"Ridiculous! The female ghost is going too far! Brother Xu, don't worry, your brother will go through fire and water, and even sell everything I own to help you destroy her!" Xiao He slammed the table and rise, full of envy to the point of deciding to uphold justice.
When a brother gets entangled with a female ghost, there are both pros and cons.
If it's a bad thing, he couldn't bear to stand by and watch his brother die.
If it's a good thing, he couldn't bear it even more.
Therefore, the female ghost must be eliminated, and delay is not advisable—the sooner, the better.
"Xiao Shishi, how do you plan to Subdue Demons and Eliminate Devils? Do you want me to go report this to the authorities right now?" Xiang Yuan perked up; Xiao He came from an extraordinary background and surely possessed anti-evil treasures on him.
"No need. Just a mere female ghost, a little trick will be enough to subdue her."
Xiao He said to Xu Jixian, "There's a ghost in the backyard well. The Xu Mansion is unsafe. Come stay at my place for a few days first."
"Absolutely not. In case Widow Wang follows us to the Xiao Mansion and moves into your well and refuses to leave, where am I going to reason... Your brother means, in case she harms you, where am I going to reason? We must destroy her right here in the Xu Mansion." Xu Jixian refused, somewhat blinded by lust and having his mind confused by the female ghost.
Xiao He gave a cold snort and gritted his teeth, saying, "As you wish then. We'll destroy her in the Xu Mansion. Anyway, this scourge cannot be left behind, not even for one more night."
He said to Xiang Yuan, "Brother Xu and I are scholars, harboring Righteous Qi in our chests. The female ghost only knows how to use some Illusionary technique and can't hurt us. Destroying her will be a breeze."
"Indeed! Ordinary people get hollowed out in just a few moves when encountering a female ghost. We scholars have Righteous Qi to protect our bodies—who gets hollowed out by whom is still up in the air!" Xu Jixian stepped up to prove it. Having grappled with a female ghost all night and still being a living example, he was extremely persuasive.
Don't drag scholars through the mud! The two of you can at best be considered studying, but whether you are even human is truly up for debate!
Xu Jixian had been entangled with a female ghost all night, yet he was free of illness and disaster, looking full of life and completely fine. This showed that a scholar's physique could indeed withstand the tossing and turning of a female ghost, but that wasn't the point. Being able to withstand it didn't mean he could toss and turn the female ghost back, let alone toss her to death.
This wasn't Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio; proper Subdue Demons and Eliminate Devils required finding a professional.
Xiang Yuan shook his head slightly: "To prevent anything, let's find a real scholar."
"Fine, since Little Yuan Ge is worried, I'll go invite the old man to come and hold down the fort. With his formidable means, a tiny female ghost can be banished with a wave of his hand," Xiao He said firmly.
Finally, they got to the point!
Xiang Yuan was extremely curious. Books say that 'Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting' can also accumulate Qi, each corresponding to the Dao of Martial Arts, allowing one to open apertures, achieve Foundation Establishment, and Return to the Prior. Wang Wenxu was full of literary talent—could it be that he was a martial arts expert who had transferred via Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting?
He wanted to see it.
The three of them finalized the arrangements to Subdue Demons and Eliminate Devils, and Xiao He was about to take a carriage to the Academy to invite Wang Wenxu. Fearing that the female ghost in the backyard might have overheard the trio's strategy and immediately launch a full-stomach action against Xu Jixian, he ignored Xu Jixian's protest and hauled him into the carriage under the pretext of safety.
Xiang Yuan knew that Xiao He wasn't afraid the female ghost would overhear, but rather that he would catch Xu Jixian and the female ghost in the middle of something good upon his return.
He couldn't let the female ghost taste hardship, and even less could he let his own brother get tainted. Anyway, it was simply out of the question.
On the way, Xiang Yuan fully experienced the crosstalk performance skills of the two. He pondered that even without powerful fathers or rental income, the two of them could live comfortably just by performing crosstalk, and still have spare money to look for lovers.
"To not hide it from you two brothers, your brother had a previous grudge with a ghost as well."
"There's actually such a thing? Brother Xiao, do tell."
"I dreamed of being chased by a female ghost for three streets. Then I figured it was my dream, so there was nothing to be afraid of. I turned around and chased the female ghost for three streets, couldn't catch her, and humph, got so angry I woke up."
"Then you're no good. Widow Wang is much fiercer, she's full of achievements!" Xu Jixian said triumphantly.
"You're bringing that up again." Xiao He was so angry he gritted his teeth.
Although Xu Jixian wasn't injured in his foundation by the female ghost, he wasn't completely unscathed either; his mind was definitely bewitched by the ghost. Whenever Widow Wang was mentioned, he would pop out with a few sentences about her good points every now and then.
Infatuation and lingering affection, as if it were true love.
"Sigh, I did have some feelings back then, but I certainly didn't bully or fail her; I treated her well. She is already a widow, I couldn't let her live the life of a widow!"
Xu Jixian lifted the carriage curtain. Light and shadow intertwined like an infatuated black horse: "It's even more impossible to let her rely on the charity of others, being with a new fellow every three days and a whole group every five days. Such a beauty, how could my heart bear it?"
Xiang Yuan watched coldly from the sidelines. Say what you want, a female ghost is still a female ghost.
Xiao He sneered repeatedly. Say what you want, sleeping with her means sleeping with her.
"You guys judge for yourselves. She is well-read and sensible. If only she weren't a female ghost. I, a down-and-out scholar, and she, a bitter widow, meeting by chance at night, supporting each other, growing old together—what a wonderful romance."
Xu Jixian looked at the two of them, self-aggrandizing while expressing his emotions: "Even if we couldn't stay together for a lifetime, and were torn apart by her husband's family's elders, your brother still tasted the bitterness of tragic romance. From then on, I'm a wanderer in the romantic world, living wild and unrestrained, accompanied by poetry, wine, and beauties. Being all alone is also quite wonderful."
What's this? You still want to be troubled by love and act like a dashing romantic saint?
Wake up! Only good-looking people can be called sea lords; someone like you can only be called a water ghost!
Listening to Xu Jixian's shameless brag, Xiang Yuan inwardly complained and mocked him. Unable to bear it any longer, he gave a sarcastic remark: "Brother Xu, when you like someone, you can't just look at her appearance."
"Your brother knows."
"You also have to look at your own appearance."
"..."
"Well said! Deeply satisfying!" Xiao He was overjoyed. He loved hearing it—give him more.
"Why is Little Yuan Ge exposing people's shortcomings..."
Xu Jixian muttered, but the next second he became exuberant and let out a wicked chuckle: "Although I don't look good, I really don't look good! If you don't believe it, go ask around the red-light district—I'm quite a prominent figure in that circle."
"Talk nonsense!"
Xiao He winked and made: "Little Yuan Ge isn't even sixteen yet. He hasn't experienced great storms, nor has he ever been to the red-light district. Brother Xu, you are exposing his shortcomings."
"That would be wonderful! We'll arrange it another day to make up for Little Yuan Ge's shortcomings."
"Indeed, it must be arranged."
"Hehehe..." x2
As the two shameless guys chattered away, their concentrated fire shifted to Xiang Yuan, and sounds of cross talk and comedic bantering drifted out of the carriage from time to time.
.
The carriage stopped at Yulin Academy.
Fearing he would be punished for feigning illness, Xu Jixian lay stiff like a corpse in the carriage. Xiao He went to look for Wang Wenxu, and Xiang Yuan got off to wait in place.
After one stick of incense, Xiao He hurried back. He hadn't invited Wang Wenxu, but had only brought back a handscroll.
"The Teacher didn't come?" Xu Jixian's illness was cured on the spot.
"With this item, it doesn't matter whether the old man comes or not." Xiao He jumped onto the carriage and unfolded the handscroll, revealing four characters with ink that hadn't yet dried—People Have Something To Do.
The brushwork was vigorous and powerful, carrying Righteous Qi. The strokes were executed with a perfect sense of Open and Close; when opening, it was like a Roc spreading its wings, and when closing, it was like a dragon diving into the abyss. To see the handwriting was to see the man; Wang Wenxu's broad mind as a well-read scholar and his profound thoughts leaped off the paper.
Xiang Yuan nodded inwardly. Being influenced by artistic charm and educating people through calligraphy, while Subduing Demons and Eliminate Devils he didn't forget to admonish the two students. Wang Wenxu truly was a good teacher.
"Controlling everyone—the old man is truly a soulmate!" Xiao He said cheerfully.
"Brother Xiao, you read it backward. It's people have... Right, right, your brother read it backward. It really is controlling everyone." Xu Jixian joined in the joy.
The two scoundrels Not Seeking Progress laughed loudly, making Xiang Yuan want to hit them. What absolute nonsense—they completely wasted Wang Wenxu's well-intentioned efforts.
Teacher has suffered because of Xiao and Xu for too long! If not abandoned, this Yuan is willing to bow to Teacher as his Elder!
"The old man has Righteous Qi; even ghosts scurry away from him in the middle of the night. With this Calligraphy Masterpiece of his, it is only right that the female ghost be subdued by us three brothers tonight." Xiao He waved his hand grandly, looking completely confident with Righteous Qi in his chest.
This round is stable!