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

The moment Jiang Dusheng heard that sound, he almost immediately got off the bed.

The movement was too hasty, which aggravated the soreness in her thighs, causing her to gasp and furrow her brows.

But a light suddenly shone in those clear, bright eyes.

Just when I was worried about the slow recovery of my spiritual power, this walking "tonic" was delivered right to my door.

She ignored Chen Yu, who was still inside, and, despite feeling unwell, quickly walked to the door and opened it.

The corridor was dimly lit, but the lights in the downstairs hall were bright.

She leaned against the railing and looked down, and sure enough, she saw that familiar figure.

"Thank you, Your Highness," she called out, her voice soft but clear.

Xie Jinchen looked up at the sound, his gaze sweeping over her slightly haggard face. Seeing that she was able to move freely, the tension in his eyes seemed to ease a little.

He didn't speak, only nodded slightly.

However, Wang Dazhuang, who was standing next to him, swayed excitedly and began to complain in a voice filled with grievance:

"Master! Can't you see me, not Prince Xie? I've done a great service!"

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

She wondered how Xie Jinchen had found the right person so accurately; it turned out he had brought Wang Dazhuang with him.

Xie Jinchen ignored Wang Dazhuang's clamor and casually tossed a silver ingot to the shopkeeper behind the counter, "Two rooms."

Then, he went upstairs and soon came to Jiang Dusheng.

Jiang Dusheng almost impatiently stepped forward, extending his right hand towards him, palm up, and said succinctly: "Hand."

Xie Jinchen was taken aback by this, clearly not expecting such an opening remark.

His gaze swept over her slightly thin nightgown, and his brows furrowed slightly.

The next instant, he deftly removed the dark cloak from his body, and with a flick of his wrist, wrapped it tightly around Jiang Dusheng's shoulders.

"Why did you come out dressed like that?" he asked in a flat tone.

After making this gesture, he raised his right hand and placed it on Jiang Dusheng's outstretched palm.

The instant their skin touched, Jiang Dusheng felt a gentle warmth slowly flowing through the point of contact.

Jiang Dusheng felt so comfortable she almost sighed. She raised her eyes and said sincerely, "Thank you, Your Highness, you've come at just the right time."

Xie Jinchen looked at her still haggard face, but her brows had relaxed a little. He didn't ask what had happened, and just hummed in agreement.

Jiang Dusheng didn't stand on ceremony and pulled him by the hand, leading him into her room. "You'll sleep with me tonight."

Xie Jinchen: "...?"

He paused slightly as Jiang Dusheng pulled him into the house.

Just as he was about to remind her, "Today is not the night of a full moon, you don't seem to need to suppress anything," his gaze had already keenly caught Chen Yu staring at them with wide eyes from inside the room.

Xie Jinchen's aura instantly turned icy, his gaze sweeping over Chen Yu like a blade, his voice deep and cold: "Who is this ghost?"

Jiang Dusheng pulled him straight to the bedside, gesturing for him to sit on the edge of the bed, but he waved his hand dismissively.

"I just met him. His name is Chen Yu. He said he died far from home and asked me to send his remains and soul back to his hometown."

Just then, Wang Dazhuang, controlling the new paper doll's body, scurried up, squeezed through the door, and began to boast like he was presenting a treasure:

"Master! I've found a house! It meets your requirements: quiet, with a small yard, and the price is right!"

Then, he straightened his flat chest and added, "Also, it seems that Young Master Xie has something urgent to discuss with you. I helped him inquire along the way and that's how we found this place."

The tone was as if he had done something incredibly important and was just waiting to be praised.

Jiang Dusheng nodded, acknowledging his contribution, then pointed to Chen Yu in the corner, "Wang Dazhuang, he'll be sharing a room with you tonight."

Only then did Wang Dazhuang notice that there was another ghost in the room. The expression on his paper-faced face immediately fell, and he said mournfully:

"Master, could you please stop picking up all these strange ghosts? It's too crowded..."

Jiang Dusheng was so sleepy that his eyelids were drooping. A warm current was circulating in his body, and fatigue was doubly overwhelming him.

She waved her hand impatiently: "Take him out of here, I need to rest. If you keep nagging, I'll make you go back to your old, ugly body tomorrow."

Wang Dazhuang shuddered and immediately dared not say another word. He turned to Chen Yu, trying his best to adopt the demeanor of a senior:

"Newcomer, come with me. Don't disturb the master's rest."

Chen Yu quickly responded and followed Wang Dazhuang outside.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but look back at Xie Jinchen one last time before obediently following Wang Dazhuang to the next room.

Wang Dazhuang clumsily closed the door with his hands.

Finally, only the two of them remained in the room.

The oil lamp was dim, casting flickering light and shadow.

Xie Jinchen remained seated on the edge of the bed, letting Jiang Dusheng hold his hand loosely.

He looked at her eyes and brows, now heavy with sleep, and asked softly, "Are you injured?"

Jiang Dusheng yawned, his eyelids so heavy they felt like they were glued together, and mumbled:

"It was just an old, vengeful ghost. It's been dealt with, but its spiritual energy was depleted... With you here, I can get some sleep and recover most of my energy by tomorrow."

As she spoke, her voice trailed off, "You...how did you find me? Is something wrong?"

Xie Jinchen was silent for a moment, his gaze falling on her tired profile, before he said, "The night of the full moon is approaching, I'm afraid you won't be able to make it back to Changling."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng was slightly startled in his drowsy state.

She didn't say anything more, barely opened her eyes, and glanced around the simple room.

A hardboard bed, a broken table, two crooked chairs, and not even a decent mat on the floor.

Even with her thick skin, she couldn't bring herself to say something like making Xie Jinchen sleep on the ground.

After all, it was she who took the initiative to hold onto the person and wouldn't let go, and she was even counting on the person to recover their spiritual power.

After a two-second silence, she used her other free hand to take off the cloak he had just draped over her shoulders and casually placed it on the bedside table.

Then, she silently moved to the inside of the bed, making room for him, and without looking at him, stared at the top of the bed curtains, saying in a deliberately relaxed tone:

"Thank you, Your Highness. These are special times, and conditions are limited." She paused, as if thinking of a suitable explanation, "Tonight... just pretend that the person lying next to you is a ghost whose soul needs your yang energy to stabilize it."

Xie Jinchen: "..."

Looking at Jiang Dusheng's expression that seemed to say, "I've tried my best to find a reason, don't be ungrateful," and glancing at the empty half of the bed, he was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

After Jiang Dusheng finished speaking, he no longer cared whether Jiang agreed or not, as drowsiness overwhelmed him.

She lay down on her own, pulled the not-so-thick blanket over herself, taking up only a small part of the inner part of the blanket, and fell asleep almost instantly, her breathing quickly becoming even and long.

Xie Jinchen sat on the edge of the bed, the oil lamp casting his tall shadow on the mottled wall, swaying slightly.

He lowered his eyes, looking at their clasped hands, his gaze unfathomable in the dim light.

She seemed truly exhausted and completely unguarded around him.

Finally, while Jiang Dusheng was fast asleep, Xie Jinchen called for hot water, washed up briefly, and then returned to the bedside to hold Jiang Dusheng's hand.

He didn't go to sleep in the empty space; instead, he sat on the outer edge of the bed where she had vacated it, leaned against the headboard, and closed his eyes.