Chapter 247: The Strongest Willpower, Heading to the West Corner

Pa!

Zhou Zhongtian pulled out a black pouch from his chest and slapped it onto the table before continuing, “Sister Wei, I’m serious. There are twenty taels of silver here—consider it a gift from your little brother to help your nephew with his medical treatment.”

“Take this money, add whatever you have, and go seek out Brother Ma. That should be enough to cover your nephew’s medical expenses.”

“The poor kid’s already lost his father. If something happens to you too, his mother, he will have no way out!”

It was the first time Zhou Zhongtian had spoken to her so earnestly, and Feng Wei felt a bit lost. Her eyes reddened as she turned her head away. “Take your money back! Anyone who doesn’t know better would think you’ve fallen for this widowed sister of yours!”

“Don’t worry, Sis, I’m not blind, and neither is anyone else…” Zhou Zhongtian muttered, pursing his lips.

The moment he said that, Liu Feng and Guo Teng instantly raised their shields and huddled behind them, positioning themselves to shield Gu Ning’an while also hiding their own bodies behind the iron barriers.

“He’s crazy! Saying something like that at a time like this—Brother Zhou is a true madman!” Liu Feng clicked his tongue.

Guo Teng nodded in agreement. “No kidding! Mr. Gu, you might want to pull your feet back—Sister Wei’s whip is no joke.”

Gu Ning’an gave a slight nod. “Thanks for the reminder.”

Pa! Pa! Pa! Three consecutive whip cracks rang out, right on cue!

“Sister Wei! I was just joking! You’re really going to whip me?!”

“Hah! Who’s joking with you?”

“Sis, I was wrong!”

“You dare call me ugly? Today, I’ll show you why flowers bloom so red!”

By the time a cup of tea had passed, the commotion inside the room finally settled down.

Liu Feng glanced at the iron shield in his hands, now marked with two deep whip scars. He couldn’t help but mutter, “No wonder even that thick-skinned bear demon ended up with its flesh torn open after a single hit…”

Swish!

Sensing a cold gaze on him, Liu Feng quickly changed the subject. “Alright, alright! We’ve been up all night—let’s hurry back and catch some sleep. Otherwise, we won’t have the energy to work tonight.”

“We promised the Temple Keeper Huang, after all. We can’t mess this up!”

“Exactly! I’m exhausted—let’s go sleep!” With that, the two burly men wasted no time in making a quick escape from the luxurious inn.

Gu Ning’an, after flashing a smile at Feng Wei and the others, also made his way out.

Once the room was empty except for Zhou Zhongtian and Feng Wei, he winced, clutching his shoulder.

Feng Wei shot him a glare and scolded, “Still pretending? Keep it up, and I’ll really hit you again!”

“See you later, Sis!”

And with that, Zhou Zhongtian bolted from the room like a shot arrow.

…

As night fell, Four Corners Town, which had been quiet all day, began to stir once more.

Gu Ning’an and his group of five, along with Qiao Min, split into four teams.

Qiao Min and Liu Feng headed to South Corner Village, where an ominous butcher was said to lurk.

Feng Wei and Guo Teng took charge of East Corner Village.

North Corner Village was left entirely to Zhou Zhongtian alone!

As for West Corner Village, known for its voluptuous women, it was assigned to the one with the strongest willpower—Gu Ning’an.

To the other External Agents, the fact that Gu Ning’an had no interest in the pleasures of the flesh was proof enough that he wouldn’t be swayed by any sinister enchantments.

The team assignments followed a one-attacker, one-defender strategy. Initially, Qiao Min insisted she didn’t need anyone protecting her, but with her appearance resembling that of a ten-year-old, the others refused to let her go alone and insisted on assigning someone to her side.

Temple Keeper Huang had warned them that the four chang ghosts were incredibly powerful, and they should avoid direct confrontation if possible.

The best approach was to find those who hadn’t been affected by the corruptive aura or hadn’t been fully corrupted yet and “gather” them together. By telling them that everything they saw was an illusion, mere tricks of vengeful spirits, they could slow down the spread of the corruptive aura across Four Corners Town.

As long as they could hold out for three days—if even a small portion of the locals in each village remained unaffected—Temple Keeper Huang would return and find a way to deal with the four chang ghosts…

Starting with West Corner Village, today marked only the second day of the Lustful Ghost’s curse spreading.

Yet, the situation in the village had already deteriorated significantly compared to the previous day.

When he had arrived yesterday, there weren’t suggestive sounds coming from every household. But today, they had noticeably increased—there were far more than before.

As Gu Ning’an walked through the alleys, he could spot indecent scenes in certain hidden corners.

Falling victim to the Lustful Ghost’s corruptive aura wasn’t something an ordinary person was completely powerless against.

On the first day, those with strong willpower could still resist, even if they witnessed the Lustful Ghost’s seductive dance.

In such cases, even if the corruptive aura lingered, ordinary people could hold out for at least half a month before completely succumbing to desire and becoming puppets to their lust.

Of course, this didn’t mean people couldn’t indulge themselves—it just meant they shouldn’t cross certain lines.

Between a married couple, intimacy was a natural union of yin and yang and couldn’t be considered lustful.

But engaging in acts publicly, seeking forbidden pleasures with others, or exposing themselves—these were all signs of the Lustful Ghost’s corruption taking hold…

Each of the four chang ghosts acted as a catalyst, but in the end, true depravity was always a matter of choice.

Gu Ning’an could have simply eliminated the four chang ghosts on the spot. But he refrained, because if he did—

First, their master would certainly never show themselves. It would be treating the symptoms, not the root cause. In that case, it was better not to act at all.

Second, the Great Wu Dynasty was teeming with demons and monsters. The spiritual energy of this land would inevitably attract even more of them. He couldn’t possibly stay here forever…

There would always be new dangers. Instead of letting the villagers rely on the hope of being saved by some wandering immortal, it was better to let them learn how to save themselves in times of crisis.

Third, from what he had observed so far, the yellow weasel demon seemed to have established the Universal Temple with the genuine intention of protecting the people…

However, what happened in Qiao Min’s village was a clear warning—if the temple couldn’t provide real safety and protection, then it didn’t deserve the people’s offerings. Even if the yellow weasel demon was willing to share that incense power with Gu Ning’an himself…

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Gu Ning’an made his way to Yanhuo Alley.¹

When he stepped into the busiest brothel, he immediately found the plump woman.

She had initially seemed uninterested, but the moment she saw Gu Ning’an return, her enthusiasm suddenly flared.

As she danced seductively, the spectators erupted into cheers and shouts.

The ones who had remained until the end last night had, naturally, returned tonight.

When they saw Gu Ning’an walk in, their expressions immediately turned unpleasant.

After all, yesterday had been a perfect opportunity, yet this white-robed scholar had ruined it—only to waste it.

Now, he was here again.

What if the courtesan favored him this time? What if she chose him? What would they do then?

On the first floor, every man was seated in the main hall, and no one was left standing.

Gu Ning’an simply picked a random seat and sat down.

There was wine and refreshments on the table, but since he had no interest in the Lustful Ghost’s dance, he simply poured himself a drink and took a sip.

But before the wine could even go down his throat, a voice as soft as the spring breeze whispered behind him—

“Good sir, if you drink flower wine, you must pay for it with silver…”