Chapter Forty-Eight
After Baozhu and the other two realized that Zhang He had not returned all night, they finally discovered something was wrong. They went out together and asked the innkeeper's waiter about Master Zhou.
It was soon discovered that the wealthy man's seventh daughter was choosing a husband this week by throwing a bridal bouquet, a matter that was highly inappropriate.
"The Zhou family is dominated by women; I heard they have over a dozen daughters but only one son. We all say it's because he does shipping on the Lanjiang River, a dangerous business that's bound to cause trouble, and it's damaged his karma. The Zhou family's son is extremely spoiled and a local tyrant." The innkeeper, having taken the copper coins Li Zhi gave him, lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously, "But lately, I don't know if he's turned over a new leaf, we haven't heard any of the Zhou family's strange tales for a long time."
"Did Master Zhou's daughter's marriage also begin when Young Master Zhou stopped showing up?" Pei Xuanji frowned.
"That's right. I've heard that he's married off several daughters these days. They're all of marriageable age, and he's busy finding good husbands for them," the waiter said, scratching his head.
Pei Xuanji asked some other questions, but the waiter said he didn't know. Seeing that he couldn't get any other clues, Li Zhi asked for the address of Master Zhou's estate in the suburbs. The three of them packed up a bit and set off according to the address the waiter gave them.
When they arrived at the destination, they saw that Master Zhou's estate was ridiculously large, occupying the best piece of land in the entire county suburbs. Only then did they realize how wealthy and powerful businessmen in the shipping business could be.
Even for an ordinary person, it would take quite a while to walk around the village.
"Should we just climb over the wall, or...?" Pei Xuanji asked her companions.
“Let’s climb in and let me smell Zhang Tianshi’s luggage. My nose is better than a dog’s,” Baozhu suggested. “I’ll climb in myself and steal Zhang Tianshi out without disturbing a single mortal.”
“You’re acting alone…” Li Zhi was interrupted by Baozhu before he could finish speaking.
“You two are mortals, unlike us demons who can conceal our presence. It would be troublesome if you were discovered. Just wait for me here. If I need your help, just call out from inside,” Baozhu said, waving her hand.
"How do we call you?" Pei Xuanji asked curiously.
"Open your mouth and shout, what else?" Baozhu asked curiously.
The two stared at each other, and Pei Xuanji waved her sleeve, giving up, and said, "Then go ahead. If you're going to shout, remember to shout loudly."
Baozhu hummed in agreement, sniffed Zhang He's bundle, turned around, transformed into a fox, and nimbly slipped into the manor.
She left, leaving Pei Xuanji and Li Zhi alone outside the manor, and the atmosphere instantly changed.
Pei Xuanji crossed her arms, took a step to the side, and looked coldly at the air in front of her, saying, "Master Li, I used to think you were a gentleman."
“I’m afraid Master Pei is mistaken.” With the precious pearl no longer before him, the warmth emanating from Li Zhi vanished in the blink of an eye. His eyes were deep as he looked at the spot where the pearl had disappeared. “I, Li, have never been a gentleman.”
As he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew by, raising dust and causing Pei Xuanji to squint.
If the wind had a brain, it would wonder why there are two people standing so far apart.
Baozhu was still unaware of how the two people left outside Zhuangzi were locked in a standoff.
After she entered the manor, she had quite an eye-opening experience.
In terms of luxury, this manor is still not as luxurious as the one Li Zhi gave her in her previous life. It was built like a maze, with no straight paths, and winding corridors everywhere, divided into small courtyards. Every now and then, sturdy servants would walk back and forth to patrol.
It seems that the owner of the manor was extremely afraid of death and very cautious.
However, these things only troubled mortals. Baozhu, a fox, leaped and bounded around the manor, looking around as if she were in an empty place. Before long, she could smell Zhang He's scent in the air.
She followed the scent and found a room with a locked door and sealed windows.
Baozhu peered over the wall and saw several servants in the courtyard, all with their arms crossed, looking at each other listlessly.
At first glance, she saw only ordinary people.
How could these people possibly be a match for Baozhu? Baozhu silently floated down from the wall, giving each of them a claw, and these servants fell down without a sound.
These servants must be watching over Zhang He.
Baozhu straightened up and looked into the room.
Sure enough, as soon as she poked her head out, a Taoist priest inside the house, whose voice had been choked by the medicine, began to cry out for the king in a mournful voice.
What an unlucky Taoist priest! Baozhu clicked her tongue in amazement as she unlocked the door from the outside, freeing Zhang He from his predicament.
Zhang He walked out of the house with tears welling up in his eyes.
After only a few steps, the valiant Zhang Tianshi was already panting. He leaned against the door frame and shook his head, saying, "Your Majesty, I've been hit by a spell. I have no strength left."
Baozhu tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, "How about I carry you out?"
After saying that, he transformed back into human form and reached out to grab Zhang He.
"No, no, no, you mustn't!" Zhang He was so frightened that he leaned back and waved his hands repeatedly. "It's alright, we should be fine if we're careful. I saw yesterday that the people in the manor are all ordinary people, no match for Your Majesty."
"Then let's go." Baozhu said, carefully pressing her ear to the courtyard gate. When she heard no sound outside, she pushed the gate open.
She beckoned to Zhang He and slipped out first.
Zhang He followed behind, clutching his lungs and staggering.
The two of them entered the intricate and complex Zhou Family Village, one after the other.
The rescue of Zhang He went quite smoothly. Baozhu thought the matter was over and was about to turn around and tease him a bit when, unexpectedly, Zhang Tianshi's luck had been terrible lately. The two had only taken a few steps on the veranda when a sharp female voice came from behind them.
"That pig escaped! Go after it!"
The woman shouted angrily.
Upon hearing this, Baozhu didn't rush to run away. Instead, she turned around and winked at Zhang He, saying, "Hehe, you pig."
Zhang He, his face pale from running, forced a smile and said, "Don't make fun of Old Zhang."
Since everyone in the village was an ordinary person, even if they were caught, it would only be a matter of Baozhu throwing a few more punches. Knowing that someone was chasing them, the two of them strolled around leisurely.
Once Zhang He was out of danger and relaxed, his mind became active again. While panting heavily, he still had the leisure to say to Baozhu, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Baozhu asked sternly, "What do you need to report?"
"Your Majesty may not know this, but after we parted ways on Sanzhen Mountain that day, Li Zhi was so afraid of getting separated from you that he went mad with worry."
Baozhu slowed her pace and hesitated, saying, "But he was extremely calm when he told me. He said he saw where Pei Qi and I went in the water, and he tried to follow us..."
“It’s not that easy to keep up. Li Zhi carried me on his back.” Zhang He looked at him with a knowing look. “We were swept away by the water to a place more than a hundred miles away from Yushan County. Li Zhi was afraid of missing you, so he took me by car and on foot. It took a day and a half to get to Yushan County ahead of you.”
After Zhang He finished speaking, he began to ramble on about how much his legs ached after a day and a half of marching—but Baozhu didn't listen to any of this. She was feeling very happy and was immersed in Li Zhi's care for her.
She didn't show a hint of that in front of me, but I never knew she was like that behind my back. Baozhu was overjoyed.
Meanwhile, King Baozhu was preoccupied with thoughts of Li Zhi, and the treacherous minister Zhang He, taking advantage of Li Zhi's absence, began to slander him before the king. The two wandered aimlessly, randomly turning a corner in the maze-like manor, and bumped right into the angry-looking Zhou Qi girl.
Both sides immediately retreated, creating distance between them.
Zhang He quickly took two steps back, pointed at Zhou Qi and shouted, "It's her!"
Zhou Qi's eyebrows shot up, and she shouted at the servants behind her, "It's him!"
Upon hearing this, Baozhu raised an eyebrow, rolled up her sleeves, assumed a horse stance, and delivered a series of powerful punches to the servants who were rushing towards her, sending them flying back the way they came.
Seeing that things were not going well, Zhou Qi turned around and tried to run away.
"Don't let her go!" Zhang He said, his voice hoarse like a duck.
Baozhu, of course, did not need to follow Zhang He's orders. She simply followed behind Zhou Qi and, seeing her thin shoulders and arms as thin as firewood, hesitated and said, "She's a girl. What if we hurt her?"
Baozhu hesitated, but Zhou Qi did not. A fierce expression appeared on her face, and with a flick of her wrist, the powder hidden in her sleeve shot towards Baozhu's face.
"You bastard!"
Although the powder was useless to Baozhu, it still made her choke and feel extremely uncomfortable.
Without further hesitation, the enraged fox demon delivered two powerful punches to Zhou Qi, sending her spinning around in place before collapsing without uttering a sound.
After all of Zhou Qi's people had fallen, Zhang He, who was riding like a broken bellows, finally arrived at the battlefield and gave Baozhu a thumbs up: "It's still you."
Baozhu frowned, spat out the powder, and complained, "I was originally going to let her off the hook, but the stuff she threw at me was too strange."
As the two talked, they tried to lift up Zhou Qi, who had been beaten black in the eye by Baozhu, but they didn't notice a woman following behind Zhou Qi. Baozhu had initially thought she was Zhou Qi's maid because she was dressed in drab clothes and didn't say a word. After everyone on their side fell down, she silently collapsed to the ground. Suddenly, she leaped up and flew towards the roof.
A familiar power surged from the woman.
Baozhu and Zhang He were startled and shouted in unison, "Monster, where are you going?"
No sooner said than done, the little demon had just stepped onto the roof when the pearl grabbed her other foot. With a strong tug, the poor little demon tumbled headfirst down from the roof and fell back to the spot with a thud.
"Ouch! You're a demon, and I'm a demon too! Why are you grabbing me? It's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple—family fighting family! If I'd known it would be this lively, I wouldn't have come to watch!" The little demon, covered in dust and dirt, simply rolled on the ground and started acting spoiled. "You're a bad monster! I'm so unlucky!"
The little demon really didn't do anything. When Miss Zhou ordered her servants to do it, she was just watching the show from the sidelines.
Baozhu remembered and felt a little embarrassed. She quickly reached out to help her up, patted the dust off her clothes, and asked, "What are you doing here? Why are you watching this commotion?"
The little demon stopped what she was doing, widened her eyes, and asked, "If it were you, wouldn't you look?"
Baozhu felt guilty at her words, made a sound of surprise, and twisted her hands together, avoiding the question: "What are you doing here?"
The little demon fell silent for a moment.
The two little demons were very talkative, chattering away. Zhang He finally managed to interject, quickly saying, "Quickly answer our leader, what are you doing here?"
The little demon hesitated for a moment, patted his dusty clothes, and opened his mouth to answer when suddenly a large number of servants emerged from all directions. Each of them was muscular and carried a weapon that gleamed coldly, surrounding them in the middle.
Lying on the ground with dark circles under her eyes, Zhou Qi sat up as if she had risen from the dead, pointing at Baozhu and saying in a tearful voice, "Take her down!"
The servants, armed with their weapons, were itching to get started.
They just looked at each other, and no one made the first move for a long time.
Seeing this, Zhang He quickly leaned over and whispered to Baozhu, "There are monsters here, which changes the nature of the matter. The Celestial Master can now intervene openly. I imagine you must have arranged how to contact them before you came. You can call them now."
Baozhu looked around at the swarm of burly men and nodded, saying, "Indeed, there are too many people. I'd get tired if I fought."
"Then hurry up and call them. Are you using paper cranes or something else?" Zhang He urged.
Baozhu shook her head, put her hands on her hips, took a deep breath, and shouted to the sky, "Li Zhi! Pei Qi! Come here quickly!"
Standing next to Baozhu, Zhang He was completely unprepared. His ears were ringing from the noise, and he stared at Baozhu in disbelief.
That wasn't all. As if she had eyes in the back of her head, Baozhu suddenly turned around and grabbed the little demon who was trying to escape in the chaos, saying earnestly, "You should leave later. You have to be the one who 'changed'."
The dusty little demon, intimidated by the pearl's tyrannical power, could only nod with tears in its eyes.
The servants surrounding them also sensed something was wrong. Urged repeatedly by Zhou Qi, they finally gritted their teeth, grabbed their weapons, and attacked Baozhu.
"Ugh, I don't like hitting these stinky men. My hands always smell weird afterward."
After complaining, Baozhu grabbed Zhang He and Xiao Yao on either side, using them as walking sticks. With a push, she flew up, her body horizontal in the air, and kicked the strong men's heads as if walking, sending them flying in all directions like scattered flowers.
"This is pretty good, it's fast and my hands don't smell," Baozhu muttered to herself.
After she did a somersault in the air, Pei Xuanji's voice came from under the eaves: "Your voice is really loud."
After saying that, Pei Xuanji joined the battle. With a wave of her sword, the weapon in the servant's hand snapped in two and fell to the ground with a clanging sound.
Li Zhi appeared behind Baozhu at some unknown time, scattering a handful of talismans that exploded in the air.
Baozhu could only manage a quick smile at him.
Pei Xuanji had just finished beating the servants until they were crying and screaming. After she finished, she turned around and said, "Li Zhi, continue."
Helpless, Li Zhi gave Baozhu a reassuring look, then followed Pei Xuanji. The talismans they scattered flew like snowflakes, and after they exploded, no one else could stand there except them.
For a moment, Zhou Family Village was extremely quiet. The servants lay on the ground, oblivious to their own mortality. Even Zhou Qi, who had come back from the dead to command the servants, slowly lay down on the ground again.
With the crisis resolved, Zhang He put his hands behind his back, gave a stiff smile, and walked up to Pei Xuanji.
Zhang Tianshi bent down and put his head close to her face, saying in a hoarse voice, "What a coincidence, Xiao Pei. We haven't seen each other all night, and we've run into each other here."
Pei Xuanji said awkwardly, "Senior..."
Zhang He chuckled, then turned back to find Li Zhi, stood on tiptoe to meet his gaze, and said sarcastically, "Oh, isn't this Old Li?"
Li Zhi touched his nose and looked away.
Zhang He snorted coldly, rolled his eyes, spun around on the spot, and finally smiled at Baozhu: "The King treats me well. King, I don't even know your name yet."
Baozhu smiled and said, "I am Baozhu."
"What a fine name! Only a good monster would be called that!" Zhang He praised repeatedly, then asked her, "Baozhu, do you think we should tear down Master Zhou's estate? He's so wicked, he'll surely harm many more people in the future."
Baozhu pondered for a moment, then looked hesitantly at Li Zhi and asked, "What do you think?"
Li Zhi gestured with his chin toward Zhang He and said, "I'll do whatever Old Zhang says."
Zhang He reached out and tugged at his clothes, saying as he walked, "Then let's go."
The crowd followed behind him.
After walking a few steps, Zhang He suddenly turned back and asked, "Does anyone know which courtyard Master Zhou lives in?"
"I know." The little demon being pulled by Baozhu quickly raised her hand, her round eyes sparkling. "I'll lead the way for you all!"
As she spoke, she rubbed her hands excitedly and pulled Baozhu to the front.
"Will you beat up that Master Zhou?" the little demon asked Baozhu, tilting her head. "Or, should we just kill him...?"
She made a chop gesture with her hand.
"I don't know." Baozhu shook her head. "But what's your name, and what brings you here?"
“My name is Red Tail, and I’m here to collect the money on behalf of our king.” Red Tail began to complain as he mentioned this, “The Zhou family agreed to pay tribute once every six months, and our king has already allowed them to be in arrears for several months and has been protecting their ships. He just sent me here to see what’s going on.”
"Your king?" Baozhu's eyes widened. "What kind of monster is your king?"
"Our king is incredibly powerful. He was originally a golden carp who has lived in the Lanjiang River for many years. Passing ships are willing to offer him supplies and pray for his protection so that they can pass smoothly in the Lanjiang River." Red Tail proudly puffed out his chest.
"A golden carp!" Baozhu and Pei Xuanji, who was eavesdropping behind them, exclaimed in surprise.
Redtail exclaimed in surprise, "What? You know him?"
Baozhu shook her head and told the little demon about the real and fake River God.
"Ah, where did he go!" Red Tail shook his head repeatedly, sighing. "He is our king's brother, we hatched together. There are very few brothers born of the same mother among the monsters. Our king had always favored him and divided Lanjiang into two parts, entrusting one half to him. But he was greedy and wanted more offerings from mortals. He wanted women, money, and even to eat people to increase his cultivation. He wanted everything."
Redtail grew increasingly angry as she spoke, saying bitterly, "The king already told him that we don't harm mortals, we just do business with them, and the Temple of Strange People won't interfere with us. If we follow his methods, the Celestial Masters will come knocking on our door, we won't be able to do business, and we'll lose our lives. We won't be able to live our good life anymore, so why bother? He just wouldn't listen and even wanted to seize the king's position, which led to the king and him fighting fiercely and the king being injured for many days."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xuanji interjected, "You mean, the Temple of Strange People knows of your existence, yet lets you do as you please?"
“Yes, we’ve been doing our jobs honestly.” Redtail glanced at her cautiously, somewhat puzzled. “Aren’t you a local? I’ve seen many exorcists around here, but I’ve never seen you before.”
Pei Xuanji was speechless for a moment and fell silent.
At this moment, Hongwei had already led them to Master Zhou's courtyard. Baozhu pushed open the courtyard gate and saw that it was indeed a very luxurious courtyard. As soon as she stepped in, she could tell from the exquisite white marble carvings on the screen wall in front of her.
Further inside, there are countless artificial hills and streams, and precious flowers and trees. It's hard to imagine that such a wealthy place exists in a county town.
The courtyard was completely empty, the main gate of the house was wide open, and there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Did they escape?" Pei Xuanji asked doubtfully.
Li Zhi shook his head and said, "The main house door is open, but the courtyard gate is closed, so it doesn't seem like they ran away."
Pearl and Redtail sniffed hard.
“Everywhere smells the same, so you can’t really tell the difference,” Baozhu said.
Seeing this, Li Zhi turned to look at Zhou Qi, who was silent and whose arm was being held by Pei Xuanji.
This Miss Zhou Qi was quite resilient. Even in this situation, she didn't beg for mercy or cry out; she just lowered her head and remained silent.
Seeing her like this, Zhang He gestured to Pei Xuanji to pull her to the front, and shouted in his hoarse voice, "Master Zhou, if you don't come out, we'll cut off your head and hang it at the gate of the manor as a lantern!"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Zhang He.
Zhang He winked and made eye contact with them.
The courtyard was quiet. Master Zhou was nowhere to be seen, and he remained silent, as if he didn't want his daughter.
Zhang He frowned, picked a branch from beside him, poked Zhou Qi's arm, and said, "Shout it out."
Zhou Qi Girl sneered and called out, "Father, don't come out!"
"Looks like it really is here." Zhang He clapped his hands, delighted.
Zhou Qi was stunned, and finally panicked appeared on her face.
Li Zhi had already gone inside and searched the house at some point. Hearing the conversation between the two people outside, he said from his study, "Something seems wrong here."
Upon hearing this, everyone crowded into the study, where Li Zhi pointed to the empty treasure cabinet and the mark on the floor, saying, "It was moved not long ago."
Zhang He stepped forward and, together with Li Zhi, moved it aside, revealing a hole underneath.
Pei Xuanji glanced down and nudged Zhou Qi, saying, "Miss Zhou, you should go first."
Master Pei possessed an extraordinary strength, which Zhou Qi could not overcome, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and walk down.
“Master Zhou, your daughter is walking in front, be careful,” Zhang He shouted from behind.
But to everyone's surprise, just as Miss Zhou Qi stepped into the tunnel, a whooshing sound suddenly came from inside.
Before Zhou Qi could react, Pei Xuanji behind her used a sword flourish to block all the hidden arrows.
In an instant, Zhou Qi's face turned pale.
She said in a trembling voice, "Father, I'm the one who went first. I'm Xiao Qi."
"Little Seven, I'm sorry, your father has no choice." Zhou Yuanwai's voice came from below.
Immediately afterwards, a series of whooshing sounds rang out as hidden arrows flew towards the group like a storm.
Pei Xuanji simply pulled Zhou Qi behind her, took a stance, and wielded the bladeless sword with such skill that it was impenetrable. Everyone heard a series of clanging sounds and then saw a pile of hidden arrows scattered on the ground.
By this time, everyone had gone down into the underground tunnel. Li Zhi took out a tinderbox from his satchel, lit it, and then lit a small lamp.
This tiny light illuminated the entire underground space.
The place below was the same size as the house above, and it contained several cells where several young men were imprisoned, their mouths gagged and their hands tied, staring intently at Baozhu and her group.
Further inside, there was a small, fully furnished space. Sitting in the center was Master Zhou, flanked by several women.
Beside Master Zhou sat a young man, a womanizer and a drunkard, who looked weak and short of breath. He was chained up and sat close to Master Zhou.
When Zhou Qi saw her family, her gaze remained fixed on Master Zhou. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Father, you don't want Xiao Qi anymore, do you?"
Before Master Zhou could speak, a woman closest to him spoke up for him, scolding, "Your mother is gone, but your father raised you with such luxury, loving and caring for you for over a decade, doing so much for you. And yet you open your mouth to question him. Why don't you think about your father's difficulties?"
“The young lady is right, Father had no choice.” Master Zhou nodded repeatedly.
Baozhu, impatient with the father and daughter's insincere behavior, interrupted, "I don't understand. Since you're so rich and live in such a big house, why do you have to be a swindler and cheat these young masters out of their money?"
She pointed to several fair-skinned men in the cell who looked like they came from wealthy families, and asked, "You're in the shipping business, don't you make a lot of money?"
Before Master Zhou could say anything, Miss Zhou Qi spoke up, "Naturally, it's because the family is broke and the shipping business is a complete mess, isn't that right, brother?"
Upon hearing his sister's words, the eldest son of the Zhou family became irritated and flung his hand away, causing the chains on his body to clang loudly. He angrily said, "Are you trying to trick me? What business do you know, you worthless woman? Do you know how much I could earn on a round trip if that ship I bought with someone else hadn't sunk?"
"You've clearly been tricked!"
The seventh young lady of the Zhou family became more and more heartbroken as she spoke, pointing at the eldest son of the Zhou family and saying to Baozhu, "My brother met some friends from outside at the casino, and they persuaded him to pawn his two boats that ran on the Lanjiang River to a money exchange to get money to buy a large ship with them. He said he didn't care about the money from river transport and wanted to go sea transport. After spending the money, they said that the first voyage was marred by storms, the ship sank, the cargo was lost, and he didn't see anything. He lost everything!"
The eldest son of the Zhou family was hit where it hurt and became furious. He berated his seventh sister with extremely harsh words, but none of the Zhou family members came out to stop him.
Baozhu's ears ached from hearing this. She picked up a hidden arrow from the ground and hurled it at the eldest son of the Zhou family, shouting, "Shut up!"
The arrow was planted between Zhou Dashao's legs, just a finger's width away from the Zhou family's precious son. Zhou Yuanwai was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and reached out to cover his son's mouth.
Zhou Qi wiped away her tears and then said to Baozhu, "In order to redeem the two boats at home, Father thought of giving up a few of the sisters to get some money back."
Before Baozhu could speak, Hongwei innocently interjected, "Can't mortal men be sold for money? Why not sell your brother first?"
Zhou Qi was speechless when asked the question, unsure of how to answer.
Li Zhi and Zhang He had already opened several prison doors and released the young masters inside.
The young men must have suffered a lot. As soon as the rags were pulled out of their mouths, they took turns tugging at Li Zhi's sleeves and sobbing, "Benefactor, if it weren't for you, I don't know how much more suffering I would have endured. My family has given me money time and time again, but that Zhou fellow just won't let me go."
Zhang He sighed and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm not saying this to be mean, but at this age, I still believe in the idea of a beautiful woman falling into my arms."
A short young man lamented, "They're masters at setting traps. As soon as a young man from out of town enters the city, they've got their eyes on him. They know which inn you're staying at and send people to do everything they can to coax you. They'll use things like a ball to choose a husband or a chance encounter in an alley to lure you into their trap."
After the young master finished speaking, Li Zhi and Zhang He exchanged a glance and suddenly remembered why they had appeared at the foot of Xueyun Tower that day.
It was because some guests in the inn mentioned in their conversation that such a lively event as the "embroidered ball selection for marriage" was something that everyone who came to Yushan County had to go and join in the fun.
They decided to go down to Xueyun Tower to take a look. Fox demons love excitement and would definitely not let such a thing go to waste.
Unexpectedly, the two Celestial Masters also fell into a trap. It turned out that as soon as they stepped into Yushan County, someone took a liking to Li Zhi and, realizing that they were looking for someone, set a trap for them.
There was no trace of demons involved in this matter. Now that the case was clear, the Taoist priests could no longer interfere. After asking the young masters for their opinions, they stopped paying attention to the Zhou family and simply released the young masters, letting them file forward one by one.
There was a young master named Zhao, who was thin and small, and claimed that his family was also in the shipping business. He was actually a hopeless romantic.
Zhang He told him to come up from the dungeon, but he was still a little reluctant to leave. He stared at a beautiful woman in front of Master Zhou and said, "Sixth Miss, even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. If you are willing to come home with me and never have anything to do with the Zhou family again, I will forget what happened here, and we can still be a good couple."
The sixth girl's eyes flickered, and she remained silent, seemingly showing signs of softening.
But her father looked at her lovingly and whispered something to her. The sixth girl shook her head with tears in her eyes and said in a trembling voice, "A day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness, but my father's kindness in raising me is greater than heaven. Zhao Lang, farewell forever."
Baozhu and Hongwei got goosebumps from listening to this, exchanged knowing glances, and laughed as they went up from the dungeon.
Pei Xuanji was also getting impatient. She patted Young Master Zhao with her sword and urged, "Let's go quickly. Aren't your parents worried?"
With tears welling in his eyes, Young Master Zhao, as if no one else existed, said with deep emotion, "Forever—"
Before he could finish speaking, Pei Xuanji grabbed him by the collar and dragged him up.
Li Zhi and Zhang He walked at the back, and after they came out, they moved the Treasure Pavilion back to its original position.
"What are your plans, gentlemen?" Zhang He asked the young masters who had suffered losses after he came up.
The young masters exchanged glances, their faces revealing a ruthless expression. They gritted their teeth and said, "Let's go home first. This Zhou family still has their business. If they have the guts, they can just abandon it and run away. Even if they do, where can they escape to? They'll still end up in our hands."
Since he is a wealthy young master, his family must be capable. They have also spent a long time together in the dungeon and formed an alliance out of shared hatred. It seems that Master Zhou's life's fortune will not last much longer.
Zhang He secretly pondered that he and his group still had many things to do and didn't have time to deal with the Zhou family, so this was for the best.
The aggrieved parties were all satisfied, but Young Master Zhao was still thinking about his sixth daughter. After coming up, he continued to sigh and lament.
Baozhu leaned closer to listen and overheard something about Lanxin, Wanniang, and Ai'ai. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Young Master Zhao, what are you muttering about?"
Young Master Zhao turned around and saw a beautiful young lady. He immediately replied respectfully, "Replying to Miss, what I just said was that if Sixth Miss comes home with me, she will definitely be with my Lanxin, Wanniang, Aiai, and..."
Baozhu was confused and interrupted, "Are all these your cats and dogs?"
Young Master Zhao smiled gently and explained, "These are all my wives, ten in total."
"Ah?" Baozhu exclaimed in surprise. "So many? Are they all wives?"
“Indeed, beauties are like delicate flowers, how could I bear to make any of them my concubine? The Sixth Miss is also my wife. She is gentle and kind. If she comes back with me, she will surely get along well with the other sisters.” As he spoke, Young Master Zhao’s eyes reddened with worry.
Baozhu felt nauseous and replied perfunctorily, "I think the Sixth Miss already has a bunch of sisters at home, so she probably wouldn't want to go to your house and spend time with a bunch of sisters again."
Young Master Zhao blinked and retorted softly, "No way."
Baozhu shook her head and slowly walked behind Li Zhi. She secretly took his hand from behind, not wanting to talk to Young Master Zhao.
The group swaggered out of the main gate and left the Zhou family estate. The young masters each went their separate ways and bid farewell to Baozhu and the others on the spot.
Only Young Master Zhao smiled gently and said, "I wonder if there is anything I can do to help you all? If I can, I will do my best."
Upon hearing this, Hongwei nudged Baozhu from behind and said, "The Zhao family's shipping business is much bigger than the Zhou family's. Since you're going to the capital, they have a ship that they partner with my king on, which specializes in transporting dignitaries. Why don't you ask him to give you four tickets? It'll be easy for him."
Hongwei spoke loudly on purpose, and Young Master Zhao heard it too. He immediately took the initiative to say, "I heard what the young lady behind said. If you all need more tickets, that's fine too. What do you all think?"
"Why wouldn't we take advantage of a good deal?" Baozhu immediately answered for her companions, "Okay!"
Young Master Zhao said cheerfully, "Then it's a deal. I will set off with my benefactors."
Everyone was naturally happy to agree.
After taking only a few steps, Baozhu suddenly felt something was off, as if someone was missing. She looked around but couldn't find Zhou Qi, so she tugged at Li Zhi's sleeve and whispered in his ear, "Where is that Zhou Qi?"
Li Zhi moved closer to Baozhu, half-embracing her in his arms, and whispered, "When I came up last, I asked her if she wanted to come out."
What did she say?
"She didn't say anything, just shook her head and went back to her father's side."
"...So that's how it is."
Baozhu felt a little sad.
But she didn't know why she was sad.
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