Volume 2 Chapter 81: Mutual Rescue

  The mountain forest was dense and vast, with two black-clad guards holding sharp blades leading the way in front, startling many birds into flying away in a flurry.

  Leng Daoshi followed behind the team, walking while looking around. Suddenly, he shouted loudly: "General, stop! There is a monster here!"

  Zhou Tongling let out a cry, waved his hand, and ordered the troops to stop advancing. In a low voice, he asked: "Master, under the bright sky and clear air, where did this evil creature come from?"

  The empty-handed master sat down on the ground with his legs crossed, closed his eyes, and suddenly his two round ears flapped wildly like two small fans "whooshing" back and forth.

  This scene was very strange, attracting everyone's attention. However, Zhou Tongling seemed oblivious, bowing and arrowing, with a pair of small eyes wide open, paying attention to the surroundings.

  "Ah!"

  The empty great master suddenly opened his eyes, took off a string of beads hanging from his neck, and shouted: "Monster, quickly show up and die!"

  Hmph!

  The rosary flew out and spun to the right, flying past.

  There was a lush grassland, the rosary spinning and coming, the scriptures engraved on each bead suddenly emitted a few rays of golden light, as if it had locked in a certain target, and went straight down.

  Hush!

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, the grass was blown away by the strong wind, and immediately a white fox appeared, its fur like brocade, which was indeed Bao Ning.

  At the sight, Zhou Tong, the leader on the other side, hastily shouted: "Master, don't kill him, capture him alive and flay his fur to present to His Majesty." He had extraordinary eyesight and saw at a glance that the fur on Yinniang's body was extremely precious and unmatched in the world. If it were damaged, it would be a pity. If he could flay it intact and present it to his superior, such a heavy gift would at least enable him to rise one rank in office, and wealth and glory would soon follow.

  There is a rumor in the world that deep in the mountains there lives a fox demon, which has cultivated a spiritual aura. Eating its flesh can prolong one's life; taking its elixir can greatly increase one's martial power; wearing its fur can ward off cold and evil spirits.

  At this, Zhou Tong had always been half-believing and half-doubting, but as soon as he saw it now, he immediately understood that the rumor was true, so he hurriedly stopped Kong Daoshi, lest he smash the fox demon to pieces with a single rosary bead, and then everything would be over.

  Knowing that Kongdashi is a Buddhist monk, he has cultivated the Five Transformations of Body and Mind, with great power, and is not an ordinary monk. The rosary he just released is also not ordinary, but a Dharma instrument.

  When he heard Zhou Tong's words, Leng Kong Da Shi slightly frowned. He had originally planned to use his magical instrument to capture the fox demon and then use a secret method to refine it into a guardian spirit without self-awareness, which he could control at will. Now it seems that Zhou Tong clearly wants to intervene and take away the fox demon to present as his own merit.

  Hmph, this martial artist is quite cheap...

  The Empty Great Master had to rely on the imperial court, and there were still many places where he could rely on the Black Shirt Guards. It was not necessary to turn against a small fox demon, so he nodded and said with a benevolent face: "Subduing demons and eliminating evil is something that our kind should naturally do. However, since the leader has spoken, I will spare this demon's life for now and hand it over to the leader to deal with. Heaven has the virtue of giving life, good! Good!"

  Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

  They were talking over there, and on the other side, Yin Ning was frozen in place by a circle of golden light emitted by the Buddhist rosary, unable to move at all. Wanting to struggle with all her might, she couldn't break free. The various Taoist spells she had learned didn't have one that could resolve the current predicament. Compared to human bodies, demon bodies really had too many shortcomings. Even if their cultivation was equal and their magical powers were evenly matched, when it came down to actual combat, a demon body would definitely be at a disadvantage, and might not even be able to withstand a single blow.

  Nothing else, just because cultivators have magical tools in their hands, while monsters often rely solely on their physical bodies.

  The tool's effect is enormous, and its uses are many. Take the empty great master's rosary, for example, which has a name: "Demon-subduing Mantra Ring". It can specifically pin down an enemy's yin spirit and essence, making it difficult to display any magical powers or techniques no matter how skilled one is.

  Unable to break free, Yin Ning was so anxious that tears were about to flow down her face. She regretted not listening to Xiao Yi's words and escaping at the first opportunity to find Master.

  "Yin Ning, sister, Xiao Yi has come to save you!"

  Suddenly, a shrill cry pierced the air, and from beneath the grass, a small figure sprang up and recklessly charged towards the "Demon-Suppressing Circle" suspended in mid-air.

  It jumps really high!

  Bang!

  The sound is loud and shakes people's eardrums.

  With a crash, Xiaoyi suddenly felt that his little head had hit an iron mountain, with golden stars filling the sky, seven orifices bleeding, and he fell straight to the ground, limbs pointing towards the sky, unable to move.

  It was hit by it, and the golden light suddenly revealed a flaw. Yinniang immediately rushed out cleverly, quickly hugged the mouse demon that fell to the ground, and swiftly turned around to rush into the dense forest.

  It happened suddenly, and the empty great master was caught off guard, furious: "Daring mouse demon, how dare you ruin my good things, see where you run!"

  He withdrew his magic weapon with a wave of his hand, took off the large red kasaya, shook it out and leaped onto it, sitting on the kasaya in hot pursuit.

  Hou Mian Zhou Tong also shocked and angry, a loud order, led the crowd of black shirted guards rushing over.

  But Ning held the mouse demon, whose life or death was uncertain, and took advantage of his familiarity with the terrain to sprint for a while before suddenly turning back and quietly leaving the mountain from another direction.

  In mid-air, Kongdai Master sat cross-legged on a large red cassock, as if sitting on a flying carpet. He clasped his hands together and once again performed the Buddhist technique. His two Wind-Calling Ears flapped wildly - this was a Buddhist technique called "Listening to the Wind", which allowed him to hear the sounds of nearby demonic activity.

  But this time, Kong Daoshi was disappointed. He circled around in the air, listened carefully, and those two little monsters seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

  "How is that possible? Do they also possess the art of concealing their breath? Hmph, these two demons are quite extraordinary, to have let them escape, it's truly a pity and hateful."

  He searched again but still couldn't find anything, and his own magic was greatly depleted. He had no choice but to stop and land in front of Zhou Tong, clasping his hands together: "Commander, they got away."

  Upon hearing this, General Zhou fiercely drew his treasured sword and with one slash cut down a nearby tree as thick as a bowl, exclaiming in anger: "How detestable!" With the loss of such immense wealth and honor, how could he not be enraged?

  He paused for a moment, then asked: "Master, this mountain has evil spirits, it must have a cave mansion, and it's very likely that the spiritual vein you mentioned is located there. Why don't we make a surprise attack and capture them all at once?"

  The Empty Great Master said: "Good, the leader's words are reasonable. However, according to my observation just now, the two demons should do the opposite and leave the mountain."

  Come out of the mountain?

  Zhou Tongling's face suddenly changed: "Not good!"

  The Empty Great Master asked: "Why is the ruler so flustered?"

  Zhou Tong said: "If the two demons come out of the mountain and run into Wu Gongzi waiting outside, won't they vent their anger on them and suddenly attack?"

  Upon hearing this crucial point, even the Empty Great Master changed color and said: "In that case, we should first leave the mountain and meet up with Wu Gongzi!"

  Wu Wenzai, as the only son of the Minister of Rites and a special envoy for Buddhist affairs, held an extraordinary status. If he were to be killed by evil forces while traveling with others, neither Master Kong or General Zhou could escape blame.

  They rushed out of the front mountain at their fastest speed and returned to the forest where the horses were tied up - fifteen fine horses, not one less, but Wu Wenchang and two black-shirted guards were gone. After searching around in vain, they waited for Master Kong to cast a spell before catching a whiff of blood and the faint scent left behind by the fox demon and mouse demon.

  The thing I least wanted to see has happened.

  Zhou Tongling and Kong Dashi stared at each other, both seeing a hint of desolation in the other's eyes...