Chapter 44: I Gladly Indulge in Women!

"The east wind blows open thousands of flowers at night, and blows down stars like rain.
Fine horses and carved carriages leave fragrance all along the roads; phoenix flutes play, the jade pot turns, and fish and dragon lanterns dance all night long.
Moths, snow willows, and golden threads; smiling and chatting, they vanish into the faint fragrance.
Having searched for her thousands of times in the crowd, suddenly I turn my head, and there she is, where the lantern lights are dim."

Standing on an elevated spot, Xu Wang recited slowly, trying to project his most magnetic voice.
Accompanied by his words, a lively scroll of the Lantern Festival night slowly unfolded.
As his voice trailed off, Xu Wang lowered his gaze and looked at Xiaoqing with deep affection: "How is it? The ci poetry I wrote is quite good, isn't it?"

Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen, standing nearby, wore expressions that suggested they had much to say but held back.
Xiaoqing was stunned at first, then fell speechless: "This is clearly Xin Qiji's 'Qing Yu An · Yuan Xi'. How did it suddenly become something you wrote?"

Hearing this, Xu Wang said no more and silently climbed down from the ladder.
Landing back on the ground, he shook his head and sighed: "Alas... the world is truly in decline. You people always subvert tropes; it's simply unfair to me."
Clearly, the male protagonists in web novels could always attract women by plagiarizing literature and poetry. Why wasn't it working in his case?

"I think you would be much better off saying a few words less."
Perhaps at her wit's end with Xu Wang's performance, Xiaoqing finally offered a dry remark.

"Quick! Let's go!"
Right at that moment, a gentle breeze swept past, and white gauze fluttered.
Before Xiaoqing could react, Nie Xiaoqian had already taken Ning Caichen and departed.
It seemed Nie Xiaoqian was rather decisive.
Knowing that lingering in the current situation would likely lead to trouble, she had resolutely used her sorcery, swept up Ning Caichen, and made a swift exit.

With Nie Xiaoqian and the others gone, only Xu Wang and Xiaoqing remained inside Lanruo Temple.
Having no other choice, however much Xiaoqing disliked Xu Wang, she still had to make her move to fulfill Granny's wish.

The moment Xu Wang saw the current situation, joy bloomed on his face!
He could finally die!
According to the plot development in the movie *A Chinese Ghost Story*,
female ghosts under Granny, such as Xiaoqing and Xiaoqian, would seduce the men near Lanruo Temple.
In the midst of their intimacy, they would ring the bell that summoned the Tree Demon Granny.
At that time, the branches of the Tree Demon Granny would appear, instantly draining the man into a mummified corpse!
As long as he could die at the hands of the Tree Demon Granny, Xu Wang's objective would be achieved.

During his two days at Lanruo Temple, Xu Wang had carefully contemplated the abilities of both the Tree Demon Granny and the Black Mountain Old Demon.
After comparing them, he realized:
Although the Black Mountain Old Demon's strength far exceeded that of the Tree Demon Granny,
one of the Tree Demon Granny's abilities happened to be much more useful to Xu Wang at present.

"Come on! Don't hold back just because I am a delicate flower! Come!"
Xu Wang could hardly wait. He pulled down the zipper of his fallout shelter uniform, bared his upper body, and lay flat on the ground in a star shape!

Xiaoqing couldn't bear to watch, but she still walked slowly toward him.
The dress she wore was exceptionally sheer.
As the breeze gently blew, it clung tightly to Xiaoqing's skin, outlining her curvaceous and slender feminine figure.
A small corner of moonlight peered in from outside the window, casting its glow precisely over Xiaoqing.
This ancient-costumed woman under the moonlight seemed to be glowing.

"Rustle..."
The sound of fabric brushing against skin echoed softly.
Xiaoqing walked gently to Xu Wang's side. She gracefully lifted one leg, slowly resting her delicate and tender bare foot right upon the tip of Xu Wang's nose.
With her right hand, she lifted the gauze-like hem of her skirt. Following Xiaoqing's movement, Xu Wang's eyes widened progressively.
This female ghost might be a bit lacking in certain endowments, but her legs were truly magnificent.

Looking at Xu Wang's expression, Xiaoqing's face showed a hint of haughty disdain mixed with a smug sense of satisfaction.
Then, with a sudden motion, she clamped her foot over Xu Wang's nose!
Her expression instantly turned fierce!
"Stinky man!"

With a wave of her hand, the purple gauze curtains beside them drifted down slowly, enclosing the two of them within.
Through the translucent gauze, one could vaguely make out Xiaoqing's slender figure retracting her foot, slowly lowering herself, and finally pressing down upon Xu Wang's body.

Xu Wang was no novice; he understood everything that needed to be understood.
Right before the Tree Demon Granny arrived, he could even review the biological knowledge stored in his brain.
Killing two birds with one stone!

Just as Xu Wang was thoroughly enjoying himself, the Tree Demon Granny failed to show up, but Yan Chixia, the bearded swordsman, arrived first!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed from the doorway!
Startled out of their wits, Xu Wang and Xiaoqing inside the gauze curtains scrambled up in a hurry, turning their heads toward the direction of the door.
With their panicked expressions, they looked precisely like an adulterous couple caught in the act.

"Crash!"
The heavy wooden door slammed onto the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Yan Chixia, radiating an aura of righteousness, stood outside the door holding a long sword, his eyes fierce and menacing!
With a single sweeping glance, he spotted Xiaoqing locked in an embrace with Xu Wang behind the gauze curtains.
"Hmph! Evil spirit! You still dare to harm people right before my eyes? Pay with your life!"

With a mighty roar, Yan Chixia raised his sword and lunged straight at Xiaoqing!
Seeing this, Xu Wang was overjoyed! He hastily grabbed Xiaoqing, spun around, and firmly shielded her within his arms, eagerly waiting for Yan Chixia's sword to pierce right through him!

Alas, the outcome left him disappointed.
As the foremost swordsman of the realm today, Yan Chixia's swordsmanship had long reached a miraculous level, allowing him to easily pull back his blade without causing even the slightest injury to Xu Wang.

"What are you doing, kid?! Are you blind? The one in your arms is no human! She's a ghost! Let her go this instant!"
Standing beside Xu Wang, Yan Chixia was practically burning with impatience and anger.

"I know!" Xu Wang replied with a frown, feeling a tinge of regret inwardly.
If Yan Chixia had arrived just a moment later, he would already have returned to the wasteland world.

"You know?!"
As soon as Xu Wang uttered those words, not only Yan Chixia, but even Xiaoqing cast an astonished look at him.
"You knew and yet you still, you still..."
Yan Chixia's eyes bulged as he pointed his sword at Xu Wang, stammering and suddenly at a loss for words.

Ignoring Yan Chixia, Xu Wang lowered his head to grope for the bell on Xiaoqing's ankle, intending to ring it directly and summon the Tree Demon Granny over.
While grabbing Xiaoqing's foot, Xu Wang casually remarked, "I take pleasure in indulging in feminine beauty."

"You, you, you! Simply incorrigible! I shouldn't have come to save you!"
Yan Chixia was truly infuriated by Xu Wang.

"Hmph!"
Realizing the timing was favorable, Xiaoqing struck Xu Wang's chest with a single palm strike, sending him flying toward Yan Chixia!
Taking advantage of the moment Yan Chixia caught Xu Wang, Xiaoqing transformed into a streak of flowing light, rapidly shattered the window, and fled Lanruo Temple!

"Hey! The bell! My bell!"
Watching Xiaoqing make her escape, Xu Wang raised his hand feebly, on the verge of tears.
"They've all run off! And you're still yelling! Hmph!"

Yan Chixia forcefully shoved Xu Wang onto the ground. He paced back and forth across the room in a rage, continuing to lecture him bitterly: "A sharp blade hangs directly over the allure of lust!"
"Do you have any idea that if I hadn't arrived in the nick of time, you would already be dead beneath the claws of that tree demon!"
"I know, which is precisely why you should have arrived a bit later." Xu Wang sighed heavily.

"You, you, you! You are truly beyond saving!"
Never expecting Xu Wang to utter such words, Yan Chixia grew even angrier.
Glancing around the room, he frowned and asked, "Where is that scholar?"
"Him? He left with another female ghost," Xu Wang replied.

As he spoke, the corner of Xu Wang's eye caught sight of something, and his eyes instantly lit up!
The sorrow previously lingering on his face vanished in an instant!
Failing to notice the change in Xu Wang's expression, and learning that Ning Caichen had also been carried off by a female ghost, Yan Chixia let out a cry of "Damn it!" and bolted out of Lanruo Temple.

Meanwhile, Xu Wang reached out and picked up a silver ring adorned with a tiny bell from the floor.
It seemed Xiaoqing had fled in too much of a panic just now.
The bell on her ankle had nonetheless been stripped away by Xu Wang.
Now, he could ring the bell himself to summon the Tree Demon Granny.