Chapter Thirty-One

Baozhu only slowly woke up when the servants brought breakfast and made a commotion.

Li Zhi took the food box from the courtyard gate, carried it into the house, and smiled at Baozhu, saying, "It's better to wake up at the right time than to wake up early."

Baozhu's nose twitched slightly; she had already smelled the aroma of food. She didn't say anything, but her stomach began to rumble obediently.

Li Zhi pretended not to hear, turned his back to her, opened the food box, and said, "Today there's steamed chicken with some sesame soy sauce on top, thick millet porridge that looks just right, and also goose breast..."

Before he could finish speaking, Baozhu, already craving more, interrupted, "I want to eat them all, hurry up!"

Li Zhi was just teasing her. Hearing this, he took the food box and went to the bedside, feeding Baozhu spoonful by spoonful. After she finished eating, he took a towel and carefully wiped Baozhu's fur, then took a comb and combed all the fur on her body.

Baozhu lay limply on the bed, and wherever Li Zhi's comb went, she would obediently stretch out her claws and turn over.

At first, Baozhu felt a little embarrassed by Li Zhi's care for her, but after a few days, she completely forgot about it.

She was just regretting that she hadn't known about this kind of fun in her previous life!

The fox spirit girl comfortably squinted her eyes.

After Li Zhi finished doing all this, he said apologetically to Baozhu, "I have to go out today and will be back late."

Before he finished speaking, Baozhu immediately became dejected and grumbled, "Don't stay up too late."

"nature."

Li Zhi reached out and loosened Baozhu's muscles and bones, asking with concern, "How are you today compared to yesterday? Does it still hurt as much?"

Naturally, things are getting better day by day. Today, Baozhu felt that it wouldn't be impossible for her to get out of bed and walk around if she had to.

But why should she bother? Baozhu enjoyed Li Zhi's service, but secretly she had her own plans. She replied perfunctorily, "It seems to be better, but it still hurts."

Li Zhi first frowned, then his eyes inadvertently swept over Baozhu's tail, which was swaying contentedly and unable to contain itself.

—Only the body hurts, not the tail, right?

He was temporarily relieved and reassured her, "She'll be fine after a few more days of rest, no rush."

After saying that, perhaps because he had developed a habit over the years, Li Zhi naturally reached out and touched Baozhu's head.

"I'm leaving."

Li Zhi walked out of his own courtyard and turned towards Zhang He's courtyard.

"Master Zhang," Li Zhi knocked on the door and said.

Zhang He immediately responded from inside the courtyard, "Coming."

His footsteps came from behind the courtyard gate. A moment later, Zhang He, dressed neatly, came out and closed the door behind him.

“Let’s go. You’re going to find Xiao Pei and ask her to introduce you, right?” Zhang He said with a smile.

As he spoke, he pulled Li Zhi along and headed towards Pei Xuanji's courtyard.

Zhang He looks to be only in his early twenties, but he is mature and shrewd, without any of the sharpness of a young man. It seems that he can easily get through any difficulty with a joke and a grin.

Li Zhi had always had some doubts about him, and seeing that he was willing to apologize for his previous offense, he asked, "Master Zhang, may I ask your age?"

"I'm thirty-six."

Zhang He casually uttered a statement that could cause great alarm, and then looked at Li Zhi's expression with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

To everyone's surprise, Li Zhi was not particularly surprised; he simply showed an expression of "I knew it."

This reaction surprised Zhang He. He asked in astonishment, "Don't I look like I'm in my early twenties? Why aren't you surprised?"

Li Zhi smiled slightly: "What does Master Zhang think?"

"Are you saying that because you think I don't look that young, or do you already know my age and aren't surprised?"

Zhang He, unwilling to give up, pondered Li Zhi's thoughts and resolved to surprise him today. He said mysteriously to him, "Guess how old Ji Ren is."

Li Zhi hesitated for a moment, then cautiously replied, "I don't know."

Zhang He immediately became pleased.

“That old man Ji Ren never tells anyone his age,” Zhang He said in a low voice, afraid that the servants in the Ji residence would hear him. “Actually, I’ve heard a rumor that he’s over seventy years old.”

Even in his seventies, he was still vigorous and capable, capable of single-handedly defeating two monsters in public, and bringing one beautiful wife after another into the family.

As far as Zhang He knew, the original purpose of the Ji residence where they were currently staying was quite suspicious. Each of the small courtyards was exquisitely and charmingly decorated, so it couldn't have originally been prepared for guests.

Thinking this, Zhang He's mind wandered, and he kept winking at Li Zhi, when he unexpectedly bumped into Pei Xuanji.

"Senior, Young Master Li." Pei Xuanji was already dressed neatly, her Celestial Master uniform was washed and polished, and her hair was combed neatly.

His round face was filled with murderous intent, as if he were about to go out and eat people.

"What is this?" Zhang He asked doubtfully.

“Ji Ren sent someone over early this morning to tell me that he had some good news to tell me and that I should come over immediately.” Pei Xuanji’s eyes were dark, which suggested that she had been studying late into the night and had been woken up early this morning.

Anyone would be in a bad mood in this situation.

Pei Xuanji gritted her teeth and said, "I'm going to go and see what the good news is."

They then prepared to set off.

Halfway there, he suddenly turned back and asked in confusion, "Did you come here looking for me?"

Zhang He asked curiously, "Didn't you boast yesterday that you would introduce Young Master Li to the Temple of Strange People?"

Pei Xuanji suddenly realized, and rubbed her hands together embarrassedly, saying, "I almost forgot, Young Master Li, I'm so sorry, shall we go together?"

"Then I'll have to trouble Master Pei," Li Zhi nodded.

Since Li Zhi and Pei Xuanji were both going, Zhang He was bored staying alone at the Ji residence, so he volunteered to be Li Zhi's coachman.

The three of them, driving a carriage and riding horses, headed in a grand procession towards the Yiren Temple's government office.

Upon arriving at their destination, Pei Xuanji went ahead to find Ji Ren, while Zhang He and Li Zhi waited for the time being.

Waiting is boring too.

The two then handed the carriage over to the servants and discussed taking a stroll on the street not far from the front gate of the Yiren Temple.

The last time they came to Jiangbei Prefecture to borrow troops, they did not stay in the city for long. These days, fearing that Ji Ren would summon them, they have been staying in Ji's residence every day. By calculation, they have been in Jiangbei Prefecture for almost ten days and have never gone out into the streets.

Although the street in front of the Yiren Temple government office was not particularly eye-catching, it was bustling with pedestrians.

Looking at the vendors wearing straw hats and hoods under the scorching sun, Zhang He saw them wiping large beads of sweat from their foreheads while haggling with customers who also carried sun protection tools over needles and thread. He couldn't help but turn to Li Zhi and sigh, "With the sun so scorching, it's really not easy to make a living. I wonder what's wrong with the weather in Jiangbei Prefecture."

Li Zhi remained silent, watching the street vendors in silence.

The street they were on seemed to be a spontaneous little market, with vendors pushing carts and carrying baskets on their backs doing business. Further away was the proper street with shops facing the street.

The street looked much quieter, with only a few shops open and passersby hurrying by, few going into the shops.

Zhang He shaded his eyes with his hand, looked at the street over there, and said in surprise, "Why is business so much worse over there?"

“Take a closer look at what’s being sold at the stall,” Li Zhi said.

Zhang He carefully examined the goods being sold by the vendors and found that they were all palm-leaf fans, bamboo hats, and herbs to cool off in the summer—practical items appropriate for the season.

They are crudely made, but inexpensive; you can buy one for just a few coins.

"I imagine that even the most tolerant people can't stand the continuous drought and heat, and will have to buy some cooling items," Zhang He murmured.

"Not only that," Li Zhi frowned, looking around at the vendors, "this kind of small market is meant to make things convenient for the local residents. If you look closely, you won't see any vegetables or snacks being sold here."

Jiangbei Prefecture was a prosperous prefecture in the Central Plains. The people living in the city had always been accustomed to spending money. Buying water, vegetables and wine only cost a few or ten coins, and few were reluctant to spend such a small amount of money.

But now, due to the drought and heat, the vegetable vendors outside the city can no longer grow vegetables, and even if people want to spend money to buy some food, they have nowhere to buy it.

The market is bustling with activity.

But the vendors and customers alike wore expressions of deep sorrow.

They lived in the city, and the officials didn't neglect them. There was still some water in the deepest well in the city, and they could also get a little water transported back from afar every day. They also had some food stored at home.

But the food was being consumed day by day, and it still didn't rain.

When will we run out of food? When will the officials stop bringing water from afar?

It was too hot and too dry. The people's nasal passages were extremely dry, and every breath stung their tense nerves.

Zhang He and Li Zhi frowned as they looked at everything before them.

In the market, there was an old man with a face full of wrinkles and a hunched back, who wanted to buy a palm-leaf fan from a vendor.

"I only have four coins left, so sell it to me for four coins." The old man's sweat dripped onto the vendor's palm-leaf fan, leaving a dark spot.

In just a moment, that tiny amount of water from the body evaporates and disappears.

The vendor's eyelids twitched. He roughly pulled the palm-leaf fan toward himself and shouted, "You still want to haggle when it's already so cheap? How about I just give it to you, old man? It's a small business. I need the money to buy food to feed my kids!"

The old man seemed not to hear, and eagerly reached out to pull at the vendor's palm-leaf fan, repeatedly stuffing the four damp copper coins he was clutching into the vendor's hand.

"Buy it for me, my child is hot and cries every night, can't sleep."

Suddenly enraged, the vendor rushed out from behind his cart, shoved the old man hard in the chest, and snarled, "Isn't my child hot? How can my child sleep? My child is starving! I'm going to exchange the money to buy him food, didn't you hear me?"

The old man, who had been pushed to the ground, burst into tears. The last bit of water in his body dripped from the corner of his eye, fell into the dust on the ground, and disappeared instantly.

Seeing this, the vendor's rational thought seemed to snap.

He became enraged, clenching his fist and preparing to smash it down on the old man's head. He wailed, "Why are you crying? There's no water left, why are you still crying?"

Li Zhi and the others were standing nearby.

Seeing this, Zhang He quickly went up and pulled the vendor away.

Li Zhi helped the old man up from the ground.

“It’s a small matter, why did you have to resort to violence?” Zhang He warned the vendor. “We’re all neighbors, let’s make money peacefully.”

"Harmony brings wealth; even when people are dying, they can still make money."

Zhang He was incredibly strong. He grabbed the vendor's arm, making him unable to move as if he were being clamped in an iron clamp. This calmed him down, and the vendor spoke ominously to Zhang He in a desolate tone.

The old man whom Li Zhi had helped up wiped his eyes, gripped the copper coin tightly in his hand, broke free from Li Zhi's grasp, and walked away shakily.

Apart from Li Zhi and Zhang He, no one else in the market watched this farce unfold, nor did anyone try to mediate.

There were many people walking around, carrying a few coins, and routinely haggling with the vendors. Their lips were chapped and their skin was dry, as if they were alive, yet also as if they were half dead.

As Li Zhi watched the old man who wanted to buy a palm-leaf fan disappear into the distance, he looked around and finally found two constables staring blankly in the only shady spot in the market.

Their complexions were slightly better than those of the people in the market, but not by much.

Li Zhi stepped forward and asked, "Does this kind of thing often happen in the market?"

The two constables seemed to have just woken up, and turned to look at Li Zhi in unison, saying numbly, "It's hot, so everyone's temper is a bit worse. That's perfectly normal."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.

Zhang He watched from afar, frowning, and said, "I'm a bit naive. But the city is in such a state, why don't the officials do more? Shouldn't the imperial court come to provide disaster relief?"

“Even if they come, what can they do?” Li Zhi asked.

“Jiangbei Prefecture is suffering from a severe drought, but the surrounding provincial capitals are doing well. Water and grain are being transported here every day, and the prefecture is opening its granaries to provide relief. At least the people are not starving or dying of thirst,” Zhang He replied.

“Even if grain and water are transported every day, how much actually reaches the people?” Li Zhi looked expressionlessly at the numb pain on the faces of those around him. “Master Zhang, we can bathe every day in the Ji residence. I suppose the amount of water transported to Jiangbei Prefecture is not as little as you think.”

Zhang He's remaining words stuck in his throat.

After a long while, he murmured, "I have devoted myself to strange tales all these years and thought I was worldly-wise, but my understanding of worldly affairs is actually not as good as Li Zhi's."

Whether they went out today because of the natural disaster or not, Li Zhi and Zhang He strolled around for a while. They figured that Ji Ren had finished instructing Pei Xuanji, so they turned around and headed back.

They happened to bump into Pei Xuanji, who was walking out of the yamen with a strange expression on her face.

"Little Pei, what business does Commander Ji have with you?" Zhang He asked.

Pei Xuanji pursed her lips and asked doubtfully, "Perhaps it's a good thing."

But it wasn't convenient to talk about it at the entrance of the Yiren Temple, so the three of them turned to another street next to the temple and barely found a shady spot. Zhang He looked around and, seeing no one passing by, asked Pei Xuanji, "What exactly is going on?"

"Ji Ren is going to be promoted."

"Transferred to Xiandu Prefecture?"

"No, promote him on the spot, from deputy general manager to general manager."

Upon hearing this, both Li Zhi and Zhang He were somewhat taken aback.

“You said before that the original commander of Jiangbei Prefecture was younger than Ji Ren and was in his prime. How could Ji Ren have taken his place?” Zhang He asked curiously.

“So the original chief commander was transferred to Xiandu Prefecture. It is said that the original chief commander of Xiandu Prefecture was getting old and was about to retire, so he was transferred there, still in the position of chief commander.” Pei Xuanji explained while frowning. “Ji Ren said that these transfers are normal job transfers. The Yiren Temple is a monolithic entity, very clean. There is no mole. I was just being paranoid.”

"It seems that Ji Renzhen recognized the identity of the person who left Gejiabao and used this information to obtain the benefits he wanted," Zhang He concluded.

“And I haven’t offended any colleagues I might have offended,” Li Zhi said.

Pei Xuanji sighed and said hesitantly, "This is good news for Ji Ren, but it also involves me."

Li Zhi and Zhang He both looked at her.

“Ji Ren said…” Pei Xuanji hesitated to speak, “He praised me for my merits, and since that’s the case, the higher-ups thought I should be rewarded. They said they would officially transfer me from Qiling County to Jiangbei Prefecture.”

Zhang He smiled and said, "Being transferred from the county to the prefectural city is indeed a great thing."

Pei Xuanji lifted her eyelids to glance at him, then turned to look at Li Zhi, and said vaguely, "But I always feel that this is hush money from Ji Ren, who wants me to stop talking about the mole everywhere, and also wants to keep an eye on me to prevent me from doing anything else."

Li Zhi nodded: "Not bad."

"So, do you think I should say yes to him?" Pei Xuanji was extremely conflicted.

She had been through thick and thin with Zhang He and Li Zhi, and although she didn't say it, she already considered them friends.

At this moment, Pei Xuanji looked at the faces of her two friends, hoping that someone could help her make a decision.

"Well, you'll have to think this through yourself," Zhang He said.

His expression was very serious, and his words carried the air of an elder: "You have to walk your own path; no one else can make the choice for you."

Pei Xuanji sighed sadly.

Then, as if remembering something, she looked at Li Zhi and said, "Young Master Li, I've already asked around for you. Because of the disaster in Jiangbei Prefecture, the selection of the Celestial Master has been simplified. All that's needed is a school exam."

As she spoke, she took out a somewhat worn book and handed it to Li Zhi, saying, "This is the Treatise on Heaven compiled by the Temple of Strange People. I used this book when I entered the school for examination. I borrowed another copy for you."

"I have already registered your name. The entrance exam will be held in three days. You should go back and check it out."

Looking at the old thread-bound book, Zhang He said nostalgically, "My sect teaches quite differently from the Yiren Temple. I had to put in a lot of effort when I took the entrance exam back then."

Li Zhi did not speak, but took the Lun Tian Ce in his hand and flipped through it as he walked.

I originally thought that it would take a lot of effort to get into the Yiren Temple entrance exam, but I never expected that it was just a casual mention from Pei Xuanji that led to Li Zhi's name being submitted.

Having connections in high places makes things much easier.

Having completed all their business, the three rode their horses and boarded their carriages to return home.

“It’s easy to get things done if you have connections in the court.” Zhang He, driving the carriage, turned back to Li Zhi and sighed, “Although it’s rare for ordinary people to have such talent, and the entrance exams for the Temple of Extraordinary People have always been lenient, it was never this easy for me back then.”

Li Zhi gave a perfunctory "hmm" and focused intently on studying the book on celestial strategies in his hands.

Zhang He was about to say something when a figure suddenly appeared in front of the carriage. Startled, he yanked the reins.

The horse neighed and raised its front hooves high.

Zhang He was also quite frightened.

He clutched his chest and looked down, only to see a thin, dark-skinned boy lying motionless in front of the carriage, seemingly unconscious.

"That shouldn't be! I clearly stopped just now." Saying this, Zhang He hurriedly jumped down from the carriage and bent down to check on the child's condition.

The child's face was covered in soot from who-knows-where, and at first glance, it looked as if even his facial features were smeared with coal dust. There was an ugly scar running from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth. His hair was shaved in a pitted pattern, and his thin arms looked like they could be snapped off with a pinch.

He looked exactly like a little beggar.

Pei Xuanji also turned her horse around, about to come over, when the little beggar who seemed to be dead on the ground suddenly sprang up, dodged Zhang He's subconsciously outstretched hand, and darted into the alley next to her.