Chapter Fifty
The Golden Scale King's mansion didn't look very big from the main gate, but after Baozhu and Hongwei walked in hand in hand, they realized that there was a lot more to it than met the eye.
Looking around, everything in Baozhu's eyes was exquisite: the houses with carved beams and painted rafters, the magnificent pavilions and towers, all showcasing the owner's wealth.
"King Golden Scales is so rich," Baozhu whispered to Red Tail.
“That’s natural. Your Majesty has lived in Lanjiang for over a hundred years and has been doing business with mortals for just as long. We are demons, and since we live longer, we can naturally accumulate more money than mortals,” Red Tail said matter-of-factly.
Yes, if mortals could maintain their youthful vigor and run their businesses for a hundred years, they could accumulate enormous wealth. But they can't live as long as demons.
Baozhu had never thought about this question before, but now that she was seriously considering it, she felt a little elated.
Seeing this, Redtail covered her mouth and chuckled, "Why don't you join our king? He's very generous and treats us very well."
Upon hearing this, Baozhu snapped out of her daze and shook her head repeatedly: "I'm afraid I can't do it well."
As the two little demons talked, they walked toward the back of the house. Unexpectedly, when they passed the main courtyard, they ran into Jin Lin, who was seeing off a guest, and he came out of the house with the guest.
Baozhu couldn't help but secretly peek at him.
The carp spirit was handsome, with features very similar to his brother, only with a gentler gaze. He wore a golden cloak and escorted the grateful mortals to the courtyard gate.
The mortals, their eyes red, stood at the door, pulling at Jinlin and saying that if he hadn't sent a demon to escort them, they would have been shipwrecked and lost their life savings in the Lanjiang River when they encountered the inexplicable flood.
Baozhu's heart stirred upon hearing this, and she belatedly realized that the flood on Sanzhen Mountain had affected a much larger area than she had imagined.
Jin Lin smiled slightly upon hearing the ship owners' words and said politely, "Since you make your offerings on time every year, it's only right that I do what you're supposed to do, since I'm being paid to do your bidding."
The boat owners shook their heads repeatedly, saying gratefully, "Money is one thing, but you can't say it like that."
Jin Lin smiled again: "I will definitely do my best to handle the things I take on, so you don't need to worry too much."
When he said this, the monster looked extremely reliable, exuding an aura of royalty. Not only the ship owners who were already under his protection, but even Baozhu was impressed by him.
A thought vaguely surfaced in her mind: what if one day...
Before Baozhu could figure things out, she suddenly heard Jinlin, who had already seen the guests off, say to Hongwei, "Is this your guest?"
Red Tail nodded and replied, "This is the monster I met in Zhou Family Village that I told you about yesterday after I came back."
"Oh, I remember now, it's called Baozhu?" Jinlin nodded and smiled at Baozhu. "Little monster, let Hongwei show you around. I have something to do, so I won't accompany you."
Jin Lin actually remembered the name his subordinate demons had casually mentioned during their report, which surprised Baozhu. She replied somewhat reservedly, "Sorry to bother you."
Jinlin waved her hand, and Hongwei pulled her along as they continued walking backward.
"How about it? Isn't our king very impressive?" Redtail said.
"Indeed impressive."
Baozhu felt a little envious.
In her previous life, she was Li Zhi's wife and held an imperial title. According to worldly norms, Baozhu should have been a figure of great prestige.
At that time, Li Zhi, as a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, had the air of being the head of the civil officials and was a powerful figure in the court. In Baozhu's eyes, he was also very impressive.
However, this majesty seems to be separated from the precious pearl by a layer.
This is the majesty of the mortal realm, the majesty of ordinary people, the majesty of Li Zhi.
When will the treasure, being a demon, be able to possess its own majesty, just like the Golden Scale King?
Red Tail was unaware of Baozhu's thoughts. She pulled Baozhu to the backyard of King Golden Scale's mansion, from where there was a sheer cliff.
Red Tail pointed to the Lanjiang River below the cliffs and showed it to Baozhu.
Baozhu looked down and saw a wide and deep river beside the sheer cliff, with countless boats of all sizes slowly moving along it.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that almost every ship slowed down as it passed the mountain, whistling and waving flags toward the cliff face.
“They are paying homage to the King,” Redtail said to Jewel, pointing to the ship.
“I understand now,” Baozhu murmured.
She also thought that if she were on one of these boats on the river, she would surely hear the crew chanting prayers for the protection of the Golden Scale King.
Jinlin is the king of this section of the Lanjiang River, with countless sincere followers.
"I'm so envious, I want to too..." Baozhu's voice trailed off.
Redtail didn't hear clearly and asked, "What?"
Baozhu shook her head and thought to herself, "I also want to become a monster like that."
While Hongwei and Baozhu were strolling around Jinlin's mansion, Jinlin was talking with Li Zhi and his entourage in the main courtyard.
Young Master Zhao respectfully handed over the offerings for the second half of the year to the little demon beside him, and then told Jin Lin with a smile that he wanted a few boat tickets.
Jin Lin glanced at the three Celestial Masters and nodded, saying, "It's no big deal. We have a boat today, and we can set off this afternoon."
The Lord of Lanjiang was very clear about the itinerary of his ships. He mentioned in detail which towns the ship cooperating with the Zhao family would pass through and how long it would take, explaining it all to Li Zhi and the others.
After Jin Lin finished speaking, he asked, "Do any of you still have any questions?"
Li Zhi nodded to him in greeting and asked about the precautions they needed to take on the ship.
Zhang He was interested in the way that monsters and mortals operated ships together, and asked Jin Lin about some related details.
Jin Lin answered their questions carefully, speaking without any airs, just like an ordinary ship owner.
The three men present seemed to have a very pleasant conversation with Jin Lin.
Pei Xuanji, for the first time in her life as a guest of a demon, saw that Jin Lin's behavior was measured and unpretentious, unlike any demon she had ever imagined. She felt a chill run down her spine and felt extremely awkward, so she sat silently to the side the whole time.
Jin Lin gave her a sharp look.
This monster looked human in every way, except for its light gold eyes, which finally gave it a touch of non-humanity.
After Pei Xuanji noticed this, the chill that had made her scalp tingle disappeared, but she remained somewhat absent-minded until Li Zhi and the others got up to say goodbye to Jin Lin. Only then did Master Pei come back to her senses and, a beat late, bow to Jin Lin.
Jin Lin smiled slightly and said to her, "This Celestial Master doesn't seem to be used to a monster like me."
He spoke frankly and generously, and his expression was also at ease. Pei Xuanji felt that if she hesitated or acted petty, she would be at a disadvantage, so she said frankly, "It is because I am too ignorant."
"It's alright." Jinlin looked at Baozhu, who had returned to the main courtyard with Hongwei after taking a stroll around. "You'll get used to it in the future."
Pei Xuanji followed his gaze to Baozhu.
Baozhu, who had just come in from outside, was a little confused when she saw Pei Xuanji staring at her blankly, but she still raised the corners of her mouth and smiled at Pei Xuanji.
Pei Xuanji couldn't help but laugh.
Jin Lin escorted them to the door, then turned to the little demon beside him and asked, "Are there any more guests today?"
"Yes, I'll go and bring him over," the little demon replied.
The little demon moved quickly; Jin Lin had barely sat down and taken a couple of sips of tea when the sound of a guest coughing uncontrollably came from the doorway.
Jin Lin looked up and was taken aback. He asked, "Master Ji, what's wrong with you?"
In less than half a month, Ji Renyan had become a white-haired, wrinkled old man. He clutched his chest and said with difficulty, "It's a long story. I came today to ask you for a boat ticket so I can take your boat to the capital."
Since Ji Ren didn't want to talk about it, Jin Lin politely stopped asking and simply confirmed with him, "Are we leaving today?"
Ji Ren nodded and asked, "Jin Lin, can you still guarantee the safety of the passengers on board?"
"As long as it's my own ship, as long as it's on a journey."
Ji Ren breathed a sigh of relief, then pressed on, "Has anyone asked you about me these days?"
Jin Lin was silent for a moment, then said, "Just as I have never revealed your information to others, I will not reveal other people's information to you."
Ji Ren was somewhat dissatisfied, but finally felt completely relieved.
Jin Lin instructed his little demon subordinates to give Ji Ren the boat ticket. Seeing that Ji Ren looked like a candle flickering in the wind, Jin Lin asked considerately, "Would you like me to take you down the mountain?"
Ji Ren waved his hand and was about to step over the threshold when he suddenly remembered something and turned back suspiciously, asking, "Was your guest just now also going to take a boat?"
“I cannot disclose that,” Jin Lin said.
Ji Ren chuckled and muttered, "You monster, you've got quite the airs, and you're quite tight-lipped too."
With that, he walked out of Jin Lin's mansion without looking back.
Seeing Ji Ren's behavior, the little demon beside him was a little annoyed and said loudly, "Your Majesty, this Celestial Master is really rude. We treated him well, but he acted all high and mighty."
"Guests are guests, we should just do our job well." Jin Lin smiled and patted his head.
"The guests don't respect us, but we can't do anything about it," the little monster said, still sulking.
"The guests' affairs should, of course, be resolved by the guests themselves."
As Jin Lin finished speaking, he seemed to realize something amusing and burst into laughter, leaving the little monster completely bewildered.
The demon king, who was meticulous in front of others, finally revealed a bit of his true self when there were no guests.
Meanwhile, Baozhu and her party descended the mountain in a carriage. Young Master Zhao escorted them all the way to the dock, distributed their boat tickets, and then formally bid them farewell.
Baozhu and her group set foot in the most prosperous area of Hongyang County.
The sun was shining brightly, and the dock was bustling with activity. Laborers were carrying goods up and down the dock, boatmen were carefully adjusting the mooring positions of the boats, and passengers carrying luggage were haggling with vendors selling vegetables around the dock.
The liveliest place was a cleared area in front of the dock, where a stage had been set up and many actors were performing martial arts scenes, banging and striking their weapons.
One of the most skilled actors, his face painted deathly white, finished sparring with his partner, threw down his weapon, and performed about twenty somersaults on stage in one go. After landing gracefully, he showed off to the audience in front of the stage.
Cheers immediately erupted from the audience, who pulled out a coin or two and threw it onto the stage.
Baozhu saw it from afar, her eyes widened, and her body involuntarily leaned towards the stage, swaying slightly.
Seeing this, Li Zhi smiled and said to Baozhu, "Go if you want to. I'll go buy some things for the journey."
Pei Xuanji said, "Then I'll go find the ship we need to take first."
"I need to find a place to relieve myself." Zhang He grimaced and clutched his stomach, then disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Baozhu gave a perfunctory "oh" without even blinking. Before she could finish saying "I want to go see the show," her feet had already uncontrollably pulled her into the audience.
The troupe on stage possessed extraordinary skills. The lead actor could do splits, somersaults, breathe fire, and swallow swords, which was truly dazzling.
The accompanying gongs clanged loudly, and Baozhu in the audience clapped along, cheering and applauding just like the other audience members.
After calling out for a long time, Baozhu took out the small strings of copper coins that Li Zhi had prepared for her, grabbed a handful at random, and threw them onto the stage.
Her generosity caused the audience, both on and off stage, to cheer for Miss Fox Demon. All the actors in the troupe came to Baozhu and performed somersaults for her one by one.
Surrounded by admirers, Baozhu was overjoyed, clapping her hands until they were red. It wasn't until the actors performing the martial arts scene needed a short break, and the stage was handed over to the opera singers and the band, that Baozhu, unable to bear their loud singing, reluctantly emerged from the crowd.
The small gong on the stage was still rhythmically clanging. Baozhu squeezed through the bustling crowd, looking around at the excitement. Suddenly, she bumped hard into an old man wearing a hood.
The old man groaned and slumped to the ground.
Baozhu was terrified, fearing he might fall and get hurt, so she rushed forward to help him. For some reason, the old man instinctively leaned back, as if trying to avoid Baozhu.
As they moved, the old man's hood was knocked off by the passing pedestrians, revealing his aged face.
The performers on stage sang loudly, their voices echoing across the dock.
Ji Ren sat on the ground below the stage, looking up and meeting Bao Zhu's eyes.
"Indeed, a marriage destined from afar is tied by a single thread!" the performer sang.
In the blink of an eye, Ji Ren, realizing what was happening, abruptly shook off Baozhu's hand and turned to disappear into the crowd.
Belatedly realizing that the old man was Ji Ren's precious pearl, she immediately gave chase, calling out as she ran, "Li Zhi! Pei Qi! Zhang He! Ji Ren is here!"
Li Zhi, who was closest to Baozhu and was buying peanut candy, faintly heard Baozhu calling out in the noisy dock and immediately turned around.
Before him was a surging crowd, and within the crowd seemed to be an old man, reaching out to shove at the people in front of him, weaving through the crowd like an eel.
Behind the old man, Baozhu relentlessly pursued him.
They ran and chased, causing chaos and commotion wherever they went, eliciting gasps of alarm from countless mortals.
Li Zhi stuffed the peanut candy into his pocket and subconsciously chased after him.
Today is the fifth day of the month, and people from all around come to the county town for the market. The town is already crowded, and the docks are packed with people, stretching from the town all the way to the riverbank. Li Zhi was afraid that if he used his magic spells, he might frighten the mortals and cause them to push and trample each other in their panic, resulting in a tragedy. So he had to approach cautiously.
It's likely that Baozhu shared the same thought. Despite being a fox demon, she didn't use any demonic magic, but simply followed Ji Ren like a mortal.
This benefited Ji Ren, who was not as good as before. He didn't care about anything else and ran towards the river while panting heavily.
One person escaped while two others chased, and the distance between the three remained constant.
After chasing for a while, the sharp-eyed Baozhu suddenly spotted Zhang He on the riverbank, tidying his clothes and appearing out of nowhere, happily swaying his head and singing a little tune with the entertainer.
She immediately craned her neck and shouted, "Zhang He! Stop him!"
Zhang He was stunned. He saw an old man, his bones seemingly broken, running wildly towards him with uneven steps. Not knowing what had happened, he didn't dare to forcefully stop the old man. Instead, he spread his arms and stood in front of Ji Ren.
Unexpectedly, Ji Ren, that old bastard, did not follow the usual path. He crouched down and slid down to his knees, crawling under Zhang He's crotch.
"Hey, what's that old man doing!"
Zhang He felt a chill in his crotch, and he was so frightened that he quickly covered it with his hand, saying in panic, "Did he steal Baozhu's money pouch? At such an old age, he's still a thief."
While Zhang He was still in shock and doubt, Baozhu and Li Zhi, who were behind Ji Ren, passed by him one after another. Baozhu took a moment to say to him, "That's Ji Ren!"
"What!" Zhang He exclaimed in surprise, and quickly turned around to follow him. "How come he looks so old?"
At this moment, Ji Ren also ran to the riverbank. He came to a boat of moderate size, took out his ticket from his pocket and showed it to the boatman. With the boatman's help, he climbed onto the boat using both his hands and feet.
As soon as he boarded the ship, Ji Ren collapsed onto the deck, pale-faced and clutching his chest, gasping for breath. He instructed the boatman, "Someone is chasing me down below. Your king said that once passengers are on board, he must ensure their safety. Is that true?"
The monster working for Jinlin on the ship nodded silently and said in a deep voice, "Once you're on board, we'll protect you."
Ji Ren breathed a sigh of relief, struggled to his feet in the cabin, and nearly bumped into Pei Xuanji as he turned his head.
Ji Ren was horrified and took three steps back in a panic, angrily saying, "You actually let her up here! I knew it! That carp demon Jin Lin is full of lies and has ulterior motives."
He cursed Jin Lin, and the boatman, angered, retorted loudly, "She is also our guest. Why can't she board the boat?"
Pei Xuanji took out a ticket with the official seal of Jin Lin, looked at Ji Ren with a forced smile, and said, "Long time no see, how have you been, Uncle Ji?"
When Pei Xuanji pronounced the three words "Uncle Ji," it sounded like she was chewing on a piece of meat.
Ji Ren broke out in a cold sweat, and decisively turned around, intending to disembark.
Unexpectedly, Baozhu and two others were standing below the boat, each holding a ticket and looking up at him.
With a smile, Baozhu waved to Ji Ren and said with a laugh, "General Ji, my palm strike was too light! You were still able to run so fast."
Blocked both his way in and out, Ji Ren turned to look at the vast Lanjiang River and sighed in his heart, "My life is over."
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