…
On the way back, Li remained silent.
Xia Fan wanted to comfort her, but he hesitated many times.
Saying that this is just the other party’s words without any evidence? But this was essentially lying to himself - to be honest, he had already believed what Tengu and others said. After all, both parties could reproduce offspring, and the offspring were still ordinary humans, which was enough to show that the two were essentially the same species.
That she was not necessarily abandoned? He felt that there was no point in saying such perfunctory words. If she had not been abandoned, how could she be picked up by Privy Council Qingjian in the bamboo forest
In the face of cold facts, any relief will pale in comparison.
"...Why do you keep looking at me?" Li suddenly looked at him and asked.
"Uh, I was thinking-"
"How do you want to revive my spirit?" She said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm not that fragile. From the time Master left until now, I have encountered many more difficulties than this. You know the most important skill for a demon to survive. What is it?"
"What is it?"
"Learn to forget the pain." Li said calmly, "Otherwise I wouldn't be alive today."
Xia Fan let out a sigh of relief, "It seems that I underestimated you."
"Hmph, I've long been used to the arrogance that humans have."
"Isn't it too far-fetched to distinguish between humans and monsters now?"
"Of course we have to separate them. Do you think that based on this alone, other people will regard demons as the same kind?"
Xia Fan raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, Li was calmer than he wanted.
"Indeed not."
"So I found that I didn't hate the person who gave birth to me that much." Li took two quick steps with his hands behind his back, "Think about it for a second, if I was just an ordinary person, but I gave birth to a freak with hair all over the body and a tail. She was probably too scared and didn't know what to do. She didn't drown me on the spot, but threw me into the forest, so I should be grateful."
This also made Xia Fan think of something deeper.
Why are there so few demons in the world? If everything is true as the Tengu said, when a family discovers that their offspring is a monster, the first thing they think of is to dispose of it secretly, so as not to spread the word and cause criticism, rejection, or even disaster.
Those who can be thrown into the wild are already a minority among the minority.
"If you had the chance, would you like to know who your relatives are?"
Li shook his head, "The moment they threw me into the woods, they definitely didn't want the demon to come back and look for them again, so no matter who they are, they have nothing to do with me."
At this point, she stopped and turned around, raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "After all, I am very satisfied with the current situation."
For some reason, Xia Fan suddenly wanted to touch her ears.
"Go faster, don't forget there is training tonight." Li urged.
He returned to reality instantly, "It's so late and you still want to practice?"
"Of course, this is the same as entraining qi. It requires perseverance." The fox demon said matter-of-factly, "You are now working in the headquarters, and you don't have to report in the morning. It doesn't matter if you go to bed later."
Xia Fan had no choice but to agree, "What about practicing subject one or subject two?"
"Subject? Hmm... It's quite appropriate." Li thought about it for a while, "Maybe we can come together."
"What?"
"When you were dealing with that woman named Qingzi, didn't you use two kinds of exercises at the same time? Of course, she is far behind me when it comes to skills, so you have to concentrate more."
“…”
Xia Fan suddenly felt that tonight would probably be a long time.
…
Wang Yi'an looked at the flickering candlelight in front of him and was lost in thought for a moment.
He has made countless transactions in his life, winning and losing, but in the end he won but lost too little. It was precisely because of this that he stood out from many of his peers and took over the power of Yanyan from the previous person in charge.
It can be said that the current Wang family is the fruit of these transactions.
Negotiating all parties, fighting openly and secretly, and profiting from it has almost become his instinct.
And now, a new deal is before him.
Wang Yi'an originally thought that there would be no more business that would embarrass him, but it turned out that was not the case.
Especially when what he desires is so close to him.
—For most trading, rewards and risks go hand in hand.
"Master, the second young master is here." The master's voice came from outside the door.
Wang Yi'an interrupted his thoughts, straightened his collar, and said, "Bring him in."
"Father..." Compared to his usual wild appearance, Wang Renzhi seemed much more honest at the moment.
Wang Yi'an felt his forehead twitching when he thought that he was clamoring to report to the state pastoral office at the beginning, claiming that there was a big conspiracy in Gaoshan County. On weekdays, he is free to be idle, arrogant and extravagant, but if he wants to do something like this, he is seeking death! Ren Zhi, Ren Zhi, all she wanted was that when he grew up, he would be able to do whatever he wanted and not be constrained by the family, but he didn't expect that he would take the initiative to get into this muddy water.
Wang Yi'an rubbed his forehead and said, "Tomorrow morning, I will find someone to take you back to your hometown."
Wang Renzhi looked stunned, "Go back to my hometown? I thought you were going to let me go back to the Privy Council Mansion. Wait a minute, dad, I'm an alchemist!"
"Only an eighth-grade official," Wang Yi'an said coldly, "Even if you are a court official, I am still your father! I have decided on this matter, and you don't have to fight anymore."
"Why?" He said with difficulty, "Princess Guangping hasn't arrived yet. Didn't you ask me to have more contact with Her Royal Highness?"
Wang Yi'an didn't even want to explain.
"Okay, when you get to your hometown, you will know everything." Then he winked at Master Lu.
The master nodded, "Second Young Master, I have finished explaining, please—"
"I won't leave!" Wang Renzhi shouted, "Dad, what is going on? Why did you send someone to intercept me on the road? Why did you lock me in the room? Why didn't you let me go back to the Privy Council Palace!? "
Master Lu has already called the servants outside the door.
"Master, I'm offended."
Three or four people worked together to restrain Wang Renzhi and drag him out of the room.
"Dad, what happened in Gaoshan County doesn't have anything to do with you, does it?"
The door was closed, and the sound was isolated.
"Sir, the second young master seems to have noticed something."
"If he still doesn't know anything about it even today after he was imprisoned, he would really be hopeless." Wang Yi'an sighed.
"But is it necessary to send him back to his hometown?"
"Ren Zhi is an alchemist after all. What if he climbs over the wall and escapes? At this time, everything must be done to be foolproof." At first, he had no intention of sending his second son back to his hometown. Although the princess's reaction was muted, it was not impossible to continue. try. However, the news that Xia Fan took over the command made him feel a huge warning sign - at least according to the information he had, the reason for the other party's meritorious service was simply untenable. But Princess Guangping not only did not deny it, but also vigorously promoted this statement. The strangeness in this is worth pondering.
No matter what, Wang Renzhi could not have further contact with the man named Xia Fan.
Especially after he received the secret letter from Yuan Cheng.
The other party promised in the letter that as long as Xia Fan could be eliminated, the Jinxia Privy Council would support the second son of the Wang family to replace him.
In the past, no matter what he requested from the Privy Council, or what the Privy Council asked him to do, there was no clear written evidence, but more of a hidden rule. The Privy Council is always aloof and does not regard people like him as true partners.
But now, things are a little different.
It is impossible for Yuan Zheng to be transferred back. What he wants is undoubtedly revenge, while the other three departments of the Privy Council hope that everything can get back on track. Judging from the returns alone, this is not a wild bet, and the transaction content is completely within the reasonable range. .
The biggest risk is that Xia Fan is already a fifth-rank official in the Privy Council.
And he has to rely on a power that is difficult for him to understand.
After a moment of silence, Wang Yi'an said in a deep voice, "Let Qingzhi inform the Donghai Gang that I have a task to give them."
He has made countless trades, both winning and losing.
But in the end, the majority won.
What's more, the Wang family still controls the salt industry, which has a strong foundation.
He trusted his own judgment, as he had done in the past.