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

Jiang Dusheng also quietly looked at the blue stone tablet, his gaze calm.

A moment later, she suddenly spoke, calling out, "Dazhuang."

Wang Dazhuang, standing at the back, trembled almost imperceptibly. He immediately lowered his head, took small, hurried steps forward, and spoke in a dejected tone:

"Master, I know you've finished your business. Are you... about to send me on my way?"

His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, until finally he closed his eyes tightly and stiffly spread his arms, looking as if he were offering his neck for execution.

"Come on, I'm ready. But... Master, please be gentle..."

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

She glanced at the dramatic Wang Dazhuang with some disdain.

Xie Jinchen's lips twitched slightly.

Ruan Guyan silently turned her gaze away.

"I'm asking you and Miss Ruan to come forward and pay your respects, to offer a sacrifice," Jiang Dusheng explained irritably.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhuang's tightly closed eyes snapped open instantly. There was no trace of dejection or fear within them; instead, a sly glint of relief at having escaped unscathed shone through. His voice immediately brightened:

"Ah? A memorial service? Very well! Of course, of course! Duke Xie and Her Highness the Princess are both good people! Dazhuang, I'll pay my respects right away!"

As he spoke, he quickly knelt down and kowtowed three times in a very proper manner.

Ruan Guyan also stepped forward silently, curtsied, and solemnly bowed to the blue stone tombstone.

Seeing how quickly his expression changed, Jiang Dusheng felt a little lighter and couldn't resist teasing him, so he said again:

"But since you're being so conscientious, how about I send you on your way now? Doesn't that sound like a good idea?"

Wang Dazhuang instantly sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, hiding behind Xie Jinchen and only peeking out half of his head, shouting exaggeratedly:

"Young Master Xie! Please do something, save this ghost! The Master is bullying the honest ghost! I haven't had enough fun yet... no, I haven't repaid the Master's kindness yet!"

"Well, I can do everything: serve tea and water, relay messages, guard the house, take care of the kids! Keeping me around is incredibly useful!"

Xie Jinchen glanced at Wang Dazhuang, who was hiding behind him, and his tense and heavy heart, which had been strained for days, actually relaxed a little.

He raised his hand, brushed away Wang Dazhuang's paper hand that was clutching his sleeve, and then looked at Jiang Dusheng, his tone clearly showing indulgence:

"I can't control her. She's always been the one controlling me."

After saying that, he naturally took Jiang Dusheng's hand, ignored the clown Wang Dazhuang, turned around and slowly walked out of the mountain along the way they came.

Seeing this, Wang Dazhuang and Ruan Guyan quickly followed.

Wang Dazhuang was still muttering to himself, his thoughts mixed with things like how relieved he had "survived another day" and "the master seems to be in a good mood today."

On the mountain path, Xie Jinchen held Jiang Dusheng's hand, feeling the warmth of her palm, and suddenly asked:

"You seem to be exceptionally lenient towards Dazhuang. A spirit possessing a paper figure and lingering in the mortal world for so long is not a sustainable solution, either for him or for reason. Why keep him here?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng turned his head to look at Wang Dazhuang behind him, who was gesturing and talking to Ruan Guyan, causing Ruan Guyan to shake her head helplessly. The corners of his lips turned up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"I once owed him a piece of candy," she said softly, her tone calm, yet as if she were talking about something very important.

Xie Jinchen was slightly taken aback and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

A piece of candy?

What could be the reason for this? Was it something that happened before Wang Dazhuang's death? He looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

However, Jiang Dusheng did not offer any explanation.

She simply deepened her smile, her eyes shining brightly in the sunlight.

Some debts are not public knowledge and need not be known by others.

Some tolerance is not without reason.

After leaving Qingzhou, Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen did not return directly to Changling, but instead went to Nanchansi Temple for a short stay.

The tranquility of the mountains, with its morning bells and evening drums, and the lingering sounds of Buddhist chants, truly allows one to temporarily forget the troubles of the world.

Just then, Jiang Dusheng's uncle, Huiqing, returned from his travels, and the group decided to enjoy tea and discuss philosophy in the bamboo grove.

Huiqing was covered in dust and grime, yet her spirit remained unchanged, though a hint of vicissitude appeared between her brows.

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, Huiqing listened to Jiang Dusheng briefly mention the matter of Shi Qinglian. Holding her prayer beads, she remained silent for a long time.

He slowly turned the prayer beads and sighed softly:

"Amitabha. So it turns out that Qinglian and you have such a deep entanglement."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the Bodhi tree. "Back when he was traveling with me, I sensed that although he was exceptionally gifted, he harbored deep-seated attachments and a hidden malevolent spirit."

"I wanted to keep him by my side and slowly dispel his inner demons with Buddhism, but alas..." Huiqing shook his head, his eyes filled with regret, "He insisted on leaving, saying that his worldly ties were not yet severed and that the mortal world was his true place of practice. I could not persuade him to stay, so I had to let him go."

Huiqing closed her eyes and sighed again, "Now it seems that the mortal world, for him, was ultimately... a boundless sea of ​​sins."

Jiang Dusheng lowered his eyes, picked up the purple clay teapot, and poured Huiqing a cup of tea. Amidst the rising steam, her voice was calm:

"A single thought can lead to a myriad of evil deeds. You reap what you sow. He has already paid the price for his choice. Everything in this world has its own destiny. Uncle, don't be too sad. Take good care of yourself."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Huiqing not only did not find clarity, but instead burst into tears without warning.

"Whoa!"

The loud cries and intense emotions startled a flock of birds on the bamboo branches into flight.

Jiang Dusheng's hand trembled, and the tea that had just been poured to seven-tenths full immediately overflowed a little.

She looked up, and even her usually calm face couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

Huiming, unable to bear it any longer, reluctantly put down his teacup and gently advised:

"Junior brother, you are a highly accomplished monk who has cultivated for many years. You should know that you should not show your joy or sorrow on your face, and that your heart should be like still water, reflecting all things without being tainted. Do not reveal your true feelings like this."

He had intended to say "unpredictable," but before he could finish, he changed it to a more elegant expression.

Upon hearing this, Huiqing stopped crying abruptly and hastily wiped her face with her wide monk's sleeve.

He then straightened his back and cleared his throat:

"Brother's words are wise. I am now a high monk, and our Nanchan Temple is not what it used to be. How can a high monk cry? That's out of line!"

As he spoke, he even straightened his clothes with a serious expression, but his eyes were still red, making him look rather comical.

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

She silently picked up a handkerchief and wiped away the spilled tea.

Master and Uncle are both such passionate and sincere people, how could they have raised Shi Qinglian to be so stubborn and obstinate?

It is evident that people's obsessions are not always easily dispelled by external factors.

Just then, a commotion arose from not far away.

The woman's tearful plea could be faintly heard, "Let us see Sister Dusheng," and the man's impatient rebuke, "Why waste your breath talking to these monks? This is our own business, what right do they have to stop us?"