Chapter 51
However, Ji Ren felt that his life was in danger, which was purely due to his own petty mind. After the three celestial masters boarded the ship, none of them had any intention of killing Ji Ren immediately. They just huddled together and whispered something.
Even the most inhuman Baozhu just kept making faces at Ji Ren and clenching her fists to make a gesture toward his eyes, as if she was about to punch him.
"This monster is going to attack me, aren't you all going to do anything about it?" Ji Ren, who was already huddled in a corner, was so frightened by the precious pearl that he kept shrinking back. With nowhere left to retreat, he finally couldn't help but ask the boatmen for help.
The boatmen, who were busy taking stock of the guests and cargo, glanced at the scene from afar upon hearing this and sent a monster over to check on the situation.
"I didn't really lay a hand on him, I was just joking with him." Upon seeing the approaching person, Baozhu quickly stopped and explained to the boatman with a smile.
The boatman was some kind of monster, with a dark face, tall and silent, and rarely smiled. Seeing that Baozhu hadn't actually made a move, he said to Ji Ren with a stern face, "She's joking, don't take it to heart."
He then said to Baozhu, "King Jinlin has ordered us to protect the safety of the passengers on the ship. Little monster, don't do anything reckless."
"I know, I promise I won't do anything reckless," Baozhu said, raising her hand in assurance.
The boatman glanced at her, and seemed to twitch the corner of his mouth, but his dark face made it hard to see clearly. Baozhu took it as a smile from him. As soon as he left, she used the same trick again, sometimes spreading her wings like a roc, sometimes stabbing a black tiger out of its heart, gesturing wildly to scare Ji Ren.
Ji Ren simply sat down on the ground and turned his head away from Baozhu.
Baozhu sang a solo act for a while, but seeing that Ji Ren had no reaction, she felt it was boring, so she sat down in front of him and stared straight at him.
The three celestial masters wanted to discuss matters, so Baozhu volunteered to guard Ji Ren. However, Ji Ren neither made a fuss nor ran away, and he did not react to her provocations. He just sat down in a corner, which made her a little bored.
After staring at Ji Ren for a while, Baozhu asked, "How did you end up like this? Did I hit you?"
Ji Ren initially ignored her, but Baozhu kept repeating the same question over and over, buzzing in Ji Ren's ear like a fly. Ji Ren had no choice but to glare at Baozhu with resentment and grit his teeth, saying, "Thanks to you."
Baozhu laughed heartily and said happily, "It sounds wonderful to hear you say that yourself."
She laughed to herself for a while, then sighed, "I can say that I've avenged Lianxin and Yuanyuan."
As Baozhu spoke, she observed Ji Ren's expression. Seeing that his face remained unchanged, she said with dissatisfaction, "I mentioned Lianxin and Yuanyuan's names, didn't you react?"
Ji Ren snorted coldly and retorted, "I don't know who you're talking about, so what reaction could I possibly have?"
Baozhu was taken aback. The faces of the two poor girls flashed through her mind, and she murmured, "You don't even remember them?"
When Ji Ren was at the height of his power, he wielded immense influence in Jiangbei Prefecture, easily ruining the lives of two girls and indirectly taking the life of one of them.
These deeply painful experiences for the girls are just minor details that he will forget in the blink of an eye.
“You’re so annoying.” Baozhu looked at him with disgust. “I should have slapped you to death back then.”
Ji Ren replied, and then Li Zhi's voice came from behind Baozhu.
"Killing him with one blow back then was too lenient on him."
At this moment, the three Celestial Masters must have already discussed the plan. They came forward and surrounded Ji Ren. Pei Xuanji reached out to help Ji Ren up from the ground.
As Li Zhi spoke, he gently pulled Baozhu away from Ji Ren, leading her aside and whispering, "He died back then, and he was still the Chief Commander of Jiangbei Prefecture. Wouldn't it be better if we could get him to reveal who he colluded with, and then let Ji Ren die after his reputation is ruined?"
“That makes sense.” Baozhu leaned against the ship’s side, looking down at the Lanjiang River, and said softly, “But can you guarantee that he will die after he says it? There are many twists and turns among mortals. I know that many times, under the consideration of those above you, if he says it, it’s not certain that he won’t die.”
The usually innocent fox demon actually said such a thing.
Li Zhi was somewhat surprised and comforted her, saying, "In the end, there is still fairness and justice in the world."
But can this justice and fairness save the millions of Lianxin and Yuanyuan who have been hurt?
Baozhu had many doubts, but she didn't want to say them and worry Li Zhi.
As they were talking by the ship's side, the boatmen shouted, "It's time to set sail!"
"Let's go!"
On their ship, many mortal and monster shipwrights shouted in unison.
Immediately afterwards, Baozhu felt the steady boat beneath her feet suddenly move, and under the control of the boatmen, it left the dock and headed towards the Lanjiang River.
Baozhu and Li Zhi stopped talking and silently watched the riverbank, enjoying the breeze from the Lanjiang River.
The boat they were on had a very deep draft, presumably carrying more than ten passengers and various kinds of cargo. Yet, the boat with such a deep draft sped up as soon as it entered the Lanjiang waterway, faster than any other boat around it.
Baozhu lay on the gunwale, observing the surrounding ships, then turned back and whispered to Li Zhi, "Our ship is the heaviest, but the fastest."
This is because there are monsters on the ship, Baozhu thought.
She looked back for a while and found that the monster shipwrights were no longer on the deck.
Except for the brief moment before departure, the boatmen were now scattered throughout the ship, silently going about their work.
After sailing for some time, they came to a narrow section of the river. Baozhu tugged at Li Zhi's sleeve and pointed to the towering peaks on the riverbank, saying, "That's Jinlin's home."
As she was speaking, the boat suddenly slowed down.
A shipwright came up from below deck, climbed the mast, and lowered half of a golden, wordless flag from the mast.
Immediately afterwards, just as Baozhu had heard on the mountaintop, all the ships passing through this waterway sounded their whistles at once.
She saw many boats around her, with boatmen gathered on the deck, devoutly worshipping towards the mountaintop, loudly thanking the Golden Scale King for protecting them and allowing them to pass safely through the most treacherous section of the Lanjiang River.
Baozhu looked at them and whispered to Li Zhi, "Is this actually the most dangerous section of the Lanjiang River?"
Li Zhi gazed at the deep river below and replied, "I have read some essays about the Lanjiang River before. They say that in some sections, not only is the current swift, but there are also countless hidden reefs and boulders underwater. If the weather is bad, it is very easy for a boat to hit a reef while traveling on the river, resulting in the destruction of the boat and loss of life."
Upon hearing this, Baozhu looked carefully at the river and said in surprise, "But there are no hidden reefs in the water, and the current is very gentle."
"It was probably made by Jin Lin, which is why these ships are grateful to him," Li Zhi guessed.
"That's amazing," Baozhu murmured in admiration.
Baozhu stood by the ship's railing, gazing at the scenery on both banks, and before she knew it, evening had fallen.
The reason why Jinlin's ship could reach the capital much faster than other ships was not only because of its speed. Unlike other ships, they did not dock at the pier at night, but continued to sail on the Lanjiang River.
It was also because there were demons on the ship that they did not have the night blindness that was common among ordinary boatmen. Some of the demons even had better vision at night than during the day.
There weren't many guests on this trip; apart from Baozhu and her group and Ji Ren, there were only two or three other guests.
Ji Ren, who had been in despair when he boarded the ship, calmed down by nightfall. He could stay on the ship and receive protection from the monster boatmen. If he disembarked, he didn't know how Li Zhi and the others would treat him if they followed him down. So he decided to behave himself and hide in the cabin without showing his face.
Pei Xuanji and Zhang He chose cabins to the left and right of Ji Ren, keeping watch over him from both sides, not worried that he would jump into the river halfway.
The boatmen also instructed each passenger not to go up to the deck after nightfall, lest their visibility be poor and they accidentally fall into the river.
If you fall into the river and the monster boatmen don't notice you immediately, you'll become a water ghost in the Lanjiang River.
But Baozhu was no ordinary guest who would listen to reason. After dark, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
So the fox spirit quietly got up, pushed open the cabin door, and slipped onto the deck.
The moonlight is poor tonight; large, dark clouds have covered it. Baozhu looked up and worried that it might rain tomorrow.
But rain won't do anything to them, and their boats won't capsize.
Lost in thought, she went to the ship's side again, leaned on the railing, and stared blankly at the dark Lanjiang River.
"Little monster, don't fall into the river."
A voice came from behind Baozhu. She turned around and saw the big, dark-skinned monster she had spoken with during the day.
"No, I'm a demon, how could I fall in so easily?" Baozhu said.
The big, dark-skinned man stood on the deck watching her for a while, then hesitantly walked to her side and said in a deep voice, "Why are you standing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
"I can't sleep," Baozhu whispered.
"Oh," the big black guy responded, and then, imitating her, he leaned against the gunwale and looked at the Lanjiang River. "Little monster, how long have you been living?"
"About ten years," Baozhu said guiltily.
“You were still very young then. I’ve been making a living on the Lanjiang River for almost fifty years,” the big, dark-skinned man said in a deep voice. “When I was your age, I was also living a muddled life, just drifting through the days and nights, not knowing what I was doing.”
Although Baozhu didn't think she was just wasting her days, the big black man's words touched a nerve, and she asked, "So how did you come up with the idea of working on the ship?"
“Jin Lin sent me, so I gave it a try. And fifty years have passed since then,” Big Black replied.
“You work on the ship, and you must earn a lot of money for each trip. But we are monsters, and we don’t need money. Why are you willing to work for fifty years?” Baozhu revealed the doubt in her heart. Only her fellow monsters could answer this question.
“We don’t need money, but mortals do. Jinlin said that transactions should be based on equal exchange. I have a house and servants on the shore. I want to enjoy life like mortals, so I need to offer them what mortals need and trade with them.”
The big black guy looked at Baozhu and said, "There are many good things in this world. If mortals can have them, we can have them too. Why should monsters hide in the mountains and do evil all day long until they attract the Heavenly Master. After a good fight, they are either taken away or escape to the deeper mountains."
Baozhu couldn't answer.
The big, dark-skinned man laughed, glancing across the cabin before disapprovingly saying to Baozhu, "You've followed these celestial masters and must have done a lot for them. They have their reasons for doing things. What about you? Are you the same as them?"
“I…” Baozhu could not answer.
Baozhu was stumped by the question.
Along the way with Li Zhi, she was constantly and passively drawn into various cases, making choices based solely on instinct. She had saved demons, ghosts, and people, but was this what she wanted to do?
The Celestial Master's goal is to slay demons and protect humanity.
Is this also Baozhu's goal?
Baozhu lowered her eyes and pursed her lips tightly; she was in great pain.
Seeing her unhappy expression, the big, dark-skinned man scratched his head and apologized, "I may have said something unpleasant, please don't take it to heart. Most of our compatriots live life as they please, and there's nothing wrong with that."
“But in your heart, you must feel that you and a monster like Jinlin are the ones who are living a better life.” Baozhu looked into his eyes and said incisively.
The big black guy didn't answer, he just shrugged.
Baozhu stopped talking and just silently looked at Lanjiang.
Be careful not to fall in.
The big, dark-skinned man had been standing on the deck for too long and it was time for him to return to his position. He gave Baozhu a few words of advice and then disappeared from the ship's side.
Baozhu stood alone by the ship's railing for a very long time.
She didn't return to her cabin until the sky began to lighten.
During the rest of the journey, their ship rarely docked at the pier unless it was to resupply essential items. As they continued their journey day and night, one day, Zhang He, who was standing on the deck keeping watch, suddenly saw many tiny, fingernail-sized objects flying in the distance.
He exclaimed in surprise, pulling Li Zhi, who was frowning and lost in thought, aside, and said, "Look, what's that flying in the sky?"
After saying that, Zhang He turned back to the other side of the boat and said, "Xiao Pei, Baozhu, look up at the sky."
Pei Xuanji was leaning against Baozhu, whispering intimate words to each other. Hearing this, she looked up and was surprised to see a dense array of things flying in the sky. She asked curiously, "What are those flying things?"
Baozhu had just asked Dahei yesterday and learned that they would be passing through Wanping Prefecture during the day today. It was already September, which happened to be the day when the people of Wanping Prefecture gathered together to fly kites every year, so there were naturally kites in the sky.
It was rare for Baozhu to know something that Pei Xuanji didn't, so she quickly leaned close to Pei Xuanji's ear and said mysteriously, "Guess."
Pei Xuanji said reproachfully, "It's so mysterious, I'm not going to guess anymore, just tell me quickly."
As she spoke, she reached out to tickle Baozhu, and the two of them were playfully fighting. Unbeknownst to them, Baozhu had sharp ears and overheard Li Zhi absentmindedly saying to Zhang He, "It's a kite. Every September, the people around Wanping Prefecture gather on the flat ground in front of the prefectural city to fly kites together."
Baozhu stopped moving.
In a flash, the memory of her previous life, when she went to Wanping Prefecture with Li Zhi, resurfaced in her mind.
Before her eyes once again appeared the vast, magnificent sea of kites, but she didn't feel the same sense of nostalgia as yesterday. Instead, a strange, irrepressible thought arose within her—
Why was Li Zhi so clear about this?
Baozhu had many strange ideas, but she rejected them one by one. Could strange things in this world really happen in pairs? Li Zhi must have gotten his knowledge from some random book.
Seeing Baozhu suddenly stop what she was doing, Pei Xuanji quickly waved her hand in front of her and frowned, asking, "Baozhu, what's wrong?"
Li Zhi, who was in the distance, also noticed the commotion and quickly walked over from the other end of the boat. He looked at Baozhu with concern and said, "What's wrong? You've seemed a bit off ever since you got on the boat."
Looking at Li Zhi's face, Baozhu vaguely saw him as someone she remembered wearing official robes. She shook her head, banishing the image from her mind, and smiled, "It's nothing, I'm just a little lost as we approach the capital. By the way, didn't you say last time that once we got off the ship, you would send Ji Ren directly to the Yiren Temple in the capital?"
“Yes.” Pei Xuanji and Li Zhi exchanged a glance, carefully observing Baozhu’s expression. “We are worried that someone in the capital might eliminate Ji Ren to cover up their crimes, but when we ask Ji Ren, he refuses to say who he returned to the capital to seek protection from. So I have already folded paper cranes and asked my aunt for help. I expect to receive a reply soon.”
Before Pei Xuanji could finish speaking, a small paper crane flew towards them.
She reached out and took it; the paper crane obediently transformed into a piece of paper in her palm, on which a few simple lines of text were written.
The group huddled together and listened to Pei Xuanji say, "Auntie said she knows and has already sent people to wait by the dock. As soon as we get off the ship, her people will come to pick us up."
"The ship will arrive in two days," Baozhu breathed a sigh of relief. "You can all relax now."
“You?” Li Zhi keenly noticed the difference in Baozhu’s choice of words, and his expression changed instantly. “Does that mean that after we enter the capital, Baozhu will not be with us?”
Baozhu chuckled and explained, "I have some things to take care of first, and I'll come find you after I've finished."
She was unusually tight-lipped, not mentioning at all what she was going to do. It seemed that this was something she had to do. Li Zhi had no choice but to hand her a few paper cranes and instructed her, "Be careful and keep in touch."
His expression looked really pitiful, and Baozhu's heart softened. Regardless of whether they were on the deck or not, and that everyone around was watching, she went over with a smile and coaxed, "I'll come find you right away and bring you a gift. I promise I won't get lost."
Before Li Zhi could answer, Zhang He shouted, "I want a gift too!"
“And what about me?” Pei Xuanji also looked at Baozhu with a resentful expression.
"Okay, okay, bring them all," Baozhu replied perfunctorily.
After saying that, she leaned close to Li Zhi's ear and whispered, "You're the most special, so I'll bring you the best."
Only through such gentle and soft words could Li Zhi finally manage to smile.
In the blink of an eye, the last two days on the ship were over, and the dock on the outskirts of the capital city came into view.
This was an extremely bustling and enormous dock, with countless huge ships crammed together. Even Baozhu was somewhat dazzled by the sight.
The ship they were on now looked tiny. The boatmen carefully maneuvered the hull, twisting and turning as they weaved between the larger ships, until they finally found a spot to anchor.
However, the passengers could not disembark immediately. They had to wait on the boat while the boatmen negotiated with the people at the dock. It took about half an hour for the formalities to be completed before they were allowed to disembark.
Sure enough, just as the three Celestial Masters dragged Ji Ren off the boat, a group of people appeared below. The leader, riding a horse, looked at Pei Xuanji and said, "Miss, Protector Pei sent us to pick you up."
Pei Xuanji nodded and then tried to push Ji Ren into the carriage.
Li Zhi walked at the back and said to Baozhu, who was standing aside watching them, "I'll be waiting for you."
Baozhu tugged at his hand and reassured him, "Don't worry."
So the three celestial masters got into the Pei family's car, leaving only Baozhu at the dock.
Baozhu determined her direction by looking left and right, then, holding the note that the big black guy had written for her, she headed towards the outskirts of the city.
"After you arrive in the capital, you should go and find Granny Rat. She is a good demon. Ask her to introduce you to the rules of the capital. The capital is different from other places, so demons should be careful. When you arrive, you should pay your respects to the local authorities first."
Your celestial masters have their mortal paths to walk, and we demons have our own demonic ways to follow.
As Baozhu walked on her way to find Granny Rat, she recalled what Big Blackie had said to her and murmured to herself, "The way of the demons, what kind of way is it?"
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