"I am Lu An, courtesy name Zizhan, a person from the Jin Sect, currently on my way to the capital for the exams. I happened to pass by here feeling hungry, but I have not a single silver coin. I wonder if the young lady might spare a few buns to alleviate my hunger..."
"A ghost!"
Cheng Caiyun exclaimed, her voice already colored with a hint of sobbing.
In the middle of the night, as she was burning incense paper, a man suddenly appeared beside her asking for food— who wouldn't be scared?
Seeing her reaction, Lu Zizhan quickly explained, "I am a scholar and would not harm the young lady. Please, don't be afraid."
Cheng Caiyun, still not over her fright, clutched the fire tongs, eyeing him as if facing a formidable foe. All she saw was a scholarly gentleman, not yet crowned as an official, looking at her warmly.
"Are you human or a ghost?"
"I'm a scholar on my way to the examination place."
A scholar, a man of letters?