Chapter 590: Slight Miscalculation

Night had fallen. Li Jingchun, feigning exhaustion, had already gone to sleep on the straw laid out beneath the temple platform. Ji Yuan borrowed a book from Scholar Wang and read by the bonfire's light. Although he had manifested the book himself and knew its general contents just by flipping through it, the manifestation was so successful that some details in the book were still worth pondering.

On the other side of the bonfire, Wang Yuanming and Yang Hao were chatting animatedly, showing no signs of sleepiness. They had even started calling each other "brother."

"Brother Wang, you were actually invited to a brothel to teach those women how to read and write! Such an experience is rare among scholars!"

"Heh heh, well, at the time, I had no other choice. After all, I'm not from a wealthy family; I had to make a living!"

Yang Hao's expression was very animated. Far from looking down on Wang Yuanming, he wore a look of admiration.

"Brother Wang, I wasn't criticizing you. People say that famous courtesans from brothels are skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—true beauties of the world. Naturally, they'd need a talent like you to teach them. As for me, I've wanted to see them for years, but unfortunately, there were too many restrictions... By the way, Brother Wang, did you ever get close to one of them?"

Yang Hao was so open and spoke so candidly with Wang Yuanming, a stranger, showing himself to be truly generous. Feeling a sense of kinship, Wang Yuanming found himself easily recounting his past experiences moonlighting as a tutor in brothels. Now, hearing Yang Hao's praise, he felt a wave of relief, yet also a touch of embarrassment.

"Brother Yang, you flatter me. I taught girls who were still very young, so I couldn't possibly harbor any improper thoughts. But indeed, there are many women in the brothels who are truly... truly beautiful..."

Wang Yuanming subconsciously glanced cautiously at Ji Yuan, who was engrossed in his book across the bonfire, then leaned closer to Yang Hao and lowered his voice.

"Uh, to be honest with you, Brother Yang, at the time, it was indeed like 'a pavilion near the water first enjoys the moonbeams.' There were one or two occasions when women admired me and, after I finished teaching the children, they... they approached me themselves..."

"Hahahahaha... Brother Wang, you are truly a man of passion! I admire you greatly! Tell me more details, more details..."

Ji Yuan held the book in one hand, observing its contents and Wang Yuanming's annotations, while in the other, he held a twig, occasionally stirring the bonfire. Listening to the somewhat lewd conversation between Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head. He calculated the time, thinking that the wild fox spirit should be arriving to observe by now. Surely, she wouldn't be scared away by too many people, would she?

Ji Yuan's gaze shifted to Li Jingchun, who lay asleep. His vital energy was indeed too strong; if not concealed, it could genuinely scare away some supernatural creatures. However, Ji Yuan had already employed a technique. Here, Ji Yuan was akin to a person of the "Dao Realm"; as long as he wished, no one could possibly see through his methods.

Just as he was thinking this, Ji Yuan's heart subtly stirred. He had already caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent of demonic energy, knowing that a spiritual being was approaching.

A woman in a moon-white gauze dress appeared with light steps in the courtyard of the Old River God Temple. She gazed at the firelight within the temple hall and listened to the scholars' laughter, her face showing both amusement and curiosity. She moved gracefully forward, yet quickly reached the outside of the hall without making any sound.

The paper on the windows of the River God Temple's doors and windows was long gone. The woman hid beside a wall, quietly peeking through the numerous holes, carefully observing the interior. Everything inside was clearly visible to her eyes under the firelight.

The woman saw the humble, polite, and young scholar Wang Yuanming, and her lips curved slightly. When she saw the handsome and dashing Yang Hao chatting animatedly with Wang Yuanming, her heart felt even more pleased. Li Jingchun, sleeping on the ground, was only visible as two boots in her line of sight, and she simply overlooked him. Then, her eyes fell upon Ji Yuan, who was reading by the firelight with his head bowed. Her eyes shimmered; seeing his profile, she couldn't tear her gaze away. For a moment, a unique sense of purity arose within her.

"Crack..."

The twig in Ji Yuan's hand snapped. The crisp sound drew the attention of Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming. Taking the opportunity, he shook his head and yawned.

"Ah..."

"I'm tired, Gentlemen Yang and Wang. Please continue as you wish; I'll go to sleep now."

"Alright, Master Ji, please do!" "Yes, yes, Master, go ahead and sleep. The straw has already been laid out."

Ji Yuan stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then returned the book to Wang Yuanming.

"Thank you both, please make yourselves comfortable!"

After saying this, Ji Yuan took a few steps to a spot behind Yang Hao, and without bothering to loosen his clothes, quickly lay down on his side next to Li Jingchun, feigning sleep.

The woman's gaze followed Ji Yuan until he moved behind Yang Hao, obstructing her view. Subconsciously, she moved closer to the door and window, and her hand involuntarily brushed against the window, making a "pat" sound.

"What was that sound?" "Is someone outside?"

"I don't know, maybe it was an animal?"

"Or perhaps it was just the wind."

Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming both looked up towards the door and window. From outside, the inside glowed with firelight, but from inside, the outside was pitch black. At the moment she made the sound, the woman instinctively pressed her back against the wall outside and hid.

After a long while, seeing no further movement outside, Wang Yuanming said with relief,

"Perhaps it really was just the wind."

Yang Hao could only suppress his faint disappointment and echoed, "Perhaps."

The woman outside was now somewhat hesitant, repeatedly seeking opportunities to observe the interior. With four people inside, it wouldn't be easy to succeed. However, the scholars she had seen today, each one more captivating than the last, stirred her heart.

In many legends, spirits often prefer scholars. This isn't entirely baseless folklore; more precisely, they are drawn to *outstanding* scholars. Humans, after all, are often called the "spirits of all things," and among them are exceptional individuals, such as martial arts masters or literary talents. Scholars, in particular, tend to possess less aggressive energy and more cultivated refinement. Many are also handsome, compassionate towards beauty, and knowledgeable about human principles. Both in terms of their perceived danger and their inherent allure to spirits, scholars naturally hold greater appeal.

After much hesitation, the woman decided to meet the people inside the temple.

The woman lightly leaped outward, her figure gliding like a ribbon for several feet until she reached the temple's outer courtyard. Then, adopting the posture of someone who had just arrived, she called out towards the temple hall.

"Is anyone in the temple?"

Her voice carried a hint of surprise, a touch of feminine charm, and a trace of vulnerability, causing a subtle stir in the hearts of Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming inside the temple hall.

Yang Hao's heart leaped with joy, knowing the "main character" had arrived. Given that voice, it would be a miracle if Wang Yuanming could resist the temptation.

Wang Yuanming looked at Yang Hao with a surprised expression.

"Brother Yang, that sounds like a woman."

"Indeed, it certainly is a woman."

"While this isn't exactly wilderness, it's still quite remote. Why would a woman be out here in the middle of the night...?"

Before Wang Yuanming could finish speaking, the voice outside called out again.

"Is anyone in the temple? I'm a little scared being alone..."

The woman's voice came closer as she inquired again towards the temple, but this time, there was less surprise and more hesitation in her tone.

"Yes, there are people!"

Yang Hao stood up and said to Wang Yuanming,

"Oh, Brother Wang, let's not worry about how a woman came to be here for now. She seems to be in trouble alone outside. How can we, as men, stand idly by?"

"Yes, yes, Brother Yang is absolutely right."

The two walked to the door together, removed the plank propping it shut, and opened the temple door slightly to peer outside. Under the moonlight, a woman with flowing long hair and a moon-white dress stood there, her left hand hanging low and her right arm clasping her left. She looked up towards the open temple door. Although her face wasn't clearly visible in the moonlight, the mere sight of her evoked a feeling of delicate beauty and vulnerability in the hearts of Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming.

"Miss, are you alone? It's cold outside; please come into the temple and warm yourself by the fire!"

"Brother Yang is right. This lady, we are all educated and reasonable scholars; please rest assured!"

"Thank you, gentlemen, for taking me in. I truly have nowhere else to go..."

The woman hesitated for a moment, then curtsied gracefully to the two men before walking into the temple. Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming stepped aside, one to her left and one to her right, allowing her to enter.

"Uh, Miss, if you don't mind, we'd like to close the temple door to block out the cold and prevent wild beasts from entering at night."

The woman had already reached the bonfire and turned to nod at them.

"The gentleman is right. I'll defer to your judgment, sirs."

After saying this, the woman's gaze turned back, and she subconsciously looked towards Ji Yuan, who was lying to one side.

Perhaps it was because Ji Yuan's previous encounters with spirits weren't ideal. Although he never considered himself unattractive, this was the first time a spirit had taken an immediate liking to him. The situation was now a bit awkward. Helplessly, Ji Yuan extended a single finger from his right hand, hidden in his sleeve, and pointed it towards Li Jingchun.

"Pfft!"

Next to Ji Yuan, Li Jingchun's clothes around his lower back puffed up slightly for an instant. The sound and the faint, peculiar odor made the woman's delicate brows furrow. She instinctively moved away from Li Jingchun in disgust, and naturally, away from Ji Yuan as well.

It was then that Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming returned to the bonfire and politely addressed the woman.

"Miss, I am Yang Hao, and this is Brother Wang Yuanming. Please sit down and warm yourself by the fire!"

"Are you hungry, Miss? I still have some dry biscuits here, oh, and water."

The two men were quite attentive to the woman. In the firelight, her face became much clearer, perfectly matching their imaginations: beautiful and charming. Their male instincts made them even more enthusiastic towards her.

The three sat down by the bonfire, with the woman in the middle, and Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming sitting to her left and right, each about a body's length away.

"Thank you, gentlemen, for taking me in. Otherwise, I would have been terribly frightened out there tonight."

The woman hugged her arms, rubbing them to ward off the cold, but this action tightened her dress, pressing her chest against her forearms and revealing its full curves.

'This is truly... the wild fox playing coy!'

Yang Hao's heart couldn't help but quicken considerably at that moment, and Wang Yuanming, across from him, seemed to be in a similar state.