Section 3

I have said before that divination and fortune-telling are not commendable skills, and I do not enjoy engaging in such activities. The reason I do not ask you is simply that I do not wish to inquire. Fate brings us together, and fate also leads to our separation; asking too much is of no benefit. We only need to know that we are harmless to each other.

Shen Li, however, ignored him, coldly staring at him for a while, and then pointed at the moved stone at the entrance, asking him: "What is that?"

"Xingyun, you are becoming increasingly inscrutable to me." Shen Li carefully surveyed the small courtyard, then squatted down in front of Xingyun and said, "A mortal who can calculate destiny and understands so many peculiar formations, yet possesses no magical power or spells, who exactly are you?"

Do you still want to be beaten up

"There is already the kind of formation you mentioned here," Xing Yun said with a smile. "After so many days, you really haven't felt anything at all?"

In other words, on the third day after you brought me back, I was already able to transform into a human... At that time, oh right, that morning, he was seeing off that plain girl, according to his words—"That day when I ran out, I was originally able to become a human, I shouldn't have been chased down the street by those mortals like a plucked chicken meant for stew."

"However, having been on the battlefield and witnessed too many souls perishing in war," Shen Li spoke with a hint of gravity, "I do not know whether my advice today is right or wrong, nor do I know whether it is good or bad. But I think, if in the future I have family and loved ones, should I die in battle, my greatest hope would be for them to forget me as soon as possible. For what has passed is but an illusion, and only what lies ahead can be called life"

Xingyun was momentarily taken aback, merely gazing at Shen Li, squinting and smiling, without uttering a word

Spit it out! Give it to me! You scoundrel!

"Well, that's about how it is." Xingyun paused for a moment, seemingly letting out a sigh of resignation: "Another secret has been uncovered by you, it's truly disheartening"

Xingyun pushed open the courtyard door and, holding Shen Li, walked towards home. The two, already exhausted from their ordeal, did not notice a man cloaked in a cape hiding behind the courtyard door. Once they had walked far away, he trembled as he entered the house, helping his wife, who had been knocked unconscious by Xingyun in the courtyard, to her feet, muttering, "It truly is a deity, my wife! It truly is a deity!"

You must have mistaken the person. Xingyun replied with a light laugh, and just as she took a step back, the people on both sides abruptly pulled her arm. Caught off guard, Xingyun dropped the plate in her hand, shattering it completely

As he walked to the front yard, Xingyun suddenly heard someone knocking at the door. He responded and, holding a plate, went to open the door. Upon opening the courtyard gate, he found three men dressed in brocade garments standing outside, each wielding a large knife. They appeared to be guards from a high official's household. The leader wore a red collar, while the other two were in blue. They solemnly scrutinized Xingyun for a moment, and the red-collared guard said, "This young master, my lord requests your presence"

Although Shen Li spoke in such a manner, upon seeing Xing Yun beaten to the point of not being able to stand upright, her brows furrowed sharply as she glared at the red-collared guard and said: "Where do you come from, to bully others with such arrogance? How dare you provoke me right under my nose? Are you tired of living, or do you seek death?"

As Xing Yun bent down, at the moment he was led out of the hospital gate, he seemingly unintentionally kicked a stone on the ground, causing it to flip over. However, after a brief moment, a flash of golden light appeared inside the room. The footsteps of three individuals in brocade garments paused, and a woman's voice was heard sharply commanding: "Beat him until he vomits, then drag him away"

By noon, he silently consumed all the cured meat that others had given him. He allowed Shen Li to fumble around at the table leg for a long time without giving her any glance.

Why place a stone there

The red-collared guard's pupils contracted, and before he could react, he felt a wave of dizziness, followed by a sharp pain in the back of his head. He was unaware of how long he had been in darkness, and when he finally regained his senses, he found himself thrown outside the door along with two other green-collared guards.

Yes

Why suppress it

Xingyun smiled lightly: "Oh? It seems you have quite a deep feeling about such matters"

This is indeed an interesting matter. Dan Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, "Fu Sheng, bring that person to the residence for me to see what abilities they possess."

The clouds drifted quietly, and after a moment, he composed himself and said, "Stop calling out." He glanced at the plain garment on the ground, which Shen Li had pulled down, and added, "You should transform inside the clothes; if you just turn into a human form like this, it would not be good." As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly recalled Shen Li's upright figure standing in the light that day, and for a moment, he was somewhat lost in thought.

Xing Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, the curve of his lips dropping a few degrees: "I do not particularly like being forced by others..." Before he could finish his sentence, the red-collared guard unexpectedly punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain, unable to straighten up for quite some time.

Well, that is actually the stone pressing down on the formation's eye

Before Xingyun could cough twice, the man said, "I do not particularly enjoy others constantly talking nonsense to me." His gaze was contemptuous, "Take him away." The other two complied without regard for how badly Xingyun was injured, dragging him away.

This remark left Shen Li momentarily stunned, and finally, with a serious expression, she said: "You must be an unfortunate disciple of some bald monk from the heavens, sent down to undergo tribulation."

Do you understand the situation

Ah! Why can't I change back!" Shen Li, covered in dirt, exclaimed angrily, "That night it was clearly successful! My magical power has almost recovered these past two days, so why can't I change back!"

She could have avoided such a predicament altogether

"When did I become one of your subordinates?" Xingyun bent over, holding her stomach, and stared at Shen Li with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Stone

The person kneeling below trembled as he replied: "Even if I had ten times the courage, I would not dare to deceive His Highness the Crown Prince! My sister-in-law was still delirious a few days ago, but she has now recovered to be no different from an ordinary person. The miraculous event that night was witnessed by my own eyes. Although my wife was unconscious at the time and unaware of what was happening, our neighbors also saw the radiant light emanating from our home! And this green garment... that immortal transformed the chicken accompanying him into a beautiful woman, and this is the clothing he took off for her to wear. Later, that beautiful woman turned back into a chicken, and the clothes fell to the ground; he forgot to take them with him."

In order to suppress the power of the formation

Shen Li was taken aback, glancing around and finally realizing that the arrangement of the stones and the planting of the vegetation in this backyard were indeed organized according to a certain pattern. However, after many years, grass had grown in many places, obscuring the boundaries, which had confused Shen Li's eyes. She suddenly understood; no wonder her physical recovery was so rapid here, it was thanks to the formation of this place.

Xingyun glanced at her, hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "This was put up on the second night after bringing you back. Otherwise, it would be too inconvenient for you to move around after becoming a human, and it wouldn't be easy to play around... Naturally, the primary reason for placing this stone is the need for caution between men and women. It is ultimately not appropriate for a solitary man and woman to be in the same room together"

Shen Li nuzzled her head in his arms, finding a comfortable spot, and said: "You are right, mhetushu.com."

Go back

Who is it? The red-collared guard stepped into the courtyard and saw a woman dressed in tattered cloth garments. She had torn a strip of cloth from somewhere, tying her hair up high as she walked out.

Hearing Xingyun's words, Shen Li stood up and looked at him: "That day, the formation you set up looked quite impressive. Why don't you try setting up a formation that can condense the essence of the sun and moon for me?"

Xingyun, upon hearing the words, unexpectedly chuckled softly even while being supported by someone else

Xing Yun was momentarily taken aback, then smiled again and said: "Foolish chicken, it is only now that can be called life"

Shen Li cast a disdainful glance at the three individuals, her expression filled with contempt: "If you wish to see my subordinates, regardless of whether they are the son of a prince, a grandson, or some heavenly king, let them come over on their own."

After finishing the meal, he lifted Shen Li onto the table, allowing her to gaze in astonishment at the empty plate that had only two drops of oil left. Satisfied, he burped at her and said with a smile, "I just wanted to prove something. I am not some unfortunate disciple of a bald monk sent down to experience tribulations. I mean no other harm." Having said that, he also removed the plate with the two drops of oil, leaving Shen Li on the table to flap her wings and stomp her feet in anger.

Shen Li neatly tied her hair and moved like a ghost to the side of the red-collared guard. Although her magical powers were not strong at the moment, her martial arts and agility were deeply ingrained in her mind, more than sufficient to deal with these few mortals. Before the red-collared guard could react, the badge he was holding was snatched away by Shen Li. With a twist of her hands, a crisp sound was heard as two pieces of scrap metal were thrown at the feet of the red-collared soldier. "Can you teach me how to write these two characters?" Before the red-collared guard could react, the badge he was holding was snatched away by Shen Li. With a twist of her hands, a crisp sound was heard as two pieces of scrap metal were thrown at the feet of the red-collared soldier. "Can you teach me how to write these two characters?"

Shen Li is well-known for being protective in the Demon Realm. When her soldiers make mistakes, she has her own methods to handle them, imposing severe punishments that can even take half their lives. However, her soldiers are not to be punished by others; not even a scolding is allowed. To put it nicely, this can be seen as loving her soldiers as if they were her own children, but to be more honest, it is about maintaining her pride. Whether it is her people or her possessions, how could she allow others to bully them?

The days in the small courtyard remain as tranquil as ever, with the leaves on the grape trellis gradually growing denser, blocking the increasingly hot sunlight that comes with the arrival of summer. Xingyun lies in the courtyard resting when suddenly the rocking chair is bumped, causing Xingyun to open his eyes and glance at the meat chickens rolling on the ground.

The red-collared guard furrowed his brow and said, "Miss, you have quite the audacity." He looked up and down at Shen Li, noting that although she was dressed in a disheveled manner, her eyes were strikingly intimidating. There are many hidden talents in the capital, and after a moment's consideration, he took the badge from his waist. The golden badge gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight. "We are here on the prince's orders to invite the young master to the residence for a discussion. I hope the young lady will be a bit more considerate..."

"I see you as a strange person," Shen Li said, "with a strange temper and strange behavior. Look at me, in this way. " Shen Li spun around on the ground, "Without fur, able to speak, and can even transform into a human. You are neither curious nor afraid, yet you keep me at home... Could it be that you have already figured something out?"

The white smoke from the incense burner rises indoors, as a person sitting behind the sandalwood desk sets down the pen, their voice slightly raised: "Is this indeed the case?"

Xingyun smiled and replied: "A good person"

The red-collared guard did not even glance and simply said: "Whether you have the wrong person, we have our own means of assessment, young master, please proceed."

As the main gate closed, three guards helped each other to stand up and exchanged glances in silence. Just at that moment, two objects suddenly flew out from within the courtyard walls, piercing the ground in front of the three men like arrows, embedding themselves more than an inch deep. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that it was the waist badge of the red-collared guard. After a moment of silence, tranquility returned to the area in front of Xingyun's door.