The young monk was eager to get rid of the binding rope that was making it hard for him to breathe. He nodded and said urgently, "I heard that Master Shi Chan was expelled from Bodhi Temple last night. You can't find him on the mountain either!"
Liuli was startled. Her hands trembled, and she exclaimed in astonishment, "Expelled... from Bodhi Temple?"
Her heart ached little by little. She had heard Master Shichan say more than once that if he broke the precepts, he would be expelled from Bodhi Temple. He also said that Bodhi Temple was his home, and if he were expelled, he would have no home. How much he valued Buddhism and Bodhi Temple! Now, the place he considered home had cruelly driven him out. He must be very sad and heartbroken now.
Liuli looked at the little monk and asked with a cold expression, "Do you know where Shichan went after he went down the mountain?"
The young monk looked distressed and shook his head, saying, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."
Liuli realized that it was impossible for him to know Shichan's whereabouts. She reached out and recalled the Binding God Rope, then turned and flew out of the dense forest without a word. She looked around for a moment outside the forest before flying north.
As she flew rapidly forward, her mind was in turmoil. All she could think about now was finding Shi Chan as quickly as possible. She could even imagine his sadness and despair, and all she wanted was to stay by his side, comfort him, and prevent him from becoming too heartbroken.
She flew over Bodhi Temple without stopping, soaring straight through the sky.
Shortly after she flew away, large patches of golden light flew rapidly from the north and east, converging above the Bodhi Temple before landing there one after the other.
--
After leaving Bodhi Temple, Shi Chan strolled along the ancient road. He had changed into the monk's robe that Shi Ning had given him before their parting and walked slowly along the ancient road.
If one were to travel south from Pure Land Mountain, one would be approaching the border of the Central Plains. Therefore, Shi Chan did not head south but instead traveled north. He had been walking since mid-morning of the previous night until now, around noon, and had arrived at the northern border of Yuanzhou, strolling leisurely across a vast plain.
This wilderness stretches for about a hundred miles, with a main road running through the middle leading to the cities on both sides. A little further away from the main road is a small village, surrounded by fields.
As Shi Chan walked along this single path, he could see a cowherd boy playing a flute, while other children sang along. Their clear, melodious voices carried far and wide, and sounded exceptionally pleasant.
The child was singing what sounded like a folk love song from the countryside, and it went like this:
"The long gate has once again missed our appointed time, the sound is clear and mournful, my rosy cheeks are stained with dust, and I speak in my dreams. The twenty-three strings play urgently, the flowers fall, and I stand alone. Only this melody can express my heart's feelings. The moon sets, the cuckoo cries, and the catkins fly away with the frost. I only wish that you would remember my promise from now on..."
As Shi Chan listened to the carefree flute music harmonizing with the singing, the gloom in his heart was gradually dispelled. A smile slowly appeared on his lips, and the sorrow in his eyes eased, revealing the original clarity and wisdom in them.
Just then, four black lights streaked across the sky. Three of them did not stop, but one of them seemed to have seen Shi Chan's figure on its way and stopped abruptly. When the light dissipated, Yu Ke's figure was revealed.
Immediately afterwards, the remaining three beams of light stopped, and the four beams of light fell one after another.
Li Molin, Yu Ke, Ji Jue, and Lang Yuan formed a four-corner formation around Shi Chan, while Ling Xi perched on Lang Yuan's shoulder. She searched around Shi Chan for a while but couldn't find Liu Li. A hint of disappointment appeared in her beautiful deep blue eyes.
Shi Chan stood in the encirclement, surveying Li Molin and the others with a calm and composed expression.
Li Molin's face was cold and stern, but deep in his eyes was a look of deep worry. Liuli had already revealed her identity as a nine-tailed fox, and she was not by his side at the moment. He was really worried about her safety.
He looked coldly at Shi Chan and asked in a chilling voice, "Monk Shi Chan, where is Liuli now?"
Shi Chan paused for a moment, then shook his head and said in a low voice, "This humble monk does not know."
Li Molin's expression grew increasingly angry, and he asked in a deep voice, "Didn't Liuli come to see you last night?"
Shi Chan's eyes twitched slightly. He remained silent for a moment before saying, "Miss Liuli came to see this humble monk."
Li Molin couldn't help but step forward and press, "Then how can you not know where Liuli is? Tell me where Liuli is right now, or I'll kill you!"
Shi Chan shook his head slightly and said softly, "This humble monk does not know where the young lady is. Even if you were to kill this humble monk, I would not be able to say."
Li Molin's eyes were filled with anger as he said in a cold voice, "Liuli went to look for you, but you don't know where she is now. Needless to say, you've hurt her feelings again, haven't you?"
A hint of sadness appeared on Shi Chan's face. He lowered his head deeply and said in a low voice, "Yes, this humble monk has once again hurt the young lady's heart, time and time again... hurting her heart."
A flash of black light appeared in Li Molin's hand, and he had already grasped the skull staff. His eyes were filled with anger as he shouted, "Yu Ke, Ji Jue, Lang Yuan, all of you, attack and kill this monk!"
Yu Ke, Ji Jue, and Lang Yuan responded in unison, while Ling Xi nimbly jumped to the ground. She ran far away and obediently squatted on the ground, showing no intention of making a move.
A golden light flashed across Shi Chan's body, and the Seven Treasures Kasaya was already draped over him. He watched as Lang Yuan, Li Molin, and the other two men charged towards him menacingly, but his face showed no fear. He used the Zen Purification Pearl to summon various Buddhist artifacts, distributing them around himself. When Li Molin, the other two men, and the demon attacked, Shi Chan waved his hand, and the Buddhist artifacts shot out in all directions.
Currently, Shi Chan's cultivation level is at the late stage of the relic stage. Although he is only one step away from the realm of Buddha's mind, it is still worlds apart from the realm of Buddha's mind.
Li Molin's cultivation level was at the early stage of the Demon Heart realm, and the inner core within Wolf Source's body had already transformed into the shape of a small wolf, making his cultivation level equivalent to Li Molin's. Yu Ke and Ji Jue, on the other hand, had cultivation levels comparable to Shi Chan's.
Therefore, under the siege of these three people and one demon, Shi Chan soon found himself in a difficult situation. Fortunately, he had a Seven Treasures Kasaya to protect him, which prevented him from losing his life.
Li Molin swung his skull staff away, deflecting a golden demon-subduing pestle. Then, he closed in on Shi Chan, unleashing a sharp blade about a foot long from his skull staff, which swiftly pierced towards Shi Chan's neck.
Shi Chan stepped to the left to avoid the sharp edge of the skull staff, but Li Molin reacted quickly and slashed downwards, the sharp edge slicing from Shi Chan's right shoulder toward his chest.
At this moment, the seven-jeweled kasaya on Shichan's body emitted a dazzling golden light, which enveloped the sharp edge and instantly pulverized it.
Li Molin withdrew his skull staff and stepped back, frowning and muttering, "This cassock is really troublesome."
He pondered for a moment, then shouted, "The cassock is truly troublesome! Wolf Source, Jade Ke, Ji Jue, use your ancient demonic artifacts!"
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