William Grant heard the woman's words, looked up at the graceful figure under the lamp, and sure enough, under the light, the woman cast a shadow.

　　After hesitating for a moment, William Grant still stepped into the house.

　　Indeed, he could feel that as the woman spoke, her breath carried a fragrant scent—she was a living, breathing person.

　　"Mm, you're not a demon or ghost. Demons and ghosts are formed from formless thoughts. Even if their powers are profound and they can manifest, they're nothing more than a cold, lifeless mass, without the feeling of flesh and blood. You're not a demon or ghost, but you're not an ordinary person either. Then you must be a reclusive sword immortal or wandering hero from the mountains?"

　　William Grant tapped his own brow with his finger.

　　"Oh? You seem to know a lot about demons and ghosts. Scholars are supposed to avoid talking about the supernatural, so you're not an ordinary scholar." The woman looked into William Grant's eyes with a hint of doubt.

　　"That's just those who read dead books. We scholars uphold righteousness, understand the universe, know of demons and ghosts, and reach the divine. That is true investigation of things." Now that he knew the other party wasn't a demon or ghost, William Grant's mind settled and became agile.

　　"Hehe, I came to Xishan today to visit relatives, but I didn't expect to meet such an interesting young man as you." The woman in red muttered to herself, "A scholar, hmm, not bad at all. As it happens, some of my relatives' children need to study, and I want to hire you as a teacher to give them lessons. I wonder if you'd be willing? The pay is ten taels of pure gold per month."

　　"Ten taels of pure gold per month?" William Grant was shocked. In the Great Qian Dynasty, the exchange rate of gold to silver was fifteen to one, so ten taels of pure gold was one hundred and fifty taels of silver a month—a huge sum.

　　In the marquis's residence, William Grant only received four taels of silver as his monthly allowance. Though it was just four taels, one tael of silver could be exchanged for a thousand copper coins, and a single copper coin could buy a large baked bun. One tael of silver was enough to support a small family of three for a month.

　　For example, Charles Grant once gave William Grant calligraphy supplies worth several hundred taels just for a poem, which even surprised Emily Grant, a wealthy young lady from a noble family.

　　"You don't believe me? I can pay you a deposit." The woman smiled, waved her hand, and swept it across the table.

　　Ding dong, ding dong—a row of shiny little gold ingots appeared on the table.

　　William Grant recognized them at a glance. These were gold coins minted by the Great Qian Dynasty, shaped like small cakes, commonly called "gold cakes" among the people, and officially known as "gold coins," each weighing one tael.

　　"The quality of this gold is extraordinary. Only the palace has such coins." After seeing the gold, William Grant was taken aback. The color of these coins was scarlet.

　　Seventy percent gold is greenish, eighty percent is yellow, ninety percent is purple, and only pure gold is scarlet.

　　As the saying goes, "Gold is never pure, and no man is perfect." It means that pure scarlet gold doesn't exist in the world.

　　However, Daoist alchemists can refine it. This scarlet gold, also called "medicinal gold," is an ingredient used in alchemy, made by Daoists refining lead and mercury to make elixirs.

　　This scarlet gold, when minted into coins, is only found in the imperial palace.

　　Usually, it's a reward from the emperor or empress to civil and military officials, or to imperial concubines.

　　"This woman seems mysterious, but in fact, she's a bit careless and has easily revealed her identity. She's someone from the palace, but doesn't look like a palace maid. What is she doing in Xishan so late at night?" After this thought flashed through William Grant's mind, he said, "A gentleman loves wealth, but acquires it properly. If you're willing to pay ten taels of gold a month to hire a teacher, your students must not be easy to teach. Put your money away for now—let's find a time to discuss it further."

　　Although he really wanted the money, today's events were too strange, and William Grant had to be cautious: "Don't covet women, don't covet wealth, and no demon or ghost can harm me."

　　"Of course. Let's go. It's really hard to find a good teacher these days. It's rare to meet a scholar like you—though you're a bit young, you're not afraid of ghosts or demons, which is rare. You're the one." The woman muttered to herself and stood up.

　　"Leave now?" William Grant widened his eyes.

　　"Of course." The woman giggled again. "It's about sixty li from here, but with your walking speed, you wouldn't make it by dawn. Let me take you."

　　"Men and women shouldn't touch, and besides, it's so late. Why don't you come back tomorrow during the day?" William Grant naturally tried his best to refuse. Following a mysterious woman out of an ancient temple in the mountains at night was surely trouble, not fortune.

　　"I'll be gone by dawn. Who cares about men and women not touching? No one will see us." The woman looked up at the sky, a trace of undeniable authority between her brows. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed William Grant's arm, and with a leap, they landed outside the temple courtyard.

　　With that leap, it was as if the ground had shrunk beneath them, covering a distance of twenty ordinary steps in an instant. William Grant felt as if he were riding the clouds and mist.

　　"Ground-shrinking technique?"

　　"What ground-shrinking technique? This is just the 'Soaring Ape Body-Lifting' footwork."

　　The wind howled past his ears, along with the woman's voice. William Grant saw trees flashing by, and it felt as if he were a kite being let loose, wind filling his ears and mouth, unable to open his eyes.

　　"This woman runs faster than a horse." William Grant simply closed his eyes.