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

Upon hearing this, the maniacal smile on Zhou Wanning's face finally began to fade.

Looking at the nauseating light in Emperor Cangqi's eyes, she suddenly felt that everything was both absurd and laughable, and tragically pitiful.

It turns out he always knew that this body wasn't his own!

Emperor Cangqi watched the last glimmer of light in Zhou Wanning's eyes fade away, much like watching a fine piece of porcelain gradually lose its luster.

He slowly stood up. "Take them away," he said, turning towards the outside of the hall, his voice regaining its imperial coldness. "Keep them under strict guard. No one is allowed to approach without my order."

Zhou Wanning stopped struggling and didn't say anything more.

She allowed two expressionless bodyguards to lift her up.

Just before being dragged out of the palace gate, she took one last look at the man who had imprisoned her for so long, a mocking smile curving her lips.

Without the nourishment of Granny Zhou's ointment, this body would wither like a flower without water, gradually decaying and rotting from the inside out.

She was waiting for that day.

Let's wait and see what kind of interesting expression this madman will have when he faces a body that is gradually decaying.

In the study of the governor's mansion in Qingzhou City.

The candlelight illuminated the room as brightly as day, dispelling the chill of the autumn night, but not the heavy atmosphere that lingered in the air.

Cui Yan's original plan was to have Xie Jinchen, under the pretext of purging the court of corrupt officials and investigating his father's wrongful death, take half of the tiger tally, integrate the Xie family army and the Qingzhou troops, and directly march on Changling to force Emperor Cangqi to thoroughly investigate Xie Dai's death with military might.

However, plans can't keep up with changes.

The troops had just been mustered and supplies were still being prepared when a secret letter arrived, delivered day and night.

Xie Jinchen and Cui Yan opened the secret letter and quickly read it.

The contents of the letter clearly surprised Xie Jinchen, and his cold, handsome eyebrows twitched slightly.

He moved the letter over the candle flame, and the flame quickly consumed the paper, turning it into a small clump of ashes that drifted into the air.

"Unexpectedly," Xie Jinchen said, watching the last spark die out, his voice devoid of emotion, "he actually sent Mingzhao. Well... that's fine... it saves us the trouble of raising an army."

Ming Zhao.

The nickname of Crown Prince Chu Jingyu.

Upon hearing this, Cui Yan frowned, his worry undiminished.

He tapped his fingers unconsciously on the edge of the table and said in a deep voice, "But the abbot of Huguo Temple, Hong'an, is no ordinary person. The prediction of the Princess's fate back then came from him."

"His presence here suggests he has ill intentions."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen merely twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a cold smile:

"It's alright. Now that he's here, he won't be making it back to Changling City alive."

His tone was calm, yet it contained a chilling killing intent.

Cui Yan did not feel relieved by these words, but instead became more worried: "The secret letter mentioned that Hong An was accompanied by more than a dozen monks, all of whom were selected from Huguo Temple."

"These monks are not ordinary people who chant scriptures and recite Buddhist mantras; many of them possess extraordinary skills, and some are even adept at exorcising evil spirits. If they make any moves along the way, it will be difficult to guard against them."

Xie Jinchen said coldly, "We'll meet force with force, and water with earth. You guard Qingzhou and stabilize the rear. I'll go to meet Mingzhao, and on the way..."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "Let's meet this abbot of Huguo Temple."

Looking at his determined expression, Cui Yan nodded and solemnly said:

"Okay. Be careful."

Xie Jinchen hummed in agreement, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the side of the study.

There, Jiang Dusheng was curled up in a large armchair, covered with a thin fleece blanket, and had actually fallen asleep.

She seemed utterly exhausted; even Xie Jinchen and Cui Yan's hushed conversation couldn't wake her. Her usual aloof and ethereal demeanor now held an air of unguarded tranquility.

The moment Xie Jinchen saw her, his cold and hard features softened involuntarily, and even the murderous aura around him faded a little.

He walked over quietly, bent down, and was about to carefully pick the person up.

As if sensing something, Jiang Dusheng suddenly opened his eyes.

Those clear, cool eyes still held a dazed, watery light, as if they were just waking up.

She blinked, her gaze focusing, and saw Xie Jinchen's arm hovering so close to hers. She subconsciously raised her hand to rub her eyes, her voice softening, less distant than usual.

"Have you finished discussing it?"

Xie Jinchen looked at the faint weariness in her eyes, his heart softened, and he felt a pang of tenderness.

She has spent just as much energy as they have these past few days.

Xie Jinchen knelt down and gently tidied her slightly disheveled hair, his voice softer than he himself realized:

"Okay. It's settled for now. It's late, I'll take you back to your room to rest."

Jiang Dusheng shook his head, stood up while holding onto the chair, turned his gaze to Cui Yan, whose expression remained solemn, and suddenly asked:

"Ruan Guyan, is she your cousin?"

Cui Yan was taken aback upon hearing this, and a trace of pain flashed across his face.

He was so preoccupied with his affairs these past few days that he had almost forgotten about the matter.

When Jiang Dusheng brought it up, he suddenly remembered the letter from his family sent back from Changling a few days ago, about the deeds of the young lady Jiang who exposed Chu Yanzhao's evil deeds and cleared Ruan Guyan's name.

He immediately composed himself, took a step back, straightened his robes, and bowed deeply to Jiang Dusheng, his voice filled with gratitude:

"Yes... Lonely Goose is indeed my cousin. These past few days, Qingzhou has been in turmoil, and I, Cui, have been so preoccupied that I completely forgot to express my gratitude to Miss Jiang for her great kindness!"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "If it weren't for the young lady's righteous intervention, exposing the true colors of that beast Chu Yanzhao, Guyan... would probably have been forever burdened with a stigma and wronged forever."

"The Cui family will never forget this kindness and virtue!"

At this point, Cui Yan's voice choked with emotion, filled with self-reproach:

"It's our Cui family... it's our incompetence as relatives that led us to distrust her and fail to protect her..."

Jiang Dusheng watched him quietly, waiting for him to calm down before speaking again. Her voice remained flat, but she asked a question that made Cui Yan freeze instantly:

Do you want to see her?

Cui Yan suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief, and he froze on the spot.

Immediately, his astonishment was quickly replaced by ecstasy, and his voice trembled uncontrollably:

"She...she's here? Miss Jiang, are you saying her soul hasn't gone to be reincarnated yet?"

Cui Yan took a hurried half-step forward, his eyes fixed on Jiang Dusheng, then involuntarily swept across the empty room, as if he could see that familiar figure at any moment.

"I've long heard that you possess extraordinary abilities, including the power to communicate with the spirit world. Could it be...?"

Jiang Dusheng did not answer, but instead took out the bone flute from his sleeve.

Her fingertips brushed across the flute, producing a clear, ethereal sound:

"The Yin energy connects with the mysterious, and the Xuanling spirit guides the way."

"Soul and spirit, respond to my command!"

"Between Yin and Yang, the truth is revealed when the talisman is opened."

"Imperial Edict!"

As the last syllable fell, a barely perceptible glimmer of light appeared at her fingertips.

Jiang Dusheng made a few strokes in the air, and an invisible ripple spread out from her fingertips, enveloping a corner of the study.

The next moment, two faint soul shadows slowly floated out of the bone flute and gradually solidified.

As soon as Wang Dazhuang's spirit emerged, he stretched and yawned, his voice booming but tinged with a hint of grievance:

"Oh my! My master! You finally remembered us! The two of us were inside that flute, it wasn't crowded, but we couldn't see anything, it was so suffocating!"

He patted his chest and said, "Although we're already dead, we're not afraid of suffocating again, but this feeling is really unpleasant."