Fortunately, Old Xu's safety has been resolved, and the white fox can't cause much trouble. Let it run away; it won't matter.
But why did the white fox lead them here? Why did it go to such lengths to prevent them from finding Old Man Xu, only to hand him over so easily now?! What does this mean?
Seemingly having something difficult to say, Old Xu's eyes kept darting around, glancing at the soldiers one moment and then staring at Xi Xizhi with a troubled expression the next.
Xi Xizhi could tell at a glance that the other party had something to say, so she turned to the soldiers and said, "You guys take the Fourteenth Princess out first, but be very careful, she is a fugitive from the court."
Calling her a 'fugitive' is correct; wasn't it a half-demon who broke her out of prison and took her away?
Even now, An Yunyi's portrait and wanted posters are posted on the imperial edicts in the capital.
As soon as the soldiers left, Old Xu could no longer hold back. He slapped his thigh hard, looking heartbroken, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Xi Xizhi was startled by his unusual behavior and grabbed his hand to stop him from hitting her further.
"What have you discovered? Old Xu, don't get agitated."
He raised his tattered sleeve and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "It's all my fault... If I hadn't told his fortune, he wouldn't have committed so many heinous crimes. It's all my fault, all my fault..."
"They say heavenly secrets should not be revealed, but this old man has really gotten himself into big trouble this time..."
His words were incoherent, leaving Xi Xi completely confused, but she had a gut feeling that Old Man Xu definitely knew some important secret.
"Take your time. There's always a solution to everything. Blaming yourself is useless." Xi Xizhi may not have as much life experience as Old Man Xu, but that doesn't mean she understands less than him.
Old Xu's emotions fluctuated between excitement and calm. He fiercely wiped away the tears that were falling from the corners of his eyes again. "Actually, the half-demon you mentioned, we both know each other."
When he said those words, Xi Xizhi already knew that he must have guessed her identity.
"Who is it? You may not know, but that half-demon caused the entire population of Fengzhou to be displaced, and many people lost their loved ones because of this disaster," Xi Xizhi said with deep resentment.
"In the end, all of this is my fault. I can't blame him. He was just..." Old Xu sighed slowly.
Xi Xizhi became even more confused. "Make a long story short, old man Xu."
Time was of the essence, and Xi Xizhi needed to rush over there to check on the situation.
"I am the Grand Preceptor of the Kingdom of Luyun. His Majesty must have told you about this matter."
Old Xu paused for a moment, as if all his strength had been drained, and leaned against the stone wall with a sigh, "Thirteen years ago, the king sent a prince to my side, hoping that I could personally teach him. Over the years, the boy and I have been both teacher and friend, and our relationship is even more than that between him and the king."
Despite their blood relation, princes and monarchs rarely spent time together to develop a relationship. Most princes were either raised by concubines or were exceptionally talented and sent to study under famous figures.
Xi Xizhi's heart skipped a beat, and the image of a certain person instantly appeared in her mind.
"The deeper the love, the harsher the criticism. Many years ago, I secretly cast a divination for that child. The divination indicated that the child would have a life of wealth and honor, and high position and power, but he was destined to die young and would not live past the age of twenty-five."
At this point, Old Xu was already in tears.
“I really didn’t know he was hiding behind the screen, and I had no idea that the child had taken all those words to heart.” Old Xu wept bitterly, wiping away his tears. “I thought the child might not live past twenty-five due to health reasons, so I sent him all the good tonics I could find. But unexpectedly, the child was remarkably healthy. I still hoped he could live a few more years, because there might be miracles in the world. So I left the Kingdom of Luyun and searched for extraordinary people everywhere, hoping to find a way to defy fate for him.”
"But...but a few months ago, I discovered...if it weren't for my divination, this child might not have such a fate!" Old Xu became more and more agitated as he spoke, his hands trembling slightly, as if he might faint from the excitement.
Xi Xizhi had already guessed the general outline of what had happened, and her reaction wasn't much better than his. Her voice trembled as she asked, "And then...?"
"After my travels, I came to Fengze Kingdom. To catch a glimpse of the Phoenix Cloud Sable, I disguised myself as a veterinarian and entered the palace. You must know about these things." Old Xu's eyes were cloudy, as if covered by a layer of gray. He must have been having a hard time these past few days. "Later, that child also came looking for me..."
These words made Xi Xizhi fall into deep thought, and the identity of that person became obvious.
The impression that person left on Xi Xizhi was always one of gentleness and refinement, a stark contrast to the half-demon's chilling aura...
But now...
“My reluctance to be found and taken back to Luyun Kingdom does not mean I do not miss the child. When I learned that he had arrived in Fengze Kingdom, the first thing I thought of was to leave as soon as possible and not let him find out. But before I leave, I want to see him one last time.”
Old Xu closed his eyes tightly, as if this was only the beginning of the story. He took a deep breath before continuing, "What I didn't expect was that when I stood outside the window, I actually saw him devouring the inner core of a little demon!"
Devouring the inner core of a fairy is an extremely evil thing.
Once a person swallows a demon's inner core, it means that they will gradually develop in the direction of a demon.
"That boy is twenty-four years old this year, and in another month it will be his twenty-fifth birthday."
Upon hearing Old Man Xu's words, Xi Xizhi was shocked. "He devoured the demon's inner core to survive!"
Xi Xizhi had already discovered that the half-demon had absorbed too many inner cores, causing his body to be filled with overwhelming demonic energy. A human body simply couldn't withstand that much demonic energy, and sooner or later he would suffer a backlash from it, ultimately losing his life.
At first, Xi Xizhi thought that the half-demon wanted to possess the powerful demonic energy of a demon, so he was looking for a shortcut. However, Xi Xizhi overlooked one thing, which was that there was another way to truly transform a person into a demon.
Monsters have extremely long lifespans, and there are countless ancient monsters that have lived for thousands of years.
Perhaps, more than powerful demonic energy, he values the lifespan of demons!
However, transforming from a human into a demon is not an easy thing. It requires swallowing forty-nine inner cores, and the last inner core is especially rare. You must find a demon that is about to undergo a tribulation, kill it when it is undergoing its tribulation, and take out the inner core and swallow it.
The demon must possess immense magical power; otherwise, even if you devour its inner core, it will be of no use.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com