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

"That thing in the water doesn't want to give up the living soul it's about to devour!" Wang Dazhuang screamed from inside the carriage. "It's using the water's malevolent energy to try and drag the soul and the coffin down with it!"

Upon seeing this, Jiang Dusheng swiftly drew a talisman in mid-air to ward off evil and guide the soul.

Once the talisman was completed, it emitted a blazing red light, like a soul-guiding lamp, firmly attaching itself to the woman's chest, strengthening her connection with her physical body.

"Return to your rightful place, by the power of the law!" She flicked her finger, and the talisman shone brightly, guiding the woman's soul, dragging it along against the pull of the Yin energy, and slowly moving it toward the crack in the coffin.

The old woman was held down firmly by the guards. Seeing that the woman's soul was about to return to her body, her eyes were bloodshot, and she cursed wildly:

"You'll all die a horrible death! How dare you ruin the Zhou family's plans!"

The guard tightened his grip, pressing harder on her throat, causing her eyes to roll back in pain. She could no longer utter a complete sentence, only gasping for breath.

Just as the woman's soul transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the crack of the coffin—

"Splash!"

A huge splash of water suddenly erupted from the river beneath the bridge, and the malevolent energy surged even more violently.

The four burly men carrying the coffin were already terrified by the series of events, and upon seeing such a strange phenomenon, they no longer cared about anything else.

"A ghost!"

Suddenly, someone let out a piercing scream, and the four men instantly dropped the coffin handles they were carrying.

The black coffin slammed heavily onto the bridge with a "thud," its body trembling slightly.

The four of them didn't even have the courage to look back. They fled frantically toward the shore, using both hands and feet, wishing they had two more legs.

Most of the other mourners looked terrified, wanting to cry but afraid of angering the restrained old woman, and even more afraid of disturbing what was under the bridge, so they could only stand frozen in place, trembling.

Jiang Dusheng merely glanced coldly at the strange changes on the river's surface. She controlled her bone flute to stop the turbulence, her gaze fixed on the backs of the four burly men, her voice carrying a chilling edge:

"stop."

The four people's backs froze simultaneously.

"Come back, carry this coffin off the bridge, and place it securely on a dry spot on the shore."

Jiang Dusheng spoke each word with a sharp edge to their hearts: "If you dare to disobey, the malevolent energy that you are tainted with tonight will turn into a bone-deep affliction. Not only will you be plagued by misfortune for the rest of your lives, but it will also bring misfortune to your families, causing unrest in your homes and a decline in your offspring."

Having witnessed Jiang Dusheng's methods firsthand, the four men had no hope left after hearing this warning.

The four exchanged glances, and even though their legs felt like overcooked noodles and their hearts were pounding in their throats, they could only support each other and shakily make their way back onto the bridge.

They dared not look at the deep river surface, and with trepidation, they picked up the lever again and together lifted the black coffin once more. The coffin was steadily carried off the stone bridge and placed on a spot on the bank away from the moisture.

Immediately, he collapsed to the ground as if granted a pardon, panting heavily, and dared not move an inch.

After placing the coffin and ensuring the woman's soul was temporarily at peace, Jiang Dusheng turned his gaze back to the river.

She walked to the middle of the bridge, the night wind blowing her clothes and her black hair.

"Hiding your head and showing your tail, trying to steal someone's soul to use as your substitute? Give it to me."

"Get out here!"

Her voice suddenly turned sharp, and she pointed her right hand together, her fingertips gathering spiritual power and exorcising golden light, and slashed fiercely at the center of the churning river.

"The righteous spirit of heaven and earth manifests its power!"

The incantation was accompanied by a dazzling golden blade of light that shot out from the hand. Wherever the golden light passed, the river water seemed to be parted by an invisible force, and a shadow hidden within was forced to appear.

At the same time, Jiang Dusheng raised his left hand, and three talismans shot into the water in a triangular pattern.

"roar!"

A violent and resentful howl came from the bottom of the river.

The talisman ignited upon contact with water, transforming into three golden rays that bound the ghostly figure tightly like a noose.

The next instant, a pulling force erupted, forcefully dragging the struggling creature out of the riverbed and slamming it onto the wet bridge surface with a "thud".

It was a female ghost.

She was soaking wet, her long hair sticking to her face. You could still vaguely tell that she was quite pretty when she was alive, but now her face was twisted and ferocious with resentment.

However, unlike the woman in the coffin who was filled with resentment and pleading for help, this female ghost exuded a greedy and ferocious aura.

She struggled, and even though the spell temporarily immobilized her, her eyes remained fixed on the black coffin on the shore.

The old woman, her mouth gagged, stared wide-eyed at the sight of the female ghost being forcibly dragged onto the bridge. Her eyes widened in terror, her body trembled violently, and she struggled even more fiercely.

The female ghost, under the suppression of the talisman, barely turned her head. When her gaze met that of the restrained old woman, her originally fierce eyes suddenly changed, becoming complex and unfathomable.

Jiang Dusheng took in the whole scene, and his doubts deepened.

Because the spirits of those who die in place of their deceased parents cannot be reborn, their resentment stagnates and they often linger at the place of their death, waiting for an opportunity to pull living people into the water so that their souls can take their place and suffer the pain at the bottom of the water, thus freeing them from the cycle of reincarnation.

Why go to such lengths to set up an evil formation, collude with the living, carry a coffin in the dead of night, and forcibly detain a living soul?

With a flick of his fingertips, Jiang Dusheng unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, causing the bone flute in his hand to glow with golden light and extend into a semi-real chain.

One end of the chain was still connected to the bone flute, while the other end was wrapped around the struggling female ghost, binding her tightly.

She held the bone flute loosely in one hand, the chains taut, while casually beckoning to Xie Jinchen with her other hand.

Xie Jinchen walked a few steps closer to her side, his gaze sweeping over the female ghost bound by golden chains before returning to Jiang Dusheng's slightly pale face: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Dusheng casually shoved the bone flute, along with the end of the chain, into his hand. "Hold this for me."

Before Xie Jinchen could fully react, the bone flute chain, with its slightly cool touch, had already fallen into his palm.

He instinctively gripped it, and at the same time, he could clearly feel the chilling aura of a water ghost emanating from the other end of the chain.

He glanced at Jiang Dusheng, but didn't ask any questions; he simply held on quietly.

Jiang Dusheng then turned around and walked towards the group of terrified mourners.

Her gaze swept over the pale-faced, evasive men, and her voice was calm, "Are you the family members of the woman in the coffin?"

Upon hearing this, those people trembled even more violently, exchanging glances and moving their lips, but still no one dared to speak first.

Although the old woman on the ground was subdued, her lingering power remained, and no one knew what the consequences would be if she spoke.

Jiang Dusheng was not in a hurry. She even turned slightly to the side and pointed to Xie Jinchen, who stood tall and dignified in the center of the bridge.

"Have you seen that person?"

Everyone instinctively looked in the direction she was pointing.

"He comes from Changling City, and is the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He is a proper high-ranking official, personally appointed by the Emperor, in charge of criminal justice throughout the country, investigating illegal activities, and redressing injustices."

These words struck like a heavy hammer against everyone's hearts.

The title of "high-ranking official of the imperial court" is far more effective than any ghost or spirit in breaking down the psychological defenses of these ordinary people.