Chapter Twenty-Eight
The worker ants were both diligent nest builders and food for Ying Ji.
This queen ant, who lives underground and is worshipped by many worker ants, has devoured countless worker ants transformed from mortals and monsters over many years.
She possessed the ability to bewitch the souls of mortals and demons, causing them to willingly offer everything to her, thus granting her supreme power.
Ying Ji consumed everything the worker ants possessed: worldly wealth, physical strength, and demonic power from their cultivation.
Her abdomen was swollen, containing both unhatched eggs and the strength that had been accumulating over a long period of time.
This power also allowed her to remain comfortably and eternally in this nest under her control.
Ying Ji ate too much and became too bloated, spending most of her day digesting. Someone was by her side taking care of everything for her.
Ying Ji has the most devout followers.
Even today.
Ying Ji's most devout worshipper abandoned her.
Her large, immobile body cracked inch by inch under the influence of the talisman, and the power that almost burst her apart lost its container and dissipated in all directions.
A torrential downpour of power destroyed the last few remaining ant chambers.
Caught completely off guard, the Celestial Masters were struck head-on by this pure and primal power. The tangible magic array vanished in an instant, and the backlash from the magic power left none of them able to remain standing.
Zhao Jia fell from the sky and couldn't help but vomit a mouthful of blood.
He wiped it off with difficulty and looked up at the five pillars of light in the array of suspended light.
One of them, in comparison, was noticeably much dimmer.
Zhao Jia turned to look at Zhang He and said sarcastically, "That person who broke out of the formation just now, I'm afraid he's someone Zhang Tianshi knows well."
Zhang He was dizzy and panting, his hands supporting his knees. Hearing this, he retorted, "I am just a country Taoist priest. I dare not be acquainted with any great power."
Despite saying this, Zhang He was no less surprised than Zhao Jia and the others.
Zhang He knew that there was a ghost in Xiandu Prefecture before he went to Jiangbei Prefecture to borrow troops, but he never expected that the ghost would not even hide it and would use talismans in front of a group of celestial masters.
Zhang He looked into the open ant chamber, where the queen ant resembled a lump of mud.
She was abandoned here, her body as if her bones had been removed, melting inch by inch, and plastered onto the eerie curse within the ant chamber.
The power she had consumed filled the nest, and then gradually dissipated into the world.
The Taoist priests present were seriously injured. Zhao Jia rubbed his chest and directed his able-bodied colleagues to drag the seriously wounded together. He frowned and sighed, "The main culprit escaped after all. As for Chief Commander Ji..."
Upon hearing this, the Taoist priests of Jiangbei Prefecture looked even more displeased than before.
Zhang He looked up at the pillar of light with concern, his mind heavy with worry, and said, "There are two troublesome people outside now. What about Chief Commander Ji?"
"Don't worry, if even Commander Ji is defeated, what else can we say? We can only wait to die." Zhao Jia replied while directing him, "Master Zhang, take a few brothers and search the east side to make sure there's nothing we've missed."
Zhang He wiped the dust off his face and nodded in agreement.
He and several other Taoist masters who were in relatively good condition headed east.
After a fierce battle, the once neat ant chambers in the nest were reduced to ruins, and everything in sight was dark red, which only made people feel depressed after looking at it for a while.
Zhang He looked up at the pillar of light again. The Celestial Masters of Jiangbei Prefecture had full confidence in their Deputy Chief, but he had never interacted with this Chief Ji before and did not know how deep his cultivation was.
It's unclear whether Pei Xuanji managed to hide herself properly.
He sighed and brought his attention back.
After all, being at the foot of Gejiabao, there was no use in thinking about it.
Zhang He greeted the other Celestial Masters, and they dispersed. Relying on his previous memories, he slowly made his way back to the place where he had parted ways with Li Zhi. He looked around but couldn't find any trace of Li Zhi.
That shouldn't be the case. We're still some distance from the center of the battle. The scholar is so quick-witted, and he has many talismans given to him by Ji Ren. What could possibly happen to him?
Zhang He frowned slightly and called out softly, "Young Master Li, it's me, Old Zhang, where are you?"
After calling out repeatedly, they finally heard faint sounds coming from the ruins.
Zhang He rushed over and, peeking through the gap, seemed to see Li Zhi's clothes.
He frantically cleared away the obstacles pressing down on the scholar, finally revealing his back.
Li Zhi lay on the ground in a protective posture, covering his lower body.
Zhang He carefully reached out to help him up.
Just as his hand was about to touch Li Zhi, Li Zhi suddenly moved and grabbed Zhang He's wrist with his other hand.
"Master Zhang, I have a favor to ask of you," Li Zhi said in a trembling voice.
Zhang He pursed his lips and said softly, "What is it you want to say first?"
Li Zhi slowly released the hand that had been gripping Zhang He's wrist. He moved his body with difficulty, carefully revealing the presence he was protecting.
A fox that is motionless, with half of its body stained with blood.
Zhang He gasped and quickly straightened up to look around.
Seeing that the Celestial Masters searching the east had not noticed the commotion, he bent down again.
"You want me to let a fox demon go right under the noses of a group of celestial masters?"
“She has never done anything evil, and has absolutely no connection with the Queen Ant.” Li Zhi’s voice trembled, whether from pain or panic, it was hard to tell. “The Temple of Strange People doesn’t kill every monster they see, right?”
Zhang He said with a headache, "That makes sense, but the time and place she appeared are wrong. A great demon just perished here, without leaving a single word before it died."
As he spoke, Zhang He's voice grew lower: "Ji Ren is not someone to be trifled with."
"Master Zhang." But Li Zhi didn't hear a word Zhang He said. His eyes were bloodshot, and his words were filled with anguish. "Have you ever tried to protect anything?"
Zhang He was stunned.
Such a scholar appears gentle and mild-mannered, but in reality, he possesses an unyielding spirit.
This same scholar, before Zhang He, hunched his back and made a low plea.
After glancing once more at the beam of light piercing through the ant nest, Zhang He clenched his fist, took off his satchel, and handed it to Li Zhi.
"If we put her inside, her demonic energy won't leak out."
A celestial master could appear at any moment, so Zhang He was a little nervous. His eyes darted around, and when he saw Li Zhi carefully lifting the unconscious fox from the ground, a sudden thought struck him, and he blurted out, "It's because of her!"
Li Zhi lingered at the entrance of Chen Garden on a rainy night because of her, and Pei Xuanji received the clues from Ge Family Fortress because of her.
"So that's how it is!" Zhang He suddenly realized that Li Zhi's behavior during this period had finally been explained. "Young Master Li, you are actually... a lovelorn man!"
A scholar like Li Zhi should naturally become a political animal who abandons all emotions and desires; that seems to be the path he should take.
"How could you do that?" Zhang He asked again.
Not receiving a reply from Li Zhi did not stop Zhang He from indulging in his untimely little hobby. He inadvertently glimpsed another side of others that they couldn't see in the light of day, and he was eager to find out more.
Zhang He received no feedback from Li Zhi.
Li Zhi simply lowered his head and quietly watched the beautiful fox.
Zhang He gradually calmed down. He pondered the fox demon for a while, looking at Li Zhi, and asked in confusion, "How did she get such serious injuries?"
"After Ying Ji perished, she then..."
“Perhaps it’s because she was too influenced by the ant queen in the fortress…” Zhang He suddenly stopped, looking at Baozhu with a puzzled expression. “No, she’s not a powerful demon, and the ant queen’s cultivation is so profound that I’ve never seen many demons more powerful than her. She can even control the soul. How did your fox demon break free from her control?”
The more he talked, the stranger it seemed, and it wasn't just the pearl that was strange.
“How could such a powerful demon perish so easily…” Zhang He’s eyes were filled with confusion. “Her demonic power… it’s as if her cultivation was forcibly filled in by someone.”
In the ant chamber where the queen ant died, the evil curses that covered the walls reappeared before Zhang He's eyes.
“Who is it…” he murmured.
Obiya Village, Gejiabao...
A chill suddenly ran down Zhang He's back.
"Master Zhang".
The shouts from afar brought Zhang He back to his senses. He waved to Li Zhi, signaling him to hide the pearl carefully, and then went to greet him: "What is it?"
"Master Zhao told me to inform you that the Suspended Light Formation is about to disappear, so act quickly."
"Okay, okay," Zhang He replied perfunctorily.
The Taoist priest went further afield.
Zhang He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Li Zhi.
Li Zhi's expression had returned to normal, showing no trace of his earlier loss of composure.
Only his nervously placed hands on his satchel revealed a glimpse of his inner state.
The five pillars of light gradually dimmed, and before the light completely disappeared, Ji Ren, who had remained on top, also came down, clutching his arm.
He was clearly injured, but his expression remained unchanged, suggesting he hadn't suffered any major harm.
Zhang He gave Li Zhi a look and walked towards Ji Ren.
Ji Ren stood beside Ying Ji's corpse, listening expressionlessly to Zhao Jia's report.
His eyes remained fixed on the evil curse painted with ant chambers, and it was unclear whether he had actually listened to Zhao Jia's words.
"Well, write me a petition." Ji Ren interrupted Zhao Jia, who hadn't finished speaking, and waved him away.
The cunning and shrewd deputy commander-in-chief was lost in thought for a while before saying to the Celestial Masters, "Brothers, you've worked hard this time. I'll treat you to drinks when we get back, and we won't leave until we're drunk."
“Alright!” the Taoist masters replied in unison.
"As usual, let's tidy up. Zhao Jia, come with me."
Upon hearing Ji Ren's words, the Celestial Masters present all breathed a sigh of relief and began to tidy up the scene.
The array of suspended light was also completely extinguished.
Just then, a sound came from the farthest part of the anthill.
The celestial masters looked back and saw a tall, strong man running wildly, trying to leave the ant nest with a thunderous roar.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Jia immediately called his colleagues to step forward and apprehend the man.
"It's alright." Ji Ren shook his head. "Let's get down to business first. As for the little mountain demon, let him be."
Zhao Jia hesitated for a moment before bowing his head and replying with a "Yes."
The Celestial Masters from Jiangbei Prefecture all felt something was strange. They wondered if Chief Commander Ji, who had come to exterminate them all, had changed his ways.
Thanks to Ji Ren's change of heart, Xiao Man and Sai Xue were able to leave the ant nest safely.
After Ying Ji died, the two little demons were also seriously injured. However, Xiao Man was thick-skinned and could still move normally even with her mouth full of blood.
Sai Xue remained in a daze.
Xiaoman fled the ant nest in a cold sweat, randomly choosing a direction and hurrying away until she finally felt a burning pain in her abdomen and stopped.
He clutched his stomach, puzzled, and asked, "Why does it hurt so much?"
Holding her in his arms, Sai Xue opened one eye in a daze and whispered, "Of course it hurts to vomit blood."
"You're awake." Xiaoman quickly put Saixue on the ground.
Sai Xue was in excruciating pain all over her body and mumbled a "hmm".
Xiaoman squatted helplessly in front of her, thought for a while, and then decided to get her some water.
As soon as he turned around, Sai Xue woke up with a start. Seeing Xiao Man's back, she felt in her dazed state that Xiao Man was about to abandon her and leave.
Baozhu isn't by her side; what if Xiaoman leaves her too?
Sai Xue struggled to lift her head and said, "Xiao Man."
Xiaoman turned around at the sound, and the white cat on the ground had disappeared, replaced by a frail little girl.
A face the size of a palm, round eyes, and arms as thin as a stick.
Xiaoman stood frozen in place, her mind blank.
After a long pause, he managed to utter two words with difficulty: "Little sister..."
The little girl looked up and whispered, "Don't abandon me."
"No, I won't leave you. I'll go get you some water," Xiaoman said incoherently, then hurriedly disappeared into the woods.
Not long after, he cupped a handful of water in a leaf, brought it to Sai Xue's lips, and said softly, "Have some."
Sai Xue forced herself to drink a little.
Xiaoman squeezed in next to her and sat down, rubbing her stomach uncomfortably.
Seeing this, Sai Xue handed the leaf to Xiao Man.
Xiaoman drank it all in one go, and then stuffed the leaves into her mouth and ate them as well.
"Oh, really," Sai Xue said with disdain, then suddenly realized and added softly, "It's not a waste."
Xiaoman chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Sai Xue, I'm not used to you talking like that."
"You...you recognized me," Sai Xue stammered.
"Um."
Xiaoman hugged her knees and looked at the twinkling stars in the sky.
“Little sister…” he muttered.
"What?"
"My little sister is gone..."
Let's go back a little further in time.
When Xiaoman and Saixue escaped the ant nest, they had no idea that someone who had already left the nest was standing in the nearby woods, quietly watching the Ge family fortress sink into the ground.
The man's eyes were very light in color, almost silvery-white in the moonlight.
“What are we going to do? The Lord’s favorite pasture is gone,” he complained.
The man standing beside him had small eyes. He sighed, "I wonder how the lord will punish me."
"Our lord has always favored you, so he probably won't blame you." The person with silver eyes rubbed their face vigorously. "It's not entirely our fault, is it, Nightmare?"
A strange thing was discovered: the man's originally wrinkled and extremely old face gradually became fuller as he rubbed it.
A few breaths later, a handsome young man appeared beside Nightshade. He pointed to his face and said to Nightshade, "How is this face?"
“Okay.” Nightmare replied succinctly.
"Tsk."
Just as the boy was about to say something, a large number of people began to emerge from below Gejiabao.
He looked at Ji Ren, the leader, with displeasure, and said to Nightmare, "I think I can still beat him."
"Maybe, but you won't."
"My cultivation is profound; I simply act according to the Master's rules and do not fight with the Celestial Master," the young man explained, dissatisfied with Nightmare's answer.
“Alright,” Nightmare replied casually.
The small-eyed man kept clutching his chest as he spoke; he had suffered some losses in his encounter with Ji Ren.
Since Nightmare couldn't defeat Ji Ren, the boy cheered up again.
He laughed and said, "If we can't do it well, others might not be able to either. The lord has been..."
"Stop talking." Nightshade interrupted him.
"Okay, okay."
The boy stopped talking and, together with Nightshade, quietly watched as the group from the Strange People Temple left behind a team of Celestial Masters to guard Ge Family Fortress, while the rest of them were to leave with Ji Ren.
"How exactly did we get exposed?" the boy suddenly asked.
"I don't know." Nightmare coughed. "If it's because someone is causing trouble, then I'll eat him."
"Eat cleanly."
The two looked at each other for a while, seemingly preparing their words before disappearing from the spot.
The Yiren Temple group in the distance was completely unaware that the bandit leader had returned to the ant nest after leaving. Ji Ren, riding his horse, let the horse find its own way back to Jiangbei Prefecture while he frowned in thought.
His horse, like him, looked rather unremarkable, but no other horse dared to overtake it and go ahead.
Some Taoist priests even harbored secrets and deliberately drove their carriages to the very back of the procession.
This puzzled Pei Xuanji greatly, and she rode forward several times only to turn back.
"Senior, what exactly happened?" Pei Xuanji looked at Zhang He with concern, then peeked at Li Zhi sitting in the carriage.
Zhang He coughed exaggeratedly a few times, waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, just a minor injury, my chest hurts."
Helpless and puzzled, Pei Xuanji rode her horse to the side.
Taking advantage of her inattention, Zhang He cautiously turned to Li Zhi and asked, "Is she awake?"
"No." Li Zhi's deep voice came from inside the carriage.
The carriage ride was inevitably bumpy, so Li Zhi gently held Baozhu in his arms, watching her intently, afraid of missing a single movement from her.
However, the fox spirit showed no signs of waking up.
The bloodstains on her hair had been wiped clean by Li Zhi, and her breathing was even, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.
The fox was fast asleep.
After watching for a while, Li Zhi couldn't help but lean down and touch his forehead to Baozhu's.
"Wake up," he pleaded in a low voice. "Don't keep sleeping."
He embraced the silent fox, gently nuzzling her.
"Wake up and look at me."
In the cramped, deserted carriage, Li Zhi pleaded.
The group walked until the sky began to lighten, finally arriving at Jiangbei Prefecture.
Jiangbei Prefecture was still hot and dry, so Ji Ren summoned Pei Xuanji and found a Taoist master to guide her.
"You should stay at another small house of mine in the city for now. I'm afraid I'll need to find you for something else." Ji Ren waved his hand. "Don't leave Jiangbei Prefecture for now. Wait for my news."
Pei Xuanji obediently agreed, then called Zhang He, who was following behind, and together they went to Ji Ren's residence with the Taoist priest who was leading the way.
Ji Ren said it was a small house, but when the three of them drove the carriage in through the side gate, they found that it was a proper four-courtyard house, exquisitely decorated, in a quiet location, and not far from the city center. It was a really nice house.
The Taoist priest who led the way gave some instructions to the steward and then left.
The butler led the way with a smile, and they were even assigned a private courtyard room for each person.
Upon seeing her own little courtyard, Pei Xuanji breathed a sigh of relief. These past few days of field missions had made it difficult for her, as she hadn't been able to wash or change clothes.
Pei Xuanji couldn't wait and instructed the servants to quickly fetch water; she wanted to take a good bath.
She was engrossed in the bath, focusing entirely on how long she would soak and what clothes she would change into, and thus somewhat neglected her companion's behavior.
Zhang He followed Li Zhi into his small courtyard, waved away the servants who wanted to serve him, and whispered, "Let me see."
The two went into the inner room, and Li Zhi carefully took the fox demon out of his arms and placed it on the bed.
Just as Zhang He was about to make his move, he suddenly realized something and turned to say, "Let me find out what's wrong with her first."
Li Zhi remained silent.
Zhang He took it as a yes and carefully touched Baozhu's fur to examine her condition.
“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” Zhang He said, puzzled.
"Master Zhang".
"Um?"
Li Zhi paused, then lowered his voice and said, "You can probe the soul of a demon?"
Zhang He was taken aback, then shook his head abruptly and chuckled, "Young Master Li, you think too highly of me. I am but a country folk Taoist priest, I do not possess such powerful magic."
“I’ve heard,” Li Zhi said in a barely audible voice, “that there is a Celestial Master in the capital, surnamed Pei…”
“Young Master Li,” Zhang He interrupted him, “you know a lot, and you also know about things in the capital. Very good.”
Zhang He paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words, and said, "But Xiao Pei is simple-minded, and I don't want you to get close to her because of her elders."
"I overstepped my bounds." Li Zhi clenched his fists.
Zhang He curled the corners of his lips into a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He shrugged and reassured her, "She'll wake up eventually, it'll only be a little while."
Li Zhi nodded with a wry smile.
His gaze never left the fox demon, and Zhang He noticed this, which stirred his strange little quirks once again.
"How did you and she meet?" Zhang He asked curiously.
We met when I returned to my hometown to observe mourning for my parents.
Zhang He did some quick calculations and asked in confusion, "So, it's only been a little over a month, and they've already fallen deeply in love?"
"Perhaps it's fate from a past life."
Li Zhi's voice was very soft.
Since the fox demon was still asleep, Zhang He didn't want to disturb her. He comforted Li Zhi for a few moments and then returned to his own courtyard.
Li Zhi sat motionless by the bed, guarding Baozhu's side.
As the sun climbed higher, even though the house had been built with extremely high beams, waves of heat still emanated from it.
With such thick fur, wouldn't Baozhu feel even hotter?
Li Zhi got up and wanted to push open the window in the room.
Just then, a servant's voice came from outside: "Master, would you like some food? Would you like some ice?"
"need."
Li Zhi went to open the courtyard gate, refused the servant's offer to bring the items into the room, and took the tray into the inner room himself.
An ice tray was prepared in the inner room. Li Zhi put the ice blocks brought by the servants into the tray, and the room gradually cooled down.
If you look closely for a while, you can also see that there seems to be an array engraved on the ice plate.
Even in a house that is not frequently inhabited, the ice platters in the guest rooms are covered with arrays, which shows how extravagant Ji Ren was.
As Li Zhi was pondering this, he was startled by a noise behind him.
The fox, which had been sleeping peacefully, began to twitch uneasily, and let out a low growl that was difficult to decipher.
Li Zhi hurriedly came to Baozhu's side and bent down to examine her closely.
Baozhu opened her eyes at that moment.
The image of the scholar was reflected in her azure eyes.
The intense physical pain made Baozhu momentarily unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.
Bad Li Zhi, good Li Zhi, tormenting Li Zhi.
Baozhu became agitated, bared her canines at Li Zhi, and growled in a low voice.
Her mind was a mess, her body ached and felt hot, and when she woke up in an unfamiliar environment, everything made her uneasy.
But Li Zhi wouldn't leave. He gently coaxed him, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."
He was so close that Baozhu was filled with his scent.
The fox demon felt waves of fever. Her mind wandered, and she thought, "I'll eat this tormenting thing, swallow it whole, drain it dry, and teach it to stop causing trouble in my head."
In a daze, Baozhu opened her mouth and bit Li Zhi's arm hard.
Her canine teeth pierced the scholar's strong arm, and the burning male yang energy mixed with blood rushed into Baozhu's mouth.
An indescribably wonderful and thrilling sensation washed over Baozhu's heart.
This is the kind of food that monsters should eat, isn't it?
In a daze, Baozhu's gaze involuntarily lingered on Li Zhi's face.
The man who turned her world upside down did not change his expression even when Baozhu bit his forearm and blood gushed out.
He kept looking at Baozhu gently, as gentle as a lake where one could find refuge.
Baozhu released her mouth.
She restored Qingming.
"Why didn't you dodge?" The fox demon turned her head away, not daring to look at what she had done.
"Are you hungry?" Li Zhi didn't answer, but asked softly.
"I don't know, my body hurts so much," Baozhu murmured.
She buried her head in the blanket, unaware of the implications of her tone.
Li Zhi brought the food box to the bedside and asked Baozhu one by one if she wanted to eat.
Baozhu looked up absentmindedly and muttered, "Shove them all into my mouth."
Li Zhi chuckled softly as he fed Baozhu little by little.
During the action, blood kept seeping from the arm that Baozhu had bitten, and soon the entire sleeve was stained red.
When Baozhu saw this, her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't eat a single bite of food.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly.
"fine."
"Give me your hand."
Miss Fox stretched out her front paws and pulled open the scholar's sleeve, revealing his handsome, muscular forearm, which was constantly bleeding.
She gently and carefully licked the wounds she had created, not daring to look up.
Until the bleeding stopped.
"I'm sorry," Baozhu mumbled indistinctly.
"Are you still angry?" Li Zhi leaned close to the fox's furry ears, his breath making her shiver.
Baozhu suddenly pulled her ears back and pressed them tightly against her head.
"Why would I be angry?" She carefully shifted her body. "Just don't blow your breath into my ear."
Li Zhi smiled softly.
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