Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

Mingzhu took a small bite of the sugar painting, held it in her mouth, and asked indistinctly, "Young Master, have you heard of this place?"

Wang Xuan stroked his chin, his eyes full of thought, and asked the old man selling goods, "Are there any legends of gods, immortals, or demons in this area?"

The old man at the sugar painting stall chuckled and, instead of answering, asked, "Young man, would you like to buy another one?"

"No need." Wang Xuan took Mingzhu's wrist and turned to leave.

That old man is truly insatiable.

In Qiantang County, a sugar painting costs at most five coins, but in Guobei County, the seller asks for ten coins.

I didn't make a fuss because Mingzhu liked it, but I didn't expect this old man to push his luck.

The two strolled around the market, buying and trying any snacks that caught their eye.

As Wang Xuan traveled, he noticed something particularly acutely. Although it's said that no merchant is without guile, the level of greed and deception here far surpassed that of other places.

However, one should not concern oneself with matters outside one's official position.

He was just passing by and didn't care about any of that.

Passing by an inn, Wang Xuan stopped and looked at Mingzhu: "Mingzhu, let's stay here for the night."

Mingzhu nodded gently and said softly, "I will do as you say, young master."

"Shopkeeper," Wang Xuan called out, glancing at Mingzhu before tossing her a silver ingot. "Two rooms."

The innkeeper quickly accepted the silver ingot with both hands, examined it carefully, and then happily ordered, "Waiter, quickly arrange two superior rooms for our guest."

Wang Xuan frowned, his face showing displeasure.

This innkeeper really has no sense of propriety at all.

Did I give you so much money so you could arrange two rooms?

Is it appropriate for a lone man and woman to share two rooms?

Isn't your place quite greedy?

They've become quite well-behaved now.

Although Wang Xuan didn't intend to go straight to the stomach, she could still try to get closer and create some opportunities for ambiguity.

However, it wouldn't be appropriate to cause a scene in front of Mingzhu.

He said casually, "Let's order first."

"Alright, please have a seat here, sir."

Wang Xuan ordered a table full of delicious dishes, sipped some fine wine, and called over a waiter, asking, "Does this place have any tales of gods or ghosts?"

"Sir, you must be from out of town. The most famous strange thing in our Guobei County is the Lanruo Temple in the east of the city. Many scholars who couldn't afford a hotel went there to stay for free, but nine out of ten of them never came out alive."

Wang Xuan nodded in sudden realization, realizing that he indeed attracted monsters wherever he went.

Lanruo Temple, isn't that where Nie Xiaoqian is? No wonder the name Guobei County sounded familiar.

Mingzhu looked at Wang Xuan and asked softly, "Would you like to go and take a look, young master?"

"If there truly are demons at work, I naturally cannot ignore it." Wang Xuan said with an upright and righteous expression, then looked at the waiter: "Waiter, where is Lanruo Temple?"

Mingzhu looked at Wang Xuan's righteous indignation with deep respect in her eyes.

Mingzhu's appearance was exquisite and otherworldly, and the diners around her kept peeking at her. Now, when they heard that Wang Xuan was going to the infamous Lanruo Temple, they all cast gloating glances at her.

The waiter answered truthfully, "Go three and a half miles east of the city, and you'll see that eerie ancient temple. But sir, you've already paid for the room, so it's non-refundable."

"Why can't I get a refund?"

The waiter smiled and said, "These are the rules of our establishment; once money is deposited, it is non-refundable."

Wang Xuan smiled too.

"What if the money wanted to fly back into my hands on its own?"

At this moment, the counter and the bank card will open automatically.

The silver coins that Wang Xuan had just paid suddenly rose into the air and flew towards him.

The shopkeeper was shocked and reached out to grab the silver, but it seemed to have an immense force and he couldn't pull it back. He could only say, "Sir, you said you're going to Lanruo Temple anyway, what do you need the money for?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was thrown heavily to the ground along with the silver.

Then the silver coins stopped in front of Wang Xuan again.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the scene.

Now they all knew that this gentle and refined young man was no ordinary person.

Wang Xuan reached out and pocketed the silver, then got up and left with Mingzhu.

"Sir, you should at least leave some money for your meal!"

Wang Xuan ignored it.

Stepping out of the inn, Mingzhu said softly, "Judging from what they're saying, it seems there really is something strange about Lanruo Temple."

"We'll find out when we go and see," Wang Xuan said with a calm smile. "There might be danger, or there might be benefits. Every cloud has a silver lining."

"rouge?"

"It's not the rouge, it means 'how did you know'." Looking at Mingzhu's innocent and cute look, Wang Xuan explained with a smile, "Once upon a time, there was an old man named Sai. His horse ran away and he was very sad. But after a few months, his horse came back and brought back a fine horse."

"This person is really lucky."

"But that's not all. This old man's son loved riding horses. Once, while riding this fine horse, he fell and broke his leg. Everyone else felt sorry for his family, but this old man surnamed Sai didn't care. The following year, when foreign enemies invaded, his son avoided enlisting because of his leg injury, which saved his life."

Mingzhu instantly understood and nodded, saying, "That means bad things can be good things, and good things can be bad things."

Wang Xuan shook his head and said, "Wrong. A bad thing could be a good thing, and a good thing could have even better things to come."

Mingzhu chuckled lightly, "Young master is truly confident."

As the two walked and talked, a short man with a measuring tape in his hand walked towards Wang Xuan, intending to measure his height.

Wang Xuan waved and pushed him away.

The short man chuckled and said, "Sir, I sell coffins. I heard you're going to Lanruo Temple. Taking your measurements now will be useful later."

Mingzhu's face was frosty as she coldly shouted, "Get out!"

How dare she curse her benefactor! If she weren't gentle by nature, she would have certainly punished her.

Wang Xuan remained indifferent, too lazy to pay attention, and walked towards the city gate with the angry Mingzhu.

The man shouted from behind, "It's getting dark soon! You'll definitely run into danger if you go! What if you end up with no one to even collect your bodies?"

Mingzhu stopped in her tracks, clenched her fists, and turned around, ready to lash out.

Wang Xuan gently patted the back of her hand, then pulled her forward, softly comforting her, "You can't talk about ice with a summer insect, how could it know our abilities?"

The two continued on their way and walked out of the county town gate.

Night has fallen, and a bright moon has risen high in the sky.

Deep within the dense forest east of the city, a thick, cold, and eerie aura surged and permeated the air, chilling and piercing to the bone.

Mingzhu whispered a reminder: "Young master, the yin energy ahead is rampant, and it will probably become even more dangerous after nightfall."

Wang Xuan's expression was fearless.

Even a frail scholar like Ning Caichen could clear the Lanruo Temple instance without a scratch.

He refused to believe that he and Mingzhu, as a team, wouldn't be able to clear the game.

"Mingzhu, your cultivation is too high. You might frighten them into not showing themselves. Why don't you come into my cave first?"

"Alright, young master, please be careful and call me immediately if you encounter any danger."

"Don't worry, I will."

Wang Xuan put the pearl into the cave and walked step by step toward Lanruo Temple.

As the saying goes, great skill breeds great courage.

If I didn't have any cultivation, I wouldn't dare to venture into such a place.

Passing through the deep bamboo forest, a dilapidated ancient temple suddenly came into view.

The vermilion paint on the mountain gate is peeling off, the door panels are dilapidated, the courtyard wall has collapsed, and weeds are growing wildly.

A gust of cold wind swept through, making a howling sound, conveying a sense of deathly silence and gloom.

Wang Xuan chose a meditation room with a damaged door but a large wooden bed.

He left the door open, lit a candle, and sat quietly reading a book under the lamplight.

Silently waiting for the female ghost to come to their door.

He thought to himself, "I am full of pure yang energy. It would be unreasonable if the tree demon didn't send Nie Xiaoqian to help me."