Chapter Sixty-Three
Baozhu was deeply moved by Lord Shanjun's words. As demons, they were born to live alone and always went their own way. She had lived two lives and had never heard of learning from any great demon. Now, she had accidentally met Lord Shanjun, who was about to die. It was a rare and wonderful encounter, and she was determined to seize it.
There was only one thing that Baozhu worried about: if she didn't return for a long time, Li Zhi, who knew nothing about it, would return to the fear he felt in his previous life, thinking he had been abandoned.
Baozhu didn't want him to feel even a little bit sad anymore.
So she solemnly asked Lord Sangun again, "My lord, I will not leave, but please allow me to send a letter out, okay?"
The mountain lord looked confused, tilted his head and smiled, "When did I stop you?"
Her memory has gotten worse again; she doesn't remember what happened just now.
Baozhu was both amused and exasperated, fearing that Lord Shanjun might forget what she had said again. She hurriedly wrote down the serendipitous encounter she had made on a paper crane and showered Lord Shanjun with compliments before successfully delivering the paper crane to Li Zhi.
The paper crane has been passed around; now it's time to get down to business. Baozhu, holding the little half-demon's hand, looked expectantly at Lord Mountain Lord and said, "My lord, please teach me!"
Lord Shan Jun hummed in agreement, frowned, closed his eyes, sat cross-legged on the ground, and made a hand gesture.
Baozhu held her breath, waiting expectantly.
She waited a while and then heard the mountain king's soft snoring.
Baozhu stared wide-eyed in disbelief, rushed forward to get close to Shanjun, and carefully examined her face from left to right.
Under her reverent gaze, Lord Shanjun solemnly began to snore loudly.
"Lord Shanjun!" Baozhu collapsed to the ground in despair, pointing at her with a trembling voice, "Oh no! How come you're asleep again!"
The little demon behind her looked at her face for a while, then hesitantly explained, "Lord Mountain Lord often does this. Many times he's talking to me, and then he falls asleep."
Baozhu wiped her face helplessly, looking dazed, and said, "If this continues, how much time will I have to spend in the cave?"
Several images suddenly flashed through her mind. Many, many years later, Baozhu finally received the inheritance of Lord Shanjun. She walked out of the cave to find Saixue. By then, Saixue had grown into a famous fortune teller with 108 blind fortune tellers under her command, and had completely forgotten about her.
Sai Xue looked at Bao Zhu with a puzzled expression and said, "Many years ago, I seem to have had a friend named Bao Zhu. Could it be you?"
Then Baozhu went to find Xiaoman. Xiaoman had been carrying a huge bag for a hundred years and had become the tyrant of the dock. One demon had taken over half of the huge bags at the dock.
He carried two huge bags, each three times his height, on either side, tilting his head and looking at Baozhu with a puzzled expression. "Baozhu? Don't you remember? What do you need? Want to join me in carrying these bags?"
Then Baozhu went to find her Li Zhi. She searched all over the capital, but no one had ever heard of him. Baozhu searched high and low and finally found him in her hometown. By then, Li Zhi was very old and had many children and grandchildren around him. When he saw Baozhu, he was stunned for a moment, and then calmly said, "Baozhu, it's been a long time. I couldn't wait for you, so I went back to my hometown and married and had children like an ordinary person."
No, none of these things can happen!
Baozhu jerked her head away, banishing the terrifying illusion from her mind. Then, with a burst of courage, she rushed forward and frantically shook Lord Shanjun's shoulders, crying out in despair, "Lord Shanjun, don't sleep!"
Lord Shanjun's hair was disheveled from being shaken, but he didn't react at all; instead, his snoring grew louder and louder.
Baozhu turned back in despair and hugged the little demon, saying sadly, "She won't wake up."
The little demon patted Baozhu's shoulder sympathetically.
He looked at Baozhu, about to say something.
Suddenly, the scene in the cave changed. The sleeping mountain king disappeared before their eyes, and the hard rock wall behind them turned into an empty stage. There was no one below the stage, no audience, only two actors dressed in red and green, standing helplessly in the center of the stage.
Baozhu and the little demon had transformed into actors, their costumes illuminated by lanterns hanging high. Behind the stage, a woman's voice softly hummed, "I am the Mountain King, who does not know my name..."
In his flamboyant youth, the valiant mountain king, clad in gleaming golden scales and with his face heavily painted, slowly stepped onto the stage.
"Anyone who disagrees with me, come and fight me!"
The young mountain king looked at the immobile pearl on the stage, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. He first took two slow steps toward the pearl, then his pace quickened, and finally, like a tiger descending the mountain, he fiercely swung his fist and attacked the pearl.
Baozhu felt a terrifying demonic power rushing towards her. It was still far away and hadn't even touched her yet, but it was about to crush her from a distance. She was startled and threw the little demon away, immediately reaching out to block it.
With a loud bang, Baozhu's body flew up from the center of the stage and crashed to the edge.
"Hmph, what a wretched insect! It's utterly useless!" the mountain lord sneered.
She tossed her head, struck a smug pose, and then flashed back to Baozhu. This time, it wasn't a full-force attack, but a rapid, overwhelming assault.
Baozhu managed to stand up and caught the mountain king's first few weak attacks. Then, the mountain king's attacks became faster and stronger.
Baozhu was caught off guard and hit many times. Intense pain came from the places where she was hit. Her vision was gradually blurred by blood, which made it impossible for her to see the direction of the mountain king's attack. She could only clumsily cover her head and try to protect herself.
The mountain king roared in fury, "You cowardly little bastard, you will be defeated by me in the end!"
A storm of attacks surrounded Baozhu. Like a roly-poly toy, she couldn't fall completely to the ground and could only passively and stagger as she was beaten.
Finally, under the relentless attack of the mountain king, Baozhu completely lost consciousness.
The next moment, she awoke alone on a battlefield strewn with corpses.
She stood on stiff corpses, human and monster, piled together indistinguishably, their eyes wide open in death.
The howling north wind, carrying a heavy stench of blood, blew straight into Baozhu's nose.
Baozhu moved her body blankly. She was completely unharmed, and the wounds that the mountain king had inflicted on her had disappeared, but she still felt cold and fearful.
Then, in a flash, Shan Jun appeared on the battlefield, wearing armor covered in blood and dust, his face smeared with blood.
"My lost friends will forever remain in my heart." Shan Jun lowered his eyes, looking at the layers of corpses at his feet, and murmured.
Her left arm was exposed in the air, with a deep, bone-revealing wound across it that had almost severed the tiger's arm.
This is where the mountain king was defeated.
Baozhu opened her mouth, as if she was about to say something.
The mountain lord's gaze shifted abruptly, and she stared intently at the precious pearl, sighing, "Who are you, my friend or my enemy?"
“I am your friend,” Baozhu said.
"Whether someone is worthy of being my friend or not, we'll only know after we try," Shan Jun said coldly, looking at Bao Zhu with a blank expression.
Baozhu nodded, assumed a defensive stance, and said in a deep voice, "Then let's give it a try."
The mountain lord sneered and attacked the pearl again.
This time, Baozhu barely managed to withstand the first three moves of the Mountain Lord before being completely defeated and lying on the ground alongside countless corpses.
She stared blankly at the sky.
The sky was overcast, and soon large snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Then, the illusion in which Baozhu was located changed again.
She arrived at a valley covered with blooming silver poria flowers, the pungent smell of which brought tears to her eyes.
Her opponent, the Mountain Lord, had also changed her appearance. She had transformed into a male Celestial Master, wearing a uniform that Baozhu recognized very well, holding a peach wood sword, and smiling as she said, "It seems you have already realized my identity. In that case, I cannot let you leave."
Before he finished speaking, Baozhu moved swiftly, leaning forward and launching an attack on the mountain king.
The mountain god threw out several talismans commonly used by celestial masters.
Baozhu did not expect that the mountain lord would no longer fight her in the manner of a demon. Caught off guard, she paused and was frozen in mid-air by the talisman.
Upon seeing this, the mountain king looked up at the sky and laughed, "This is truly absurd."
This time, Baozhu had no contact with the mountain king and was defeated by her spell.
In this way, Baozhu constantly traveled through the illusion, fighting against all kinds of mountain lords. The young mountain lords were brave, the middle-aged ones were calm, and the later ones were skilled in using mortal talismans.
In the illusion, Baozhu could not distinguish between the changing of the sun and moon. She did not know how much time had passed, perhaps dozens of days, perhaps several months, or perhaps several years. In one of the illusions, she finally threw her first punch and struck the mountain king's body.
This endless illusion suddenly shattered before Baozhu's eyes.
Baozhu returned to the cramped and dark cave, where the mountain king still slept soundly before her, as if nothing had ever happened.
The little demon beside her, still shaken, looked at her and whispered, "Are you alright?"
Baozhu slowly collapsed to the ground. She did not feel any physical pain, but waves of overwhelming fatigue made her lose the strength to open her eyes.
"fine."
She only managed to utter one sentence before falling into a deep sleep.
Baozhu remained unconscious for a long time.
So long that the little demon repeatedly touched her cheek in unease, trying to bring her back to her senses.
Baozhu felt it, but she was too tired to even move a finger.
"I'm fine," Baozhu thought to herself.
After some time, in a half-dream, half-awake state, she heard the little demon talking to the mountain lord.
"Lord Mountain Lord, when will the pearl finally wake up?" The little demon asked anxiously, looking as if he could burst into tears at any moment.
"She should have woken up long ago, why did she sleep for so long?" Shan Jun's voice was filled with doubt.
Then, Baozhu felt a cool sensation flow through her body, which made her mind feel much better. She was finally able to slowly open her eyes and look at the mountain king in front of her.
At this moment, Shan Jun's eyes were clear and her expression was calm; it was a rare moment of clarity for her.
"You're awake." Seeing Baozhu staring at her without moving for a moment, Shanjun smiled and extended a hand to her.
Baozhu took her hand and struggled to sit up, asking groggily, "Would your illusion keep me asleep for this long?"
The mountain lord shook his head and raised an eyebrow, saying, "If your soul were intact, you wouldn't have slept for so long."
"Can you tell?" Baozhu asked in surprise.
At this point, she had fully regained consciousness.
"Yes, you are really lucky. A little demon as weak as you, with a pure primordial constitution, would have been eaten by someone long ago when I was here," the Mountain Lord sighed.
"What is a pure elemental constitution?" Baozhu asked in confusion.
Seeing that she didn't understand, the mountain king began to explain it to her.
The so-called Pure Essence Constitution is what the Celestial Masters call it. It refers to a type of demon whose demonic power is pure and integrated with its soul. It can freely divide its soul into many parts and give them to others. Those who receive the soul of a Pure Essence Demon will greatly benefit, while the Pure Essence Demon itself will not suffer any harm.
"In many years, you will all grow back to normal," the mountain lord shrugged.
The mountain king spoke without a care, but Baozhu was terrified.
Baozhu was unaware that there were such distinctions among demons. Was it because of this that she died inexplicably in her previous life?
She has this constitution but is completely unaware of it, like a child carrying gold in a bustling city.
Baozhu shuddered and asked in a trembling voice, "Can many mortals and demons tell the difference?"
The mountain lord shook his head and said, "If you don't reveal it, only beings much stronger than you can see it. In recent years, I haven't heard mortals mention this matter again. Perhaps it's too long ago, and the mortal tradition has been broken."
No, such things may have become more obscure in the inheritance of mortals, but they have not been broken. In the previous life, there was a being who swallowed the ignorant pearl.
As Baozhu felt a chill run down her spine, she heard the Mountain Lord say with great interest, "I've also never seen many Pure Yuan Demons. Legend has it that they are the purest spiritual beings. I don't remember what they look like. Can I see your true form?"
Baozhu nodded, and in a flash, she transformed into a fox in front of the mountain king.
The mountain lord let out a soft gasp, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at the flawless creature before her.
This is a pure white fox without a single blemish. She has a pair of bright blue eyes that seem to glow, and just by standing in the burrow, she makes this cramped place shine.
"How beautiful!" the mountain king exclaimed.
She approached Baozhu, mesmerized, and gently stroked her fur.
But Baozhu was sullen. She dodged the mountain king's hand, transformed back into human form, and said listlessly, "Beautiful and weak things are always easy to covet."
Upon hearing this, the mountain lord chuckled and said, "If you weren't comparing yourself to me, you wouldn't be weak anymore. If anyone covets you, just gouge out their eyes."
Baozhu finally regained some energy and murmured, "I've become stronger."
“That’s right, you’ve become stronger.” The Mountain Lord stroked the head of the little half-demon beside him and sighed deeply. “It’s quite convenient that you have this kind of physique. You are not only the elixir that saves everything, but also the vessel that can bear everything. Ordinary demons cannot absorb the power of others, but you can eat it and digest it into your own power.”
“Any power.” Baozhu vaguely recalled the ghostly energy left behind by the 100,000 ghosts in the mountains after they stayed in her body.
“Any power, including mine.”
The mountain lord had the little demon hide to one side of the cave and reached out to grab the pearl that was standing there dumbfounded.
Baozhu was pulled closer by her without any ability to resist, and then passively borne the endless demonic power from the Demon King Mountain Lord.
This tyrannical power surged through her body, causing Baozhu to ache from head to toe. In the midst of the excruciating pain, she trembled and said, "Lord Mountain Lord, now that you have given me this power, what will you do with it?"
"Hush, I am a dying demon, what use am I? While I am still lucid, take as much as you can." The Mountain Lord's eyes were burning, and her boundless power surged within the cave.
Under the suppression of the extremely powerful demonic energy, this place seemed to be flattened at times and stretched at others. The three demons present were twisted into strange shapes, their figures constantly swaying in the void.
The sight was so bizarre that the little demon beside him closed his eyes in fear. After a while, he slowly opened one eye and looked at the mountain lord and the precious pearl.
The two monsters lay on the ground, both unconscious.
The little demon gasped and rushed forward, checking on the mountain lord and the pearl, until he was sure they were both alright, just exhausted, before he could finally relax.
Another day and night passed, until Baozhu awoke again, while the mountain king remained asleep without a sound.
Seeing that Baozhu had finally opened her eyes, the little demon happily hugged Baozhu's arm and laughed, "You're awake!"
Baozhu nodded, rubbed her temples, and asked groggily, "Has Lord Shanjun not woken up yet?"
"No, Lord Mountain Lord was already weak and has lost some of his power. He'll probably be sleeping for a very long time," the little demon said worriedly.
Upon hearing this, Baozhu quickly stepped forward to carefully observe the mountain king's complexion, and only felt relieved when she realized that the mountain king was merely sleeping.
She looked down at herself again.
Baozhu has never possessed such powerful demonic energy before. If compared to a certain object, she is probably only slightly weaker than Granny Rat.
"Lord Mountain Lord." Gazing at the sleeping face of the Mountain Lord, Baozhu was filled with emotion. "I will do my utmost to fulfill your wish."
After saying that, Baozhu stood up and looked up at a certain place.
The little demon seemed to realize something and murmured, "You're leaving, aren't you?"
Baozhu hummed in agreement and asked in return, "Are you coming with me, or staying here to take care of Lord Shanjun?"
"I want to stay." The little demon didn't hesitate for a moment. "Lord Mountain Lord needs me."
"Alright then." Baozhu smiled. "I will come back to visit you."
The restrictions left by the mountain lord were laid bare before Baozhu's eyes. She lifted the restrictions, randomly chose a path, and returned to the ground.
Baozhu looked around and realized that she had arrived at a place very close to the capital.
Pagoda Hill.
The place where she died in her previous life.
After being reborn, Baozhu had countless nightmares, dreaming that she had returned to this place and that she had died again.
She once told herself that as long as she never went near Pagoda Mountain again in this life, she would not die again, and she could hide in her own mountains and forests and live out her life in peace.
But why?
Did she do something wrong?
At this moment, the sun hangs high above the pagoda, shining on the lush green Pagoda Mountain. The mountain is picturesque, filled with the sounds of insects and birds, bustling and beautiful.
Baozhu strolled leisurely through the mountains.
She thought she was free, and she no longer needed to hide from anyone.
Baozhu released a paper crane on the mountain to tell Li Zhi that she had returned to the capital.
She received Li Zhi's reply shortly afterward.
"I've been busy lately, and we're out of rice and oil. Please come back slowly. Li Zhi."
After countless battles with the mountain king in the illusion, the rice and oil in Li Zhixin's heart finally pulled Baozhu back to reality. She unconsciously smiled and turned to walk south.
Since Li Zhi needed some time to prepare, Baozhu decided to go to Granny Rat's place first to visit Xiaoman, who was seriously injured.
Baozhu strode quickly for half an hour and arrived at the millet garden. The big rat at the gate saw her and exclaimed with delight, "You've finally appeared! Suanpan has been looking for you like crazy! How did you become so strong!"
"The abacus is looking for me..."
Baozhu gasped sharply, belatedly realizing that she had mysteriously disappeared in Tiger Roar Mountain. She only remembered sending a letter to Li Zhi and hadn't thought to tell Suanpan at all.
"Where's the abacus now?" Baozhu hurriedly begged the big rat, "Do you know?"
The big rat chuckled and said, "It's alright, I'll let him know for you. You go and see Xiaoman first."
After saying that, the big rat brought Baozhu to the guest room in the millet garden, knocked on a door and said, "Xiaoman, Saixue, Baozhu is here."
From inside the room came Sai Xue's exclamation: "Baozhu!"
Sai Xue quickly opened the door from the inside, jumped into Bao Zhu's arms without a care, and hugged her tightly, saying, "We were so worried about you, wherever you went."
Baozhu patted Saixue's back guiltily and whispered, "I fell into a hole in the ground."
Sai Xue stepped out of her embrace and said suspiciously, "Is that all? I feel like you've suddenly become so strong."
Baozhu chuckled, walked past Saixue into the house, looked down at Xiaoman who was lying stiffly on the bed, her body wrapped in bandages, and asked with a smile, "Are you feeling better now?"
Xiaoman chuckled, but before she could answer, Saixue behind her accused, "Let me tell you! Xiaoman said he's better, but now he can't lie down for even a day and has to go back to the docks to carry heavy loads."
Baozhu instantly stopped laughing and looked at him incredulously, saying, "Have you lost your mind too?"
Xiaoman shrank her neck and mumbled, "If I don't go to work for a day, I'll lose a lot of money."
As she spoke, Xiaoman started calculating on her fingers: "One day, I can carry two hundred large bags, each worth three coins, so I can earn a total of six hundred coins..."
"Stop!" Baozhu shouted. "I'll give you six hundred coins!"
"...I haven't been to work for ten days, and this is..."
Before Xiaoman could finish speaking, Baozhu jumped up with a cry of "Ah!" and slapped him sixty times with both hands, the sound of the slaps echoing loudly.
"Do you want more?" Baozhu roared.
Xiao Man's face turned red, and she obediently shook her head.
Baozhu snorted coldly, about to teach Saixue a lesson amidst her adoring gaze, when she suddenly heard Suanpan's heart-wrenching screams coming from outside.
"Precious Pearl—!"
Baozhu suddenly fell silent, sneaking around and trying to hide behind Saixue.
But Suanpan suddenly pushed open the door, his eyes bloodshot, his body covered in yellow dust, staring at Baozhu.
"Ten days!" Suanpan cried out in despair, pointing at Baozhu. "Do you know how I've spent these ten days? Where have you been?!"
Poor Suanpan, ever since he lost the precious pearl on Tiger Roar Mountain, has been running back and forth like a mad dog for hundreds of miles every day, desperately searching for the pearl in the mountains while hiding from the Celestial Masters. He can't even sleep for two hours a day, and he's gone crazy from exhaustion.
Baozhu, realizing she was in the wrong, tried her best to appease the dog demon. The more arrogant she had been to Xiaoman, the more obsequious she became to Suanpan. She even swore to the heavens that she would compensate Suanpan for all the lost wages and fear he had suffered over the past ten days before she finally received a kind look from him.
Now that all my friends are doing well, we've all reunited, and everyone's happy again, chattering away and talking non-stop, and we're going to have dinner together again.
When the topic of eating came up, Baozhu's heart skipped a beat, but she refused, saying, "I'm not eating. Li Zhi is waiting for me."
Li Zhi was waiting for her.
Despite the teasing looks from her friends, Baozhu couldn't help but smile.
"I'm leaving now." She said goodbye to everyone and headed home.
The capital city was not Baozhu's territory, and at this time she did not own a house.
But Li Zhi is here.
Wherever Li Zhi is, that's her home.
Baozhu returned to Li Zhi's official residence and gently pushed the door open.
Li Zhi was busy in the small kitchen next to the courtyard when he heard a noise at the door, so he peeked out to see what was going on.
He saw Baozhu standing at the door, staring intently at him.
Li Zhi was taken aback, then slowly began to laugh.
In Baozhu's beloved eyes, a warmth that made her sigh involuntarily rippled out, and Li Zhi said softly, "You're back."
He seemed not to have noticed that Baozhu had become stronger, as if Baozhu had simply gone out for a trip and returned home before evening.
Baozhu closed the door, and her heart, like a kite, soared into the sky.
She skipped over to Li Zhi, threw herself into his arms, and mumbled against his chest, "I missed you."
Li Zhi laughed with pleasure, though Baozhu couldn't see it, his face was filled with emotion.
But he said nothing, only lowered his head and gently kissed the pearl in his arms.
Welcome her back to her own safe haven.
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