People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Fire Fairy was basking in the sun, feeling utterly bored, while Li Wu led one-and-a-half-year-old Xiao Yan'er for a walk in the yard.

After Cao Ze entered the courtyard, he chuckled and picked up Xiao Yan'er, giving her a kiss.

I've missed my daughter terribly since I haven't seen her for several days.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yan'er didn't seem to want him; after being kissed, she immediately started crying.

This earned her a roll of her eyes from Li Wu. "I finally managed to coax him out, and you made him cry again."

Cao Ze chuckled and shoved Xiao Yan'er back into Li Wu's arms.

Disturbed by the crying, the Fire Fairy raised her eyelids slightly, hummed twice, and continued to close her eyes to rest. However, her ears, which were crystal clear in the sunlight and even showed fine downy hairs, had already quietly perked up.

Where is Jing Ni?

After humming a little tune to coax Xiao Yan'er, Li Wu said, "Jing Ni is in seclusion in her room cultivating, and she may be about to break through."

At this point, Li Wu glanced enviously at the tightly closed room.

She has been at the first-class level for a year now. Even if everything goes smoothly and she has the help from Jing Ni and Cao Ze, it will still take her another two years to break through to the half-step grandmaster level.

As for breaking through to the Grandmaster realm, she would be content if she could succeed within ten years.

Hmm? That cold woman isn't a Grandmaster yet?

Fire Fairy's mind started working. She originally thought Jing Ni was a grandmaster, but now it seems she's still a little short.

Cao Ze did not expect Jing Ni to go into seclusion at this time, so his original plan to have Jing Ni go to the Ancestral Mountain to investigate had to be temporarily shelved.

He walked over to Yan Lingji, who was lying on the rattan chair, and looked down at her, who was calmly basking in the sun with her eyes closed.

"Wake up."

There was no movement.

Fire Girl says she doesn't want to pay attention to the little man next to her.

Cao Ze pinched the Fire Fairy's fair and rosy cheeks.

"Ouch! What are you doing!"

Yan Lingji sat up abruptly, glaring angrily at Cao Ze, two small flames flickering intensely in her dreamlike eyes.

It feels great, much better than the figurines he collected back then, so tender it looks like you could squeeze water out of it... Cao Ze was in a very good mood.

"Hasn't the Peerless Ghost come looking for you yet, with the Hundred Poison King and the Corpse-Driving Demon still gone?"

Cao Ze asked slowly and deliberately.

"Hmm?" Yan Lingji calmed her agitated emotions. "Why are you asking them?"

"Of course, I'm changing the subject..." Cao Ze thought to himself, then said seriously, "If you need anything, talk to them."

He wasn't lying; he remembered very clearly that in the original trailer, Tianze and his group arrived at an unknown mountain, where the Hidden Witch Driving Corpse Demon cast an unknown array.

Now he has reason to suspect that this mountain is the Ancestral Mountain, and that Tianze somehow learned that the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions buried by Duke Zhuang of Zheng are located here.

Yan Lingji looked at Cao Ze suspiciously, "What do you want with them?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell me if you can get in touch with them?"

Yan Lingji hesitated for a moment; they did indeed have a special secret method to communicate with each other.

But she couldn't figure out what Cao Ze wanted to do.

"Yes, but they're not in South Korea now, they're in Baiyue."

"Still in Baiyue? Weren't they supposed to be in Korea to rescue Tianze?"

Yan Lingji rolled her eyes at Cao Ze. "Do you really think everyone is like you, able to be saved so easily? The Hundred Poison King and the Corpse-Driving Demon are preparing things in Baiyue. They won't come to Xinzheng until after the snow melts next year."

Cao Ze calculated the time; it was late November now, and the snow would melt around February next year.

However, if he remembered correctly, the Corpse-Driving Demon came to Xinzheng after the Ghost Soldiers robbed the supplies and Liu Yi was killed.

Around April.

Damn it~ Why does my luck always turn bad in autumn and winter?

Cao Ze recalled the scenes on the grasslands and in Handan, and looked up at the sky speechlessly.

"How about I go to Baiyue and urge them for you?"

Yan Lingji squinted her eyes and said with a slightly sly look.

"No rush, no rush, I have plenty of patience."

Cao Ze said earnestly, "We still need you to cook and tend the fire, Fire-Foster Girl."

Yan Lingji immediately bristled, "How many times have I told you! Don't call me Fire Fighter!"

"Alright, goodbye, dear Firefighting Princess."

With his back to Yan Lingji, Cao Ze waved goodbye and left the courtyard.

Enraged, Fire Princess bared her teeth and brandished her claws, wanting to run out and fight Cao Ze to the death.

But she was stopped by Li Wu, who was holding a bamboo flute.

"What, trying to run away?"

Yan Lingji pouted her rosy lips and stomped her foot in anger.

It seems like she can't beat anyone! Everyone bullies her! It's outrageous!

"I'm not running! I'll kill him one day! Or may I be struck by lightning!"

Yan Lingji gritted her teeth, raised her fair and tender little hand, and swore an oath to the heavens.

A sudden rumble of thunder startled Yan Lingji, causing Li Wu to chuckle.

"Alright, the weather's changing, let's go back inside. It looks like it's going to snow heavily in the next few days."

The sky changed from clear to overcast, and clouds gathered.

Yan Lingji's little head drooped listlessly as she followed behind Li Wu, who was holding a baby, feeling that the future was bleak and hopeless.

After leaving the courtyard, Cao Ze didn't know where to go for a while.

I decided to just stroll around Xinzheng City, buying some trinkets as gifts for Honglian, Zinu, Yingge, Hongyu, Caidie, and Madam Hu...

Cao Ze was shocked when he did the math; he never imagined he'd have to buy so many gifts for girls.

If they go shopping together in the future, he'll be exhausted in this world without a spatial ring.

He decisively stopped at a roadside stall selling jade jewelry, bought a dozen identical jade bracelets, and then went straight back to Zilanxuan.

Hongyu and Caidie bowed together and said, "Sir."

"We're all family, no need to be so polite."

Cao Ze took out two jade bracelets from his pocket. "I bought these for you."

Hongyu and Caidie were overjoyed as they held the jade bracelet.

"Sir, this..."

Cao Ze waved his hand: "You've served me for so long, it's only right. I'm leaving."

After leaving the backyard, he suddenly remembered that he still had to tell Honglian about Dream of the Red Chamber.

When Cao Ze arrived at the palace, he ran into his brother-in-law, who had just left the palace. He couldn't avoid him no matter what he wanted to do.

"Brother Han, what a coincidence!"

Han Fei glanced at Cao Ze and snorted coldly.

He was already in a bad mood after being summoned and reprimanded by his father. When he saw Cao Ze sneaking into the palace, he knew without a doubt that he was looking for his younger sister, Honglian, which made him even angrier.

"What are you doing here?"

Of course, I'm going to do whatever I want... Cao Ze glanced behind Han Fei and solemnly said, "I've come to the palace to give a lecture at the invitation of Her Highness the Princess."

Just as Han Fei was about to shoo Cao Ze away, a clear voice came from behind him, "You're finally here! I've been waiting for you so long!"

Cao Ze smiled and said, "I ran into Brother Han on the way and we chatted for a while."

Honglian grabbed Cao Ze's sleeve. "Come on, let's go to my place."

"Little sister..." Han Fei gritted his teeth and said, "This is the royal palace! Don't pull or tug at me."

Honglian tilted her head slightly. "That's true."

Han Fei breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Honglian release her grip. "Be careful next time."

Let's talk about it next time.

Han Fei's eyelids twitched. "There won't be a next time!"

Honglian pouted and said to Cao Ze, "Look, I just said a few more words, and my brother reacts like this."

Cao Ze was overjoyed and echoed Honglian's words.

Han Fei clutched his heart, covered his face, and left.

He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be so angry that he would die.

Cao Ze followed Honglian into Honglian's palace.

Honglian impatiently instructed the palace maids to prepare dried fruits, candied fruits, and tea, which she then presented to Cao Ze, her eyes fixed intently on him.

Cao Ze knew that Honglian desperately needed nourishment, so he didn't interrupt and started lecturing, watering Honglian's parched and barren spiritual world.

This lecture discusses the approaching imperial palace.

It wasn't until a palace maid reminded her that Honglian suddenly realized what was happening, but she was still savoring the memory.

She couldn't keep Cao Ze any longer, so she could only say, "You can go now. Come back tomorrow. This princess will be waiting for you."

Cao Ze hesitated and said, "Coming and going to the princess's place so often might cause gossip."

He doesn't have the time to run to the palace every day and tell stories to a young girl.

It's not like we're the initiator; we can't just not contribute.

Furthermore, he is now on Madam Mingzhu's radar.

With Lady Mingzhu's spies everywhere in the palace, it's hard to say that she won't set another trap for him.