianshui City, she used Wang Rui's private money hidden under the floor tiles in the study."

Madam Xu was taken aback upon hearing this, and not wanting to press the matter further, she could only bow deeply and say, "I cannot express my gratitude for your great kindness."

Jiang Dusheng nodded slightly, turned to leave, but then, as if remembering something, turned his head and left a faint remark:

"If you are looking for me, go to the residence of the Minister of Rites."

Only after that elegant figure disappeared outside the door did Madam Xu suddenly come to her senses and repeat in a low voice:

"Minister of Rites' Residence... Jiang Dusheng..."

A rumor that had been privately discussed by the Changling family for many years suddenly came to mind.

The eldest daughter of the Jiang family, who is said to be born with a tragic fate and was fostered in a Buddhist temple since childhood, is from the residence of the Minister of Rites.

It was her?!

Madam Xu's eyes sharpened, but in an instant she regained her usual competence.

"Someone come here!" she called out.

The maid who had just entered bowed her head and hurried in: "What are your orders, Madam?"

"Go to the storeroom and find that imperial gift of moonlight gauze and that set of ruby ​​headdresses. Send someone to deliver them to the Minister of Rites' residence, specifically to Miss Jiang."

"Miss Jiang?" The maid was clearly taken aback.

The servants had vaguely heard the rumors circulating in the city; could that person just now be…?

Madam Xu's gaze was intense: "Go and do it, be careful, and don't make a fuss about it."

"Yes." The maid suppressed her doubts and bowed as she withdrew.

As Jiang Dusheng walked out of the Xu residence, the midday sun shone on his face, making him squint slightly.

The calls of vendors from nearby stalls made her realize for the first time that she had truly entered this bustling world.

She did not return to the Jiang residence immediately, but instead followed her intuition and strolled slowly along the most bustling street in Changling City.

Her senses were amplified to an extreme degree.

A variety of smells rushed into my nostrils: the steaming heat from freshly steamed meat buns, the cloying fragrance from the cosmetics shop, the bitter aroma from the herbal medicine shop...

All of this is quite different from the tranquility of Nanzen-ji Temple.

However, this rare tranquility did not last long.

A figure blocked her path, cutting off the sunlight that was shining on her.

She looked up and saw a young man wearing a royal blue brocade robe.

The material was the finest silk, and the workmanship was exquisite, but when he wore it, there was always an indescribable awkwardness.

He stood slouching, a greasy smile playing on his lips, his eyes lingering on her face.

Deep within his gaze lay a clinginess that seemed incongruous with his age and status.

"Miss," he tilted his head, his voice drawn out with a deliberate frivolity, "have we... met somewhere before?"

Jiang Dusheng stopped in his tracks, showing no sign of panic, and simply looked at him quietly.

After a moment, a smile curved her lips. "Indeed."

Her gaze swept past the man, quickly scanning the passersby around her, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

With so many people around, it's hard to take action...

She took a half-step forward, instantly closing the distance between them, and asked in a chilling voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Will you get off him yourself, or... should I take action and knock you off him?"

The smile on the man's face froze instantly, like lard.

He suddenly jolted, stumbling back several steps and bumping into a peddler carrying a load behind him, which drew a chorus of complaints.

But he didn't care at all, he just stared intently at Jiang Dusheng, the frivolity in his eyes fading away, replaced by vigilance.

"Tsk, I didn't realize..." He licked his slightly dry lips, his voice becoming low and dangerous. "An expert?"

Immediately afterwards, the fierce look on his face melted away, replaced by a pitiful expression on the verge of tears. The speed of his change of expression was astonishing.

"Master, please have mercy on me this time, please let me go?"

He clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, saying, "This person has a weak constitution. I just want something new and want to use his body for half an hour."

"Let him see what Changling City is like... Once he's had his fill and is bored, he'll naturally leave. I promise I won't harm him!"

Jiang Dusheng listened quietly to her words, and finally nodded with complete understanding, maintaining a gentle and harmless expression on his face.

"Sure," she answered readily. "I've always been the most forgiving towards ghosts."

The word "了" had barely escaped her lips when her right hand slapped a yellow talisman onto the man's chest.

"Ugh!"

A bloodcurdling scream, so shrill it was inhuman, escaped from deep within the man's throat.

His eyes rolled back, and his body convulsed violently.

A twisting and tumbling soul was struck out by a force.

The spirit was ugly and exuded an aura of intense resentment.

The original body, having lost its host, collapsed limply to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, unconscious.

Jiang Dusheng had anticipated this, and a golden chain had already appeared at his fingertips, wrapping around the ghost the moment it tried to escape.

It was tied up tightly and suspended three feet above the ground.

The male ghost struggled in vain, emitting mournful whimpers.

"Behave yourself." Her voice wasn't loud, but her soul immediately froze, afraid to move.

In this turn of events, the surrounding people only saw the纨绔子弟 (a spoiled young man) blocking the road and harassing a girl. Before the girl could do anything, he himself convulsed and fainted as if he had suddenly fallen ill.

For a moment, the surrounding crowd was stunned and began to stir.

Some people peered out curiously, while others looked on with fear. They all stepped back a short distance, pointing and whispering amongst themselves.

"What happened?"

"Why did this person suddenly collapse?"

"Is he possessed by an evil spirit or is he falling ill?"

Jiang Dusheng then lowered his eyes, coldly glancing at the unconscious young man on the ground, and then at the male ghost bound by spiritual chains.

"To take over someone else's body for fun?" She chuckled lightly, but there was no warmth in her laughter.

"The price you pay for this is his lifespan and vital energy. Once you've had your fill, he'll be exhausted and his life will end."

Meanwhile, in a private room on the second floor of the teahouse, a pair of eyes had taken in everything that had just happened from beginning to end.