Chapter 105 Rebirth

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  Crowds surged forward without end, shoulder to shoulder, this is what they call the prosperous Suzhou city.

  Since entering the city gate, Joana was like a bird out of its cage, unable to hold back and constantly sticking her head out of the carriage window, excitedly and curiously looking outside, enjoying herself immensely, finding everything fresh and delightful.

  She was born with a stunning appearance, and her beautiful face was fully exposed without any cover-up, attracting countless fervent gazes along the way. Especially when she passed by some bookish scholars, they thought she was a noble lady out for a stroll, and their hearts were filled with joy. They hastily showed off their skills, trying to attract her attention. Among them, two or three immediately began reciting poetry loudly, with dramatic pauses and inflections, reading with such passion that their throats trembled and their saliva flew everywhere, truly reciting with great enthusiasm.

  "What a racket! Each one of them is shouting like a rooster!"

  Miss Huangpu suddenly let out a loud "River East Lion's Roar" and those scholars were frightened and quickly slipped away into the crowd.

  Chen Jianchen saw it, couldn't help but feel annoyed, but in order to avoid some unnecessary trouble, he said to Jiao Na: "Miss Huangfu, won't you go back inside the carriage?" Jiao Na was enjoying the scene too much and refused to listen.

  Chen Jianchen's face turned stern: "You're not listening, be careful or Mr. Lü will use his ruler on you."

  When she heard the words "whip", Yuanna reluctantly sat back, but still couldn't help but lift up the curtain and make a slit to take a peek.

  "Master... Master, it's really you..."

  A familiar voice, then saw a person rushing out of a book and painting stall on the street excitedly, wasn't it Zhang Huanyu, that bookworm?

  After several days, Bookworm still wore the same old clothes, but he was much cleaner and more tidy all over, no longer sloppy and unkempt as before, at least looking like a normal person now.

  "Oh, it's you, Zhang. What are you doing here?"

  Chen Jianchen told the coachman to stop the carriage.

  Zhang Huanyu suddenly bowed deeply and said: "On that day, the young master did not leave his name..."

  "I thought I would never see you again, sir."

  Chen Jianchen chuckled: "It's just a matter of lifting one's hand, no need to worry." He then pointed at the book and painting stall on the other side and asked: "Is this Zhang brother's?"

  Zhang Huanyu's face turned red with shame and said: "A poor and humble man, I have no way to make a living, so I set up a small stall, just to supplement my family's income."

  Chen Jianchen's heart moved, and he already knew that his strategy of ordering the book demon to be as beautiful as jade had taken effect. Although so far, Zhang Huanyu was still unwilling to sell part of the family's collection of books to improve their living conditions, at least he had stepped out of the bookroom, which was like a birdcage, and started selling calligraphy and paintings on the street, really starting his own business to supplement the family income. Compared to his previous foolish and dazed appearance, this was already considered a new life.

  "Zhang, the sages have said 'of all virtues, filial piety is the first'. As a grown man of seven feet tall, in his prime years, why still needs an old mother to take care of and nurture him with bitterness and hardship? Reflect on yourself, do what is good."

  Zhang Huanyu sighed and said: "The words of the benefactor have awakened me from my dream, I am ashamed to have read the books of the sages... Looking back on past events, they are still vivid in my mind, like a dream, a foolish dream. I have decided that after settling down, I will diligently study the classics and participate in the imperial examination next year to obtain an official position and fame." He had read countless books and was also skilled at writing eight-legged essays, so he usually ranked high in the annual examinations and thus obtained the qualification for next year's imperial examination. With Yan Ruyu by his side guiding him, Zhang Huanyu had a good chance of passing the examination.

  Chen Jianchen bowed his hands and said, "Then I'll congratulate Brother Zhang in advance for being on the list next year, and making a name for himself throughout the land." Zhang Yunyin returned the courtesy and said, "I observe that young master has an extraordinary air about him, he's definitely not ordinary, I believe that one day we'll both be officials in the same court, at that time, I'll invite Honorable Chen to be our honored guest."

  Hearing this, Chen Jianchen burst out laughing: After being possessed by the book spirit, he indeed became much more quick-witted.

  The two parted ways, and Zhang Yu was still standing in the middle of the street, seeing him off reluctantly.

  Arrived at the inn, met up with Wang Fu and his party, handed over some matters, and more or less came to an end.

  Thinking of the impending separation, Lu Xi was melancholy and heartbroken, unable to utter a word.

  Chen Jianchen came downstairs and suddenly found that Jiao Na was gone!

  When asked about Xiaojie, Xiaojie replied: "Just now Jiaona said she wanted to go out for a convenience." Upon hearing this sentence, Chen Jianchen knew that things were going to get worse.

  Jianna obviously made an excuse to slip out and have fun: but in such a big Suzhou city, where should she go to look for her?

  "Nonsense!"

  Chen Jianchen cursed under his breath, also blaming himself for being momentarily careless. He knew that Jiao Na was a lively and restless person, so how could she be expected to behave like a gentle lady in Suzhou?

  That's not Joan anymore.

  At this time, Xiaojie also reacted and was frightened, asking Chen Jianchen what to do, if the young lady had an accident, the problem would be serious.

  As for the possibility of something happening to Joana, Chen Jianchen wasn't worried. She was a fox spirit who had attained human form through cultivation, and ordinary people couldn't compare to her. What he feared was that she would stir up trouble everywhere and attract a lot of problems.

  After some thought, Chen Jianchen told Xiaojie and the carriage driver to wait at the inn while he went out alone to look for Jiaona. Xiaojie had also wanted to go, but Chen Jianchen stopped her, saying she was just a young girl who hadn't seen much of the world and might get lost herself while trying to find someone else.

  Such things often happen.

  Chen Jianchen took big strides and first went to search on the nearby streets.

  But then Jianna made an excuse to get rid of Xiaojue, and slipped out onto the street. Looking at the bustling crowd, she suddenly felt that the sky was free for birds to fly and the sea was wide enough for fish to leap. She wandered around, looking left and right, skipping and jumping along, and before long, she had walked a long distance without even realizing where she was.

  She didn't care, anyway, she strolled along, and happened to see a vendor selling candied hawthorns on the street. Looking at the strings of them, bright red and juicy, extremely tempting, she couldn't help but walk over.

  The hawker enthusiastically picked a big bunch and handed it over, shouting: "Big and sweet candied hawthorns, miss, try one, guaranteed you'll buy three after eating one!"

  Jianna didn't care about anything, she just picked it up and ate it, her eyebrows opening with a smile as she praised: "It's really sweet." In just three or two bites, the whole string of candied hawthorn was gone.

  The hawker asked again: "Do you want any more?" "Yes." Then, with one hand on either side, each took a string of candied hawthorns, licking one and biting the other, feeling extremely pleased.

  The peddler smiled: "Miss, eleven copper coins for a big discount."

  Jianna was stunned, and only then did she remember her father saying that when taking something from someone's house in the human world, one must pay for it. However, she had never left home before, and she didn't even have a single coin on her, so what could she do?

  Yes, of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, retreat is the best plan.

  Having made up his mind, he immediately withdrew his legs and ran towards the street alley.

  This time it's the turn of the little vendor to be stunned: What kind of world is this? When did you grow up to look like a flower and jade?

  The girl also eats plain food, has she had a tyrant meal?

  "Miss, you haven't paid yet."

  Shouldering his gear, he rushed after them with all his might.

  Jiona didn't know the way, and the alley she chose turned out to be a dead end. After running dozens of steps, there was no road ahead, but only a bare wall. Without hesitation, she muttered an incantation and used the "wall-penetrating technique". Her small body charged straight at the wall and passed through it instantly, disappearing without a trace.

  This is...

  The peddler behind saw it and was shocked, almost popping his eyes out: "Monster, there's a monster!" He was so scared that he threw away the candied hawthorn in his hand and rushed out screaming.

  "Anida Butsu!"

  A Buddha's name, like the morning bell and drum, suddenly sounded in his ears, shaking his eardrums and clearing his mind. The peddler looked up to see a tall monk standing beside him, wearing a white Buddhist robe. The monk had a full face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a handsome face, looking very young. With his upright posture and spotless white robes, he gave people an ethereal feeling, completely different from ordinary monks.

  He held a nine-ring Zen staff in his right hand and supported a bowl with his left hand, which had a flat bottom and a small mouth. The whole body was purple-red, and the hidden virtues flowed out of it, making it clear that it was not an ordinary object.

  The monk smiled and said, "This donor is polite. I am the dawn monk of Jinshan Temple. The sky is clear and bright. Why do you shout that there is a monster?" The vendor swallowed a mouthful of water and immediately told what had happened.

  "Oh, is this really happening?"

  At dawn, the monk's mind was already clear. He stepped into the small alley, looked around with bright eyes, and stopped in front of the wall at the end. Suddenly, he spat a mouthful of saliva into the bowl held in his left hand.

  Buzz!

  Inside the bowl, a sudden change occurred, with misty vapors rising, and in the blink of an eye, a pool of clear water emerged.

  The water is clear and transparent, like a mirror reflecting things.

  In fact, inside was reflecting a dynamic mirror image. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the entire process of Joana running into the alley and then casting "Wall Walking" to walk through the wall intact just now.

  "It turned out to be a small fox spirit that had been practicing for a hundred years, humming under the bright daylight, and actually dared to transform into human form and rush into the bustling city, simply unaware of its own death. Well, this poor monk wants to refine the Dawn Tower, and just needs to suppress 999 transformed demons and ghosts to refine the tower spirit...". Thinking of this, a smile appeared on his mouth, as bright as sunlight, if he wasn't a bald monk but a scholar, such a gentle smile would have captivated countless young ladies.

  "Master, is it a monster?" The little vendor asked in a low voice, trembling with fear as he followed behind.

  "It's indeed a demon, I'll go and subdue it now." With a leap of his body, he lightly floated over the wall, his figure exceptionally elegant, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

  The peddler, seeing this, suddenly felt a pious heart and knelt down on the ground, knocking his head loudly: It's said that all the monks in Jinshan Temple have high spiritual powers and are all enlightened monks. Indeed! It seems that I should go to Jinshan Temple more often to burn incense and worship Buddha from now on.

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