Chapter 45: Eighteen Fox Spirits

Qian Shengwen and Qian Shengju, the two brothers, had been desperately tending to the wounds on their behinds, but half a month was simply too short for them to heal. Especially after Shen Shi passed the examination for child student, their anger caused their wounds to bleed anew, making them all the more cautious, barely daring to show themselves. Even when someone fell overboard, they remained in their own cabin and didn't come out to watch the commotion.

But when the boatman announced he was turning back, they panicked. They had come to the Flower Viewing Festival in spite of their injuries—how could they just go back?

"Boatman, set sail!" Qian Shengwen ordered angrily.

"I can't! There's something wrong today, an ill omen! I don’t want to fall in too," the boatman stammered, terrified, and refused no matter how much Qian Shengwen raged. He would not touch the oars again.

"Shengju, why not let your bodyguard try?" Another young scholar stepped out from behind the Qian brothers. With refined features and an amiable demeanor, he advised, "We can't remain stranded on the river forever. It’s not even late yet—whatever happens, we must at least try to move forward."

"True, staying here any longer might be dangerous," others echoed after him, clearly taking him as their leader.

This young man was none other than Liu Yuanzhe, renowned in Hangzhou. His father, Liu Lin, was a famous scholar there.

Liu Lin’s reputation in Suzhou and Hangzhou was immense; many had attended his lectures. The Qian brothers, though wealthy, hadn’t the qualifications to enter the main hall and had to settle for paying to audit from outside.

So when Liu Yuanzhe, Young Master Liu, spoke, the Qian brothers immediately ordered their bodyguard to act.

The bodyguard nodded, took up the oar, and began to row.

"There’s something under the water."

Yet just as the oar dipped into the river, the bodyguard felt a tremendous force yank from below. Fortunately, having overheard the earlier discussion, he was prepared and didn’t get pulled in, though he lost his grip and the oar was snatched underwater.

"The water ghost is still there!" the boatman stammered in terror, hastily retreating.

The bodyguard, also startled, dared not attempt again, quickly withdrawing from the boat’s edge lest he fall in.

"Liu, what should we do?" Qian Shengwen and Qian Shengju’s faces drained of color. They were merchants, not true scholars, and believed such things instantly; their bravado vanished as swiftly as it had come.

Liu Yuanzhe kept a calm facade, but inwardly, he was uneasy. As a scholar, he’d never believed in water ghosts since childhood, but the current events unsettled him. As for solutions…

He knew how to take the imperial exams; in scholarly families, mastering examination techniques was everything.

He could discuss the exams, but this was not his field.

At the mention of expertise, Gongsun Ce and Kong Xueli both turned to Shen Shi. "Brother Shen, what do you think?"

Shen Shi had already opened his eyes. Seeing their inquiry, he replied, "There is indeed something beneath the water."

"Ha! Who doesn’t know there’s something under the water? That’s hardly useful!" Qian Shengwen taunted, his confidence apparently bolstered by someone’s arrival.

Beside him, Liu Yuanzhe fanned himself gracefully, his manners impeccable.

"Does this gentleman perhaps know any talismans to exorcise spirits?"

Compared to the Qian brothers, Liu Yuanzhe was exceptionally courteous.

Such a person was either a genuine gentleman or a cunning hypocrite. Shen Shi sensed no uprightness in him—it was clearly the latter.

"I don’t know any exorcism talismans," Shen Shi replied.

"You don’t? Then how will you drive away the water ghost?"

He doesn’t know!

Qian Shengwen was delighted. "Shen Shi, why don’t you just beg the water ghost? Perhaps the ghost in the river will be reasonable. If you can make it listen, I’d like to see that!"

"A reasonable water ghost! How amusing—this gentleman is quite witty," Liu Yuanzhe laughed.

He even thought this story would make for an entertaining anecdote to share with his scholarly friends in the future.

This infuriated Gongsun Ce and Kong Xueli. The tongue of a scholar was sharp indeed—if this story got twisted by them, Shen Shi’s reputation would be utterly ruined.

Before they could speak, Shen Shi continued, "Who told you it was a water ghost below?"

"If it’s not a water ghost, then what is it?"

"Ghosts are spirits of yin, fearful of the sun. It’s not yet dark; a water ghost wouldn’t reveal itself."

As for a powerful old ghost…

Shen Shi glanced at the unlucky Bao beside him. Although he looked like a jinx, he was a true Star Lord, already surrounded by Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, and Gongsun Ce, the assistant star.

Bao Zheng’s retinue was nearly complete. With so many star deities present, even the most seasoned ghost would sense their radiance and not dare stir up trouble.

"What’s below is a demon."

Shen Shi’s declaration startled the fox demon pretending to be a ghost beneath the water.

The fox demon dared not act on its own and immediately sent word to its elder sister.

"Xiao Ba, what trouble have you caused now?"

In the Orchid Monastery, a stunning beauty received the message, slipped into a private chamber, and cast a spell to contact her sibling.

The fox demon, Xiao Ba, confessed everything.

"Sister, can you believe it? She disguised herself as a man to sneak into our Flower Viewing Festival. Her human aura would only hinder our gathering of talent and enlightenment, so I dragged her into the water. Who would have thought her luck was so strong—she survived. I wanted to scare her away, but not only was she rescued by a scholar, he saw through me immediately and declared I was a demon, not a ghost!"

"Sister, do you think he’s a disciple of Daoist arts?"

"A Daoist disciple…"

The beautiful woman’s eyes flickered as she pondered.

"Little sister, I can’t get away right now. Why don’t you bring them here for now? If he is a Daoist adept, the essence and power in his body would be a blessing for us…"

Meanwhile, Shen Shi was calmly explaining why it couldn’t possibly be a water ghost. Just then, the stationary pleasure boat suddenly shuddered violently.

Everyone aboard was nearly thrown to the deck. The Qian brothers, most unfortunate of all, crashed hard onto the planks, nearly fainting from the pain.

"This is bad! The river spirits must be angry!" the boatman cried, his face white with fear.

"Shen Shi, stop your nonsense! It was your talk of demons that angered the spirits. Now they’ll capsize the boat—it’s all your fault!" Qian Shengchan shouted.

"That’s right! It’s him!" Qian Shengwen echoed.

Fear of the boat capsizing and pain in their behinds left the Qian brothers ashen-faced as they hurled accusations at Shen Shi.