A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

The morning bell had just rung three times, and the thin mist in the forbidden area behind Jinshan Temple had not yet completely dissipated.

Dog turned over in the Demon-Locking Array, exposing his belly to a small patch of sunlight filtering through the stone window lattice. It was warm and cozy, making him hum with pleasure.

The crisp tinkling sound rang in my ears several more times—

It was the Buddhist chains at the center of the formation that were bumping against each other in the morning breeze, which was quite annoying.

Dog opened one eye and smacked his lips.

Damn it, I dreamt about those old awful things again.

I also seemed to dream about that little bastard Ji Zuodao peeing all over me when we were kids.

He tilted his head and glanced outside the formation.

A small, bald man was cautiously pushing a rough pottery bowl little by little through the gap left in the array's core.

The bowl contained only clear broth and a few rotten vegetable leaves floating on top; you could count the grains of rice.

Dog pursed his lips, his face full of disgust:

"I'm telling you, Jinshan Temple is an ancient temple with a history of over a thousand years, and you've spent countless amounts of money on incense offerings, and this is what you feed people? It's just watery soup, not a drop of oil in sight, are you feeding rabbits?"

He reached out and poked at the bowl, the soup sloshing around: "No wonder the White Snake Lady drowned it back then, what a stingy woman!"

When the little monk heard him speak, he was so frightened that his hand trembled and he almost dropped the bowl on the ground.

He was about twelve or thirteen years old, with a round face and wide, bulging eyes that seemed to be filled with terror at the thought, "How did this monster wake up?"

"Hey, you little bald monk, I need to talk to you about something."

Dog slowly got up, shook his glossy black fur, and strolled to the bowl.

He raised one front paw and placed it on the rim of the bowl, his black eyes staring at the little monk, the tip of his tail swaying idly.

"Go get me some pig's head meat, the kind with a good balance of fat and lean, trembling and glistening with oil. And a jar of wine, not the vegetarian wine brewed in your temple, it's too weak, I want the strong liquor from Zuixianlou down the mountain."

The little monk's face turned pale. He clasped his hands together and chanted in a trembling voice:

"Amitabha... The Buddhist temple is a pure land, abstaining from meat and fish, without these... these things..."

"No?"

Dog-Grandpa grinned, revealing two rows of sharp, white teeth, his smile utterly malevolent.

"Fine. If you don't do it for me, I'll tell your master. I'll say that the little monks at Jinshan Temple are abusing dogs, not feeding them, and trying to starve my poor old black dog to death in the Demon-Locking Array."

"You...you're talking nonsense!" The little monk's face flushed red with anger, like a ripe persimmon. "I clearly brought you food! Isn't this the food?!"

Dog looked down and glanced at the bowl of bland soup.

Then, under the terrified gaze of the young monk, he opened his mouth—

"Awoo."

He swallowed the bowl and rice in one gulp.

The rough earthenware bowl made a muffled "gurgling" sound in his throat, and then it was gone.

Dog licked his lips and looked up innocently:

"What food? I didn't see any. Forget food, I didn't even see a plate. Little monk, you didn't secretly eat it yourself, did you?"

"You...you...you're being unreasonable." The little monk pointed at Dog Master, his fingers trembling, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"Hey, hey, look at you, you're in such a hurry again. Don't rush, let's keep business as it is..."

Dog quickly retracted its paw, its tone surprisingly carrying a hint of "coaxing a child":

"I'm not one to hog everything. Here's what I'll do: I know there's a dog hole in that low wall behind your back door. You can sneak out and buy some. Don't worry, if you get it, we'll split it 50/50. It's on me."

He squinted, lowered his voice, and spoke in a vivid, evocative way:

"Just imagine, that glistening, trembling, stewed pig's head, sandwiched between freshly baked sesame flatbreads, one bite, and your mouth is filled with the aroma of oil, the fragrance of meat mixed with the scent of wheat... Tsk, you've never had that before, have you?"

The young monk's Adam's apple bobbed noticeably as he swallowed hard.

He quickly closed his eyes, put his hands together, and began to chant "Amitabha" in a mumbled voice, but his tone was already a bit off, and his mind was clearly not on the sutra.

Doge's "Devil's Whispers" continues:

"And that pungent roasted barley flour, the smell alone is enough to irritate your nose. One bite, and it burns from your throat all the way down to your stomach, warming your whole body. Then, take a bite of pig's head meat, and the taste...it's amazing!"

The young monk's chanting of the Buddha's name was completely off-key, and his lips were suspiciously glistening; he was practically drooling uncontrollably.

Just then—

"Alright, Yongxin."

A calm yet authoritative voice came from the stone steps at the entrance to the forbidden area.

"You may leave."

The young monk, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, turned around, clasped his hands together in front of the person who had come, bowed deeply, and ran away as if fleeing down the stone steps.

That silhouette looked like it was being chased by a dog.

Dog slowly turned around, raised his hind leg, scratched the base of his ear, and then lifted his eyelids to look at the person who had come.

In the morning light, a middle-aged monk, wearing a golden robe, a five-Buddha crown, with a face as handsome as jade and a solemn appearance, slowly walked down the stone steps.

He walked with remarkable steadiness, his robes remaining perfectly still, and a faint golden aura emanated from his body, creating an atmosphere completely out of place in this dark and forbidden place.

"Oh my goodness—"

Doggy drew out the words, his voice filled with exaggerated surprise and an irresistible smirk.

"Who do we have here? Isn't this my dear senior brother? Master Faming, abbot of Jinshan Temple, a high-ranking monk who has attained the Bodhisattva level!"

He tilted his head, his dark eyes darting around on Faming.

"I thought you were going to leave me hanging for a few more days while you figured out how to deal with me."

Faming stopped three steps away from the Demon-Locking Array, his gaze calmly falling on the large, glossy black dog in the array, which exuded a roguish and sinister air.

He stared at it for a long time, then sighed softly.

There seemed to be a faint, indescribable, complex emotion in that sigh.

"It's been decades."

Faming spoke, his voice still calm, yet carrying a sense of stagnation that seemed to transcend the passage of time.

"You wear this dog's skin, eat raw meat and drink blood, mingle with evil spirits, and even aid and abet evil, all for the sake of so-called freedom?"

Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

Dog Master repeated the three words as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

With a "hiss," he grinned, revealing sharp, white teeth, his smile unrestrained and arrogant.

"How could it not be worth it? It's fucking worth it!"

He paced back and forth in the formation, his tail held high, with an almost boastful smugness.

"What's wrong with being a dog? Being a dog is great! You can sunbathe whenever you want, run around whenever you want, bite whoever you don't like, go find food when you're hungry, and go to sleep when you're tired."

"No need to get up early to chant scriptures, no need to strike that broken wooden fish, no need to kowtow to the clay Buddha statue, and no need to try to figure out the wicked schemes in the bellies of you bald monks!"

He stopped, turned around to face Faming, and the mockery in his eyes vanished instantly, leaving only a cold sneer.

"Back in the temple, I looked like a proper person, wearing monk's robes, chanting Buddhist scriptures, and imitating your way of walking and talking. But what was the reality?"

"I'm no different from a trained dog. No, I'm not even as good as a dog. At least a dog can guard the house and get leftovers. What about me?"

"You have hung a glittering bone in front of me."

"You all urge me to run forward with all my might, to run with all my might, to cultivate a higher level of Buddhist teachings."

Dog's voice gradually lowered, carrying a chilling quality that remained vivid even after many years.

"I thought you were doing this for my own good, but I only realized it later. You made me run so that my meat would be firmer and my muscles and bones would be stronger, so that when you eat me, it will be more chewy and more nutritious."

The air in the forbidden area seemed to freeze instantly upon hearing those words.

Water droplets seeping from the cracks in the stone wall fell with a "plop" onto the moss-covered ground, the sound clear and jarring.

A crack finally appeared on Faming's face, which had been filled with pity and calm.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and a flash of golden light appeared deep in his eyes.

"Stubborn to the end."

He slowly uttered four words, his voice carrying the sound of metal and stone, which caused the light barrier of the Demon-Locking Array to ripple slightly.

"This is your fate!"

Faming's tone returned to its cold and resolute tone, carrying a condescending, judgmental air.

"It was Jinshan Temple, it was I, who gave you form, gave you a name, and gave you the opportunity to know the Dharma!"

"Without us, you would still be nothing but an invisible, intangible, and muddled shadow, without even the chance to be a dog!"

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Dog suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he was doubled over, his black fur trembling, and tears were almost streaming down his face.

"Yes, yes, yes! Senior Brother is right! I was ungrateful, I was treacherous!"

He finally managed to stop laughing, wiped away non-existent tears with his paw, and said in an exaggerated tone:

"For a mere minor demon like me to be able to obtain a physical body and learn Buddhism is truly an immense blessing! I should be eternally grateful and kneel down to lick your toes, thanking you for bestowing upon me this blessing of being a whetstone and a garbage can!"

Dog changed the subject abruptly, and lazily wagged the tip of its tail.

"Here's what we'll do, Senior Brother. Consider it my way of repaying a debt of gratitude. Release me, and we'll call it even."

"Seriously, take my advice, Jinshan Temple might still have some worshippers. Otherwise, you'll end up offending Bureau 749..."

Upon hearing this, Fa Ming's face revealed a subtle hint of mockery.

"Bureau 749?"

He chuckled softly.

"Do you really think that Bureau 749 would risk going to war with Jinshan Temple for a mere old dog like you? Would they really be an enemy of a true Divine Realm cultivator who has attained the Bodhisattva level? Would they really want to completely sever ties with this ancient temple, this sacred Buddhist site?"

He shook his head slightly, as if pitying Dog Master's delusional fantasies.

"You overestimate yourself. You're just a worn-out, rebellious piece of junk."

Doggy listened quietly, his nonchalant expression slowly disappearing.

He squatted in the center of the formation, tilting his head, his dark eyes staring unblinkingly at Faming.

Then, slowly, he grinned.

The smile grew wider and more exaggerated, revealing all the sharp teeth, which gleamed white in the morning light.

But there was no smile in those dog eyes, only a bottomless malice.

"Hehe...hehehe..."

Dog's laughter was low, hoarse, and strange, echoing through the empty forbidden area.

"I'm so sorry, my dear senior brother."

He licked his sharp canines, his voice as soft as a whisper, yet carrying a chilling certainty.

"My connections, Dog Lord..."

"Beyond your imagination."