Tangtang was so anxious she was on the verge of tears. Grabbing Yaya’s wings, she stuck her finger right into Yaya’s beak to pry it open. “Spit it out, quick! That stinks and tastes terrible! I’ll buy you sesame balls to eat instead…”
Yaya fluttered her wings in struggle, letting out a barrage of panicked chirps.
Just as the child and the crow reached a stalemate, Gu Yanzhao spoke up, interrupting the chaotic duo. “Tangtang, crows naturally feed on carrion…”
Although he couldn’t see the black mist Tangtang kept referring to, the fact that a crow—an animal driven by an instinct for corpses and rotting meat—had eagerly devoured it in one gulp only further proved that his attackers were not living human beings.
Tangtang’s small hands loosened their grip on Yaya’s wings. She looked over at Gu Yanzhao with a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
“Yaya swallowed that black mist nearly fifteen minutes ago and hasn’t shown any signs of distress,” Gu Yanzhao explained with immense patience. “That means the mist doesn’t harm her…”
Tangtang pulled her gaze back and stared at Yaya for a moment. *Well, as long as it doesn’t hurt Yaya, I’ll just work harder to catch more black mist and feed it to her like candy drops…*
Once all the black mist was drawn out from Mo Feng, Tangtang rolled it into six round little black pellets and carefully tucked them inside a porcelain bottle sealed with an evil-subduing talisman.
Only after finishing all this did she plop down on the ground, her face pale with exhaustion.
Mo Feng stretched his limbs, his expression a mix of delight and utter shock.
The young master was truly incredible!
Even though he couldn’t see or understand what that lethal black mist actually was, the crushing weight that had been pressing down on him earlier had undeniably vanished!
Overcome with astonishment, Mo Feng immediately dropped to one knee. “Thank you, Young Master!”
The little girl’s eyes darted back and forth. She held up two fingers toward Mo Feng. “Two copper coins!”
Uncle Feng dressed in pitch black and didn’t look like he had any money. Since he was her father’s subordinate and counted as one of their own, she would offer him a friendlier price.
Mo Feng furrowed his brows at her words. The young master had saved his life—what were two copper coins compared to that?
With that thought, Mo Feng pulled out two one-hundred-tael banknotes and offered them to her. “Young Master, take these to buy snacks. Once I return to the capital, I will surely prepare a grand gift to express my gratitude properly!”
Tangtang glanced at the banknotes, pouted, and huffily turned her head away. “I don’t want those! Tangtang isn’t short on paper!”
Master had said that whenever you save a life, you must collect payment!
Uncle Feng could just put it on credit if he didn’t have copper coins, but why was he giving her two sheets of scribbled paper instead?
Did he think Tangtang was a naive little child who was easy to fool?
Hmph! Tangtang was very smart and wouldn’t be tricked so easily!
The little girl pouted, scrambled up from the ground, and turned to leave.
She didn’t have time to squabble with Uncle Feng right now. Master was about to be buried, so she had to hurry and make preparations. Once she finished, she would come back to collect Uncle Feng’s debt!
Mo Feng clutched the two banknotes, sinking into a deep pool of self-doubt.
*What paper? These are genuine, high-denomination banknotes! How could I possibly have the nerve to scam the young master with plain paper!*
…
The midday sun was glaring and hot. Tangtang stood before Taoist Master Qingfeng’s grave, her lips pressed tight and her eyes red as she watched her master’s coffin slowly being buried under the earth.
“Master, have a safe journey… Work hard down in the Underworld, and try to score a high-ranking official post as soon as you can. If anyone picks on me, you have to come back up to back me up…” Tangtang choked back her sobs, throwing handfuls of joss paper into the flames.
Suddenly, Tangtang snapped her head up. *Wait, something’s not right!*
Ever since Master passed away, she hadn’t seen his spirit even once.
Connecting this with how Master had been covered in black mist before he died, and then thinking of the black mist on her father and Mo Feng, she abruptly realized that Master’s death might be connected to the assassins targeting her father!
Tangtang bit her lower lip hard, her tiny fists tightly clenched.
Whether she had to scale mountains of daggers or plunge into vats of boiling oil, she was going to dig out the truth!
If this black mist was truly behind all this trouble, she would raise thousands—tens of thousands—of Yayas to devour every last bit of it!
Seeing his daughter so crestfallen, Gu Yanzhao offered gentle comfort. “Don’t be sad. Father promises to bring Tangtang back every year to pay respects to your master, alright?”
Tangtang turned her head to look back at Qixia Temple behind them. She gave a listless nod and then followed Gu Yanzhao away with resolute steps.
After traveling all the way back, it was already noon the following day when they arrived at the Eastern Palace.
By now, Tangtang had buried her grief deep in her heart. She was staring wide-eyed at the magnificent palace before her.
The little girl swallowed hard and whispered, “Yaya, am I dreaming? Peck me awake, quick…”
Without the slightest hesitation, Yaya pecked gently at the top of Tangtang’s head. “Tangtang, does it hurt?”
Tangtang rubbed her head and gave a dazed nod. “It hurts a little. Yaya, it’s not a dream!”
Father’s home was so huge and beautiful—he really was from a wealthy family!
The moment the little girl stepped one foot across the main entrance, the scene before her shifted drastically. The palace that had just looked so grand now emitted a dense, overwhelming surge of black mist.
Tangtang’s small face darkened. She took a step back, and the palace instantly reverted to its beautiful appearance from a moment ago.
Gu Yanzhao sharply noticed Tangtang’s unusual behavior. He paused and asked in a low voice, “Tangtang, are you tired? Let Father carry you inside…”
Tangtang shook her head, her expression solemn. “Father, why haven’t I seen Mother or my brothers yet?”
Where on earth was all this cursed black mist coming from?
A flicker of deep sorrow flashed across Gu Yanzhao’s eyes. He let out a soft sigh before saying, “Your mother fell ill and has been fast asleep ever since. Father will take you to see her in a little bit.”
*Fast asleep ever since?*
Tangtang glanced back at the eerie palace and gave an obedient nod.
The black mist at Father’s home was shooting straight into the sky. It would be a miracle if Mother were doing just fine. As for those brothers she had yet to meet, they were probably in the same boat.
The little girl huffed, resting one hand on her hip. Anyone wanting to harm her father’s family would have to answer to King Tangtang first!
Perched on Tangtang’s shoulder, Yaya trembled violently; it had seen that sky-soaring black mist just now, too.
The black mist on Mo Feng had held a fatal attraction for it, but the black mist in Tangtang’s father’s home only made it want to flee as fast as possible…
Yaya opened its beak and let out a few squawks. Tangtang held it tight against her chest and softly soothed it, “Don’t be scared, Yaya. Tangtang will protect you!”
Unable to see the towering black mist, Gu Yanzhao held Tangtang as he walked into the Eastern Palace as if everything were completely normal.
“Your Highness, you’re finally back…” Eunuch Fuquan wiped his tears, dropped heavily to his knees, and threw his arms around Gu Yanzhao’s leg.
During the days Your Highness was missing following the ambush, His Majesty coughed up two whole bowls of blood! Her Majesty the Empress couldn’t bear the shock and kept fainting over and over. The whole imperial palace is currently in absolute chaos!
Your Highness is blessed with great fortune and has finally returned—the heavens truly have eyes!
“What are you crying for? Am I not back now?” Gu Yanzhao’s voice carried a hint of helplessness.
Fuquan had grabbed his leg so unexpectedly that if he hadn’t maintained a solid stance, his daughter would have gone flying.
“Aren’t you going to get up?”
Fuquan suppressed the joy in his heart and stood up. When his gaze caught sight of the little girl cradled in his master’s arms, he froze in surprise.
His Highness was normally cold-hearted and detached—he hadn’t even held any of his own young masters when they were born! So why did he bring back an unfamiliar young girl in his arms?
Fuquan couldn’t help but look up at the sky. He was pretty sure the sun hadn’t risen from the west today!
Was this really his master? Since when did he show a touch of human warmth?