Chapter Sixteen
Baozhu was utterly speechless.
She couldn't help but grab Sai Xue's neck and shake her from side to side: "Will this help you remember?"
Sai Xue pushed Bao Zhu's hand away: "You've messed up my fur."
As the two fought, they seemed to have forgotten to keep quiet. Young Master Chen, who was kneeling in the courtyard, heard the commotion and quietly went to the backyard.
"Sai Xue!" he whispered, "What are you doing here!"
In the blink of an eye, Baozhu, who had been pinned down by Saixue, sprang up onto the roof with a somersault.
Young Master Chen felt a sudden dizziness and asked suspiciously, "Did you bring friends back to play?"
Still shaken, Sai Xue took small, quick steps to Chen Gongzi's side, calling out sweetly and wrapping her tail around his calves.
"Oh my, my adorable little fox, Sai Xue."
Young Master Chen had completely forgotten about bringing friends home and sneaking into the forbidden area. With a silly grin on his face, he bent down and patted Sai Xue's head.
Sai Xue dodged away in disgust and bit his hand instead.
"Look at our Sai Xue, so noble! And her bite hurts, how amazing!" Young Master Chen chuckled as Sai Xue held his hand in her mouth, praising her profusely.
Baozhu, who was lying on the roof, watched this scene and felt a little nauseous.
Despite his injuries and physical disabilities, Young Master Chen played with Sai Xue for a while before finally coaxing her back to her own courtyard with satisfaction.
"It's lunchtime. I imagine the servants have already brought it to our Sai Xue Nu Nu. Let's hurry back."
Sai Xue nuzzled against Young Master Chen again, then dodged his hand that tried to pat its head, and gracefully walked out of the courtyard.
When they reached the courtyard gate, they encountered Madam Chen, who had come looking for her son with a stern face and a long whip in her hand.
Sai Xue let out a soft meow, as if to say hello.
The stern-faced lady changed her expression and said to Sai Xue in a friendly tone, "Don't come looking for Chen Yaozu. Hurry back and eat, or the food will get cold."
Sai Xue flicked the tip of its tail, raised its head high, and left the yard without looking back.
Baozhu followed Saixue silently back to its courtyard.
"I really don't know whether to say you're more impressive or they are."
The fox spirit was speechless.
Sai Xue tucked her ears in, walked into the main room, jumped onto the table, and rummaged through the food on the table, picking and choosing a plate of steamed rabbit meat for herself.
"Why don't you come and eat with us?" Sai Xue turned to look at Bao Zhu, puzzled.
Baozhu hesitated for a moment, feeling embarrassed, before slowly sitting down at the table and starting to eat in small bites.
At the dinner table, Baozhu recalled the lady's expression from earlier and couldn't help but sigh, "Was that Young Master Chen's mother? She beat her son so badly, yet she didn't take it out on you?"
“What’s it to me?” Sai Xue ate the rabbit meat politely. “It was Chen Yaozu who insisted on taking me out. Liu Xueyu was worried about me too much.”
Baozhu suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they were both feeling lazy and unwilling to move. Baozhu also transformed into a fox and climbed up the tree with Saixue, hanging on the branches to bask in the sun.
Just as she was comfortably squinting her eyes, Sai Xue suddenly said, "I remember now, why did the Chen family curse Ruan Tianzheng?"
Its voice became shrill.
“The Chen family were originally servants. Since they gained wealth and honor by betraying their master, they will make sure that master is never reincarnated and will take away all the fortune of the Ruan family so that the Ruan clan can never rise again.”
His tone was sinister, and the malice in his words was almost tangible.
Baozhu's beard bristles stood on end, and she couldn't help but shiver.
“Liu Xueyu said it.” Sai Xue’s tone returned to normal.
Before Baozhu could speak, it added, "It's what Chen Yaozu's father said. They've been arguing so much lately, I'm sick of hearing it."
Why were they arguing?
"They say Chen Yaozu's father is making a fuss about removing the curse and giving the Ruan family a way out."
"It seems that Young Master Chen's father is not a bad person after all."
Upon hearing Baozhu's words, Saixue, who was licking her front paws, stopped talking and asked in confusion, "But the matter of asking someone to cast a spell and draw a magic circle was always presided over by his father before."
"His father used to always frown and scold people, but now he's changed. He has a fake smile on his face all day long and keeps saying 'one should be lenient when possible.'"
Baozhu asked in surprise, "Why did you suddenly change your personality?"
"I don't know." Sai Xue licked her fur all over, then curled up comfortably into a ball. "Whatever."
Baozhu tried to think about it, but it was beyond her comprehension. She was dizzy with thought, and the sun was warm, which was the most comfortable temperature.
The fox and the cat fell asleep together in the tree.
He slept until sunset.
Baozhu was awakened by the noise outside Saixue's courtyard.
"Hurry up, or Madam will surely scold you."
"Don't worry, the master has been in such a good mood lately, I think nothing will happen."
It turned out that it was already dinnertime, and the servants outside were hurriedly bringing out the food, shuttling back and forth throughout the courtyard.
With a cry, Baozhu jumped down from the tree.
"See you next time, I have to go back now."
After telling Sai Xue, Baozhu rushed back to Ruan Garden.
Li Zhi had indeed returned long ago. Not only did he return earlier than Baozhu, but he had also found a lot of tools from somewhere and was banging and hammering on the roof.
Baozhu stood in the courtyard under a sunshade and watched. She saw Li Zhi looking serious, with his sleeves rolled up high, revealing his arms. The flesh on his arms bulged with the movement, making him look very strong.
She couldn't take her eyes off it.
Although she had a big meal at Sai Xue's for lunch, Baozhu now felt very hungry.
It's not just about satisfying one's appetite; it's also about fulfilling a long-suppressed desire that cannot be expressed to the public.
When Li Zhi looked down from the rooftop, he saw Baozhu with a resentful expression.
“I observed the celestial signs and it seemed likely to rain in the next couple of days, so I repaired the roof.”
Li Zhi climbed down the ladder from the roof and walked to Baozhu.
The weather was already quite hot, and after doing some strenuous work, his face was covered with a thin layer of moisture.
A wave of heat mixed with Li Zhi's scent wafted towards me.
Baozhu felt weak in the legs and dizzy. Her instincts overcame her reason, and she let out a soft moan as she leaned against Li Zhi, murmuring, "Oh dear, it's getting hot. I came back in such a hurry that I feel a little dizzy."
Li Zhi quickly caught Baozhu and half-supported, half-carried her into the side room.
Baozhu took the opportunity to hold Li Zhi's arm and rub it hard a few times.
Since I'm going to be separated from Li Zhi anyway, I might as well drain him dry in one go. It would be a passionate affair, and Li Zhi would die under the peony flower, even as a ghost, he would be romantic.
Baozhu nestled in Li Zhi's arms, lost in wild, unrestrained thoughts.
Seeing that Baozhu in his arms had a dazed look in her eyes, Li Zhi really thought that she was not feeling well. He became anxious and his face darkened. He wanted to take out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.
It wasn't until she reached into her sleeve and found nothing that she remembered giving the handkerchief to Gu Chen at the restaurant during the day.
Baozhu also sensed Li Zhi's intention. She knew that this poor scholar was usually very particular and always carried a handkerchief with him. When she saw that he didn't take it out, she was stunned for a moment, and she was also stunned.
Where did Li Zhi's handkerchief go? Could it be that he claimed to be going to report to the authorities during the day, but actually went to drink and carouse, and left his personal belongings with his lover?
He's so poor, the government's stipends must have been spent in the same way!
With these chaotic thoughts, Baozhu gradually regained her lost rationality.
After Li Zhi carefully placed her on the straw mat, hurriedly went to the courtyard to fetch clean water, and returned to wipe her clean, Baozhu calmed down even more.
"Young Master Li, I'm much better now."
"If you feel unwell again, be sure to tell me." Li Zhi's brows remained furrowed.
Baozhu felt embarrassed; he was a little uncomfortable, and he was being too nervous.
Li Zhi's tension lasted for a long time. He didn't let Baozhu get up, placed the water glass next to her hand, and then went to the small kitchen he had found to tinker with some simple food and bring it back to the room.
"Are you really all better? No discomfort at all?"
Li Zhi looked at Baozhu with a serious expression, his eyes scanning her up and down, and he wanted to reach out and help her up.
Baozhu felt a pang of guilt, but it was too late for regrets. She could only sit up and gently tell Li Zhi that she was alright.
Otherwise, Li Zhi would have already picked up the bowl and fed her.
Li Zhi spent the evening worrying.
Until the lights went out that night, Li Zhi kept staring at Baozhu, making her uncomfortable. She protested, "Go to sleep quickly, you have to go into the city tomorrow."
After saying that, Baozhu casually inquired, "I took a walk around the area this afternoon and met a friend in a nearby village. We got along quite well. What did you do in the city during the day?"
"I ran into a few classmates in the city and we had a drink together."
Classmate?
Baozhu thought for a moment and remembered that in her previous life, when Li Zhi was still young, he had a good relationship with a classmate in the court, and they could be called good friends.
However, Li Zhi later rose rapidly in rank, while his classmate, having failed in his official career, apparently resigned and returned to his hometown, gradually ceasing all contact with Li Zhi.
Or perhaps it's for some other reason.
Once, Baozhu went to Li Zhi's study to find him and ran into another classmate of Li Zhi, surnamed Gu or something else, who came to ask Li Zhi for help.
It has something to do with Li Zhi's friend.
This man surnamed Gu has something that, if it succeeds, would hinder Li Zhi's friend, and he requests that Li Zhi not interfere.
Li Zhi finally agreed.
He was depressed for a long time because of this. When Baozhu asked him about it, he only said that he felt indebted and guilty towards his friend.
But Baozhu felt that Li Zhi was always right, and if her friend didn't understand, it was naturally his problem.
She tried to comfort Li Zhi, but Li Zhi just shook his head with a wry smile.
Li Zhi's friend seems to be surnamed Zhou. Is this the one he met this time?
Baozhu recalled her past life and fell into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, something seemed to gently touch Baozhu's cheek. She barely opened her eyes, but there was no one in front of her.
It's probably a dream.
The next day, Li Zhi woke up early, tidied everything up, prepared breakfast for Baozhu, and inquired about Baozhu's plans for the day before setting off for Xiandu Prefecture.
He was preoccupied with his thoughts the whole way until he stopped in front of a government office.
It is the Temple of Strange People.
Li Zhi paced back and forth at the entrance for a while before finally making up his mind to walk into the Temple of Strange People.
Unexpectedly, they ran into two acquaintances at the door.
The two Celestial Masters, Zhang He and Pei Xuanji, from Qiling County, were carrying large bags and looking travel-worn as they emerged from the government office.
The three of them were all taken aback when they met.
Zhang Hexian reacted first: "Young Master Li, do you have another case now?"
Li Zhi's mind raced, and he revealed a delighted expression, saying, "I already reported this yesterday. The Celestial Master inside said he would be sending a Celestial Master from the county to help. I was thinking I might get to see you two."
"What case is it this time?" Pei Xuanji frowned.
"Let's talk as we walk; it's not good to block the doorway."
Li Zhi took a step back and, as he walked, told the two Celestial Masters about the corpse he had seen on the mountain.
Pei Xuanji frowned even more deeply and said in a deep voice, "Xiandu Prefecture is being far too perfunctory. I feel that the corpse in the mountains is different from the other cases."
She was about to say something more when Zhang He interrupted her, saying, "Oh, Young Master Li has been having bad luck lately. Why don't you go to the temple to burn some incense and get rid of the bad luck?"
"To be honest, I also feel that my luck has been bad lately, but I don't want to pray to Buddha or gods. I just want to go to the Strange People's Temple to ask if there are any records about demons and monsters. If I can read them, I can know myself and my enemy, and then I will be more prepared if I encounter strange things again."
After Li Zhi said this, Zhang and Pei naturally had nothing to say. Zhang He smiled and shook his head, saying, "The records certainly exist, but they are only for internal circulation within the Celestial Masters. I'm afraid Young Master Li won't be able to see them."
"Then, are there any rumors about demons that the Celestial Masters believe to be true?" Li Zhi's eyes flickered. "For example, when do demons become weak, and what happens if a demon loses its vital energy?"
"It can't be explained in just a few words." Zhang He shook his head mysteriously. "Why don't you become my apprentice, and I'll teach you."
"Senior! Don't talk nonsense." Pei Xuanji's eyebrows shot up as she scolded.
Li Zhi laughed heartily and said, half-jokingly, "Why not?"
With this interruption, Li Zhi's request was brushed aside by the Celestial Masters.
The three walked for a while longer, and the two celestial masters seemed to have arrived at their destination. Just as they were about to say goodbye to Li Zhi, they heard Li Zhi ask, "Do you two live on this street?"
"Hmm, this is Master Pei's private property. I'll stay here for a while."
"Actually, I recently encountered something that I feel is related to the strange case in Xiandu Mansion. However, I am not familiar with the Celestial Masters of Xiandu Mansion, and I don't think they would be willing to listen to the story. It is fate that I met the two Celestial Masters."
Li Zhi looked at the entrance of Zhou Huan's courtyard not far away and said softly.
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