I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

The first thing she did upon returning to the courtyard was to give Bai Qingyu a big hug, crying as she told him how much she missed him.

It took a while of comforting her before Dongqing calmed down.

To outsiders, Tianjian Bai Dongqing's growth rate is terrifying. In terms of both strength and personality, Dongqing outside is not like the one in Bai Qingyu's arms at this moment. Outside, he may not be cold-blooded and ruthless, but at least he will take action when necessary and kill when necessary. He has basically never suffered a loss in Tianyang Palace.

Six years ago, I personally saw Holly off.

She was a thirteen-year-old girl at the time.

Now, when we meet again, she's almost twenty years old.

Bai Qingyu didn't know whether to cry or laugh, because she looked like an eighteen-year-old girl, even younger than Dong Qing. They had gone from mother and daughter to sisters.

She's about 1.7 meters tall, which is roughly the same height as Dongqing, after wearing specially designed height-increasing cloth shoes.

"Alright, it's good that you're back."

"Yes, Master said I should go back in ten days."

"Yes, there are still ten days until we meet again." Patting the little girl's head, looking at the face that resembled her own by about 70%, Bai Qingyu felt as if she were touching herself.

Just as Dongqing calmed down, she glanced to the side and saw Miketsu.

She was quite shocked when she came back last time, that her aunt had been able to adopt so many children in just a few years.

As a result, less than a month after she returned, her aunt had already given birth to another child.

"Auntie, who is this child...?"

"Ah, her name is Yuzhanjin. I brought her back a few days ago. Come here, Yuzhanjin, call her Dongqing-jie." Bai Qingyu said with a smile, completely unaware of Dongqing's little mood.

"Sister Dongqing!" Miketsu called out sweetly.

"Wow, Auntie!"

Dongqing hugged Bai Qingyu tightly again, on the verge of tears.

This child is so cute! How come all the children my aunt adopts are so adorable?

Is she still her aunt's favorite child?

Miketsu tilted her head slightly, somewhat confused.

Did she say something strange? Why is this woman reacting so strongly?

·

"Tongzhou, what a wonderful place."

Carrying his book box, Xu Yuanqing walked into Tongzhou City. He looked left and right along the street, and soon girls stood by the roadside watching him, covering their mouths with their sleeves and chatting and laughing with their friends. Most of them were talking about Xu Yuanqing, the scholar.

Xu Yuanqing glanced at them and gave them a polite and humble smile, which immediately made the girls' hearts flutter.

He didn't interact with these girls; he needed to maintain his public image.

He was not interested in women and did not like this in the first place, but the plan in his mind was something he had to do out of necessity.

There was no other way; if there were any other options, he wouldn't have resorted to using his looks to lure the Guhuoniao's child.

Xu Yuanqing did not inquire about Bai Qingyu's affairs but went straight to a small temple in the city.

The temple is small, but the incense burns constantly.

Inside, there was a goddess whose face and figure were strikingly similar to Bai Qingyu's.

"Forgive me, Divine Phoenix Lady, this journey is truly for the sake of all living beings."

After lighting incense, Xu Yuanqing bowed three times.

If the nation's fortunes do not improve, domestic disasters will not cease.

Stabilizing the nation's fate means stabilizing the disaster.

It's all for the benefit of the people.

Please vote for me, sob sob sob.

Volume 1: Book Club

I've discovered something embarrassing: I've been typing chapter titles starting from chapter 200 lately.

Something felt off to me just now, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. Then, after thinking about it carefully, I realized the problem: the chapter title was wrong!

Damn it, no one reminded me about the censorship!

Let's create a group. Anyone interested can join. If you have any questions, just message me in the group. I'm always available.

No approval is required to join the group; you can apply directly and be added immediately.

801535985

Volume 1: Chapter 133 If I Don't Go to Hell, Who Will?

After leaving Bai Qingyu's temple, Xu Yuanqing walked down the street and began inquiring about Bai Qingyu.

Since a temple had been built, Shenhuang must have a considerable reputation in Tongzhou. Sure enough, a little inquiry revealed this. After roughly understanding what had happened, Xu Yuanqing felt that someone was probably pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Otherwise, if it were just about setting up a private school to feed the children, it wouldn't have come to the point of building a temple.

After making some inquiries, they learned that the private school was located on the territory of the Prince's mansion.

Having roughly understood the situation, Xu Yuanqing inquired about the location of the Prince's Mansion. With a fan in hand and a book box on his back, he leisurely walked towards the Prince's Mansion.

Since they are from the Prince's mansion, things will be easier.

The Prince's Mansion was also a government official, and knowing his purpose, they had no reason not to help. However, they needed to test the waters a little beforehand, as they didn't want the news to leak out and be caught red-handed by the Divine Phoenix.

His actions this time were no different from abducting the Divine Phoenix's child. If the Divine Phoenix found out, having his head twisted off would be the least of his worries.

They keep saying they're doing this for the sake of all people and the common folk.

But in reality, what do the common people and the masses have to do with the Divine Phoenix?

Why should a demon have to work for humans?

Knowing this, Xu Yuanqing didn't dare to directly negotiate terms or offer benefits to Bai Qingyu.

He had no idea what Bai Qingyu's personality was like, but he knew a lot about the demon race.

The demon race is all the same. Unless you offer enough benefits, they won't be willing to sacrifice their freedom to work for the Great Spirit Dynasty. They'll even think you're there to cause trouble.

For demons, freedom is the most important thing.

He might be able to sway ordinary demons with benefits, but he dared not gamble with Bai Qingyu.

The premise for offering benefits is that the demon has needs and desires, and the benefits promised on your side are sufficient; only then can it be considered acceptable.

Unlike ordinary demons, the demons surrounding the Divine Phoenix do not seem to have as many desires.

This is quite normal. Wild demons have desires because survival is too difficult and they want too many things. The demons around the Divine Phoenix are all raised by the Divine Phoenix and have no worries; they can live carefree lives.

Everything is satisfied; what must be offered to move it?

While pondering, Xu Yuanqing arrived at the gate of the Prince's mansion. He knocked on the door, and someone quickly opened it. Upon seeing the token that Xu Yuanqing had taken out, the person's expression changed, and they hurriedly let Xu Yuanqing in.

Xu Yuanqing met the prince without any problems.

Unfortunately, Xu Yuanqing didn't get much useful information here and instead exposed his identity.

Inside the room, the prince waved for the servants to leave, put down his teacup, and said with a calm yet authoritative gaze, "If I'm not mistaken, you are the Grand Preceptor's man."

Xu Yuanqing's expression remained unchanged, but he was actually quite surprised. "The Imperial Preceptor is my teacher. I am Xu Yuanqing. I had no choice but to conceal my identity. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

The prince wasn't particularly surprised. "Imperial Preceptor... what brings you here today?"

It's easy to tell that Xu Yuanqing is the Imperial Advisor. People from the Imperial Advisor's lineage speak in a way that is half-concealed. Xu Yuanqing is slightly better; he doesn't speak so obviously. Only by having more contact with people from the Imperial Advisor's side can one sense that Xu Yuanqing's speaking style is very similar.

"The fate of the nation."

Xu Yuanqing didn't speak, but instead wrote those two words on the table with tea.

The prince's expression remained unchanged, displaying a calm and unwavering composure.

"In that case, how can my humble princely residence possibly help the Imperial Advisor?"

"All we need is some information from Your Highness."

Xu Yuanqing smiled faintly.

"explain."

"The Divine Phoenix Lady Bai Qingyu".

"He's just a schoolteacher. A few years ago, he brought a few monsters to Tongzhou to settle down. During that time, he didn't do anything to harm the innocent. He's been law-abiding. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"May I ask, Your Highness, where does this lady reside...?"

"I only know the location of the private school, nothing else. If the Grand Preceptor needs it, I can send someone to inquire."

"No need, thank you for informing me, Your Highness."

"Ah."

The prince picked up his teacup again, his eyes remaining unchanged, as if he were talking about some mundane trifles.

His status and position were not necessarily higher than that of the young man in front of him, especially in terms of real power. As a prince, his real power was limited. He did not want to offend Xu Yuanqing, nor did he want to expose anything about Bai Qingyu.

It seemed like an answer, but in reality, it didn't say anything at all.

Tell Xu Yuanqing that Bai Qingyu came a few years ago with a few demons. He is a well-behaved and obedient demon. If you want to know the location, I can only tell you where the private school is, and I can even send someone to take you there.

However, this information is something that can be easily obtained by asking around.

There's nothing wrong with what the Prince's Mansion said.

After exchanging a few more polite words, Xu Yuanqing didn't get the answer he wanted, and he also learned the Prince's Mansion's stance, so he had no choice but to leave.

It seems that the Prince's Mansion does not want to get involved in this matter.

Before leaving, Xu Yuanqing pondered for a long time before finally speaking: "I know Your Highness's thoughts. I only came to seek Your Highness's help as a last resort. This matter is of great importance. The nation's fortunes are declining day by day, natural disasters and man-made calamities are rampant, and the people are living in misery. If we are to defy fate, what does it matter if we sacrifice our lives? A hundred years is a hundred years, ten years is ten years. I only hope that the people of this world can be less miserable."

"All beings suffer, I only hope that suffering will not be compounded."

"To give the people a glimmer of hope."