Chapter 109: Those Years

When they were about to finish their meal, Fu Li left the private room.

Feng Ruizhong observed the incomparably powerful auspicious qi on Zhuang Qing, who was seated opposite him. A wisp of a smile could be seen on his face. “Many thanks, Dragon Emperor, for your care towards Little Li during this period.”

“If Uncle Feng has no objections, please call me by name,” Zhuang Qing put down his chopsticks and wiped the corners of his mouth. “He and I care for each other, there is nothing much to thank me for. You’re too polite, Uncle Feng.”

Feng Ruizhong’s good impression of Zhuang Qing deepened upon hearing these words. In the eyes of elders, juniors who attached great importance to friendship would always be pleasing.

When Fu Li returned, the atmosphere between Zhuang Qing and Feng Ruizhong was pretty good. There was even some mention of dragons and an inheritance. Upon seeing him enter, Feng Ruizhong said, “This child, Little Zhuang, is quite good.”

“I know he’s very good, but what were you discussing? There’s even a barrier set up in the room?” Fu Li discovered upon entry that there was a soundproofing barrier in the room. Fortunately, the waiters at this place didn’t randomly enter the rooms, otherwise they would assume that the two of them were putting on a miming show.

“You’re young and don’t understand that the walls have ears,” Feng Ruizhong removed the barrier and continued eating happily. Just thinking about the situation the mountain king would be in later put him in an especially good mood. Even ordinary human food became slightly tastier.

When the three people left, Feng Ruizhong saw Fu Li take a strange round container from a human. He had no idea what it contained.

After Fu Li paid a visit to the ‘haunted house’, Feng Ruizhong moved to the top of a great mountain after completing his identity registration. Looking at the glorious splendor that was the palace on the mountain, Fu Li wanted to say that it was an illegal building, but still held himself back.

He glanced at Zhuang Qing. The other party’s expression was normal; he probably hadn’t considered the issue of it being an ‘illegal building’. Therefore, Fu Li made a decision and tossed this matter to the back of his mind.

“This golden flying palace was originally made for you. Back when you said you wanted to go to the human world to gain experience after waking up, I was scared that you wouldn’t be comfortable in human houses, so the King and I made a flying palace.” Feng Ruizhong knocked on the palace doors with a hand and the doors opened in response. Behind the doors lay pavilions, an exquisiteness beyond compare, along with many maid guards refined from magic treasures walking about.

Faced with a palace unrivaled in its beauty, Zhuang Qing, who was walking beside Fu Li, very much doubted what experience Fu Li would be able to gain from the human world if the incident hadn’t occurred that year and the great yao of Reflecting Mist Mountain were this thoroughly prepared.

“Ever since the great king stole a look at you while hidden in that house, he’s been thinking about the maid guards he didn’t finish refining those years. He’s constantly in the Divine Fire Hall the past few days, not coming out.” Feng Ruizhong didn’t bring Fu Li to the main hall, but instead chose to turn left.

A Spiritual Gathering Formation had been added to the flying palace and spiritual qi was abundant. Even the flowers and plants inside looked like they had more vitality than the ones outside.

In this flying palace, the Divine Palace Hall was used exclusively for refining weapons. Zhuang Qing remembered that Fu Li was not proficient at refining weapons. Naturally, he was also not proficient at pill-concoction. However, along the way, he had seen a Fragrant Pill Hall for the exclusive use of pill-concoction as well as a combat practice arena. Zhuang Qing looked at Feng Ruizhong’s back with a moved expression.

Deep in the hearts of these great yao, perhaps they too had not been willing to be apart from Fu Li, so there were still many facilities they needed in the flying palace they had made.

They had been unwilling to be apart, but were eventually separated for two thousand years. This was fate.

Kang Gu was seated cross-legged in front of a furnace, refining wholeheartedly, when he heard the sound of footsteps. Without even identifying the qi, he directly said, “Quick, give the furnace two puffs of fire. Magic tools refined with your true fire will be better.”

Not hearing Feng Ruizhong’s response, he looked back. The magic fan in his hands fell onto the floor with a clang.

“L-Little Li…” He climbed up from the floor and vigorously patted the bit of dust on his body. In the end, the more he patted, the dirtier he became. In a moment of desperation, he slapped a cleaning skill on himself to make himself appear cleaner and livelier.

After stammering for an eternity, Kang Gu finally voiced a complete statement, “Have you eaten? I’ll go make you some.”

The air thickened at this moment. Fu Li’s gaze was fixed on Kang Gu, who didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. Fu Li abruptly broke into a smile.

Kang Gu stared blankly, his simple and honest face filled with confusion. But when he saw Fu Li smiling happily, he touched the back of his head and also grinned.

“Long time no see, King,” Fu Li walked up to Kang Gu and reached out, hugging him. Fishing out something from his Qiankun pouch, he handed it to Kang Gu. “For you.”

Feng Ruizhong recognized it from the side. It was the thing the human had given to Fu Li when they were eating.

“Ai,” Kang Gu merrily accepted the round container. Only after touching it all over did he ask, “What is this?”

“Five grain rice made by a human chef,” Fu Li opened the cover of the insulation container. The five grain rice inside was still giving off steam. “The modern five grain rice isn’t made the same way as in the past, but it’s very delicious. Give it a try.”

Kang Gu stared blankly as he held the container silently.

Feng Ruizhong was also staring blankly. He hadn’t expected Fu Li to specially bring Kang Gu a container of five grain rice. In the past, many little yao and humans had set up altars to make offerings to Kang Gu. Other than the five grain rice, Kang Gu had had no interest in the other offerings. However, these little yao and humans hadn’t known this and often assumed that only offerings like cattle, goats, pigs, and so on could be considered grand.

Later on, after they lived on Reflecting Mist Mountain in seclusion, they no longer received offerings from the human world and Kang Gu also no longer ate much ordinary food like five grain rice. When Fu Li was young, he had been fond of pestering the mountain’s elders to tell him stories. Everyone had wanted to conceal their identities, but at the same time also wanted to tell the little child stories. Over time, Fu Li grew aware of many of their small pleasures.

Who would have expected Fu Li to still remember this small pleasure after so many years had gone by?

Kang Gu sat on the steps at the entrance to the Divine Hall Hall, holding up the lunchbox as he dug into the five grain rice. Fu Li quietly sat beside him. Feng Ruizhong and Zhuang Qing had disappeared to who-knows-where; only the two of them were in this place.

There were many questions Fu Li wanted to ask, but when he saw King Ganglie polish off every single grain of rice in the lunchbox, he said, “If King likes it, I’ll buy it for you again next time.”

Kang Gu placed the lid back on the lunchbox. Taking advantage of a moment when Fu Li wasn’t paying attention, he secretly hid the lunchbox in his Qiankun pouch. This was something their family’s little child had specially brought back for him, he had to keep it well.

The strong winds on the mountain violently blew against the wide-sleeved gown Kang Gu was wearing, revealing the injuries on his arm so deep that bone could be seen. Fu Li hugged his knees, cocking his head at him. “Where has King been these years?”

Injuries could not easily be left on the body of a yao, unless the injuries couldn’t heal due to a wounded inner core. Just like the wound on Zhuang little dragon at that time, and… the wounds on King Ganglie’s arm.

“N-Nowhere in particular, I just couldn’t come out for a while,” Kang Gu stammered out this short reply. His gaze flitted back and forth, not daring to focus on Fu Li.

“I met Sister Zhu Yue a while back, she wasn’t willing to tell me what happened that year,” Fu Li laughed lightly. “I know all of you are doing this for my sake, so I’m very happy just knowing that you’re still alive.”

A hint of happiness could be seen on Kang Gu’s face after he learned that Zhu Yue was still alive, but his heart started aching again when he saw how Fu Li was smiling. It was them who had picked Fu Li up from the East Sea that year. Fu Li had only been a tiny thing at that time, resembling a little mouse that had just grown fur. Despite this, the sound of his cries were so earth-shattering that it sent all the life forms within a hundred li radius of him scampering off.

But only him and Old Xing knew that he wasn’t a mouse or a rabbit, but a newborn yao beast born through an opportunity bestowed by Heaven and Earth.

The little yao beast that lay sprawled on hard stone was bawling loudly, but the instant it saw him, its cries stopped abruptly and it persistently crawled towards him on its four soft, short legs. In the end, every crawl was accompanied by three tumbles. It didn’t crawl very far even after a long time had passed.

Kang Gu understood in his heart that he and Old Xing should have turned and left based on the situation at that time. But when he saw the little yao beast crawling as if its life depended on it, his heart inexplicably softened. He made up his mind – if this little yao crawled to him within the time it took to burn one incense stick, he would bring him home.

One incense stick later, the little yao beast had only covered one-third of the distance. Looking at the little yao beast’s four limbs which were bleeding from friction, Kang Gu didn’t budge.

Two incense sticks later, the little yao beast finally made it to the halfway mark.

Three incense sticks later, Kang Gu picked the little yao beast up from the ground and cradled it in his embrace.

Anyway, there was an eighth or ninth-tenth chance that it would die if it was thrown outside. For better or worse, it would be able to live a few good years with them.

Kang Gu hadn’t known what was the thing he had picked up at that time, and the little yao beast also hadn’t known who had brought him away.

“Little Li, we shouldn’t have lied to you during those years,” Kang Gu rubbed Fu Li’s head with a gentle expression. “You’ve already safely passed the Nine Hearts’ Tribulation, so you probably know that you’re not a rabbit but a yao beast born and raised by the Heavens and Earth.”

“Not Heaven and Earth, it was all of you who raised me,” Fu Li squinted and smiled. “Without all of you, there would be no me.”

Kang Gu’s expression shifted, his heart melting into a puddle. This was the cute and gentle little child they had raised.

“That year…”

“Kang Gu didn’t know Little Li was a Hou when he brought him back that year,” Feng Rizhong was seated beside the spiritual spring. He poured Zhuang Qing a cup of spiritual tea. “There are forty-nine restriction formations on this flying palace. When all the restriction formations are activated, even heavenly law can be deceived for a while.”

There was a faint guess in Zhuang Qing’s heart. Back when these great yao had made the flying palace, they might not have done so so that Fu Li could go to the human world, but because they wanted to help him avoid… heavenly law?

Why did they think that heavenly law wouldn’t let Fu Li off?

As if perceiving Zhuang Qing’s doubts, Feng Ruizhong said, “The Hou is a yao beast born and raised by Heaven and Earth. His soul is formed from Heaven and Earth’s spiritual qi, as well as the seven emotions and six desires. Five-colored stone forms his body. Only after he took shape through a chance from Heaven and Earth was he considered truly born. When Kang Gu brought Little Li to Reflecting Mist Mountain, the Baize who is all-knowing about matters regarding Heaven and Earth was forthright with us that Fu Li possessed a fiend’s qi by nature and would someday become a fiend who would cause calamity and chaos in the world. Even so, we were able to evade the eyes of heavenly law with his help.”

Zhuang Qing’s expression was a bit unpleasant. “So all of you lied to him?”

“Yes,” Feng Ruizhong smiled bitterly. “The newborn Hou was confused and ignorant. In addition, he was the sole Hou in the world, so he didn’t have any inherited memories from his race. We let him believe that he was an ordinary rabbit and that we were ordinary yao cultivators. By relying on his mistaken understanding, we hid from the eyes of heavenly law.”

Zhuang Qing was a little upset. These lofty auspicious beasts who had been worshipped by countless life forms had actually raised Fu Li with such thoughts?

“Why tell me this?” Zhuang Qing’s face was taut. “You’re not afraid that I would tell Fu Li?”

“There’s nothing much that can’t be said. We only raised Little Li to be a bit more pure and kind, but he’s not an idiot. Sooner or later, he will guess the truth behind that year,” Feng Ruizhong’s smile became even more pained. “We have received boundless worship from other creatures and had innumerable servants by our sides who served us willingly. We thought ourselves omnipotent, but we had never raised a little yao beast before. He was such a tiny, soft thing. We were scared that we would hurt him just by carrying him in our hands. We had no way of imagining how such a cute little child could turn into a fiend. We often thought that perhaps it was us who divined wrongly.”

“We thought about it every single day and divined every one of those days. We divined again and again, but not only did we fail to divine this little child’s chance of living, we also failed to divine our emotions. Raising the little child took a lot of effort and a lot of emotion. Everything about our family’s child was good – even if there was a possibility he would become a fiend, it wouldn’t be his fault,” Feng Ruizhong sighed. Even when he uttered unreasonable words, he still exhibited conviction and confidence. “We divined countless fates for him. Even if it was the Baize who carried out the divination, Fu Li’s ending… was always to plunge the human world into chaos and eventually perish under the punishment of heavenly law.”

“That’s impossible!” Zhuang Qing interrupted Feng Ruizhong. “How could someone like him whose mind is fixated on becoming a civil servant, a yao who was taught by all of you to be friendly to humans, plunge the human world into chaos?”

Feng Ruizhong watched this steady junior reveal an infuriated and anxious appearance, and the last bit of worry in his heart vanished without a trace. “Because his fate has changed.”

Zhuang Qing furrowed his brows. What did the many incidents that occurred at Reflecting Mist Mountain have to do with a change in Fu Li’s fate?

“Fu Li’s fate already started changing when he rescued that human at the bottom of the mountain.”

Feng Ruizhong looked at Zhuang Qing with a complex gaze. “Perhaps this is the chance at survival that heavenly law gave Little Li.”

Zhuang Qing was stunned. “You mean the human pet that Fu Li mentioned?”