Chapter Seventy
Baozhu and Pei Xuanji shared a secret, argued and then made up, and both felt that their friendship had deepened.
Once Hui's matter was settled, the two sisters sat side by side on the chaise lounge. Pei Xuanji rested her head on Baozhu's shoulder and murmured, "This matter has been on my mind for far too long."
Baozhu's sister was a red fox. Things between foxes are much simpler, and she would never experience such pain.
But Baozhu gently patted Pei Xuanji's head and comforted her, "This time, we'll definitely make your sister better."
"It's as if we've said this many times before," Pei Xuanji said with a smile.
Baozhu didn't answer; she just smiled at Pei Qi.
Pei Qi didn't know, but Bao Zhu did. For her sister's sake, she had already gone through many hardships.
Will everything really be different this time?
Baozhu was lost in thought.
Pei Xuanji also fell silent.
After a long while, Baozhu finally spoke, slowly saying, "Pei Qi, does your brother-in-law really care about your sister?"
“He has always been very good to my sister since I was a child.”
"But now he is the emperor, the most powerful among mortals. Will he still act the same as before?"
Pei Xuanji thought for a moment, then hesitated and said, "I don't know, but I hope so."
They were quiet for a while, then Pei Xuanji stood up and said, "I'll send him a letter and arrange when we'll meet."
After saying that, she turned to Baozhu and asked, "When is a convenient time?"
"The sooner the better."
Pei Xuanji nodded, understanding the situation, and soon finished writing her reply.
Just then, another maid knocked on Pei Xuanji's courtyard gate and whispered, "Miss, the General wants you to go to the main courtyard to have dinner with him."
Pei Xuanji was startled, a chill suddenly rising from her back. She staggered back a step, grabbing Baozhu's arm and saying, "It's over, I actually forgot about this most terrifying thing."
Baozhu asked nervously from the side, "Does your father hit you too?"
“My mother usually protects her.” Pei Xuanji’s face scrunched up.
“It’s over,” Baozhu said, grimacing.
The one who's been beating Pei Qi the most lately is none other than her mother.
"Then I'll be going now." Baozhu slipped away. "Be a little sweeter, or your father will beat you too badly. Don't delay us, we have things to do."
Pei Xuanji looked at Baozhu with tears welling up in her eyes, only to see the fox demon turn and leave through the window without looking back.
While Baozhu abandoned Pei Xuanji and ran away over the wall, Li Zhi didn't fare so well, still enduring Pei Xuanji's torment under her watchful eye.
On this day, Protector Pei planned to go through all the old files and study the past and present to see which talismans were used most often in actual combat. She couldn't finish reading them all by herself, so she had to ask Li Zhi to help her.
These old files are as vast as smoke; even picking up one at random would cause wisps of smoke to rise. Li Zhi held his breath and focused his mind, sticking several cleansing talismans on his body before daring to start flipping through them.
Pei, the Protector on the other side, was in the same state, frowning as he flipped through the files, occasionally making a sound of surprise.
After briefly flipping through two volumes and studying how a case from a hundred years ago involving a fox spirit bewitching a scholar was handled, Li Zhi asked Protector Pei as if it were nothing, "After those two petitions were submitted, has there been any news?"
"Don't even mention it." Protector Pei put down the file in his hand dejectedly and said with a sigh, "The higher-ups told me that although this case is strange, it is at least closed. If we want to find the real culprit, it will probably take a lot of manpower. I think that the real culprit has been wiped out so many of his dens, so he won't commit crimes again for a while. The most important thing now is the peace and festival ceremony, and all other matters will be postponed."
This reply was very bureaucratic, and Li Zhi found it extremely familiar. He cooperated with Protector Pei and cursed a few times. Then he heard Protector Pei say, "By the way, I heard that the Imperial Preceptor came out of seclusion yesterday and said that he would attend this ceremony."
Li Zhi paused in his work and tentatively asked, "Since the Imperial Preceptor is present, why are there so many Celestial Masters patrolling? No matter how many there are, they are no match for the Imperial Preceptor if they are all together."
Protector Pei thought for a moment and hesitated before saying, "What you said makes sense. I'm afraid it would take all seven protectors working together to compete with the Imperial Preceptor."
At this point, Protector Pei changed his mind and said, "But the Imperial Preceptor can only focus on protecting the Emperor and probably cannot take care of many places at the same time. Such a large-scale event still requires a lot of manpower."
The seven guardians attacked simultaneously—
Li Zhi pondered in his heart. Yun Rufeng was Rong Qi's man. Of the other six protectors, he only knew Protector Pei and was not clear about the positions of the other five. But even if all six protectors were willing to take action, could they subdue Rong Qi in one move?
This isn't a military campaign where more people are better. If we can't subdue such a master immediately…
Li Zhi thought of Ji Ren, a Celestial Master of the highest rank. Ji Ren was able to escape immediately after being struck by the demonized pearl. How much more so would Rong Qi?
Perhaps Li Zhi had been lost in thought for too long, for Protector Pei emerged from the pile of papers and glanced at him. Seeing his solemn expression, he thought for a moment and said, "The Imperial Preceptor can only focus on protecting the Emperor. There's nothing he can do about it. He has a vow with the Sun family to protect the imperial descendants and also to receive offerings from the imperial family."
Li Zhi was taken aback, and subconsciously repeated, "Oath?"
"Well, you can think of it as the most special kind of talisman, which only a very small number of celestial masters can use. It's a way to bind the two parties to a vow using power. The reason why the Grand Preceptor is called the Grand Preceptor is naturally because there are different aspects to it," Protector Pei explained.
This was indeed a talisman that Li Zhi had never encountered before, neither in his previous life nor after he became a Celestial Master.
In that instant, it seemed that many things became clear.
Li Zhi asked, "What are the consequences if the person who made the oath breaks it?"
Protector Pei said, "It depends on the agreement between the two parties. The one made by the Imperial Preceptor is naturally at the cost of their lives."
At the cost of lives.
These five words, like a thunderclap, echoed loudly in Li Zhi's mind.
Li Zhi was suddenly reborn two years after Baozhu left him.
In other words, Rong Qi at that time activated an array that reversed the order of things. Such a powerful and unique array must have been extraordinary even for Rong Qi.
At that time, was it possible that someone, at the cost of their own life, forced Rong Qi to activate the final life-saving formation?
Li Zhi recalled the moment he fell off the narrow bridge in his previous life.
At that time, following Sun San's instructions, he carefully examined the monster, but a moment later he was seriously injured. For a moment, his mind went blank, and he only felt that the monster looked somewhat similar to Pei Xuanji, and he could not see any trace of the other person.
But Pei Xuanji, who was also present at the time, may have seen the demon's face clearly.
After she rushed Zhang He back to the capital, what was she thinking as she sat listlessly beside the unconscious Li Zhi?
Not long after Li Zhi returned to the capital, he lost the precious pearl. He was in a state of great distress and asked for leave to recuperate, which Sun San readily granted.
Three months later, he searched the entire capital but could not find any trace of Baozhu. So he simply wrote to the emperor to retire and return to his hometown, which Sun San approved.
Thus, Li Zhi traveled from south to north, traversing mountains and rivers, searching for every place he thought Baozhu might like.
Therefore, he had no idea what Sun San, who was far away in the capital, had done.
Li Zhi earnestly recalled the man he knew in his previous life.
He sat high on the dragon throne, wielding boundless power, but the harem was empty. He had only adopted a nephew from the imperial clan and made him the crown prince.
What would he do if he knew the truth?
Li Zhi had a conjecture that was both reasonable and bold.
Before his eyes, he seemed to see Sun San in his final moments.
Sun San had been planning for two whole years, and finally the moment arrived. He would look at Rong Qi, who had killed him, with a blank expression.
They have an oath between them that if Rong Qi makes a move, he will suffer a backlash. This is the safest method. No one needs to help him. He just needs to proceed step by step and let Rong Qi kill him.
Even though he risked his life, he still failed.
Rong Qi had long been trying to break free from the oath that bound him. He spent many years building a magic array that could turn the world upside down.
Li Zhi closed his eyes and sighed deeply in his heart.
In his previous life, Sun San failed, Li Zhi failed, and everyone met a bad end. Now that he has a second chance and knows many things in advance, will things turn out for the better?
"Li Zhi, concentrate." Li Zhi had been lost in thought for too long, and Protector Pei, who had been secretly observing him from behind, pointed it out with displeasure. "Tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, you must review all those files in front of you, understand?"
Li Zhi snapped out of his daze, looked at the stack of files in front of him that was taller than a mountain, and replied with a chilling "Yes."
For the rest of the day, he spent most of it looking at the files, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. But he still had a lot to learn, so he apologized to Protector Pei and simply took a few stacks of files home to look at.
When he returned home with many files, he found Baozhu playing with Hui at home. There was food she had bought outside on the table. The little half-demon, who had been laughing heartily at Baozhu's antics, stopped laughing when she saw Li Zhi, stood up, and greeted him with her hands behind her back.
Li Zhi smiled and nodded at him, then said to Baozhu in surprise, "You went to find Master Pei, why did you come back so early?"
Baozhu said with a heavy heart, "Don't even mention it. Pei Qi's father is back, and I thought she was going to get scolded again. I was afraid it would upset her, so I came back first."
As she spoke, she patted Hui's head and said with a smile, "This little guy has been hungry for a long time. I could hear his stomach growling, but he just wouldn't eat. He said he wanted to wait for you to come back."
As Baozhu spoke, her smooth face glowed under the lamplight. Li Zhi felt a warmth in his heart, turned around, put the file in his hand into the study, and sat down at the table.
At the table, Baozhu recounted the matters she had discussed with Pei Xuanji. Li Zhi listened with emotion and then told Baozhu about the oath.
Li Zhi also whispered some of his speculations from his previous life to Baozhu, avoiding Hui's presence.
The room fell silent for a moment, and little Hui ate her meal listlessly, as if she had something on her mind.
After a long while, Baozhu finally spoke, "Right now, that person probably doesn't have such a backup plan yet. This is the best opportunity, but it seems difficult to subdue him."
When she heard Li Zhi say that seven protectors would need to act at the same time, she felt a little uneasy.
Li Zhi first expressed his agreement, and then hinted, "However, he has only just emerged from seclusion, so it seems that some problems must have occurred during his seclusion."
"Even an emperor of mortals can gather 100,000 elite soldiers, but can he find many celestial masters who obey him without alerting the enemy?" Baozhu asked.
This is what Li Zhi is worried about. Twenty years later, Sun San tells him frankly that someone is watching him. Who knows if Rong Qi's eyes are still watching him now?
“You must be extremely careful when you arrange to meet with him,” Li Zhi said solemnly.
Baozhu glanced at Hui and, seeing his anxious expression, quickly said, "Don't worry, Pei Qi knows what she's doing. She promised me she would protect Hui's safety."
Li Zhi sighed inwardly. What he wanted to say was that Baozhu had appeared before Rong Qi in her previous life, so she should be extremely careful.
Whether the fox demon was genuinely foolish or feigning it, Li Zhi couldn't very well have a verbal argument with her in front of the child.
After much restraint, Li Zhi finally voiced his concerns, saying, "I'm worried about you. If anything happens to you, how can I go on living?"
Upon hearing this, Baozhu's face instantly turned red. She reached out and covered Hui's ear, who was bowing her head, and scolded, "How can you say such a thing in front of a child?"
Li Zhi simply reached out and covered Hui's eyes, then he stood up and lightly pecked Baozhu's lips, saying resentfully, "I was being subtle, but you pretended not to hear me."
Baozhu chuckled, then kissed him again, saying, "I apologized to you, but don't take it to heart."
"Baozhu." Li Zhi's expression suddenly turned extremely serious. "After I have completed my studies, shall we also make a vow?"
"What oath should we make? Can monsters make oaths?" Baozhu murmured, looking into Li Zhi's eyes.
"For example, never to be separated? To grow old together?"
Li Zhi frowned and began to think seriously.
Baozhu's expression became increasingly dazed, and she muttered to herself, seemingly immersed in some thought.
“I have an idea. Perhaps we can find another helper, someone absolutely reliable who will never side with Rong Qi, and,” Baozhu’s eyes widened, “there’s another huge, huge benefit.”
As she spoke, she suddenly stood up and walked outside.
Still lost in his romantic reverie, Li Zhi looked at Baozhu in surprise. He stood up, walked into the courtyard, and asked, "Where are you going so late?"
Upon hearing this, Baozhu stopped in her tracks, stomped her feet, and then quickly turned around.
Baozhu wrapped her arms around Li Zhi's neck, pulled his face down, and kissed him ten times on each side like a chick pecking at rice. Then she said loudly, "We will grow old together and never be separated, so wait for me, I'll tell you later."
Poor Li Zhi, seduced by the fox demon, immediately released Baozhu and stood in the courtyard, muttering, "Then be careful."
In their moment of panic, neither of them forgot that they had a child at home.
Hui sat upright at the table, forced to witness the friendly interaction between the adults. Her little face turned red with embarrassment, but her stomach started to rumble with hunger.
Seeing Li Zhi standing blankly in the courtyard, seemingly unable to come to his senses for a while, he quietly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
Li Zhi suddenly turned around.
Hui had a mouthful of food in her mouth, unsure whether to swallow or spit it out, and could only blink her big, innocent eyes at him.
Because of this child, Li Zhi and Baozhu slept separately on the floor last night.
At this moment, I saw him sitting on the chair, his feet barely touching the ground, but he was probably old enough to be a child ready for education.
Li Zhi smiled and said in a low voice, "Little boy, would you like to learn to read?"
Hui gasped and nodded repeatedly, saying, "I want to!"
"After you finish eating, come to the study." Li Zhi pushed open the study door and pointed to the room full of books to tempt the child. "I will teach you to read. You are a monster, so you should learn very quickly. This room is yours. In just a few days, you should be able to read."
Hui was so happy he couldn't sit still. He repeated, "Give this room to me?"
Li Zhi smiled meaningfully and said, "Yes, this room is for you."
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