I'm Ximen Qing, living in a ghost story!

Her surname is Nie, and her given name is Xiaoqian!

In addition, there was the county name Guobei, which he had previously found familiar.

It's basically confirmed now.

However, Ximen Qing was still unwilling to give up and wanted to make one last desperate attempt. He grabbed his father's hand tightly and asked hopefully, "Father! My memory hasn't been very good lately. Is there a place called Lanruo Temple outside our county town?!"

Upon hearing this, Simon looked at his son suspiciously, then seemed to realize something, his expression changed drastically, and he threw the portrait of Nie Xiaoqian aside.

He gave Ximen Qing a bear hug, letting out a heart-wrenching roar: "Son! You can't do something stupid! If you don't want to marry, then we won't! But you can't become a monk! My Ximen family has had only one son for five generations! You can't cut off our family's lifeline! I won't force you anymore, as long as you promise not to become a monk, I'll book the entire Tianxiang Pavilion for you tonight. Call all your little red, little blue, little pink girls here. Didn't you want to learn my methods of lovemaking? I'll teach you right away..."

"Wait! Wait! Dad! My neck's going to break!! Who said I wanted to be a monk! Get up!"

Ximen Qing finally managed to break free from the bear hug, his face showing the look of someone who had just escaped a disaster.

I almost suffocated inside Simonda's pectoral muscles.

"Don't try to fool your father. You used to have absolutely no interest in temples and monasteries, but now you can even name them! Did you secretly inquire about them yourself?"

Simonda shook his head in disbelief.

"There really is a Lanruo Temple?" Ximen Qing frowned as he looked at his father.

Simon hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "It's just three miles east of the city. The mountain there is lush and green, with clear springs reflecting its beauty. People go there for spring outings every year."

Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing leaned back again, falling onto the bed and looking at the tassels on the canopy bed.

This doesn't make sense!

I'd rather be a hero in the Water Margin than a ghost knight in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio!

If there's Xiaoqian and Lanruo Temple, then there's also the Tree Demon Granny, the Black Mountain Demon, and who knows, even more demons and monsters.

Goodness gracious, this is far more dangerous than Wu Song!

If I met Wu Song, I would at most refrain from flirting with Jinlian, but in the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, you'd be slaughtered even if you just stepped through the door with your left foot!

I just want to put a rich second-generation transmigrator who lives a life of leisure, with beautiful women in his arms, and who spends his days indulging in... cough cough...

What did I do wrong?! Was it really necessary to go this far?

Ximen Qing was bewildered and fell into deep doubt.

Looking at his eldest son muttering to himself, Simon felt that he should call back Wang Po, who had just been carried out.

Could it be that I've really been possessed by an evil spirit?

And just as he was struggling with this decision.

Ximen Qing sat up abruptly and slapped himself hard.

As a glorious time traveler, how can you become lax and slack off at the first sign of setback!

So what if it's the Tree Demon Granny? So what if it's the Black Mountain Demon? The antidote will be available within seven steps!

Since it's a story from Liaozhai, then there must be Yan Chixia! At worst, I'll just go and learn Taoism someday!

Moreover, judging from the current situation that Nie Xiaoqian is alive, the story is still a long way off!

What's there to be afraid of!

With his eyes fixed on the portrait of Nie Xiaoqian that had been tossed aside, Ximen Qing felt a surge of excitement, as if a powerful background music was playing in his ears.

I could very well become a noble undead knight!

Thinking to himself, Ximen Qing smiled, a smile that was three parts relief, three parts mockery, three parts nonchalance, and one part determination!

Seeing the smile on Ximen Qing's face, which was as colorful as a palette, Ximen Da made up his mind that the sorceress could no longer solve the problem!

"Father, I've made up my mind, I want to study the Tao!"

Ximen Qing looked at his father and said, "Our family is incredibly wealthy, and you can't possibly spend it all. Why don't I help you out by spending some money to seek Taoist magic..."

"Spending money isn't the problem; the problem is that virtuous people regard money as dirt..."

Simon scratched his head and said, "Father had considered this before, but they looked at my physical attributes and character..."

Before he finished speaking, Ximen Qing had already understood.

Given his former self's character—who seemed to want to live in a brothel every few days—no enlightened master, even if blind, would ever accept him as a disciple.

"Looks like we need to change our plans and get our reputation back on track first!"

Ximen Qing pondered to himself, and just then, a familiar hoarse voice rang out from outside the door: "Master! Young Master! Young Master Zhu has arrived, saying he has come to visit you."

Ximen Qing was brainstorming when he heard this sentence, and his memory accurately retrieved the keywords.

It's you!

Zhu Xiaolian?

This young master of the Zhu family owns a dye shop. He has a sharp tongue but is extremely loyal to his friends.

They were Ximen Qing's cronies, possessing three of the four most loyal connections in life: classmates, fellow townsmen, and like-minded people...

They are the closest of friends.

"That brat from the Zhu family? Tell him to come another day! Can't you see the young master is still sick?" Ximen Da snorted coldly, waved his hand, and then looked at Ximen Qing with concern.

It seems that Zhu Xiaolian doesn't have a good image in Ximenda's mind.

"Wait a minute! Dad! I'm almost fully recovered. I've slept for so many days, I should go out and see the sun!"

Ximen Qing stopped Ximen Da directly, reverting to his usual carefree demeanor, and spoke.

Upon hearing this, Simon looked at him in the dim light from the window.

Sure enough, the fist marks on his face had faded considerably, and you couldn't really tell unless you looked closely. He had regained his usual good looks, comparable to those of you viewers from his previous life.

"Very well, now that my son has recovered, please invite the young man from the Zhu family in."

Fearing that Ximen Qing might go mad again, Ximen Da quickly said...

"Hey? Right, Father, you just said you'd teach me the art of fierce combat..."

"Ahem, well, you're still young, your body hasn't fully developed yet. Let's talk about this after your wedding!"

Upon hearing Ximen Qing's "reminder," Ximen Da coughed dryly and quickly brushed the matter aside, completely forgetting about it.

You should know that the marriage is still far from being finalized.

Hearing the answer he had expected, Ximen Qing curled his lip, stepped out of the room, and didn't dwell on it. Anyway, he figured he could get it eventually through persistent persuasion.

His father's "method of fierce battle" was a real treasure. He remembered secretly calculating during his childhood that one night, twelve concubines in his father's courtyard were meowing like cats. It was truly fierce and extraordinary!

With respect for Ximen Da, Ximen Qing led the servant with the hoarse voice to the front hall, where he saw a broad-faced, square-eared, and masculine-looking young man.

He was holding a folding fan with a smug look on his face, flirting with two beautiful maids nearby.

"Ahem! You, Zhu Xiaolian! How dare you harass my maid! You have some nerve!"

Ximen Qing strode in and came directly to Zhu Xiaolian.

Seeing Ximen Qing rush in, Zhu Xiaolian stood up with a look of surprise and delight, sizing him up and saying, "Oh my! Isn't this Master Ximen? I just heard them say that your father beat you unconscious, but it turns out you were just faking it?"

"Stop pretending! I just slept in a few extra days—what are you doing here?"

Ximen Qing sized up his scoundrel in front of him.

"I originally came to visit you, but seeing how you look, it's not necessary. I have other things to do today, so I'll come another day to invite you to a meal at the Grand View Garden!"

Zhu Xiaolian casually cupped his hands in greeting to Ximen Qing, then turned to run away, but Ximen Qing grabbed his collar and forcefully pulled him back.

"What the hell? What serious business could you, Old Zhu, possibly have? Tell me the truth!"

"Hey! Let go! I'll talk! Fine, I'll talk! You're not interested anyway. There's a poetry gathering of scholars and poets at the county school today, and I plan to go and make a name for myself. You should just stay home and recover from your injury!"

"Huh? A poetry gathering?" Ximen Qing's eyes lit up.

Since I've decided to become a ghost knight and go on a pilgrimage, I need to improve my image. What could be more convincing than stunning everyone at a poetry gathering?

Having gained a good reputation will be a plus when you meet masters in the future and want to become their apprentices!

And here comes the dungeon!

"Brother Zhu! One should look at a person with new eyes after three days' absence! You are not me, how do you know that I, Ximen Qing, do not love poetry? Writing poetry is good! You should go to the poetry gathering!"

P.S.: Lanruo is usually a name for a temple, but for the sake of the plot, I'll use the name of Lanruo Temple from A Chinese Ghost Story. Don't take it too seriously, since I've already written a book about Lanruo Temple before.