Chapter 591: Unexpected Plot Twist

The three quickly exchanged names and understood why they had ended up at the Old River God Temple. Yang Hao, of course, sensed many inconsistencies in the woman's claim of having left home in a fit of pique with her mother, but he chose not to point them out. Wang Yuanming, however, genuinely couldn't detect any falsehoods.

Ji Yuan had to admire the female demon. As soon as she entered the room, and before much conversation, she began to flirt, yet maintained a pitiful expression on her face while doing so. She was truly a master. The fact that Wang Yuanming in the book could spend half the night alone with this woman indicated a considerable level of self-control.

After chatting with Yang Hao and Wang Yuanming for a while, and "casually" displaying her graceful figure multiple times, the woman suddenly turned to Ji Yuan and Li Jingchun, asking curiously,

"Are these two sleeping gentlemen not traveling with you? I haven't heard you introduce them."

Yang Hao slapped his forehead and apologized profusely.

"Oh, it's all my fault, all my fault! I was so engrossed in conversation that I forgot to introduce them to Miss Yue. This gentleman here is Li Jingchun; he's my household attendant. And this is Mr. Ji. They are both already asleep, so let's not wake them."

"Is his surname Ji, and his given name 'Mister'?"

The woman, named Yue Xu, heard Yang Hao's brief introduction of Ji Yuan and couldn't help but ask further.

"Oh, well, actually, we aren't very familiar with Mr. Ji. We just met him along the way. He only mentioned his surname, not his full name, and we didn't want to press him for more details."

"That's right, Miss Yue. Although Brother Yang came with Mr. Ji, they also met en route. They both arrived at this temple after dark, having difficulty finding lodging."

"Oh..."

The woman replied, but didn't dwell on the issue. Her mind was rapidly considering a crucial matter: she fancied both scholars, and neither seemed difficult to handle. However, there were two of them, and two others still in the room. The setting wasn't ideal for her plans.

'Should I use a spell? Would that be too low-class for the first encounter...?'

As the woman fretted inwardly, Wang Yuanming's roasted flatbread was ready. He eagerly tore off a piece and offered it to her.

"Miss, have some flatbread."

"Mmm, thank you, young master."

Wang Yuanming scratched his head and chuckled, then pointed to the unused pile of dry straw laid out on the other side of the campfire.

"If you're tired, Miss, you can rest over there. We are all honorable gentlemen and would never take advantage of anyone. Please rest assured."

Yang Hao, who was about to take a sip of water himself before offering the bamboo flask to the woman, suddenly heard Wang Yuanming's words, spat out his mouthful of water, and choked.

"Pfft... cough, cough, cough... ugh, cough..."

"Brother Yang, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Did you choke, young master? Let me help you catch your breath!"

Wang Yuanming and the woman both inquired with concern. The latter moved closer to Yang Hao, her body brushing against his, and gently stroked his chest from top to bottom. Her own chest intentionally or unintentionally brushed against Yang Hao's arm from time to time.

"No, no, I'm fine, cough, cough... Thank you, Miss, for helping me catch my breath, cough, cough, cough..."

Yang Hao thanked her while still coughing. After a good while of coughing, the woman slowly released her hand.

"It seems your breathing is much smoother now, young master. Perhaps the coughing is due to phlegm in your throat. A few forceful coughs should clear it."

As she spoke, the woman moved away from Yang Hao's side and returned to her original spot. With Yang Hao's keen perception, he immediately noticed the change in her demeanor. Both her actions before leaving and the slight hint of mockery in her words suggested a newfound coolness towards him.

"Uh, now that you mention it, Miss, I do feel much better, cough..."

He had coughed too much, and trying to steady his breath only made him cough twice more, but Yang Hao certainly couldn't spit phlegm at that moment.

The woman smiled, turned to Wang Yuanming, and said softly,

"Young Master Wang, you mentioned you also write books. May I take a look?"

"Uh, sure. It's just that my writing isn't particularly refined, so please don't laugh, Miss."

Wang Yuanming rummaged through his book box nearby, found a pamphlet, and handed it to the woman.

"Here you go, Miss."

"Mhm."

The woman took the book, leafed through it, and then leaned closer to Wang Yuanming, nudging him.

"Young master, what's written here? I can't quite understand it. And this story, it's a bit scary..."

The woman was too close. Wang Yuanming instinctively shifted away, creating some distance, and awkwardly said,

"Uh, they're some strange tales. Yes, they can certainly be a bit frightening. This part describes a local custom, mainly from my hometown..."

Yang Hao stared blankly at the man and woman not far away. Everything had been fine just moments ago, so why did he suddenly feel neglected?

Ji Yuan lay on the dry straw not far from Yang Hao, and although his eyes weren't open, he was fully aware of everything happening in the room. The current situation prompted him to slightly open his eyes and glance at the woman and Wang Yuanming.

This wasn't because the story of *Wild Fox's Shame* had self-correcting abilities. Rather, Yang Hao had misjudged something. To Ji Yuan, the woman named Yue Xu, though seemingly here for "lust," appeared to harbor a unique vision and expectation regarding it, suggesting it wasn't purely about carnal desire.

What he witnessed firsthand made Ji Yuan doubt that this was the same seductive vixen from *Wild Fox's Shame*. It didn't seem to be a result of Ji Yuan's magic influencing the book; perhaps the original story itself contained subtle clues hinting at this aspect.

Yang Hao also had his pride. Noticing the woman's obvious coolness towards him and grasping the underlying dynamic, he found it impossible to shamelessly continue his advances. He also understood that doing so would likely be counterproductive.

Yang Hao thought with some reluctance, picked up a twig, and poked the campfire, occasionally glancing at the man and woman chatting and laughing over the book.

'You really are incredibly lucky, young man!'

Although feeling somewhat stifled, Yang Hao wasn't going to step out for air. After sitting for a while, occasionally interjecting a word or two into their conversation, and repeatedly confirming the woman's relative coolness towards him, he finally resigned himself to the situation.

"Hoh... sigh... Brother Wang, Miss Yue, it's getting late. I'm a bit sleepy. Aren't you two tired?"

Wang Yuanming, feeling warm, nervous, and a little excited, had no sleepiness whatsoever.

"Brother Yang, why don't you go to sleep? I'm not tired yet. Oh, and Miss Yue, if you're tired, please rest. I, Wang, can't sleep..."

"I'm not tired either. Young Master Yang, please go to sleep first."

The woman offered Yang Hao a polite smile, devoid of any allure.

"Alright, alright, then I'll sleep. You two carry on!"

Yang Hao said no more, tossed the twig into the campfire, then took two steps aside, lay down on the dry straw, and seemed to fall asleep.

After Yang Hao lay down, the woman continued to observe him. Before long, she noticed his breathing was even and his expression relaxed, as if he had genuinely fallen asleep.

'He actually fell asleep?'

As a demon, she could tell whether someone was faking sleep. Could it be that Young Master Yang was truly exhausted or simply very carefree?

'But this works out perfectly!'

As the woman thought this, her smile widened slightly.

Of course, Yang Hao, lying on the ground, wasn't asleep. He was truly tired, but at that moment, he was far too excited to sleep, especially so quickly. This was merely Ji Yuan's doing, making the woman unable to discern that Yang Hao was awake.

In fact, none of the three lying down were truly asleep, including Li Jingchun, who had been compelled to fart.

"Young Master San, I've seen enough. We can end the show now. There's nothing more for you tonight."

Ji Yuan's voice entered Yang Hao's ears, making his heart skip a beat. How could it end now? Not only could he not "eat," but he couldn't even "watch"?

As if knowing Yang Hao's thoughts, Ji Yuan added,

"Even if you stay here, all you'll be able to do is listen."

As if to confirm Ji Yuan's words, the woman and Wang Yuanming, mid-conversation, suddenly began to yawn.

"Young master, I'm sleepy too..."

Looking at the woman's earnest gaze, Wang Yuanming nervously averted his eyes.

"Uh, then, um, there's still a straw bed here, Mi-Miss, you can just lie down and rest..."

"What about you, young master? There's only this one straw bed!"

Wang Yuanming avoided the woman's gaze and quickly explained,

"I'm not tired yet. I'll read a bit more and tend to the campfire for a while. When I get sleepy, I'll get more dry straw and spread it out on this side. With the altar blocking the view, you can feel a little more at ease, Miss! Yes, yes, the altar is blocking it!"

The campfire was about half a *zhang* in front of the altar. Ji Yuan, Li Jingchun, and Wang Hao were sleeping on the right side, opposite the entrance, while the woman was on the other side, conveniently shielded by the altar.

"Alright then, young master, you should also take care of yourself. I'm going to sleep now!"

The woman dutifully replied, walked over to the straw bed beside the altar, took off her shoes, and slowly lay down. Seeing that she had indeed settled in, Wang Yuanming finally breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Yang Hao found this behavior very strange. Was this the same person who had supposedly tutored in brothels? Could those brothel encounters have been made-up stories?

"Young Master Wang..."

Wang Yuanming flinched at the sound, dropping the book in his hand, which made the woman on the other side cover her mouth and chuckle softly.

"Young master... I'm scared to sleep alone..."

There was no such scene in the original *Wild Fox's Shame*. Yang Hao truly hadn't anticipated this, feeling both annoyed and wanting to slap his own thigh vigorously.