In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 217 Special Treatment

Ning Xiaoxi was stunned. She was truly stunned. Who had Di Fei offended? They were really going to kill him!

"How could this be?" Ning Xiaoxi murmured softly, recalling the aloof Di Fei and his subordinates who were covered in wounds.

"Di Fei was ordered to take a valuable treasure from his family to the royal city to meet the king." Tianji's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. "Since leaving Yanzhou, we have been pursued all the way. We only received your support in Fuyun Mountain and Fuyu Valley. None of the other nine teams that received the information came to our aid."

Ning Xiaoxi looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with shock. She had thought that she was the only nominal official within a hundred miles, which was why she hadn't seen any other support personnel. But it turned out that wasn't the case.

Tianji turned his head to look at Ning Xiaoxi, "Before Difei died, he used a special secret method of the Fu family to send a message back to his family, informing them of your support and the inaction of the other nine teams. However, he did not know who really killed their team. The corpses left at the scene were all ordinary soldiers. With the ability of those soldiers, it was impossible for them to kill Difei and his five subordinates. They would have had difficulty even killing one of the subordinates."

Ning Xiaoxi's shock was undisguised; it was directed at the soldiers whose bodies were possessed by demonic spirits. Recalling her two rescue missions, she realized they had also faced great danger. Had she not appeared, they might have been killed on those two occasions.

If she hadn't run so far away, would she have received Difei's distress call? Would they have survived?

She shouldn't have been lazy.

"Xiao Xi!"

Ning Xiaoxi looked up at Tianji in a daze.

Tianji reached out and pulled Ning Xiaoxi over to sit on the bench next to him. "Xiaoxi, you've done your best."

Ning Xiaoxi lowered her head, her two fingers intertwining and twisting.

"You only crossed paths at that distance, and you did your best to help them. If you go the last time, those people can even kill the Earthly Fiends. Even if you, a mere subordinate, go, you will only be throwing your life away in vain."

Ning Xiaoxi looked up at the heavens, "You know perfectly well that's not true."

Tianji raised his hand and pressed down on Ning Xiaoxi's head, preventing the officials behind her from seeing her expression. "Xiaoxi, just like the darkness of the earth, once you become a Celestial Master, you must bear the corresponding risks. Every year, Celestial Masters of all levels perish in the battle against demons, and you and I are no exception!"

A tear fell onto the back of Ning Xiaoxi's hand, and she still felt very sad. You clearly said they were killed, not killed by demons. Even if those people were possessed by demon souls, the killers were still humans, not demons.

Tianji patted her head and said, "Don't worry, the Pavilion won't let this matter go so easily. The Left Vice Pavilion Master is already on his way to investigate."

Ning Xiaoxi, tears welling in her eyes, looked up at the heavens and asked, "Left Vice Pavilion Master?"

"Yes, Vice Pavilion Master Zuo was very pleased to learn that you had twice rushed to Difei's aid. Knowing that I was on my way to Yandu, he specifically asked me to come and inquire about the circumstances of your meeting."

Ning Xiaoxi wiped away her tears and looked at Tianji with some eagerness, "Is there anything I can do?"

"Don't think about anything else, just come with me to Yandu." Tianji said to Ning Xiaoxi without any room for argument.

Ning Xiaoxi pouted and said in a muffled voice, "Okay."

After the two finished talking, Sui Lanting came up to tidy up the tea set.

Ning Xiaoxi looked up and greeted Sui Lanting, "Subordinate Sui, we meet again."

Sui Lanting smiled and replied, "Minister Ning looks very different. I didn't even recognize him just now."

Ning Xiaoxi smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Oh dear, I'm not that big anymore, I've just grown a bit taller!"

"You've grown taller?"

Ning Xiaoxi's smile vanished instantly, and she looked at Tianji with a mournful expression, "My lord, I've grown so much taller, didn't you even notice?"

Tianji looked her up and down and nodded slightly. "Hmm, it does seem to have grown a bit."

Another official brought over a large tray with roasted meat, flatbread, and mutton soup, which smelled delicious.

When Ning Xiaoxi saw several subordinates go to sit down at another table, she thought of getting up and following them.

"Sit down!" Tianji's voice brooked no argument.

Ning Xiaoxi glanced at the officials and said, "Sir, I think I'll go sit with Sister Sui and the others!"

Tianji raised his eyes and stared at her.

Ning Xiaoxi sat up straight and obediently, but still muttered under her breath, "It's not good to get special treatment!"

"You're already quite special to me. Go ask around in the pavilion, everyone knows you're under my protection!"

Ning Xiaoxi smiled ingratiatingly and stopped muttering.

"Before Difei was killed, he encountered you, an outsider. They didn't find anything, so they'll inevitably come to harass you. Don't cause any trouble recently."

"My lord, I am innocent." Ning Xiaoxi protested her innocence. "Look around, when have I ever started any trouble? This time I was just helping out. Am I supposed to be indifferent to my colleague's plea for help? If I don't lend a hand this time, no one else will be willing to lend a hand when I encounter trouble in the future."

Tianji looked at him with a disappointed expression, "If you're going to get involved, you should at least consider whether you have the ability!"

"There was no time to weigh things back then. By the time we'd weighed everything, the daylilies would be cold." As if afraid the daylilies in front of her would get cold, Ning Xiaoxi picked up a piece of grilled meat and put it in her mouth.

"You!" Tianji looked speechlessly at the girl who was sticking her neck out to him, afraid that if he continued talking to her, he would lose his temper and hit her.

The four subordinates at the next table huddled like quails, never having seen their lord so out of control!

"Mmm! My lord, this roast meat is delicious!" After saying that, he picked up the chopsticks in front of Tianji and put a piece of roast meat on his plate, praising it incessantly. "I have eaten roast meat in Jizhou, and the taste is completely different. The spices here are more complete, and it has a unique aroma of the west."

Tianji smiled silently at her eagerness. Why should he bother arguing with this little girl?

Ning Xiaoxi seemed to sense that Tianji's mood had improved a lot, so she started eating and drinking more freely.

Night fell, the sky was filled with stars, and the temperature was pleasantly cool on a windless night.

Ning Xiaoxi followed Tianji to help him digest his food.

"Chaos has fallen asleep."

Tianji's sudden remark stunned Ning Xiaoxi; how did things suddenly veer towards the South Heavenly Gate?

"Fortunately, the semi-explosives just attacked this year, so they shouldn't be discovered for several years. Over time, there will always be traces."

Ning Xiaoxi didn't respond to that question. She only had a cave dwelling that couldn't hold living things, which was similar to the function of a space talisman.

"Did you wipe out the Corrupted Thorn Demon?" Tianji asked again.

Ning Xiaoxi looked calmly at Tianji, "Does Your Excellency want to settle accounts with me?"

"That day, Hou Qing mobilized his clones to attack and kill the people who had wiped out the Corrupted Thorn Demons, but the clones were destroyed."