Chapter Thirty
There is currently no evidence to prove that the monster that Ji Ren fought was a snake demon from a hundred years ago. Apart from a few words in local chronicles and the records of the Strange People Temple, there is only Pei Xuanji's suspicion that she had seen the monster.
The snake demon appeared too long ago.
Moreover, even if it is confirmed that it is the snake demon in the case file, it would not be surprising for him to return to Gejiabao, and it does not seem to be enough to solve the mystery of the whole case.
Li Zhi said, "Knowing this alone seems to be of little use."
Zhang He added, "That's right. If you go looking with suspicion, there's more than just this snake demon in the case file. Celestial Masters avoid making wild guesses and insist on solid evidence."
But where can we get real evidence for something that happened so long ago?
Both of them said so, and Pei Xuanji was a little discouraged. She said dejectedly, "I just think the case of Gejiabao is extremely strange. There are many things involved. The leader, a human and a demon, has run away. Does that mean they will never commit crimes again? It will only be the mortals who suffer."
As she spoke, Pei Xuanji's face darkened, and she gritted her teeth and said, "The thought that these monsters are still at large makes me unable to sleep peacefully. I only regret that my cultivation is too shallow to kill them all with my sword."
Pei Xuanji's hatred for demons was openly displayed because she was already familiar with Li and Zhang.
She hates monsters so much; if she knew that a fox demon was fast asleep on her back in bed just a few walls away, who knows what kind of trouble she would cause.
Taking advantage of her inattention, Zhang He exchanged a glance with Li Zhi.
Li Zhi noticed the worry in Zhang He's eyes, lowered his gaze, and gently shook his head.
The two exchanged veiled barbs right under Pei Xuanji's nose.
Fortunately, Master Pei was full of thoughts about subduing demons and monsters. When he saw that one of his arguments had been rejected by them, he brought up another idea of his.
“I was prepared when I went to Ji Ren’s place, thinking he might just give me a perfunctory answer.” Pei Xuanji began to recount the information she had gathered from her several encounters with Ji Ren. “I never expected him to be so perfunctory. At the very beginning, he just asked me if I was doing well at the Temple of Strange People…”
Pei Xuanji stepped into the Temple of Strange People and was led by a servant to the side room where Ji Ren usually worked.
When she entered, Ji Ren was frowning, holding a cup of tea and thinking about something.
Pei Xuanji noticed that the cup of tea in his hand had completely cooled down.
Although the weather in Jiangbei Prefecture was hot and dry, the Yiren Temple office was cool and shady everywhere. There was no reason for a man of Ji Ren's age to drink cold tea.
It's clear that he had something on his mind, and as he pondered it over and over, he forgot everything else.
Ji Ren only snapped out of his daze when Pei Xuanji called out to him. He put down the cold tea in his hand and called a servant to serve tea to Pei Xuanji.
"I think this year's new tea is alright, but I'm afraid it's not as good as the tea you're used to drinking at home." Ji Ren looked at his junior with a loving expression and said some common things that an elder should say. "Have you been getting used to these past few months at Yiren Temple? If you ask me, it's really too hard for a young lady to be out there struggling."
Pei Xuanji had heard these words from countless elders, and her resentment had long since been worn away. She simply smiled and said, "It's not hard work. My father said it's a good thing for a young lady to achieve success."
Ji Ren chuckled, not responding to Pei Xuanji's words. He then asked her if she was adapting well to life in Jiangbei Prefecture, and told her to speak to her Uncle Ji if there were any problems with the servants.
Pei Xuanji gave a few more perfunctory replies, and Ji Ren lowered his head, picked up his tea, and indicated that he wanted to see the guest out.
Pei Xuanji couldn't sit still any longer and asked, "Uncle Ji, didn't you call me here because of the case? Is there any progress in the case of Gejiabao? Is this related to the branch office of the Strange People's Temple in Xiandu Prefecture that I told you about last time?"
As soon as she asked the question, Ji Ren's smile vanished. He sighed deeply and said meaningfully, "Young lady of the Pei family, what evidence do you have that the case of Gejiabao is related to Yiren Temple?"
Pei Xuanji was stumped by the question. A whole speech was stuck in her throat, and she could only stammer and repeat, "Uncle Ji, you've seen the file I gave you. We talked about this last time..."
"Oh." Ji Ren smiled insincerely. "When did I ever mention that this case was related to the Temple of Strange People? I agreed to go and exorcise the demon, but only out of a sense of righteousness as a Celestial Master, for the sake of the people."
His righteous and awe-inspiring appearance startled Pei Xuanji.
But recalling their conversation, Ji Ren was very discreet; he didn't utter a single word about the mole.
“Perhaps you have some misunderstandings about your colleagues. We are all brothers who have gone through thick and thin together…” Ji Ren shook his head and then softened his tone, “However, this case is indeed a great achievement for you. I will report your merits to the chief officers truthfully and will not let others take the credit. Young lady of the Pei family can stay in Jiangbei Prefecture for a while. Uncle Ji will treat you well and wait patiently.”
Having said that, no matter how much Pei Xuanji emphasized that she was not seeking credit but only the truth, she no longer answered her.
Having no other choice, Pei Xuanji had to make a request to see the records that had been kept in Jiangbei Prefecture over the years.
“Learn from the experience of our predecessors,” Pei Xuanji said curtly.
Ji Ren had no reason not to agree to this, so he sent someone to take her to see the case file.
"Then I finished reading the file, found that entry, went to find the local gazetteer of Jiangbei Prefecture, and then came back."
Pei Xuanji recounted her conversation with Ji Ren, as well as Ji Ren's facial expressions and behavior, to Li and Zhang.
Then she concluded, "I suspect that Ji Ren actually recognized the Madam Ge you mentioned in Gejiabao. He originally intended to use this matter to exchange for the position of Chief Commander, but after recognizing Madam Ge, he changed his mind. Perhaps he couldn't afford to offend that person, or perhaps the benefits that person could offer were greater than what he reported as the traitor."
Zhang He and Li Zhi had previously guessed the same thing, which made him look at Pei Xuanji with new respect.
Although his words and actions are still immature, his judgment of people and things is quite accurate.
“Master Pei is right,” Li Zhi agreed.
Seeing that her point of view had finally been accepted, Pei Xuanji grinned and said excitedly, "I want to see who in the Temple of Strange People is someone that even Ji Ren wouldn't dare to offend. Could it be the Deputy Chief or Chief of the Immortal Crossing Prefecture? Or something even more powerful? Surely it can't be the Seven Protectors of the Temple of Strange People, right?"
She got so excited that she took out paper and pen to write a letter home: "I'm going to write back and ask around to see if any of these people are behaving strangely."
"Little Pei, you mustn't!"
"Master Pei, please think about it again."
Zhang He and Li Zhi simultaneously spoke up to stop them.
Zhang He smiled wryly and said, "I was just praising you. Tell me, among these people, Ji Ren is someone you can't afford to offend, but can you easily offend your elders? Like I said, although your thinking is correct, you have no evidence. So how can you persuade your elders to use their family connections to help you?"
"Don't alert the enemy," Li Zhi said succinctly.
“That’s right.” Pei Xuanji was momentarily carried away by her enthusiasm, but after being stopped, she sobered up a bit. “I’ve only been working at the Temple of Strange People for a few months. How could my family believe me?”
Whether her claims about how much her family supported her were lies or not, Pei Xuanji knew the truth in her heart.
Once she understood, she slumped down and murmured, "Are we just supposed to wait? The truth... if we don't get the truth, are we just supposed to let those monsters do whatever they want?"
Zhang He and Li Zhi exchanged a glance but did not respond.
Zhang He wanted to say that, in fact, after so many years as a Taoist priest, many cases had simply been closed quietly, and that the truth could not be obtained simply by working hard to investigate a case.
But seeing Pei Xuanji's expression, he swallowed his words.
After their conversation, the moon had already risen high in the sky.
Li Zhi was afraid that Baozhu had not yet woken up, so he tiptoed back to the courtyard, afraid of waking her.
Just as he reached out to push the door open, he heard Baozhu's voice coming from the bed.
"You've been gone for so long, what did you all talk about?"
After Baozhu woke up, she didn't want to get out of bed, so she let the oil lamp go out and the room became dark. She stayed in bed in a daze until Li Zhi returned.
This was perhaps the most vulnerable moment of her two lifetimes.
Every day, every muscle and vein in his body aches terribly, so he is trapped in this small courtyard and cannot move freely. He has to rely on Li Zhi for everything.
Her dependence on Li Zhi had never been so strong.
This dependence has nothing to do with romantic love; it's just that when you're most vulnerable, having a familiar presence by your side can provide a sense of security.
She selectively forgot the ambitious goals she had set not long ago.
When she was reborn, she said she wanted to leave Li Zhi and never see him again.
However, Li Zhi did not appear within fifteen minutes of her waking up, which made her anxious.
The moment she heard Li Zhi push open the courtyard gate, her depressed mood instantly lifted.
What did he discuss with the Celestial Masters? Was there anything related to her? Did Celestial Master Pei know of her existence?
Many thoughts flashed through Baozhu's mind. She raised her head in the darkness and looked at Li Zhi expectantly.
Since she was disguised as a fox and the room was dark, and Li Zhi couldn't see her, Baozhu didn't bother to hide it.
In Li Zhi's eyes, it was just a pitiful fox staring at him expectantly.
The emotions revealed in her bright eyes were so clear that Li Zhi derived more pleasure from them than anything else in the mortal world.
He couldn't help but smile and slowly walked to the bedside to sit down.
“We talked a lot.”
The moon was big and round tonight, and gradually, the moonlight shone through the window into the room.
Li Zhi spoke slowly and deliberately to Baozhu, telling the bored fox demon girl, who was trapped in the room, about what Pei Xuanji had discovered.
This is where the differences between species become apparent.
Li Zhi recounts the complex intrigues and power struggles among mortals, and the grudges and affections recorded on paper a century ago.
Baozhu's attention was not on this. After escaping from Gejiabao, she was not very interested in whether the mastermind would do anything evil afterward. She was a demon, and the fact that she could care about her friends out of her own heart was already the kindest thing a fox demon could do.
The fox spirit's curiosity lies in—
"Minister Ruan, what exactly is this position of Minister? Is it very high-ranking? If compared to a Grand Secretary, which is higher?" Baozhu asked.
"In this dynasty, the Grand Secretary is a cabinet minister, whose rank and authority both exceed those of the Minister."
Li Zhi patiently answered, and then, drawing inferences from one instance to another, explained the official structure of the dynasty to Baozhu, level by level.
“Oh, it’s good that the sergeant is a university sergeant,” Baozhu said happily.
Li Zhi chuckled, thinking that he had wasted the rest of his sentence, when he heard Baozhu summarize: "But the Minister was already a very high-ranking official, yet he ended up like that. I really don't know what happened to Minister Ruan."
"indeed."
The two were silent for a while. Baozhu recalled what Li Zhi had said earlier and found another point of confusion.
She asked, "What is Pei Xuanji's background? What do her family members do?"
Li Zhi was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I don't know about it. I've only heard that there was a female Celestial Master in the capital with profound cultivation, surnamed Pei. And there is a General of the Cavalry at the border, surnamed Pei, named Qin Hu."
Baozhu was taken aback and shook her head repeatedly: "Qinhu, why would a great general be given such a name? It's so unlucky."
After saying that, she belatedly realized what she meant and exclaimed, "Ah!" Pei Xuanji is the daughter of the General of the Cavalry.
Li Zhi couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" Baozhu asked helplessly.
Li Zhi waved his hand, unable to stop laughing.
He was eighteen years old at the time, a time when he should be full of youthful vigor. However, he was usually mature and composed, making it hard to tell his age. Now, when he laughed like this, he truly looked like a graceful young man as fresh and vigorous as a bamboo shoot.
Looking at Li Zhi's face, Baozhu unconsciously smiled sheepishly as well.
"What are you laughing at?" she said, swishing her tail reproachfully.
Li Zhi forced himself to stop laughing, and stretched out a finger, gesturing on Baozhu's body.
"General of the Flying Cavalry, named Qinhu."
"This tiger."
His fingers lightly brushed across Baozhu's back, leaving behind many ambiguous, tingling sensations that made the fox demon shudder.
"I understand."
Something went wrong, and the originally pleasant conversation took a turn for the worse. Baozhu's thoughts began to wander uncontrollably toward unspeakable places.
It must be because the weather was too hot, and her thick fur, which she was so proud of, made her even hotter.
When it gets hot, it's easy to get confused.
After a moment of silence in the room, Baozhu suddenly spoke up: "You sleep on the floor every day, isn't it too hard? Is it comfortable?"
"It's alright."
"Or, why don't you come to bed with me?" Her mouth moved faster than her brain; by the time Baozhu realized what she had said, she had already extended an invitation to Li Zhi.
What kind of talk is that!
She panicked and hurriedly explained, "Anyway, I am a fox now, and I am a demon, not a human. We are different from you mortals, and we don't have so many rules. I just felt bad that you've been sleeping on the ground for so many days."
Li Zhi did not answer.
Baozhu turned her head towards the bed, feeling embarrassed and wanting to find a hole to crawl into.
What kind of mess is this? She finally managed to calmly forget the entanglements of her previous life and get along with Li Zhi normally, but she messed it all up in just a few days.
However, before she could dwell on it for long, she sensed movement near the bed.
Baozhu slowly turned her head, buried it in the pillow, and then quietly peeked out with one eye to check the source of the noise.
She saw Li Zhi leaning over the bed, looking at her without moving.
His eyes gleamed with something that made the fox demon lose her mind and become infatuated.
Baozhu was almost drunk.
"Thank you for your kindness, Miss." Li Zhi slowly drew out his words as he whispered in Baozhu's ear, "I have indeed been having trouble sleeping these past few days."
Li Zhi's breath brushed against Baozhu's ears in waves, causing her fox ears to flutter nervously.
Her silence seemed to be a silent invitation.
The bed beside her shifted slightly, and Baozhu felt someone gently lie down next to her.
This man had shared a bed with her for over twenty years, and they had also engaged in many more intimate acts.
Baozhu knew every inch of his skin, understood the direction of every scar on his back, and had kissed the small mole at the corner of his eye countless times.
But they had never been so awake and conscious on a bed before.
Doing new things with old friends, a myriad of emotions flowed through Baozhu's heart.
She struggled to suppress her desire, shrinking into a corner of the bed, trying her best not to touch Li Zhi.
"I'll give you some extra space, just don't fall off the bed in the middle of the night," Baozhu explained in a muffled voice.
Thank you.
Upon hearing Li Zhi's brief reply, Baozhu, unable to bear the strange atmosphere any longer, asked, "Does your hand still hurt?"
She heard rustling sounds coming from Li Zhi's direction.
A hand gently stroked her body from top to bottom.
"It's alright, this movement is fine." Li Zhi's voice was very soft.
Something was about to ignite within Baozhu's body; she felt her mouth was dry, and countless memories flashed through her mind in fragments.
Can't.
Baozhu practically stuck herself to the wall.
She tried her best to curl up and get away from the mischievous Li Zhi.
She remained silent, and Li Zhi made no further moves.
The night was very deep, and the Ji residence was completely silent; even the distant sound of the night watchman's gong seemed to have disappeared.
Baozhu's eyelids drooped, and she gradually drifted off to sleep.
No one knows what she dreamed about, or when it started, but the fox demon snuggled into Li Zhi's arms.
In this sweltering heat, the two, burning with passion, embraced tightly, neither letting go of the other.
Li Zhi always woke up very early.
The next day, just as the sun rose, he woke up covered in sweat, clutching the fox in his arms.
Once he was a little more awake, he gently smoothed Baozhu's slightly ruffled fur.
The fox spirit's body rose and fell slowly, as if she were still asleep.
Li Zhi stared at the unsuspecting, beautiful fox on the bed, his Adam's apple bobbing.
I wonder how this fox takes care of her fur; it is so soft and silky that it shimmers with a captivating luster in the morning light.
Li Zhi couldn't help but bury his face in it and take a deep breath.
It has a pleasant, warm smell.
He gently rubbed the smooth fox fur, holding it even tighter in his arms.
Perhaps his breath was too hot or his movements too vigorous, causing Baozhu to wriggle in dissatisfaction.
Li Zhi quickly released Baozhu.
Seeing that her breathing had returned to normal, Li Zhi sat up.
He got out of bed, went to the courtyard, practiced some boxing for a while to stretch his body and loosen his muscles.
He went out of the courtyard again to ask a servant to bring him some cool water. He took off his clothes and poured the water, spoonful by spoonful, onto his muscular chest.
Li Zhi stared blankly at the water flowing down his body.
The Jiangbei Prefecture was suffering from drought and heat, and the people outside the city could no longer survive. However, in Ji Ren's house, Li Zhi, an ordinary guest, had access to water at will.
Moreover, there is enough ice every day to last most of the day.
The variety of other meals is not worth mentioning.
In Jiangbei Prefecture, the current prefect is said to have a good reputation in official circles. Rumor has it that he is very good at being an official and always receives excellent evaluations in every assessment.
The reason for this excellent evaluation is not something that can be explained to outsiders.
The way of being an official is just like this: if you stick to your original intentions, you will not be able to climb to a high position. If you want to move up and truly practice your ideals and ambitions, you must have an extremely flexible bottom line and extremely skillful methods.
Only those in high positions of power have the ability to convey their political views from top to bottom.
But by then, how much of the original intention will remain in this political view?
Of the ten parts, there is a portion of weighing the pros and cons, a portion of mutual checks and balances, a portion of trying to guess the emperor's mind, and finally, a trace of pure heart remains.
Lost in thought, Li Zhi dried himself off and went outside to ask a servant to bring his daily share of ice. When he returned to the room with the ice, Baozhu was still unconscious.
She also sleeps too long every day.
Even if she was injured, as a fox spirit, she shouldn't be this weak.
Li Zhi witnessed Xiao Man, who was also affected by Ying Ji and even more deeply influenced by her, running away in a frenzy.
Even the weaker Sai Xue was holding Xiao Man's body tightly, and did not appear to be unconscious.
Li Zhi frowned and sat quietly on the edge of the bed, watching Baozhu.
He had too many things on his mind, and every day he would constantly imagine the outcome in his mind: what would happen if he did something this way, or what would happen if he did it that way.
Everything has its own rules, and he likes to find those rules.
From the day he had his own ideas, Li Zhi spent every day like this. This habit seemed to have become an integral part of him, and he didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.
However, not everyone can accept getting close to such a person. If others find out, they might think he is too calculating and not sincere enough.
Therefore, when Zhang He told him last time that perhaps he was too cunning, he took it to heart.
Many things are not relevant to talking to Baozhu.
However, not everything.
Li Zhi looked at the sun outside the window, calculating the time in his mind.
Yesterday, Pei Xuanji also brought back some news.
After discussing the case of Gejiabao several times, Pei Xuanji seemed to remember something and tentatively spoke to Li Zhi.
"By the way, Young Master Li, I don't know if you're joking or serious, but I heard from the Celestial Masters that the Extraordinary People Temple in Jiangbei Prefecture is selecting some new people."
"If you are really interested, I can introduce you to a couple of people."
Recalling Pei Xuanji's words, Li Zhi looked at Baozhu sleeping soundly on the bed and secretly made up his mind.
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