Chapter 44: Don't Be So Angry You Spit Blood

The Thunder Tribulation struck the Dharma Staff heavily, and Cheng Xi spat out a mouthful of blood instantly, crashing hard onto the ground. Just then, everything went black before her eyes; she was enveloped by darkness, unable to hear any sound, and she fainted.

Before passing out, she only thought that the Black Dragon Bone had been consumed in vain, and one strike had sent her back to before the liberation.

Li Zhi'an reached out and grabbed the Jade Cauldron to put it away. Yan Yu caught up at this moment and questioned, "Chief of Tongtian, what have you hidden?"

Li Zhi'an held the White Jade Cauldron in his palm. "Pavilion Master Yan's eyesight is not very good; the item is still in mid-air. However, I fear Pavilion Master Yan has made this trip in vain. This is a Dharma Staff newly forged by my Tongtian Division; I did not expect it to attract a Thunder Tribulation."

Yan Yu looked at the Dharma Staff in mid-air with a dark face; golden light flickered around it, and it seemed even brighter after being tempered by the Thunder Tribulation.

"A Dharma Staff made of Lightning-Struck Wood?" Yan Yu recognized the Lightning-Struck Wood at a glance. He recalled that the Lightning-Struck Wood left behind on the Lightning-Struck Mountain peak last time had been snatched away by Li Zhi'an, and he never expected that in such a short time, it would actually be made into a Dharma Staff, and even attract a Thunder Tribulation.

Only a Heaven-Tier Dharma Artifact could attract a Thunder Tribulation for tempering. Since when did the Tongtian Division have such a formidable Artifact Master?

Just then, the Thunder Tribulation ceased, the sky cleared, and a hundred birds sang in unison.

Li Zhi'an flew up and took the Dharma Staff back into his hand. He had originally thought the staff would resist, but perhaps because of Cheng Xi's presence in his hand, the staff actually fell obediently into his palm.

Upon seeing this, Yan Yu no longer harbored suspicions; it was indeed an item of the Tongtian Division.

If it were not, a Dharma Staff that had recognized its master would not be easily controlled by others.

Yan Yu left with the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion with a dark face; it was simply a total loss of face.

Li Zhi'an looked at the people of the Tongtian Division. "Return to the city!"

Cheng Xi only felt it was very noisy in her ears, as if many people were talking, or perhaps it was her hallucination.

She saw the faces of many people, alternating and repeating as they flashed before her eyes.

She saw the situation of the first time she killed a Demon Beast alone; her Master sat on a treetop just watching, without the slightest intention of helping, and kept making sarcastic remarks on the side. In a fit of anger, she split the Demon Beast in two with one Sword, even shattering the Demon Core.

At that time, she was still very poor, and a Demon Core was worth a lot of money; her heart was about to break.

Because of this matter, she was even sought out by the Special Management Bureau and was invited to the bureau to drink tea for half a day before being released.

Because she was still a child and especially poor, the leaders above pitied her and did not make her cover the losses. Seeing her cry so miserably, they even let her become an external member of the Special Management Bureau, with a monthly salary, and subsidies if she participated in activities...

That was the happiest period of her life.

Later, Master died, and many uncles, aunts, and elders died. She grew up overnight, took over Master's burden, and desperately learned all kinds of things. She remembered Master saying that the inheritance must be passed down...

Inheritance...

Cheng Xi opened her eyes abruptly. A strange lotus-root-colored curtain hung above her head, and the scent of strong medicine surrounded her nose. Her head ached severely. She tilted her head slightly and was instantly stunned.

Baohua sat on the table, its wooden head looking at Li Zhi'an opposite.

It seemed her head hurt even more.

As she moved, Baohua and Li Zhi'an looked over almost at the same time. Then, Baohua jumped off the table with a 'whoosh' and hopped directly in front of Cheng Xi.

Cheng Xi stroked its head. "You were scared, weren't you? It's alright now."

Baohua nodded and glanced at Li Zhi'an again, its little head lifted slightly, quite in the posture of a fox assuming the majesty of a tiger.

Cheng Xi raised her eyes to look at Li Zhi'an as well, sitting up halfway and leaning against a soft pillow. "Did the Chief save me?"

"It cannot be considered saving; without me, you would have been fine too," Li Zhi'an said.

Cheng Xi smiled. "I wouldn't have died, but I would have been seriously injured. Many thanks."

Li Zhi'an nodded, indicating he accepted the thanks, and then looked at Cheng Xi and said, "Your Dharma Staff is with Bi'an. At that time, the Thunder Tribulation descended, and the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion chased after it, so I said the staff was an item of the Tongtian Division to help you cover for it. Now we need to go through the motions; I will retrieve it for you later."

Cheng Xi did not expect that the Demon Suppression Pavilion would be involved. Thinking of this, she suddenly smiled. "Pavilion Master Yan is probably going to be unhappy. Back then, he didn't snatch the Lightning-Struck Wood from the Chief, and now that a Dharma Staff has appeared and triggered a Thunder Tribulation, they will be even less happy. However, if they are unhappy, I am happy."

Li Zhi'an chuckled upon hearing this. "Are you not afraid of Yan Yu causing you trouble?"

"It is not certain who will cause whom trouble," Cheng Xi said, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Li Zhi'an stared at Cheng Xi. She wore a confident expression when saying this, not feeling weak in the slightest. His thoughts shifted, and he looked at Cheng Xi and said slowly, "Your mansion has been damaged by the Thunder Tribulation and cannot be lived in for the time being."

Cheng Xi asked immediately, "How are the people around me?"

"Fortunately, they ran fast; there is no danger to their lives."

Cheng Xi breathed a slight sigh of relief. "As long as the people are fine, the house can be repaired if it's broken. For now, I must find a place to stay."

Hearing this, Li Zhi'an's eyes flickered, and he spoke as if inadvertently, "You can stay here first. This is a courtyard under the name of the Tongtian Division; the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion dare not break in easily. Moreover, the Spirit Essence here is rich, which is suitable for you to recover from your injuries."

Cheng Xi was tempted as she listened. She was not afraid of the Demon Suppression Pavilion, but places with rich Spirit Essence were very hard to find. She spoke almost without hesitation, "Then many thanks, Chief. However, it would not be right for me to live in the Tongtian Division's house for nothing; I will pay rent."

"Rent?" Li Zhi'an found this term fresh yet appropriate. "The rent is waived. Eldest Miss Cheng's Spirit Tea is quite good; when you make tea, just share some with the Tongtian Division."

"Alright," Cheng Xi agreed. Her Spirit Tea was a good thing; if it were an exchange, the Tongtian Division would not suffer a loss. "We can be considered well-acquainted now, and with the grace of saving my life, you may address me by my name, sir."

Li Zhi'an glanced at Cheng Xi, nodded almost imperceptibly, and then added, "Since you are staying here, I will have someone bring your maid over."

"Many thanks, Lord Li."

"Since you want me to address you by your name, in the future, apart from official business, you may call me by my name in private."

"Alright," Cheng Xi did not think this was a big problem and agreed readily.

There must be give and take. The Tongtian Division is a large government office with deep foundations and plenty of news; there will be many dealings in the future, so naturally, it is better to have a friendly relationship with Li Zhi'an.

Li Zhi'an looked at Cheng Xi again before taking his leave.

Not long after, Mulan and Jinxiang and the others arrived. Zhao Mama brought Zhao Kang and brought over the things Cheng Xi usually used that hadn't been damaged.

The courtyard instantly became lively.

Baohua spun around happily and even jumped onto Zhao Kang's shoulder and wouldn't come down. Zhao Kang laughed foolishly and didn't pull her down, letting her sit on his shoulder.

Just at this time, Jiang Boyu arrived carrying food. Seeing Cheng Xi, he smiled and said, "This is truly fate. Before, Eldest Miss said to let Chi Laicheng go help, and now it's good; you've delivered yourself to the door. It's cheaper for this kid Chi Lai, he doesn't have to run errands."

Cheng Xi's heart stirred upon hearing this. She looked at Jiang Boyu and asked, "Lord Jiang, can the remaining Lightning-Struck Wood of the Tongtian Division be brought for me to see?"

Jiang Boyu was delighted. "Eldest Miss, are you thinking of making Dharma Artifacts that can trigger Thunder Tribulations for us too?"

Is Eldest Miss so generous?

If the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion knew, they would surely be so angry they'd spit blood.