Chapter Twenty-Three
“Young Master Li, you call this a clue?” Pei Xuanji’s face was frosty. “To me, it just feels like some villain is cursing me.”
Li Zhi picked up the yellow paper, pointed to Pei Xuanji's handwriting, and said, "Does Master Pei still remember? This is what you copied for me."
Pei Xuanji frowned and examined it carefully, muttering, "That's correct."
“I’ve been to Chen Garden. This booklet was lost on the day the incident happened there,” Li Zhi lied without batting an eye. “Perhaps someone who escaped from Chen Garden found it.”
"Then why would he do such a despicable thing?"
"I'm afraid he's in a dangerous situation right now, and it's no wonder he's attracting the attention of the Celestial Master."
This argument makes some sense, and Pei Xuanji fell silent.
“This place, Gejiabao, does resemble what we discussed before.” Zhang He walked out of the study with a geomantic map in his hand. “It occupies a large area, sandwiched between two provinces, located at the border of Jiangbei Prefecture and Xiandu Prefecture. Neither side is easy to manage, so it can hide a lot of people.”
As he spoke, he handed the geomantic map to Pei Xuanji.
"The leader of this organization is capable of bewitching people and attracting many believers to hide in the deep mountains. There are also people in Chenyuan who are involved. After that person went to Gejiabao, he found himself trapped and thought of asking the Heavenly Master for help."
Pei Xuanji muttered to herself, finding the argument increasingly plausible.
“However,” Zhang He scratched his head, “I do remember this Gejiabao. It seems to have been abandoned many, many years ago, and it is said to have sunk underground.”
"Sinking underground?" Li Zhi frowned.
Pei Xuanji put down the geomantic map and went to the study to search for it.
She found an old case file, turned to a page, and gestured for Li and Zhang to look at it together.
"...He went to Gejiabao to exorcise the demon, only to find that the fortified village had already sunk underground, leaving only ruins on the ground, and he did not discover any demons causing trouble..." Zhang He read.
Li Zhi's face turned grim, and he said in a trembling voice, "Could it be some kind of sorcery?"
"Only an extremely terrifying and evil monster could do that."
Zhang He subtly observed the expressions on the faces of the two men before him and tentatively said, "This is a matter of great importance; it would be best to report it to the commander-in-chief."
"No!" Pei Xuanji refused decisively.
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
Pei Xuanji pondered for a long time but could not come up with a solution.
"Gentlemen," Li Zhi lowered his voice, "I imagine you two have already become suspicious of this branch of the Strange People's Temple in Xiandu Prefecture because of Liu Xueyu's death. So why don't we..."
He pointed to another direction of Gejiabao on the geomantic map.
"How about bypassing Xiandu Prefecture and borrowing troops directly from Jiangbei Prefecture?"
Pei Xuanji and Zhang He exchanged a glance.
“In Jiangbei Prefecture…” Pei Xuanji’s voice trailed off, “I know a few people there, so this isn’t a bad idea.”
"Where can't you find someone?" Zhang He shook his head as he undermined her. "Then it's up to you. We're on the same level, and I can't order you around."
“Then it’s decided. Only the three of us know this news right now. Since Xiandu Prefecture didn’t know any clues beforehand, I want to see if anyone will still do something like murdering a witness.”
After making her decision, Pei Xuanji looked at Li Zhi beside her.
"Thank you very much, Young Master Li, for these past few days. After we leave, you can stay at the Pei residence and continue your studies in peace."
"What? Are the Celestial Masters abandoning me after they've served their purpose, and refusing to travel with me?"
The two celestial masters were both taken aback.
Zhang He said, "The autumn imperial examinations are coming up soon, and you're still not studying properly. Do you really want to become a celestial master?"
“Why not?” Li Zhi asked earnestly.
Pei Xuanji gasped, turned around and slapped Zhang He hard, angrily saying, "Now look what happened! Senior has been spouting nonsense in front of him all day, and this scholar actually believed it!"
Zhang He took the blow squarely, staring intently at Li Zhi's face, and said, "Young Master Li, don't joke around. Being a Heavenly Master is never as good as being an official. Someone as smart as you shouldn't do anything foolish."
"I am now burning with grief, let alone studying." Li Zhi slowly raised a bitter smile, not finishing his sentence, "In short, I will never hold you two back."
As he spoke, he picked up the compass that Pei Xuanji had just used for her ritual.
The compass needle trembled and spun, and soon it pointed to the position on Li Zhi's fingertip.
Pei Xuanji gasped again, clutching her chest and saying weakly, "Heaven is so unfair."
And so it was decided that Li Zhi would accompany him.
The three separated to prepare. Li Zhi planned to visit Zhou Huan, who was recovering from a broken leg, before leaving, while Pei Xuanji went to Xiandu Mansion to ask for leave from Shangfeng.
The Zhou residence was right next to the Pei residence. Regarding the case of the Supreme Being, the people from the Strange People's Temple questioned him several times, but they did not get any useful information. Therefore, Zhou Huan was completely removed from the case as the victim.
Having broken a leg and suffered many frights, the dissolute Zhou Huan finally changed his ways. Every day, he would study at home as soon as he opened his eyes and never sought pleasure again.
Perhaps this can be considered a blessing in disguise.
Li Zhi knocked on the door of the Zhou residence and was led by a servant to the study.
He sat down at Zhou Huan's desk, meeting Zhou Huan's delighted gaze, and picked up an article that Zhou Huan had just finished, studying it carefully.
"How was the writing? I feel like I've been reborn after this experience; everything I write is different now," Zhou Huan remarked.
"Well written," Li Zhi praised generously.
"If you say so, then it must be true. You'll definitely win this time. I hope I can win this time too, so we can support each other."
Zhou Huan spoke vaguely and didn't explain it clearly.
Even if they both become successful candidates in the provincial examination, they still need to take the imperial examination. It's not too late to discuss becoming officials together after they pass the imperial examination.
The two scholars were arrogant and somewhat unruly.
If it weren't for Li Zhi being the one speaking, Zhou Huan wouldn't have dared to say those words.
Li Zhi shook his head, his face darkening.
"You, Li Zhi, you look down on me? Do you think I can't pass the exam?" Zhou Huan raised an eyebrow, feigning anger.
"Not only will you pass the exam, you'll also become a good official."
Hearing Li Zhi's blunt words, Zhou Huan felt a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and said, "Don't laugh at me."
Li Zhi did not answer. He took the paper and pen and wrote on Zhou Huan's article for a long time before handing it to Zhou Huan: "These are the questions I guessed. If you have time, try to do them."
Zhou Huan took it and said happily, "The prodigy guessed the question! I need to figure it out thoroughly and write it down properly!"
Zhou Huan was still ill, and Li Zhi also had important matters to attend to. After chatting for a few more minutes, they got up to take their leave.
As Li Zhi reached the study door, Zhou Huan suddenly spoke up, "I really have to thank you this time. If it weren't for you, I would definitely be dead."
"It was nothing," Li Zhi shook his head.
“But you saved my life. If there’s ever a need for me in the future, please remember to call on me.” Zhou Huan said sincerely, “Li Zhi, you are a good person.”
The young Zhou Huan, who remained full of energy even after having his leg broken by a classmate and being imprisoned in a cellar.
He is at the peak of his career right now and will never imagine that one day he will be hunched over, trembling, resigning from his official post and returning to his hometown to become a defeated dog.
As if stung, Li Zhi blinked slightly.
"Take care of yourself."
After saying that, Li Zhi left the Zhou residence.
Meanwhile, Pei Xuanji arrived at the branch office of the Yiren Temple in Xiandu Prefecture and complained to her superiors about how there were so many things to do and how she could possibly finish them all. She said she wanted to return to the county with Zhang He.
Given her unusual background, her superiors turned a blind eye and amicably agreed to her leave, even going so far as to coax her not to work too hard.
Pei Xuanji agreed in the yamen, and as soon as she went out, she started cursing at Zhang He.
"The entire Xiandu Mansion is a cesspool of filth."
Zhang He repeatedly reassured them: "Aren't you just going to find evidence? Once you find it, you'll bring them all down."
The servants of the Pei family had already prepared the luggage. As soon as the two celestial masters returned to the mansion, Pei Xuanji mounted her horse, and Li and Zhang drove the carriage and set off.
Gejiabao is located between Jiangbei Prefecture and Xiandu Prefecture. The three of them planned to first go to check the location of the fortified village on the geomantic map before heading to Jiangbei Prefecture.
After leaving Xiandu Prefecture and heading north, you will arrive at the location of Gejiabao as shown on the geomantic map.
It is surrounded by a whole forest.
Even with all their equipment, the three of them almost got lost when they entered the forest surrounding Gejiabao.
If it weren't for the compass needle steadily pointing in a certain direction, it would be extremely difficult to walk through this dense, somewhat dim forest, where there isn't even a forest path.
Talismans were pasted on the wheel tracks and saddle. To prevent being affected by the monster's illusions, Zhang He even pasted a calming spell on each of his temples.
Although his appearance was somewhat comical, it allowed him to immediately spot the tree flies buzzing around the towering tree in front of him.
"Not just in one place, what a grand scheme, to have so many tree flies being raised!" Zhang He exclaimed in astonishment.
“If it weren’t nourished by a curse of flesh and blood, the tree fly would just be an ordinary spiritual creature, capable of bewitching people and plunging them into illusions,” Pei Xuanji explained to Li Zhi from horseback.
Zhang He frowned and said, "With so many people, the three of us probably can't get close to Gejiabao without alerting them. It seems we'll have to go to Jiangbei Prefecture first."
"This is the only way."
Even though he knew the precious pearl was within reach and Li Zhi was extremely anxious, he could only agree to Zhang He's suggestion.
So the three of them took a detour to Jiangbei Prefecture.
The journey was neither long nor short, but the closer they got to Jiangbei Prefecture, the drier the weather became. By the time they entered the city of Jiangbei, it felt like the height of summer.
Along the way, all I saw were emaciated people, their faces sallow and their lips chapped, scrambling to find any food on the ground—but where was there any? The land was parched and cracked.
Li Zhi frowned, for the first time in days that he showed concern for something else: "Is the drought in Jiangbei Prefecture really this severe? Why...?"
He had never seen Jiangbei Prefecture like this before.
“It’s raining every day in Xiandu Prefecture. I didn’t believe it before either, since the two places are not far apart. Why is this happening?” Zhang He’s expression also became serious.
"This matter of borrowing troops," Pei Xuanji thought, her mind preoccupied with the case.
"Let's go find the government office of the Strange People's Temple here first."
Perhaps due to the drought, there were twice as many guards outside the city gates of Jiangbei Prefecture as there were in Xiandu Prefecture, and their expressions were particularly grim. They looked at the three of them's travel documents again and again before finally making way for them to enter the city.
Upon entering the city, a completely different world unfolded before the three of them.
The residents of Jiangbei Prefecture did not seem to be greatly affected by the drought. The streets were bustling with people busy with their daily lives.
Even though he was dressed simply, he seemed to be in good spirits.
This relieved the three of them a little.
They traveled all the way to the office of the Yiren Temple in Jiangbei Prefecture. The two Heavenly Masters gestured for Li Zhi to wait in the carriage while they went to pay their respects.
Li Zhi naturally agreed.
He sat alone in the carriage, occasionally glancing at the pedestrians on the streets of Jiangbei Prefecture.
In principle, such a disaster should have been reported to the emperor by the local officials long ago. The court would have to discuss how to provide disaster relief and calculate the remaining national treasury funds, which would have caused quite a stir for several months.
These past few months should have been enough for the entire nation to know about the disaster in Jiangbei Prefecture, but he had never heard of it.
Li Zhi withdrew his gaze.
The world is changing more and more.
The two Taoist priests did not look well when they came out of the government office.
Pei Xuanji mounted her horse and said to Zhang He, "Let's find a place to stay first."
Zhang He had no choice but to agree.
The three of them turned around and arrived at the most bustling street in Jiangbei Prefecture. Pei Xuanji rode her horse, looking left and right, and turned into a small alley. Finally, she found a quiet inn that suited her taste.
This inn is not located on the street, so there are fewer guests, but the environment is more tranquil.
The inn's waiter greeted them warmly and then told a servant to lead the horse down to provide proper hospitality.
Pei Xuanji, with her deep pockets, booked a small courtyard, but her face fell the moment she stepped into the garden.
Zhang He explained to Li Zhi, "The person has been found, but he neither agreed nor disagreed."
Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you not know this person?"
"Ji Ren, Deputy Chief of the Yiren Temple in Jiangbei Prefecture."
"How did you talk to him?"
Pei Xuanji turned around and said, "I found him and asked, 'Uncle Ji, I have something very important to say. The monsters are causing trouble and have affected many people. You must take care of it.'"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhi glanced at Zhang He discreetly.
Zhang He chuckled wryly and touched his nose.
"Ji Ren just smiled at me, saying it had been a long time and that he wanted to treat me to dinner that night, without even saying whether I would accept or not." Pei Xuanji became more and more angry as she spoke. "If we can't borrow soldiers, won't the number of civilians who die and are injured increase? If the Heavenly Master doesn't prioritize slaying demons and monsters, then what else is there to say? Wouldn't it be better to go home and grow sweet potatoes?"
“Master Pei, although the Temple of Strange People doesn’t manage worldly affairs, it is full of worldly people.” Li Zhi offered a little advice, then changed the subject, “If Vice Chief Commander Ji Ren is hosting a banquet tonight, please be sure to bring me along.”
Pei Xuanji's round face almost scrunched up, and she nodded after letting out a long sigh.
Sure enough, Ji Ren's invitation arrived at the inn where they had just checked in shortly afterward.
In the evening, a banquet will be held at the most luxurious restaurant in the city. Please do not miss it.
I definitely have to go.
Ji Ren not only hosted a lavish banquet for them, but also specially sent a carriage to pick them up. Once they arrived, the extravagance and wastefulness of the restaurant were beyond description.
Li Zhi walked around a beautifully landscaped pond, looking at the plump koi swimming in the crystal-clear water, and thought of the scene he had seen outside the city earlier that day.
Behind the red gates, wine and meat rot.
Ji Ren hosted the banquet in an elegant private room. He looked to be in his forties, neither fat nor thin, neither tall nor short, the kind of person who would be easily overlooked in a crowd.
Upon seeing Pei Xuanji, Ji Ren greeted her with a smile: "You've really grown up, so sensible."
“Uncle Ji has always been like this.” Pei Xuanji smiled.
Before leaving, Li Zhi discussed things with her for a long time, word by word. Even though Pei Xuanji was anxious, she still had a smile on her face.
"Haha, please give my regards to your father."
Ji Ren clapped his hands with a smile, and two beautiful young women entered from outside, carrying pipa (a type of Chinese lute) and sitting down with gentle smiles.
A soft, melodious tune filled the air, and exquisite dishes were laid out on the table.
Ji Ren exchanged a few pleasantries with Pei Xuanji, and then casually brought up the events of the afternoon: "Young lady of the Pei family, it's not that Ji Ren doesn't want to help, but recently Jiangbei Prefecture has suffered from a drought. When disaster strikes, strange things happen more often, and we really don't have any extra manpower."
“I understand everything Uncle Ji is saying,” Pei Xuanji sighed. “It’s just that things are going too far here at Xiandu Prefecture.”
"Oh, how so?" Ji Ren asked with a smile.
"The Strange Temple in Xiandu Prefecture is haunted."
Following Li Zhi's instructions, Pei Xuanji lowered her voice and recounted how the head of the Yiren Temple in Xiandu Prefecture was often inactive, while the deputy head held absolute power, and how key witnesses in many cases always died mysteriously in prison.
Upon hearing this, Ji Ren's expression instantly changed.
He turned and waved to the musicians playing the zither, signaling them to leave.
"Is this true?" Ji Ren stopped smiling, his eyes gleaming.
Pei Xuanji immediately took out the case files she had collected: "Uncle Ji will know once he has seen them."
Ji Ren accepted the dossier and stopped discussing the matter. He smiled again and kept urging the three of them to eat more food and drink more wine.
After several rounds of drinks, Pei Xuanji declined, saying she couldn't drink anymore, and the banquet ended.
Ji Ren still didn't mention whether he was willing to lend troops, but instead called a carriage to take the three of them back to the inn.
Pei Xuanji, who had been feigning drunkenness, showed no signs of intoxication as soon as she stepped off the carriage. She looked at Li Zhi anxiously and asked, "Is it really okay to say that?"
Li Zhi had also drunk quite a bit tonight, but his eyes were clear at this moment: "Really? We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"But."
Pei Xuanji wanted to ask more, but Zhang He stopped her, gesturing for her to go back to sleep: "Go back to sleep quickly."
As it was getting late, Pei Xuanji felt it inappropriate to stay in a man's room, so she had no choice but to give up.
Zhang He shared a room with Li Zhi. After washing up, Zhang He said worriedly, "Will we really be able to borrow soldiers tomorrow?"
“Master Pei said that Ji Ren, as the deputy chief commander, is older than the chief commander. It would be difficult for him to advance further in this province. So why not consider the position of chief commander of Xiandu Prefecture? If there is such a big pest in Xiandu Prefecture, the position of chief commander of the Yiren Temple in Xiandu Prefecture will naturally have to be changed.”
"That makes sense. How did you know Ji Ren would be that kind of person?"
In the darkness, Li Zhi stared at the ceiling without answering.
While the people outside the city were suffering, Ji Ren was still hosting lavish banquets in a luxurious restaurant. He didn't care about the people, and therefore he didn't care about the so-called exorcising of demons. All he cared about was how to move his seat around.
How could such an official escape Li Zhi's notice? He didn't even need to confirm it with his own eyes.
The next day, while it was still dark, the three of them checked out and prepared to leave.
Pei Xuanji rode her horse while Zhang He drove the carriage, both of them feeling apprehensive.
Only Li Zhi, with his arms crossed, closed his eyes to rest in the swaying carriage.
Sure enough, just as the carriage left the street, they heard voices coming from behind.
"Wait a minute, are you the two Celestial Masters, Pei and Zhang? Chief Commander Ji requests your presence!"
Pei Xuanji and Zhang He exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
The two urged their horses to turn back and followed the servant who had come to deliver the message to the Yiren Temple office in Jiangbei Prefecture.
Ji Ren was dressed in short clothes, and there were more than a dozen skilled fighters beside him.
Hearing the sound of the carriage approaching, everyone turned to look at the entrance.
This was the internal council of the Temple of Strange People. Li Zhi was once again left on the carriage at the entrance. In order to gain credit and promotion, this time they listened briefly to Pei Xuanji's introduction of the case before packing their equipment and preparing to set off.
We need to get there before the sun rises too high, otherwise the temperature will be too high to travel.
Riding at full speed, the group arrived at the dense forest next to Gejiabao before noon, stopping under the tree flies that Zhang He had previously scouted.
Ji Ren looked up, waved his hand, and the celestial masters he brought quickly set up a formation.
The formation enveloped everyone and the carriage, and as they walked further, not even a tree fly was disturbed.
Having passed the outer tree flies, fearing they might encounter an illusion, the Celestial Masters set up another formation. In this way, although their progress was very slow, they finally saw the ruins of Gejiabao before sunset.
It seems that there was once a very large building here, but now it has all sunk underground. On the surface, only some broken walls and ruins remain, proving that Gejiabao once existed.
Ji Ren silently leaped onto the roof of the carriage, formed a hand seal in front of his eyes, and his eyes instantly burst forth with dazzling light.
The next instant, he floated back onto his horse.
"Underground, there is immense power."
"Commander Ji, they are hiding underground. We only have a dozen or so brothers, so it's not a good idea to launch a direct attack."
Ji Ren fell into deep thought. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "Perhaps we can break out from inside."
Should we send our brothers in to infiltrate?
Upon hearing this, Pei Xuanji was already eager to try riding on horseback. Zhang He quickly reached out and nudged her, about to speak, when Li Zhi, who hadn't spoken the entire way, suddenly spoke up.
"I'd rather go."
In an instant, more than a dozen pairs of eyes turned to him.
Ji Ren looked Li Zhi up and down expressionlessly, and said suspiciously, "You're just an ordinary scholar."
"So the people underground definitely won't know who I am." Li Zhi said calmly. "There's already such a big hole in Xiandu Mansion. Can Chief Commander Ji guarantee that the brothers who sneak in won't be recognized?"
“I am just an ordinary scholar, unknown and unknown. Everyone here is a master. Masters have reputations, and with reputations come easy exposure and mistakes. I’d rather go.”
Li Zhi then presented Ji Ren with another reason that he couldn't refuse.
Ji Ren thought for a moment, then beckoned to Li Zhi: "Come here, take these inside, and then..."
Baozhu, holding the porridge she had brought from Yingji, looked at Saixue in bewilderment.
"Are you going to eat or not?" Sai Xue wagged her tail listlessly.
"Don't eat it, you know everything..." Baozhu swallowed the rest of her words.
"But I'm so hungry."
Baozhu was hungry too!
Ever since they discovered something strange about Gejiabao, the two of them dared not eat the food in the fortress anymore. Several days passed, and they were so hungry that their stomachs were practically sticking to their backs. Fortunately, they were two little demons, so being hungry was only a bit unpleasant, but at least they wouldn't starve to death.
"Sigh." Sai Xue rolled around on the bed, feeling dizzy. "Did you think our attempt succeed? Why hasn't anyone come yet?"
"I don't know."
Baozhu said with a hint of unease, "I was worried that you wouldn't be up to the task, that she hadn't discovered it yet."
Just then, Xiaoman's voice came from outside.
"Are you two there? There's a new guy in the fort. He looks like a scholar. He's downstairs."
Upon hearing this, Baozhu jumped up, went to the window, opened it, and looked down.
Li Zhi happened to raise his head and look around.
Their gazes met in the air, and Baozhu stood there stunned, as if struck by lightning.
Li Zhi simply looked away without reacting.
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