Chapter 209

Chapter 209: Fox Spirit

Yu Zhi Yi kept her voice low. Prince Ping’s full attention was on the paperweight, so he did not notice anyone else in the room.

Watching the way he cherished it, Princess Consort Ping waited a moment, then asked, “What’s inside that paperweight?”

Yu Zhi Yi shook her head, then remembered the princess consort could not see and stopped moving. She explained, “I’m not sure yet. There’s a sealing array on the base. We must undo it to know. But it’s either a ghost, a demon, or baleful energy. No matter which one it is, a common person who stays close to it will have his life shortened.”

Princess Consort Ping’s face changed. She tore off her Invisibility Talisman at once.

Yu Zhi Yi was not surprised and tore off her own talisman too.

Right then, Prince Ping was whispering to the paperweight with great care: “A Li, did something happen? Or are you upset today? Hey, why won’t you come out to see me? Did I do something to make you unhappy?”

Princess Consort Ping revealed herself and heard this tender murmur that sounded just like a lover’s cooing. Her heart twisted hard.

She held it in, but could not help saying, “Prince.”

Prince Ping’s body stiffened, but not from guilt. He spun around and snapped, “So you barged in. No wonder she’s upset! Get out!”

Princess Consort Ping stared at him, stunned: “The prince is telling me to get out for the sake of some unknown female ghost?”

Prince Ping did not have only one woman. There were several concubines in the manor, offered by court officials; two were secondary consorts bestowed by the emperor. He did not neglect them. Once they entered the manor, he visited them all and even had one or two favorites he saw often. But no matter how much he liked them, he always gave Princess Consort Ping the respect and face she deserved. If anyone dared offend her, he would help her teach them a lesson.

Even when she had just realized that she and the prince were only polite partners, not truly loving, she had not felt too disappointed. But now she was hurt.

“Silence!” Prince Ping shouted. “Do not insult A Li. She is not a ghost!”

He suddenly noticed Yu Zhi Yi and frowned: “Why are you here?”

Yu Zhi Yi said evenly, “I take payment and do the work: cut down the wicked and wipe out every malevolent spirit in this world.”

At first Prince Ping only looked grim. Then his face changed and he barked, “Prince Ping’s Manor does not welcome you. Get out!”

Yu Zhi Yi acted as if she had not heard and walked toward him, unhurried.

Prince Ping ordered in a harsh voice toward the door, “Guards, throw this brazen, insolent woman out!”

Princess Consort Ping said coldly, “I dare anyone to try!”

Prince Ping was very noble, but her rank was also high. She was the empress dowager’s own niece and the emperor’s own cousin. The guards were stuck. They could not afford to offend either of these great figures.

Yu Zhi Yi ignored Prince Ping’s resistance. No matter how he struggled, she easily took the paperweight back, then spoke coolly to whatever was inside: “Will you come out yourself, or shall I drag you out?”

Prince Ping tried to rush her, but Yu Zhi Yi cast an immobilization spell. His legs froze and would not move. His mouth still worked, though. He glared at Yu Zhi Yi and said, “Yu, this prince warns you to let this prince go, or you will die with no burial place!”

Yu Zhi Yi paused, then looked to Princess Consort Ping and said, “What should I do? Suddenly I don’t want to save him. If I don’t, he won’t live past three days, so he won’t have time to trouble me. If I do save him, I’ll get dragged into a mess.”

Her tone showed no real fear, only the annoyance of being threatened and a hint of teasing.

Princess Consort Ping went pale and asked, “Won’t live past three days? Official Yu, is that true?”

Prince Ping snapped, “Stop your act! A Li would never harm me!”

Yu Zhi Yi always ignored fools. She repeated to the paperweight, “Are you sure you want me to use force?”

The paperweight stayed still. Nothing inside made a sound.

Yu Zhi Yi smiled and said, “Do you think I have no way just because you’re hiding?”

The array on the base was clever, but only at hiding breath so the piece felt like an ordinary object. It was not truly powerful. She had missed it earlier only because it sat among many plain things and she overlooked it. Now that she had seen through its secret, handling it would not be hard.

She reached toward the base. As her hand drew near, a large black hole opened where the sealed bottom should have been. Her clean, slender hand slid in without resistance.

“Got you,” she said.

She used a little force and pulled the thing inside out.

Princess Consort Ping blinked, and a woman appeared in the study. The woman wore a red gauze dress and was very beautiful, especially her peach-blossom eyes. For the first time, “eyes like silk” felt real to the princess consort. The woman’s whole body wrote one message: I am so delicate. She shrank behind Prince Ping as soon as she came out, looking frightened and helpless. Most people looked a bit messy when afraid. Her fear, however, came with a soft, fragile beauty that made kind hearts want to pity her and pull her into a protective hug.

For example, Prince Ping. He glared at Yu Zhi Yi and shouted, “Wretch, how dare you bully A Li! This prince will make you pay!”

Seeing Prince Ping rage for this beauty, Princess Consort Ping felt both furious and desolate. She gritted her teeth and said coldly, “Official Yu is here at my invitation. If you want to touch her, you need this princess consort’s consent first.”

Prince Ping forced his temper down and warned, “Must you anger this prince?”

Princess Consort Ping only laughed coldly, then turned to Yu Zhi Yi and asked, “Official Yu, can you subdue this female ghost?” She remembered Yu Zhi Yi had said it might be a ghost or a demon, and asked, unsure, “She… is a female ghost, right?”

Yu Zhi Yi tipped her chin and said, “Yes and no. Her true body was a fox. After she died, her soul refused to go to reincarnation and lingered for a long time. Over time, even as a soul, she cultivated into human form. This human form is still a ghost body. So strictly speaking, she is the soul of a fox demon.”

“Nonsense!” Prince Ping snapped. His legs could not move, but his mouth was fierce. “A Li is this prince’s life-saving benefactor, not some fox!”

He shot Princess Consort Ping a look of disgust and said, “Now I see how vicious you are. To remove a rival, you hired this charlatan to insult A Li!”

When Yu Zhi Yi heard the words “life-saving benefactor,” her expression turned a little strange.