The shopkeeper's teasing words cheered up the scholar, and he asked quickly.
"Boss, should we just go straight north? Do we need to take a detour or something?"
"Why, are you really going?"
The shopkeeper gave another special reminder after he finished speaking.
"It's not peaceful at night. There are many stray dogs and even wild animals roaming around. There might even be ghosts outside. You are a weak scholar, and you must be scared to death walking on the street at night. How about this? Which books do you bring with you, or what four treasures of the study do you bring? I'll have someone help you pawn them. It will be enough..."
"Thank you, shopkeeper. I've informed you. I won't stay here any longer. I'll leave on my own. I'll leave on my own!"
Originally the scholar thought that the shopkeeper was kind enough to take him in, but when he heard that he had to pawn his precious books and writing materials, he was no longer willing to stay and simply left the inn with his book box on his back. He had slept in the open air while carrying his book box on his back before, so he was not as timid as he looked.
When the shopkeeper saw the scholar walking away without looking back, he subconsciously stood on tiptoe behind the counter and shouted.
"Hey~~ that scholar, it's not like you can't get the money back after pawning it, so what's a few books worth!"
The scholar still did not look back. After waving his hand, he quickened his pace, because at this moment the sky was indeed getting darker and darker, and only the sunset glow illuminated by the setting sun could be vaguely seen in the west.
Ji Yuan and the other two stood at the street corner opposite the Hedian Inn and witnessed the scholar's coming and going. When the other party trotted away with his book box on his back, Yang Hao could not help but speak out.
"Mr. Ji, he has already left. Should we follow him?"
"No hurry, I'll just walk over slowly."
After the three of them finished their conversation, they walked slowly towards the north...
“Woof woof woof… Woof woof woof…”
"Ouch..."
“Woof woof woof woof…”
“Meow…” “Meow… Woo woo woo…”
In some places in the town, there were constant sounds of dogs and cats barking, and occasionally one could even see groups of stray dogs running by. Some of the cries were really creepy, like a child crying.
Among Ji Yuan and the other two, one is a cultivator with profound Taoism skills, one is the supreme ruler before his death, and the remaining one is also a martial artist of the innate master level. They seem calm in such an environment.
But the scholar was not so calm. He held the bookcase with his hands behind his back and ran as fast as he could, panting all the way towards the north.
"Why haven't I seen it yet? Why haven't I seen it yet? Why is it so far away? Could the innkeeper be lying?"
The scholar had been walking for a long time with his book box on his back. Now he could not even see the bleak street scene of the town at night. There were more weeds and trees around him, and the creepy barking of dogs sounded like crying.
The scholar couldn't help but slow down his pace. It was already dark, and he was now in a very awkward position. The town buildings behind him were quite far away, and could not be seen clearly in the darkness at night. He was surrounded by weeds and trees, and some of the big trees looked very strange. The so-called river god temple was nowhere to be seen in front of him. Not to mention the river god temple, there was not even a river.
“Ahhh~~~~”
There was a sound of dog barking behind him. The scholar turned around and saw several pairs of green eyes in the distance. His scalp suddenly felt numb and sweat broke out on his body. How come it looked more like a wolf than a dog
“Woof woof woof…” “Woof woof woof… Aww…”
The scholar was really scared. He gritted his teeth and stomped his feet and could only run forward again. Even if he wanted to go back to the town, he had to take a detour. Fortunately, it seemed that God heard his prayers. He walked along the shabby path for a while. When he was about to go out of the path and go back to the town, he crossed a few dead trees beside the grass, and a temple building appeared not far in front of the scholar.
"River God Temple? It really exists! That's great, that's great!"
The scholar took two steps at a time and ran quickly forward. At this moment, the moon was above the clouds and the moonlight provided some visibility. It could be seen that the temple was not too dilapidated. At least the doors and windows seemed intact, and there was even a courtyard outside, but the gate had disappeared.
After passing through the courtyard gate, the scholar walked to the front of the temple and subconsciously slowed down his pace. The temple was dark and looked a little scary. He bent down, reached out to pick up a branch on the ground, and then knocked on the temple door.
“Bang, bang, bang…” “Bang, bang, bang…”
After knocking a few times and seeing no movement inside, Shushang wiped the sweat off his face and carefully pushed open the temple door with a branch.
"Squeak~~~"
With a slightly sharp creaking sound, the scene inside the temple appeared before the scholar's eyes. It was vaguely visible under the moonlight. The temple room was actually not small. It was called the temple of the river god, but the statue had long been gone, leaving only a base. There were some sundries such as wooden boards, some hay, and even traces of campfire charcoal inside. It was obvious that other people had stayed there.
The scholar now felt bolder and walked in with the book box on his back. Then he put the book box down and tidied the ground. Only after he had cleared out a suitable place did he think of making a fire.
"Oops, my flint..."
After searching in the bookcase for a long time, the scholar did not find his flint. He also discovered that there was a small hole in the corner of the bookcase door. It was probably because the flint was knocked out when he ran in a hurry. Fortunately, the books, pens, ink and other items were all there.
"Ah... such a sophisticated night..."
The scholar had no choice but to go over, close the temple door, and lie down on the hay, accepting his fate.
At this moment, Ji Yuan and the other two were slowly approaching the River God Temple. In Ji Yuan's eyes, the surroundings were indeed somewhat evil. After walking outside the yard, Li Jingchun looked around and said.
"Why is this called the River Temple? There is no river in sight."
Yang Hao had read this part of "The Shame of the Wild Fox" and explained it to Li Jingchun.
"There is a river. The road with weeds and strange trees on the side when we came here is the river. But it has been dry for many years, and the temple is naturally deserted. Sir, shall we go over there?"
Ji Yuan smiled.
"Third Young Master, you originally came to see the fox girl, but you are so reserved now?"
"Hehehe, I'm just being polite."
After saying that, Yang Hao took the lead and walked straight inside, followed by Li Jingchun. Ji Yuan lagged behind by a step and glanced around before walking forward.
This world was created by his spell, but it is impossible for him to direct the actions of every individual and animal, nor is it possible for him to detail every blade of grass and tree. It was after reading the story in the novel that he extended everything with the magic of heaven and earth. The world he created is so real that it is indistinguishable from the fake. Apart from the stories in the book, all living things and ordinary people have their own thoughts.
And Yang Hao over there had already started knocking on the door.
"Is there anyone inside? Is there anyone? This temple is deserted and has no owner. We are passing by here. Can we stay here for the night?"
The drowsy scholar was startled awake by the noise outside. He was then a little surprised. He stood up and looked outside. He saw someone standing there. He quickly walked to the door and saw that there seemed to be a scholar there. He was immediately overjoyed. He took the wooden board that was supporting the door and opened the door for the person outside himself.
"There are people here. If you want to stay overnight, please come in. There is plenty of room."
"Thank you very much, I am Yang Hao and I am honored to be here!"
Yang Hao transitioned from the emperor to a scholar without any awkwardness, and even saluted this little democratic person, who naturally returned the salute.
"You're welcome. I'm Wang Yuanming, and I'm just a person who stays in a deserted temple."
"Ohhhh, I've heard so much about you!"
Yang Hao walked into the temple with a smile. Although Wang Yuanming was puzzled for a moment why he was "long admired" by the other party, he immediately realized that it was just a polite remark, and turned his attention to the two people behind Yang Hao.
"Li Jingchun, the Third Young Master's attendant, hello, Young Master Wang!"
Li Jingchun bowed and entered the temple. Wang Yuanming quickly turned sideways to return the greeting. At this time, Ji Yuan also entered the temple and nodded slightly to the scholar.
"I am a humble man, hello, Prince Wang."
Ji Yuan's demeanor was completely different from the previous two. He looked more like a knowledgeable person. Wang Yuanming inexplicably felt like he was meeting a teacher for the first time in his childhood, and couldn't help but be more respectful.
"Hello sir, please come in."
After they went in, they discussed how to make a fire. Although they didn't have flint, Ji Yuan lied that he brought some. When he asked someone to pick up firewood, he flicked his finger at the firewood and a bean-sized flame appeared in the dry grass that served as kindling. Soon the bonfire was lit.
When the fire started, the temple became much warmer. There were more people there, and they all looked very friendly. The fear in Wang Shusheng's heart had long since dissipated, and he chatted eagerly with the three people.
"Oh, so you three can't find a place to stay either?"
"Yes, the rooms in the two inns are all full, and the people here are very wary of outsiders. Few people answer the door at night, and even if they do, they refuse us to stay overnight. Luckily, we found out about this place, so we came here to try our luck."
Wang Yuanming nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
"Well, I'm even more unlucky. I could have stayed in a hotel, but my wallet is gone. I don't know if it was lost or stolen, so I had no choice but to come here."
The scholar's tone of lament was strong when he said this. Besides being angry about his bad luck, he actually felt a little relieved that he didn't have to feel embarrassed about his empty wallet.
"Oh, I was just busy talking. I see that you all didn't bring any gifts, so you probably didn't bring any food either. I have a few biscuits in my bookcase. Let's share them after they're softened."
"Thank you so much, Master Wang. I just had some rice cakes today and I'm already hungry!"
"Thank you, Master Wang!" "I'm so honored. I'll have your cake tonight. I'll treat you to a better meal some other day!"
"Hahaha, scholars like me should understand the etiquette of the saints. We should be knowledgeable and reasonable, but also be public-spirited and just. Why are you being polite?"
The conversation between the few of them became more and more interesting, especially with Mr. Yang Hao. Chatting with him, Wang Yuanming even felt the excitement of finding a close friend in a foreign land.