Chapter 179 Return
Ji Rong looked at Hong Xiangwan and said, "I recognize you, but you don't recognize me. That's not your fault. I was too young and my cultivation was low back then, so it's normal that you can't remember me."
It's fine if you don't want to talk about the past. I'm asking you this not because I care about you, but because I want to make things clear so you don't think I'm bullying you.
My name is Ji Rong, my mother's name is Ji Er, my father's name is Qing Shi, I have an aunt named Huang Pinjie, an older brother named Ji Zhuang, and a sworn sister named Gu Qingqing.
You used to run a beauty salon in Ligucheng, Danzhou. We stayed there for a while. Do you remember?
I recognized you the moment I saw you. Do you want me to call you Aunt Hong or Hong Xiangwan?
"I called you here not to make things difficult for you, I just want to retrieve what my Aunt Huang left with you!"
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiangwan gripped the zither on her chest even tighter with her two front paws. She looked up at Ji Rong, her eyes red and filled with complex emotions.
Ji Rong pointed at the yellow tail on Hong Xiangwan's neck with her wing claws and continued, "Back then, my Aunt Huang endured the disgust to give you this original tail, intending for you to protect the three of us, but as soon as you got the tail, you went crazy and ran away!"
Since you broke your promise first, you don't deserve to own Aunt Huang's things. Quickly take off her original tail and give it to me.
As she spoke, Ji Rong used her wing claws to grab the wooden plaque at the entrance and showed it to Hong Xiangwan, saying, "I'm currently working for Gu Lin Dan Sheng in the Kun Dan Room of Yu Xu Palace, and I'm considered to have a good reputation."
After I return to Zhongzhou, I will go to Jiming Mountain and bury this fox properly according to the customs of the fox clan.
Hong Xiangwan looked at her for a while, then lowered her head and looked at her feet.
Before she could speak, Ji Rong stretched her neck out and tilted her head, saying, "Hurry up. Since you don't like others touching you, then you can take it for me yourself. You should know that I summoned a Grandmaster Emperor here because I'm determined to get this tail back."
"I remember now, it was you!" Hong Xiangwan suddenly spoke up, staring at Ji Rong with her red eyes in surprise.
Looking at her current dazed and pitiful state, Ji Rong felt no pity whatsoever. She said, "I am no longer a chick who needs your protection."
"Quickly give me Aunt Huang's original tail."
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiangwan stood there in a daze for a while, then took off the yellow tail with a relieved expression and handed it to Ji Rong, saying, "I didn't expect you to have made something of yourself."
When Ji Rong saw that the tail had been taken off by Hong Xiangwan, she immediately raised her neck, opened her beak slightly, and exhaled a heavy breath.
She carefully took the fox tail with her wings and put it into her storage ring, saying, "You're quite straightforward now. We're old friends, so if that's the case, what do you need? Just tell me, and if I can do it, I will."
Hong Xiangwan shook her head and said, "After my promotion, my mind was in a state of confusion for a while. After I came to my senses, I went back to look for you, but I couldn't find you."
You're right. I didn't protect you as you grew up; I broke my promise first, and I should repay you for what I did.
She never liked me. Giving it to you so you can bury it is the best thing that can happen.
"After all these years, you've finally seen through it all."
Hong Xiangwan smiled wryly and said, "Yes, where are your brother and the Third Miss?"
"They were taken under the wing of the newly appointed God of Celestial Phenomena, Juejun, and went to serve as attendants in the Dragon and Phoenix Palace."
"Good, good, they've all grown up. She really knows how to raise children." After saying this, Hong Xiangwan's eyes glazed over, and she fell silent.
She raised her paw and brushed the surface of the zither, tuning it and preparing to play.
Ji Rong and Shan Wu did not request any music, so Hong Xiangwan started playing on her own, playing "Clear Breeze and Bright Moon".
The sound of the piano was melodious and pleasant.
Ji Rong sat down to listen to Hong Xiangwan play, while Shan Wu remained standing there, maintaining the isolation barrier.
The piece Hong Xiangwan played was initially soothing; to Ji Rong, it felt as if she were under the moonlight, with a gentle breeze caressing her face.
But the ending notes of this piece carry a lingering sense of desolation, like an endless sorrow of parting.
Ji Rong didn't interrupt her and let Hong Xiangwan play. After Hong Xiangwan finished playing a piece, Ji Rong said, "The music is finished, Uncle, let's go."
Shan Wu then removed the isolation barrier, knelt at Ji Rong's feet, and prepared to carry Ji Rong away.
"Ji Rong, wait a moment." Hong Xiangwan hurriedly took out three storage rings from the tail behind her and handed them to Ji Rong, saying calmly, "In this world, I have no relatives or friends, and I may die one day. I am very happy to meet you now. This is some of my savings. Please accept it."
Ji Rong shook her head at her and said, "We are not short of treasure now. You can keep it. A king doesn't die so quickly. You have a long life ahead of you."
Then, she mounted Shanwu's back, ignoring Hong Xiangwan behind her, and urged Shanwu to hurry towards the North Gate.
Ji Rong sat on Shan Wu's back, her thoughts shifting between the heavenly palaces, Huang Pinjie, Jiao Jue, Ji Zhuang, and Gu Qingqing... For a moment, her mind was a jumble of chaotic thoughts.
"Thinking so much is useless. Let's send Baoshan and the other two back to their hometown first!" Ji Rong brushed her head with her wing claws, clearing away all her chaotic thoughts. Then she took out a map and said to Shan Wu, "Uncle, let's go along this road to Du'e Abyss."
Shan Wuzhuantou said "Okay!" Then, mist rose beneath his feet, and he ran northward along the Pan River.
After walking for a while, Ji Rong and Shan Wu had to stop.
A strong wind was blowing! Everywhere they looked, sand and dust were being whipped up, and exposed sand and gravel on the road were constantly being lifted into the swirling wind.
Ji Rong and Shan Wu inhaled the dusty air, their throats scraping against the fine sand. The sky grew increasingly yellow, blurring everything into a uniform haze.
Seeing that the road was impassable, Ji Rong and Shan Wu stopped to rest. Ji Rong released Bao Shan, fed him two mouthfuls of spiritual spring water, and then asked, "Do you know how to get back to your birthplace?"
Baoshan looked at the yellow dust filling the sky, carefully sensed it for a moment, and then said dejectedly, "The believers must have left, I can't sense them anymore."
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong's eyes widened, and she asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Baoshan said, "It's possible that they're all dead, or that I'm too far away from them, or... another possibility is that they've all converted to Christianity and I've been abandoned."
Ji Rong was hearing this for the first time. Since the journey was difficult, and she was bored, she said to Baoshan, "Tell me about Liangzhou. Let's wait until this yellow sand stops before we continue."
Baoshan thought for a moment and said, "I have been staying in the temple and have never gone out, so I don't know the specifics of Liangzhou."
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong was troubled, but soon she had a sudden inspiration and said, "If I find you a tribe that is willing to support you, can you still live?"
Baoshan thought for a moment and nodded, "It should be possible." Ji Rong thought to herself that this was indeed the case, and then locked Baoshan back in the cage.
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