Chapter 77 A sudden attack sent him flying to the ground.
The following day.
Jiang Yuzhi and Bai Yan were helping Diting and Chichi groom their fur.
The two strange beasts don't shed much fur; the loose hairs that come off can be made into magical artifacts.
Especially the hairy things they eat.
As a glutton, its appetite and stomach are like a bottomless pit, so it's not surprising that its hair has the potential to be used as a storage bag.
Di Ting explained to Jiang Yuzhi in great detail that these strange beasts were truly treasures from head to toe.
Before the world of mountains and seas was separated, Di Ting would often go and collect the fur and nails of strange beasts to exchange with the gods for what it needed.
"As long as you spin the Taotie's fur into thread, weave it into cloth, and sew it into purses or sealable bags, the more fur you use, the more you can hold." Di Ting lay at Jiang Yuzhi's feet, its eyelids slightly raised, and its claws quickly pressed her hand, which was trying to touch and eat the soft white fur, onto its own body.
Jiang Yuzhi wasn't embarrassed by being caught, and casually patted Di Ting a couple of times, "Is this the only way?"
Di Ting: "What I'm talking about is naturally the kind you can use. In the past, the celestial weavers earned a lot from this, and the Qiankun bags they made were exquisite and beautiful. Another method is to directly refine hair into magical artifacts, which is also a type of Qiankun bag. However, the Qiankun bags made from this method have a simple shape, and the refining process consumes a lot of the power in the hair, so the space is naturally much smaller than the ones made by the weavers."
Jiang Yuzhi nodded knowingly, her gaze lingering on Bai Yan, who was diligently grooming Chichi. She recalled the spinning machine Huang Po had given her, and asked, "Can this be done with an ordinary spinning machine?"
Di Ting glanced at her and said, "What are you saying, Zhi Zhi? How can an ordinary loom weave this? If you want to make one for this kid, you'll have to ask the Emperor to buy one from the Weaver Girls."
When Bai Yan heard them mention her, she handed the combed-off hair to Jin Xiaohua to groom, saying, "Yu Zhi, don't bother. I don't need such precious things. Speaking of which, Yu Zhi always carries a small bag that's practically a magic bag?"
The small bag adorning her waist bears the marks of time.
It wasn't that Jiang Yuzhi didn't cherish it; it was just that's how it was given to her by the Emperor of Fengdu.
“Yes, Uncle Yan gave it to me. He said it was one he used before,” Jiang Yuzhi said, touching the satchel she was carrying and thinking for a moment.
Remembering what Granny Huang had said about not letting others, especially Bai Yan, use the spinning wheel and loom, she suppressed the idea of taking out the two items.
At this moment, apart from them, only Zhao Pingfeng in the backyard was in the house.
The job of guarding the gate was assigned to the little paper figure.
The little paper figure, walking unsteadily, fell face-first onto Jiang Yuzhi's shoes with a "plop," then struggled to pull itself up, gesturing wildly with its long, thin upper limbs.
"Someone's here?"
After all, it was Jiang Yuzhi's own paper doll, so she could understand what it was saying.
"A man and a woman?" Who could it be at this time?
Jiang Yuzhi racked her brains but couldn't figure out who the man and woman who had come together were.
Di Ting lifted half of the earmuffs specially made by Jin Xiaohua on its ears. It didn't sense any malice or fluctuations in power. The noisy voices of the street rushed into its ears. It irritably covered the earmuffs again.
"Shall I go take a look?" Bai Yan put down the special comb in his hand, stood up, and shook off the wool sticking to his robe.
Jiang Yuzhi frowned deeply. "No. Mingze, you and Xiaohua go to the Moon Gate. Xiaohua will separate the two residences and not allow anyone from the Bai residence to come over."
"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Jin Xiaohua patted the wool on her little hands and answered loudly.
“Mingze…” Jiang Yuzhi pursed her lips, carefully choosing her words, “I know that if I asked you to go back to the Bai residence right now, you would definitely not want to. I have a bad feeling about this, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. So, you must stay by Xiaohua’s side at all times, understand?”
Bai Yan was well aware of the implications, and he deeply resented being just an ordinary mortal.
When faced with danger, his presence by his wife's side would inevitably distract her.
Without much thought, Bai Yan left behind the words, "Yu Zhi... I'll wait for you."
Jin Xiaohua still looked innocent, raising her right arm high, "I will protect you! Second Master! Sister, don't worry."
Jiang Yuzhi chuckled at the child's innocent words, "Of course, our little flower is amazing. Go on!"
...
The road to the Moon Gate wasn't far, but it was extremely deserted.
The crystal orchids along the way somehow gave Bai Yan the illusion that he was walking in the underworld.
However, he did not remember going to the underworld.
A strange sense of familiarity.
Bai Yan couldn't help but wonder, could it be a memory from a past life?
When his sleeve was tugged, Bai Yan realized with a daze that they had arrived.
Jin Xiaohua tightened her grip on his sleeve slightly, signaling Bai Yan to bend over.
Bai Yan followed the force and brought his ear close to Jin Xiaohua's ear.
"Second Master, quickly send them all away, I'm going to use magic!"
"good."
Ever since A-Zhao went to the Prince's mansion to become the steward, Bai Yan has not found another personal servant to run errands for him.
There were only two guards watching over the moon gate.
Bai Yan gestured to Xiao Hua to wait there, then stepped forward alone.
Upon seeing their master arrive, the two guards respectfully clasped their hands in a salute, "Young Master, what are your orders?"
"It's alright. You all retreat to the central courtyard and don't let anyone near here."
"Yes, young master."
The two guards quickly disappeared from Bai Yan's sight.
After everyone left, Jin Xiaohua squatted down at the corner of the moon gate and carefully observed its structure.
"Second Master, take half a step back, Little Flower is about to begin."
Bai Yan nodded and took half a step back as instructed.
With chubby little hands, her ten fingers flew around, and several golden threads flew out of thin air from her body, sealing the moon gate frame back and forth.
As the silk threads completely blocked the doorway, a thick ghostly aura shot into the sky from the doorway!
Jin Xiaohua immediately sensed something was wrong, considering Jiang Yuzhi's instructions and the fact that she had two masters with her.
The little one paced back and forth anxiously.
Bai Yan also saw a patch of black at the gate that exuded an intense sense of oppression. Although he didn't know what it was, he could tell it wasn't a good sign.
A fleeting look of tension and worry crossed his face. He appeared remarkably calm as he took a large step toward the door.
"Xiaohua, can you tell what state she's in right now?"
"Ah! I can't sense Master's presence anymore!" Jin Xiaohua panicked, turning from pacing to stomping her feet in frustration, forgetting to even address her as "sister." "What should I do? What should I do? I can't even sense my own body anymore, waaaah... Second Master... I'm so useless..."
The situation is not good.
We must not panic now.
Little Flower is powerful, but she has only recently taken on a form and is still in her child form.
Bai Yan scooped her up in his arms and patted her back reassuringly, "Little Flower, now is not the time to blame yourself. Didn't Yu Zhi tell you to protect me?"
Jin Xiaohua sobbed and hiccuped, but she still firmly remembered Jiang Yuzhi's words, "Waaah... hiccup, I... I will protect Second Master, Second Master, don't be afraid..."
After saying that, she wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, her face full of strength.
"Okay, in that case, let's try to get closer first, and if anything seems wrong, we'll retreat immediately, okay?"
"But...but it's very dangerous for Master..."
"Even just seeing her from afar, aren't you worried about her too?"
"Well... okay then..."
Bai Yan didn't bring it up without reason; he genuinely felt that his eyes seemed different.
If outsiders were present, they would notice that Bai Yan's eyes were paler than before, almost appearing as an inorganic grayish-white.
He could clearly see that the black mass was surrounded by a thin, transparent membrane.
That membrane must be the barrier that the lady mentioned.
Bai Yan felt that his mind had never been as clear as it was now.
A voice deep inside him seemed to be telling him that he would regret it if he didn't go and see for himself.
As long as we stay outside the barrier, nothing unexpected should happen.
So, after obtaining Jin Xiaohua's consent, Bai Yan carried her and walked resolutely toward the gate.
...
Just to be on the safe side, while Jiang Yuzhi opened the door, Di Ting was lying in ambush beside her, its leash tied to the nearest pillar.
With a creak, the double doors, which had only opened a crack, were blown wide open by a gust of wind.
Jiang Yuzhi's first concern was that no one on the street outside was looking at them. A quick glance at Di Ting revealed that they were already inside the barrier.
Feeling much more at ease, I looked at the door and saw a familiar face standing there – Sun Chengjian.
Behind him stood a maid with her head bowed; her figure looked familiar.
"Young Master Sun, what brings you here?"
Sun Chengjian remained silent, his eyes vacant, his expression blank, a stark contrast to his usual calm and gentle demeanor.
The maid looked reserved, but she immediately spoke up on behalf of her master, "The young master said he has important matters to discuss with you."
Although it was a normal sound, Jiang Yuzhi felt that there was something strange about it.
To avoid alerting the enemy, she put one hand behind her back, signaling Di Ting to remain calm, and asked in a steady voice, "What is it?"
The maid suddenly raised her head, revealing a face that Zhang Jiangyuzhi had almost forgotten, and grinned in an inhuman arc, "Hehe..."
Before she could finish speaking, the maid suddenly collapsed to the ground.
At the same time, Sun Chengjian, who was standing to the side, seemed to have all his strength drained away. His eyes became completely unfocused, and he fell straight backward, crashing to the ground with a "bang" and remaining motionless.
The ghostly figure, carrying a strong ghostly power, leaped into the air and attacked Jiang Yuzhi's face.
The disconnect in Jiang Yuzhi's mind was finally made!
In a flash, she was prepared and easily dodged the fatal blow by turning to the side.
With a low growl, Di Ting leaped up, its body swelled, and stood firmly in front of Jiang Yuzhi, swatting the ghostly figure away with a claw.
The vengeful ghost let out a shrill cry, and a foul stench swept over them, landing right in front of Chichi.
Chichi's eyes lit up, as if it were raining after a long drought. It opened its mouth and inhaled a breath of ghostly energy, and it was clear that the next step was to bite.
"Shut up! Eat your food quietly until I finish my questions." Jiang Yuzhi quickly stopped him. "Zhao Qingyun, what exactly do you want to do?"
The dead spendthrift son, the innocent Hua Yue who suffered, and Sun Chengjian and Luo Yundou who collapsed at the door.
Jiang Yuzhi understood.
The small hole in the barrier had been there for some time. Zhao Qingyun first sent a wisp of his soul to test it, and unexpectedly, a part of it actually escaped.
That spendthrift son is nearing the end of his life; it's the perfect place for him to live.
Sangjia Wazi was very close to the spendthrift son's residence, and Jiang Yuzhi and Bai Yan had stayed there for a long time, so Zhao Qingyun naturally followed the scent to find him.
The cooperation between Fanlou and Shangjia Wazi has been going on for a long time, and Fanlou has always been a royal property.
Whether it's getting close to Jiang Yuzhi to find Zhao Pingfeng, or finding the Sheji Tu (a map of state) that Zhao Qingyun already considers his own, going through the Sangjia Wazi (a type of ancient Chinese trading platform) is the most suitable option.
Later, when that wisp of soul dissipated, Zhao Qingyun took advantage of the departure of the Fengdu Emperor and escaped from the underworld through a small hole.
Zhao Qingyun must have been observing in secret for a long time, and somehow he hid it so well that no one could detect it at all.
But that malicious gaze made Jiang Yuzhi feel extremely uncomfortable.
As for Luo Yundou, Jiang Yuzhi knew all this since the Luo family was captured and she was sold into slavery.
After being severely injured by Yang Jian, Zhao Qingyun urgently needed to recuperate. He must have realized the relationship between Sun Chengjian and the Jiang family. Since Luo Yundou had been bought to serve Sun Chengjian, he simply possessed her body and took the opportunity to sneak into the Jiang family.
But why did he suddenly lose his temper and want to fight after just one meeting?
Jiang Yuzhi really couldn't understand it.
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