Bai Shuo crumpled to the ground, paralyzed with helplessness. She had lived in luxury and privilege for years, prideful and carefree. Only now did she understand how powerless she truly was—not only in the face of immortality but also in the matters of the mortal world.
“Even if Prime Minister Chong is guilty, A-Zhao… A-Zhao knew nothing… Father, please, save him…” Her voice broke as she pleaded.
“Guards!”
Hearing Chong Zhao’s name, Bai Xun’s expression softened slightly, but he hardened his heart and turned away, calling out loudly.
“General.” At once, guards appeared outside the ancestral hall.
“Confine the young lady to the ancestral hall for three days. She is not to leave without my permission!”
“Yes, General.”
“Father!”
Bai Xun left without another word, and the heavy doors of the ancestral hall closed behind him, trapping her inside.
Just as Bai Shuo stood there, a trapped animal, she heard a soft crack from the corner of the room. A gust of wind blew in, flickering the candlelight. Turning around, she saw a donkey’s hoof reach in through the window and leap nimbly into the room.
It was the familiar Wu De the donkey, though its size had clearly shrunk to fit its way through the strict defenses of the General’s residence.
Bai Shuo looked at the donkey in silence, a glimmer of caution in her eyes. With the fall of the Chong family and A-Zhao facing death, it seemed she had suddenly matured overnight.
“Hey!” a mischievous voice sounded in the room.
Startled, Bai Shuo looked around.
“Don’t bother looking—I’m here!” Wu De the donkey tapped the floor with its hoof.
Bai Shuo cast a suspicious glance at the donkey as it circled her.
“You were playing the big hero back on Mu Xiao Mountain, so why are you all shriveled up as soon as you return to the capital?” The donkey, remembering how Bai Shuo had tricked it repeatedly on Mu Xiao Mountain, took the chance to mock her.
Bai Shuo pursed her lips. “Why did you bring me back? And… that… that master of the Hao Yue Palace? Didn’t he want to kill me?”
The donkey flicked its ears with a huff. “Oh, he wanted to, but lucky for you, I’m all courage and loyalty. I risked my life to save you and that clueless oaf.”
Bai Shuo frowned, clearly skeptical, and Wu De the donkey snorted, quickly changing the topic. “And yet you’re sitting here worrying about Hao Yue’s master? What about that young fool of yours?”
“Can you save him?” Bai Shuo asked, her expression lighting up as she stepped closer. “Yes, you’re a demon; you must be able to save him, right?”
“I can’t save him.” Wu De the donkey shook its head. “That flower demon caused such an uproar here that the capital is now crawling with heavenly sages. They’re stationed all around the city to prevent the demon clans from stirring up trouble. I’m injured myself, so if I tried to break a death-row prisoner out of the Heavenly Prison, I’d be skinned alive by the celestial forces before we even reached the city gates!”
Bai Shuo’s eyes dimmed, but the donkey’s voice broke the silence once more.
“However, although I can’t save that fool of yours, I can give you one last chance to see him.”
“Really?” Bai Shuo still sounded skeptical. “But didn’t you say you’re injured? How will you get into the Heavenly Prison?”
The donkey snorted, flicking its tail. A soft green glow flashed, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared from view. Bai Shuo glanced around, hearing only the tapping sound of hoofbeats on the floor.
The faint green glow reappeared, revealing the donkey once more. “All it takes is a concealment charm. As long as you sit on my back, I can take you into the Heavenly Prison, but we’ll only have one moment.”
Bai Shuo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What is it you want in return, Long Er the donkey?” she asked, finally calling it by its name.
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