Chapter 264: The Title Shall Be…

“Cough, Boss, I’ll take this hairpin.” Lin Xun finally retracted his hand and paid for it himself.

Although it was expensive, when he thought about how his drinks would be free at all major establishments in the Mortal World for the next year, these few taels of silver seemed like nothing.

Zhu Ling didn’t say anything, but she was so shy that she hugged Lin Xun’s arm even tighter.

After all, this was different from being in the Heiwu Secret Realm.

In the Heiwu Secret Realm, this Big Bad Guy had held her, embraced her, and carried her on his back, but those were matters of necessity.

But now, at the thought that she had actually taken the initiative to let this Big Bad Guy touch her waist, Zhu Ling felt that she was truly shameless.

If Grandpa found out about this, he would definitely scold me.

“Alright, here.” Lin Xun placed the hairpin into her small sachet.

“Oh, I… I’ll give you the money when we get back.” Zhu Ling buried her small face against Lin Xun’s arm, like a little bird clinging to a person.

“No need, I still have a bit of private savings.” Lin Xun didn’t say anything more and continued to lead this Little White Rabbit forward.

Along the way, Zhu Ling was somewhat silent; she indeed seemed quite shy.

However, although Zhu Ling was shy, the strength with which she hugged Lin Xun’s arm didn’t loosen in the slightest.

This made Lin Xun feel that things were getting a bit troublesome.

Half the time of an incense stick had already passed; he had to quickly find an excuse to return to the Poetry Garden.

Otherwise, if half the time of an incense stick passed and he was nowhere to be found, it would be hard to explain.

Just then, Lin Xun saw a haunted house by the roadside.

The admission was twenty wen per person.

“Zhu Ling, do you want to go play in this haunted house? It’s very interesting.” Lin Xun planned to trick this Little White Rabbit into going inside.

“A haunted house?” Zhu Ling hugged Lin Xun’s arm even tighter, her voice trembling slightly. “Are there ghosts in the haunted house?”

“There are no ghosts; they’re all just people in costumes. It’s very interesting,” Lin Xun continued to bluff.

“Then won’t it be very scary?”

“It’s alright, it’s a bit thrilling, but I’m right here by your side.”

Seeing that the Little White Rabbit was wavering slightly, Lin Xun increased his efforts.

“Luo City’s haunted houses are very famous. If you don’t visit one during the Ice and Snow Festival, you’ll definitely regret it. Besides, you’re a cultivator; you’ve seen real things, so why be afraid of fakes?”

“Then…” The Little White Rabbit lifted her head softly. “Then let’s go take a look. Just for a bit!”

“Mhm, just for a bit!”

Taking advantage of Zhu Ling’s agreement, Lin Xun quickly paid the money and went in.

Inside the haunted house, it was pitch black. Occasionally, the screams of couples ahead could be heard, making Zhu Ling tremble so much she wanted to run back.

But with a “clack,” the entrance behind them had already been closed.

Scared, Zhu Ling buried her head into Lin Xun’s back.

“Zhu Ling, it’s fine. Let go of me first. If something really scary shows up later and you’re holding me like this, what if I can’t use my hands and feet to fight?”

The staff member in the shadows of the haunted house twitched their brow. “So you’re actually planning to hit us?”

“Then… then walk a bit slower.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be very slow.”

“Mhm.”

Zhu Ling pressed close to Lin Xun, tightly clutching the hem of his clothes.

Soon, Lin Xun and the Little White Rabbit arrived at the first scene.

The first scene was a wedding banquet.

Only, at this wedding banquet, every guest was Pale, and there was an eerie atmosphere as they talked and laughed.

The festive red silk ribbons were excessively red, as if they were about to drip with blood.

Soon, the groom and bride came out.

However, the groom and bride were carried out in two coffins.

It was a Ghost Marriage.

“Come, come, come, a visitor is a guest. Sit, sit, sit.” An incredibly eerie-looking old man pulled at Lin Xun and Zhu Ling to join the feast.

In the end, Lin Xun led Zhu Ling to the children’s table.

Just as Zhu Ling let go of Lin Xun’s clothes for a moment, the scene suddenly went dark.

A moment later, when the candles were lit one after another, illuminating the entire scene, Zhu Ling found that Lin Xun, who had been beside her, was gone.

“Mr. Lin…” In a hidden compartment of the haunted house, Lin Xun was with the haunted house owner.

“Help me stall my friend for the time of an incense stick.” Lin Xun gave the owner a new design plan for the haunted house. “Remember, don’t scare her too much; my friend is timid. Just let her get lost appropriately.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll inform all the staff. I’ll do my best to help you stall for time.”

“Mhm.” Lin Xun nodded and took out a small lewd drawing from his robe. “And about the matter of me coming here to play with a female friend tonight?”

The haunted house owner took the scroll and carefully tucked it into his robe. “Did Young Master Lin come here tonight? He didn’t, right?”

“Very good.”

Lin Xun said no more and left through the safety passage, rushing toward the Poetry Garden.

At this time, the poetry composition at the Poetry Garden was nearing its end. After the composition, the various talents would head to the inner garden to participate in the poetry banquet, where they would appreciate the works together.

“Mr. Lin, you’ve finally returned.”

Seeing Lin Xun, Xiao Fang, who was almost crying from anxiety, quickly ran forward.

It wasn’t her first time serving a talent participating in a poetry gathering.

However, Lin Xun was truly the first one to run out during the extremely short time for poetry composition and only return at the very last moment.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Hasn’t the time limit not passed yet?”

Lin Xun took the brush and paper from the maid’s hand and directly wrote it down—or rather, copied it down.

As the words appeared line by line, the eyes of the maid, Xiao Fang, gradually shifted from worry about the time pressure to calmness.

Then from calmness to astonishment.

Finally, from astonishment to a daze, to the point where she stared at the verses on the white paper on the desk, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

Xiao Fang was only literate and had a slight understanding of poetry; she couldn’t judge the quality of anyone’s poetry, nor did she know how to truly evaluate a poem.

But she liked this particular Ci poem very much.

Even if that lord from the Hanlin Academy didn’t like it, she liked it immensely, even having the urge to read it several more times and memorize it immediately.

“Sir, is this a brand-new tune name?”

After a long time, Xiao Fang snapped out of it and looked at Lin Xun with admiration.

For the first time, Xiao Fang felt that the man before her was so handsome, almost as if he were faintly glowing.

“Mhm.” Lin Xun nodded. “The tune name is ‘green jade table’.”

“Then Sir, what is the title, please?” Xiao Fang carefully wrote down the three characters for ‘green jade table’ on the wooden plaque.

“The title.”

Oh no… Lin Xun realized he had forgotten the title of this Ci poem by Old Xin.

Lin Xun stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky, trying hard to remember what the title was.

In the maid’s eyes, Lin Xun’s deep eyes and his pensive brow were still so handsome!

This gentleman must be thinking of an exquisite title, right?

After a long while, Lin Xun really couldn’t remember what the original title was, and the time of an incense stick was almost up. Lin Xun had no choice but to retract his gaze from the starry sky:

“The title shall be ‘Wang Xing’.”