Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person.

"Follow the laws of heaven and earth!"

The old macaque's body suddenly grew to twice its original size, becoming a burly, robust monkey-like human. Just as it was about to make a move, the egg began to work its magic again, freezing its long arms in mid-air.

Chen Ruoan smiled awkwardly, wondering where this old monkey had learned such strange and unusual phrases.

Such a minor change dares to presume to "follow the laws of heaven and earth"? What kind of spectacle would it be if the fox revealed its true form?

With a slight thought, Chen Ruoan revealed his true form and casually slapped down with a claw.

boom!

The old macaque was struck as if by a heavy hammer; its body flew out, smashing through several ancient trees before crashing into the depths of the dark, dense forest.

The surrounding monkeys, terrified by the fox's ferocity, scattered and fled in all directions, squeaking in alarm.

Just outside the Jade Emperor Valley, a great burst of Buddhist light appeared. A monkey, showing signs of attaining Qi, panicked and bumped into the monk Jiekong.

"What a ferocious monkey! Luckily, I've practiced Iron Head Kung Fu."

"Dead? What a sin, what a sin."

Splash!

The commotion in the forest grew louder and louder. Jie Kong sensed something was wrong. The monkeys were covered in an overwhelming stench of blood and exuded a violent and ferocious aura.

"Oh, what a sin! What a sin!"

Jie Kong jumped up and used the eighth technique of the Buddhist Vajra Kung Fu, the Mighty Vajra Leg, to kick the fierce monkeys back into the forest.

On the other side, the stunned old macaque scrambled to its feet, wiped the blood from the corner of its mouth, and looked up at the giant fox with eyes full of terror.

It hurriedly plucked a few strands of monkey hair, blew on them, and they transformed into several monkey clones, which fled in panic in all directions of the mountains and fields.

Following the lingering fragrance, Chen Ruoan's figure flashed and disappeared, as if playfully teasing a monkey.

"How did you find me?"

"Why do you want to kill me? Just because I eat people? In this world, wars are frequent, people are suffering, and temples in the mountains are reduced to dust overnight. Isn't this the result of people's own actions? I can still spit out the bones when I eat people, but when people eat people, I'm afraid they won't even spit out the bones?"

Chen Ruoan shook his head upon hearing this, thinking, "He really is just a book-reading monkey who can talk."

It's a pity that Monk Jiekong wasn't there, otherwise he could have countered with Mahayana Buddhism.

There's no way around it now; the fox, devoid of any Buddhist nature, only knows a little bit of martial arts.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Ruoan leaped onto the old macaque's head, his fox claws poised to strike.

boom!

"Sometimes I think about it, numerical dominance isn't so bad."

Once the slap landed, the fox transformed and landed amidst the rising dust. The rule that smoke doesn't cause harm seemed to be invalid in front of the old macaque.

died?

Chen Ruoan clasped his hands together and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Chapter 89 The Fox, This Love Tribulation Has a Different Solution

After Chen Ruoan finished off the old macaque, he immediately returned to Yuhuangou.

Deep within the dense forest where the monkey troop resides, there lies a hidden stone cave.

The old macaque hated humans to the core, yet its cave was filled with items looted from the world, including several Buddhist scriptures and martial arts manuals lost after the Shaolin Temple fire.

"Let's do each other a favor."

Chen Ruoan scoffed lightly, opened his mouth and swallowed, taking several large wooden boxes filled with books into his belly.

Upon exiting Yuhuanggou, the monk Jiekong was sitting cross-legged in the forest, performing a ritual to pray for the souls of a group of wild monkeys.

Those vicious monkeys that devoured flesh and blood and were filled with malice were all killed, leaving only a few ignorant and stupid monkeys huddled together, trembling and filled with fear.

Despite committing murder, Jie Kong remained calm and composed, nodding slightly to Chen Ruoan.

"Since you seem so pleased with yourself, I suppose you've already dealt with that wicked beast in the mountains."

"It was a macaque that was skilled at creating clones and escaping. I buried it in the ground."

Chen Ruoan exhaled a puff of mist, the wooden box fell to the ground, and then another figure, unconscious, appeared.

He pushed the items forward and said calmly, "I'll leave these things and this person to Master Jiekong."

"This is!?"

When Jie Kong saw the Buddhist scriptures he had lost and found, his eyes lit up with joy. He put his hands together, bowed, and said, "On behalf of Shaolin Temple, this humble monk thanks Benefactor Hu."

After saying this, he looked back at the mountain path, stacked the wooden boxes in order, put the unconscious man on the top, and carried them toward Shaolin Temple.

“Fox Benefactor, why don’t you come with me to the temple to rest?”

"Alright." Chen Ruoan followed slowly.

After passing through a landscape of broken walls and ruins, with charred and peeling murals, broken sculptures lying on the ground, and ancient cypress and locust trees mostly burned to ashes, the fox truly understood the cultural catastrophe brought about by war.

Jie Kong carefully hid the scriptures and sat cross-legged under an old tree.

Chen Ruoan stood to one side, his nose filled with the lingering smell of burnt smoke. The scenery here was dilapidated, and even the air smelled terrible.

Glug glug~

A soft sound came from Jie Kong's empty stomach.

The monk's cheeks immediately flushed slightly, his brows lowered, and his clasped hands tightened slightly.

Chen Ruoan watched, took out an egg and handed it over: "Want some?"

In the future, monks will certainly not have many Buddhist precepts. I just wonder if eating eggs will be considered as eating meat for monks in this era.

The monk Jiekong looked ashamed and sighed with his palms together, "This humble monk has failed to fulfill his duty as a host, and instead has troubled Benefactor Hu to give alms. I am truly ashamed."

"That means it's edible."

Chen Ruoan lightly touched the egg with her paw, and a round egg rolled to the monk's front.

Jie Kong picked it up, peeled it open, gently squeezed it, and then opened his mouth to bite the whole egg in one go.

"The chaotic universe is contained within a shell, without skin, bones, or hair. This humble monk will take you to the Western Paradise, so you can avoid being cut by a knife in the mortal world," he muttered.

"What delicious eggs!"

Jie Kong sighed, but the fox dared not reply, fearing that the egg's magic would take effect. If a monk followed behind calling for his mother, the scene would be too beautiful to imagine.

Having barely satisfied his hunger, the monk Jiekong asked the fox about his experiences and observations on his journey of cultivation, and the fox gave a few words in response.

This trip ended in Qinghe Miao Village, partly to test the legendary love potion, and partly to fulfill a promise and get to know Shufen better.

However, after mentioning the tribulations of love, the monk Jiekong had a different understanding.

“Fox Benefactor, this humble monk believes that this love tribulation has another solution.”

Jie Kong twirled his prayer beads and explained, “Benefactor Fox, in this world there is affection. Some say there is great love and small love. But in my humble opinion, whether one spends a lifetime saving all the people in the world or a lifetime saving only one person, the original intention is no different.”

"The essence of 'emotion' is the deepest emotion, yet it is not limited to romantic love between men and women. It also includes familial love and friendship between close friends. The word 'emotion' encompasses a myriad of emotions, so profound that it is difficult to put it into words."

“The love in my heart is not some narrow-minded obsession. I think the love tribulation that Benefactor Fox speaks of is certainly not a simple matter of romantic love. There must be a deeper spiritual practice behind it.”

"As for where good results ultimately come from, the cause and effect are mysterious and cannot be explained in Zen, so it is not something that this humble monk can easily explain."

"Hey... Master's words are really profound," Chen Ruoan casually remarked.

Fortune tellers and monks always seem to beat around the bush for ages, only to end with a vague statement like "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed" or "Zen enlightenment is self-evident," and then nothing more.

Why not just say it outright? Is it really that satisfying to be a riddle teller?

Despite her complaints, Chen Ruoan secretly pondered Jie Kong's words.

The idea that foxes must overcome the tribulations of love to become immortals is merely a legend and a record in ancient texts. No fox has ever been certain that it must rely on romantic love to attain enlightenment.

But where will this "deepest affection" ultimately land?

The fox pondered for a long time without finding a solution, so he simply threw the question back at the fox: "Master Jiekong, have you ever experienced a love that was truly unforgettable?"

Upon hearing this, Jie Kong was suddenly startled, his thoughts drifting back to the small town with its gentle mountains and soft waters before he received his vows.

He recalled the swaying reeds, the tender lotus pods and bitter lotus seeds, the series of footprints of varying depths on the mudflats, and a pair of small feet with crescent-shaped arches, gently stepping on his insteps through the cool, slippery mud.

The monk stared blankly for a long time before slowly shaking his head and chuckling softly, "Never."

Jie Kong lowered his eyes, tightened his grip on the prayer beads, and let out a soft sigh that dissipated in the wind.

Today, I finally broke my vow.

This spiritual practice is like drinking water; only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold. No matter how much is said, it's merely a personal realization. I'm ashamed, truly ashamed...

I know perfectly well that the word "love" is never a narrow thing, but when I talked about deep feelings just now, what surged in my heart was only that small town, and only that innocent and carefree old time with the girl next door.

Seeing Kong's flustered expression, Chen Ruoan unconsciously curled her lips upwards.

Something's fishy.

It seems like digging up dirt on people is quite enjoyable; after all this time, the fox has really picked up a whole host of wicked tastes.

He stopped pressuring Master Jiekong, his fox tail swaying gently: "If it's not there, it's not there. Monks are free from worldly desires, so naturally it's not there."

"No, no, no, you are wrong, Fox Benefactor. Purity of the six senses is not the same as being heartless. Heartlessness is like withered wood and dead ashes, devoid of joy, sorrow, feeling, and thought. Purity of the six senses, however, means being aware of things without being confused, and being moved by emotions without being attached."

"Ah."

Chen Ruoan nodded in agreement, turned around, narrowed his long, narrow eyes, and examined the Prayer Tree in his mind.

A pale blue precious certificate hangs on a branch, engraved with the name of the monk Jiekong before he converted to Buddhism—Wang Minghai.

It was a chance encounter, and we only spent a short day together. For it to be of such high quality, that's quite remarkable.

"Should we wait a bit longer and deepen it a bit more?"

Chapter 90 Shaolin Kung Fu is awesome!

Chen Ruoan took small steps toward the well-preserved Thousand Buddha Hall, passing by the ruins where the black smoke had not yet dissipated.

The ancient tree was hidden behind the dark fence. After being burned during a calamity, its trunk was completely charred and its deep roots rotted in the mud. There was no sign of life flowing through it, and the fox's wood-elemental magic was completely useless.

In March, the arsonist troops left, leaving only a few patrolling soldiers to stop the monks from putting out the fire.