Chapter Thirty-Six
Poor Baozhu was haunted by the female ghost Lianxin at night and couldn't wake up during the day, so she was so sleepy that she had to catch up on sleep in bed.
Li Zhi was somewhat concerned. Baozhu spoke of herself as incredibly powerful, claiming that she had sent all the ghosts on the mountain to their deaths. But Li Zhi didn't know the truth.
All she knew was that if the female ghost disturbed her sleep every night, Baozhu's already weak health would only worsen.
The female ghost was extremely rude, and Li Zhi was very dissatisfied with her. He wanted to help Baozhu, but then he remembered that Baozhu did not want others to interfere in this matter. If Li Zhi made any small moves without her request, he might spoil her enjoyment.
Li Zhi hesitated for a moment, pondered for a long time, and then carefully set up a magic array in his residence using the magic array he had just learned.
According to Lun Tian Ce, this is an exorcism formation that can prevent evil spirits from invading.
He didn't interfere with Baozhu's affairs; he simply set up an exorcism array for his residence, which was done for himself, so he figured she wouldn't be angry.
Li Zhi sat nervously on the edge of the bed, watching the fox spirit's body rise and fall slowly.
Baozhu was completely unaware of Li Zhi's inner turmoil. She slept soundly, as if this were not the Jiangbei Prefecture, which harbored strange secrets, but her own mountain.
Li Zhi watched quietly for a while, until Zhang He's voice called from outside the courtyard, which brought him back to his senses.
It was getting late, so he picked up his already packed satchel and headed into the courtyard.
But Li Zhi paused when he reached the door.
He looked up at the sun in the sky, sighed, and then returned to put away the formation he had just set up.
It was too late to go out now, as Zhang He and Pei Xuanji were both standing at the door.
Li Zhi quickly apologized: "I didn't sleep well last night, so I got up late today."
"How can you sleep well after hearing such things?" Pei Xuanji misunderstood and instead comforted him, "You are still young and have spent many years studying. You have never seen the wickedness of people's hearts. It's alright. If you are afraid, I will bring you a calming talisman when you come back."
Her good intentions left Li Zhi speechless, unsure of what to say in response.
Zhang He, having had his fill of the spectacle, was worried that Li Zhi might say something that would embarrass Pei Xuanji and displease Master Pei, so he quickly urged, "Hurry up, you three newcomers. If you're late, Team Leader Zhao will have something to say again."
There's no mission today, just need to go to the yamen to report what I saw and heard yesterday.
The three of them were riding in a carriage. Pei Xuanji was driving, while Li Zhi and Zhang He sat in the carriage, discussing things quietly.
“I thought about it for a long time last night, and I really don’t think those little devils have anything to do with the natural disaster. Before you came out just now, Xiao Pei and I discussed it. This time when we go to the yamen, we won’t talk about those guys. What do you think?” Zhang He said.
“Of course.” Li Zhi had no reason to object. “But we still need to explain some things. I think we could talk about that river. What do you think, Brother Zhang?”
“I think it’s possible. Last night, I was lying in bed and I kept feeling that something was wrong with the river. It was such a big river, yet it had dried up so completely. So I got up and went out to ask the servant. The servant told me that the river was called Xiaoshui, and it was the mother river of Jiangbei Prefecture. The people of Jiangbei Prefecture have always liked to pray to Xiaoshui.” Zhang He hinted.
Li Zhi immediately understood his meaning and nodded, saying, "Just like the old locust tree in Fuxia Village, if too many people pray to it, strange things are likely to happen."
Pei Xuanji, who was driving the car in front, chimed in, "Or we can hold off for now. Since we're new here, let's hear what the Celestial Masters of Jiangbei Prefecture have to say."
"Xiao Pei is right. Neither Li Zhi nor I had thought of that." Zhang He clapped his hands and praised repeatedly.
Pei Xuanji ignored him.
When the group arrived at the yamen, they realized they were indeed late. They quickly went to Zhao Jia to report for duty and were met with a glare from him.
Once everyone in the group had arrived, Zhao Jia stood up and looked at each of them one by one, giving each of them a good talking-to.
Zhao Jia's words were as sharp as poison, extremely unpleasant. The Celestial Masters held their breath, afraid that if they spoke too loudly, he would single them out for a lesson.
Early this morning, Zhao Jia was acting like he'd swallowed a bomb; no one really understood why he was so angry.
Zhao Jia's expression changed immediately when a servant came to report that Ji Ren had arrived in person, and he stopped reprimanding people.
Ji Ren hurriedly walked in from outside, followed by a middle-aged man with a long beard.
The middle-aged man was dressed in an official robe and had a solemn expression. Seeing that Ji Ren treated him with great courtesy, his identity was obvious.
The Prefect of Jiangbei Prefecture.
Elsewhere, the Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Division also followed behind the two lords to receive their instruction.
Standing on the high platform where Zhao Jia had just given his speech, the prefect forced a smile at the group of Taoist masters from Jiangbei Prefecture and first said some polite words to comfort them.
Then his tone changed abruptly, and his face darkened as he said, "Last night I received a letter from the governor, saying that the drought has spread from Jiangbei Prefecture to the surrounding prefectures and counties. The governor's intention is probably related to some strange event, and he has ordered this prefecture to resolve it as soon as possible."
"Did you hear me clearly? It's about resolving the issue."
The matter concerned the official's hat, and what was originally an important but not urgent matter immediately became the top priority of the Yiren Temple.
The Taoist priests standing below lowered their heads and exchanged glances.
Seeing this, the prefect offered a few more kind words of encouragement to everyone before hurriedly leaving Yiren Temple.
Ji Ren escorted the prefect to the door, then turned to look at his subordinates.
"You went on a mission yesterday, what did you gain? Tell me about it."
His droopy eyelids partially covered a pair of cloudy eyes, but at this moment, those cloudy eyes were gleaming with a light that was impossible to look directly at.
The celestial masters all lowered their heads.
"Who wants to speak first?" Ji Ren asked.
No one dared to utter a sound.
"Zhao Jia, your group goes first." Ji Ren waved to Zhao Jia.
Zhao Jia agreed, his eyes sweeping over his team members, and then—
It lingers on Pei Xuanji.
“Master Pei, why don’t you go first?”
Pei Xuanji was taken aback and was about to speak when Zhang He tugged at her sleeve.
Li Zhi spoke first: "Yesterday, I went on a mission with the two Celestial Masters, Pei and Zhang, so I will explain."
Li Zhi then recounted what the three of them had seen and heard along the way, and how Xiaoquan Village was deserted, yet they found nothing unusual in the village.
There was one thing that puzzled them: the dried-up river.
When the river was mentioned, everyone's eyes turned to Li Zhi.
Seeing this, Li Zhi gradually slowed down his speech: "None of the three of us are from Jiangbei Prefecture, so it is truly astonishing that such a large river could be completely dried up."
Ji Ren looked at him without saying a word.
After a long pause, Zhao Jia spoke up slowly for him: "Xiaoshui is indeed somewhat different for Jiangbei Prefecture. If you think there is something unusual about it, it's best not to speak up lightly. Li Zhi, you are a newcomer, so you should know that being a Celestial Master requires evidence."
Li Zhi immediately apologized: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand."
Afterwards, the Celestial Masters spoke one after another, but they were all about trivial matters such as ghosts in a certain village or caves dug by weasel spirits in a certain mountain. Ji Ren listened patiently for a while and then waved for the Celestial Masters to leave.
"Let's continue today."
The celestial masters then scattered like birds and beasts.
Just as Li Zhi and his companions were about to leave, Zhao Jia called them back.
"I have something to tell you," Zhao Jia said.
Li Zhi stopped in his tracks. Pei Xuanji and Zhang He, not wanting to be together, exchanged a glance and went out to wait for him.
"With Chief Commander Ji here just now, there are many things that cannot be explained too clearly." Zhao Jia pulled Li Zhi aside and said in a low voice, "There may be something unusual about the Xiaoshui River, but we must act with caution. The people of Jiangbei Prefecture have always believed that there is a goddess protecting the people by the Xiaoshui River. They not only perform rituals by the Xiaoshui River year after year, but also... they believe that the Xiaoshui River can bring peace to the souls of their loved ones."
"Even if the evidence is conclusive, it's not good to do anything in front of the people in the government. We still need to be more tactful, especially since you have no evidence whatsoever."
After Zhao Jia finished speaking, he even patted Li Zhi on the shoulder in a friendly manner and added, "By the way, take some money from the account and buy a horse. Put it on my tab."
"It's not a long-term solution to always be crammed into a car with other people; there's still a long road ahead," he said meaningfully.
Li Zhi pretended not to understand, thanked him, and went out to find his companions who were waiting for him.
Since they were going out of the city again, the three of them discussed going back to the Ji residence to bring some food. On the way, Li Zhi shared with his companions what Zhao Jia had said to him, omitting the part about buying horses.
"It's alright to be so superstitious. We'll go ask those little devils later," Zhang He said casually.
Pei Xuanji was muttering to herself in front.
"Xiao Pei, what are you saying? We can't hear you." Zhang He stuck his head out and looked at Pei Xuanji driving the car in front.
"I mean, when is Zhao Jia going to stop targeting me? It's really annoying." Pei Xuanji said with a frustrated expression, directing her horse forward through the traffic.
“This…” Zhang He scratched his head and shrank back into the car.
Li Zhi exchanged a glance with him.
As long as Pei Xuanji remains under his control, Zhao Jia will likely never give her a kind look.
Seeing that the two behind her remained silent, Pei Xuanji pursed her lips, thinking that the topic was over. Unexpectedly, Li Zhi suddenly spoke up: "Master Pei, if you are Zhao Jia's subordinate, you will always have to put up with his temper. What if you were his superior?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Xuanji's eyes gradually brightened. A possibility she had never considered before was unfolding before her eyes. She waved her fist in the air and shouted in agreement, "That's right! Be his superior!"
Seeing that Pei Xuanji immediately regained her spirits, Zhang He gave him a thumbs-up in admiration and whispered, "How come I didn't think of that?"
"To be honest, I was inspired by someone else."
"Who is this expert?"
"The Fox King," Li Zhi said mysteriously.
The three returned to the Ji residence and prepared a lot of luggage. When Li Zhi went out, he even carried a trunk on his back.
In Zhang He's eyes, this shameless and irresponsible Taoist priest suddenly became itchy-mouthed.
He waited until Pei Xuanji wasn't paying attention to him, then reached out and tapped the box on Li Zhi's back, leaning closer and whispering, "Is the Fox King here?"
The box was pushed open a crack, and a pair of bright blue eyes looked at him. The Fox King said, "What is it?"
"Nothing to report, Your Majesty." Zhang He grinned, beaming with delight.
Pei Xuanji turned around, wanting to tell her companions what they were going to do in Xiaoquan Village today, but saw Zhang He suddenly move away from Li Zhi and look elsewhere.
She looked around suspiciously, but couldn't see anything wrong, so she had to give up.
Today, perhaps because of the letter from the governor, the three of them, for the first time ever, saw a huge shed set up outside the city gate, where the prefect was personally distributing porridge to the refugees.
Zhang He and Pei Xuanji's eyes practically popped out of their sockets.
Only after they had walked quite a distance did they exclaim, "The prefect is finally willing to do something for the people."
Li Zhi was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Is the prefect acting for the sake of the people?"
His companions turned around and looked at him in surprise.
"This year's harvest is ruined. Of the people outside Jiangbei Prefecture, only one in ten survived, leaving only able-bodied laborers. They were terrified and are extremely docile. Providing porridge now will not cost much. If these people are fed, spring plowing can at least continue next year. If we also have the clerk write a few eloquent articles, the prefect's reputation for loving the people like his own children will be established, and he will be rated as top in next year's assessment."
Li Zhi's expression remained unchanged, but he spoke very quickly.
Zhang He and Pei Xuanji listened and sighed for a while, then could only join in the lament.
As they walked, Li Zhi fell behind. He heard Baozhu's puzzled voice behind him. She said softly, "Did you learn all of this from books? How do you know so much?"
Baozhu's casual remark struck Li Zhi like a thunderbolt. His mind raced as he explained, "The teachers often tell us about the ways of being an official."
"I see." Baozhu's voice still sounded somewhat doubtful. "This mortal teacher knows so much."
Just then, Zhang He, who was ahead, noticed that Li Zhi was walking too slowly and waved for him to hurry up. Li Zhi quickly followed, thus ending the unsettling topic.
After only a few miles, the three of them soon arrived at Xiaoquan Village. As soon as they entered the village, Scarface's henchmen spotted them. After a whistle, nine radishes emerged from the cellar and surrounded them, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
At this moment, a dozen pairs of eyes looked at each other, and for a moment, they seemed a little embarrassed.
Zhang He, the most senior among them, scratched his head, took out food from his satchel, and asked, "Where's your leader?"
"I don't know." Scarface cheerfully reached out and took the things. "The boss went out last night and hasn't come back yet."
Zhang He paused, then pressed on, "Did he tell you what he was going to do?"
The child was only focused on stuffing the dry food into his mouth, and he didn't know anything when the Taoist priests asked him. It was the youngest one who thought for a moment and answered, "The eldest said he went to pay respects to his godmother."
"Godmother?" Li Zhi was taken aback.
"right."
The other two Celestial Masters didn't know who the little beggar's godmother was, but Li Zhi did. He recalled what the Celestial Masters had mentioned in the morning about the hole dug by a weasel spirit on a certain mountain, and he made up his mind.
He held a piece of jerky in his hand, his eyes sweeping over the youngest child's smeared face and muddy hands. Mustering his courage, he used the jerky to pull the child aside and whispered, "Do you know which mountain he went to?"
The child, still wary as he chewed on the jerky, shook his head repeatedly, saying he didn't know.
Li Zhi then asked a different question: "Do you know where Huangtou Mountain is?"
Upon hearing this, the child stretched out his arm and pointed to a small hill to the north, saying, "There."
After saying that, the child stood there, frozen with the jerky in his mouth, on the verge of bursting into tears.
Seeing this, Li Zhi retreated repeatedly until he was out of the child's sight, then said to Baozhu with lingering fear, "Did you hear that? That little beggar is probably on Huangtou Mountain."
"I heard you."
Li Zhi felt a light touch on his back; Baozhu had quietly slipped away.
She walked very fast and soon arrived at Huangtou Mountain.
As soon as Baozhu's front paws touched the ground of Huangtou Mountain, she immediately smelled a familiar, nauseating odor. The fox demon lady had always been proud of her keen sense of smell, but now she felt regret.
There was no other way; Baozhu could only follow the scent and head towards the place where it was strongest.
After climbing to the top of the mountain in one go, there was indeed a collapsed cave, and the scarred little beggar was holding a not-so-good hoe, sweating profusely as he cleared the soil around the cave.
Baozhu covered her mouth and nose and studied him for a while, then suddenly made a surprising discovery.
She slowly emerged from the woods and said to Scarface, "Was your godmother's cave destroyed by the Celestial Masters? Why is it just you? Why didn't she show up?"
The fox appeared silently behind him and spoke. Scarface turned around, so frightened that he dropped his hoe and fell to the ground with a thud.
Seeing his face as pale as paper and trembling, Baozhu said with displeasure, "When the weasel spirit came, you recognized her as your godmother, but when I came, you looked like you'd seen a ghost!"
Hearing her say this, Scarface, seeing that she seemed to have no ill intentions, softened a little and whispered, "Fox Fairy, my godmother has long since passed away. This is the grave she left for herself, which was destroyed by the Celestial Master."
"Ah." Baozhu was somewhat surprised. "She's already dead."
"Yes, my godmother was old. After she found me, she didn't stay with me for long before she passed away."
Baozhu's eyes darted around, and she probed him with her words, "When did she pick you up? This weasel spirit has a kind heart."
“Reporting to the Fox Fairy, I was found by my godmother two years ago. My godmother is indeed a good demon. She taught me many life-saving techniques, which is why I was able to survive,” Scarface said earnestly to Baozhu.
When the little beggar with Scarface met the Taoist priest, he was full of hostility and showed no respect whatsoever. But when he met the fox demon Baozhu, he was very polite and answered her questions.
It is clear that the combined power of three celestial masters is not as great as that of a single precious pearl.
Baozhu's vanity was greatly satisfied, and she even developed a very slight fondness for Scarface's godmother, that weasel spirit.
Since Scarface is so respectful, the Fox Spirit must use some of her supernatural powers.
Baozhu gripped the ground with a reserved air, when a gust of wind swept in, swirling up countless pebbles and dirt from the cave and revealing the original cave structure.
Scarface looked at everything in surprise, knelt down and kowtowed three times to Baozhu, saying loudly, "Thank you, Fox Fairy."
The ground was covered with dirt and gravel. Scarface kowtowed earnestly, leaving several bloody marks on his forehead, which startled Baozhu.
“It’s a trivial matter, nothing to worry about,” Baozhu quickly stopped her.
Scarface agreed and quickly got up and went into the cave.
A short while later, he found a small gourd in the cave and held it in his palm.
Baozhu strolled over, looking left and right, but couldn't figure out what this had to do with the weasel spirit.
Seeing her confusion, Scarface explained to Baozhu with tears in his eyes, "My godmother said that she was a monster and shouldn't have a grave after she died, and no one would worship her. But she was afraid that I would be all alone after she died, so she left a tooth in this gourd and said that if I miss her, I can pretend that she is by my side."
“I’m often out and about, and I was afraid of losing the memories my godmother left me, so I put it back at her place. I never expected…”
Scarface lowered his head and fiercely wiped away a tear.
The story of the little beggar boy and the weasel spirit filled Baozhu with mixed emotions. In this life, she was fortunate to have encountered many things, which gradually brought the fox spirit's heart, which had been floating in the sky, down to earth.
“In this world, you’re still a young girl. Your godmother must have been worried about you before she died,” Baozhu sighed.
Even with a scar on his face, a shaved head, and covered in mud, how could he possibly fool the fox demon?
She's clearly a petite girl.
Scarface wasn't surprised when Baozhu revealed his identity. He hung the gourd on his body and said with tears in his eyes, "My godmother saw through me at a glance. She pities me, and I feel most at ease when I'm with her."
After saying this, the thin girl burst into tears, as if the pearl in front of her was not a fox demon she was meeting for the first time, but an old friend of her godmother.
When she cried, she looked extremely pitiful, and Baozhu couldn't help but shed tears as well. She had no choice but to transform into a woman, hug the girl in front of her tightly, and choked out, "If you cry again, I'll start crying too."
But Scarface couldn't hold back, and the two of them could only hug each other and cry.
Scarface finally stopped crying, but seeing that Baozhu was still sobbing uncontrollably, he quickly took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket, stuffed it into her hand, and asked, "Fox Fairy, do you know my godmother? Why are you here today?"
Baozhu took the handkerchief and wiped away her tears. Coming to her senses, she said, "I came here to find you. I'm asking you, do you know a woman named Lianxin?"
Scarface jumped, asking repeatedly, "Does the Fox Fairy also know Lianxin?"
Baozhu nodded and said, "Lianxin died and turned into a female ghost, wandering around Xiaoquan Village. I saw you near Ji's residence yesterday. You also live in Xiaoquan Village, so I came to find you. You really do know her."
Baozhu said so much, but Scarface only heard the first sentence.
Lianxin died.
For a moment, she kept muttering the words "Lianxin is dead," and then she collapsed, feeling dizzy.
"Ouch." Baozhu quickly caught her and blew a breath into her mouth. "What's wrong?"
When Scarface woke up, she was still panting. She grabbed Treasure Pearl's hand and said sadly, "Please, Fox Fairy, take me to see her."
"I'll take you there right away." Seeing her reaction, Baozhu had a feeling that Lianxin probably wanted to see her.
So Baozhu picked up Scarface, stirred up a gust of wind, and used her magic to reach the riverbank where Lianxin was lingering in no time.
"Lianxin," Baozhu called out to her, "I guess the person you want to see is her, come out and meet her."
A cool, damp breeze swept over them, and suddenly a great river appeared before them.
Lianxin stood barefoot by the riverbank, gazing intently at the girl beside Baozhu.
In Lianxin's illusion, Scarface's hair grew long, and the scar on her face disappeared. She returned to her original appearance, a pretty girl.
Baozhu finally recognized that the scar was Yuanyuan.
Lianxin couldn't forget Yuanyuan, and even after death, she didn't want to be reborn. The person she wanted to see one last time was Yuanyuan.
When Yuanyuan saw Lianxin, she burst into tears. She knelt on the ground and pounded the ground in grief, mumbling, "You're dead! You're dead! I thought you were still alive and well in Jiren's inner quarters. I thought that even if you weren't doing well, at least you were still alive."
Lianxin floated to Yuanyuan's side, gently patted her head, and said with heartache, "How did you get yourself into this state? Didn't all that gold and silver make your life any better?"
“No, there are Ji Ren’s marks on the gold and silver. After I left the city gate, I hid for a few days before being captured by his lackeys. I was afraid of being humiliated by them, so I slashed my face and cut off my hair. They lost interest and beat me half to death. I pretended to be dead, and my godmother picked me up.”
Baozhu understood some of it, but then became confused again. It turned out that Lianxin sold the jewelry not to support a man outside, but to give it to Yuanyuan. But weren't they separated? Why did they reunite?
Upon seeing Yuanyuan, the pitiful female ghost Lianxin recalled all her memories. Seeing Baozhu's confusion, the scene of the great river distorted.
After Lianxin moved into the Ji residence, she had many beautiful clothes to wear and many maids to serve her, but she was never happy. Even such a life could not make her joyful.
One day, after Ji Ren left her side, she looked at the osmanthus flowers outside the window and remembered that when she was a child, there was also an osmanthus tree planted in the backyard of that house.
She and Yuanyuan played together under the osmanthus trees and were punished together.
Looking back on those days now, she feels nothing but deep nostalgia.
Lianxin misses Yuanyuan. She's living a good life now, but what about Yuanyuan?
At that time, Ji Ren doted on her very much. After she pleaded with him several times, Lianxin and Yuanyuan met again.
Ji Ren bought Yuanyuan back from the house. The girl was small and unruly. The old woman regretted the money spent raising her. Now that the money could be recouped, she was happy to accept it.
Yuanyuan was sent to Lianxin's side and became her personal maid.
After Lianxin reported Yuanyuan to the old woman, they hadn't spoken to each other for several years.
At first, Yuanyuan was quiet and reserved, unwilling to talk much with Lianxin, and simply did her job.
One morning, Ji Ren left Lianxin's room, and Yuanyuan switched shifts with another maid. When she went in to serve Lianxin, she discovered a deep handprint on her neck.
Ji Ren almost strangled her.
The things in Yuanyuan's hands crashed to the ground with a loud clatter.
She rushed forward and hugged Lianxin, who was lying on the bed unable to get up. Yuanyuan whispered in Lianxin's ear, "Let's run away."
Lianxin pushed Yuanyuan away, puzzled, and said, "He's just bad-tempered in bed. He's usually very gentle with me. Isn't it better to stay at home? We have everything here."
Yuanyuan burst into tears in anguish, shaking her head and saying, "Lianxin, you're confused."
Lianxin had no idea what she had gotten into.
Later, on one occasion, when Ji Ren came over, Yuan Yuan went into the room to serve tea and water.
Lianxin saw Ji Ren's eyes fixed intently on Yuanyuan's face.
That evening, Ji Ren jokingly asked Lian Xin if Yuan Yuan could be her sister.
My heart ached as I fell into an ice cellar.
She could accept being treated like this, but why did Yuanyuan have to do it too? Lianxin suddenly understood why Yuanyuan said she was confused.
She gathered her valuables and said to Yuanyuan, "Let's run away."
Yuanyuan nodded.
One rainy night, two little girls, supporting each other, arrived at the city wall. Lianxin had previously discovered a hole there that was invisible to others while wandering around. After they got there, Lianxin gave Yuanyuan a hard push.
Caught off guard, Yuanyuan fell out of the city through the cave.
Lianxin turned around and went back to the Ji residence.
The scandal broke the next day, and when Ji Ren learned of it, he didn't even come in person. He sent his servants to instruct the old women in the back courtyard to expel Lianxin from the mansion.
The old woman agreed. Seeing that she was beautiful and kind, she thought of her foolish son, who was over twenty years old and still couldn't find a wife, and she had evil intentions.
The mule cart headed towards the old woman's home in the countryside. In her dazed state, Lianxin overheard the old woman talking to her servant.
She thought, "It's alright, Yuanyuan has already escaped."
Lianxin struggled to jump off the mule cart, her head hitting a stone by the roadside. The little girl lost her life just like that.
The illusion vanished, and the great river reappeared before their eyes.
Lianxin held Yuanyuan, who was almost crying herself to death, and said softly, "Yuanyuan, I have never had a chance to apologize to you. When you were little, you refused to eat, and I told the old woman, which made you get beaten."
Yuanyuan couldn't speak, she could only keep shaking her head.
Baozhu looked at the human and the ghost in front of her, and her heart clenched.
This is the home of the female ghost Lianxin, where all her emotions are amplified. These pains and sorrows wash over Baozhu's heart like a great river, passively immersing her in the joys and sorrows of human life.
"Humans and human hearts are so complex and wondrous."
A tear rolled down Baozhu's cheek as she murmured, "I have a human body, but I don't have a human heart. Why are we so different, even though we are both products of creation?"
Lianxin's obsession was satisfied. She released Yuanyuan's hand, looked at her with a smile, and said, "Don't think about revenge. You must live well."
She looked towards the upper reaches of the river.
Leaving Yuanyuan behind, Lianxin waded into the water.
At this moment, she stopped singing love songs. She realized that she had feelings and love, but the object of her affection was not Ji Lang.
Lianxin disappeared before Baozhu and Yuanyuan's eyes.
The dissipating water vapor is the trace of her departure.
Baozhu and Yuanyuan stared at the dried-up river before them, unable to recover their senses for a long time.
After a long while, Baozhu lowered her head and asked, "Why is Lianxin lingering by this river?"
“We were all born on the Xiaoshui River. When we were born, our parents and families didn’t need many girls. They would put children like us into the Xiaoshui River and let the goddess of the Xiaoshui River take us away.” Yuanyuan’s voice was already hoarse.
"But you're all alive?" Baozhu asked, puzzled.
Yuanyuan looked towards the upper reaches of the Xiaoshui River, where she seemed to see a very distant and high place, where a temple seemed to float in the clouds.
She said, "Fox Fairy, children who are not blessed, even if they survive, can only live a miserable life."
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