Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The sun was scorching, baking the official road until it was smoking.

The cicadas were chirping so loudly in the trees that it was heart-wrenching and unsettling to listen to.

Gu Xiang carried that book box that was half his height, leaving a wet footprint on the ground with every step he took.

Sweat dripped down his chin, and his faded scholar's robe was soaked through, clinging tightly to his body and outlining his bony frame.

He was panting heavily, his tongue almost sticking out, looking like a thirsty old dog lying on the shore under the scorching sun.

In contrast, Su Qing, who was walking in front, was still dressed in a simple and refreshing blue robe.

He waved the folding fan in his hand at a leisurely pace, not even disturbing the stray hairs at his temples. He didn't look like he was in a hurry at all; it was as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

"Brother Gu, your health isn't good."

Su Qing stopped and looked back at Gu Xiang, who was half-dead following behind, and shook her head in disgust.

"You're already panting like this after walking less than ten miles. At this rate, by the time we reach the capital, the Great Zhou Dynasty will probably have already been overthrown."

Gu Xiang, supporting his knees, waved his hand with difficulty, his words slurred: "Brother Su... please forgive my poor skills... I... I usually only read the classics, my stamina... is indeed lacking."

"A scholar is useless in every way," Su Qing added mercilessly.

Gu Xiang opened his mouth to retort, but his throat was burning and he simply didn't have the strength to argue with this sharp-tongued guy.

The faint sound of water could be heard ahead.

Su Qing's ears twitched, and her eyes lit up instantly.

"There's water!"

Without caring whether Gu Xiang could keep up, she turned and disappeared into the woods beside the road.

Passing through a patch of weeds, a crystal-clear stream came into view. The water splashed against the rocks, creating white sprays that looked refreshing.

Su Qing cheered and ran a few steps to a large blue stone by the stream.

"Brother Gu! Come quickly! This water is very refreshing!"

Gu Xiang huffed and puffed as he followed, and when he saw Su Qing sitting down on the rock without any regard for her image, reaching out to take off her boots, he was so frightened that he quickly turned his back.

"Brother Su! Do not look at what is improper! Do not listen to what is improper! How can you be so...so dissolute in broad daylight!"

Gu Xiang, clutching his book box, his face flushed red, muttered to himself, "A gentleman is cautious even when alone, a gentleman is cautious even when alone..."

"Be cautious when alone"—what a load of rubbish.

Su Qing's lazy voice came from behind, "This is the middle of nowhere, there's not a soul in sight except the two of us. Besides, we're all grown men, what do we have to be afraid of?"

Gu Xiang choked.

That's the logic.

But after studying the classics for twenty years, his ingrained dogma made him feel that going barefoot in the wild was a disgrace to civilization.

"Splash—"

The sound of water could be heard.

The cool sensation seemed to travel along with the sound, making Gu Xiang's heart itch.

He was so hot he couldn't stand it, and his throat was parched.

Just one glance.

We're all men, it won't hurt us to take a look.

Gu Xiang swallowed hard, then slowly turned his head away, feeling guilty.

Upon seeing this, he froze completely.

Su Qing sat on a large blue stone, her trousers rolled up to her knees.

Those feet...

Gu Xiang swore he had never seen such beautiful feet in his life.

White.

It was so white it was dazzling.

Under the sunlight, it looked like it was carved from the finest mutton fat jade, with even the bluish veins clearly visible.

Its toes are round and cute, with a faint pink hue, and it gently moves in the water, leaving behind a string of sparkling water droplets.

Water droplets slid down her long, shapely calves and disappeared into the water, creating ripples.

boom!

Something exploded in Gu Xiang's mind.

His heart clenched suddenly, then began to pound wildly, making his chest ache.

This... is this a man's foot?

Even Er Ya, the prettiest girl in the village, had feet that looked like bear paws compared to this.

Gu Xiang felt a rush of heat to his head, and his nose felt hot, as if something was about to flow out. He quickly raised his hand to cover his nose, but his eyes felt glued shut, and he couldn't look away.

nice.

So beautiful.

That kind of beauty is untouched by worldly concerns, yet it is full of deadly allure.

"Is it pretty?"

Su Qing's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with a hint of mockery.

Gu Xiang suddenly came to his senses and met Su Qing's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

He was so frightened that he almost threw the book box into the river.

"I...I didn't see anything! I didn't see anything!"

Gu Xiang tried to defend himself incoherently, his face turning so red it looked like it was about to bleed.

He turned around in a panic, his back to Su Qing, his hands gripping the hem of his clothes so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

It’s over.

Gu Xiang, Gu Xiang, you've studied the classics for twenty years, how could you have such... such filthy thoughts about a man's feet?

Could it be... could it be that I have homosexual tendencies?

The moment this thought popped into Gu Xiang's head, she felt terrible.

He recalled the gossip that Granny Wang at the village entrance had been saying, that there was a scholar in the next village who didn't like girls and only liked to sneak into haystacks with handsome young men...

Am I that kind of person too?

Do not!impossible!

I'm aiming to be the top scorer in the exam!

I am a person who seeks to establish a moral compass for heaven and earth and to secure a destiny for the people!

How could he be a homosexual!

Gu Xiang roared inwardly, trying to suppress that terrible thought with the words of the sages.

"Splash!"

A handful of cold water was suddenly splashed on his back.

Startled, Gu Xiang jumped up and turned around.

Su Qing was kicking the water with her feet, looking at him with a smile.

"Idiot, are you going crazy from the heat? Come down and take a bath together."

Su Qing's peach blossom eyes curved slightly, their allure even more captivating than the flowing stream.

Gu Xiang felt her throat go dry, and the thought she had just suppressed resurfaced, even stronger than before.

He looked at Su Qing's excessively delicate face, then at her white legs swaying in the water, and his mind went completely blank.

"Brother Su... please be careful with your words!"

Gu Xiang took two steps back and stammered, "Men...men shouldn't touch each other! What 'mandarin duck bath'...that's for married couples! How...how can you use words like that!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Su Qing tilted her head, looking completely innocent. "I read in a book that when two birds bathe together, it's called a mandarin duck bath. Does Brother Gu not want to be that bird?"

"I won't be a bird! Nor will I take a bath!"

Gu Xiang felt like she was going crazy.

Why does Su Qing keep steering her words in such a strange direction?

Su Qing was secretly delighted to see Gu Xiang's ashamed and indignant expression.

This idiot is hilarious.

Teasing this innocent young scholar is simply the greatest pleasure during a tedious journey.

"Brother Gu, why is your face so red?"

Su Qing feigned surprise and pointed at Gu Xiang's face, "Also, you have a nosebleed."

Gu Xiang was taken aback and subconsciously touched his nose.

Hands covered in bright red blood.

"what!"

Gu Xiang screamed and frantically pulled out a handkerchief to cover her nose.

Shame!

What a shame!

I got a nosebleed just looking at a man's feet!

This is a mess I can't clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River!

Su Qing clicked her tongue twice and looked at him with a sympathetic expression.

"Brother Gu, you seem a bit short of temper. Looks like you've been holding it in all this time!"

She paused, lowered her voice, and said in a mysterious tone, "Actually, there's nothing shameful about this. Many high-ranking officials in the capital enjoy this kind of thing. Although we're brothers, I'm very open-minded and won't discriminate against you."

Gu Xiang's eyes widened in horror.

"Wha...what do you mean by this? I don't understand what you're talking about!"

"Keep pretending."

Su Qing pouted, "When you looked at my legs just now, your eyes almost popped out. That look, tsk tsk tsk, it was like a hungry wolf seeing a bone. Brother Gu, admit it, you're just lusting after my body."

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"

Gu Xiang was trembling with anger, his hand shaking as he pointed at Su Qing. "I, Gu Xiang, have studied the classics and cultivated a righteous spirit! How could I... how could I possibly lust after a grown man like you!"

"Then explain why you have a nosebleed?"

Su Qing pointed to Gu Xiang's still bleeding nose, "The body is the most honest thing, you know."

Gu Xiang was speechless.

How do you explain this?

Is it because the weather is too hot?

Is it because I've been eating too many chili peppers lately?

Or is it... because your legs are too white?

Whatever the reason, it all sounds like a cover-up.

Gu Xiang slumped to the ground, burying his face in his hands, lost in deep self-doubt.

Could it be... that I've really become gay?

I have failed my ancestors!

I'm so sorry, Grandpa Village Chief!

I'm so sorry to that dead hen!

Su Qing looked at Gu Xiang, who was squatting on the ground drawing circles, and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

almost.

If we keep teasing him, this child is probably going to have a breakdown.

"Alright, I was just kidding."

Su Qing pulled her feet out of the water and slowly wiped the water droplets off with a cloth next to her.

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiang suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes.

"Are you... just kidding me? So I'm not gay?"

I don't know if it's a homosexual relationship.

Su Qing put on the white socks, her movements as elegant as if she were performing some kind of ritual.

As she put on her shoes, she casually remarked, "But Brother Gu's reaction just now was indeed a bit... intriguing."

Gu Xiang's newly ignited hope was instantly shattered.

He watched as Su Qing put on her shoes and socks, covering up that breathtaking white, and a strange sense of loss welled up in his heart.

This sense of loss made him even more desperate.

It’s over.

Hopeless.

Su Qing put on her boots, stood up, and straightened her clothes.

"Let's go, we still have a long way to go."

She walked over to Gu Xiang and kicked his butt.

"Stop squatting, or you'll lay an egg."

Gu Xiang stood up like a wronged wife, head down, not daring to look at Su Qing at all.

He silently shouldered his book bag and followed behind Su Qing, his steps heavy as if he were going to visit a grave.

Su Qing walked ahead, in high spirits, waving her folding fan even more enthusiastically.

A crisp notification sound suddenly rang in my mind.

[Ding! Detected that the target person, Gu Xiang, is experiencing a serious shift in sexual orientation, and his worldview is collapsing and being rebuilt...]

[System suggestion: Host, please stop now. If you continue, you might cultivate a "sage" of the "curve".]

Su Qing raised an eyebrow.

The ultimate in curves?

That sounds pretty cool.

but……

Su Qing glanced back at the dejected Gu Xiang and chuckled inwardly.

If this idiot knew I was a woman, I wonder what kind of expression he would have?

He'd probably die on the spot, right?

The two continued walking along the path beside the stream, one in front of the other.

Gu Xiang kept her head down, counting ants, afraid of seeing anything she shouldn't.

It is exactly:

The scorching sun beats down on the endless road, and the scholar's robe is soaked with sweat.

Suddenly, I saw a clear stream washing my jade-like feet, which stirred up a thousand waves in my heart.

The nosebleed was so bright red that it was hard to tell; all the teachings of the sages had been forgotten.

From then on, I dared not call myself a gentleman, for fear that I would call out to Su Lang in my dreams.