Chapter Twenty-Two

Although I wanted to quietly follow them immediately to see what Xiaoman and the others were doing, this wasn't a place I was familiar with, so I couldn't just jump out of the window.

Baozhu carried Saixue and tiptoed downstairs.

Both of them were nimble little demons, and they didn't make a single step on the rickety staircase.

Before Baozhu could even feel smug, she gently pushed open the door downstairs, and all the people on the street, bundled up in their protective gear, turned to look at her.

Baozhu froze on the spot.

Are these all monsters? Why are they so perceptive?

Not only was it discovered, but people were also slowly walking towards the pearl.

Baozhu quickly closed the door and rushed back to her room upstairs.

Sai Xue stuck her head out and looked downstairs, still shaken, and said, "They're not looking at us anymore, they've all left."

"Since we're new here, we should probably follow the rules."

Baozhu watched as the people disappeared from sight, then carried Saixue back to bed.

"Do you think we should stay?" Sai Xue asked Bao Zhu.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow; we can't leave now."

"That's true."

The two little demons were truly incredibly audacious.

Baozhu transformed back into a fox, curled up into a ball, and rubbed comfortably against Saixue's soft, smooth fur.

A fox and a cat leaned together, forming a circle.

With her head resting on Baozhu's head, Saixue felt a surge of heroic spirit.

"This fox is still not as clever as me," she thought to herself, and smugly hugged the fox head of the pearl and began to lick its fur.

Baozhu lifted her eyelids and glanced at Saixue.

She thought with pity that the raccoon still needed someone to keep it company.

Baozhu stretched her head out, enjoying the cat demon's flattering service with contentment.

Both the one licking the fur and the one being licked were very satisfied.

The next morning, Xiaoman knocked on the door.

Baozhu opened the door refreshed and asked with a smile, "Are you going to show us around Gejiabao?"

After lunch yesterday, Xiaoman went back to her room to do her homework. In the afternoon, Baozhu fell asleep again and didn't get to explore the castle yet.

Xiaoman grinned and said, "Come with me."

He stomped downstairs and led Baozhu and the other two out the door.

“Our Gejiabao has only two streets, one running horizontally and the other vertically.” Xiaoman led Baozhu and the others to an open space in Gejiabao and pointed to the two intersecting streets leading to the four gates.

Standing here, the entire Gejiabao is in sight, making it seem less large.

"There are many narrow paths between the houses."

As the three little demons were talking, people walking on the street smiled and waved to a certain direction.

"May Madam Ge have a good day."

Good day to you too.

Mrs. Ge, carrying a basket, greeted people with a smile from one end of the street to the other.

Upon seeing Madam Ge, Xiaoman immediately pulled Baozhu forward to greet her happily.

"Mrs. Ge!"

"Are you two settling in well?" Madam Ge asked kindly, looking at Baozhu and the others.

"It's alright," Baozhu said with a forced smile.

"Oh, right." Mrs. Ge slapped her forehead, as if she had remembered something, and pulled Xiaoman's arm, "Did you take them to the mutual aid society?"

"Not yet." Xiaoman shook her head.

"There are people here this morning, why don't you take them?"

Xiaoman nodded repeatedly. Madam Ge patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Saixue, and then walked towards another street with her basket.

Baozhu watched Madam Ge's retreating figure and asked Xiaoman, "What does Madam Ge do every day?"

Are you carrying a basket and searching for monsters in the forest?

"She's very busy; she makes all the decisions, big and small, in the fortress."

As Xiaoman spoke, she excitedly quickened her pace and gestured for Baozhu to catch up.

“I’ll take you to the mutual aid society. You must have suffered a lot outside. Come and talk to your brothers and sisters.”

Baozhu, completely bewildered, carried Saixue and followed Xiaoman into a bungalow next to the open space.

There was a narrow, downward staircase in the bungalow. Xiaoman led the way, taking them down the stairs to the underground open space.

This is a huge, spacious lobby with lights on all four walls.

Apart from rows of benches and a raised platform, there was nothing else in the lobby.

However, some people were already sitting on the bench, whispering among themselves.

When Xiaoman approached with the newlyweds, they stopped talking and looked at Baozhu and Saixue.

Xiaoman explained, "These two just arrived in Gejiabao yesterday."

Sitting on the bench were an elderly man, two young girls, and a young man; they were all monsters.

All four monsters smiled at Baozhu in a friendly manner.

Baozhu quickly responded with a forced smile.

Xiaoman led her to the bench, sat down first, and then patted the person next to her to signal Baozhu to sit down as well.

Seeing that everyone was seated, the old man cleared his throat and asked, "Who wants to start today?"

Xiaoman raised her hand high: "I'll go first!"

All the monsters present looked at him.

"When I gained spiritual awareness, I was in a remote mountain village."

When Xiaoman regained consciousness, her first sensation was her mother's licking.

Xiaoman's mother was a blue ox, which was the most important property in the poor farming family. Therefore, when she gave birth to Xiaoman, she received meticulous care.

The green ox was unaware that it had given birth to a monster. Sometimes its child looked like her, and sometimes it didn't. But since their auras were the same, it ignored the rest.

Xiaoman instinctively did not transform into human form in front of mortals.

Only when he followed his mother to a remote mountain where no one lived would he transform into a human and frolic around her neck.

At first, they were herded by the farmer's youngest son, but the youngest son was playful and would always run away and disappear without a trace.

One time, the mother was too lazy to go home, so she took Xiaoman and wandered around the mountains.

The farmers searched all night before finding them.

The mother was scolded, and the herdsman was replaced by the farmer's youngest daughter.

The farmers felt more at ease knowing their daughter was so thoughtful, even though she was only six years old.

The six-year-old daughter is called Xiaomei. She is very thoughtful and always talks a lot with Xiaoman and her son whenever they herd cattle.

She said that Xiaoman was born during the Xiaoman season, so she took it upon herself to name him.

She said she and Xiaoman were best friends.

Because of his younger sister's existence, Xiaoman could no longer secretly transform into human form, but he didn't dislike her. His younger sister gave him a name, and she often hugged him and whispered secrets to him.

Xiaoman lived such carefree days for several years.

Until one day, he woke up to find his little sister gone.

Xiaoman overheard the farmers' conversation and learned that her younger sister had been sold to a wealthy family in the next village to be their daughter-in-law.

From that day on, Xiaoman and her mother's herdsman became the farmer's youngest son again.

Meanwhile, the bull demon Xiaoman developed a new kind of affection for her younger sister six months after she left.

He felt lonely.

Belatedly realizing it, Xiaoman missed her younger sister terribly.

So he took advantage of the night and rushed to the home of a wealthy family in the next village.

He didn't find his younger sister.

It wasn't until the next day that he heard news of his younger sister from a conversation at the wealthy family's house.

My younger sister is dead.

She was too young and thin, her periods were irregular, and she didn't know she was pregnant. One day, she upset her mother-in-law, who beat her severely, causing her to miscarry and die from severe bleeding.

The younger sister was bought with money, and her death doesn't need to be told to her parents. The wealthy family only felt they had lost out.

She spent money, ate food, and died before giving birth.

Xiaoman, who was eavesdropping nearby, felt another kind of emotion. He touched his tearful eyes and felt a pain in his heart.

He wanted to kill the whole family to pay for his younger sister's life.

When he wiped his hands clean and returned to the farmer's house, his mother was gone.

When the farmers saw him return, they didn't take it seriously and laughed as they discussed things in front of him.

Old cows that can no longer work can only be secretly sold to cattle dealers who slaughter cattle privately. Fortunately, the calf she gave birth to is growing fast and is already able to work.

Xiaoman was stunned.

When he found it by following his mother's scent, his mother had already turned into a pile of fragments.

When he returned to the village with red eyes, wanting to avenge his mother, he found the Taoist priests riding in a mule cart, parked in front of a farmer's house.

He turned and ran.

After running for an unknown amount of time, Xiaoman stumbled into a thick fog. When the fog cleared, he saw Madam Ge.

“Madam Ge took me in.” Xiaoman wiped away her tears and choked up. “I often think that mortals are much more complicated than monsters. My little sister is a mortal, my little sister’s family is a mortal, and Madam Ge is a mortal. How can they be so different?”

The monsters sitting on the benches all had tears in their eyes after listening to Xiaoman's sharing.

The two women were clam spirits who had been entangled with the fishermen on the lake for a long time.

The young man was originally a rooster. He fled from Jiangbei Prefecture to this place to escape the Celestial Master.

Although Baozhu and Saixue's eyes were red, they did not share their story with everyone.

The monsters were all kind and did not treat them differently.

Except for that old man—who was a mantis spirit—who asked Sai Xue with some curiosity, "Why doesn't this young friend show himself in human form?"

Baozhu, afraid that Saixue would be unhappy, quickly answered for her, "She thinks the cat's body is beautiful."

"Hmm." The old mantis spirit stroked its long whiskers, somewhat puzzled. "This old thing thought you were a little short in stature, young friend."

Baozhu was about to answer again, but Saixue admitted it herself: "Yes, there is some..."

"This old thing has lived all these years, it certainly has some insight," the old mantis spirit boasted, shaking its head.

Sai Xue blinked and asked softly, "Why am I like this?"

"Some demons are born as demons, while others need to grow and develop. If they are not born with enough, they need to grow and develop. If they do not grow and develop, then they are not enough. This is the way of heaven."

The old mantis spirit looked at Sai Xue with a grin.

Sai Xue paused for a moment, then looked up at Bao Zhu: "Is he cursing at me?"

Baozhu leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "He said you're an idiot."

Sai Xue glared angrily at the old mantis demon, about to retort, but the old mantis demon had already gotten up, whistling a little tune as he left.

Xiaoman quickly calmed down Saixue, who was in a bad mood.

The two little demons then settled down in Gejiabao.

He usually ate free meals from the Ge family and spent his days confiding in others at the mutual aid society.

Baozhu also gave a vague description of her emotional entanglement with Li Zhi to everyone.

When the conversation turned emotional, the little demons hugged each other and burst into tears, then wiped each other's tears.

Xiaoman stroked Saixue's head and sobbed, "The hearts of mortals are as deep as the sea. Sometimes we really don't know what they are thinking. We monsters are simple-minded, how dare we gamble on how they will treat us?"

"What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for each other?"

The two clam spirits cried so hard they almost passed out.

Only the rooster and the old mantis maintained their composure, comforting each other: "It's alright, we live long enough. At worst, we'll get entangled with a few more mortals. We'll get used to it and won't be sad anymore."

Now that we've already shared our secrets and become quite familiar with each other...

One night, Baozhu curled up in bed and slept, while Saixue curled up on top of Baozhu. The two little demons were just dozing off when suddenly Xiaoman's voice came from outside the door.

"You're still awake, aren't you? Come with me to see Madam Ge."

Xiaoman said in a low voice.

Baozhu straightened up, and the snow on her body was swept off the bed.

She mumbled in confusion, "It's so late, why not go during the day?"

"Just come with me," Xiaoman said mysteriously, refusing to say more.

Baozhu came to her senses and remembered that on the night they first arrived at Gejiabao, Xiaoman also went out in the middle of the night. The streets were full of strangely dressed people. Were they looking for Madam Ge?

She scratched her head, picked up Sai Xue, who was sleeping with her eyes rolled back, from under the bed, and shook her for a while.

This cat demon usually doesn't react when it dies.

Baozhu sighed, resignedly hung the cloak around her neck, opened the door, took the large cloak Xiaoman handed her, wrapped it around herself, and walked with him toward the main hall.

Along the way, Baozhu tried to ask questions several times, but Xiaoman shushed her each time.

She had no choice but to swallow her doubts and follow the crowd down the stairs, where she and Xiaoman found a seat in the corner.

The main hall was dimly lit on the four walls, barely enough to be bright enough. Baozhu secretly glanced around, but even the monsters couldn't make out who was under the cloaks; they could only vaguely see their smiles.

Like smiling shadows.

The shadows sat there obediently, and in the vast space, only the occasional sound of clothes rubbing together could be heard.

Baozhu felt Saixue twitch, as if she was about to wake up, so she quickly covered her mouth and whispered shushing her.

Sai Xue looked at her blankly.

Baozhu covered her mouth, lifted her head, spun her around, and then stuffed her into the cloak.

The cat demon obediently snuggled up to the pearl.

At this moment, the already quiet hall became even quieter. Xiaoman gently tugged at Baozhu's sleeve and gestured towards the high platform.

Madam Ge had already taken her place there without anyone noticing.

Just like when Baozhu first met her, she looked at her with a kind and smiling face, and after glancing around the hall, she said softly, "Have you been doing well these past few days?"

"good!"

The crowd responded in unison.

Baozhu was startled and turned to look at Xiaoman beside her with suspicion.

The tall man, with tears streaming down his face, gazed at Mrs. Ge on the stage with reverence.

What is this being done?

Looking around, almost everyone seemed just like Xiaoman, appearing somewhat eccentric and extremely fanatical towards Madam Ge.

Mrs. Ge on the stage was not surprised at all, and greeted the audience members warmly one by one.

"Zhang Hu, is your back feeling any better?"

"I'm much better, thank you for your concern, Madam."

Zhang Hu sat in the front, clutching his chest as if he was about to faint.

Madam Ge came down and smiled as she patted Zhang Hu's head.

Zhang Hu froze, then fell backward with a thud.

But no one paid him any attention. People's eyes burned with desire, hoping that Mrs. Ge would speak to them or reach out and touch them.

People stomping their feet, people raising their hands and shouting, people crying loudly.

All that Baozhu could see were people like this.

Her head began to feel heavy, and something was buzzing in her ears.

Baozhu was swept along by the people around her, almost drowning in it.

Madam Ge walked all the way down and finally arrived at Baozhu's side.

She looked tenderly into Baozhu's eyes and reached out to take Baozhu's hand in hers.

"Good child, don't be sad. From now on, this is your home, and we are all one family."

Her eyes held a mother's tenderness.

Immersed in Madam Ge's eyes, Baozhu unknowingly shed tears.

Madam Ge gently stroked Baozhu's cheek and said with heartache, "You've suffered so much in the past."

Baozhu watched with a wronged expression as Madam Ge left.

She must have been sent by heaven to save me from this hell—

Baozhu's gaze followed Madam Ge as she swept over the fanatical believers, and inadvertently lingered on one of them.

The man's cloak had been ripped off by some excited believer, revealing his head and face in the dim light.

An ordinary face, except for small eyes that, from a distance, appear to be just two slits.

The possessed fervor vanished from Baozhu's mind in an instant, and in a flash, she remembered the man.

In the second half, Madam Ge recited scriptures on stage, while Baozhu sat below feeling extremely uncomfortable.

She had to put on a silly grin while restraining herself from constantly looking at the squinting man.

By the time the show ended, Baozhu was covered in a cold sweat.

Pretending to be crazy, Baozhu returned to her residence. She carefully closed the doors and windows and took Saixue out from under her cloak and placed her on the bed.

Why did you do that?

Fortunately, the cat demon didn't like to appear in human form. She was held tightly in Baozhu's arms and couldn't see anything, only hearing a cacophony of cries all around her.

Baozhu wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, leaned closer to Saixue, and spat out a few words through gritted teeth: "We're in trouble."

Even though she kept her voice down, Baozhu was still worried. She reached out and kept writing words on Saixue's body.

Sai Xue's pupils dilated and then shrank, and her hair stood on end.

"what to do?"

The cat demon spoke in a barely audible voice.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go out and have a look,” Baozhu wrote.

The two little demons sat by the window waiting for the sunrise. When the sun finally rose, Baozhu put Saixue in her bosom and went downstairs.

When they reached the first floor, the old man who lived on the second floor was opening the door with a hoe on his shoulder. Hearing the sound, he turned around and smiled, "You're up early."

Baozhu's heart tightened, and she forced a smile: "It's dawn."

"Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy."

The old man ended the conversation with a smile, humming a little tune as he walked out of the city.

Baozhu quietly followed behind him, enduring the faint gazes from the corner tower, and walked out of Gejiabao.

Outside Gejiabao, industrious farmers are already tending to their crops in the fields, creating a refreshing pastoral scene.

Further away lies a large forest surrounding Gejiabao.

Honestly, I can't see anything wrong with it.

But at this moment, Baozhu, who was on edge, clearly felt that the further she walked, the colder the gaze from the corner tower became.

In the forest, in the shadows where she couldn't see clearly, something was stirring.

Those originally harmless little creatures seem to have changed their nature.

She could only stand by the forest, stretch, and then walk back, shaking her head.

"There's something in the forest, and something on the corner tower; there's no easy way to escape."

"Then what about us?"

"We need to think of a way to call the Taoist Master over."

"Is this the solution a monster would come up with?"

Baozhu didn't think there was anything wrong with asking the Celestial Master to liberate Gejiabao.

She walked around the city wall once, did nothing, and skipped back to her lodgings.

Just then, Xiaoman, her eyes bloodshot, excitedly opened the door and said, "Baozhu, I have a new idea about what I said to Madam Ge. I think..."

That big, silly cow.

Baozhu closed the door in front of him without any expression.

Behind the door, Baozhu paced back and forth in the room, racking her brains for a solution.

Sai Xue was so dizzy from being shaken that she almost fell asleep when Bao Zhu suddenly leaned down and wrote on her body: "You've been in Chen Garden for so long, have you learned how to cast evil curses?"

Sai Xue pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I know a little."

Baozhu smiled slightly, took out a small booklet with a yellow cover from her bosom, tore off a page from the booklet, pointed to the beautiful and neat handwriting on it, and said to Saixue, "Curse her!"

Pei Xuanji, far away in Xiandu Prefecture, has been having a really tough time these past two days, even drinking cold water can cause her problems.

In order to prevent monsters from causing trouble for Li Zhi these past few days, the two celestial masters instructed him to stay in the Pei residence.

Since Li Zhi has already settled in, he can't just stay for nothing. This scholar's brain is smarter than two celestial masters combined.

The day after Zhang He found him in the rain, Li Zhi returned to his original state, as if the lonely ghost in the rain was not him at all.

Therefore, the three of them would often gather together to discuss the case, completely forgetting the rules and regulations of the Strange Man Temple.

They have been discussing Liu Xueyu in recent days.

Liu Xueyu died in prison a few days ago. Her death was suspicious, and she left no explanation before she died.

He had no choice but to die in the prison of the Temple of Strange People.

Even without Li Zhi saying anything, both Celestial Masters had their doubts.

Because of this, Pei Xuanji planned to go to Chen Garden again yesterday to look for clues. However, as soon as she stepped out the door, she tripped over her own feet and fell flat on her face.

She fell so hard that she saw stars and could barely get up.

It was Zhang He who managed to pull her up from the ground.

As the Heavenly Master said, since going out is considered unlucky, it's best not to go out.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, Pei Xuanji retreated to her study to organize her case files.

She couldn't think clearly on her own, so she called Li Zhi and Zhang He over to discuss it together.

Then he ordered the servants to serve tea.

The servant, carrying a tea tray, had just stepped into the study when he tripped over his own feet and fell forward, spilling a whole pot of tea directly onto Pei Xuanji's head.

The two people sitting opposite her, Li and Zhang, didn't get a single hair wet.

Pei Xuanji wiped her face, took a deep breath, and waved her hand expressionlessly.

The pale-faced servant picked up the still intact tea set from the ground and left.

"Xiao Pei, I observed the celestial phenomena last night, and it's not advisable for you to push yourself too hard lately. You should take a break," Zhang He said meekly, looking at Pei Xuanji's expression.

Pei Xuanji said in a deep voice, "It's alright!"

Having said that, she got up to retrieve the old case files she had obtained from the Yiren Temple in Xiandu Prefecture.

The moment Pei Xuanji held the old case file in her hand, for some reason, her hand trembled, and the file flew all over the study like a shower of petals.

Zhang He knew he was in trouble and used a spell to collect all the pages of the book into his hand.

"Senior, you're right. Let's discuss it again tomorrow."

With her back to Zhang He, Pei Xuanji's lips trembled as she spoke.

"Yes, I'll take my leave now."

Zhang He spoke glibly, then exchanged a glance with Li Zhi and left the study.

After the two left, Pei Xuanji looked around suspiciously, and finally decided to go to bed early.

"She must be too tired," she murmured.

The next morning, Pei Xuanji felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on her chest.

The pressure jolted her awake from her dream.

In the dim light, she saw a half-grown pig standing on her chest, grunting.

Why are there pigs in the house?

Why is the pig standing on her chest?

Pei Xuanji struggled to shoo the pig off the bed and looked up at the huge hole in the roof.

"I must be under a curse," she murmured.

Although it is said that men should not enter a woman's boudoir, the case of the flying pig from outer space is indeed special.

Zhang He and his maidservant herded the pig out of the room, while Zhang He talked to Li Zhi, who was standing outside, asking, "What's wrong with this pig?"

"Last night, a strong wind blew up a family's pigsty, and it landed right there..."

Li Zhi's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

Zhang He was also speechless.

Pei Xuanji stood in the garden, holding a compass in one hand and a bladeless sword in the other, taking square steps while muttering incantations.

A moment later, a yellow piece of paper appeared out of thin air, with jagged edges, as if it had been torn off.

Pei Xuanji dropped the compass, exclaimed "Ha!", and caught it with her hand.

Upon seeing this piece of paper, Li Zhi, who was watching from the sidelines, suddenly changed his expression.

"This is a calligraphy copybook I wrote, and someone actually used it to curse me." Pei Xuanqi raised his eyebrows high.

The paper had two pages. She flipped it to the back and carefully deciphered the few crooked words on it, reading aloud: "Gejiabao, an empty-bellied corpse..."

Before he could finish reading, Li Zhi snatched the yellow paper away.

"Master Pei, a clue has arrived."

Li Zhi said in a low voice.