sinovels Chapter 46 Lord Tuolong
Chapter 46 Lord Tuolong
The Taoist priest and the Buddhist monk exchanged blows.
The green light from the fingertip gently touched the golden Buddha hand that was being struck, and a deep, metallic sound rang out, rippling through the air.
The two remained locked in a stalemate, with Huiming radiating brilliant Buddhist light, determined to extinguish the faint blue light at Song Quyou's fingertips.
But the green awn never faded; instead, it became even more radiant.
A burst of green light appeared, and the golden Buddha hand instantly shifted and shattered, startling Huiming so much that he retreated repeatedly, staring in shock at the hand covered in cuts.
His face could no longer maintain its compassionate facade; he glared at Song Quyou with a mixture of shock and anger.
"Master, my fat cat is not bad by nature. It just doesn't mean anything by it. It must have misunderstood that your sect has always had the practice of converting evil spirits into Dharma protectors. I hope you won't hold a grudge against a cat."
Hearing this, Huiming had a way out. His face regained its compassion, and he said, "May Buddha have mercy." Holding up his hand, which was covered in cuts, he turned and left the courtyard with his eyes lowered, heading up the mountain.
Song Quyou watched as the figure of Monk Huiming disappeared at the end of the stone steps. The black charcoal in his arms relaxed, clinging to Song Quyou's arm, its plump body slumped down, and it made a satisfied gurgling sound in its throat.
"You," Song Quyou patted Heitan's forehead helplessly, "You've only just arrived and you've already caused trouble. What is that 'Buluona' thing? How dare you steal it and eat it?"
Little Black Charcoal retaliated, stubbornly saying, "I've eaten every edible fish with Su Tang. Today, I saw two golden demon fish in the lotus pond behind his temple. I only ate one to change my appetite. It's already a big favor that I didn't completely eradicate the evil."
Song Quyou looked down at the dark, fluffy ball lying in his arms, the two rows of neat buttons on its belly standing out conspicuously.
"You're right."
"Hmph, cats are always right."
……
The matter was dropped.
Song Quyou sat on the steps, folding the purification talismans in front of him into paper cranes one by one. Next to him, the girl from the well sat carefully picking vegetables with a bamboo tray in her arms.
Meanwhile, the troublesome little black cat had calmed down and was lying on the wall in the warm sun, sprawled out like a soft cat pancake.
The afternoon sun slanted into the courtyard, and the black cat on the wall was fast asleep, its belly rising and falling with its snores, occasionally kicking its legs, as if dreaming of something.
After Song Quyou finished folding the last paper crane, he gently blew on it, and the paper crane took flight, circled once in the courtyard, and landed back in his hand.
He folded up the paper crane, moved the bamboo tray from the girl's lap, and naturally helped her pick vegetables.
"Young lady, how many years have you been living in this courtyard?"
The girl with the well frowned slightly and pondered, "It's probably been over a hundred years. Ever since I escaped from that water palace, I've been hiding in this well."
"Young lady, tell me about the supernatural powers of the Alligator Dragon Lord?"
Miss Jing nodded and said, "Lord Tuolong was originally a crocodile spirit from the Qiantang River Estuary. He is cold-blooded and cruel by nature and has a great appetite for devouring. If he were to unleash his full power, he could swallow all the water of the Qiantang River, leaving not a single drop behind."
It has an enormous appetite and especially enjoys eating people. Those it devours will suffer terribly, and will be locked inside its own flesh and skin, where it will torment and amuse itself day and night.
If it encounters an enemy, it will release these souls as hostages, allowing the enemy to kill them. If the enemy kills these innocent and broken souls, they will be tainted by negative karma, making it difficult to advance their cultivation; if they do not kill them, they will fall into its trap and be taken advantage of, leaving them only able to passively endure the beating.
"Does it have any special features?"
"All its cultivation was in its own body. Its mountain-like body was already incredibly strong. In addition, its dragon armor, which was impervious to swords and spears and water and fire, made it even more difficult to kill. This is why the master at the time only sealed it and did not kill it."
After listening to Miss Jing describe the abilities of Lord Tuolong, Song Quyou fell silent for a moment.
The girl next to her lowered her eyes, her fingertips pausing on the vegetable leaves. She bit her lip and whispered, "That thing isn't without weaknesses. When it was weak, it fought a cultivator and narrowly won by one move, eating the cultivator. The cultivator severely injured it inside its stomach, and now it suffers excruciating abdominal pain every time it eats too much."
……
The sun was already setting in the west. Su Tang, who had just woken up from her afternoon nap, leaned against the door frame, stretching and yawning.
"At noon, I heard a monk come and say that charcoal had eaten Buddha's treasure, Burana."
Song Quyou nodded, then peeked at the big fat cat on the wall.
Little Black Charcoal's ears twitched, and its tail thrashed wildly behind it, but it showed no sign of opening its eyes; instead, its snoring grew even louder.
Song Quyou smiled helplessly.
Su Tang walked up to the wall, grabbed the fat cat, and said angrily, "You're causing trouble again! Did you do what I asked you to do?"
Little Black Charcoal squinted his eyes in dissatisfaction, looking at him with an expression that said, "What can you do about it?"
Just then, the sound of carriages and horses came from outside the door. An elderly man in fine clothes, with gray hair, walked in, bowed, and said:
"Miss, everything has been moved in."
Su Tang pointed to the room she had just slept in and said, "It's that one. You guys tidy it up."
Before long, several servants carried in boxes of various sizes and entered the room to tidy up.
Song Quyou, who was picking vegetables, was quite shocked by the large and small bags.
Song Quyou glanced at it; it was all clothes and jewelry, along with some books and account books.
Su Tang, holding Hei Tan, opened two boxes of clothes on the ground and said to the two people picking vegetables on the platform, "Senior sister will be staying with you for a few days, so these clothes are for you and Miss Jing."
Song Quyou waved his hand in an attempt to refuse, but was glared at by Su Tang, who was pursing her lips and frowning.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door again. It was Su Tang's old steward returning, followed by a clerk from the yamen.
The clerk entered the courtyard, first bowing respectfully to Su Tang, then presenting a document with both hands: "Miss Su, the arrest warrant has been withdrawn. The matter concerning Young Master Song was a misunderstanding caused by the incompetence of our subordinates."
Su Tang took the document without even looking at it and stuffed it into Song Quyou's hands.
Song Quyou took the letter and unfolded it. It was a reply from the Qiantang Prefecture government, explaining why Song Quyou was wanted. The letter was full of flattery.
After the clerk left, Su Tang patted the crumbs off her hands and said, "Now that your wanted notice has been lifted, I'll take you to a nice place tonight."
Song Quyou frowned slightly because the senior sister in front of him had a mischievous smile on her face, which made her seem somewhat unfamiliar.
……
As night fell, Song Quyou was forced by Su Tang to change into a gorgeous outfit. He wore a gold headband, a white jade belt, and a dark-patterned black brocade robe, which made him look even more dashing.
Seeing this, Miss Jing blushed and smiled foolishly.
Song Quyou, however, was very awkward, constantly tugging at his sleeves, clearly uncomfortable.
Seeing that Song Quyou was all dressed up, Su Tang said with satisfaction, "He looks very elegant, like a rich young master."
The charcoal-covered creature beside him remained lazy and yawning, completely unconcerned.
After everything was packed up, Su Tang said to Miss Jing, "Sister, stay home and watch over things. We'll be right back."