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

"snort!"

Abbot Hong'an gripped the trembling staff, looked at a tiny, almost imperceptible crack on the staff, and his anger intensified.

This nine-ringed staff is one of the traditional ritual implements of Huguo Temple.

Although not the temple's most prized treasure, it has been blessed by the Buddhist teachings of eminent monks throughout the ages, making it exceptionally sturdy and impervious to ordinary swords and spears, let alone cracked by a few beads of unknown origin!

Not only were the opponent's methods bizarre, capable of instantly killing two of his disciples, but they also possessed a strange magical artifact that could damage inherited magical weapons.

Moreover, the spiritual power of those Buddhist beads... is unlike that of ordinary unorthodox or evil magic.

"Who are you, you cowardly rat, hiding your head and tail, destroying my sacred artifacts and injuring my disciples! Show yourself!"

Abbot Hong'an roared, his voice booming like a bell, causing the leaves of the surrounding trees to fall in a rustling sound.

His body shone with a great aura of Buddha, his robe billowed, and his beard and hair stood on end, clearly indicating that he was truly enraged.

At that moment, a clear, cool, and somewhat nonchalant female voice rang out from the woods, reaching the ears of everyone in the clearing:

"I have long heard of the monks of Huguo Temple's profound Buddhist teachings and great supernatural powers; today I finally meet them..."

The voice paused, seemingly with a hint of amusement in its assessment, "Heh, really not that great."

The four words "not so good" were spoken lightly, yet they were more humiliating than any vicious curse, as if they were merely evaluating a worthless, inferior item.

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps echoed through the woods.

A man and a woman walked slowly out of the shadows of the trees, side by side, into the clearing in the mountain valley where the sunlight had cut through the shadows.

Both men were dressed in dark robes, but upon closer inspection, the fabric appeared to have a strange texture, as if a dark light was flowing through it.

The man had a pine-like figure, a stern face, and a hint of frost between his brows.

The woman had a slender figure, beautiful features, and a bright red cinnabar dot on her forehead that made her skin appear even whiter. Her eyes were clear and seemed to see through everything.

Abbot Hong'an's gaze first fell on the man. His voice regained its surface calm, but every word was laced with hidden meaning:

"Young Master Xie, why aren't you staying in Qingzhou City, waiting for His Highness the Crown Prince to thoroughly investigate the truth behind the Duke's murder, so as to reassure the Xie family's army and the people of the land? Why... are you running off to this desolate wilderness to do such a sneaky thing?"

His gaze then shifted to the woman beside Xie Jinchen, and when his eyes fell upon the bright red cinnabar mole between her eyebrows, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"The cinnabar mark between your brows signifies your ability to guide both the living and the dead. You... are you Jiang Dusheng?"

Faced with Abbot Hong'an's questioning, Jiang Dusheng showed no fear whatsoever, and instead took a small half-step forward.

She raised one hand to her chest, making a respectful Buddhist gesture, her voice clear and melodious:

"Amitabha." She deliberately dragged out the syllable, her gaze falling on Abbot Hong'an's brow. "A dot of cinnabar between his brows, a dignified and solemn appearance. Is this the renowned Abbot Hong'an of Huguo Temple? I've heard so much about you."

Then, she lowered her hand, changed the subject, and her eyes turned cold: "However..."

Jiang Dusheng tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the tin staff with fine cracks in Abbot Hong'an's hand:

"Young Master Xie and I were merely searching for a small trinket we had carelessly lost in this forest. Why did the abbot immediately unleash such a powerful magical weapon upon seeing us, and without asking any questions, beckon us in our direction?"

Upon hearing this, Abbot Hong'an narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Jiang Dusheng, trying to find a flaw in her every subtle expression, and asked in a deep voice:

"Have you two been in this forest the whole time?"

He paused, his gaze sharp, "Have you seen two monks from my temple? They came here with a woman who called herself Xiao Zhuang to investigate the monsters harming people, and their breath suddenly stopped here."

Before Jiang Dusheng could answer, Xie Jinchen had already taken half a step forward.

He looked directly at Abbot Hong'an, his tone clearly impatient, "What?"

Xie Jinchen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an invisible pressure: "When did the abbot become the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? Even the whereabouts of my wife and I have to be reported to you?"

"Are you interrogating us like criminals, or do you think the mountains and rivers of Xicang have been given a Buddhist name?"

Chu Jingyu, who had been observing coldly, raised his hand at the opportune moment, covered his lips with his sleeve, coughed lightly, and suppressed the laughter that was about to spill out.

Immediately, he lowered his sleeves, his face regaining the composure and fairness of a crown prince, and spoke solemnly:

"Abbot," Chu Jingyu said gently, "What Prince Xie says makes sense. I know you are extremely anxious and grief-stricken because of the sudden disappearance of your two esteemed disciples, which is only human nature."

"But the Heir Apparent Xie is the last son of the Duke of Xie, and is a noble heir appointed by the imperial court. Miss Jiang is also the future wife of the Heir Apparent."

"Without any evidence, relying solely on speculation and momentary anger, it is indeed inappropriate to question and doubt in this way. The most urgent task is to find the whereabouts of the two masters as soon as possible and find out the truth."

The Crown Prince's words, seemingly a fair exchange, actually favored Xie Jinchen.

Abbot Hong'an's expression shifted, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the staff turned slightly white.

He gave the Crown Prince a deep look, then glanced at the aloof Xie Jinchen and the indifferent Jiang Dusheng, his heart filled with a turbulent mix of doubt and anger.

The two men were clearly prepared, and the Crown Prince's attitude was ambiguous and difficult to understand, even hinting at a desire to protect them.

If a conflict were to break out now, even though I am not afraid, two of my capable disciples would be lost first, and my magical artifacts would be damaged later. I might not be able to gain the upper hand, and instead, I might fall into a deeper trap and ruin everything.

He took a deep breath and was about to speak when Jiang Dusheng spoke first.

Just moments before, Jiang Dusheng had been as aloof as frost, but suddenly let out a soft moan, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, she raised her hand to her forehead, and her slender figure swayed, appearing to be extremely frightened.

She leaned into Xie Jinchen's arms, her fingers clutching his shirt, her voice suddenly softening, a stark contrast to her previous tone:

"This old monk... his eyes are so fierce, and his tone is so intimidating. I... I'm feeling a little dizzy..."

She buried her face halfway in Xie Jinchen's chest, only revealing a pair of watery eyes, and timidly glanced at Hong An.

She then quickly moved away as if she had been burned, and shrank into Xie Jinchen's arms.

Abbot Hong'an: "..."

He had practiced Buddhism for decades and prided himself on his unwavering Zen mind and profound concentration. Yet, at this moment, he was so enraged by this blatant act and the false accusation that his chest tightened and he almost felt a mouthful of blood rise in his throat.

The string of prayer beads in his hand rattled as he twisted them, as if they were about to snap at any moment.

Xie Jinchen naturally put his arm around Jiang Dusheng's shoulder and patted him gently to comfort him, then looked up at Abbot Hong'an, his tone indifferent:

"Abbot, my wife is always frail and cannot withstand fright. We truly have not seen any monks or women. We have said everything we needed to say. Is the questioning finished? If there is nothing else..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Crown Prince, and his tone softened slightly, "Can we leave now?"

After saying that, he put his arm around Jiang Dusheng and walked towards the direction where the Crown Prince was, as if he didn't care at all about Hong An and the group of menacing monks behind him.