Chapter Twenty-One
Baozhu stood there, stunned.
What does this mean? Why did Pei Xuanji give this booklet to Li Zhi?
Was it Li Zhi who brought this up? What did he want to know?
Baozhu slumped to the ground, her mind blank.
She felt she must have made a mistake.
The demon and the fox sat there, both somewhat confused. Their understanding of things over the years had been overturned in an instant, and they even had to think repeatedly about how to walk.
Until a group of people appeared on the horizon.
The commotion at Chen Garden was too great. The Chen family was a wealthy local family, so the arrival of people from Xiandu Mansion was certainly timely.
However, the constables rushed straight into Chen Garden and did not notice the two monsters hiding outside.
Furthermore, after regaining her senses, Baozhu realized that among the group of people who came from Xiandu Mansion, there was a strange Taoist priest from Yiren Temple.
He frowned and walked solemnly into Chen Garden with the constables.
Soon, shouts of alarm came from Chen Garden. After a commotion, the constables escorted Liu Xueyu, who was covered in blood, onto a mule cart.
Even now, Liu Xueyu remained composed, as if she were not heading to the yamen for execution, but simply visiting her parents' home.
Her good son followed behind her, looking dazed and helpless as the bailiff roughly grabbed Liu Xueyu's arm. He was both afraid and wanted to stop him.
The bailiffs didn't make Chen Yaozu hesitate for long before urging him to get on the mule cart.
However, the Taoist priest did not go into the city with them.
"They must have discovered all the strange things in Chen Garden," Baozhu thought groggily.
She was feeling sleepy and really wanted to get a good night's sleep.
"I want to go back. What do you plan to do next?"
Sai Xue curled up in a ball under the big tree and shook her head in bewilderment.
"Then think about it yourself. I'm leaving."
Baozhu stood up, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and walked towards Ruan Garden.
"What would a mortal do if he knew you were a monster?"
Sai Xue's muffled voice came from behind her.
"have no idea."
Baozhu only knew that she needed to get a good night's sleep.
When Baozhu returned to Ruan Garden, Li Zhi was busy inside. It seemed that the door was a bit loose, creaking when it was opened, so he decided to try to fix it.
Seeing Baozhu stagger back, Li Zhi, who was holding tools, was startled and quickly put them down to go and greet her.
What happened?
Li Zhi reached out to help her, but Baozhu instinctively dodged him. Her eyelids were drooping, and she mumbled, "I'm sleepy. Let me sleep for a while. Don't wake me up."
Li Zhi immediately became serious, forcibly supporting Baozhu's arm and leading her into the inner room.
He tidied the bed and slowly placed Baozhu on it.
Baozhu fell into a deep sleep the moment she touched the bed.
Li Zhi frowned and reached out to touch Baozhu's forehead.
No fever.
But he was still worried. Baozhu was fine before she went out, but less than half an hour later she was like this. What happened?
Li Zhi turned and looked out the window.
As darkness fell, a wisp of smoke could still be seen rising in the distance.
What happened there? Is it related to the precious pearl?
Li Zhi turned around, carefully covered Baozhu with the quilt, and fearing that she might be thirsty when she woke up, he got up and boiled water, placing the kettle and cup within her reach.
After doing all this, he hurriedly headed towards the place where the thick smoke was rising.
Li Zhi was not the only one who wanted to find out.
The closer they got to the scene, the more people came to investigate. Li Zhi walked forward silently with the crowd, carefully listening to the whispers among them.
"What happened?"
"I heard something happened to the Chen family; someone died."
"The Chen family lives outside the city. Apart from that纨绔 (playboy) in their family, they are really low-key. Who would want to harm them?"
"Perhaps it's Minister Ruan who's come to claim my life."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Someone mentioned Minister Ruan, which prompted those around to stop them.
The young man who had spoken realized he had said the wrong thing, his face turned bright red, and he was pulled behind him by his elders.
The group fell silent, secretly glancing at each other and trying to guess each other's origins.
The location of Chen Garden is the place where wealthy families in Xiandu Prefecture love to build their gardens. The surrounding area for dozens of miles is inhabited by large households, and the people who came to inquire about the news were servants from these households.
Only Li Zhi, with his dignified appearance and extraordinary demeanor, stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.
He didn't want to attract attention, so he quietly walked to the side and lagged behind the crowd at a distance.
Soon, Chen Garden appeared before everyone. There were guards at the gate outside the garden. A group of Taoist priests from the Yiren Temple, dressed in black cloaks and carrying heavy satchels, dismounted at the gate, exchanged a few words with the guards at the gate, and walked into the garden together.
"Isn't this the Celestial Master of the Temple of Strange People?"
"It seems so. How did the Chen family attract such bad luck?"
The servants in the wealthy household dared not approach, but huddled to one side, craning their necks to watch and whispering among themselves.
Li Zhi, with his sharp eyes, spotted Zhang He and Pei Xuanji among the group of celestial masters.
He quietly retreated to a corner.
Zhang He and Pei Xuanji were transferred from the county to solve the Smiling Corpse case because the Xiandu Prefecture was short-handed. Does their appearance at Chen Garden mean that the case here is also related to the so-called Supreme Being?
Did Baozhu just visit Chen Garden? What did she do?
If Baozhu really did something—
In a flash, Li Zhi came up with many ways to deal with the Celestial Master.
He stared expressionlessly at the Celestial Masters outside Chen Garden, pondered for a moment, and decided to return to Ruan Garden first.
On the way back, Li Zhi suddenly felt a gaze following him subtly.
He continued on his way as if nothing had happened, but when he reached the corner of the path, Li Zhi stopped and suddenly turned around to look.
A white figure seemed to flash by in the woods.
Li Zhi stood still for a while, and when he set off again, the gaze had disappeared.
He was just an ordinary scholar, and the other party didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions...
But he was still uneasy, so he took a long detour and returned to Ruan Garden.
In the desolate Ruan Garden, apart from the small courtyard he had painstakingly tidied up, everything was lifeless, with a thick layer of fallen leaves covering the ground, just as it had always been.
Li Zhi wandered around the garden for a while to make sure everything was normal before returning to the courtyard.
Just as when he left, Baozhu was still asleep in the inner room, and the kettle and cups remained untouched.
A ray of sunlight shone precisely on Baozhu's neck, as if adorning her with a dazzling gemstone necklace.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly; she wondered who she was meeting in her dream.
Li Zhi clenched his fist, slowly walked to Baozhu's side, and sat down next to her.
He lowered his head, staring blankly at the smooth face of the person in front of him.
Her smile possessed an irresistible charm, drawing people to treat her with the utmost care. But what good is there in this world to keep such a being?
As the sun began to set, Li Zhi pondered many things, sitting gazing at the precious pearl in silence.
Only when the last ray of light disappeared did he suddenly get up and search for an oil lamp to light it.
A flame rose in the room.
Baozhu still showed no signs of waking up.
Li Zhi pursed his lips, his eyes reflecting the flickering lights.
He looked at the precious pearl before him, and saw that she was sleeping and only occasionally her eyelashes trembled. He couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Is she still alive? Is her soul still here? Will she never wake up?
"Precious Pearl".
Li Zhi leaned close to her face and called out to her in a trembling voice.
Why are you still sleeping?
He reached out with difficulty and gently stroked Baozhu's cheek: "Wake up."
But Baozhu seemed not to hear.
Why did she do this? Is she alright?
Li Zhi gasped, stood up abruptly, and began groping his body.
He didn't find what he wanted.
Li Zhi felt a chill in his heart and lunged at the clothes he had just changed out of, which hadn't been washed yet.
He searched through all the items, but found nothing.
Just then, a deep voice came from behind him.
Are you looking for this?
Li Zhi stood frozen in place, his back to Baozhu.
Baozhu felt as if she had a very long dream in which she spent another twenty years with Li Zhi.
Even when she woke up, the bittersweet memories of her dream remained in her heart.
Someone was rummaging through the room. Baozhu turned her head in a daze and saw Li Zhi's flustered movements.
She knew immediately what he was looking for.
It's that booklet.
Baozhu took it out of her bosom and looked at it for a while.
She suddenly felt exhausted. More than twenty years had passed; how much longer would she have to keep up this act?
Baozhu decided to pop this huge bubble.
She stood up, held up the booklet that the Celestial Master had written for Li Zhi, and smiled, "Is this what Young Master Li is looking for?"
Li Zhi slowly turned around.
"Why does Young Master Li want to find it?" Baozhu asked again.
In that instant, countless answers flashed through Li Zhi's mind, but he did not find the best one.
He opened his mouth.
"Li Zhi, am I a monster?"
Baozhu stood up and interrupted her expressionlessly.
The room was dimly lit and small. Li Zhi was on the right and Baozhu was on the left. They should have been very close, but the oil lamp separated them by an insurmountable barrier.
"I……"
"If I really am a monster, what do you plan to do to me?" Baozhu interrupted Li Zhi hastily, as if she was afraid to hear Li Zhi's question and answer.
"Should the Celestial Master take me away, set up an array to capture my soul, or simply kill me and take my fur to make clothes?"
Baozhu burst into tears.
“No, I don’t care if you’re a monster or not.” Li Zhi’s face turned ashen. “You are just a precious pearl.”
"So you actually knew all along, didn't you?" Two tears fell on the floor that Li Zhi had repaired. Baozhu looked at Li Zhi sadly. "In your eyes, do all my actions make me look like a fool?"
Her voice was hoarse, as if she were questioning someone who no longer existed, through Li Zhi, who was standing in front of her.
"You're so smart, of course you knew everything long ago. Why didn't you expose me? Why did you make me pretend to be smart and embarrass me like this? Isn't it especially funny to see me make a fool of myself?"
A bolt of lightning streaked across the night sky, illuminating the entire room and making Baozhu's heart as clear as a mirror.
Past events flashed through her mind, scene after scene, one after another, but she was too foolish and realized it too late.
Li Zhi could not defend a person who did not exist. He could only step forward palely, grab Baozhu's hand, and press it against his chest.
"Baozhu, do you really not understand my heart?"
The heart in Baozhu's hand was pounding violently, and Li Zhi, as if offering a sacrifice, delivered it into the fox demon's palm.
True sincerity is like crystal.
Baozhu stared intently at Li Zhi, then pulled her hand away from his and traced his face carefully through the air.
"Then do you understand my heart?"
Outside, heavy rain was pouring down.
Amidst the thunderous sound of rain, Baozhu resolutely turned away.
Li Zhi rushed forward and hugged her tightly from behind, his voice almost drowned out by the heavy rain.
"Don't go."
Baozhu broke free from him, and after a flash of lightning, she transformed into a fox under his gaze.
She has a thick coat, powerful paws, and deep blue eyes.
Li Zhi was taken aback at first, then realized something was wrong.
Baozhu, of course, did not miss his momentary daze, and the fox demon felt a pang of heartache.
Her eyes were red-rimmed. She staggered back a step, bent down, and showed Li Zhi her sharp canines.
Before Li Zhi could speak again, Baozhu roared like a wild beast, knocking Li Zhi to the ground, and then disappeared into the rainy night.
Li Zhi crashed into the screen he had repaired himself and knocked over the now-cold kettle. He collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He was afraid that the rain would wet the precious pearl, so he carefully repaired every tile.
But by the time the rain actually started to fall, Baozhu had already left.
Li Zhi clutched his chest in confusion, the sound of thunder and rain outside amplifying in his ears.
What went wrong at this step, and why did this happen?
In a daze, a stern female voice rang in his mind again.
"You jinx, you will die alone and miserably!"
Li Zhi shook his head, trying to drive the sound away.
Jewel, jewel.
He stumbled to his feet and disappeared into the rainy night when Baozhu left.
It was as if a hole had been torn in the sky, and torrential rain poured down on Li Zhi's face.
He wandered aimlessly in the wilderness. The rain obscured his vision, and he could see nothing, let alone find the pearl.
Several times, Li Zhi fell to the ground in a sorry state, but struggled to get up again.
He murmured Baozhu's name and unknowingly walked to the outside of Chen Garden.
Even on such a rainy night, the Taoist priests and their servants remained steadfast in their duties, and people gradually left Chen Garden.
Just then, Zhang He and Pei Xuanji were about to leave Chen Garden. Pei Xuanji, with her sharp eyes, noticed what seemed to be wild ghosts wandering in the rain. She quickly tugged at Zhang He's sleeve and pointed them out to him.
Zhang He squinted and stared for a while, feeling that the ghost looked somewhat familiar. He told Pei Xuanji not to wander around and carefully stepped into the rain with his umbrella.
As they approached, Zhang He exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master Li, Li Zhi, what are you doing here? What happened to you?"
Li Zhi looked as if he had been pulled out of the water; he was covered in filth, his face as pale as a ghost, and he was truly terrifying to look at.
Zhang He hurriedly stepped forward, placed Li Zhi under the umbrella, and patted his arm to wake him up: "What happened?"
Li Zhi finally came to his senses. He stared at Zhang He for a while and asked blankly, "I've planned everything, so where did I go wrong?"
If Pei Xuanji heard this nonsensical remark, she would probably think Li Zhi had gone mad.
But Zhang He was experienced enough that when he saw Li Zhi's appearance, he quickly came up with a plan, probably because of love.
But for a moment, he didn't know how to answer Li Zhi.
The two stood in the rain, gradually getting soaked, and turned into two wild ghosts.
After much deliberation, Zhang He finally came up with a sentence: "Perhaps, it's because we've been too calculating?"
Li Zhi listened attentively.
Zhang He, the wild ghost, was soaked to the bone and gradually felt cold. He shivered and forcibly pulled Li Zhi toward Pei Xuanji.
"I wonder what happened to this young master Li. Since we're going to see him tomorrow anyway, why don't we take him back with us?"
Pei Xuanji was startled to find that the ghost was actually Li Zhi. She hurriedly summoned the servants of the Strange People's Temple and drove the mule cart back to the city.
Because they were traveling on official business, the city guards opened a small gate for them in the middle of the night, and the group returned safely to the Pei residence where the two celestial masters were temporarily staying.
Upon arriving home, Pei Xuanji instructed the servants to boil water, arranged a guest room for Li Zhi, and had two male servants help Li Zhi to wash up properly.
Zhang He rummaged through his luggage and took some clothes to Li Zhi's room. He then supervised the servants as they poured Li Zhi a cup of hot ginger soup and helped him to bed.
Seeing that Li Zhi was lying obediently on the bed with his eyes closed, not looking like he would do anything foolish again, Zhang He felt relieved and left.
On his way back to his room, Zhang He passed by the study and found Pei Xuanji still writing and drawing inside. He knocked on the door and said softly, "It's very late. Let's think about the case tomorrow."
Pei Xuanji held the ginger soup brought to her by the maid and shook her head, saying, "I'm afraid I'll forget tomorrow."
Zhang He sighed, knowing he couldn't persuade her, and tentatively suggested, "Why don't we think about it together?"
“Hey.” Pei Xuanji seemed to have been waiting for Zhang He to say this, and immediately got up and brought him a chair.
"I feel like I've been set up." Zhang He rubbed his nose, muttered as he sat down, took the ginger soup that Pei Xuanji poured for him, and smelled it under his nose.
Pei Xuanji ignored him, took out a pen and paper and poked it under his eyes, gesturing as she said, "The case of Chen Garden is in this order: Liu Xueyu killed her husband, the police received the report and went to arrest her, and the Yiren Temple sent people along as usual."
"Then they realized something was wrong. Chen Yongchang, the head of the Chen family, was sitting with an empty stomach and a smile on his face. A large contingent from the Yiren Temple rushed over."
"When we arrived, we found many strange and evil magic arrays in Chen Garden, but none of them had any power, and we didn't know who they were used to curse."
Pei Xuanji had already written down the order.
Zhang He pondered for a moment, then pointed to the words on the paper and said, "When Liu Xueyu killed her husband, she only cut off his head. Chen Yongchang's empty stomach was because he had worms in his intestines, but the colleagues who interrogated him said that Liu Xueyu did not know that her husband had worms in his intestines, which means..."
"This insect was collected by someone after Liu Xueyu killed her husband, before the constables arrived!"
"The person who collected the insects may have also altered the magic array in Chen Garden, to cover something up."
Pei Xuanji bit her lip and whispered, "Senior, do you think it was done by that squinty-eyed man from last time?"
"I think there is probably a huge organization behind this. Perhaps it's not just that monster acting as a henchman. They are bewitching mortals everywhere. They must be a very powerful and influential organization."
"Such a large organization would surely attract attention. Xiandu Prefecture is neither small nor large, so why has it remained undiscovered for so long?"
Zhang He's eyebrows furrowed into a knot. A wicked thought arose in his mind, but he dared not say it in front of Pei Xuanji.
Looking out at the rain, Zhang Tianshi sighed, "It's pouring rain here in Xiandu Prefecture, but there's a sudden drought in Jiangbei Prefecture. What's going on this year?"
Pei Xuanji seemed not to have heard what he said. She slammed her hand on the table and suddenly said, "Tell me, does this so-called supreme being only deceive mortals? Do they deceive demons too?"
Zhang He held the ginger soup and was stunned.
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
The fox spirit Baozhu plunged into the rain, running aimlessly with her head covered until she was exhausted and finally stopped panting under a big tree.
She looked back in the direction she had come from.
In the distance, a white figure appeared in Baozhu's sight.
Soon after, Sai Xue, whose long, snow-white fur had become wet and clung to her body, making her look thinner, ran up to Bao Zhu.
"You run so fast, I almost couldn't catch up with you."
Sai Xue looked at Bao Zhu's expression and spoke cautiously.
Baozhu was too tired to answer her, and rolled her eyes slightly to express her feelings.
“I saw you arguing with that mortal.” Sai Xue frantically shook her body, splashing Bao Zhu all over herself.
Baozhu wiped her face and said in a gloomy tone, "Is that so?"
The heavy rain cooled her feverish mind, and Baozhu was unwilling to hear anything related to Li Zhi at this moment.
Sai Xue tilted her head, deliberately bringing up the topic she didn't want to discuss: "I found that mortal was quite alert. When we were in the city, I followed him in the crowd and he didn't notice me. But this time outside the city, I only followed him for a short while before he noticed me."
Baozhu covered her ears and shouted, "Don't mention him!"
“Alright.” Sai Xue’s tail drooped. “I just thought you’d like to know.”
Baozhu hugged her knees and buried her head in them.
Sai Xue stood there watching her.
After a long pause, the cat demon finally couldn't hold back and whispered, "You saved me because you consider me a friend, right?"
Baozhu didn't say anything.
Sai Xue looked back at the rain with some disappointment and embarrassment, seemingly pondering which way to go.
"yes."
She heard Baozhu's muffled voice.
Sai Xue immediately became happy. She raised her tail high, circled Baozhu twice, found a comfortable spot, and lay down next to Baozhu.
The cat demon looked up with great interest at the raindrops falling on the leaves.
After half the night, the rain finally stopped.
After a while, the east turned a pale white, and fog began to rise.
Sai Xue tilted her head and looked at Bao Zhu. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out her front paw and touched her: "Where do you want to go next?"
Baozhu slowly raised her head and looked at the vast expanse of fog before her.
"Go home."
Where do you live?
"In the mountains, in..."
Behind a small village.
Thinking of this, Baozhu's mood dropped again. She shook her head and said, "I won't go home. I'll just take a walk and clear my head."
Sai Xue stood up: "Then let's go."
Baozhu agreed and tried to stand up, but unexpectedly sat back down.
"My body stiffened," she complained.
Sai Xue laughed, raised her head, and walked ahead first: "Useless."
"Who's the one who's useless?" Baozhu quickly got up and chased after them.
A fox and a cat wandered aimlessly through the thick fog, chatting idly.
“Sai Xue, why do you never show yourself as a human being?” Bao Zhu suddenly asked.
Sai Xue was startled and replied awkwardly, "I don't like it."
"Why?" Baozhu looked curiously at the white cat walking gracefully on the ground.
Sai Xue put her ears behind her head and hesitated for a while before saying, "For the sake of our friendship, I'll show you once."
She turned around, and a thin, pretty little girl appeared in front of Baozhu. She had a big head and a small body, looking like a bean sprout.
Before Baozhu could react, Saixue quickly transformed back into a white cat.
Baozhu suddenly realized: "No wonder you don't like it, but it is indeed too thin and small."
“Right?” Sai Xue muttered unhappily, “I think it’s because Chen Yaozu didn’t raise me well, that’s why I’m so small.”
She brought up Chen Yaozu herself, and then fell silent.
Baozhu also quieted down.
The two little demons walked for a while without saying a word. Suddenly, the thick fog disappeared, and a country path appeared before them.
Baozhu and Saixue exchanged a glance.
It's quite strange that this path appeared.
The two little demons looked around the place, then looked back at where they came from, but found nothing unusual.
After walking a few more steps and turning a corner, an old woman carrying a basket suddenly appeared before the two little demons.
The three looked at each other, each with a hint of panic.
"How did you end up in our village?" The old woman calmed down first, and looked at the two little demons with a smile.
Baozhu casually made up a lie: "I got separated from my servants, so I'm going back right now."
The old woman said "Oh," and then asked Sai Xue, "And what about you?"
Upon hearing this question, the two little demons' hair stood on end. Baozhu scooped Saixue up from the ground and pulled her into her arms, stammering, "My cat naturally came with me."
Sai Xue meowed twice, fitting the occasion.
The old woman covered her mouth and laughed: "Don't try to fool me, you two little devils are quite adorable."
"How do you know we're monsters?!" Sai Xue bristled, staring at the old woman in horror.
“There are many monsters in our village. I’ve seen so many that I can spot them at a glance.”
"Can you recognize a monster at a glance?" Baozhu exclaimed in surprise.
"nature."
Hearing the old woman's words, Baozhu felt even more foolish. She dejectedly banished the past from her mind, and a hint of sadness appeared on her face.
Upon seeing this, the old woman exclaimed "Oh dear!" and said kindly, "Have you suffered some injustice outside?"
"No," the two little demons answered in unison.
“I think so.” The old woman sighed and stepped aside. “Why don’t you go to our village and talk to the monsters? A new monster just arrived not long ago, and it seems to have something on its mind. Perhaps if you talk to your own kind for a while, you’ll feel better.”
Upon hearing this, Baozhu exchanged a glance with Saixue in her arms and hesitated before saying, "No matter how I look at you, you are just a mortal. Why are you not afraid of monsters?"
The old woman still had a smiling face and replied playfully, "Little demons like you probably haven't even done anything bad, so what's there to be afraid of?"
"Oh, by the way, there aren't many rules in our village, except for one: don't use sorcery recklessly," the old woman added.
After saying that, she picked up the basket and walked back, not caring whether the two little demons behind her followed.
Watching the old woman's retreating figure, Baozhu whispered to Saixue, "Are you going or not?"
Sai Xue lowered her voice as well: "Why not go?"
The two little demons happily reached an agreement. Baozhu, carrying the white cat, swaggered behind the old woman and headed towards the village she had mentioned.
This country road is flanked by tall, dense trees that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see. Among the trees are many small creatures whose shapes are indistinct, all looking busy.
The three walked for quite a while before finally passing through the woods.
Seeing Baozhu and Saixue's dumbfounded expressions, the old woman pointed to a huge fortified village that appeared before them and said with a smile, "Look, this is our village."
Is this a village?
Baozhu looked up at the fortified village in front of her.
This fortified village is square, with yellowish-brown outer walls that are over two zhang high and ten zhang wide, and corner towers at the four corners, where shadowy figures can be seen moving about.
The old woman laughed and said, "This fortified village wasn't built by the villagers; it's a creation of the previous dynasty. We just picked it up and moved in."
She led Baozhu and the others further inside, and then greeted the villagers who were working in the fields outside the fortified village.
The villagers were very polite to the old woman, but ignored the strange-looking pearl that was holding a white cat.
Baozhu looked around curiously. There were not only farmlands near the fortified village, but also a stream in the distance, with some villagers busy by the stream.
There are also chickens, ducks, and other livestock, roaming freely around.
As she looked around, not only did the old woman not stop her, but the villagers also kept their heads down and went about their work, without making any comment on her behavior.
Upon closer inspection, they all had smiles on their faces and were occasionally exchanging words with each other.
It was a scene straight out of a paradise.
Baozhu lowered her head and whispered to Saixue, "The people here seem to be doing quite well."
"Yes, I think they live much better than the servants and maids in Chen Garden."
One of these two little demons grew up in Chen Garden and had never seen many other mortals, while the other had only ever paid attention to Li Zhi, a mortal, in both of its lifetimes.
Therefore, he was quite alarmed along the way, and kept muttering to himself behind the old woman's back.
The old woman walked through the gate of the fortified village, glancing back lovingly every now and then. She saw the two little demons slow down and patiently waiting for them.
Baozhu slowed her pace as she passed through the massive gate of the fortified village and entered its interior.
They walked along the central axis of the fortified village, and looking around, almost all the buildings in the fortified village were three stories high.
These tall, bluish-gray buildings surround the huge open space in the center of the fortified village, like stars around the moon.
It looked extremely solemn.
Baozhu had never seen such a sight in her two lifetimes!
Sai Xue, who had never seen much of the world, opened her eyes wide and gripped Bao Zhu's clothes tightly with all four feet.
The three walked into the fortified village until the old woman passed by a building, at which point they finally stopped.
She stuck her head through the window and called out a few words. A burly young man, almost seven feet tall, responded and came crashing down the stairs.
The young man ducked out of the door and looked at Baozhu and the other woman with the old woman. He chuckled and said, "You two are monsters too. I just arrived at Gejiabao not long ago. Madam Ge asked me to have a chat with you."
The man had a square face and round eyes, and looked honest, but he was too muscular and extremely tall. Even Baozhu, let alone Sai Xue, didn't reach his chest.
Furthermore, Baozhu suspected that if he moved even slightly, his clothes would be torn.
After bringing the person to the back, Madam Ge said she had something to do and left, leaving the three little demons staring at each other.
Sai Xue spoke first: "How should I address you?"
The man scratched his head and said in a low voice, "Some people call me Xiaoman, you can call me Xiaoman too."
Xiaoman invited the two little demons in to sit down. After Baozhu sat down, she asked curiously, "Why did you come to Gejiabao?"
"I got into some trouble and was wandering around the woods like a headless fly when I happened to run into Madam Ge. She brought me here. What about you?"
Baozhu mumbled, "Same as you."
At this point, the three little demons fell silent again.
Xiaoman was naturally shy, and her face turned red as she struggled to speak, so she just held the tea and smiled awkwardly.
Just then, an old man carrying a hoe came in from outside. When he saw Baozhu and Saixue, he smiled and said, "It seems we have new friends again."
Xiaoman quickly replied, "Madam Ge brought it back."
The old man laughed heartily: "Then you can show them around Gejiabao."
"That's natural."
The old man didn't give the two new little demons much of a look, and carrying his hoe, he went upstairs.
“In Gejiabao, everyone lives in a building with several families. Old Zhou’s family of four lives on the second floor, I live on the third floor, and there is an empty room on the third floor, so you can stay in that room.”
Xiaoman explained to Baozhu and the others.
Baozhu said "Oh," and then lowered her voice to ask Xiaoman, "He was clearly just a mortal, so why wasn't he afraid of us?"
Speaking of this, Xiaoman immediately became happy and said proudly, "There are both monsters and mortals in Gejiabao. Madam Ge's family treats them all equally and never favors one over the other. I think the mortals in the fort have lived with the monsters for generations and seem to have gotten used to it."
Xiaoman spoke a few more words with Baozhu and the others, then led them to their room on the third floor.
After climbing two steep and narrow flights of stairs, the three arrived at two doors. Xiaoman took out a key and handed it to Baozhu: "Here, these are your keys."
He opened his door again: "Go in and take a look. Call me if you need anything."
Baozhu hugged Saixue and agreed, and Xiaoman closed the door in front of them.
The two little demons exchanged a glance, each seeing something in the other's eyes.
Baozhu unlocked the door with the key and went into the room.
The room wasn't big, just a square one, with a window facing north and a bed on the south side.
Besides that, there was only a table and a chair, nothing else.
Baozhu sat on the bed, while Saixue jumped onto the table.
"How could there really be a place where mortals are not afraid of monsters?"
"I think this place is great. Everyone gets along together, regardless of whether they are human or demon, and no one is shouting to kill demons."
Both spoke at the same time.
"Do you think it's because they don't know we're monsters?" Baozhu asked hesitantly.
"Didn't that old man recognize us just now?"
"I still find it unbelievable. Aren't there any Taoist masters here?"
The mention of the Celestial Master sent chills down the spines of both demons.
"Do you want to stay?" Sai Xue tilted her head and looked at Bao Zhu.
"I don't know, but I have nowhere else to go anyway. I'll stay for a couple of days, what do you think?"
Sai Xue exclaimed excitedly, "Great!"
As they were speaking, a series of bell tolls suddenly came from the north.
Baozhu pushed open the small window on the north side and peeked out.
From the small building beside them, people were seen coming out one after another and walking towards the open space in the middle of the fortified village.
Their door was also knocked on.
"Are you all hungry? Come with me for lunch!"
Xiaoman's voice came from behind the door.
Baozhu picked up Saixue and went with Xiaoman after opening the door.
The three of them went downstairs, and Xiaoman led them toward the center of the fortified village. At this time, it seemed that all the people living in the fortified village had come out of their homes, walking together in twos and threes, heading toward the same place.
Upon reaching the open space, everyone lined up in two rows, holding their own bowls, and moved forward quietly.
Xiaoman took out two sets of tableware from her bosom and handed them to Baozhu. The three of them casually lined up in a queue.
The procession moved quickly, and soon it was Baozhu's turn.
In front of Baozhu was a pot of thick porridge and several small pots of pickled vegetables.
A plump, fair-skinned woman served Baozhu two full bowls of porridge.
Seeing that Baozhu was staring at her belly, she smiled gently, seemingly unconcerned.
Xiaoman, however, carefully tugged at Baozhu's sleeve, signaling her not to be too blatant with her gaze.
After leaving the group with her lunch, Xiaoman whispered to Baozhu, "That's Madam Ge's daughter-in-law, Yingji, and she's pregnant."
"Where is Madam Ge's son?"
"I don't know, I've been here for so long and I've never seen it."
Baozhu recalled the kind, smiling old woman she had met that morning and secretly wondered about her past.
Back in the small building where they were staying, Xiaoman declared that she would be studying in the afternoon, and the others could wander around Gejiabao on their own.
But Baozhu and Saixue hadn't slept all night, and after being caught in the rain and running around, they were both exhausted. Neither of them wanted to go out for a stroll, so they curled up together and fell asleep.
I don't know how long I slept.
During this time, Baozhu seemed to remember hearing another bell ringing and Xiaoman knocking on the door. She seemed to respond vaguely and then fell asleep again while holding Saixue.
When I woke up again, it was already pitch black outside the small window to the north.
Baozhu tugged at Saixue, who was still asleep, and muttered, "You can sleep even longer than me. Aren't you hungry?"
Sai Xue groggily sat up and asked, "What time is it?"
"I don't know, it's late at night."
Baozhu got up and leaned out of the small window to look at the moon in the sky.
"Is it midnight now?"
She spoke softly.
Her response was a creaking sound from outside the door; it was Xiaoman from next door who opened the door.
Baozhu pricked up her ears, listening to the burly Xiaoman stomping loudly on the narrow and steep wooden stairs, and then quietly watching him walk out from the first floor through the small window.
He was dressed in strange clothes that completely covered his muscular body.
Upon closer inspection, Baozhu noticed that people were coming out of the buildings along the street.
They were all dressed in the same clothes, covering themselves up completely, with only their eyes showing.
The group walked silently, keeping their distance from each other, a stark contrast to their usual behavior of gathering in small groups during the day.
Baozhu turned her head back and looked at Saixue in her arms.
Sai Xue's green eyes shone even brighter in the moonlight.
What are they going there for?
"Should we follow them and see?"
The two little demons said in unison.
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