Chapter Seventy-Two

Baozhu encountered three powerful demons on her way here.

The first is Jin Lin, the uncrowned king of Lanjiang. His lair stands atop a high mountain, where he and his demon subordinates manage and protect the most dangerous section of the Lanjiang River. Mortals are grateful to him, demons respect him, and the Yiren Temple cooperates with him both openly and secretly.

He allowed monsters to come down to the mortal realm and do business with ordinary people. In his Lanjiang River, mortals and monsters lived together in a strange and peaceful way.

The second is Granny Rat, the guardian of the monsters in the capital, who lives in the millet garden on the outskirts of the capital.

Almost every monster who wanted to stay in the capital had troubled Granny Rat to some extent. She tried her best to navigate between the Strange People's Temple, the imperial court, and the monsters, striving to ensure that the clumsy little monsters could also live the life they wanted.

She had put a lot of effort into this. Baozhu knew that because she was worried that the little demons would run into trouble and not be able to find her, Granny Rat rarely left the millet garden. She had not left the capital for more than a hundred years.

The third is the former demon king of the north, Shan Jun, who spent her life pursuing freedom.

The Mountain Lord once led the demons in open battles against mortals and infiltrated them to fight them covertly. Over thousands of years, he attempted to use his power to overturn the world constructed by mortals and create a new world in which the demons held the power of discourse.

But the mountain king never succeeded.

The powerful tiger demon made a desperate gamble, struggling in the mortal world for a thousand years, only to end up hiding in the mountains and dying alone.

These great demons were all stronger than the precious pearl, and each of them fought painfully and alone for their kin.

But they shouldn't be this lonely.

Last night at midnight, the precious pearl appeared in the mountain king's cave.

She saw the mountain king transformed into a giant insect, sitting dignifiedly, staring blankly with lifeless eyes.

Baozhu stared at her for a long time, but the mountain king did not come to his senses until she called her softly, which finally woke the old tiger demon.

The mountain king looked at the precious pearl with a sudden realization and laughed foolishly, "Now I can't even sense your arrival. It seems I'm really about to die. What a waste of all this power. Do you still want it?"

Baozhu shook her head: "I have already received so much care from you."

The mountain lord said "Oh," and then asked in a daze, "The little half-demon seems to have disappeared. Do you know where he went?"

“He’s with me, Lord Mountain Lord, don’t worry.” Baozhu stepped forward, transformed into a fox, and bowed to the majestic tiger. “I’ve come here to ask you something.”

The mountain king tilted his head and said, "You tell me."

"Before leaving this world, do you want to make one last attempt?"

"Try...try what?"

Baozhu raised her head, her azure eyes shining brightly in the dim cave.

“Try to create a new world, a world where our fellow citizens can walk in the sunlight without any concealment,” she whispered.

The mountain king's eyes widened.

Her eyes became vacant, as if she were looking back to a long, long time ago, to the days when she fought bloody battles and suffered painful defeats.

After a long while, the mountain king blinked and looked at the precious pearl in front of him.

"I once said that I would never have any ideals or ambitions again." The elderly tiger demon lowered his head and said indistinctly, "Actually, it was all a lie. I was just afraid of losing."

Baozhu listened in silence.

The mountain king laughed and said, "I am no longer able to do it, but you are still young. If you have a way, feel free to try. I will give you my life."

After the tiger demon finished speaking, he lowered his head toward the precious pearl.

She rested her forehead against Baozhu's, the tiger and the fox leaning on each other quietly.

“Lead us,” the mountain king whispered.

Baozhu agreed.

Then, Baozhu carried the unconscious Shan Jun on her back and traveled a hundred miles to reach the millet garden.

The big rat guarding the gate had already gone to sleep. Hearing Baozhu's request to see him, it woke up groggily. Before it even opened its eyes, it anxiously asked, "Has something terrible happened? Don't worry, Grandma is here."

Baozhu felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, "It is something important, but it doesn't seem to be a bad thing. Please take me to see my mother-in-law."

It was so late, but Granny Mouse was still awake. She was sitting in her study, dressed in her everyday clothes, lost in thought. When she saw the big mouse leading the pearl over, she exclaimed in surprise, "What's going on?"

Before Baozhu could speak, Granny Mouse's gaze fell on the mountain king on her back.

"This isn't..." Granny Mouse stood up and walked towards Treasure Pearl and Mountain Lord, "...Lord Mountain Lord!"

Granny Mouse's voice trembled as she extended a finger and gently poked the Mountain Lord, sighing, "The Mountain Lord is still alive."

Baozhu forced a smile, her expression somber, and said, "Lord Shanjun is about to die."

"Such a powerful demon, and she's lived for so long," Granny Rat said, her eyes moist as she looked at the Mountain Lord. "She's reached the age of old age."

“Grandma, there’s something I want to discuss with you,” Baozhu interrupted Grandma Rat’s reminiscence.

Granny Mouse paused, then asked suspiciously, "What is it? Is it related to Lord Mountain Lord?"

Baozhu shook her head and told Granny Mouse her thoughts.

After hearing this, Granny Mouse let out a long sigh.

She gazed at Baozhu and hesitated, saying, "Baozhu, mortals are the most fickle. What if this emperor makes a vow with us and uses a demon to eliminate Rong Qi, but his descendants change and try every means to break the vow? What should we do then?"

Baozhu smiled and said, "If we have a chance to appear in the sunlight and pass on the stories of the monsters from generation to generation, we will take root. At that time, no one will be able to easily drive us back to the mountains."

“Grandma, once we start, our fellow countrymen will continue the work.”

It was already so late at night, but Baozhu looked very energetic. She was vividly describing her vision of the future, which made Granny Mouse's eyes crinkle with delight.

Grandma Mouse chuckled wistfully, "I'm old now, and I no longer have your adventurous spirit. All I can think about is how to ease tensions with mortals and remind my fellow humans to be extremely cautious..."

“Grandma Rat…” Baozhu’s voice lowered.

"However," Granny Mouse smiled with satisfaction, tiptoeing to pat Baozhu's head, "if I can accomplish such a great thing before I die, then all my hard work throughout my life will not have been in vain."

Grandma Mouse's hands were very warm, and Baozhu felt a surge of emotion.

Just as she was about to speak, Granny Mouse turned around and went back to her desk, taking out paper and pen to write something.

The old lady squinted her eyes and said as she wrote, "If Jinlin is not involved in such an important matter, he will definitely complain that I didn't tell him. I will write to him now."

Thinking of this, Baozhu felt a surge of emotion and took a deep breath.

As she waited for Sun San's answer, the events of the previous night flashed through Baozhu's mind again. She released Sun San's arm and pressed the silent man, "Have you thought it through?"

Sun San arrived here without any guards, having evaded all those he knew who were watching. They didn't have much time left.

Baozhu's words sounded quite far-fetched at first glance, but after thinking about it carefully, Sun San felt that they were indeed somewhat feasible.

He knew that there were many monsters mixed among mortals in this world. It was said that in the most popular clothing shop in the capital, Longfeng Pavilion, there was a monster working as the master craftswoman. Because of her excellent skills, everyone turned a blind eye and rushed to buy the clothes she made. Even Sun San himself had several everyday clothes made by that master craftswoman.

Sun San once overheard his attendant jokingly telling him that in the vegetable market street, there seemed to be monsters running butcher shops among mortals. The meat sold in those shops was of excellent quality. The attendant laughed and said that as long as the shop opened for half an hour each day, the meat would be snapped up by the people of the city.

In a flash, Sun San looked down at the audacious little monster before him and said in a deep voice, "I am the ruler of the world, but the world is not ruled by me alone. I can pave a path for you, but whether you can walk down this path depends on yourselves."

Baozhu's shoulders slumped, and she quietly breathed a sigh of relief, emphasizing, "But your Sun family must do your utmost."

Sun Sanmu said with a stern face, "Since a vow has been made, both parties are naturally bound by it. Otherwise, why would that person..."

He took a deep breath, averted his gaze from Hui, and said with a bitter smile, "...He harmed my Xian Hui by trying to confuse the royal bloodline and bypass the checks and balances of the oath."

“I’m afraid it’s more than that,” Baozhu said.

She recounted Li Zhi's discovery from the previous day, coldly saying, "Ruan Tianzheng painstakingly taught him, devising ways to suppress the demonic bloodline within him, treating him as a son-in-law, yet he turned around and bit his adoptive father, ruining Ruan Tianzheng's reputation. What's the reason for this? He's just a born scoundrel who loves to watch mortals suffer."

After saying this, Baozhu recalled the twenty years of extreme sorrow that Sun San and Pei Xianhui experienced in their previous life. At that time, Sun San regarded Rong Qi as a friend, and perhaps when he was overwhelmed by pain, he had carefully confided in Rong Qi.

At that time, Rong Qi witnessed the tragedy he had created and heard the person involved pour out their suffering. Was he extremely happy? Did he laugh heartily in the dark?

Thinking of this, Baozhu felt a churning in her stomach and almost vomited.

Looking at Sun San again, his face paled even more, clearly having also thought of this. It was unknown how much he had told Rong Qi. This tall man looked somewhat shaky.

Pei Xuanji, who was standing to the side, was heartbroken. She interrupted Sun San's thoughts with a choked voice and said, "Brother-in-law, now that you have made an agreement with Baozhu, when should we make our move?"

Sun San turned to look at Pei Xuanji in a daze and murmured, "He wrote to me that he would attend this Anmin Festival."

Having been trained as a lowly soldier by General Pei since childhood, Sun San was no weak emperor. As he spoke, he forcibly suppressed his expression and said woodenly, "During the ceremony, he will sit alone in the carriage without any attendants. The Celestial Masters of the Strange People's Temple will also disperse to patrol various places as previously arranged. As long as they are in the capital, their location will be known."

The more he spoke, the more sinister his tone became: "After the carriage leaves the capital, most of the Celestial Masters will remain in the capital until they reach the Imperial Temple. This area is convenient for ambushes. If we are to make a move, we will do so here!"

Baozhu asked, "When is the Anmin Festival?"

"September 29th." Sun San lowered his eyes, concealing his emotions. "Six days later."

“Alright. Rong Qi’s death will be in six days,” Baozhu said in a low voice.

After agreeing on a time to take action, Baozhu and Sun San also agreed on when to make a vow. Sun San then left in a hurry, just as he had come.

At this moment, only Baozhu and the other two remained in the room. Pei Xuanji did not look at Hui, but sighed and said, "Take him back."

Baozhu nodded, but after taking a step, she turned back and asked, "Will you tell Zhang He about this?"

Pei Xuanji said blankly, "At this point, we are all risking our lives, so why drag our seniors down with us?"

Baozhu didn't speak. She thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "But we've been through thick and thin together to get here. Are we really going to keep this from him now?"

Pei Xuanji did not answer again, but silently left the restaurant with Baozhu and Hui.

This time, Baozhu did not go to her and Li Zhi's home, but instead led Hui towards the millet garden outside the city.

She still needs to discuss the oath with the great demons, and will probably stay in the millet garden until September 29th.

Little Hui hadn't slept much last night, and had just listened to something on edge for a long time. Now she was finally tired, and her eyelids were drooping as she walked.

Seeing this, Baozhu simply carried him in her arms and continued on their way. However, when they were halfway there, a sudden downpour began.

It was already autumn, and in the capital, it rarely rained after autumn arrived. Caught off guard, Baozhu grabbed Hui and ran wildly.

As she ran, her heart pounded.

Can they really do it? Will everything really go smoothly on September 29th?

The rain in Beijing came at a very untimely time.

With the Anmin Festival approaching, Pei Jiangping was on his way to attend a meeting convened by his superiors when he was caught in a downpour.

She looked up at the gray sky, feeling extremely irritated.

Although talismans can ward off water, there will always be some water splashing onto the files and clothes from who-knows-where.

Pei Jiangping thought for a moment, then turned to Li Zhi, who was writing something at his desk, and said, "Why don't you go in my place this time?"

Li Zhi looked up from the pile of papers, stunned, and said, "Protector Pei, I'm afraid my rank isn't high enough..."

"Give me a few more years of experience, and I'll recommend you to be a protector." Pei Jiangping said nonchalantly. "Then you're a prospective protector now. Protector Li, go to the meeting for me."

Li Zhi was both amused and exasperated. He really couldn't go now. This was a critical moment, and if he ran into Yun Rufeng, it would be a huge problem.

He almost bumped into Yun Rufeng in the yamen, which already made Li Zhi somewhat terrified.

Although Pei Jiangping later told her that Yun Rufeng would not step into the yamen for several years at a time, he came to find her specifically to explain the words that Protector Pei of Tiger Roar Mountain had said.

Because of this incident, he carefully concealed his appearance whenever he entered or left the government office, and prepared to ask Pei Jiangping for leave after today, staying at home cautiously these days.

Seeing that Li Zhi remained silent, Pei Jiangping realized he had been making things difficult for him, and scratched his head, saying, "Alright, alright, take these files and come with me to..."

As she was speaking, she suddenly stopped and looked behind Li Zhi.

Li Zhi felt a chill run down his spine.

Then, an annoying teenage voice entered his ears.

"Protector Pei, shall we go together?" Yun Rufeng said to Pei Jiangping with a smile.

Without waiting for Pei Jiangping's reply, he reached out and patted Li Zhi's shoulder, saying in a light tone, "When I thought about it last time, I still felt that you looked very familiar. We've met before, haven't we?"

It seemed there was no way to avoid this calamity, so Li Zhi could only go with the flow. He sighed inwardly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Meeting Pei Jiangping's suspicious gaze, Li Zhi turned around and smiled at Yun Rufeng with ease: "Last time we didn't recognize each other because I was afraid that Protector Yun might forget things, and I was worried that it would be too abrupt for me to step forward rashly."

The two young men, neither of whom were more than twenty years old, wore polite smiles and exchanged cryptic remarks with the bewildered Protector Pei.