Chapter Forty-Nine
The young master Zhao, whom Baozhu and her group rescued from Zhoujiazhuang, was not from Yushan County. His hometown was in the neighboring Hongyang County. His family had made a living on the Lanjiang River for generations, accumulating wealth over the generations. By the time of young master Zhao, they had finally raised a rich and noble young man who looked like a dough doll.
Since his family's businesses were all located in Hongyang County, Young Master Zhao extended a warm invitation to everyone to visit his home, saying, "The ship that my family partners with King Jinlin on is incredibly fast. In good weather, it can reach the capital in just four or five days, which will not delay your time at all."
Redtail also testified for him, proudly saying, "This ship has our monsters on board, so it is indeed fast."
Then she abruptly changed the subject, talking about her family's Golden Scale King, claiming that the king was wise, powerful, and respected. They lived on a high mountain by the Lanjiang River, overlooking the entire Lanjiang River within Hongyang County.
"By the way, if you want to take that boat, you'll have to go up the mountain to see our King, because the King wants to ensure the safety of the passengers on board, so that you don't fall into the river halfway or get robbed by any of the passengers," Red Tail added.
Baozhu felt a strong urge to join in, and quickly turned to look at the three celestial masters with pleading eyes.
Upon seeing this, the three celestial masters smiled knowingly and all wanted to speak to comfort Baozhu. Zhang Hezui was the quickest, saying in unison, "Go, go, we'll all go."
As he spoke, he stepped forward and put his arm around Zhao Gongzi's shoulder, saying, "When you get there, you have to have a good drink with Old Zhang, the kind with no substance inside."
Seeing Baozhu smile instantly, Li Zhi also curled up the corners of his mouth. Just as he was about to speak, Pei Xuanji interrupted, "You want to see the Golden Scale King and see how he differs from the carp spirit we met, right?"
Baozhu nodded repeatedly, asking expectantly, "They are brothers, do you think they will look alike?"
Pei Xuanji shook her head, about to say she didn't know, when Hongwei, who had overheard their conversation, interjected, "They do look alike. Let me tell you, there was a woman who liked King Jinlin before who mistook them for each other!"
"Is that so?" Baozhu's eyes lit up.
The three girls immediately started chatting excitedly, leaving the rest of the group behind.
Li Zhi had no choice but to shut his mouth again.
"I can't get a word in edgewise, Old Li is feeling down." Zhang He let go of Young Master Zhao and whispered slyly into Li Zhi's ear.
Li Zhi stared blankly at Zhang He, then suddenly raised his hand and stuffed a meatball into Zhang He's mouth, before smoothing his throat.
He moved extremely fast, and Zhang He swallowed the meatball before he could react. Then a bitter taste came over him, making him shudder.
"You need to take two more antidote pills to get better," Li Zhi said with a forced smile.
Zhang He's face scrunched up like a chrysanthemum, his eyes were so bitter he could barely open them, and he gritted his teeth and said, "You don't need to give me this pill."
The group returned to Yushan County in a lively manner, found two mule carts, and set off towards Hongyang County in a shaky and bumpy ride.
Throughout the journey, Baozhu kept looking out the car window.
The mule cart creaked and groaned as it passed through the villages and towns nestled between the two county towns. The closer it got to Hongyang County, the more prosperous the scenery became.
Outside the mule carts, the most common sights were village men driving chickens and ducks, carrying vegetables to sell in the city. In addition, there were butchers who had bought pigs from the countryside and were driving a live pig into the city, and peddlers carrying dozens of small stools on both sides of their carrying poles.
Even more bizarre were the strange man carrying two monkeys on his shoulders, the vendors with brightly colored masks on their faces and large baskets on their backs, and the actors whose faces were painted deathly white.
The road into town was so bustling that Baozhu couldn't take it all in. She turned to the local monster, Redtail, and asked, "Is it this lively every day here?"
Hongwei, unfazed, said, "Tomorrow is the fifth day of the month, a market day. People from all directions come to the county to buy and sell things, watch the excitement, and see the plays. There's no curfew in the county tonight, and both sides of the riverbank are bustling with activity. Some wealthy families are even setting off fireworks on the shore."
Baozhu exclaimed in delight, "This place is so wonderful!"
Redtail said smugly, "Of course."
“Hongyang County is in a good location, and the people there seem to be more prosperous than those in Qiling,” Pei Xuanji also praised.
While they were chatting in the cart, the mule cart had already swayed and bumped its way into Hongyang County.
This is a county town built against the mountain and standing beside the Lanjiang River. The entire Hongyang County town is divided into two parts by the Lanjiang River.
They went to the other side of the Lanjiang River, where Hongyang County's huge and bustling wharf was also built.
The mule cart carrying Young Master Zhao and his companions slowly passed through the bustling crowds in the city, turned onto a side road, and headed uphill. Baozhu's mule cart immediately followed.
The higher they went up in the county town, the more beautiful the houses on both sides became, and the fewer pedestrians there were. The mule carts finally stopped in front of a huge and luxurious mansion.
As the group of six disembarked from the mule cart, Zhang He had just settled the bill with the driver when the Zhao family servants who came forward to check on the situation exclaimed in surprise.
"Young Master is back!"
A servant suddenly turned around, pushed open the gate, and ran while shouting.
Before anyone could react, a large number of people, men, women, and children, poured out of the Zhao residence. An elderly woman with silver hair took the lead, crying and rushing towards Young Master Zhao.
Next came a middle-aged couple, wiping away tears, and stepping forward hand in hand. Then came a young couple, sighing as they looked at Young Master Zhao. And behind them were ten beautiful young women of all shapes and sizes, calling out "Brother Zhao" as they surrounded him.
Young Master Zhao was surrounded by his family, who reached out and touched him, crumpling his clothes into a mess and his hair into a bird's nest.
It was rare that he could still maintain a gentle smile. He turned around and introduced Baozhu and her group to his family, saying that they were his benefactors and how they had rescued him from Zhoujiazhuang.
The silver-haired old lady immediately turned to Baozhu and the others, thanking them repeatedly, and said, "My little grandson is good in every other way, but he's too sentimental. We knew right away that he was kidnapped because—"
As she spoke, she began to wipe away her tears. Just as she was about to unconsciously burst into a wail, Zhao Gongzi's ten wives cried even louder, their clamor drowning out the old lady's voice.
The old lady immediately lost interest in crying and instead waved to the servants, inviting Baozhu and the others to come inside and rest.
"We must reward our benefactors properly today." She winked at Young Master Zhao's parents, who immediately nodded and went to instruct the servants.
Seeing this, Redtail pulled Baozhu aside and whispered, "I'll head back now. See you on the mountain tomorrow."
Having said that, without waiting for Baozhu's reply, the little demon left silently.
The Zhao family was incredibly wealthy and generous, arranging a whole row of courtyards for Baozhu and her three companions, one room for each of them, and presenting them with a lot of gold, silver, and copper coins as a token of their gratitude. Finally, they mentioned that they would be hosting a grand banquet that evening and invited them to attend.
Baozhu gave a perfunctory reply and returned to the house with little interest.
She had no interest in throwing a big banquet at the house; her mind was preoccupied with the fireworks that Redtail had mentioned.
"I might as well sneak out and play," Baozhu muttered to herself.
She was eager to go out and have fun, but after resting in bed for an hour, she woke up on her own.
It was just getting dark, and the Zhao family's banquet must have been prepared. Baozhu could faintly hear the sounds of string and wind instruments coming from the front yard.
She quickly sprang off the bed, ready to escape before her companions could call her.
The furtive Baozhu came out of the house, strained her ears to listen to the sounds outside the courtyard. When she heard that no one was outside, she carefully pushed open the courtyard gate and tiptoed out.
Then, after taking only a few steps, she suddenly heard a creak beside her. Baozhu turned her head and met Li Zhi's eyes, who had also pushed open the courtyard gate.
Li Zhi smiled slightly and said, "What a coincidence, Baozhu doesn't want to go to the banquet either?"
Baozhu scratched her head sheepishly and replied, "I want to go to the riverbank to play and watch the fireworks."
"Me too, shall we go together?"
“Okay!” Baozhu suddenly felt great and answered crisply.
As a result, one more person deserted in the face of battle.
Baozhu, holding Li Zhi's hand, narrowly avoided the Zhao family's servants. When they reached the wall of the Zhao family mansion, she lightly climbed up the wall, intending to reach out and pull Li Zhi up as well.
Li Zhi did not take her hand, but instead leaped and flipped over beautifully.
"You're really amazing now," Baozhu quickly followed and praised.
“You’re underestimating me now,” Li Zhi sighed softly.
Baozhu couldn't help but still think of him as the scholar from her previous life, and she often felt the need to take care of him. Upon hearing this, she quickly laughed it off and changed the subject: "I don't know where to go either."
As if in response, just as Baozhu finished speaking, a huge firework exploded in the distance, and the river breeze, carrying the lively sounds of people, entered her ears.
"Look! How beautiful it is!" Baozhu exclaimed, pointing to the night sky.
Golden fireworks burst in the sky one after another, and cheers from the crowd could be heard from the riverbank. Excited, Baozhu grabbed Li Zhi's hand and ran quickly toward the riverbank.
"Hurry, hurry!" Baozhu laughed. "I wonder if there are any vendors selling masks? I want to buy a fox mask!"
Li Zhi watched her excited figure with a smile, letting her pull him along, shouting and yelling, as they crossed half of Hongyang County. They arrived outside the county, on the mudflats formed by the Lanjiang River over thousands of years.
"Wow! There are still so many people at night!" Baozhu stood there, staring intently at the passersby and the line of vendors.
The vendors were well-prepared to do business at night, each carrying a large lantern behind them. To attract customers, the lanterns were cleverly decorated with different patterns in different colors. At first glance, the mudflats were lit up with many different colored lights, creating a dazzling and beautiful sight.
Baozhu had never seen a night market before, and she found it extremely novel. She looked around, her face flushed with joy, and she looked really cute.
Li Zhi stared intently at her, but Baozhu remained oblivious.
She saw a pedestrian walking towards her wearing a mask, with monkeys and tigers on his face, looking very imposing. She quickly pulled Li Zhi forward and asked the pedestrian where the mask vendor was.
After securing a spot, Baozhu immediately dragged Li Zhi to buy a fox mask.
She was really lucky; the vendor happened to have only one fox mask left, and Baozhu quickly grabbed it, admiring it with great delight.
Li Zhi stepped forward to pay the bill.
The vendor smiled and said to Li Zhi, "Since Madam likes it, sir, please give me whatever you think is appropriate."
Li Zhi happily took out a handful of copper coins from his money bag and handed them to the vendor.
Baozhu, who had already put on her mask, was admiring herself in the vendor's bronze mirror and didn't hear their conversation at all.
Wearing a fox mask, Baozhu hopped and skipped along with Li Zhi, running around the night market. Sometimes they wanted to buy malt candy, and other times they wanted to play ring toss.
The fox demon was sure to hit the target every time she wanted to play ring toss. Holding candy in one hand, she casually tossed the bamboo ring forward with the other. Before long, the vendor, looking miserable, had gathered up half of the odds and ends from his stall for Baozhu.
Baozhu paid no attention and her eyes were already fixed on the next fun thing.
Li Zhi reached out and took the bag of loose change, gave the vendor extra money, and flattered the vendor, who smiled and said, "Kind sir, I wish you and your wife a long and happy life together."
Li Zhi nodded reservedly.
After all, it was a small night market that only opened every five days, and Baozhu quickly explored it all. Her excitement gradually subsided, and she turned back to look at the odds and ends she had collected.
Li Zhi opened the package and let her rummage through it one by one.
Baozhu first found a wooden hairpin and pointed to it, saying, "This is for Pei Qi, so she can wear it in her hair."
He then pulled out a large, obviously fake gold ingot and said with a smile, "Give this to Zhang Tianshi, so he can keep his eyes open when he's out there and not get fooled all the time."
Li Zhi smiled and said, "This gift is appropriate."
Baozhu lowered her head and didn't answer him. She seemed to have found something interesting again and was holding it in her hand, giggling to herself.
Li Zhi looked down and saw that Baozhu was holding two crooked little clay figures tightly in her hand. One of them had red lips painted on it, indicating that it was a woman, and the other was wearing a hair crown, indicating that it was a man.
This discovery made Li Zhi somewhat flustered. He took a deep breath and tentatively asked Baozhu, "What are you holding in your hand?"
Baozhu immediately put her hands behind her back, raised her face, and said smugly, "I won't tell you."
It is said that a beautiful woman is seen under a lamp. Baozhu, wearing a bright red fox mask, smiled slyly next to a vendor's lantern. The dim light illuminated her, making half of her face glow with a warm light, while the other half was hidden in darkness. The enchanting aura she usually exuded emanated from her, easily captivating Li Zhi's soul.
I would die for her.
A sudden thought popped into Li Zhi's head.
They walked along the riverbank for a while longer. It was dark and visibility was poor, so Baozhu took the opportunity to wade in the water barefoot for a while. Only after the crowd on the bank gradually dispersed did the two of them walk back under the moonlight.
When they climbed over the wall back to the Zhao residence, Baozhu could hear Zhang He snoring from a distance, and the smell of alcohol wafted out of his courtyard.
Baozhu clicked her tongue in amazement and said to Li Zhi, "I wonder how much they drank."
Li Zhi raised an eyebrow and said, "He was clamoring to drink with Young Master Zhao during the day. Since the guest has made the request, how could the host refuse?"
When Baozhu passed Pei Xuanji's courtyard, she not only smelled the odor of alcohol, but also heard a series of whooshing sounds.
She was taken aback and whispered, "Is Pei Qi drunk again, practicing his sword in the middle of the night?"
Li Zhi listened intently for a while and said, "I'm afraid so."
"She's working so hard," Baozhu said with a sigh.
It was late at night. After saying goodbye, the two returned to their courtyard. Baozhu threw herself onto the bed, savoring the joy of the night, and soon fell asleep.
The next day, apart from Li Zhi, none of them were able to get up.
Li Zhi knocked on each of his companions' doors, one by one, for an unknown amount of time before finally waking them all up.
Zhang He opened the door with his eyes closed, still looking half-drunk.
Pei Xuanji, sporting two huge dark circles under her eyes, half-dead, pushed open the door with her luggage on her back and looked at Li Zhi in front of her.
Only Baozhu, looking refreshed, opened the door and greeted her companions loudly, "Good morning!"
Zhang He looked at Li Zhi and replied absentmindedly, "Good morning."
Pei Xuanji simply waved to Baozhu as a greeting.
Baozhu didn't care about their attitude and happily gave them the gifts she had brought them the night before.
Holding the large gold ingot, Zhang He turned around happily and said to Pei Xuanji, "Thank you, Old Li."
Pei Xuanji smiled at Baozhu, and ignoring her objections, she turned around and stuck the hairpin vertically into her hair bun.
Baozhu was dumbfounded and didn't know what to do.
Just then, Young Master Zhao, who was supposed to lead them up the mountain that day, walked over with a smile on his face, wanting to urge them to set off early. When he saw Zhang He and Pei Xuanji looking dazed, he was startled and quickly told his servants to prepare some refreshing soup and bring it over.
After drinking the sour and spicy soup, the two Taoist masters finally felt better.
Zhang He rubbed his temples, pointed at Baozhu and Li Zhi with his finger, and shook his head, saying, "They're not loyal."
Pei Xuanji took the hairpin off the center of her head, patted her face hard, and said, "It's getting late, let's hurry up."
So they boarded the two luxurious and comfortable carriages belonging to the Zhao family, drove out of the county town, and went up the steep mountain on the side of the Lanjiang River.
Although Hongyang County has some high places, they are only hills. However, after leaving Hongyang and heading north along the Lanjiang River, one must pass through an extremely high mountain.
Looking at the mountain from afar, Baozhu felt that it rose abruptly from the ground, like a sharp sword piercing the sky.
When the carriage reached the foot of the towering mountain, Baozhu discovered that there was a road wide enough for the carriage to pass through. They followed this road into the deep mountains, with sheer cliffs on one side, leaving no room for the horse to make a wrong step. It was truly a thrilling experience.
Baozhu, who was peering out of the car window, noticed that the higher their car went, the thicker the fog became. Under the thick fog, ordinary people could hardly tell which way to go, but the horse seemed to be guided by something, and walked quickly and methodically without fear.
Half an hour later, the carriage finally emerged from the thick fog.
They arrived at the mountaintop, which shimmered with golden light under the sun, and there stood an exquisite house atop this steep mountain.
The carriage slowly drove to the gate of the house. Young Master Zhao announced that they had arrived, and Baozhu and her entourage filed out of the carriage.
At this moment, Baozhu also saw clearly that the plaque above the gate of this house read "Golden Scales".
This is the residence of the Golden Scale King.
Redtail was already waiting for them at the door.
As soon as they stepped off the carriage, Redtail rushed up to them, grinning, "I've been waiting for you, Pearl. Shall I show you our territory?"
Baozhu didn't disagree. She was impatient to listen to Li Zhi and the others talk about serious matters, so she quickly stepped forward, took Hongwei's arm, and the two little demons went inside first, laughing and joking.
The three celestial masters went with her to play, but only Li Zhi was worried and had to follow Baozhu and remind her: "Watch your step, the road is slippery and the mountain is high."
Baozhu replied with a "Yes" from afar, and then disappeared without a trace.
“She’s such a big monster. Sometimes you talk too much and interfere too much, which makes her unhappy.” Zhang He leaned closer and whispered when he saw that Li Zhi was still frowning.
Li Zhi remained silent.
Red Tail had other duties under King Golden Scales and was not responsible for receiving guests. Li Zhi and the others waited outside for a while, and then another little monster with scales on its cheeks came out of the house and politely greeted the four mortals as they walked into the house.
The house atop the mountain has regained its tranquility.
But this tranquility did not last long.
An old man wearing a cloak and hood, carefully concealing his face, rode his horse through the mist and appeared in front of the house.
The old man coughed while clutching his chest, and waited on his horse.
A moment later, one of the little demons under King Jinlin's command pushed open the door and respectfully bowed to the old man, saying, "The King is currently receiving guests. I will lead you to a guest room to rest."
The old man nodded, but before he could speak, he began to pant heavily, his wrinkled face turning deathly pale. He had no choice but to cover his mouth, dismount, nod to the little monster, and follow him into the house.
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