As Juechen gazed at the wet little fox before him, a smiling face appeared in his mind.
Suddenly, a voice kept clamoring in my heart.
Kill it...kill it...
Juechen's eyes were dark, he gripped his staff tightly in one hand and held the Buddhist prayer beads in front of his chest in the other. He closed his eyes and chanted scriptures to suppress the interference of his inner demons.
Mu Tiantian sensed that the demonic aura emanating from him was growing stronger and stronger, and she stopped in her tracks.
Qi Tong: [I think you shouldn't get too close to him right now. Although his hatred level isn't full, he's practically half a snake demon now, and he's also tormented by inner demons. If he recognizes you, he could easily kill you if he loses control.]
Mu Tiantian: [When can I get close to him?]
Seven-Point Strategy: [Try to approach him only after he has regained his senses and suppressed his inner demons, or when he is too weak to fight you. This is the safest approach.]
Following Qi Tong's advice, Mu Tiantian took a few steps back and hid again.
The rain was getting heavier and the sky was getting darker.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Juechen opened his eyes, but the little fox was gone, as if it had just been an illusion.
He told himself that it was just an ordinary fox, not her.
Don't let your inner demons affect you.
He was fully conscious and picked up his staff to walk forward.
However, he was too weak to stand and needed to find shelter from the rain.
If the injury worsens and affects one's mind, thus giving one's inner demons an opportunity to take advantage, then it will be all over.
He quickened his pace.
Mu Tiantian followed quietly behind him.
There is a cave at the foot of the mountain not far away.
Boom!
A very thick and long bolt of lightning was followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
The sound was deafening.
Mu Tiantian was startled. She didn't care about anything else and quickly ran to Juechen's feet, hiding under his robes, hugging his legs, and sitting on his feet.
She was surrounded by trees and didn't want to be struck by lightning.
Juechen felt the warm touch on his leg and paused in his steps.
He looked down and saw a little white fox hugging his leg.
That wasn't a hallucination.
He calmed himself down, bent down and picked up the little fox, glancing at it through the flash of lightning.
It had no demonic aura or spiritual energy; it looked just like an ordinary fox.
Boom!
Another deafening clap of thunder, even more violent than the previous one.
Mu Tiantian rushed forward, hugged his neck, and buried her head in the crook of his neck. He had a faint scent of sandalwood on him, which made her feel much more at ease.
Wet droplets slid down his shoulders and neck.
Juechen's expression faltered slightly as memories he had almost sealed away resurfaced...
He was chanting sutras and reciting Buddhist prayers in the meditation room, while the little fox nestled on his lap and slept.
Thunder rumbled outside the meditation room, startling the little fox awake.
He stroked her fox fur and teased, "What, scared?"
"Afraid? I'm not afraid at all," the little fox said confidently. "What's there to be afraid of in mere lightning?"
Just as she finished speaking, thunder rumbled again outside the door. Although it wasn't loud, it wasn't too bad either, and she wasn't afraid at all.
After a while, the thunder outside the door suddenly became deafening, and the little fox was so frightened that it jumped up and hugged his neck, trembling.
He stroked her head; the soft, white fur felt wonderful to the touch. He chuckled softly, "Weren't you afraid?"
"Who knew the thunder would suddenly be so loud? It almost deafened me."
"Shall I cover your ears for you?" he said, reaching out to cover her ears.
She blinked; the thunder had indeed subsided.
She asked, "Then what about your chanting of scriptures?"
After a while, he pulled her into his arms, pressed one of her ears against his chest, covered her other ear with his left hand, and continued to tap the wooden fish with his right hand.
“That will do.” His chest vibrated slightly as he spoke, the sound reaching her ears.
He held her in his arms, covered her ears, and chanted Buddhist scriptures.
Let her sleep peacefully...
Boom—
The thunder in the woods grew louder and louder, and the torrential rain was swept up by the gale.
Mu Tiantian's fur was soaked, and she sneezed.
Juechen didn't throw her away, but instead held her in his arms and walked into the cave.
The cave was pitch black, but through the flashes of lightning, one could see some branches piled up in the corner.
Juechen put the little fox down and prepared to pick up some branches, but the thunder outside the cave showed no signs of abating.
Mu Tiantian followed him around, occasionally carrying a few twigs for him.
He piled the branches together, sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and his pale lips moved slightly.
Soon, flames lit up the branches, illuminating the entire cave.
Juechen took off his kasaya and monk's robe, wrung out the water, and placed them by the fire to dry.
He was only wearing a white undershirt, with three grotesque scratch marks on his chest.
Mu Tiantian sat by the fire, looking up at the wound on his chest, which had stopped bleeding.
The wound is still a bit black.
Mu Tiantian was still a little worried: "Qitong, is he alright?"
Qi Tong: [It's nothing serious. He has the demon core of a python spirit inside him, so his wounds heal quickly. He'll inevitably fall seriously ill, but don't worry, he'll generally recover from whatever illness he gets.]
Seven Masters: [If you're really worried, you can also infuse him with some spiritual energy. After all, you consumed plenty of immortal flowers and herbs back then, so your spiritual energy is plentiful. It might even be able to dispel the demonic energy from him.]
When Mu Tiantian first came into this world, she was just an ordinary fox, not even a demon.
To accelerate her cultivation, Qi Tong found her a Valley of Immortal Herbs, which was filled with immortal flowers and spiritual herbs.
Mu Tiantian was able to quickly cultivate into a human by eating those things, and she had no demonic aura at all, but was instead full of celestial energy.
Rather than calling her a fox demon, it's more accurate to say she's a fox fairy.
Mu Tiantian: [Let's talk about it after he falls asleep.]
His physical condition is not good right now. Although his demonic aura has weakened considerably compared to before, it is hard to guarantee that he will not be affected by his inner demons after recognizing her.
Therefore, she should still be careful.
Juechen leaned against the cave wall, his dark eyes fixed on the little fox sitting opposite the fire, not blinking as if trying to see through her.
Mu Tiantian felt uneasy under his gaze, her eyes darting away. She lay on her paws, closed her eyes, and pretended to go to sleep.
Mu Tiantian: [Seventh Master, let me know if he's asleep.]
Qi Tong: [OK.]
"Come here," Juechen said weakly, his voice as gentle as flowing water.
His tone carried an air of unquestionable authority.
Mu Tiantian looked up at him when she heard the voice, somewhat puzzled. Was he talking to her?
He said to her again, "Come here."
There were only the two of them in the cave, so he was talking to her.
Mu Tiantian hesitated for a moment, wondering what he was going to do.
After a while, she walked over.
Juechen reached out and lifted her up, placing her in front of him. He then picked up his half-dried monk's robe and used it to wipe her hair.
After drying her off, he put the monk's robe back by the fire, then leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com